The Morning Edition

Americans head to the polls tomorrow to vote in the pivotal mid-term elections, which many view largely as a referendum on President Donald Trump. Polls suggest voters are shifting away from Republicans amid high fuel prices and a perception the president is not focused on their needs. But are the MAGA faithful still loyal to Trump? Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol shares what he’s gleaned from weeks on the campaign trail talking to voters from all over the country. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we take a look at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's incorrect claim about a $6 million grant to his local golf club – which has become another instance of the government fumbling potentially trivial political issues. Plus, tensions between the Liberal and National parties, and mounting pressure on treasurer Jim Chalmers to tackle Australia's economic challenges – notably persistent inflation, rising interest rates, and a looming mid-year budget update. Further reading: The stink, the septic system and the $6m question: Inside Albanese’s Marrickville mess Cracks emerge in reunited Coalition over trade deal and AI Who would want to be Jim Chalmers right now? Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, every Friday. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find…

Strong man populism has grown so much over the years that analysts have expressed despair about whether democracy could have a future. Even former US president Barack Obama, a famously hopeful politician, recently resorted to trolling Donald Trump in a bid to call out the current president’s alleged corruption. And yet, events of this week suggest we may be witnessing a new political trend. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on the burst of democratic support around the globe, and advice from the world’s most famous political scientist on how politicians can counter rising populist anger. Further reading: Australia is approaching American levels of anger. Here’s how we defuse the bomb The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple,…

For more than a decade, Sam Wood was one of the greatest success stories to come out of the reality TV series, The Bachelor. He met the love of his life, Snezana, on the show. And he built a hugely popular, multi-million dollar fitness franchise, geared at women, off the back of their joint fame. But now the 46-year-old faces charges of domestic violence against Snezana, including an allegation that he strangled her, after police were called to their luxury beachfront apartment during a recent holiday. Today, senior reporters Angelica Snowden and Christine Lacy reflect on the unravelling of Sam Wood’s empire, and what led up to these allegations. ... And just a note, the domestic violence allegations against Sam Wood are now before the court. Wood's lawyer has said his client would defend the charges. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from…

The treasurer's position is known to be one of, if not the, most difficult spots in any Australian cabinet in modern history, and the current climate is no exception. On the domestic front, interest rates are at a 15-year high, which could become an 18-year high if the RBA jacks them up again on Cup Day. Overseas, Donald Trump's war is keeping prices elevated. All this is happening as Labor comes under considerable political pressure from a grumpy electorate demanding more and more spending, and a persistent populist insurgence. Jim Chalmers is in the middle of all of it, as signs of tension emerge in the cabinet over Labor's economic stewardship. Chalmers' at times testy relationship with Anthony Albanese has also been in the spotlight. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the October 7 attacks, Benjamin Netanyahu’s prime ministership seemed in ruins. His government repeatedly looked on the verge of collapse. Today, Israelis head to the polls for Israel’s first national election since that harrowing day three years ago. So, how are they viewing the prime minister now? Today, foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott reports from Israel on the key issues tearing Israelis apart, and the surprising bloc of voters who may be the kingmakers in this election. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's being hailed as a cancer breakthrough so monumental, the lead scientist is describing it as a “moon landing moment”. And it's not just any scientist, but Professor Georgina Long - the Australian oncologist already credited with boosting the survival rate of advanced melanoma from 5 to 50 per cent. In a world first, a stage three clinical trial led by Long has shown success in using a personalised therapeutic vaccine to dramatically cut the risk of melanoma recurrence and death, after a tumour is removed. Today, Professor Georgina Long, medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia, on when we might have access to this treatment. And how it might impact the treatment of other cancers. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or…

After the attack on Independent MP Helen Haines, it's been a real horror week in Australian politics. Last week SMH and The Age columnist Waleed Aly wrote a column titled, "More Australians believe in political violence than go to church each week. This won't end well". Given the chilling prescience of that column and its title, Aly joins Jacqueline Maley on Inside Politics this week to discuss the issue of political violence. Further reading: A politician’s job is to listen. It’s becoming increasingly dangerous to do so ‘Don’t let violence win’: McGowan’s plea as Haines fights for life Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, every Friday. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See…

