Weekend One on One

There's been a fair share of personal attacks and vitriol between US Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris as the US election nears. Many have become immune to vitriolic remarks in US politics, particularly from Trump, but why is this behaviour more common in US politics compared to Australia? SBS' Catriona Stirrat speaks to Associate Professor David Smith from the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre for this edition of Weekend One on One.

Boeing's Starliner mission to the International Space station has not been their finest moment. Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore first travelled to the station in early June aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft for what was expected to be a week-long test mission. But issues with helium leaks and malfunctioning thrusters forced NASA to decide Starliner’s problems were not well enough understood for the space agency to allow Williams and Wilmore to return to Earth on it. Jason Rabinovitch is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. Before that he worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for more than six years

Nearly 50,000 union members working at America's East and Gulf Coast ports have started industrial action, slowing or stopping America’s imports and exports. It could become the country’s most disruptive work stoppage in decades - but it could have a flow on effect to trade around the world, including here in Australia. What the union is asking for, and what the US Maritime Alliance which represents the major shipping lines is willing to give, are miles apart. SBS's Phoebe Daes spoke to international shipping expert Sal Mercogliano, Professor of Maritime History at Campbell University and the host of What's Going On with Shipping on YouTube, and asked him to explain the significance of the strikes and why the strike could be significant for Australia

As the big two supermarkets are being brought to court over allegedly misleading consumers with their discounts, what could this mean for our food and grocery sector? SBS' Catriona Stirrat spoke with Allan Fels, the former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission - the very governing body that is alleging Coles and Woolworths have broken Australian consumer law. Fels raises points around a lack of competition and the importance of accountability, as well as interesting questions around who might have been aware of these alleged behaviours.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Israel against a ground invasion of Lebanon, and has called for Australians to leave the country whilst commercial flights are still available. SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson spoke to Senator Wong, who is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly

Intense Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have killed at least 492 people in the past 24 hours, making it the country's deadliest day since its brutal civil war ended more than 30 years ago. Lebanon's Health Ministry says at least 35 children are among the dead. There've been widespread strikes - hitting about 1600 sites, so far, targetting dozens of towns and villages in southern Lebanon, as well as southern parts of the capital, and the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon's east.SBS's Janice Petersen spoke to Makram Rabah, Assistant Professor of History from the American University in Beirut and asked him about the reaction in Lebanon.

Alex Ryvchin, the co-Chief Executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, speaks to SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson about Australia abstaining from this week's UN vote on Israel and the Palestinian territories.

It's Dementia Action week, and Alyssa Gamaldo-Roddy is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Institute for Engaged Aging at Clemson University in South Carolina in the United States. Her research focuses on identifying adverse and protective factors associated with cognitive functioning, particularly in populations at risk for Alzheimer’s and related dementia. She also discusses how aging has changed from generation to generation as information has become more readily available with the development of technology.

Could improving the quality of Australia's political debate, come from the approach of what a new nonprofit is calling "finding uncommon ground"? The founder of Amplify, Paul Bassat, spoke with Biwa Kwan.

Amid a labour shortage in the sectors like the construction industry, there has been a call to support the recruitment and retention of female tradies. SBS speaks to Jo Farrell, the founder of not-for-profit Build Like A Girl.