Explore every episode of the podcast ABC News Daily

Michigan is shaping up as one of the biggest battlegrounds in the US midterm elections. So much so that both Donald Trump and Barack Obama have hit the campaign trail there. 

The Senate race is a contest between progressive Abdul El-Sayed and conservative Republican Mike Rogers, with race and religion emerging as key fault lines. 

Today, Margaret Talev, director of the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship, on what’s at stake in Michigan, how identity is shaping the campaign, and what it reveals about the mood of American voters. 

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Margaret Talev, director of the Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship 

Israelis came out in record numbers to vote but as the polls closed it was too close to call.  

Although that didn't stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival Gadi Eisenkot both claiming success.  

Today, Dov Waxman, presidential chair in modern Jewish studies at UCLA on what happens next, the surge in support for Arab parties and whether Netanyahu could still cling to power.     

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Dov Waxman, Presidential chair in modern Jewish studies at UCLA 

Is Donald Trump about restart the fighting with Iran?  

Ahead of the midterm elections next week, the US President has been raising the prospect of renewed attacks that could begin after Americans vote.  

Today, Cole Bucy, former CIA analyst and former director for Iran at the US National Security Council on why Trump might have little option but to escalate the conflict.

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Cole Bucy, former CIA analyst and former Director for Iran at the US National Security Council 

Did you know we are in the midst of a new 'woke' era?

It's being dubbed 'Woke 2.0' and unlike 'Woke 1', it's thought to be winning over voters for the Democrats ahead of next week's midterm election.

Today, staff writer at the Atlantic magazine, Jonathan Chait on what he believes woke is and why campaigning against it won't win Trump any votes this time.

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Johnathan Chait, staff writer at The Atlantic magazine

Unemployment is on the rise, interest rates are up, the price of fuel is soaring and everything just costs more.  

Recent polling shows voters are blaming the Prime Minister and his Treasurer for the tough times with their popularity rating taking a dive.

Today, senior economic correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Shane Wright on how the governments losing control of the cost-of-living narrative. 

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Shane Wright, senior economic correspondent at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age 

It’s been a fortnight of extraordinary setbacks for US relations with Ukraine. 

Donald Trump has struck a deal to buy Russian diesel, delivering a financial boost to Vladimir Putin’s war effort, he briefly interrupted intelligence sharing with Ukraine, while his special envoy Steve Witkoff has praised Putin as a 'humanitarian.' 

Today, CNN's chief national security analyst, Jim Sciutto on what Trump is up to now and what it could mean for Ukraine's survival. 

Featured:Jim Sciutto, CNN chief national security analysts and host of The Brief

Brendan Nugent, the 43-year-old Victorian man accused of ramming his LandCruiser into Independent MP Helen Haines, has appeared in court today on five charges. 

Authorities say they are still working to determine an alleged motive.  

The incident has opened a fierce debate about the safety of politicians and worsening political discourse. 

So, will the tragedy change anything?  

Today political commentator and author Niki Savva on what needs to happen now. 

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Niki Savva, political commentator and author

On Monday afternoon, Victorian man Brendan Nugent, 43, allegedly used a white Toyota LandCruiser to strike independent MP Helen Haines twice.  

The 65-year-old member for Indi in regional Victoria is in critical condition with devastating injuries. The Prime Minister says it was a deliberate act.  

Today, 7.30 political editor Jacob Greber on what we know and why the alleged attack is a wake-up call as threats of political violence surge. 

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Jacob Greber, ABC TV's 7.30 political editor 

From a press secretary who lasted just five days to a dramatic pivot to Putin, Donald Trump has unleashed a fresh wave of chaos inside the White House. 

So, with the US midterms looming, is he still holding out for a so-called 'October surprise' that could turn things around. 

Today, staff writer at The Atlantic, David A. Graham on a woeful past week for the US President and whether voters are simply sick of the chaos.    

They've been fired, demoted, and even offered sham redundancies. 

Decades after the Sex Discrimination Act was introduced, women across the country say they're being pushed out of the workforce for having kids under laws that haven't kept up with the demands of modern parenting. 

