Podcast · News

The Morning Edition

by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald · English · News

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

New episodes: Daily
Typical length: 23 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 23 minNew

A public execution and a Russian deal – will Trump’s midterm distractions work?

The Pentagon’s plans to livestream the execution of a former US army psychiatrist who murdered 13 soldiers at an army base has been met with disbelief in many quarters. Even so, the plan, which would mark the first US military execution by firing squad since the end of WWII, was overshadowed by even more destabilising announcements by President Donald Trump over the last week. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about what Trump is doing to distract voters from the bashing Republicans are likely to get in the midterm elections in less than three weeks.…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

13 Oct 2026 · 23 minNew
The ‘glass cliff’ and why the McKinsey saga shows it still exists
A senior Australian partner at global consultancy firm McKinsey made global headlines this week when he was stripped of a key leadership position after deriding the so-called “glass cliff” for women at work. Chris Bradley, who remains a senior partner at the firm, was dumped from a leadership role after he said on LinkedIn that the glass cliff was a “very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain”. Gender equality expert Dr Michelle Ryan coined the term more than 20 years ago to describe a trend of women being more likely to be appointed to leadership roles in…
12 Oct 2026 · 23 minNew
Australia is incubating a dementia time bomb
Dementia is the No.1 cause of death here. And it’s a uniquely terrifying one, given it can often lead to an eroded sense of self, and lost memory of loved ones. The number of cases are set to double by 2061, when it’s expected 1 million Australians will suffer from dementia. But now, some Australians are accessing new therapies, which can, in the case of Alzheimer’s disease - the most common form of dementia - slow its progress. Today, senior writer Clair Weaver, on how close we are to a cure for dementia. And why only some Australians are no longer hostages to…
11 Oct 2026 · 22 min
How a remote Ecuadorian village took on Gina Rinehart
Lucia Chicaiza lives in northern Ecuador, in a sleepy farming town of just over 2000 people, at the foot of the Andes. She also happens to live near a lucrative gold and copper deposit that has caught the eye of Australia’s richest person: Gina Rinehart. Investigative reporter Marta Pascual Juanola spent a month in Ecuador investigating a mining industry that operates in shades of grey, where she found alleged worker exploitation, intimidation tactics and violence. Further reading Mountains of Trouble: Bumpy road for Rinehart’s offshore mining push McLarens, Mar-a-Lago and…
8 Oct 2026 · 38 min
Coalition’s 'race to the bottom on migration' and former immigration official answers your questions
It’s been a year since Liberal MP Andrew Hastie quit Sussan Ley’s frontbench to speak his mind on migration. His decision fractured the Coalition and Ley’s ambition to woo back multicultural communities with a more moderate stance. How things change in a year. But through it all, migration has become a more heated political issue. On Tuesday, Angus Taylor announced the Coalition’s long-awaited policy, promising the biggest cut to immigration in Australia’s history . So what are the merits and the pitfalls of the Coalition's plan? Former deputy secretary of…
7 Oct 2026 · 24 min
Godlike worship of AI is happening, and the Pope is its greatest opponent
While the rest of us have been dreaming of the promise of AI to cure diseases, and fretting about the threat of robots overtaking humanity, a growing number of people have started literally worshipping AI. At online churches, and in front of an AI deity, people around the world are asking this technology for advice, seeking guidance to life’s most difficult problems. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses what could happen if such worshipping becomes mainstream, and why the leaders of one of the world’s most powerful AI companies tried to enlist the…
6 Oct 2026 · 24 min
Inside 'sandpapergate' – cricket's greatest scandal
Australians woke up on a Sunday morning in 2018 to extraordinary vision plastered across their television screens and mobile phones: Cameron Bancroft, the opening batsman on the Australian men’s cricket team, caught on camera using a piece of sandpaper to tamper with the ball during a Test match in Cape Town. It was one of the most brazen acts of cheating ever broadcast. This week, the Australian team returns to South Africa for their first Test series in the country since that scandal, which remains one of Australian sport's darkest moments. Today, senior sports reporter Chris Barrett…
5 Oct 2026 · 25 min
The royals have a rich history of lawsuits, but Andrew’s action is different
