The Morning Edition

US President Donald Trump says he’s nearly done with the war in Iran, declaring: "We will be leaving very soon." His secretary of state also said on Wednesday that he can "see the finish line". This would be significant, but only if the Americans were in control of the war. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher argues the United States has leached power in this war, while the Iranian regime is in its element.

Investigative reporter Nick McKenzie logged on to a Zoom call to meet the man who said he was Aaron Pierson. McKenzie was also hiding his real identity, posing as a recruiter for an Australian tech company. The whole thing was a set-up, a trap for someone McKenzie suspected to be a spy for North Korea. Today, McKenzie talks about the new way spies are targeting Australian businesses, and what happened in that Zoom call.

In a sudden conclusion to one of Australia’s most intensive manhunts, self-described sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman was shot dead by police on Monday morning. For more than 200 days, Freeman evaded police after killing two police officers at a rural property in Porepunkah, in Victoria’s High Country, on August 26 last year. In a bonus episode today, crime reporter Melissa Cunningham on how the deadly saga of Dezi Freeman came to an end. For all the latest on this story, visit theage.com.au or smh.com.au.

The government has finally announced its national fuel security plan to help us cope with one of the worst global oil crisis the world has seen. After meeting with the heads of all states and territories in a special meeting of the national cabinet, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was acting now to be “overprepared" for any worsening of the crisis that has resulted from the war in the Middle East - now in its fifth week, and showing no signs of stopping. Today, hear federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos on what relief Australians will get out of this plan, and whether the government’s measures will boost inflation.

When the murky and fast-flowing water surged into their house in northern Victoria, Brian and Glenys Mulcahey were determined. They would save their home of more than 50 years. In the end, they couldn’t. But what they didn’t know then, during that devastating flood in 2022, was that the worst was still to come. For Brian Mulcahey was never the same again; the previously active man slid into a state of listlessness, and was later sent to a mental health facility. Today, regional editor Benjamin Preiss on the link between dementia and natural disasters.

This week, while we were all freaking out about the oil crisis – and rightly so – European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen visited to finalise a trade deal between Australia and the EU. Negotiations for this have been on and off for eight years, so it was not a moment too soon that we signed it. But, as Jacqueline Maley and Paul Sakkal discuss, this wasn't just about delicious foodstuffs from Europe, and indeed, Europeans getting access to our delicious foodstuffs; it was also about shoring up our strategic security in a very uncertain time. And, we also talk about One Nation's election unexpected result in South Australia.

How can we make heads or tails of where the Iran war is headed, and when it might end, when Donald Trump changes his strategy with whiplash speed? One minute, the US President says he’ll drop more bombs on Iran, “just for fun”. The next he decides to lift sanctions on Iranian oil and says that he’s having “productive” negotiations with his enemy. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on whether this war will lead us all into a recession, and what Trump said that reveals how much political trouble he’s now in.

As much as welove to hate Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O, who for so long ruled Australia's most expensive radio program, the implosion of their show is consequential. And not just in a business sense – although if Sandilands is successful in the lawsuit he launched against his former employer this week, it could take the entire radio network down. Today, media writer Calum Jaspan on whether Sandilands might take his brand to another platform, and turn it into a political force, with an even greater focus on the grotesque and vulgar – and what’s happened to Jackie O.

You’ve noticed the hike in prices at the petrol pump, but how high might prices go? And are we at risk of running out of petrol? Today, energy reporter Nick Toscano on what plans our government and the fuel companies have to manage this crisis.

"Looksmaxxing" is a trend on social media where, as the name suggests, men aim to "maximise" their appearance in sometimes extreme ways. There are tales of breaking legs in order to be taller, and talk of "bone smashing" – where young men claim they are hammering their faces to heighten their cheekbones. Today, Becca Rothfeld, a writer with The New Yorker magazine, talks about where this movement came from and why so many of its stars are Australian.

This week we’re talking about the enormous global volatility the government is dealing with, courtesy of the US-Israel war on Iran, and whether we need to be worried about things like our fuel supplies. Also, with this global instability and an interest rate rise this week, will Treasurer Jim Chalmers water down his budget ambitions, or press on with major changes to intergenerational equity and tax? The Inside Politics team of Jacqueline Maley and Paul Sakkal also find time to touch on the electorate of Farrer, which is shaping up to hold one of the more interesting byelections.