Today, Avani Dias on her Four Corners investigation into the tactics being used by employers and the laws failing mothers.  

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Avani Dias, investigative reporter with ABC Four Corners

Melbourne-born academic Tristan Buckmaster says he was maybe just one month away from solving the Navier-Stokes equation, a maths problem so difficult there was a million-dollar prize on offer for anyone who could.  

But just as the New York University professor and his collaborator, a mathematician affiliated with AI company Anthropic, were closing in on a solution, OpenAI claimed a breakthrough of its own.  

Today we speak to Tristan about his dispute with Open AI and the future of mathematics.

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Dr Tristan Buckmaster, Professor of Mathematics at New York University   

It was meant to be the biggest ASX listing since the privatisation of Telstra, but last week the initial public offering for Firmus was dramatically pulled before a single share was traded. 

The co-founder of the AI startup, Oliver Curtis has since lashed out - blaming Australians for failing to support people prepared to take a risk.    

Today, columnist at the Australian Financial Review Mark Di Stefano on whether he could be right or if it's an early sign of a bursting AI bubble.   

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Mark Di Stefano, Australian Financial Review columnist

The US president says he’s still deciding whether to livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 unarmed US soldiers in a 2009 shooting.  

It comes as Tennessee officials grapple with the aftermath of the botched execution of death row inmate Christa Pike last month.  

Today, law and capital punishment expert, Austin Sarat, on what these two cases say about the future of capital punishment in the US. 

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Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College 

The US President has eased sanctions on the Kremlin, clearing the way for a lucrative deal to import Russian diesel.

Trump says the move will help bring down fuel prices for Americans, as rising living costs weigh on his standing in the polls ahead of the midterm elections.

But for Ukrainians, the deal is a bitter betrayal.

Today, Russian foreign policy expert Matthew Sussex from Deakin University on what Trump hopes to gain from doing business with Vladimir Putin.

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Matthew Sussex, Associate professor at the Centre for Future Defence and National Security at Deakin University.

With the military campaign failing to force Iran to backdown, Donald Trump has been turning up the economic pressure, hoping to cripple the country’s economy and force an end to the war.  

But despite Iran’s currency plunging to record lows, the regime is showing little sign of capitulating.  

Today, an expert on Iran’s economy Djavad Salehi-Isfahani on how long the regime and the Iranian people can hold on. 

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Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, Professor of Economics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 

In the United States, they’re calling it the 'Mamdani effect' - a surge in support for democratic socialist candidates.

And here, the Greens are hoping for their own Zohran Mamdani moment, with the party’s think tank pitching an Australian version of the New York mayor’s plan for publicly owned supermarkets. 

Today columnist, author and academic Waleed Aly on whether the Greens have found a winning formula, as support for One Nation continues to grow. 

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Waleed Aly, co-host of The Minefield on ABC Radio National, a lecturer in politics at Monash University. 

An electric car is now being sold every 100 seconds, with sales roughly doubling in the second quarter of this year and outstripping petrol and diesel cars for the first time in August.

But as motorists look to escape soaring fuel costs, partly due to the Iran war, do we have the chargers needed to sustain the rapid surge?  

Today, ABC energy reporter Daniel Mercer on the plans for a mass rollout of EV infrastructure and who should pay for it. 

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Dan Mercer, ABC energy reporter 

In the US, the case has ignited a national debate over consent, with some asking whether this could be a new #MeToo moment. 

At Cornell University, protests have erupted after a woman identified as Jane Doe alleged she was sexually assaulted by seven male students who belonged to a campus fraternity. 

Today, New York Times journalist Hurubie Meko takes us through the case, and we speak to Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent, about why the outrage is now crossing borders. 

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Hurubie Meko, New York Times reporter and Chanel Contos, Teach Us Consent founder

Donald Trump has told voters to ‘pretend’ he is on the ballot at the midterm elections which are now less than a month away.  

But that’s not useful for some Republican candidates who’ve been trying to distance themselves from the President, given his declining polling numbers.  

Today, staff writer at the Atlantic magazine, David A. Graham on whether there’ll be a blue wave come November with the Democrats taking control of the House and the Senate.