An increasing number of commentators and American politicians - including Republicans - are becoming vocal in their opposition to Donald Trump’s assistance of Russia, and the country’s dictator, Vladimir Putin. They say, variously, that Ronald Reagan would be rolling in his grave, and that Trump is “just plain evil”. Today, political and international editor Peter Hartcher, on how Donald Trump is not only coddling Vladimir Putin. He is becoming Vladimir Putin. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was only last week that independent MP Helen Haines spoke about why Australians were so angry – citing the cost of living, insurance premiums, the price of groceries, and fuel. And, for people living in regional areas like hers, access to healthcare was a massive issue. Now many are wondering how such a popular, uncontentious MP could have become the target of what appears to be an act of political violence. Today, national correspondent Rob Harris, reporting from Wangaratta in Victoria, on the attack on Haines. Further reading: 'He seemed normal': Tracking the path of the accused Haines attacker The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH:…

Riots broke out across France on the weekend, said to be the worst in decades. The violence began on Saturday after more than half a million people attended rallies to protest about the cost of living and school standards, with masked rioters setting fire to cars and buildings. Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe reports from Paris on what makes these protests and riots so different than the revolutionary 1968 student protests. Further reading: Nothing left to loot: Parisians ponder the real cost of another night of riots The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday, Exclusive Brethren world leader Bruce Hales gave evidence before a federal parliamentary inquiry. This was a significant moment in a story with many twists and turns about power and influence in Australian politics. Today, senior writer Michael Bachelard on the Exclusive Brethren, now called the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, and its "Man of God", Bruce Hales. Further reading ‘Tail, film, heckle’: Inside the Brethren’s secret election influence plot with the far-right The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week – again – is all about the economy, which includes a visit from a ghost of the past in the form of former treasurer Josh Frydenberg. But the big topic for today is current treasurer Jim Chalmers and a speech he gave this week, in which he warned progressives not to mock One Nation voters. The far-right strategy to divide people was working, he said, and although facts could push back on sensationalism and misinformation, “facts don’t beat feelings”. Chalmers also acknowledged that voters’ dissatisfaction with the government was primarily linked to the economy and cost-of-living pressures. He asked people to give him more time and, in a year, things would get better. But are voters done? Will people give him another 12 months without further damaging support for Labor? Senior columnist Jacqueline Maley is back in the hosting chair and today’s guest is senior economics correspondent Shane Wright. Further reading Frydenberg: A grateful son or a relentless self-promoter? So many people are angry. It’s…

The Pentagon’s plans to livestream the execution of a former US army psychiatrist who murdered 13 soldiers at an army base has been met with disbelief in many quarters. Even so, the plan, which would mark the first US military execution by firing squad since the end of WWII, was overshadowed by even more destabilising announcements by President Donald Trump over the last week. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about what Trump is doing to distract voters from the bashing Republicans are likely to get in the midterm elections in less than three weeks. Further reading: When Trump gets a thrashing at the midterms, four words will come back to haunt him Update: On Friday, Australian time, Donald Trump said the Pentagon will no longer livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning…

A senior Australian partner at global consultancy firm McKinsey made global headlines this week when he was stripped of a key leadership position after deriding the so-called “glass cliff” for women at work. Chris Bradley, who remains a senior partner at the firm, was dumped from a leadership role after he said on LinkedIn that the glass cliff was a “very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain”. Gender equality expert Dr Michelle Ryan coined the term more than 20 years ago to describe a trend of women being more likely to be appointed to leadership roles in times of crisis. Ryan, now the director of the Australian National University’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, is today's guest on The Morning Edition. Further reading McKinsey strips Australian partner of leadership role after ‘glass cliff’ comments The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and…

Dementia is the No.1 cause of death here. And it’s a uniquely terrifying one, given it can often lead to an eroded sense of self, and lost memory of loved ones. The number of cases are set to double by 2061, when it’s expected 1 million Australians will suffer from dementia. But now, some Australians are accessing new therapies, which can, in the case of Alzheimer’s disease - the most common form of dementia - slow its progress. Today, senior writer Clair Weaver, on how close we are to a cure for dementia. And why only some Australians are no longer hostages to neurodegeneration, as we age. Further reading: ‘There’s plenty you can do’: The lifestyle changes you can make to curb the risk of dementia Urgent injection of funds needed to stave off dementia crisis For years, dementia researchers had no answers, but now the word ‘breakthrough’ is on their lips The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of…