For someone who has said he’s already won the war in Iran, US President Donald Trump sure is angry. On Tuesday night, he lashed out at allies, including Australia, that have declined to send ships to the Middle East to help put a stop to the oil crisis caused by the war. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher speaks on the attacks Trump is now facing from within his own party over the war, and who’s really winning in this conflict.

Medicinal cannabis has been increasingly used, legally, to relieve symptoms and treat conditions such as anxiety or chronic pain. Today, health reporter Angus Thomson on the Australian researchers who’ve found there is no evidence that medicinal cannabis is effective at treating anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

By now, you’ve probably seen the Reddit threads blowing up over which movie should win the best picture Oscar today. How can Ryan Coogler’s Sinners – a vampire horror musical set in the Jim Crow era – not win, say angry cinephiles, noting that it’s the most nominated film in Oscar history. And yet, One Battle After Another, the Leonardo DiCaprio starring film about a government that has devolved into an authoritarian regime, is touted as the favourite. Today senior culture writer Karl Quinn and culture and lifestyle writer Nell Geraets, on which films tend to win at the Oscars, and which often get shut out. And whether Timothée Chalamet will be punished for his comments knocking ballet and the opera. 

This week, we talk about the incredible story of the Iranian women's soccer team, some of whom defected and were given asylum in Australia. It was a wonderful story, and a great public relations coup for the government.  Plus, the legacy of outgoing Nationals leader David Littleproud, and we examine the somewhat controversial style of the incoming leader Matt Canavan. Joining host Jacquline Maley is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and national security correspondent Matthew Knott.

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 the key to to understanding the US president's motivation or all the other wars he’s planning? Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on which country Trump has set his sights on next, and whether Australia is now at war with Iran.

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 Wednesday afternoon, one of the pair changed their mind and contacted Iranian officials with the intention of returning home. Today, in a bonus episode, crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz joins us from Malaysia, where she has been tracking the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran.

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 Iran expanded to the region. 

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, they say, by following all the rules. Today, investigative reporter Patrick Begley on the Australians who took down the Texan lottery.

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 spectacular and disturbing corporate unravellings in recent memory. 

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 Liberal Party review that Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and others tried to keep it secret, only to have it leaked by none other than the prime minister himself this week. Joining Jacqueline Maley today is foreign affairs correspondent Matthew Knott and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

Housing affordability in Australia is at an all-time low, and it’s left young people rethinking the dream of homeownership – something previous generations had taken for granted.  Today, property reporter Caroline Zielinski, on whether we can (or should) return to the Great Australian Dream – an enduring belief that home ownership can lead to a better life.  

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?  Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on Trump's tactics, and how his MAGA base is responding.

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 correspondent Paul Sakkal and Littleproud discuss the Coalition rupture and what’s next under the leadership of Angus Taylor.

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 conversations with a woman who accused Donald Trump of sexual abuse, decades ago, when she was between 13 and 15 years old. Today Foreign Policy magazine deputy editor Amelia Lester on what some Democrats are calling “the largest government cover-up in modern history”, and if it could hurt Donald Trump.

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 overthrow their government. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses who is likely to rule Iran and if this will lead to a wider war.

If leading figures of the AI boom, like OpenAI chief Sam Altman, have their way, much of the world (or better yet, space) will be covered in data centres. But what about the havoc their construction is wreaking on our neighbourhoods? Today, investigative reporter Clay Lucas, on the Australians living next door to these loud, energy-sucking centres that some say are a threat to our environment. And whether our state governments are letting a rapidly evolving, resource-intensive industry expand largely unchecked.

This week we had some not-so-great inflation figures and also reports that there'll be another interest rate rise right before the government hands down its federal budget in May. Newly-minted shadow treasurer Tim Wilson, aka the "energiser bunny", accused TreasurerJim Chalmers of pouring fuel on the economic flames, but what is the government saying about the situation? Also in this episode, we discuss the extraordinary situation where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had to be evacuated from The Lodge in Canberra. Joining host Jacqueline Maley is chief economics correspondent Shane Wright and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

The Pentagon once said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could succeed in three days. So, as the war rages on, more than four years later, what else have world leaders got wrong? For one thing, what a nation’s most important source of power is. Today international and political editor Peter Hartcher on the underestimated power that Ukraine holds, and what it would take for us to acquire it.