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David A. Graham, The Atlantic magazine staff writer 

A plan for a data centre metres from homes and a school in Lane Cove has been shelved after residents of the Sydney suburb fought back and won.  

But it’s just one proposal among many, as demand for AI drives a boom in data centre construction across Australia.  

Today, we hear from a Lane Cove resident, and ask the ABC’s national AI reporter Cam Wilson just how many data centres we could end up with.

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Sasha Titchkosky, Lane Cove resident and Cam Wilson, the ABC’s national AI reporter 

Donald Trump says the US is in an AI race against China and he doesn’t want regulation that would risk American dominance.  

But Beijing is taking a very different approach with the Chinese Communist Party exerting tight control over the sector. 

Today, Alvin Wang Graylin from Stanford’s Human-centered AI institute on what that means for which country is best place to stop AI going rogue. 

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Alvin Wang Graylin, Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a digital fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI 

A flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv has turned into a terrifying high-altitude struggle when one of the pilots was attacked in the cockpit by his co-pilot. 

Passengers were fighting to help crew regain control of the plane as it plunged 17,000 feet before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. 

Today, counterterrorism expert Greg Barton on what we know about this mid-air attack and what it could mean for security in the region. 

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Greg Barton, Rector of Deakin University Lancaster University Indonesia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing renewed political scrutiny after media investigations reported that he and his government were warned about an impending large-scale Hamas attack before October 7. 

The reports say Egypt’s former intelligence chief travelled to Jerusalem days before the attack to issue a warning, while the UAE president allegedly alerted Netanyahu personally. 

Netanyahu has dismissed the claims as ‘absolute lies.’

Today, Hussein Ibish from the Arab Gulf States Institute on what the allegations could mean for Netanyahu, with an election due in Israel this month. 

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Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute. 

There’s been another interest rate rise, pushing it to the highest it’s been in 15 years.  

It’s partly thanks to Trump’s war in Iran fuelling global inflation, but the conflict is not the only thing putting pressure on interest rates. Artificial Intelligence is a factor too.  

Today, the ABC’s finance expert Alan Kohler on how AI impact rates and why it might also be the reason they fall again 

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Alan Kohler, ABC News Finance presenter 

Donald Trump has promised he can use his negotiating skills to end wars.

But his approach is facing a major test on two fronts.

He’s rejected Iran’s latest proposal to halt the fighting and reopen negotiations, while there’s still no breakthrough in efforts to get Russia and Ukraine back to a peace deal.

Today, international relations expert Rajan Menon on whether the president can actually deliver peace in either conflict.

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Rajan Menon, Professor Emeritus of International Relations at the City College of New York 

We're being warned that AI could wipe out humanity. 

But some of the very same experts sounding the alarm are also predicting AI will help cure cancer within the next decade.  

So, how will these competing visions of destruction and salvation play out? And is a cure for cancer really within AI’s reach? 

Today, doctor and researcher Emilia Javorsky joins us to separate the reality from the hype.

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Emilia Javorsky, the Director of the Futures Program at The Future of Life Institute – a nonprofit aimed at reducing AI risks. 

The Australian government is grappling with how to safeguard sensitive data, after revelations an AI agent controlled by OpenAI accessed private Medicare statistics.  

It took months for a breach to be identified and alerted to the highest levels of government and comes as the world grapples with controlling the rapid growth of AI technology.  

Today, national security and AI policy expert Olivia Shen, on whether governments can keep up with the accelerating advance of AI. 

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Olivia Shen, Director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. 

Donald Trump’s decade-long war with the press has a new front, with three US media outlets suing after being banned by the White House, prompting a broader media boycott.  

In response, the US President has launched his own 24/7 streaming channel called Trump TV. 

Today, Reporters Without Borders executive director for North America, Clayton Weimers, on who will lose the most from Trump’s war on the press. 

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Clayton Weimers, Reporters Without Borders executive director for North America 

Another string of suspected domestic violence attacks across a single weekend has once again seen the number of women and children killed this year climb. 

And, once again, their deaths have turned up the volume of calls for governments to do more to prevent domestic, family and sexual violence. 