There’s been big news from the UK overnight, with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, launching legal action against police over his arrest in relation to the Epstein files. Not since the 1649 trial of King Charles I has a British royal mounted a legal challenge of this magnitude, according to the UK Telegraph, which broke the bombshell story. Today’s guest is culture editor-at-large and our local royal expert, Michael Idato. Further reading: Andrew takes police to court over Epstein files arrest The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story…
4 Oct 2026 · 15 min
I was a teenage boy online. It took 13 minutes for the manosphere to come
According to new analysis, screen time could damage children more than being born into poverty. The findings from the University of Calgary say higher doses of screen exposure are associated with lower overall academic achievement, poorer language development and emotional and peer problems. So what’s it actually like to be a 17-year-old on social media? What material are you fed – and how quickly? Crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz found out after she created new accounts posing first as a teenage boy, and then as a girl. Today, Schultz talks about her descent into the…
1 Oct 2026 · 31 min
Interest rates and Labor's spending, and the Greens look to Mamdani
Anthony Albanese is back from the United Nations in New York to a slump in his approval rating and more economic pain. On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank raised interest rates to a 15-year-high due to continued inflation pressure. So what's driving inflation? How much is government spending contributing to this issue? Also this week, the Greens elected a new leader. NSW senator David Shoebridge is far more confrontational than former leader Larissa Waters and comes from the party's hard-left faction. His election may signal a shift in strategy from the party, which wants to replicate the success…
30 Sep 2026 · 24 min
Did Trump offer arms to Xi Jinping? What happened on the White House tour
When the competing leaders of the world's two biggest economies gather for a summit, there's usually a lot to tussle over – military build-up, trade, critical minerals or AI. But that's not what happened when Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met last week. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses the moments that could signal a startling break with decades of American policy. Background reading: How Trump’s grovelling emboldens China and imperils the Asia Pacific The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia.…
29 Sep 2026 · 11 min
Bogong moths are swarming homes, and their story is miraculous
If you live in a certain part of Australia, you have probably noticed them – big moths flying around, clinging to glass doors and gathering around lights in massive numbers. But for all the freak-outs across the east coast, naturalists are rejoicing. Today, national environment and climate editor Nick O’Malley talks about the return of the bogong moth after a near-total population collapse, and why they’re so important for our landscape. Background reading: After a catastrophic decline bogong moths are back, and naturalists are celebrating The Morning Edition brings you the…
28 Sep 2026 · 19 min
Another interest rate hike? Experts say there are other ways to curb inflation
Interest rate hikes are stressing Australian mortgage holders across the country. But are higher rates the only way to get inflation down? Or are there alternatives to the Reserve Bank’s go-to, blunt-force measure? Today, senior economics writer Matt Wade, on the potential – and challenges – of four alternatives to help keep inflation in check, newly floated by an Australian think tank. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The…
27 Sep 2026 · 24 min
How real is Australia's immigration problem?
The past five decades have witnessed immigration on a scale the globe has never seen before, and countries around the world are convulsing with anti-immigration sentiment. Australia might be an island, but it's no different. This is a dangerous moment, investigative journalist Eryk Bagshaw argues. Immigration has become a scapegoat because successive governments have lost control of policy levers, and infrastructure has failed to keep up. At the same time, whole swaths of the economy are dependent on temporary migrants. Bagshaw visited migrant communities both old and new to work out what…
24 Sep 2026 · 23 min
Guardrails or ‘world leader’: How Anthony Albanese responds to OpenAI’s hack
Today we’re going international to talk about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. It’s been an eventful few days for the PM who has, among other things, spoken about Australia’s attempts to crack down on social media, met with US President Donald Trump and given a speech in which he declared the world order in place since World War II "no longer fit for purpose”. But all of that was nearly forgotten when Albanese stood up in what was very early on Thursday morning our time to announce…
24 Sep 2026 · 9 min
