The Morning Edition

This week we debate the merits of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s national address before getting stuck into what’s happening with the budget. With the world in a bit of a shambles, we found it interesting that the PM hasn’t totally killed off the idea of reforms in the budget to things such as capital gains tax and negative gearing. But, as our guest and senior economics correspondent Shane Wright says, this is the most difficult budget to piece together since the response to the global financial crisis in 2008. Finally, host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal talk about a fascinating interview Andrew Hastie gave recently.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As much as we love 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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.