Today, ABC political reporter Claudia Long on why, despite decades of effort, federal and state governments are still struggling with how to stop these tragic outcomes. 

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Claudia Long, ABC political reporter

Oil prices are rising again, thanks to the conflict in the Persian Gulf spreading to the Red Sea.  

It's fuelling inflation around the world including in Australia where it has been stubbornly high meaning an interest rate rise is all but certain, when the Reserve Bank meets next week.  

Today, ABC Finance expert Alan Kohler on the squeeze on household budgets and the prospect of a recession. 

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Alan Kohler, ABC finance expert and host of the ‘That's Business with Alan Kohler’ podcast 

Robotaxis have arrived on the streets of London, San Francisco and Beijing as rideshare companies expand into driverless transport. But the roll out hasn't been without speedbumps.

So, when could we see this innovation in transport arrive in Australia, and are our roads and regulations ready for it?

Today, Michael Milford, professor of robotics and director of the QUT Centre for Robotics on why autonomous taxis could soon be on our roads.

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Michael Milford, Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics

Donald Trump says warnings from whistleblowers that the rapid development of AI could end humanity are a ‘hoax’.  

He’s determined to push ahead in the AI race for dominance over China despite calls from some in the industry to slow down. But who should we believe?  

Today, AI risk researcher Nate Soares on why he believes the only real winner in the AI race is AI. 

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Nate Soares, Machine Intelligence Research Institute president 

Pauline Hanson has spent the week offending everyone from Andrew Hastie to the Prime Minister and Indigenous Australians, drawing widespread condemnation.  

But is hitting back at her personally the best way to respond?  

Today, Sean Kelly, columnist and former adviser to Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd on the way major parties are shifting their approach to Pauline Hanson and One Nation. 

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Sean Kelly, columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald and former Labor prime minister advisor.

For months, the Strait of Hormuz has been in chaos amid the ongoing conflict between Donald Trump and Iran.  

But now, the global oil supply faces a new threat.  

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are setting their sights on the Red Sea, putting a second critical shipping corridor in the crosshairs.  

Today, former US Special Envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, on the latest escalation and what it means for the global economy. 

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Tim Lenderking, former US Special Envoy to Yemen and Middle East Institute Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow 

Last week, an Anthropic researcher warned that rapidly advancing AI could lead to human extinction in the not-too-distant future. 

Then tech bosses joined the call for countries and companies to work together to slow the race towards artificial super intelligence.  

Today, AI philosopher Nick Bostrom on just how bad unbridled AI could get and whether we need to put the brakes on before it’s too late.

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Nick Bostrom, AI philosopher 

The migration policy debate in Australia has shifted over the years from boat arrivals and refugees to a new battleground: the size of the net overseas migration intake.  

And Pauline Hanson has managed to put the push for lower numbers back at the centre of the political debate.  

But how much control does the government really have? Today, David Speers, host of tonight's ABC National Forum on migration, on whether the system we have needs a total rethink.   

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David Speers, host of Insiders and the ABC’s National Forum 

Donald Trump has hit the campaign trail in Texas as the clock ticks down to the midterms.  

But is the president becoming more of a hindrance than a help to Republican candidates? With the war in Iran dragging on and taking a toll on Trump’s standing, could his biggest political liability now be the conflict he started?  

Today, Nate Swanson, a former Iran negotiator on whether Donald Trump is getting ready to declare the war is over. 

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Nate Swanson, Director and Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Iran Strategy Project  

Algorithms are deciding almost everything we see online, and concern is growing about the kinds of content social media is feeding us and our kids.  

Now the government wants to give us more control of our feeds, proposing laws that could force tech companies to let users 'opt out' of recommendation algorithms.  

Today, Daniel Angus, digital communications expert, on how algorithms became so powerful in the first place -  and whether we can ever escape them.  

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Daniel Angus, director of the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology

One Nation wants to give renters and borrowers early access to some of their retirement savings in a new policy proposal it says will help ease the cost-of-living pressure. 

It's reignited a fierce debate about the future of the scheme.  

Today, former political strategist and pollster Kos Samaras on whether superannuation is about to become a political battleground once again and if it's a fight voters even want.

