Nine To Noon for Thursday 27 March 2025

09:05 Former senior US intelligence official "horrified" by Signal breach

A former director of the White House Situation Room and senior CIA and NSA official says he is horrified by the use of a messaging app by Senior White House and Pentagon officials. The Atlantic magazine has published the full exchange of messages between senior White House officials as the US conducted strikes in Yemen earlier this month. Editor Jeffrey Goldberg had been accidentally added to a chat on encrypted app Signal, in a major security breach. The magazine initially chose not to publish the full details of the group chat, saying it did not want to publish classified information. But Jeffrey Goldberg says White House accusations that he was lying prompted his decision to now publish the entire exchange. Intelligence officials have been grilled by a senate committee for a second day today, insisting the material was not classified. Larry Pfeiffer spent his 32-year career in US intelligence, included stints as the senior director of the White House Situation Room and chief of staff to the CIA director.

09:20  Brains of rugby players shed new light on CTE disease

Researchers looking into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to repeated head blows, say they have made a breakthrough in their understanding of the condition. Neuroscientists at the University of Auckland's Centre for Brain Research examined brain tissue, primarily from former rugby players. The brain tissue was donated to the Neurological Foundation New Zealand Human Brain Bank, the Australia Sports Brain Bank, and the Boston UNITE Brain Bank. Their study, published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, sheds new light on how specific cells respond to damage from repeated head knocks. They say the breakthrough paves the way for new treatments in the brains of people with CTE.

9:30 Life after cars for Leaf batteries

An Irish entrepreneur is recycling old Nissan leaf batteries and has begun turning some of them into energy storage for the home. Eamon Stack founded Range Therapy -  a social enterprise working on engineering solutions to address climate change. For 5 years, his company has been doing battery pack swaps from Nissan Leaf cars, but in the last year they have been able to turn 15 older packs into home energy storage. Eamon says the technology for achieving this has matured and they now have 100 customers queuing up for their home battery. A lead adviser from the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority, Vince Smart, says home storage is a great idea as a second life for batteries from older electric vehicles. The Nissan Leaf is the most common second hand EV here - but Vince says the batteries are proving more robust than some expect, and at the moment, the supply of unwanted batteries is low.

09:45 UK: Spring statement, warning on welfare cuts, trans-Channel meeting

UK correspondent Matt Dathan joins Kathryn to talk about the messaging from the government in the Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spring statement. Welfare cuts look like they may have to be deeper than originally forecast. PM Sir Keir Starmer is due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Ukraine and there are plans to create 'return hubs' for failed asylum seekers - but the government insists it'll be different to the cancelled Rwanda scheme.

Matt Dathan is Home Affairs Editor at The Times

10:05 The Return director on reuniting Fiennes & Binoche on the big screen

Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have returned to the big screen together for the first time since The English Patient - 30 years ago. The Return - a retelling of Homer's epic The Odyssey - is directed, co-written and produced by Uberto Pasolini. It tells the story of a soldier's return from many years at war to his land, his wife and his son. It has been a passion project for Uberto Pasolini for many years, and an incredible challenge, adapting the epic 24 book poem into one film. It helped having the support of his friend Ralph Feinnes, who in turn suggested Binoche as his co-star. The Return is Uberto Pasolini's fourth feature film as director - the former investment banker began in the industry as producer of the 1997 sleeper hit The Full Monty. The Return opens in cinemas today.

10:35 Book review: Pātaka Kai: Growing Kai Sovereignty by Jessica Hutchings & Jo Smith 

Emma Hislop reviews Pātaka Kai: Growing Kai Sovereignty by Jessica Hutchings & Jo Smith published by Massey University Press

10:45 Around the motu: Diane McCarthy in Whakatāne 

Diane discusses how Te Tohu o Te Ora o Ngāti Awa will cut the ribbon on 15 new homes, the council is looking into forming a new health advocacy group, and another double figure rate rise is on the cards for Whakatāne.

Eastern Bay of Plenty Local Democracy Reporter Diane McCarthy is with the Whakatāne Beacon. 

11:05 Tech: Surrendering passwords when you travel, Iran uses drones to enforce hijab

Technology correspondent Alex Sims joins Kathryn to look at three recent tech stories and how they fit with privacy. The first is focused on countries that are increasing searching travellers' electronic devices when they enter. Some, including New Zealand and the US, require you to hand over your passwords if asked. In Iran, women's wearing of the hijab is being policed through the use of drones and apps. And Meta is considering charging for Facebook and Instagram in the UK, just as a British woman won her lawsuit against Facebook using targeted ads against her.

Alex Sims is a Professor in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Auckland Business School and an expert on blockchain technology, copyright law and consumer law.

11:25 Parenting: getting your kids through sports trials

How can parents get their children through the anxiety, the disappointment or what comes after a successful sports trial? Sport New Zealand says non-selection from trials can be a huge blow to children's confidence and can even lead them to give up a sport altogether. It says trials should never start too young - as there is little evidence suggesting success in youth sport carries through to success in more senior levels. But how should parents deal with this delicate matter. Kelly Curr is sport development consultant at Sport New Zealand - she has advice on how parents can talk kids through sports trials.

11:45 Screentime: Hard Truths, The Last Showgirl

Film and TV reviewer Perlina Lau joins Kathryn to talk about two films. The first, Hard Truths, is a 2024 comedy-drama that follows two sisters living in London - one prone to depression and the other, jovial. The Last Showgirl is a 2024 drama starring Pamela Anderson as a middle-aged showgirl facing a crisis when the revue she's worked in for three decades is set to close.