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When American author Anne Applebaum travelled to the frontlines of the Sudanese civil war this year, she gave herself a stern remit. Bear witness to, and report on, a lawless world that - since the United States has pulled most of its aid - is now run by warring militias, clans and families. Crucially, she would keep emotion out of it.But then she met with people who were so thankful for the meagre aid the United States was still providing, that she felt “ashamed”.Today, Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic, on how Sudan’s civil war shows what the end of the liberal order looks like.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was on his honeymoon after his low-key Lodge wedding last weekend, while Senate estimates rolled on in Canberra, uncovering some interesting secrets. Notable was the head-scratching amount that Communications Minister Anika Wells spent on flights to New York, made public ahead of the mammoth social media ban coming into effect. Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos join host Jacqueline Maley for this week's Inside Politics.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Mark Leishman and his wife Kathy first sought out the help of George Dimitriou, they were suffering with cash-flow problems at Mark’s business. By the time their working relationship with Dimitriou finished - and after they discovered he was only pretending to be an accountant - their Newcastle home was repossessed, and they lost, they say, $4 million. Today, chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont on George Dimitriou, a serial conman and high-school drop-out who conned vulnerable people out of millions of dollars with the help of, allegedly, a bank loans manager, and a series of lawyers.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New figures out on Monday show that the median house values in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane have become, well, kind of insane. They’re the kind of figures that make people who’ve been desperately saving to break into the housing market tear at their hair by the roots.But new research shows that allowing Australians to subdivide their properties could mean a million new homes being delivered in the nation’s five largest capital cities.Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright, on whether this solution, which has eased price pressures in New Zealand, could be accepted here.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It really was the stuff of nightmares. A Swiss tourist, who was swimming with dolphins off the NSW coast, was suddenly mauled by a three-metre bull shark. The 25-year-old died from her injuries, despite her heroic boyfriend, an exchange student also from Switzerland, fighting off the shark and carrying her to shore. Today, environment and climate reporter Caitlin Fitzsimmons, on why the number of people killed by sharks in Australia is rising.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Pauline Hanson marched into the Senate last week wearing a burqa, it felt, for a moment, like we were back in the 1990s. Those were the sorts of stunts – and anti-immigration rhetoric – that the former fish and chip shop owner from Ipswich used to pull when she first swept into power. But, with a high-profile member of parliament on the verge of defecting to her party, and polling placing support for One Nation at its highest level since 1998, it appears that we are witnessing the second coming of One Nation. Today, columnist and former associate editor of The Age, Shaun Carney, on what a rise in support for One Nation says about Australia.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, Barnaby Joyce finally announced his resignation from the Nationals this week, paving his way to join One Nation, in a week where Pauline Hanson recycled a burqa stunt from 2017.And it’s amid this turmoil that we have a special guest with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and Jacqueline Maley - Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We feel like we’ve known him since he was in nappies. But now, at 21, the fame enjoyed by Robert Irwin - the son of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin - has been supercharged after winning one of America’s top reality television shows, Dancing with the Stars. Today, culture editor-at-large Michael Idato on the Irwin family empire and how Robert Irwin’s brand of "nice" has won over America.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has long tried to stamp American institutions - and the daily life of his country’s citizens - with his ultra-conservative ideology, openly waging war on diversity, transgender rights and women, among other targets.But now he wants American diplomats in Canberra to report back to him about the way we live.Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol on why Trump wants detailed information about the crime that takes place on our shores.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bureau of Meteorology has been plagued with public stuff-ups, including, just a few years ago, a false tsunami alert sent to half of the country.This is a problem because farmers use the site to plan harvests, fisherman use it navigate the seas, and the rest of us rely on it to decide if we need to bring an umbrella, or can safely travel from one suburb to the next.Today, climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley on the bureau’s latest disaster: a problematic website revamp that went tens of millions of dollars over budget, proved difficult to use, and, in one case, made severe storms over Brisbane seem less threatening than they actually were.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia banned the importation of Russian crude oil. Even so, Russian oil is still making its way to our shores, and into our petrol.Kateryna Argyrou calls this blood oil - money from which goes to fund the Kremlin’s war machine.Today, Argryou, who chairs the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations and is also honorary consul of Ukraine in Sydney, joins Europe correspondent David Crowe.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently on this podcast we have been highly fixated on the problems within the Liberal opposition and we have neglected the government somewhat. So this week we are going to focus on Labor, and to that end we have a real treat for listeners. Sean Kelly, a columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, was previously a Labor staffer with Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. He is the author of a book called The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison, and he has just published the latest quarterly essay – which is called The Good Fight, What Does Labor Stand For?Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a Sunday at a park in Singapore, and, as journalist Zach Hope observed, it’s the servants day off. They lounge on picnic rugs, shaking off the week of cooking, cleaning – and raising other people’s kids. Singapore has more than 300,000 migrant domestic workers, or “helpers”, as they’re called and many care for the children of expats, including Australians. Today, South-East Asia correspondent Zach Hope on this extraordinary workforce and the system, he says, is premised on profound sadness.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There can be no mistaking it – it is that time of year known as the killing season. Because, as of this morning, there are two state political leaders who’ve lost their jobs. One whose job is rumoured to be on the chopping block. And all this, as rumours swirl that federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, might not last through to the new year. Today, state political editors Chip Le Grand and Alexandra Smith, on why all this turmoil, now. And what it means for you.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has long sworn that his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was no big deal. That he didn’t know about his abuse of girls and women. And there was nothing of consequence in the so-called “Epstein files”.Then came last week, when a group of Democrats, and later Republicans, released - cumulatively - thousands and thousands of pages of emails and correspondence from Epstein, which could suggest that Trump knows more about Epstein’s conduct than he’s been letting on.Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol, on whether Republicans will vote for the full release of the files this week. And whether this could bring down the president.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four years ago, when our senior economics correspondent, Shane Wright, pointed out the failings of our central bank, government leaders, including the federal treasurer, sat up and took notice.Well now, he’s at it again. And this time, he’s got his sights on what he calls an unspoken economic problem that is driving down our quality of life.Today, Wright on how our convoluted system of government is hurting all of us, wasting billions of dollars each year. And what it might take, to fix it.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week in federal politics there was really only one show in town, and that was the compelling and 'can't look away' car crash that is the Liberal party's continued ructions on its net zero policy. They culminated, or maybe even concluded, on Thursday afternoon, when the Liberal Party met and finally came up with a policy. Today, host Jacqueline Maley is joined by chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and chief political commentator James Massola.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Did women ruin the workplace?” This was the question that was put forward in a New York Times podcast that - no surprises here - quickly went viral. The main thrust of the argument was that women are gossipy and overly emotional, and so, as we take over more and more businesses, we are a threat to the pursuit of truth and innovation. To say that women from the across the globe shot back is an understatement. Today, senior writer Jacqueline Maley on so-called “conservative feminism” and the political and cultural forces that have led us to this moment. And the hilarity - and danger - wrapped up in this conversation.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How could dozens of white supremacists be allowed to rally outside of the NSW parliament building, on Saturday morning? And why didn’t the police who watched them congregate make them disperse, once they heard them use antisemitic tropes about power and influence, and chant a Hitler Youth slogan?These are just two of the questions facing our government and police force, in the wake of an incident that has not only created fear, but led to two MPs facing threats of death, and rape.Today, state political editor Alexandra Smith, on what this incident tells us about whether our laws - and the institutions meant to keep us safe - are fit for purpose. And whether NSW is weaker than other states and territories, at warding off the attempts of the Neo-Nazi group to establish a political party.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tributes have flown in – from the likes of actor Russell Crowe and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – for John Laws, the polarising broadcaster who died over the weekend at 90. But, it has to be asked: why are we still talking about him, decades after his peak, when he played a key role in helping prime ministers either nab, or keep their hold on power? Today, Dr Denis Muller, a former journalist and media ethicist from the University of Melbourne, on the mixed legacy of the so-called “voice of the people”.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever taken on a 10km run, or a half marathon - maybe pushed yourself just a little too much, without properly researching what you should be eating, to fuel your efforts? Many have. And it’s no wonder endurance activities are an increasingly popular coping mechanism for those of us struggling to deal with the mental load of everyday life. But experts across the globe say they have been seeing athletes - and regular people - who have been under-eating and suffering from a little-known syndrome called REDs, or relative energy deficiency in sport. Today, Good Weekend senior writer Katrina Strickland, on this contentious syndrome, which some experts say can be allied to eating disorders, and has led some sufferers to have “bones like dust” and - in one case - a woman in her late 20s to have, as her gynaecologist put it, the “uterus of a 60 year old”. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a rather torrid week for the Coalition, with yet more messy fighting over whether it will dump its commitment to Australia achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This was followed by controversial comments by former frontbencher Andrew Hastie on late-term abortions. Today’s guest is Senator Jane Hume, a Liberal moderate, joining chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and host Jacqueline Maley.