Jamal Rifi is the Sydney doctor at the centre of a controversial mission to repatriate the so-called ISIS brides – 34 Australian women and children who are living in a camp in Syria. He also wants to bring back a young man who was taken to Syria as a boy who is now in an adult men’s prison.  The women travelled to Syria and were married to jihadists, who are now dead or in jail. When Islamic State's so-called caliphate fell, they were put in detention camps. For seven years they have lived in no man’s land, trying to return home to Australia.  Dr Rifi, a medical doctor and friend of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, speaks to senior writer Michael Bachelard for this special episode of The Morning Edition.

A scream in the night, glass smashing, and dogs barking - these were the first signs that something terrible had happened in a suburban Sydney street. Since then, police have revealed this was a highly unusual case of mistaken identity that resulted in the kidnapping of an innocent 85-year-old grandfather. And on Tuesday morning, the worst fears of his Sydney family were realised: police announced they believed they had found the body of the widower, almost two weeks after he was taken. Today, crime reporter Riley Walter on a case that has gripped Sydney.

When Andrew Mountbatten-Windsorwas taken into police custody on his 66th birthday last week, it was the first time in nearly 400 years a British royal had been arrested. So what will the former Prince Andrew’s fate be? Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe on what it means for the monarchy that Mountbatten-Windsorwas finally arrested, and why he has not been charged.

Every parent has the same fiercely held wish for their unborn child: that they're born healthy, and continue to thrive. But how far would you go to achieve your goal? There is a growing movement overseas - and a controversial genetic test - that offers prospective parents the chance to choose embryos that have a probability for all kinds of traits, such as being tall, or intelligent. Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on the Australians wanting to access this technology and the ethical implications of creating designer babies.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia's ISIS brides - the women trying to return home with their children from Syria - are not getting help from the government, but it seems there is more to the story. Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is senior writer Michael Bachelard, who has followed the story for years, and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

Tony Wright, the associate editor of The Age, has been writing for 50 years. He is the master of what we call the political sketch. Sketches are akin to a verbal cartoon, and when done well, capture a moment in politics. Today, we bring you Wright's latest sketch, titled: 'Nation’s worst government? Jane Hume’s hyperbolic historical claim'. Read Wright's columns, and sketches, by clicking here.

We are in a dangerous new nuclear age, according to a growing number of world leaders. The signs are not just in Russia’s threats to use itsnuclear arsenal, or China’s steady build-up of its nuclear capabilities. The signs are also plain to see in a singlesentence, buried in an otherwise dull strategic document, released last month by the Trump administration. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on Donald Trump’s nuclear ambitions. And why Australia must begin thinking about acquiring its own nuclear weapons.

It should have been a time of celebration for a Sydney woman, who had bought a new home for herself and her daughter. But as settlement loomed, her application for a mortgage unravelled in shocking fashion. And it was all over $44.11. Kishor Napier-Raman appraises what led a judge to demand that the head of one of the big four banks be hauled before a court this week.

“Our character is essentially Anglo-Celtic and Judaeo-Christian. That's what has made our country attractive to migrants, and we should keep it that way.’’ That was former prime minister Tony Abbott on the position he would like the newly minted Coalition leader Angus Taylor to adopt, saying that for the Coalition to win voters back from One Nation, it needed to take a harder line on immigration and move away from diversity. Today, political analyst Sean Kelly, on how far Angus Taylor will go, in cracking down on immigration.  And his connection to Tony Abbott.

Investigative reporter Nick McKenzie’s 2024 exposé of the criminal infiltration of the construction sector prompted a slew of investigations among governments and law enforcement agencies around the country. The conclusions of those investigations reveal the extent of that corruption, and its findings are damning - including that the CFMEU's conduct could have cost taxpayers $15 billion, and the Victorian government knew of the problems but did not fix the problem. Drug trafficking and shocking sexual exploitation of women on major infrastructure sites - are some of the other claims. Today Nick McKenzie on the serious questions the government has to answer.

