The Morning Edition

A new geopolitical order has been slowly rearranging itself, beneath our feet. Though many of us might not have been looking closely enough to notice it. It’s a new, so-called “axis of evil”, made up of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. For the first time since the Cold War ended, these four autocracies are working together in an aggressive military partnership. In the latest instance, it’s to fight a proxy war against Ukraine.  Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher, on how a Donald Trump presidency might impact the West’s fight against this “axis of evil”. And the events in the last week that illustrate what Australia and its allies are up against.  Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health officials have warned us of the potential health risks of vaping for a while now. But, a joint investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes has uncovered an even bigger problem. Organised criminals, infuriated pharmacists and a government struggling to crack down on vaping, particularly among young Australians, are at war.Today, investigative journalist Eryk Bagshaw, on whether this perfect storm is creating a new generation of nicotine addicts. And undoing decades of work by health officials, who have, until now, caused cigarette usage to plummet.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the same radio station that Alan Jones wielded his extraordinary power, his arrest played out live on air. Just after 8am, during the middle of his old radio spot, investigative journalist Kate McClymont broke the news that the former broadcaster - who was the most successful and feared of his time - was in the custody of police.  McClymont, whose work sparked the police investigation, revealed in our mastheads last year that the controversial broadcaster allegedly indecently assaulted, groped or inappropriately touched multiple young men. Today, Kate McClymont brings us the latest on this significant development and what happens from here. And just a warning, this episode contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault. Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service (1800RESPECT) on 1800 737 732.  Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women in Afghanistan have had their freedoms crushed by the Taliban, which has enacted rules that chip away at their basic human rights. They’ve long been banned from studying, working, going to a salon or a gym. But over the last few months, the regime has cracked down even further, by implementing a raft of new “vice and virtue” laws. Women are now forbidden from speaking or even praying in public. They’re also not allowed to show their bare faces in public, or to be heard singing or reading aloud. Even from inside their own homes. Today, Australian National University scholar Susan Hutchinson, and human rights lawyer Azadah Raz Mohammad, on what these new laws have made life like for women in Afghanistan. And the global push by countries, including Australia, to hold the Taliban to account. Read/watch/listen 'If we can't speak, why live?' - BBC meets women after new Taliban law.Malala: what’s happening to Afghan girls and women is ‘gender apartheid’, MSNBC.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent Facebook ad scams, con artists tricked a Queensland retiree into selling her house, swindled a GP who believed he was investing in a fixed-term deposit scheme and stole about $700,000 from a new father. A months-long investigation by our papers has heard from devastated victims, cyber-fraud investigators and scamming syndicate insiders, including scammers themselves. Today, investigative reporter Aisha Dow on how networks of sophisticated criminal groups deploy social media ad campaigns to fish for new victims, fleecing Australians and other victims worldwide.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As much as we can know anything these days, we can probably say the next election is going to be very close.  But what about the Greens, often called the third party of Australian politics? How are they faring with the Australian public? Have they successfully rebranded from being the party of the environment to being a broader based movement? National Affairs Editor James Massola and Federal Political Correspondent Paul Sakkal joins Jacqueline Maley for Inside Politics.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have we completely misunderstood why Donald Trump won the American election? An avalanche of political commentary has convinced us that Trump clinched the presidency because of a simple message. He was just better than Kamala Harris at managing the economy. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on what the broadest American exit poll tells us really drove Americans to choose Trump. And how this might play into the upcoming Australian federal election.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three years after  a landmark review of the workplace culture in Parliament House found that it was “revolting and humiliating”, a new report suggests that the building where our laws are made might still be an unsafe environment. A new watchdog at Parliament House, has revealed more than 300 complaints - made over a nine month period - including sexual assault, stalking and intimidation. Today, workplace relations and federal breaking news reporter Olivia Ireland, on this new report. And what Brittany Higgins, the former parliamentary staffer whose allegations of rape led to this report, has to say about it.  Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been nearly one thousand days since Russia launched the attack on Ukraine,  which shocked the world, and marked the biggest land invasion in Europe since World War II. Over the weekend, two new developments have dramatically altered the nature of this conflict. Ukraine attacked Moscow, and other Russian regions, in its biggest drone attack yet. And 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops have amassed ahead of an expected assault.  Today, Deputy Foreign Editor Lia Timson, on the significance of North Korea joining this fight. And what impact this might have on American support for Ukraine. Read/listen/watch: 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops mass ahead of attack, US intel, Julia E. Barnes, Eric Schmidtt and Michael Schwirtz, New York Times.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all heard a lot about how Donald Trump won the presidential election, which voters he managed to draw in, and where. But what about the big picture, and the long game? What does Trump’s victory say about how safe America’s democracy is? And what, in turn, this might mean for the safety of the rest of us around the globe?  International and political editor Peter Hartcher has been covering politics for more than 40 years, and reported from Washington for four years of those, covering George W Bush’s presidency. Today, Hartcher discusses what Washington insiders, including a renowned political scientist and the journalist who broke the Watergate scandal, have told him about all of this, and more. Read/listen/watch: 'If George Washington was the father of America’s democracy, Donald Trump is its undertaker', Peter Hartcher, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.'Don't give up on American democracy' after Trump's re-election, says Bob Woodward, ABC's 7.30 with Sarah Ferguson.