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

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 , 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.

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 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 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 whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 becoming clear where this comes from 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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 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 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 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.

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

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 International student cuts risk ‘very significant hole’, universities warn Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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