Lucia Chicaiza lives in northern Ecuador, in a sleepy farming town of just over 2000 people, at the foot of the Andes. She also happens to live near a lucrative gold and copper deposit that has caught the eye of Australia’s richest person: Gina Rinehart. Investigative reporter Marta Pascual Juanola spent a month in Ecuador investigating a mining industry that operates in shades of grey, where she found alleged worker exploitation, intimidation tactics and violence. Further reading Mountains of Trouble: Bumpy road for Rinehart’s offshore mining push McLarens, Mar-a-Lago and machine guns: Introducing Gina Rinehart’s controversial new frontier point man The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a year since Liberal MP Andrew Hastie quit Sussan Ley’s frontbench to speak his mind on migration. His decision fractured the Coalition and Ley’s ambition to woo back multicultural communities with a more moderate stance. How things change in a year. But through it all, migration has become a more heated political issue. On Tuesday, Angus Taylor announced the Coalition’s long-awaited policy, promising the biggest cut to immigration in Australia’s history. So what are the merits and the pitfalls of the Coalition's plan? Former deputy secretary of immigration Abul Rizvi – who is today's special guest – and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal pull apart the policy and the politics before Rivzi answers a number of listener and reader questions on migration. Today's host is federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos before regular host Jacqueline Maley returns to the chair next week. Further reading: The cost of cutting foreign workers: Fares spike in Taylor’s migration gamble…

While the rest of us have been dreaming of the promise of AI to cure diseases, and fretting about the threat of robots overtaking humanity, a growing number of people have started literally worshipping AI. At online churches, and in front of an AI deity, people around the world are asking this technology for advice, seeking guidance to life’s most difficult problems. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses what could happen if such worshipping becomes mainstream, and why the leaders of one of the world’s most powerful AI companies tried to enlist the Pope to take AI consciousness seriously. Further reading: Plenty of people believe that AI can be God. Just not the Pope The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify,…

Australians woke up on a Sunday morning in 2018 to extraordinary vision plastered across their television screens and mobile phones: Cameron Bancroft, the opening batsman on the Australian men’s cricket team, caught on camera using a piece of sandpaper to tamper with the ball during a Test match in Cape Town. It was one of the most brazen acts of cheating ever broadcast. This week, the Australian team returns to South Africa for their first Test series in the country since that scandal, which remains one of Australian sport's darkest moments. Today, senior sports reporter Chris Barrett and chief cricket writer Daniel Brettig, recording from South Africa, on the so-called “arms race” of ball tampering that proceeded the 2018 Test, and how South Africans might respond when the captain from the 2018 team walks out onto the ground on Friday. Further reading: ‘Just be careful, they’re on you’: Inside cricket’s greatest scandal The Sandpaper series was radioactive from the start. Then a USB stick was delivered to…

There’s been big news from the UK overnight, with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, launching legal action against police over his arrest in relation to the Epstein files. Not since the 1649 trial of King Charles I has a British royal mounted a legal challenge of this magnitude, according to the UK Telegraph, which broke the bombshell story. Today’s guest is culture editor-at-large and our local royal expert, Michael Idato. Further reading: Andrew takes police to court over Epstein files arrest The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to new analysis, screen time could damage children more than being born into poverty. The findings from the University of Calgary say higher doses of screen exposure are associated with lower overall academic achievement, poorer language development and emotional and peer problems. So what’s it actually like to be a 17-year-old on social media? What material are you fed – and how quickly? Crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz found out after she created new accounts posing first as a teenage boy, and then as a girl. Today, Schultz talks about her descent into the algorithm and what surprised her. Further reading: Posing as a 17-year-old girl online, I expected body image content. I got gender division I posed as a 17-year-old boy on social media. It took 13 minutes to be shown the manosphere The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays…

Anthony Albanese is back from the United Nations in New York to a slump in his approval rating and more economic pain. On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank raised interest rates to a 15-year-high due to continued inflation pressure. So what's driving inflation? How much is government spending contributing to this issue? Also this week, the Greens elected a new leader. NSW senator David Shoebridge is far more confrontational than former leader Larissa Waters and comes from the party's hard-left faction. His election may signal a shift in strategy from the party, which wants to replicate the success of left-wing figures such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal hosts today's conversation with senior economics correspondent Matt Wade and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos. Further reading To avoid another rate rise, things might have to get worse The Greens need to let the sunshine in or risk stagnation Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/…