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese swept back into power in part on the back of an $8.5 billion investment in Medicare, what he described as the “single largest investment in Medicare since its creation” more than 40 years ago. Who could forget him waving his Medicare card at every opportunity on the campaign trail?Today, health reporter Angus Thomson on whether Albanese is delivering on two of his biggest initiatives: free GP visits and urgent care clinics designed to care for you when your GP and the hospital aren’t an option.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of tragic deaths of Australian mothers and babies, as a result of so-called “freebirthing” has put this practice into the spotlight.What is “freebirthing”, you ask? Call it birth without a safety net, that is: without any doctor, trained clinician or registered midwife present. Some women are alone. Some are just with their partner.Today, senior writer Wendy Tuohy on why women are arguably risking their lives - and that of their baby - to engage in this increasingly popular practice, and the “birth influencers” encouraging them, some of whom have reportedly claimed to have more clinical skills than they do.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is "Spermagedon" coming? Well, the results of a new study on men's fertility and testosterone levels has left experts concerned as male sperm counts plunge. Many experts suspect the drop is driven by a cocktail of air pollution, microplastics and other hormone-disrupting toxins, including PFAS or “forever chemicals” in the environment. Today, science writer Angus Dalton on this new study and whether male fertility is at serious risk.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High-profile politician Alex Greenwich is used to the robust world of public office, but he says he had never experienced such an intense attack on his sexuality after his public stoush with Mark Latham. Latham, the former Labor leader turned political pariah, was ordered to pay Greenwich $140,000 for a vile social media post the Federal Court found defamed the gay Sydney independent MP. It’s a judgment Latham, who is also an independent MP in the NSW parliament, is appealing. All of this is not new, but Greenwich is now speaking out about the extent the saga has affected him in the latest episode of The Morning Edition with Samantha Selinger-MorrisSubscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we're going to talk about the government's weaknesses, which might seem a little bit counter-intuitive, because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been flying so high on the international stage, where he dined with US President Donald Trump at a dinner at ASEAN. But back on the domestic front, there are a few weaknesses, particularly in the economy. Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal, joins host and senior columnist Jacqueline Maley for this week's Inside Politics.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, King Charles was doing something the British royal family are accustomed to - shaking the hands of royal fans who had lined up for a chance to greet him outside a Cathedral in the UK. But then there was a shout from the crowd - loud and clear over the hum of voices and clicking of cameras: “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?” Today, senior columnist Jacqueline Maley on the problem of Prince Andrew and why the scandal is being called the “stuff of which revolutions are made”.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2005, Rupert Murdoch famously sided with his right-hand man, former Fox News chairman and now disgraced businessman, Roger Ailes, over his son, Lachlan, in a television dispute.He chose proven loyalty over blood ties. Perhaps it’s a lesson Lachlan never forgot. Because after a decades-long succession battle over his family’s media empire, he came out as the victor in September, over three of his siblings. And with the help of a little known power-broker who has become the closest thing to being an honorary Murdoch.Today, media writer Calum Jaspan on Siobhan McKenna, the unlikely ally from a humble background in Canberra who manages Lachlan’s conflicts, in order to help him retain power. And the impact this has on his professional - and familial - relationships.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You sure can tell a lot about a person by what they eat. Actor Marilyn Monroe once said that she was told her eating habits were “absolutely bizarre”, to which she replied, “I don’t think so.” (Her daily breakfast was a cup of hot milk with two raw eggs whisked in.) Well, today, you can now judge the tastes of those across the nation. Because the results from the 2025 Good Food Guide Awards are in. Today, Good Food head Sarah Norris, national restaurant editor Callan Boys and Melbourne restaurant editor Emma Breheny, on the restaurants you can’t miss. What this year’s dominant food trends say about what we value - and no longer care for. And the affordable must-order dish that our team says is the “undersell of the year”.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You couldn’t escape last week without hearing the ad for Kim Kardashian's latest rage-bait release: a so-called micro thong with faux pubic hair.Of course, Kardashian has called her thong - a pair of tiny underwear that comes in 12 shades - “the ultimate bush”. She’s capitalising on the latest trend.Today, lifestyle writer Lauren Ironmonger on the shame women are feeling now, as a result of being convinced to treat their bodies as trends. And whether anyone is actually buying their pubic hair back, after being told, since puberty, that they must get rid of it.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The week in federal politics could not have been more fun. We had Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travel to Washington, finally, for his meeting with US President Donald Trump. The meeting was a total hit, and Albanese came home with a deal on critical mineral supply and reassurances on the AUKUS submarine pact.Jacqueline Maley is joined by chief political correspondent, Paul Sakkal and special guest Bill Shorten, former opposition leader and a cabinet minister. Bill Shorten is now Vice Chancellor at the University of Canberra.