OpenAI's hack of an Australian government website
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has launched a taskforce to investigate how AI apparently went rogue hacked into a portal belonging to one of Australia’s major healthcare systems. Albanese revealed on Thursday that an OpenAI agent infiltrated Medicare. It is believed to be the first known case of AI hacking into a government system. Today, technology editor David Swan explains how this breach occurred and how worried we should be. Further reading Rogue agent or human error? What OpenAI’s Medicare breach means for you Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See…
23 Sep 2026 · 15 min
Inside the trial of Beau Lamarre-Condon
You might remember this case from Sydney in the summer of 2024 – the alleged double murder of TV presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies. Baird was a television presenter, appearing on shows such as Totally Wild and Studio 10 , while Davies was a Qantas flight attendant. A jury trial in the NSW Supreme Court began this week and we're finding out a lot more about the allegations against former NSW police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, who has pleaded not guilty to the murders. Today's guest is Sydney Morning Herald legal affairs reporter, Michaela Whitbourn. Further reading…
22 Sep 2026 · 18 min
Trump and Zelensky meet again, and this time, Zelensky has the cards
The Republican Party is under enormous pressure, six weeks out from the midterm elections, with a new poll finding that most voters believe US President Donald Trump has hurt the economy. It comes as Trump faces another test of his power this week: a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in a bid to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia. International and political editor Peter Hartcher joins host Samantha Selinger-Morris for today’s episode. Further reading: Why this new Ukraine pact is a war game changer for Australia The Morning…
21 Sep 2026 · 16 min
The surprising prediction for Australia in 40 years
What will our future look like 40 years from now? How, in a world growing in complexity, will we be faring economically and otherwise? Ahead of the release of the government's latest intergenerational report, Treasurer Jim Chalmers had warned of some "confronting" findings, but there were also some surprisingly positive predictions. Today, senior economics writer Matt Wade discusses the unique challenges faced by Australia. Further reading An ageing Australia must find ways to pay for world reshaped by AI, climate change. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See…
20 Sep 2026 · 23 min
The new terror stalking Ukraine
For many Ukrainians, daily life continues four years and six months since Russia’s full-scale invasion. But something has shifted in the war recently, as Europe correspondent David Crowe reports from Kyiv. Today, Crowe discusses the new and dangerous phase of this war and what the rest of the world can do to help. Further reading: The workers who keep trains running under fire: https://tinyurl.com/yt6fvws9 The human face of the assault on Ukraine: https://tinyurl.com/yujrkyke The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host…
18 Sep 2026 · 39 min
Introducing Virginia: Our latest investigative podcast
Today we're sharing the first episode of Virginia – The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald 's latest investigative podcast on Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent victim. Walkley-award winning journalist Melissa Fyfe and WA Today reporter Carla Hildebrandt spent more than six months investigating Virginia Giuffre's life in Australia and the months before her death. Despite Virginia's heroic battle in the most notorious sex-trafficking case of the 21st century, few knew about one of her toughest fights. It was one she fought privately at home in Australia. Follow The Age and SMH Investigates…
17 Sep 2026 · 18 min
Migration plan revealed: Who comes, who leaves and what it all means
Today we’re hot off the press, to use an old newsroom cliche, to talk about the federal government’s new plan for migration. Immigration Minister Tony Burke gave a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday where he announced significant changes. These changes included curtailing visa hopping, targeting international students, implementing a ballot system for backpackers, and ramping up the deportation of unlawful non-citizens. If these aims are achieved, what will the consequences be? Will demand for housing drop? Will there be labour shortages in agriculture, or…
16 Sep 2026 · 22 min
Could Australia join the European Union?
When Donald Trump announced his so-called Liberation Day tariffs in April last year, one question seemed to dominate: which country would suffer the most economic pain? But since then, one country after the next seems to have awoken to a starkly hopeful realisation: the United States accounts for only 15 per cent of total global imports and trade. So, could these countries join a newly powerful trading bloc? Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on recent moves by Canada to possibly join the European Union, and if Australia could follow suit. Background reading:…
