Humans, we know, are full of contradictions. Even so, the disconnect between what we’re shown in the media, about how Australians feel about the war in the Middle East, and what people themselves say, is surprising. Record numbers of Australians, for instance, turned out around the country over the weekend, to protest the war. And the Greens, it would seem, have galvanised support for their party over their full-throated support for Palestinian rights. But exclusive results from our latest survey suggest a far more complicated picture. Today, chief political correspondent David Crowe, on what Australians are really feeling about this conflict. And how it might sway the next Federal election. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are the classic autocracies that we know well - like China and Russia - but what would it take to morph a democracy like the United States into an authoritarian country? It’s a question that’s not so far-fetched for the States, a month out from its presidential election, and it’s one that Pulitzter prize winning journalist David E. Sanger has been grappling with. So with a second Donald Trump presidency looming large, what are the chances that Trump could turn the United States into an autocracy, or something close to it? Today, Sanger, the national security correspondent for The New York Times, on what he has learned about autocrats in his more than 40 years of reporting. Further reading: David E. Sanger's 'New Cold Wars'. Audio credit: President Clinton's China visit, AAP Donald Trump: 'We need a military operation' to stop border cartels, News Nation Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a year since Hamas attacked Israel, in a vicious and sometimes sadistic assault. The murder of innocent civilians sparked a severe and sustained counter strike by Israel on the Gaza Strip, which is struggling with mass deaths and famine. We don’t know how, or when, this war, which recently spread to Lebanon, will end. Israel is now locked in a battle against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon's south, while Iran itself has twice launched missile attacks on Israel. But what has this conflict done to the long-term prospect of peace in the Middle East? Is it as catastrophic a set-back as the 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin? Foreign affairs and national security correspondent, Matthew Knott, travelled to Israel and the West Bank, in October last year. And he’s just returned to the region. Today, he joins me to discuss how this war has impacted some of the most bitterly divided groups in the world. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wanted to talk about the budget surplus and the crack-down on the big supermarkets over their alleged ill-treatment of customers this week, but that was derailed by the escalating conflict in the Middle East. While the government struggled to find the right form of words to respond to the crisis between Israel and its neighbours, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton labelled the Prime Minister weak, and said he needed to stand more firmly with Israel. The result was an ugly week where both men vied to position themselves to voters as the best leader to handle a crisis, showing off their very different styles. Deputy federal politics editor Nick Bonyhady and federal political correspondent Paul Sakkal join Jacqueline Maley to discuss. 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.

It’s been the question on everyone’s minds, since Iran launched a direct attack on Israel on Wednesday, shooting dozens of ballistic missiles into the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate. And Iran has warned that any retaliation will result in a “more crushing and ruinous” response. Today, international and political editor, Peter Hartcher, on how this attack differs from Iran's first attack on Israel, earlier this year. And if Benjamin Netanyahu might see this moment, as one former Israeli prime minister said this week, as “the biggest opportunity in the past 50 years” to change the face of the region. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The suicide of a 12-year-old Sydney school girl last month sent shockwaves across the country. It became the tragic flashpoint for a national discussion about bullying in our schools, and the complex set of issues facing students, parents, teachers and administrators. Bullying in schools isn’t a new problem, but according to experts it remains a major one. And in Australia, it’s been notoriously difficult – and oftentimes, costly – to tackle. Today, chief reporter Jordan Baker on the culture of bullying in our schools, and what needs to change. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new conflict has opened up on the troubled border between Lebanon and Israel. It started with pagers and walkie talkies exploding in the very hands of their owners, and then it moved to airstrikes - the deadliest in decades - before the latest news that Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed. Today, foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott on the likelihood of an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, we were confronted with our latest economic report card. On the upside, the Reserve Bank announced that our annual inflation rate has sunk to its lowest level in three years. But then an Australian economic think tank released its so-called “Misery Index”, and said that Australians are living through the most protracted period of economic misery since 2011. Today, economics correspondent Shane Wright, on whether we’re headed for economic relief… or a recession. And if Australia is behind other countries, when it comes to bringing down inflation. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federal politics got interesting this week when our very own James Massola and David Crowe reported that the Labor government has asked the Treasury to model cuts to negative gearing tax concessions, a policy that has previously caused Labor plenty of electoral pain. The Prime Minister and his frontbench are being very coy about any proposed changes to the tax treatment of investment properties. Are changes to negative gearing an option the government is really considering? How would they argue the case to cut the concessions this time, given they have tried and failed to do so before? And would changes to negative gearing make any difference to house prices anyway? Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss are chief political correspondent David Crowe and national affairs editor James Massola. 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.

