For more than a year, journalists from outside of Gaza have been blocked from reporting inside the occupied territory. But with the conflict expanding to Lebanon, that has changed, and Australian journalists have been on the ground to tell powerful accounts of this ongoing and brutal war.

Foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott, and photojournalist Kate Geraghty, initially travelled to Israel to report on the anniversary of Hamas’ horrific October 7 attack. And then, their trip changed when the war expanded.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Politics is full of surprises but few people expected abortion policy to be back on the agenda in 2024. The fierce abortion debate in the United States has been turbocharged by the upcoming presidential election. 

Now the fight over reproductive rights has made its way to Australia. 

Abortion has been a surprise issue in the Queensland election campaign. It was also the subject of an attempted legislative rollback in South Australia last week. Now it is being put on the federal agenda by high-profile Opposition front-bencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is federal political correspondent Paul Sakkal, and federal politics reporter Natassia Crysanthos. 

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.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced a diplomatic test over the last week. And according to some, he failed.

He had to choose between a long-standing invitation to the inauguration of the new president of Indonesia, while on the same weekend, King Charles and Queen Camilla were visiting Australia.

So who did he choose? And who is more relevant?

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on the implications of choosing to spend time with one head of state over another. And why Albanese’s choice reignites a half-century long debate about Australia’s very identity.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s not something we probably think about too often - just how much scientific studies impact our lives, in all sorts of ways. That they underpin the medicine that our doctors prescribe to us. And what our psychologists tell us about how we can best parent our children, or discuss conflict with our partners. 

But how often is that science trustworthy? According to one researcher, not as often as you'd think.

Today, national science reporter Liam Mannix, on a new finding that says one in seven scientific studies are fake. And the bizarre experiment that led to this revelation.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that a space like LinkedIn, a professional social media site, is being used by powerful men to try to attract women.

In this case, it’s allegations against not just any powerful man, but one of Australia’s richest.

Billionaire Richard White is the chief executive of Australia’s biggest listed technology company WiseTech Global, and he has also been described by one woman as “The LinkedIn Lecher”.

White, on the other hand, says he is unaware of any women who have been made to feel uncomfortable about his comments on LinkedIn.

Today, investigative reporter Kate McClymont on the allegations against the rich-lister and why reporting on it matters.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maybe, just maybe, there’s a very good reason the polar opposites on the political spectrum, the left and the right, can’t see eye to eye. Scientists say there is some evidence that says left-wing and right-wing brains are actually wired differently.

And here’s a twist, British actor Colin Firth, perhaps best known for his role as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, was the reason behind the research. Today, science reporter Angus Dalton, on whether this evidence, in a time of intense political rifts, can give us hope that these differences are not as drastic as feared.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s probably our greatest national obsession. Property: buying it, selling it, how much it costs and how hard it is to afford. 

This week Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made headlines when it was reported he had bought a $4.3 million ocean-front beach house at Copacabana on the NSW Central Coast. 

Albanese said the purchase was made in contemplation of his changing personal circumstances. He is set to marry his partner Jodie Haydon, who grew up in the area and whose family still lives there. 

But the optics were unbelievably bad. Australia is in the midst of a cost of living crisis, and the related housing affordability crisis is one of the main, if not the main, issues for the next election.

Joining Jacqueline Maley to unpack all this is 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.

When a 49-year-old man was arrested in California on Monday, after trying to enter a Donald Trump rally with a car equipped with fake licence plates, a couple of illegal guns, and a load of ammunition, it made history. 

At least according to the local sheriff, who said his staff had foiled a record-making third assassination attempt on Trump. Police believe the suspect was part of a movement that considers the American government illegitimate.

Today, international and political editor, Peter Hartcher, on why the suspect would want to target the very candidate who most wants to dismantle much of the government.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There may be a whopping 160 million Americans who will vote in the upcoming presidential election. In just three weeks. But it’s only thousands of people, in a handful of swing states, who will likely determine who wins the top spot in the White House.

North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin has been travelling to some of these areas and speaking to voters on the ground. Today, she reveals what they’ve told her about how near-assassinations, and a natural disaster, among other issues, might sway who they choose. And if they’re ready for a female president.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One year ago, 16 million Australians voted and made their voices heard. The vast majority of us did not want to alter our constitution, in order to enshrine an indigenous voice to parliament. 

So, what now for the Indigenous children who returned to school afterwards, to what they felt was a harsher country, as one ‘yes’ campaign advocate put it? And what do the leading ‘No’ advocates have planned instead, to improve the lives of indigenous Australians?

Today, chief political commentator David Crowe and federal political correspondent Paul Sakkal on the psychological and emotional impact of the last year on Indigenous leaders and communities. And what sort of damage Anthony Albanese might still yet suffer, as a result of this crushing defeat.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.