When the competing leaders of the world's two biggest economies gather for a summit, there's usually a lot to tussle over – military build-up, trade, critical minerals or AI. But that's not what happened when Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met last week. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses the moments that could signal a startling break with decades of American policy. Background reading: How Trump’s grovelling emboldens China and imperils the Asia Pacific The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you live in a certain part of Australia, you have probably noticed them – big moths flying around, clinging to glass doors and gathering around lights in massive numbers. But for all the freak-outs across the east coast, naturalists are rejoicing. Today, national environment and climate editor Nick O’Malley talks about the return of the bogong moth after a near-total population collapse, and why they’re so important for our landscape. Background reading: After a catastrophic decline bogong moths are back, and naturalists are celebrating The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interest rate hikes are stressing Australian mortgage holders across the country. But are higher rates the only way to get inflation down? Or are there alternatives to the Reserve Bank’s go-to, blunt-force measure? Today, senior economics writer Matt Wade, on the potential – and challenges – of four alternatives to help keep inflation in check, newly floated by an Australian think tank. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The past five decades have witnessed immigration on a scale the globe has never seen before, and countries around the world are convulsing with anti-immigration sentiment. Australia might be an island, but it's no different. This is a dangerous moment, investigative journalist Eryk Bagshaw argues. Immigration has become a scapegoat because successive governments have lost control of policy levers, and infrastructure has failed to keep up. At the same time, whole swaths of the economy are dependent on temporary migrants. Bagshaw visited migrant communities both old and new to work out what has gone wrong and what Australia must get right. Further reading ‘You can’t put everything on immigration’: The suburbs at breaking point The moment Australia’s immigration program went off the rails Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we’re going international to talk about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. It’s been an eventful few days for the PM who has, among other things, spoken about Australia’s attempts to crack down on social media, met with US President Donald Trump and given a speech in which he declared the world order in place since World War II "no longer fit for purpose”. But all of that was nearly forgotten when Albanese stood up in what was very early on Thursday morning our time to announce an OpenAI agent infiltrated a Medicare website in June, accessing public and private files. Joining guest host Stephanie Peatling in Canberra today is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and, live from New York where he is travelling with the prime minister, national correspondent Rob Harris. Further reading Rogue agent or human error? What OpenAI’s Medicare breach means for you Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See…

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has launched a taskforce to investigate how AI apparently went rogue hacked into a portal belonging to one of Australia’s major healthcare systems. Albanese revealed on Thursday that an OpenAI agent infiltrated Medicare. It is believed to be the first known case of AI hacking into a government system. Today, technology editor David Swan explains how this breach occurred and how worried we should be. Further reading Rogue agent or human error? What OpenAI’s Medicare breach means for you Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might remember this case from Sydney in the summer of 2024 – the alleged double murder of TV presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies. Baird was a television presenter, appearing on shows such as Totally Wild and Studio 10, while Davies was a Qantas flight attendant. A jury trial in the NSW Supreme Court began this week and we're finding out a lot more about the allegations against former NSW police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, who has pleaded not guilty to the murders. Today's guest is Sydney Morning Herald legal affairs reporter, Michaela Whitbourn. Further reading Alleged victim of ex-cop was ‘petrified’ before his death, court told Alleged double murderer Lamarre-Condon acted in self-defence, court told The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe…

The Republican Party is under enormous pressure, six weeks out from the midterm elections, with a new poll finding that most voters believe US President Donald Trump has hurt the economy. It comes as Trump faces another test of his power this week: a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in a bid to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia. International and political editor Peter Hartcher joins host Samantha Selinger-Morris for today’s episode. Further reading: Why this new Ukraine pact is a war game changer for Australia The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See…

What will our future look like 40 years from now? How, in a world growing in complexity, will we be faring economically and otherwise? Ahead of the release of the government's latest intergenerational report, Treasurer Jim Chalmers had warned of some "confronting" findings, but there were also some surprisingly positive predictions. Today, senior economics writer Matt Wade discusses the unique challenges faced by Australia. Further reading An ageing Australia must find ways to pay for world reshaped by AI, climate change. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many Ukrainians, daily life continues four years and six months since Russia’s full-scale invasion. But something has shifted in the war recently, as Europe correspondent David Crowe reports from Kyiv. Today, Crowe discusses the new and dangerous phase of this war and what the rest of the world can do to help. Further reading: The workers who keep trains running under fire: https://tinyurl.com/yt6fvws9 The human face of the assault on Ukraine: https://tinyurl.com/yujrkyke The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we're sharing the first episode of Virginia – The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald's latest investigative podcast on Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent victim. Walkley-award winning journalist Melissa Fyfe and WA Today reporter Carla Hildebrandt spent more than six months investigating Virginia Giuffre's life in Australia and the months before her death. Despite Virginia's 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 Australia. Follow The Age and SMH Investigates to listen to all four episodes of Virginia. Read the Good Weekend feature or our visual story which chronicles the harrowing final months of Virginia's life as her marriage unravelled. Visit our websites at smh.com.au, theage.com.au and watoday.com.au, and send questions, information and feedback to virginiapodcast@nine.com.au Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…

