AU Edition - Today's top story: How a botched execution and proposed livestream of a firing squad fit in to the US' death penalty history October 13, 2026 AU Edition   For many Australians, the idea of the state executing a prisoner as punishment for their crimes is a difficult one to grapple with. Two cases in the United States have made it even more so. The first is the botched execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike in Tennesee, which Pike somehow survived. The second is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announcing that the execution by firing squad of US Army major Nidal Hasan, sentenced to death for 13 murders, would be livestreamed. Death penalty expert Carolyn Strange places these cases in America’s long and complex history with the death penalty and the politics that surround it. “Americans are not exceptionally brutal,” she writes. “But the prevailing politics of capital punishment in the US certainly are.”   Amanda Dunn Politics + Society Editor   Today's newsletter supported by Black Inc Books   How a botched execution and proposed livestream of a firing squad fit in to the US’ death penalty history Carolyn Strange, Australian National University Two death penality cases in the US have shocked the world: one for being botched and the other for possibly being made public. Just 6 in 100 Australian truckies are women. Here’s what would get more behind the wheel Vindhya Weeratunga, UNSW ; Briony Lipton, UNSW ; Catherine Deen, UNSW ; Sharron O'Neill, UNSW A new report finds the trucking industry urgently needs tens of thousands more drivers – yet it hasn’t built the conditions for women to safely stay. Cannabis hospitalisations up 49% in a decade, new study shows Myfanwy Graham, Monash University; Suzanne Nielsen, Monash University More people are ending up in hospital after using cannabis than a decade ago, and psychosis rates are rising. Here’s what can explain the rise. 3 things we need to get right ahead of extreme bushfire risk this summer David Sanderson, UNSW ; Darryn McEvoy, RMIT University; Dulani Halvitigala, RMIT University; Mittul Vahanvati, RMIT University; Timothy Heffernan, Australian National University Prevention is only part of the picture. Australia needs a better plan for housing those displaced by disaster and supporting them on the long journey to recovery. Over 40 years ago, a mystery vigilante released a fungus to control blackberry in Australia. But why? Simon Farley, The University of Melbourne Blackberries have long been a problem for Australian farmers and bushwalkers. But who would have illegally released a fungus as a biological control? Deadly fungi are harming Australia’s wild reptiles. This is how to stop the spread Patrick Champagne, The University of Queensland; Laura Grogan, The University of Queensland; Shelly Butcher, The University of Queensland People who love Australia’s reptiles could unwittingly carry deadly fungal diseases from one animal to another. But this is easy to prevent. How does a honeybee stinger actually pump venom? First-ever video shows it in action Fiorella Ramirez Esquivel, Macquarie University The stinger is effectively a fully autonomous micro-pump, but it works in an unusual way. Politics + Society What’s in a name? Enough to ensnare Australia, NZ and PNG in a legal battle over the rugby team name ‘Chiefs’ Ray Nickson, University of Newcastle The impact of the court case could have far-reaching ramifications across the Pacific. Is NZ’s foreign policy ‘realism’ working? Why the next government faces a real choice Robert G. Patman, University of Otago Winston Peters says New Zealand foreign policy should address ‘the world as it is, not how we wish it would be’. But how viable is that really? Labor and the Greens improve in Newspoll and Resolve and One Nation drops Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne Despite another interest rate hike by the Reserve Bank, the Labor government’s polling has improved. Health + Medicine The pope has a lung nodule. What does this mean? And what’s the risk of cancer? Sarah Diepstraten, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) ; John (Eddie) La Marca, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) The 71-year-old Pope said the growth in his lung was ‘well contained’ and spotted early. Business + Economy This economist believes the system is broken. Maybe she has a point John Hawkins, University of Canberra Mazzucato is better at critiquing current economies than describing a plausible path to better ones. Education A global report gives NZ tertiary education a pass – but hides another side of the story Cristóbal Castro Barrientos, Auckland University of Technology New Zealand’s tertiary figures look healthy on paper. But they lean heavily on migrants’ qualifications, while fewer young people raised here go on to study. Environment + Energy What can free-living Indian street dogs teach us about how to care for pet dogs? Daniel Ramp, University of Technology Sydney; Kapil V. Patwardhan, University of Technology Sydney; Rosalie Chapple, University of Technology Sydney A group of Western dog behaviour experts went to India to see how street dogs live. What they learned raised questions over what it means to care for pet dogs. Conservation parks don’t have to be vast – as one tiny grasshopper reminds us Ary Hoffmann, The University of Melbourne; Michael Kearney, The University of Melbourne The Murray Mallee matchstick is a newly discovered grasshopper species from northwestern Victoria. Science + Technology Can building more roads make traffic worse? Here’s the mathematics behind it Milad Haghani, The University of Melbourne Adding a new road seems like it should make everybody’s trip fast – but it’s not always so simple. Arts + Culture La Bola Negra is about the Spanish Civil War – but is unmistakably about our present moment Nicholas Manganas, University of Technology Sydney Set across 1932, 1937 and 2017, new Spanish film La Bola Negra follows three gay men whose lives become connected across generations. Books + Ideas Reading alone, together is all the rage at book doofs and reading parties. What makes it social? Shakiba Barghi, The University of Melbourne Silent reading events don’t ask readers to choose between solitude and connection. They offer both. Amanda Curtin imagines fragile acts of care among the homeless in Paris Caitlin Macdonald, University of Sydney The author’s novel, Six Days, examines what people owe one another and what happens when those obligations are ignored. Your Say In reading your article 'Pacific climate voices were clear and strong this week – and we’re listening’, it was so good to hear there is real concern for Pacific Island people. I would like to know strategies for keeping temperature down in a divided consumer world. Thank you for the hope. — Leila McClelland Read the article Regarding the article ‘Hoping for a ‘new normal’ climate is pointless. We must learn to adapt’: it seems that the main culprit of our environmental woes, including climate change, is our pursuit of economic growth. I think just switching to renewables will not be sufficient to curb the trajectory to higher temperatures, let alone the damage being done to our biodiversity, water resources etc. There needs to be a fundamental rethink. Countries like the United States and Australia with huge environmental footprints need to reduce their consumption to allow developing nations to reach a sustainable level. The West should be helping the other countries not only switch to renewables, but also allow them to develop without overstretching Earth's resources. Too much to ask? No doubt, but without this balancing act, I'm pretty pessimistic about our future. — Cilla Kinross Read the article   We'd love to hear from you. Each day we publish an edited selection of your views on our stories. 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