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has been elected as the 47th American president. His decisive victory will have major impacts on global affairs and on the Australian economy. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton were quick to congratulate Trump, and both leaders will be assessing their relationship with the President elect over coming weeks. So what does a Trump presidency mean for Australia? Joining Jacqueline Maley to unpack is chief political correspondent David Crowe and Nine’s national affairs editor Andrew Probyn. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump’s supporters don’t always get the facts right, when they big-note him. But the day after the election, they were right on the money. As vice-president elect JD Vance put it, we really did just witness one of the greatest political comebacks in the history of the United States. But what’s behind the stunning reversals that underpinned his win? Today, North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin, on why women flocked to Trump, when they were expected to lead Kamala Harris to victory, over the issue of abortion rights. And why Donald Trump now has a voting base so broad, that it’s even stunned many Republicans.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has called it and it looks like he will take the American presidency for a second time. It would be a dramatic victory, one reminiscent of his stunning 2016 win over Hillary Clinton. And Trump, impeached twice by the US House of Representatives, would make history as the first convicted felon to serve as president. So what went wrong for Kamala Harris, and what went so right for Donald Trump? Today, digital foreign editor Chris Zappone, on how the election played out and the cultural realities behind the result.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s finally election day, after what can only be described as a surreal presidential campaign, with moments that might have caused even Salvador Dali to do a double take. But, there are signs that we haven’t seen the last of it. The main question on everyone’s mind is: to what extent will history repeat itself? The attempts by Donald Trump and his allies to disrupt the election process, still underway as this episode goes to air, contain echoes of the former president’s attempts to overthrow the 2020 election. Today, North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin on how the courts are responding to these latest election challenges. And what some Republicans have told her they plan to do, if Trump loses.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After weeks of media scrutiny that has painted Anthony Albanese as tone-deaf and out of touch with Australians struggling with financial distress, the Prime Minister launched a compelling pitch over the weekend. Should Labor win the next election, Albanese would slash student debts in a $16 billion dollar proposal. Young Australians are in desperate need of help. Student poverty - and hunger - has become so dire, that Western Sydney University has had to establish a food pantry. Today, Western Sydney University vice chancellor Professor George Williams, and federal political correspondent, Paul Sakkal, on whether the prime minister’s proposed reform would fix what many say is a broken student loan system. And if Labor is using student debt relief to buy the youth vote.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation figures came out last week, and the annual figure tumbled from 3.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent - the lowest since the March quarter of 2021. And it's welcome news for at least some of your grocery shop with bread prices, which were climbing at 14 per cent in Sydney and Melbourne a year ago, are now climbing at only 1.2 per cent. And cheese is getting cheaper too. So is the cost-of-living crisis over? And what can Australians expect from the Reserve Bank meeting on Tuesday? Senior economics correspondent Shane Wright, and economics writer Millie Muroi, talk us through what the new inflation figures mean for you.   For more Read...Shane Wright's 'There’s your inflation rate – then there’s the Reserve Bank’s rate', The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Watch...'Inflation falls, but don't expect cuts to follow', ABC's The Business.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is facing uncomfortable questions about his relationship with former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, and the flight upgrades he received when he was Transport Minister, and also when he was in Opposition. How much damage has this done to the Prime Minister? Did he handle the whole controversy well?Plus - the verdict is in, on how well Australia responded to the Covid pandemic. We also touch on this week’s much-anticipated inflation data, and discuss how it affects the government’s election timing. Chief political correspondent David Crowe and chief economics correspondent Shane Wright join Jacqueline Maley to discuss.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should we be surprised that the last week before the American presidential election is breaking historical records? Probably not. This is, after all, the race that has brought us assassination attempts (two). And an 11th hour candidate change.  Still, never before in modern presidential election campaigns, has the race been this tight so close to election day, say some commentators. And, forget policies. Who wins could come down to the weather on election day, or - as one former aide to Barack Obama put it - “the vibes”. Today, North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin on what the vibes were like in battleground states, during her recent trips there. And whether a legion of so-called shy Kamala voters could help her nab the White House.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Until now, Level 6 has kept its secrets. The exclusive club in Australia’s most powerful hospitality empire has long entertained celebrities, scions living off their parents’ fortune. And the empire’s own top executives. But an exclusive investigation by our mastheads reveals claims of exploitation of female staff. As one former manager said of Level 6, it was “one step away from being a brothel”. The company denies these allegations. Today, investigative reporter Eryk Bagshaw, on the staff across Merivale’s venues, who describe a toxic culture of harassment, fear, and pressure to take drugs. And their fears of retribution which have kept them from speaking out. And a warning, today’s episode contains mentions of sexual harassment. Support is available at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the way you do your washing the latest marker of class? Because a growing number of Australians who live in apartments are in conflict over where they air their laundry. Literally. Many people who want to dry their clothing outside, say, on their balcony, just want to help the environment. But to some of their neighbours? They’re destroying their building’s “curb appeal.” And bringing down their property value. Today, environment and climate reporter Caitlin Fitzsimmons on how, in a country as preoccupied with property prices as ours is, where you do your laundry can come with an allegation of racism. Or lead you to court.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.