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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been in China this week, a picture of warmth as he shook hands with Chinese president Xi Jinping. But there’s a lot happening behind these carefully stage-managed moments. As one commentator put it: “The tightrope along which [Australia’s] been walking between the U.S. and China - just got pulled tighter at both ends.” Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher, on how Anthony Albanese is balancing his desire to ink more trade deals with Xi Jinping, while facing pressure from the United States, to fight against China.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One time high court justice Dyson Heydon and famed neurosurgeon Charlie Teo once held the futures of countless people in their hands.But then came their downfall.As one lawyer put of Dyson Heydon, after a high court inquiry in 2020 found that he had sexually harassed six young female associates, “At the same time he was dispensing justice in the highest court in Australia’s legal system, he was [engaged in] sexual harassment.”And Charlie Teo? Two years after being found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct - for, among other charges, taking financial advantage of a vulnerable patient - he was reduced to performing surgery overseas.So what, then, to make of their so-called reputation rehabilitation tours?Today, CBD columnist Kishor Napier-Raman, on the continued celebration of these men, in some of the most privileged circles in Australia.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some have hailed it as a dangerous document that could restrict our freedom of speech. Others have celebrated it, saying it will lead to protections that are overdue for a community that has long been battered by prejudice. We are, of course, talking about the report that Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, handed to prime minister Anthony Albanese last week. But what changes, if any, will our government implement from amongst Segal’s recommendations? And does she have any power, herself? Today, deputy federal editor Nick Bonyhady, and federal politics reporter Olivia Ireland, join me to discuss all of this. And what we should make of the sizeable donation that Segal’s husband has made to a right wing lobby group. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know that air flight is - for the most part - extraordinarily safe. On any given day, about 100,000 flights take off and land, safely, across the globe. The air tragedies that do make the front page news, like Malaysia Airlines’ MH17 flight, which was shot down by a Russian-made missile in 2014, are exceedingly rare. But unbeknownst to most of us, many pilots experience difficulties with their GPS signals. And, these difficulties are reportedly increasing. Today, senior reporter Chris Zappone, on this persistent, but relatively under-reported problem that pilots face so regularly. And how much of a threat it is to our safety. You can find Chris' story on The Age and Sydney Morning Herald websites here: https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/how-a-confusing-cockpit-snippet-invited-doubt-over-the-air-india-crash-investigation-20250713-p5mejl.htmlSubscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do the great war time Prime Minister John Curtin, and current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have in common? Well, a little bit, according to Albanese. On the weekend the PM delivered the John Curtin Oration and set tongues wagging with hints about his newly independent stance when it comes to our relationship with the United States. But how will this land with the Trump administration, which is currently reviewing the AUKUS pact? Is it possible they will make Australia pay more for submarines under the pact? Or pressure us into participating in a possible conflict with China over Taiwan? Plus, the confusing matter of yet more US tariffs on Australian goods, perhaps…and what is going on with the Reserve Bank - are they misleading the public, or are they just confused themselves? Joining Jacqueline Maley is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal, and senior economics correspondent Shane Wright.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many of us, Cambodia has long been synonymous with tragedy, and the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, which killed between 1.5 and 3 million Cambodians. But, underneath our noses, Cambodia has more recently been roiling from tension with its neighbours. And when a military standoff recently led to the death of a Cambodian soldier, it set off an unexpected chain of political fallout. Today, southeast Asia correspondent Zach Hope, on what happened to Suon Roun on a contested mountain top. And why it just may bring down the Thai prime minister.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many will remember a powerful 2013 video of the then Australian army chief David Morrison ripping into soldiers who denigrated women, saying there was no place for them in the military. But today, after another set of allegations of rape in the ADF have been revealed, we wonder if anything has really changed. Today, investigative reporter Nick McKenzie - who broke the story for our mastheads and 60 minutes.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the case that has had people from all over the world talking. And today, after a 10-week trial, the jury returned a verdict. Erin Patterson has been found guilty of triple murder, killing her in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, and also Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson. Patterson was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson. Ian Wilkinson was the only survivor of the now infamous lunch of beef wellington, which a jury has now decided Patterson deliberately laced with death cap mushrooms. One of the reporters who covered the trial for The Age, Erin Pearson, was there for the verdict and reports from outside court in this episode of The Morning Edition.