The Morning Edition

Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker writer who studies internet subcultures, unpacks the looksmaxxing movement and its origins. She traces ties to incel and black pill ideas. She explores extreme practices like bone smashing, steroids and limb-lengthening. She discusses cultural forces, online contagion, health dangers and why many prominent participants are Australian.

They dig into how the US‑Israel war on Iran is rattling global oil markets and what that could mean for local petrol supplies. They discuss government moves like fuel reserves, supply rules and a new coordination taskforce. They also cover how rising interest rates might reshape budget plans and the political fight over fiscal and industrial resilience.

Peter Hartcher, international and political editor with sharp geopolitical insight, breaks down Trump’s attacks on allies after they declined naval support. He examines who benefits from the US–Iran conflict and why the oil shock was predictable. Short takes cover MAGA infighting and which nations gain strategically from the chaos.

Angus Thompson, health reporter who investigates medical and public-health issues, presents Australian research on ten years of prescribed medicinal cannabis. He covers rising prescriptions across hundreds of conditions. He outlines a major Lancet Psychiatry review finding no reliable evidence for anxiety, depression or PTSD. He highlights limited trial quality, unknown long-term harms, regulatory and prescribing challenges.

Caroline Zielinski, a property reporter on housing and affordability in Australia. She traces the postwar rise of homeownership, explains policy and tax drivers behind rising prices, and explores how people now adapt by moving farther out, renting or compromising on lifestyle. Political barriers to big reform also come up.

Nell Geraets, culture and lifestyle writer covering contemporary films. Karl Quinn, senior culture writer and awards analyst. They unpack how Oscars voting works and why popularity, timing and career narratives sway outcomes. They debate Sinners vs One Battle After Another, discuss campaigning, and whether political films or remarks change voting dynamics.

Matthew Knott, national security correspondent who covered the rescue timeline and asylum process. Paul Sakkal, chief political correspondent with deep federal politics insight. They unpack the secretive weeks that led to asylum, the role of minders and visas, how a Trump-linked social post shifted the story, and the political PR fallout and coalition leadership shake-up.

It could be argued that no American president has been as enamoured with violence as Donald Trump. He appears to relish all of it: the spectacle, the promise of it taking place, and, lately, its bloody reality, as - at the time of recording - American bombs continue to drop on Iran.So, is this the key to to understanding the US president's motivation or all the other wars he’s planning?Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on which country Trump has set his sights on next, and whether Australia is now at war with Iran.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five female Iranian soccer players, in Australia competing for the Asian Cup, escaped in the night from their handlers to seek refuge from their home country, which is in the middle of a war with the US and Israel.Initially another two women decided to join them and defected a day later, but on Wednesday afternoon, one of the pair changed their mind and contacted Iranian officials with the intention of returning home.Today, in a bonus episode, crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz joins us from Malaysia, where she has been tracking the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of people in Lebanon have fled their homes due to Israeli airstrikes and forced evacuations as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this week. Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe and photojournalist Kate Geraghty report from Lebanon, after the US and Israel’s war on Iran expanded to the region. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.