We're bringing you an extra episode of Inside Politics today because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had an opening in his diary, and he's granted us an audience. His interview comes off the back of a difficult week, with a state visit from Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Herzog's visit was welcomed by the victims of the Bondi terror attack and their families, but his presence in Australia also sparked protests with shocking clashes between police and protesters in Sydney. Host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal ask Albanese whether the police response was heavy-handed, and whether his invitation to Herzog caused further division. The conversation also traverses other issues bubbling along in the background, including the Coalition leadership tussle, as well as what policies the prime minister plans to implement this year ahead of May's budget. 

There’s a bit going on with the Liberal Party this week, but while that unfolds we are going to look at some bigger issues.  Interest rates went up recently, for the first time in two years, and there’s a question as to whether government spending contributed to inflation. So we're testing that today, with host Jacqueline Maley, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos.

The new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is so pro-Donald Trump she’s become known as the “Trump whisperer”. She also just gained an enormous amount of power in a historic landslide election win. What will this do to Australia, if she encourages Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to strengthen our ties with the United States? Today, Peter Hartcher on how Australia manages this new relationship with the Japanese prime minister, while heeding calls to decouple from the United States.

The violence that unfolded outside Sydney Town Hall on Monday night was ugly. Protesters were punched, kicked and trampled as they tried to breach a police line. Thousands of demonstrators were crushed together as capsicum spray was deployed indiscriminately at close range. Dozens were arrested, and several police officers were allegedly assaulted. People were there to protest a visit to Australia by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is in the country following the Bondi terror attack. More protests are expected in Canberra and Melbourne. Today, chief reporter Chip Le Grand on whether Isaac Herzog’s visit will further divide the country.

If you’ve taken a passing glimpse at news over the past week, you would have come across the name Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican musician recently won three Grammy awards and just performed on the biggest stage in the world as headline act for the NFL Super Bowl’s half-time show, which usually attracts more than 100 million viewers every year. The 29-year-old’s selection and performance have not been without controversy. Today, culture editor-at-large Michael Idato examines why Bad Bunny has become a focal point for the Trump administration and the anti-ICE immigration movement, and how he might impact US politics.

We all know how a neighbour with irksome habits can drive us to distraction. Maybe their leafblower is their best friend. Or they blast their music at all hours. But what if your neighbour is Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person? And you’re on a disability pension? Today, investigative reporter Lucy Macken on why theNSW Supreme Court is hearing a case involving feral goats, a 12-kilometre fence and why both women won’t call off the fight.

Today on Inside Politics, we welcome back former opposition leader Bill Shorten, who is now the Vice Chancellor of the University of Canberra. It's a timely moment to have Shorten on the podcast as he obliquely (very obliquely, we stress) came up in the Epstein files this week. Strangely, in the massive dump of new documents from the files, there is a text message exchange between Steve Bannon, the former strategist for Donald Trump, and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In the messages, Bannon boasts that he spoke to Australian billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer on his disruptive $80 million advertising campaign during the 2019 federal election. This was the election contested by Shorten, and we asked him what he thought. Joining host Jacqueline Maley for this discussion is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

Another tranche - amounting more than 3 million pages - of the Epstein files has been published. The US Department of Justice says this is the final drop, but there are reportedly millions of more pages being kept from view. So is there anything in them that hurts President Donald Trump? Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on how the Epstein files are driving Trump's "war pageant". 

The Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate for the first time in two years yesterday, to 3.85 per cent. Exactly as mortgage holders have been fearing. But what if many of us are not actually in the cost-of-living crisis that we keep being told that we’re in? And that this new interest rate is comparativelygood? Today, senior economics reporter Matt Wade on how obsessing over the cost of living hides the real challenges of our age.

Can the Coalition reunite, after two weeks of political infighting? And will the Liberal and National parties’ leaders, Sussan Ley and David Littleproud, even keep their jobs, given the threats to their leadership that continue to play out, as this episode goes to air? These are only two of the political tripwires that are at high risk of being stepped on, this week; a period that veteran political analyst Sean Kelly calls “absolutely insane”. Today columnist Sean Kelly on this week’s expected chaos and whether it might lead the government to finally enact bold changes, in housing and tax reform.

"No jab no play” policy means unvaccinated children can’t be enrolled in childcare or preschool in most Australian jurisdictions. But some parents have found ways to evade those laws. According to an investigation by reporter Kayla Olaya, these parents are using Facebook groups to share the contacts of doctors who will falsify their children’s immunisation records. This, as vaccine uptake in Australia has stalled below national targets.