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever since American president Donald Trump declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, on June 24, we’ve been bombarded by hot takes from leaders on all sides. Trump says the entire world is safer, and the United States has triumphed over Iran. Iran’s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, says Iran delivered the United States a "severe slap". But what do Israeli civilians, who are caught in the middle of it all, make of it? Today, foreign affairs national security correspondent Matthew Knott, reports from the middle east, on what Israelis are thinking now about the fate of the hostages, a looming ceasefire with Gaza, and whether a Nobel Peace Prize could be the key to peace in the middle east.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The creation of a National Anti-Corruption Commission was a key Labor promise before it won Government in 2022. The Commission was duly created and this week it released the findings of its first ever investigation. But was it a little anti-climactic? Can we hope for bigger and better corruption-busting in the future? Plus, interest rate cuts and the confusing matter of the Trump tariffs, and their effect on the Australian economy. Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is federal politics reporter Olivia Ireland and senior economic correspondent Shane Wright.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is every parent’s worst nightmare. That their vulnerable child might have been abused at daycare; the very place where they’re meant to be looked after. This comes after new broke on Tuesday morning that a Melbourne childcare worker, Joshua Dale Brown, had been charged with 70 counts of sexual abuse against eight children, some as young as five months old. Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago, on what we know about this case. And early childcare sector advocate Lisa Bryant, on the changes she’s fighting for, and what parents need to know to keep their children safe. This podcast contains content that listeners may find distressing.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was the killing that led to protests not just across Australia, but in New Zealand and the United States, too. Because the brutal beating of 15 year old Cassius Turvey while he was walking home from school, didn’t just end the life of a boy who was on a steady path to buck one of Australia's most damning trends: that a young Indigenous man is more likely to go to prison, than to university. The killing also reopened one of this country’s foundational wounds. Today, WA Today reporter Rebecca Peppiatt, on the sentencing of the killers, last week. And what she understands about the community that birthed these killers, where she herself lives, that she thinks we should know, too.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was a time, not so long ago, when so-called quiet luxury, or stealth wealth, was in vogue. You remember; this is what Gwyneth Paltrow wore during her ski slopes trial; understated cashmere cardigans and suits cut just so that you had to be in the know, to know that these had come from The Row and Celine and cost a bomb. But the $50 million wedding, last week, between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez has marked a new age. That’s right, we’re now in 'The Age of Vulgarity.' Today, senior columnist Jacqueline Maley, on why this celebrity wedding is different from all the rest. And how we’re all going to pay the price.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us most likely spent the weekend catching up with friends, at our local pub or favourite restaurant. It’s unlikely we turned our attention to those preparing our meals, hidden in the kitchen, chefs who may be on their 14th hour, burnt out and very far from home. Some of those chefs, former staff at lavish Merivale venues across Sydney, are now sharing their story, and the at times darker reality of their work. Today, Good Food reporter Bianca Hrovat and investigative reporter Eryk Bagshaw. And just a note, lawyers for Merivale have denied the allegations raised in this episode. You’ll find their response at the end.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She is a former shearer, a pilot and a mother of three children. She has a dark past as a punk in Canberra. She has been one of the only women in the room in successive Liberal cabinets. She was the deputy to former opposition leader Peter Dutton, and following the last election, she took his job. She is, of course, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. Today, chief political commentator James Massola and host Jacqueline Maley speak to Ley about the Coalition’s woman problem, how she plans on stopping a split within the Coalition over energy policy, and most importantly, we ask who she really is, as a personSubscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has accused Israel and Iran of already breaking a ceasefire, in a tirade against both sides as the US President left for a NATO summit in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, multiple American media outlets are reporting Sunday’s bunker blitz did not destroy Iran’s three key nuclear sites. So what’s next? And also, how did we get here in the first place? Today, national environment editor and former US correspondent, Nick O’Malley on the series of events which left Iran dangerously exposed.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After eight weeks, the jury in Australia’s most high-profile trial in decades, is set to deliberate, and return a verdict. By now, most will be familiar with the tale - Victorian woman Erin Patterson is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, by serving them poisonous mushrooms in a beef Wellington lunch. Heather’s husband, Ian, also ate the lunch but survived after weeks in hospital. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder. Soon, we will know whether Patterson faces a life behind bars, or walks free. Today, crime reporter Marta Pascual Juanola, who’s been following this case since the very beginning, on the trial of Erin Patterson.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the kind of war he’s promised for years to avoid. Then just last week, Donald Trump said he’d take the fortnight to consider his options. But on Sunday, under the cover of darkness, the US president announced American forces had struck Iran. The secret and brutal assault on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, using so-called "bunker buster" bombs, brought the United States directly into the conflict between Israel and Iran. While Trump has certainly claimed the total obliteration of Iran’s nuclear capability, the full extent of the damage remains unclear – so too how the Islamic Republic may retaliate, including a potential move to choke the world’s oil supplies. Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol on the fast-escalating developments in the Middle East.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donating blood is an important community service – one that’s desperately needed for patients, in life-threatening conditions. But up until now, those identifying as gay, bisexual or transgender had effectively been banned from donating. A lift on that ban will now significantly expand Australia’s donor pool at a time when blood - specifically plasma - is most needed by patients. But for many in the LGBTQ+ community, the changes are long overdue, and the ban has been a major source of stigma. Today, health reporter Kate Aubusson and Matthew Mottola, on why the ban has been lifted, and why it took so long.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travelled to the G7 summit with high hopes of scoring a sidelines-meeting with US President Donald Trump. The PM wanted to discuss the AUKUS pact, and the tariffs that the US government has put on Australian aluminium and iron ore among other things. But events overtook, and Trump left the summit to deal with the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Albanese did not get his meeting. He didn’t even get a phone call cancelling the meeting. So what does this mean for our relationship with our supposed closest ally? Will Albanese be able to stalk Trump at the upcoming NATO summit instead? And was it really the loss of face some critics said it was? Plus, attempts to reform the Liberal party, both at the NSW and the federal level. Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss, is federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos and climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel and Iran continue to exchange missile fire in the Middle East’s latest battleground - and the world awaits a decision from Donald Trump. The US president has long sworn off getting involved in wars like these, indeed, he’s touted himself as the peacemaker. But now he faces a critical decision, and a key test for his presidency. Meanwhile, Trump told leaders at the G7 summit that he’d been open involving Russian president Vladimir Putin as a mediator. Today, political and international editor Peter Hartcher on what Putin’s growing influence over Trump means for foreign policy.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Train by day, podcast by night' is the catchphrase of the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast which has 50 million-odd downloads a month worldwide with a huge male listenership including in Australia. The American host's message, while compelling, can be rambling, unpolished, and often delve into conspiracy theories. Today, Chief Reporter, Jordan Baker on Joe Rogan’s influence on Australian men and whether it’s something to be concerned about.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of Victoria’s top restaurants and most celebrated chefs have come under fire recently, as allegations about bullying and harassment mount from former employees. Similar such allegations have seen heads roll at hospitality giants like Swillhouse in Sydney. And now, allegations about a popular Melbourne restaurateur, from those who have worked with him closely, an alleged incident of indecent exposure and aggressive behaviour. Today, investigative reporter Charlotte Grieve on how the spotlight in the hospitality industry has turned on those in positions of power, and why employees at high-profile venues across the country are speaking up now.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When news broke, 11 days ago, that one of Australia’s oldest and largest fertility services implanted the wrong embryo in a woman in Melbourne, it, naturally, made headlines around the country. But for those of us following the story, that was just the beginning. Because this mistake occurred only two months after another woman, in Queensland, gave birth to another couple’s baby, after an embryo mix up at Monash IVF. Today, senior reporter Grant McArthur on why this industry, which offers the promise of desperately wanted children, is leaving people to feel heartbroken.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave a big speech at the National Press Club in Canberra, and used it to dangle the prospect of economic reform.During its first term, the Albanese government was criticised for not being bold enough in its agenda. So is the PM signalling he will use his huge majority to institute major reform? What would a daring economic reform agenda look like? And are Australians ready for it?Plus, Jacqueline Maley, Paul Sakkal and Shane Wright discuss the hardening of the government’s stance on Israel, after it imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s hard to keep up with what’s happening in Los Angeles. And why. On Saturday, federal agents were jumping out of an unmarked van near a Home Depot parking lot and began grabbing people. Then we heard that Donald Trump had called in the National Guard. And then the Marines. And then, yesterday afternoon, Californian governor Gavin Newsom delivered a rebuke to Donald Trump in a nationwide address, saying: “What we’re witnessing is not law enforcement - it’s authoritarianism.” Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher, on why we are witnessing the opening scenes of a new phase in American history.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New York Times bestselling Author Michael Lewis is, as one interviewer recently put it, “a kind of guru of our age”. This is because, in books like Moneyball, The Big Short and Going Infinite, not to mention his own podcast, he has chronicled some of the big social and economic seachanges of our time - from the global financial crisis, to the cryptocurrency market, and how online gambling companies have managed to wage something of a “war against young men”. Sometimes, he even seems to anticipate the sea changes. Last year, he all but predicted Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE manifesto, when he decided to investigate what American civil servants actually do. And the catastrophic risks that might come from decimating the federal government. Today, Michael Lewis, on all of this, and what he thinks comes next for the American government. Plus, whether he thinks our own prime minister is “gutless” for delaying a ban on TV gambling advertising.Michael Lewis’ new book is Who Is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service is out now.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia has marked the King’s Birthday long weekend and with it comes honours for 830 people. But there’s one that stands out: former prime minister Scott Morrison’s appointment as a companion of the order of Australia has proved divisive. So why did Morrison get the honour? Does he deserve it? And who are some of the other awardees on the list? Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright joins Nick Bonyhady on the people Australia chooses to recognise.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Male humpback whales sing to each other, and when they do - over the course of a season - a favourite “hit song” emerges. Each whale passes it along, until all the humpback males in the Southern Ocean sing it. But humpback whales aren’t just amazing creatures, capable of tenderness, and rivalries. They’ve also managed one of Australia’s great comebacks - they numbered less than 100 on the east coast in the 1960s, and now there’s about 40,000 of them. Today, environment and climate reporter Caitlin Fitzsimmons on why they’re thriving, while other whales are critically endangered. And whether new information about threats to whales might inform the government’s environmental policies.Credit:David Attenborough/Netflix 'Our Planet' Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The dramatic shakeout from the general election continued this week, this time from the left wing of Australian politics, with WA Greens senator Dorinda Cox defecting to Labor. It was a coup for a triumphant Prime Minister. But will the PM live to regret his new recruit? What does Senator Cox’s defection mean for the much-depleted Greens party? And how does it fit with the PM’s recent approval of the extension of a giant fossil fuel project off the West Australian coast? Chief Political Correspondent Paul Sakkal, and Chief Political Commentator James Massola join host Jacqueline Maley.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us have, for so long, lived under the shadow of American exports, that we’d be hard-pressed to choose which was the most intrusive. Hollywood rom-coms? Halloween? J.Lo? That list might have been relevant a couple of weeks ago. But now America’s biggest export is Donald Trump’s MAGA mindset, according to international and political editor, Peter Hartcher. Today, he joins 'The Morning Edition' to discuss Trump’s hidden announcement, last week about a new level of American interference, globally, not seen since the end of the Cold War. And how it will impact how America changes other countries for years to come.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When news broke, over the weekend, that Ukraine launched a devastating and unprecedented attack on Russian air force bases, it shocked analysts around the world. The damage was huge. And it made a mockery of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s expectation, more than three years ago, that he would capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, within days. Today, Associate Professor Matthew Sussex, a fellow at the Australia National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, on what impact this attack will have on Russia’s ability to win this war. And what both countries gained, in Monday’s peace talks.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since October 7, incidents of antisemitism have surged across the globe, with people attacked and synagogues and homes vandalised. It’s with this backdrop that the latest attack has occurred, this time at a pro-Israel event in the United States. Today, world editor Catherine Naylor on the attack in Boulder, Colorado that turned a weekly vigil into what one witness said looked like a “war zone”.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How are we to make sense of the swirling chaos around us? The multiple wars, accusations of wrongdoing, and human carnage? And how can we possibly have civilised conversations about it all? British barrister and author Philippe Sands, is uniquely placed to guide us through this moment. It’s not just that he’s an expert on crimes against humanity, who has won cases against former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet. But he understands the personal toil of it all; he’s written about the Nazi SS officer who might have been responsible for the death of one of his family members. Today, Philippe Sands, who recently visited Australia for the Sydney Writers Festival, on helping to defend Palestine at the International Court of Justice. And the breakups he’s experienced with friends, over their comments about Israel.