Israel and Iran continue to exchange missile fire in the Middle East’s latest battleground - and the world awaits a decision from Donald Trump. The US president has long sworn off getting involved in wars like these, indeed, he’s touted himself as the peacemaker.  But now he faces a critical decision, and a key test for his presidency. Meanwhile, Trump told leaders at the G7 summit that he’d been open involving Russian president Vladimir Putin as a mediator. Today, political and international editor Peter Hartcher on what Putin’s growing influence over Trump means for foreign policy.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Train by day, podcast by night' is the catchphrase of the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast which has 50 million-odd downloads a month worldwide with a huge male listenership including in Australia. The American host's message, while compelling, can be rambling, unpolished, and often delve into conspiracy theories. Today, Chief Reporter, Jordan Baker on Joe Rogan’s influence on Australian men and whether it’s something to be concerned about.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of Victoria’s top restaurants and most celebrated chefs have come under fire recently, as allegations about bullying and harassment mount from former employees. Similar such allegations have seen heads roll at hospitality giants like Swillhouse in Sydney.  And now, allegations about a popular Melbourne restaurateur, from those who have worked with him closely, an alleged incident of indecent exposure and aggressive behaviour. Today, investigative reporter Charlotte Grieve on how the spotlight in the hospitality industry has turned on those in positions of power, and why employees at high-profile venues across the country are speaking up now.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When news broke, 11 days ago, that one of Australia’s oldest and largest fertility services implanted the wrong embryo in a woman in Melbourne, it, naturally, made headlines around the country. But for those of us following the story, that was just the beginning. Because this mistake occurred only two months after another woman, in Queensland, gave birth to another couple’s baby, after an embryo mix up at Monash IVF. Today,  senior reporter Grant McArthur on why this industry, which offers the promise of desperately wanted children, is leaving  people to feel heartbroken.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave a big speech at the National Press Club in Canberra, and used it to dangle the prospect of economic reform.During its first term, the Albanese government was criticised for not being bold enough in its agenda. So is the PM signalling he will use his huge majority to institute major reform? What would a daring economic reform agenda look like? And are Australians ready for it?Plus, Jacqueline Maley, Paul Sakkal and Shane Wright discuss the hardening of the government’s stance on Israel, after it imposed  sanctions on two Israeli ministers.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s hard to keep up with what’s happening in Los Angeles. And why. On Saturday, federal agents were jumping out of an unmarked van near a Home Depot parking lot and began grabbing people. Then we heard that Donald Trump had called in the National Guard. And then the Marines. And then, yesterday afternoon, Californian governor Gavin Newsom delivered a rebuke to Donald Trump in a nationwide address, saying: “What we’re witnessing is not law enforcement - it’s authoritarianism.” Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher, on why we are witnessing the opening scenes of a new phase in American history.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New York Times bestselling Author Michael Lewis is, as one interviewer recently put it, “a kind of guru of our age”. This is because, in books like Moneyball, The Big Short and Going Infinite, not to mention his own podcast, he has chronicled some of the big social and economic seachanges of our time - from the global financial crisis, to the cryptocurrency market, and how online gambling companies have managed to wage something of a “war against young men”. Sometimes, he even seems to anticipate the sea changes. Last year, he all but predicted Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE manifesto, when he decided to investigate what American civil servants actually do. And the catastrophic risks that might come from decimating the federal government. Today, Michael Lewis, on all of this, and what he thinks comes next for the American government. Plus, whether he thinks our own prime minister is “gutless” for delaying a ban on TV gambling advertising.Michael Lewis’ new book is Who Is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service is out now.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia has marked the King’s Birthday long weekend and with it comes honours for 830 people. But there’s one that stands out: former prime minister Scott Morrison’s appointment as a companion of the order of Australia has proved divisive. So why did Morrison get the honour? Does he deserve it? And who are some of the other awardees on the list? Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright joins Nick Bonyhady on the people Australia chooses to recognise.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Male humpback whales sing to each other, and when they do - over the course of a season - a favourite “hit song” emerges. Each whale passes it along, until all the humpback males in the Southern Ocean sing it.  But humpback whales aren’t just amazing creatures, capable of tenderness, and rivalries. They’ve also managed one of Australia’s great comebacks - they numbered less than 100 on the east coast in the 1960s, and now there’s about 40,000 of them. Today, environment and climate reporter Caitlin Fitzsimmons on why they’re thriving, while other whales are critically endangered. And whether new information about threats to whales might inform the government’s environmental policies.Credit:David Attenborough/Netflix 'Our Planet' Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The dramatic shakeout from the general election continued this week, this time from the left wing of Australian politics, with WA Greens senator Dorinda Cox defecting to Labor. It was a coup for a triumphant Prime Minister. But will the PM live to regret his new recruit? What does Senator Cox’s defection mean for the much-depleted Greens party? And how does it fit with the PM’s recent approval of the extension of a giant fossil fuel project off the West Australian coast? Chief Political Correspondent Paul Sakkal, and Chief Political Commentator James Massola join host Jacqueline Maley.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.