Many of us can’t keep our eyes off of what’s happening in the Middle East, with a disturbing escalation of violence in Lebanon. But, according to International and Political editor, Peter Hartcher, the conflict that has a greater likelihood of threatening our safety here, is the one that is growing by the month, between China and many countries, including Australia. Today, Hartcher discusses the disturbing new video released by the People's Republic of China. And the former Australian prime ministers who have rung the alarm bell when it comes to this threat. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is a multi-billion dollar industry in Australia. And it’s been touted as a key way for us to eventually reach net zero carbon emissions.But our carbon credit schemes are also riddled with predatory behaviour, according to a year-long look into the market by our journalist, Charlotte Grieve. Particularly harmed, she says, are remote Indigenous communities. Their burning practices, which date back 60,000 years, are the golden standard within the carbon credit industry. The pay they receive for this practice has the power to transform these communities, where jobs are scarce. Today, investigative journalist Charlotte Grieve, on how this ancient knowledge, and the practitioners who are hoping to pass it down to younger generations, are being exploited. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, one of Australia’s best known crime reporters, John Silvester, kept a secret. He knew there had been a significant development in a notorious and long unsolved cold case: The Easey Street murders. But he didn’t write anything about it, until a few days ago, when he broke the story that there had been an arrest. It was big news, most of all for the family of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett, school friends from the country who flatted together in Collingwood before their lives were violently and cruelly taken. Today, John Silvester takes us behind the scenes of the police investigation, the arrest and why he kept quiet on the case for so long. For more: Easey Street suspect unmasked as link to victims emerges, John Silvester et al, The Age. John Silvester's new book, 'Dark City', is out now. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As investigative reporter Patrick Begley puts it, it’s an apology that those Peter Dutton offended can’t remember, which he won’t repeat and doesn’t like to discuss. And some wonder whether he ever made it at all. It all centres on something the opposition leader said a while ago: “The reality is that Malcolm Fraser did make mistakes, in bringing some people in in the 1970s.” Today, investigative reporter Patrick Begley on the mystery of the Peter Dutton apology. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Albanese government came to power promising to ease the housing crisis by increasing supply. But has its housing agenda stalled? This week, the Greens hardened their opposition to two key elements of the government’s housing policy. The Prime Minister has urged the Greens to “get on with it” and wave the plans through. So will Labor be able to secure its agenda? And if not, who will pay the political price? Plus we have a look at the war of words between the business lobby and the government. Is this just the usual tension we often see between a Labor government and corporate interests? Or is it something more significant? Joining Jaqueline Maley to discuss, is federal political correspondent Paul Sakkal and chief economic correspondent Shane Wright. 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.

What obligation does the Australian government have to help retrieve its citizens from debilitating circumstances, overseas? This question will be at the heart of a High Court case on Monday, which will help decide the fate of 12 Australian women, and their 22 children, who’ve been languishing in refugee camps in Northern Syria for five years. To those who have opposed bringing them home, the women are a threat - the family members of slain or defeated Islamic State fighters who may believe in dangerous ideologies. But to those who say they should be repatriated, they are victims of war. Today, associate editor and special writer Deborah Snow on what distinguishes these women from those before them, who were successfully brought home to Australia. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the next week, while you and I are sleeping, members of the Murdoch family will be duking it out in an American courtroom over control of one of the most powerful media empires on the planet. It’s the latest escalation in a civil war that has been building within the family for years. Today, media writer Calum Jaspan, on why Rupert Murdoch has pitted one of his children, Lachlan, against three of his other kids. And how the outcome of this case will impact all of us. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nine weeks after Republican candidate Donald J Trump was almost killed at a rally in Pennsylvania, the FBI is investigating another attempt on his life. Trump was on his golf course in Florida on Sunday afternoon when Secret Service officers spotted a man with an AK-47 hiding in the bushes a few hundred metres away. In the aftermath, Vice President Kamala Harris said: “Violence has no place in America”. Her running mate, Tim Walz, declared: “It’s not who we are as a nation”. But, isn’t it? Today, North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin on how, when shocking forms of violence are so commonplace, another attempted assassination almost feels normal. And why that't not OK. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's arguably the most shameful stain on Australia's military. In 2020, an inquiry concluded that there was credible information implicating 25 special forces personnel in alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Four years on, the finding is still reverberating. Last week, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced he would strip medals from a number of senior officers who served in Afghanistan. The move has drawn the ire of some veteran groups who argue no action should be taken until any charges are proven against soldiers. Today, foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott on what the announcement means, and why one of the country's most famous special forces soldiers, Ben Robert Smith, still has his Victoria Cross medal. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Snapchat is officially on notice. As are Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. This week the Prime Minister and his communications minister Michelle Rowland announced they will introduce a ban on young people using social media. But they were short on detail, including exactly what age the government would require teens to be before they could access social media. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton promised the minerals industry that a Coalition government would be the “best friend” of miners. Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss, is chief political correspondent David Crowe and shadow communications minister David Coleman. 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.

It was one of the most highly anticipated debates in modern politics: a verbal showdown between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Because for millions of Americans, the stakes couldn’t be higher. For many, a Trump win will stoke fears of a more autocratic United States. And for countless others, a Harris win would mean a move against conservative beliefs. Today, North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin on how the candidates, who were neck and neck before the debate, might fare now. And the viral moments we can't stop talking about. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.