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, they fight, they break up, they kiss, they make up. Never before have the lyrics of a Katy Perry song been more relevant to federal politics. After last week’s shock split, this week the Coalition got back together again. But at what cost? What compromises have been made on both sides? And will the Nats and the Libs be able to work constructively together after all the drama? Meanwhile, Labor is moving ahead with plans to hike taxes on super accounts of more than $3 million, and Anthony Albanese hardens his rhetoric on Israel and its killing of civilians in Gaza. Here to discuss all this with host Jacqueline Maley is new chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal, and foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American debt is growing, fast. As we record this, the United States federal government has borrowed about 36.2 TRILLION American dollars in order to cover its expenses. But, by the time you hear this - that is, less than 24 hours since recording - it will have shot past this. OK, I can hear you asking: So what? Why should we care? What does it matter to us if Donald Trump has a bill passed that will add another three trillion dollars to that debt, as he’s hoping? Because these figures point to an empire in decline, according to international and political editor Peter Hartcher. Today, he joins me to discuss what it would take to pull the American empire back from the brink. And what it all means for the rest of us if the United States ceased to be a great power.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few years ago, Australia earned the unenviable title of allergy capital of the world. This could well have been true, with a World Allergy Organisation review finding Australia had the highest rate of food allergies for children under five. But since then, something happened to turn allergy advice on its head, and parents have been introducing allergens to children at a far younger age than they used to. So, where are we at now? Explainer reporter Jackson Graham is here with us today to discuss whether the new strategy has worked. To read Jackson's piece in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, follow this link to our websites.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shootings in a warring criminal underworld is not a particularly new thing for cities such as Sydney. This type of violence exploded almost two decades ago with the advent of the gang, Brothers For Life, whose method of choice claimed the lives of multiple gang members and seriously injured innocent people in the crossfire. But the violence did slow down once major gang figures had either been killed or placed behind bars. That is until recently, when, as crime reporter Perry Duffin writes, once again, there’s been a spate of gangland hits killing innocent people or minor criminals by an “honourless” underworld. For Perry Duffin's latest story, read 'Blood on the streets: gangland shooting sparks fears of tit-for-tat war'.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Renowned author Colm Tóibín's international bestseller Brooklyn deals with the agonies of trying to adapt to the customs of a strange new land. When we meet main character Eilis Lacey 20 years later, in Tóibín’s latest novel, Long Island, she again grapples with the pull of her home country Ireland. So what does Tóibín make of our yearning to belong, and how it can twist us internally? How it can drive otherwise rational people to damn entire groups of people? In this special episode, Tóibín, who is in Australia for the Sydney Writers’ Festival and the Melbourne Writers Festival, toys with these themes in a discussion on migrants, Donald Trump and the new Pope. And the times when even he can’t find the right words, in his own life.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was high drama this week with the Nationals telling the Liberals they wanted a political divorce.But by Thursday, the separation – like a marriage on the rocks – was placed on hold while further conversations took place.So what happened? And what’s going to be better for both parties, and the political health of the nation?To discuss the drama in this special early episode of Inside Politics, chief political commentator James Massola, and political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos join host Jacqueline Maley.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, global sporting events like the Olympics and the Tour de France have been rocked by doping scandals that elicited a collective gasp. If the odd athlete used performance enhancing drugs, how was this a fair test of athletic greatness? But there’s a new event that will turn all of that on its head, where athletes will compete while intentionally on performance enhancing drugs. The “enhanced games”, as they’re called, will take place in Las Vegas next year. The prize money has already drawn top athletes, including Australian swimmer and Olympic medallist James Magnusson. Today, sports reporter Tom Decent talks through one of the most provocative and polarising sporting concepts in recent history.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know, we know, Donald Trump has gone gangbusters in the Middle east, inking hundreds of millions of dollars worth of deals left, right and centre. But hidden within all the details about Trump’s whirlwind trip - the Qatari jet, his bromance with the Saudi crown prince - is one deal that you might have missed. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher, on Donald Trump’s microchip deal with the UAE government. Its inherent risks, for the world. And potential opportunity, for Australia.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.