It’s been a packed weekend of news since we last Squized, so let’s quickly catch you up with the biggies…

Murdoch drops Crikey case
Lachlan Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and co-chairman of News Corp, ditched his defamation lawsuit against independent Aussie news site Crikey on Friday. It’s notable because it happened just after Murdoch’s Fox News agreed to a US$787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in another defamation lawsuit. The local case was linked to an article they published in June 2022 that accused “the Murdochs” and Fox News of being “unindicted co-conspirators” in the January 6 US Capitol riot… Legal experts say Murdoch had a strong case against the publisher but might have dropped it to dodge more negative publicity.

Some big names dropped from cable news in the US
Fox News has parted ways with popular host Tucker Carson, who has come under scrutiny in a number of legal battles the company is facing over its airing of election-fraud claims. It was yesterday’s 2nd high-profile media resignation after CNN’s Don Lemon was let go following on-air comments he made that were condemned as sexist. 

US pill decision
On Friday, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of keeping the abortion pill mifepristone on shelves nationwide. That goes against conservative state courts/representatives, like Texan anti-abortion judge Matthew Kaczmarek who’s been pushing for the drug’s suspension. As you can probably imagine, there’s a lot of background to all of this, and it’s not over yet.

Opening the trans-Tasman door
The Albanese Government announced a new pathway for Kiwis to become fully-fledged Aussies at the weekend. It’s an overhaul of the previous visa arrangements in place since 2001, which made applying for permanent Australian residency and citizenship tricky. Now, if you’re a New Zealander living in Australia for at least 10 years and meet certain income and residency rules, it’ll be easier to apply for citizenship. Kiwi PM Chris Hipkins welcomed the change, describing it as “a bloody good day” for Kiwis in Oz.

Anglican Church under scrutiny
Survivors of clerical abuse are demanding an independent inquiry into former Governor-General Peter Hollingworth after the Anglican Church’s Professional Standards Board review into his conduct was released on Monday. For context, Hollingworth allowed 2 paedophile priests to continue working while he was Archbishop of Brisbane in the 90s. Despite that, the board found Hollingworth “fit for ministry” and said he could keep his holy orders if he apologises to those who suffered abuse under his leadership. Survivors say that’s not good enough – they want Hollingworth’s $357,000-a-year pension and taxpayer-funded entitlements taken from him.

Tick, tick, boom…
So went the Twitter verifications – or blue ticks – on thousands of users’ accounts, including Beyonce and Christiano Ronaldo. It’s a move that’s been months in the making after owner Elon Musk announced paid verifications would be one of his moves to bolster revenue at the tech company. And Twitter’s not the only digital giant facing challenges… Media company BuzzFeed also announced it would immediately close its news offshoot, BuzzFeed News.

Vale Barry Humphries
The legendary Aussie comedian and cultural icon famous for characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson has died at 89yo. Humphries’ unique brand of humour made an indelible mark on the comedy world during his +7 decades on stage. It also found him some rather high-profile fans, including former PM Gough Whitlam and the royal family, as well as some critics in recent years. PM Anthony Albanese remembered him as “a great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind … he was both gifted and a gift”.

Dream unlocked
The fairytale came true over the weekend when Wrexham AFC – the Welsh soccer club bought by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – won re-entry to the English Football League. The team had been relegated to the lesser National League in 2008, and the Hollywood stars acquired the club in 2021 with the goal of securing the promotion. Their ups and downs have been captured in the doco Welcome to Wrexham.