The Morning Edition

Donald Trump has suffered a cascade of humiliations at the hands of Iran and Iranian allies in the last two weeks.
But, according to international and political editor Peter Hartcher, humiliation is the least of Trump's problems now.
In today's episode, Hartcher discusses the strikes from Houthi rebels over the weekend, which confirm a new front to this war. And the significance of Saudi ...

Car insurance in Australia has leapt by nearly 50 per cent in the last six years and this week, the financial regulator blasted insurers for failing to adequately explain to customers why they have jacked up prices by so much.
So what's behind the spike in premiums?
Insurers talk about the cost of repairing cars these days and global volatility, but there's plenty of evidence that compani...

Kyle Sandilands commanded massive audiences on commercial radio before his now infamous sacking. And on Monday, his new subscriber-only live show was launched.

It was the old Sandilands but even more uncensored, and with a political bent, featuring guests such as NSW Premier Chris Minns and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

So why do we care, and what does this new era of media &n...

In a win that has sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party, an unabashedly left-wing epidemiologist has been chosen as the Democrat nominee to fight for a senate seat in Michigan in November.

Some see it as a desperate move at a time when the Republican Party is moving full steam ahead to prosecute opponents such as Dr Anthony Fauci, Joe Biden's former COVID tsar, who was browbeaten just over a week ago in a heated Senat...

This week on Inside Politics, we take a look at some of the major policy challenges facing the Albanese government – from migration numbers, to gambling-advertising reform and the news media bargaining code between Australian media and big tech companies.

Joining host Jacqueline Maley are chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to...

There’s a battle brewing over which country will lead the world in Artificial Intelligence, and the US has bet the house, economically, that it will be the winner.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on what previous infrastructure booms – such as the craze for building railways in the 1840s or the dotcom boom of the 1990s – tell us about where all this will lead, and which countries might be ...

Is Alan Jones guilty of multiple counts of indecent assault? Or are the allegations against him - by six men - the result of treachery, desperation and opportunism, as Jones’ barrister has argued?

Today crime reporter Clare Sibthorpe on the allegations aired in court, so far, in the trial of Alan Jones, which began this week.

If you like this podcast and want to hear more, please rate, review & subscribe on Apple, Spotify...

It’s the latest health buzzword, proposed as a magic cure for everything from dementia to low libido. But is it safe, or even advisable, to take supplementary testosterone? 

Today, we talk to Madeleine Heffernan on what the experts want us to know, and what this latest cultural obsession says about us right now.

If you like this podcast and want to hear more, please rate, review & subscribe on Apple,...

Virginia Giuffre was fearless in taking down some of the world's most powerful people. As Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent victim, she helped expose his crimes and hold his friends to account, including the man formerly known as Prince Andrew.

But despite her heroic battle in the most notorious sex trafficking case of the 21st century, few knew about one of her toughest fights. It was one she fought privately, at home in Aus...

It’s been another roller coaster this week for mortgage holders. Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock issued a stern warning about inflation, before the clouds parted a little when there was a welcome dip in the numbers.

We check in with the state of the economy with senior economics correspondent Shane Wright, before crossing to state political editor Chip Le Grand after quite a momentous week in Victoria.

This week, Jacint...

They are wars on different fronts, but both are showcasing what international and political editor Peter Hartcher says are the deep misjudgements of leaders.

Reporting this week revealed US armaments are running low as war continues in the Middle East. And the ramifications of the “unbelievable” nuclear deal that US President Donald Trump signed with Saudi Arabia are beginning to surface.

Meanwhile, in the Russia-Ukrain...

The Victorian government made headlines, for all the wrong reasons, in 2023, when it pulled out of hosting the Commonwealth Games on the grounds that it was too expensive.

Now, the Games are on in Glasgow, with many locals barely registering that it’s even taking place in their city, according to our reporter on the ground.

Today, senior sports writer Michael Gleeson on whether the competition, which started in 1930 as a mean...

Victorian politics is in turmoil. On Tuesday morning, Jacinta Allan stood down as the state's49th premier after more than 25 years in parliament.

In a bonus episode of The Morning Edition, state political reporter Kieran Rooney discusses what brought Allan down, who has replaced her and what it means for the state election in just four months’ time.

Background reading:

• 'Slow, then fast, the downfall of a premier und...

There are not that many company CEOs who the general public knows by name. But Alan Joyce is one of them.

In part, it's because of how customers and employees were treated by Qantas, the company he led, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, senior reporter Chris Zappone discusses why Alan Joyce is now telling his side of the story.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.s...

The Labor party is facing fresh scrutiny over where it gets its money.

Five days ago, it was the result of revelations that the party collected more than $4 million in gambling donations in five years – a chunk of that while it dithered on gambling reform.

And now, another donation has raised eyebrows.

Today investigative reporter Lucy Macken on the...

It has been quite the week in federal politics, and our attention has been sucked by two One Nation clangers.

First, Barnaby Joyce yelled at his dog on national television, then Pauline Hanson made some incredibly controversial remarks about domestic violence.

Meanwhile, our guests for today, chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos, are tuning in under the fluorescent light...

Why, six years on, is Donald Trump peddling the falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen? And how many Americans now believe it?

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses what the timing of Trump’s renewed fixation may tells us about his ulterior motives.

Background reading

• Trump’s three-pronged threat to American democracy

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.a...

Christopher Nolan’s $250 million film The Odyssey was always going to inspire – and enrage – fans. That’s what you get when you take on one of the oldest surviving stories in history and refashion the hero at its centre.

The New York Review of Books editor-at-large Daniel Mendelsohn is today's guest. The classics scholar discusses what Nolan is trying to tell us with his version and why it's provoked people ...

If you’ve ever felt that you are being rushed through a healthcare appointment, you’re not alone.

Now a number of optometrists have told our mastheads that they are being pressured to rush appointments, and even skip providing clinical tests, in order to sell, sell, sell.

Today, health reporter Rachel Rasker on the optometry chains allegedly prioritising money over patient health.

Subscribe to The Age &...