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When senior reporter Kate Lyons scratched beneath the surface of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, she says she found so many hugely complex issues that it was like ‘opening a spring-loaded box-lid’. She tells Reged Ahmad about how, after 18 months of changes – from automated assessments to new definitions of impairments – and as the government tries to limit a blow-out in spending, what comes next could be the biggest moment yet for the scheme since it began

Every Sunday, we’ll be bringing you some of the Guardian’s best stories from the week. Stories we loved, that made us feel happy, or sad, or just made us think, read out by the people who wrote them. In our first episode, education reporter Caitlin Cassidy sits through the screening of the much-maligned ‘Melania’ documentary so you don’t have to

After months of negotiations, threats and refusals, Bill and Hillary Clinton have finally agreed to testify in front of Congress as part of a Republican-led investigation into the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Politico Magazine columnist and former federal prosecutor, Ankush Khardori, about why Donald Trump thinks it is a ‘shame’ the Clintons have been forced to testify

Jon Favreau, former head speechwriter for Barack Obama, Democratic party insider and co-host of Pod Save America, is bringing his brand of insider politics to Australia next week. As ICE agents roam American streets and Donald Trump tightens his grip on the country, he talks to Reged Ahmad about whether he thinks US elections will remain free and fair, and why Democrats are failing to meet the moment

The latest release of the Epstein files has dominated the news this week, with documents related to Bill Gates, Peter Mandelson, Elon Musk and Woody Allen pulling them into the spotlight. But as the US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche suggested the legal review into the Epstein files was “over”, the survivors of Epstein’s abuse made clear it was not the end. Annie Kelly speaks to Lisa Philips, who suffered years of abuse by Epstein in the 2000s and is now one of the many survivors calling for more transparency from the Trump administration. Plus Guardian US columnist Moira Donegan on whether the missing files will ever be released

In this wide-ranging interview with Nour Haydar, federal Labor MP Ed Husic voices his opposition to an upcoming visit by Israeli president Isaac Herzog and cautions against attempts to clamp down on protests. He also criticises the finger-pointing by politicians after the Bondi attack and the relative silence following the bomb threat at an Invasion Day rally in Perth

Last August, to the relief of many homeowners, the Reserve Bank’s governor, Michele Bullock, announced a cut in interest rates and expressed confidence that inflation was heading in the right direction. But on Tuesday, the RBA hiked rates for the first time in over two years, raising the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%. Guardian columnist and chief economist of the Australia Institute, Greg Jericho, talks to Nour Haydar about what the rate hike means, why he sees it as ‘cowardly’ and what it all has to do with the Ashes

Parliament returns today and the benches might look a little bare on the opposition’s side of the chamber, with the Liberals left with only 28 votes after last week’s split from the Nationals. Political editor Tom McIllroy speaks to Reged Ahmad about whether the Liberals and Nationals can get back together, and if the prime minister can use this distraction to push through big reforms

When a homemade bomb was allegedly thrown into a crowd of more than 2,000 people at an Invasion Day rally in Perth last week, police said that, had it gone off, it had the potential to cause mass casualties. But in the hours and days afterwards many questioned how police, media and political leaders responded to the alleged attack and criticised what they said was selective outrage that dismissed the violence and racism First Nations people face. Indigenous affairs correspondent Sarah Collard speaks to Nour Haydar on the bomb threat at Boorloo and the sadness and fear that lingers.

The search for Australia’s best children’s picture book is on! Vote now and every day until 5 February for your favourite from 50 of the best, as chosen by Guardian readers. The deputy culture editor, Sian Cain, speaks to author Graeme Base about how he wrote his bestselling and beloved books Animalia and The Eleventh Hour, and why he set out to challenge curious kids