Today we’re hot off the press, to use an old newsroom cliche, to talk about the federal government’s new plan for migration. Immigration Minister Tony Burke gave a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday where he announced significant changes. These changes included curtailing visa hopping, targeting international students, implementing a ballot system for backpackers, and ramping up the deportation of unlawful non-citizens. If these aims are achieved, what will the consequences be? Will demand for housing drop? Will there be labour shortages in agriculture, or aged care? What about deportations – does that signal ICE-esque raids? And what about the broader questions around Australian culture? Joining national deputy editor Stephanie Peatling today is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal. Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age,…

When Donald Trump announced his so-called Liberation Day tariffs in April last year, one question seemed to dominate: which country would suffer the most economic pain? But since then, one country after the next seems to have awoken to a starkly hopeful realisation: the United States accounts for only 15 per cent of total global imports and trade. So, could these countries join a newly powerful trading bloc? Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on recent moves by Canada to possibly join the European Union, and if Australia could follow suit. Background reading: Euro-vision: Could Australia join the European Union? One key minister is open to it The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find…

For nearly 35 years, hundreds of thousands of readers around the world have turned to Caitlin Moran for laughter and her signature nouse about how to cope with life's worst bits. Having grown up in poverty in a down-at-heels English town and helping to support her siblings from the age of 15, Moran was resilience personified. And then Trump, the universe and everything nearly stole her sanity. Today, in a break from the doom and gloom of news, the British author on how we can rediscover how life really is a "quiet loving thing". Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pauline Hanson has finally announced her party’s migration policy, after weeks in which various One Nation MPs publicly contradicted one another on the plan. Today, hear federal political reporter Brittany Busch on which visa holders Pauline Hanson has in her sights – and whether her plan could risk our prosperity. Further reading: Slash the intake: Majority of Australians demand deeper migration cuts The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finals in Australia’s major sporting codes are in full swing. And six weeks after the AFL grand final is played, the other biggest show of the year - the men’s, and women’s, draft - begins. But the work to find the next big thing starts years earlier, when scouts hunt for teenagers who possess unusual qualities. I’m Samantha Selinger-Morris, and you’re listening to The Morning Edition, from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Today, explainer reporter Madeleine Heffernan and sports reporter Peter Ryan, on the making of a sports star. Further reading: 'The winning formula: Do you have what it takes to be the next footy star?' The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age &…

This week we’re joining the dots between two different stories: the fight over superannuation, and the colourful past of One Nation’s leader in Victoria, Warren Pickering. On Monday, Pauline Hanson told voters her party would allow renters and prospective home buyers to withdraw their superannuation early. The policy was scant on details, but it had the desired effect of controlling the national debate. The same thing happened with the Pickering press conference. Normally, a leader of a right-wing political party admitting to taking drugs would not be good for electoral prospects. But, as Victorian political editor Chip Le Grand argues, the mea culpa had the opposite effect. Le Grand joins senior economics correspondent Shane Wright for Inside Politics. Today’s host is deputy national editor Stephanie Peatling, filling in for Jacqueline Maley. Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms of The Sydney…

This week marks twenty-five years since the United States suffered a terrorist attack that was predicted to change the world forever. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about the lessons that the US learned – and failed to learn – and examines the costs and rewards of Australia's full-throated support of its ally following the attack. Hartcher also discusses what Australia's alliance looks like today in the face of Donald Trump's presidency. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A far-right party in Germany has just trounced its rivals in a state election – the closest such a party has come to holding power in a German state since World War II. The result sent shockwaves through a country that has, since the destruction of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, created a political system that prevents extremist parties from returning to power. Today's guest, Europe correspondent David Crowe, discusses what the rise of the Alternative for Germany party, otherwise known as the AfD, means for Europe and the rest of the world. Further reading: Election shockwave: Meet the smiling new leader set to bring hard-right upheaval to Germany The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts.…

