This week on The Fin podcast, foreign affairs and defence correspondent Andrew Tillett and international affairs expert James Curran on how Donald Trump has disrupted the world order and why we are headed for a khaki-tinged election.

Further reading:
Trump’s tariffs were inevitable. But Albanese could have done more
Levies on Australian steel and aluminium to the US starting on Wednesday will have domestic political fallout.
Albanese rebuffs Trump over call to lift to defence spending
While Labor comes under fire over military readiness, figures show defence spending as a share of the federal budget is at highest in almost a decade.
Richard Marles’ mindless talking points ignore Trumpian change
Elsewhere, Donald Trump’s return is being noticed, and acted upon with decisive swiftness. But it is not happening in Australia yet.

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This week on The Fin podcast, senior reporter Max Mason and Chanticleer columnist James Thomson discuss WiseTech’s tumultuous five months, Richard White’s second coming and whether he should stay in charge.

Further reading:
‘I am WiseTech’: How Richard White regained control of his company
On one side was a group of independent directors with their reputations on the line. On the other, a powerful founder with everything to lose.
The billionaire, his lawyer wife – and the secrets of their explosive relationship
Richard White says he would “take a bullet” for his wife but many of the billionaire’s long-time friends are unhappy about the marriage and the couple’s volatile history.
King Richard’s return gives WiseTech investors a stark choice
Incredibly, Richard White has more power at WiseTech than at any time since it listed in 2016. But that comes with some big consequences for investors.

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This week on The Fin podcast, senior writer Myriam Robin and author Neil Chenoweth on the bitter fight for control of the Murdoch empire and why the election of Donald Trump couldn’t have come at a worse time for Rupert’s succession plans.

Further reading:
The Murdochs go to war – through the media
Rupert and Lachlan have failed, for now, to take control of the family trust. But that outcome is by no means the end to hostilities between the media scions.
‘Self-interested people’: Why Murdoch and Trump are back in business
Rupert Murdoch is known for aligning his business interests with the politician of the hour. His appearance with Donald Trump this week was no different.
Logan Roy’s death morphed into a real life Murdoch succession drama
Shortly after the fictional patriarch died on television, the family behind the News and Fox empires began to plot life after their patriarch, Rupert.

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This week on The Fin podcast, editor-at-large Michael Stutchbury and economics correspondent Michael Read on why the Reserve Bank cut rates this week, whether Bullock is ‘one and done’ and how this affects the timing of the election.

This podcast is sponsored by IG.

Further reading:
RBA rate cut more about politics than economics
After roughing up the central bank, Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers should take whatever sliver of bacon the RBA will give financially squeezed voters.
Bullock shifts rate cut expectations after line-ball decision
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese now has just days to decide whether to call a snap election to capitalise on the RBA rate cut or delay to woo voters further.
RBA opens a window for the PM, but will he take the chance?
Anthony Albanese may seek to capitalise on Tuesday’s rate cut with a March 29 election, but he could also decide that it is not enough to sway voters.

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This week on The Fin podcast, AFR Magazine contributor Brook Turner on why Sydney has become the epicentre of this battle and whether there is still a place in Australia for single-sex schools.

This podcast is sponsored by IG.

Further reading:
‘We became a pinata’: The culture war tearing a school apart
How its decision to go co-ed made Newington College in Sydney the country’s most talked-about school.
‘We did not expect the intensity’: Newington hits back at co-ed row
Coeducation is seen as the future of school. So why is Newington College in Sydney at the centre of a debate so hot that parents are withdrawing boys?
Why coeducation is so fraught in Australia
Are single-sex schools – no, make that boys-only schools – deserving of the bad rap they get? Are they hotbeds of toxic masculinity? Are girls better off without boys disrupting their classes and smashing their self-confidence?

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This week on The Fin podcast, senior reporter Jonathan Shapiro and technology editor Paul Smith on DeepSeek’s breakthrough, why Australia has banned its use on government devices and what this all means for 'the magnificent seven' US tech stocks that have been pushing markets to record highs.

This podcast is sponsored by IG.

Further reading: 
DeepSeek drama: are markets all-in on the most dangerous idea in history?
While investors fret about what the arrival of DeepSeek means for their all-in bet on American artificial intelligence dominance, they’re ignoring even bigger questions.
Is big tech’s AI future really what we’re looking for?
The race is on to build the fastest, most efficient AI models and hopefully tech companies will start developing the products we want to use.
Labor bans DeepSeek from government devices
Australia has banned Chinese artificial intelligence service DeepSeek from government devices over national security concerns.

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This week on The Fin podcast, Europe correspondent Hans van Leeuwen on how companies and governments are responding to Trump, 2.0, whether diversity programs are under threat and why Australians have stopped going to Davos.

This podcast is sponsored by Aussie Broadband.

Further reading: 
Trump slams Europe, threatens ‘trillions’ in tariffs
The president lambasted Canada’s trade surplus with the US and also fired a verbal volley at the European Union’s restrictions on his country.
CEOs at Davos feel ready, even heady, for Trump 2.0
At the World Economic Forum, much of the global corporate elite is responding with surprising optimism to the new president’s radical and hyperactive agenda.
Has Trump killed DEI? Davos might have the answer
The World Economic Forum summit, where the liberal cosmopolitan elite gathers to network and self-congratulate, will be an early litmus test for Trump 2.0.

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This week on The Fin, Travel editor Fiona Carruthers discusses the outlook for tourism, why flights are getting cheaper, which airlines are likely to give you the best deal and why Greenland is suddenly on everyone’s list.

Further reading: 
Europe calling? A guide to predicting the cheapest fares
If you’re wondering whether to book your 2025 flights now or to wait, recent average prices are a handy benchmark.
The hottest travel spots as the economy turns cold
Japan is cool, Bali is always warm, but Vietnam is so hot right now. The cost-of-living pinch is driving Australians to make sure their overseas holiday hits the mark.
Why Australians should ditch Europe this Christmas
After a dire year for the currency, those heading to the northern hemisphere should consider looking elsewhere to get the most bang for their buck.

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In the first of a two-part series, The Fin podcast talks to the critics around the Financial Review newsroom to get their recommendations for film, television, books and music.

Further reading:

The 10 best albums of 2024 (if Taylor Swift isn’t your jam)
Soulful singer songwriters, rising indie superstars, Australian up-and-comers and a floor-filling techno god. Welcome to the year’s best sounds.
12 books fiction lovers will give (or hope to receive)
We asked prominent Australian writers, readers, tome-buyers and page turners to tell us what they are most hoping to get – and send to others.
This might be the most explosive tennis movie ever made
Challengers packs a punch.

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Outgoing Rear Window editor Myriam Robin tells us about the megalomaniac trying to solve Australia’s housing crisis, the column’s biggest scoop and the rebellion underway at the country’s most exclusive clubs.

This podcast is sponsored by Aussie Broadband.

Further reading:
Peter V’landys bogged down in a multibillion-dollar property play
The influential CEO of Racing NSW is staring down allegations aired confidentially by purported whistleblowers to a parliamentary inquiry.
Gina Rinehart lobbies NGA to remove portrait Being Australia’s richest resident comes with some perks. Who knew said benefits included a network of flunkies who will bombard a national institution over a painting you don’t like?
Who’s in (and out) at the Australian Club Who coughs up the hefty annual membership fee at Sydney’s Australian Club on Macquarie Street? Why, we’re so glad you asked.

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