ABC News Daily

Don’t you get sick of the constant text messages warning that you haven’t paid a toll, or that you’ve missed a package delivery or have a refund owing?

In many cases they’re clearly fake but there are scams that aren’t so obvious, and Australians have lost billions of dollars to them. 

Today, consumer affairs reporter Michael Atkin on why more of us are falling for the traps set by criminals and what the big banks should be doing to protect us. 

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Michael Atkin, ABC consumer affairs reporter

When a porn star took the stand in a New York courtroom, her account of sex with Donald Trump was so detailed and at times graphic, the former US president’s lawyers called for a mistrial.

Trump often kept his eyes closed as Stormy Daniels spoke about an alleged sexual encounter in 2006. He denies they had sex at all. 

The criminal trial is all about a hush money payment she says she received before the 2016 election. 

Today, Josh Gerstein, the senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, takes us through the evidence.

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Josh Gerstein, Politico senior legal affairs reporter

There have been two knife attacks within just weeks of each other that are being linked to terrorism. 

One was a church in Sydney and the other outside a Bunnings in Perth on the weekend.

Both involved teenage boys. So, what’s going on? 

Today, investigative reporter Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop on the radicalisation of vulnerable young people and whether programs to stop it are working. 

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Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, ABC investigative reporter

Editor’s note: The WA Education Department has confirmed the incident involving an explosive device in a school toilet happened in 2022, before the boy was put on the countering violent extremism program.

You have to be aged at least 13 to access social media like TikTok, Twitter and Instagram in Australia. 

But is that an appropriate age, given the disturbing content available and harm heavy social media use can cause? 

Could we just ban smartphones and social media for Australian kids altogether?

Today, we meet a father who has limited his daughter’s phone use and a psychiatrist who’ll explain the problems that smartphones can cause. 

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Danny Elachi, The Heads Up Alliance founder

Dr Yann Poncin, child psychiatrist at the Yale Child Studies Center 

Two deadly crashes and a mid-air door blowout have rocked the reputation of Boeing, with questions intensifying about the quality of its planes.

Concerns about the 737 MAX aircraft peaked when a hole opened up on the side of an Alaska Airlines flight in January this year. 

Today, Jerry Useem, who’s been investigating Boeing for more than two decades, charts the firm’s departure from in-house manufacturing. 

He’s been writing for the Atlantic magazine about how Boeing switched its focus to its stock price and what that meant for the safety of its aircraft.

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Jerry Useem, contributing writer at The Atlantic

At Columbia University in the heart of New York City late one evening this week riot police stormed a university hall. 

They entered via a window to arrest students who’d for weeks been camping out at the campus to protest against the war in Gaza. 

Now, the pro-Palestinian movement that’s seen more than a thousand students arrested across the US has landed here. 

Today, we look at the encampments popping up on campuses across the country and ask how will university leaders allow freedom of speech while ensuring Jewish students and staff feel safe? 

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Dr Tim Dean, senior philosopher at the Ethics Centre

Most Australians had never flown it and now they may never get a chance. 

Bonza has followed so many other airlines and gone into administration, meaning yet again less competition in our aviation market. 

Today, the rise and rapid fall of the budget carrier and whether we will one day get a third major airline to drive down airfares across the country. 

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Justin Wastnage, adjunct professor in aviation at Griffith University

Inflation pressures were meant to be coming off a bit more by now, but a higher than expected reading has one prominent economist suggesting interest rates could go up three times this year.

So, why is inflation so sticky? And will the Reserve Bank feel compelled to lift rates to further dampen economic activity? 

Today, chief business correspondent Ian Verrender explains what’s going wrong. 

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Ian Verrender, ABC Chief Business Correspondent

At big rallies on the weekend women and men came together to say enough is enough, that violence against women must end.

Today, the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas on what needs to happen to address one of the nation’s most entrenched problems. 

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Patricia Karvelas, host of RN Breakfast, Q+A and the Party Room podcast

In Australia, an increasing number of children are missing school and part of the problem is what has been called school avoidance or refusal. 

But families who are struggling say it’s more accurately called ‘school can’t’ because some students experience a stress response that prevents them from getting to the classroom. 

Today, Four Corners’ filmmaker Sascha Ettinger-Epstein shares her insights into the issue and what’s working to get children's education back on track. 

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Sascha Ettinger-Epstein, Four Corners’ filmmaker