Trump's 'need for violence'. And have we joined the war on Iran?

It could be argued that no American president has been as enamoured with violence as Donald Trump. He appears to relish all of it: the spectacle, the promise of it taking place, and, lately, its bloody reality, as - at the time of recording - American bombs continue to drop on Iran. So, is this th…

How the Iranian women’s soccer team escape unfolded

Five female Iranian soccer players, in Australia competing for the Asian Cup, escaped in the night from their handlers to seek refuge from their home country, which is in the middle of a war with the US and Israel. Initially another two women decided to join them and defected a day later, but on We…

Reporting from Lebanon: How far will the Iran war expand from here?

Thousands of people in Lebanon have fled their homes due to Israeli airstrikes and forced evacuations as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this week. Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe and photojournalist Kate Geraghty report from Lebanon, after the US and Israel’s war on Ir…

How a group of Australian gamblers beat the Texas lottery

The lieutenant governor of Texas has called it “the biggest theft from the people of Texas in the history of Texas”. He was referring to the work of Australian gamblers who scooped up a $US95 million jackpot. And this is the kicker: they did it by buying up nearly every single lottery ticket and,…

Mickey the 'monster': Sinister allegations behind spectacular corporate unravelling

Micky Ahuja catapulted his company MA Services from nothing to the big time to become the security provider of choice to the federal government retail giants like Coles and Bunnings, and a major sponsor of AFL clubs. But his empire was a house of cards. Today Nick McKenzie on one of the more spec…

The politics of war, and why Peter Dutton was so upset over leaked Liberal Party review

Israel and the United States are at war with Iran in a rapidly escalating conflict that Australia seems to be trying to avoid as much as possible. Today, we'll talk about how viable it is to be neutral these days, and whether Australia is doing its duty as a middle power. We'll also discuss the Li…

Trump 'doesn't have a plan' for his war on Iran. And the MAGA base is splintering

Only six days since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, the destruction is mounting. More than 800 people have been killed, including Iranian schoolchildren and American service members.  What will it take to stop this war? And what might compel Donald Trump to end it, if he can?  To…

Regrets? There are none. David Littleproud on Coalition split and what Nats do next

In this bonus episode of Inside Politics, we’re joined by the Nationals leader David Littleproud. He’s a man under pressure – commentators, Liberal MPs and some of his own colleagues blamed January’s split on the 49-year-old from Chinchilla in regional Queensland. Today, chief political corresponde…

Abuse claims against Trump in the missing Epstein files: will it bring him down?

Only days before US President Donald Trump declared war on Iran, another Epstein files bombshell dropped — this one, relating to allegations against the American president. An investigation revealed that the Department of Justice withheld more than 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes from convers…

US-Iran war: Iran’s government has been ‘decapitated’. What now?

US President Donald Trump's act of war on Iran at the weekend seemed inevitable but nevertheless shocking. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and civilians died when joint American and Israeli strikes rained down on the country, beginning on Saturday. Trump says it’s time for the Iranian people to rise up and…