It’s the Australian government versus big tech yet again in parliament this week, with Labor planning to introduce a bill that would tackle online harm and hand back control of social media algorithms to users. It comes as toxic online content is increasingly linked to violent sexualised behaviour in young men. But is what we see on social media a matter for a government? Or has the algorithm become so out of hand that guardrails need to be put in place? Today's guest is federal bureau chief Michelle Griffin. Background reading: Hardline free-speech campaigners demand Coalition block Labor’s latest social media plan The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH:…

It was a dramatic fall from grace for a brand that had taken the world by storm by making sunscreen sexy, with influencers around the globe extolling how flawlessly the products wore under make-up and felt virtually undetectable on the skin. Today, lifestyle reporter Lauren Ironmonger and business reporter Jessica Yun talk about the fallout a year on from the Choice findings, and whether the safety of sunscreens in Australia has been improved. Further reading: 'It took two Aussie entrepreneurs six years to build a cult sunscreen brand. Then it came crashing down ' The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for…

In this week’s episode, we dissect Labor’s brutal loss to One Nation in a supposedly safe seat in Western Australia. Does this byelection really signify, as victor Luke Herdegen put it, that no MP is safe from the “orange tsunami”? One Liberal MP who is worried is Andrew Hastie. Liberal strategists have been telling us his stance against accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith may cause voters in his electorate to defect to One Nation. Also, this week One Nation leader Pauline Hanson claimed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s rhetoric was fuelling violence towards her. Is this a bit rich coming from someone who is so divisive? Or should we be looking at threats to politicians more seriously? Today’s episode is hosted, as usual, by Jacqueline Maley with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal. Today's guest is WAtoday state political reporter Hamish Hastie. Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms…

In terms of criminal jury trials, what unfolded in the infamous death cap mushroom case was unique. Because when the jury was locked away from the outside world to consider a verdict, they were staying in the same hotel, in the same country town, as the police who investigated the case, the lawyers who prosecuted, and the media reporting on it. This strange arrangement has opened the case to suggestions that the jury was tainted – a central tenet of Erin Patterson’s appeal against her conviction. Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment last year, with a non-parole period of 33 years, for serving a poisoned beef Wellington lunch to her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her Baptist pastor husband Ian Wilkinson. Today, crime and justice reporter Erin Pearson and senior reporter Chris Vedelago on the curious case of the mushroom murder jury. Background reading: Erin Patterson, the jury hotel and the curious case of the missing CCTV The Morning Edition brings you the story…

Fashion designer John Galliano announced yesterday that he would step away from being honoured with a retrospective at next year’s illustrious Met Gala, the so-called Oscars of the fashion world. Many had hailed Galliano as one of modern history's most important fashion designers, but he was also, as fashion insider Amy Odell puts it, "the industry's most famous antisemite”. Today Odell, author of Anna, a biography of former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and the host of The Back Row podcast, talks about whether Galliano’s cancellation was fair and if it was a wider rebuke to an industry known for tolerating bad behaviour. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods. Subscribe to The Age &…

Six days ago, a massive flash flood descended like an avalanche through villages and towns on the Nepal-Tibet border, sweeping away homes, roads and bridges. Hundreds of people are dead and thousands are missing, including 43 Australians. Joining us today is South-East Asia correspondent Zach Hope, who is reporting from the disaster zone in Nepal. Background reading: ‘I must look for my sons’: A farmer’s extraordinary survival in Nepal The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve applied for a job in the past few years, you may have been humiliated by an AI program. Maybe while it interviewed you. Or threw out your CV. But lately, as AI recruitment programs have become way more sophisticated, so, too, have job hunters, enlisting AI agents of their own. Today, freelance writer Stephanie Wood on new ways that AI can discriminate against workers. And the best way to nab a job. Read Stephanie's feature here. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Egg freezing has become a popular choice for more and more young women, many of whom are looking for something of an insurance policy against missing out on becoming a mother. It’s become big business, which means fertility companies are beholden not just to their patients, but also to their shareholders. Today, reporter Bronte Gossling and deputy lifestyle editor Courtney Thompson discuss the latest data on egg freezing, as well as what it’s actually like for the women who undergo it. Background reading: ‘Social egg freezing’ is on the rise, but at what cost? The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for…