When Australian citizen Yang Hengjun was given a suspended death sentence, last week, by a Beijing court, the Australian government recoiled, as though slapped.

The details of the espionage that Yang has been accused of committing remain secret. But the ripple effect that this harrowing conviction is having on the relationship between Australia and China, is beginning to emerge.

Today, North Asia correspondent Eryk Bagshaw on the tightrope that the Albanese government now has to walk, in order to fight China’s efforts at coercion, while struggling to free one of its own citizens.

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This coming Monday, we will officially be relaunching our daily news podcast. It’s going to be called The Morning Edition, hosted by the dynamic Samantha Selinger-Morris. The podcast will drop in your feed at 5am each day. And we have two regular episodes: Peter Hartcher every Thursday, dissecting the biggest issues at home and abroad, while on Friday Jacqueline Maley and David Crowe take you behind the biggest stories in Canberra. Until then, have a listen to this short trailer, which gives you a sense of what The Morning Edition is all about.

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After weeks of lamenting the Prime Minister’s broken promise, the Coalition has decided it will vote for Labor’s changes to the Stage Three tax cuts. 

The Coalition says it will match Labor on tax and more. 

Will this tax-war turn into a proper go at tax reform? 

Plus, we talk about Nemesis, the three-part ABC documentary on the leadership ructions of the former Coalition government.

Did we learn anything new from the documentary? And how did the major players come emerge from the revelations made in it? 

Spoiler alert: not very well. 

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The Biden administration is, many Australians believe, a leader that is supportive of Australia. We share similar values. Not to mention deep defensive and security co-operation, and extensive trade and investment.

But, over the last few months, the American political system has become so dysfunctional that it’s in danger of acting against its own interests. Which could, in turn, threaten us, too.

Today, our international and political editor Peter Hartcher on why the usual chaos in American congress that we have often witnessed from afar, might come to impact us for a long time to come.

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Ross Gittins, the longest continuously serving columnist in The Sydney Morning Herald’s 193-year history, is celebrating his 50th anniversary of writing for our mastheads, today.

Over the last 50 years, he’s covered 50 federal budgets, 19 federal elections, 11 prime ministers, and 16 treasurers.

He’s seen promises made and broken - and the economic reality of Australians change immeasurably.

Ross was, after all, around to write about the time when the price of eggs, bread and petrol were all set by the state government.

Today, he joins me to discuss how life has improved - and worsened - over the last 50 years, as a result of our economic policies. 

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The Albanese government has finally released its plans to curb motor vehicle pollution. This is crucial for the government, as Labor won the 2022 election on a promise of climate policy reforms.

But the proposal also puts a spotlight on just how behind Australia is in reducing carbon emissions. We are reportedly the last developed country, other than Russia, to impose pollution caps on motor vehicles.

So, why are we so behind? And what will it take for the Labor government to successfully legislate its policy? 

Today, climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley on what this new plan will mean for drivers. And how much opposition Labor is facing on a policy that is arguably central to its hold on power.

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It was the late 1970s, and members of the NSW police force were tapping phones, illegally, in the hopes of cracking down on organised crime. The sorts of people they had in their sights were well-known underworld figures, like Abe Saffron, known as “Mr Sin”, and drug boss Robert Trimbole.

But what they stumbled upon instead, shocked them.

Conversations between a high court justice and his well-placed friends that would implicate the judge, Lionel Murphy, for years, in corruption allegations. 

Today, Lindsay Murdoch, one of the two journalists who broke this story for The Age, on the secret tapes that unleashed one of the most controversial political sagas of the 1980s.

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When the Albanese government announced its controversial changes to the stage 3 tax cuts last week, the Opposition denounced the Prime Minister for breaking a promise. But legislation will be introduced next week to implement the changes, and the Opposition will have to decide whether or not it will support them or not. 

The tricky part is that Labor’s tax changes will deliver a larger tax cut to more voters, which is a hard proposition to argue against. 

Plus, federal political staffers and their importance to the messaging of the government. 

Joining Jacqueline Maley on Inside Politics is chief political correspondent David Crowe and federal political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.

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It was exactly three years ago today that Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup d’etat, toppling the democratic government. Since then, the junta has killed and imprisoned its opponents, and attacked innocent civilians - all in the name of consolidating power.

It’s a devastating state of affairs that has led Myanmar to become an international business pariah. Many Western democracies have placed sanctions on the country, barring companies from investing there.

But Australia’s efforts at imposing sanctions against Myanmar’s military have paled in comparison.

Today, business reporter Sumeyya Ilanbey on why Australian companies, while not breaching Australian sanctions, have been accused of propping up Myanmar’s brutal military dictatorship. 

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When a militia, believed to be backed by Iran - killed three American soldiers, in Jordan, over the weekend, it marked a dangerous new development in the war in the Middle East. 

It was the first time, in the more than three months since Hamas launched its attack on Israel, that any American troops had died from hostile fire in the conflict. 

So, could this tip the United States into a full-blown war with Iran?

It’s a situation that American president Joe Biden has been actively avoiding since October 7. 

Today, political and international editor Peter Hartcher on the factors that could push Biden to take this step. And the global mayhem that could result, if he does.

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