This is exactly right.

The courtroom isn't just about justice. It's about power and money and some truly bizarre loopholes.

I'm Michael Foote. And I'm Melissa Malbranche, and we've got a brand new show called Brief Recess, Illegal Podcast.

Every week, we talk about wild tales from court, trials gone wrong, and cases and rulings that shape our world.

Today we're going to be talking about stolen antiquities, all the weird things Melissa found at in a state sale, the crazy conversations I had with the bouncer and J.K. Rowling. We make the complicated clear and the serious, surprisingly fun. From the exactly right network, new episodes of Brief Recess drop every Thursday. Watch Brief Recess on YouTube. Listen to Brief Recess on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello and welcome to my favorite murder.

Today, we're starting the new year with a look back on two of our favorite stories from 2025.

That's right. We're taking two of our listener favorite stories and combining them into a best ofof-the-year quilt episode. So Karen's going to kick things off with the story of Violet Jessup, the queen of sinking ships. And Georgia is going to take us through the unforgettable tale of Australia's great emu war. That's right, right here on this true crime podcast. You're going to love it. That's right. So enjoy this best of the year, quilt episode and happy new year. Yeah, let's make 2026 a real one.

Oh, God. Goodbye.

We're going to go to a place we've been to before that I've actually forced you to come to twice before, but I need to go back and you'll

see why.

Okay. So it's 2 a.m. on April 15th, 1912.

Okay.

You get a sense of what we're about to do.

Nope.

We're in the middle of the North Atlantic where the Titanic is sinking.

Motherfucker.

Yeah.

The Titanic?

We're going back to the Titanic. You love that guy. I love the Titanic. You love that vessel. A lot of stuff happened on that vessel that I want to tell you about. It's funny that you say 2012 and I'm in the middle of the night and I'm like, I don't know. 1912. What did I say? 22. That was a bad year too, so. 2012 was rough. I fully agree. I love your Titanic stories. It's just so funny. Yeah. Here's the thing about me and the Titanic. I love to talk about the people that made it off of the Titanic. Yeah. It's pretty an amazing topic. Yeah. I have no interest to go down and look at the Titanic. No. A lot of people want to. I think photos are cool, but they never, they never give it what you want, you know? They don't put you there. They don't put you there. Maybe like a dish is so exciting, but like that's about it. Yeah. And it's got all the weird algae on it, that dish.

So much algae.

And a couple snails.

Yeah.

...