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, analysts have been predicting the moment when China would inevitably overtake the United States as the world’s strongest power. That moment still hasn’t come. But then came last week, when Donald Trump’s economic threat against China backfired spectacularly. Today, Peter Hartcher on the political turmoil in China that is stopping the country from realising superpower supremacy, for now. And whether Australia - unexpectedly thrust into a power position in this fight thanks to Anthony Albanese’s triumph with Trump this week - moves us out of our spot as a “middle power”, and nudges us higher up the ladder.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was the meeting that has been hanging over our prime minister’s head for nine months. But Anthony Albanese’s face-to-face with Donald Trump, on Tuesday morning Australian time, was never going to be easy.It wasn’t just the presence of our American ambassador, Kevin Rudd, who once called Trump a “village idiot” and a “traitor to the West”. But how would Albanese handle the most mercurial of world leaders?Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol, who was in the White House with Trump and Albanese, on what Australia gained, or lost, from this meeting. And his first-hand account of what it’s like to be told off by the American president, in front of the world.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They are the heroes who might be called to winch you to safety, if you fall into a crevasse, get stuck in a bushfire, or find yourself circled by sharks at sea. But behind the daring rescues by members of the Westpac Rescue service in NSW, multiple staff members have made allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and lack of safety compliance at the organisation. Today, investigative reporter Eryk Bagshaw, on the months-long investigation he led, along with 60 Minutes, into the rescue service where staff members treated like “god amongst men” are alleged to have engaged in behaviour that might have endangered patients’ safety. Warning: Listeners might find some content in this podcast distressing. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Victoria is on the cusp of legislating a treaty with Indigenous people.When it's enacted, Victoria will become the first state in Australia with such an agreement. It's also noted because Australia is the only developed Commonwealth country without a treaty with its First Nations peoples.Today, Gunditjmara elder Aunty Jill Gallagher, AO, the chief executive of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, explains what treaty is and what Victoria’s historic one will entail.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They said he couldn’t do it, but he’s doing it. In a few days, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, fresh from a week’s holiday, will be flying to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump. And also, what really went on between the PM and his Treasurer over the super reforms that Jim Chalmers abandoned this week. Paul Sakkal says the Treasurer had his pants pulled down by the PM. Is he right? Joining Jacqueline Maley is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and chief economics correspondent Shane Wright.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember when Donald Trump began a tariff war with ... the world? We thought that was old news. But over the weekend, the US president and Chinese President Xi Jinping made announcements that could – if they follow through with them – lead to what our international editor calls “mutually assured economic destruction”. Today, Peter Hartcher on China’s cartel-like squeeze on the supply of rare earths, the minerals every country is beholden to for its defence and technology. And whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese might emerge as a key dealmaker in this space when he meets Trump in Washington next week.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was the superannuation tax plan that helped Labor achieve a landslide victory in the last election. Though some of Australia’s wealthiest Australians - who were hit hardest by the plan - cried foul, the government has been saying, for more than two years, that it would NOT change its super proposals.Flash forward to this week, when, in an embarrassing political backflip, treasurer Jim Chalmers announced, yep, major changes to it.Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright on what these changes are, and how you’ll be impacted by them.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 20 surviving Israeli hostages who had been held captive by Hamas in Gaza, have finally been released.The Israeli Defence Force has released the first images of freed hostages, including the embrace of twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman. The pair were reportedly separated on their first day of captivity in Gaza.Meanwhile, American president Donald Trump has declared the war in Gaza is over. But the truth is far more complicated. Today, Amin Saikal, emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies and founding director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the ANU, on what we can expect in the next few days. And the likelihood that this ceasefire and Trump’s 20-point plan, will lead to lasting peace.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is one of the most unspeakable crimes a parent can be accused of – shaking their vulnerable baby so badly, that they sustain brain damage, or in the worst cases, die.Diagnosing Murder is a new investigative podcast by senior writer Michael Bachelard, and producer Ruby Schwartz, that questions whether we can trust the science behind shaken baby syndrome.Today, Bachelard explains why the diagnosis is in question and whether innocent people are being locked up for a crime they never committed. And just a warning, some listeners may find the contents of this episode distressing. Diagnosing Murder is out now. Listen on Apple, Spotify and wherever you listen to your podcasts. This episode mentions the case of a Texas man who was due to be executed this week. Since we recorded this interview, the man - Robert Roberson - has been granted a reprieve. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The member for Goldstein, Tim Wilson, is a guest on the podcast this week during a very interesting time for the Liberal Party. Last week, home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie quit the front bench, followed by infighting and internal leaking.Wilson talks about his relationship with Hastie and the former frontbencher's 'fraught' decision to step back, and where the party's soul-searching could possibly lead.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.