15 Sep 2026 · 23 min
Bestselling author Caitlin Moran on how to have hope when Trump and the world drives you 'crackers"
For nearly 35 years, hundreds of thousands of readers around the world have turned to Caitlin Moran for laughter and her signature nouse about how to cope with life's worst bits. Having grown up in poverty in a down-at-heels English town and helping to support her siblings from the age of 15, Moran was resilience personified. And then Trump, the universe and everything nearly stole her sanity. Today, in a break from the doom and gloom of news, the British author on how we can rediscover how life really is a "quiet loving thing". Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See…
14 Sep 2026 · 12 min
One Nation has revealed its migration policy
Pauline Hanson has finally announced her party’s migration policy, after weeks in which various One Nation MPs publicly contradicted one another on the plan. Today, hear federal political reporter Brittany Busch on which visa holders Pauline Hanson has in her sights – and whether her plan could risk our prosperity. Further reading: Slash the intake: Majority of Australians demand deeper migration cuts The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald…
13 Sep 2026 · 17 min
Australia’s ‘Moneyball’: Finding the next big thing in footy
Finals in Australia’s major sporting codes are in full swing. And six weeks after the AFL grand final is played, the other biggest show of the year - the men’s, and women’s, draft - begins. But the work to find the next big thing starts years earlier, when scouts hunt for teenagers who possess unusual qualities. I’m Samantha Selinger-Morris, and you’re listening to The Morning Edition, from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Today, explainer reporter Madeleine Heffernan and sports reporter Peter Ryan, on the making of a sports star. Further reading: ' The…
10 Sep 2026 · 23 min
Superannuation and the One Nation press conference that had everyone watching
This week we’re joining the dots between two different stories: the fight over superannuation, and the colourful past of One Nation’s leader in Victoria, Warren Pickering. On Monday, Pauline Hanson told voters her party would allow renters and prospective home buyers to withdraw their superannuation early. The policy was scant on details, but it had the desired effect of controlling the national debate. The same thing happened with the Pickering press conference. Normally, a leader of a right-wing political party admitting to taking drugs would not be good for electoral…
9 Sep 2026 · 27 min
From 9/11 to Donald Trump: Why Australia can’t afford to abandon the US
This week marks twenty-five years since the United States suffered a terrorist attack that was predicted to change the world forever. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about the lessons that the US learned – and failed to learn – and examines the costs and rewards of Australia's full-throated support of its ally following the attack. Hartcher also discusses what Australia's alliance looks like today in the face of Donald Trump's presidency. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host…
8 Sep 2026 · 21 min
Germany had ruled out extremist parties. Then came this election win
A far-right party in Germany has just trounced its rivals in a state election – the closest such a party has come to holding power in a German state since World War II. The result sent shockwaves through a country that has, since the destruction of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, created a political system that prevents extremist parties from returning to power. Today's guest, Europe correspondent David Crowe, discusses what the rise of the Alternative for Germany party, otherwise known as the AfD, means for Europe and the rest of the world. Further reading: Election shockwave: Meet the…
7 Sep 2026 · 14 min
Government v the internet: Albanese eyes algorithm ‘off switch’
It’s the Australian government versus big tech yet again in parliament this week, with Labor planning to introduce a bill that would tackle online harm and hand back control of social media algorithms to users . It comes as toxic online content is increasingly linked to violent sexualised behaviour in young men. But is what we see on social media a matter for a government? Or has the algorithm become so out of hand that guardrails need to be put in place? Today's guest is federal bureau chief Michelle Griffin. Background reading: Hardline free-speech campaigners demand Coalition block…

About The Morning Edition

The Morning Edition is a English news podcast from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
Language: English
Category: News
New episodes: Daily
Typical length: 23 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1436450976
Rights: 2026 The Age and Sydney Morning Herald

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