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Kos Samaras, Director of strategy and analytics at Redbridge Group 

Bond markets around the world are under pressure, as investors sell bonds and demand higher returns to lend governments money.

It's pushing up borrowing costs and the effects can flow through to the mortgages, bank loans and credit cards we rely on every day. 

So, what’s driving the global bond sell off, and is the Trump administration's ballooning government debt to blame?

Today, Justin Wolfers, professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, explains what’s happening in the bond market and what it means for your money.  

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Justin Wolfers, professor of economics at the University of Michigan and founder of Platypus Economics 

In the 2000s, a wave of cheap Chinese goods that flooded global markets and wiped out manufacturing jobs became known as the China Shock.  

Now it's sequel, China Shock 2.0 has arrived.  

But this time, China isn't just exporting cheap goods. It's taking on the world in cutting-edge technology, from AI to electric vehicles and robotics.   Today, economist David Autor, who helped coin the phrase 'China Shock' and is one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2026 in AI, on whether the world is ready for it. 

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David Autor, Professor in the MIT Department of Economics 

According to Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth is doing a 'fantastic job' running the US military.  

But this week one of his most senior officials, the Army Secretary, quit after months of tensions with Hegseth, who has already purged dozens of other senior generals and admirals.  

Today, staff writer at The Atlantic Missy Ryan on the turmoil at the Pentagon, and how long Hegseth will continue to have Trump’s backing. 

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Missy Ryan, staff writer at The Atlantic 

In 2017, billionaire Sanjeev Gupta arrived in Whyalla promising to save the town’s struggling steelworks and hundreds of local jobs. 

But nearly a decade later, the steelworks is still fighting for survival. Gupta's business empire has unravelled and he has left Australia along with the promises he made. 

So what went wrong? 

Today, former Media Watch host Paul Barry takes us inside the rise and fall of Sanjeev Gupta’s steel dream and how he fooled Whyalla and the world. 

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Paul Barry, author of The Big Steel: How steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta fooled Australia and the world

Dr. John All is a mountaineer and scientist who nearly lost his life after falling more than 20 meters down an icy crevasse while researching how quickly the Himalayas are melting. 

A week after a catastrophic flood struck the Nepal-Tibet border, he warns the tragedy we’ve seen in the region could be repeated as pollution and rising temperatures turn mountain ice into water.  

Today, he speaks about researching climate change in treacherous terrain, and how soon the Himalayan glaciers could disappear.  

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John All, mountaineer and co-founder of the American Climber Science Program 

Pauline Hanson is on a roll. 

The latest test came over the weekend in a by-election for the small coastal electorate of Secret Harbour, south of Perth, where almost 40 per cent of voters gave One Nation their first-preference vote -- numbers that Labor and the Coalition could only dream of at this point. 

Today, Michelle Grattan, chief political correspondent at The Conversation, on the One Nation blitz.

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Michelle Grattan, chief political correspondent at The Conversation 

As the US hurtles towards the November midterms, data centres have become a major election issue, with politicians across the political divide joining voters in demanding a moratorium on new construction.  

Even Erin Brockovich is getting involved in a campaign sweeping the country.  

Today, Nicol Turner Lee, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, on the backlash against data centres and what it says about Australia’s approach as the debate heats up. 

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Nicol Turner Lee, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution 

Since Donald Trump launched his war in Iran, the MAGA movement has been dramatically split over the military action. 

Once a key Trump supporter, high profile media personality Tucker Carlson has turned on the US president, fuelling speculation he could make his own presidential bid in 2028.  

Today, New Yorker magazine staff writer Jason Zengerle on whether the podcaster could become the president. 

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Jason Zengerle, New Yorker magazine staff writer 

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has come out swinging, outlining a major retaliation against US President Donald Trump's latest wave of tariffs. 

The two neighbours have been spiralling towards an escalating trade war since negotiations collapsed last week. 

But could Canada’s response inspire other countries like Australia to push back against Trump's tariffs too? 

Today, David Smith from the United States Studies Centre on Mark Carney's defiance against the US and whether we should follow suit.  

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David Smith, Associate Professor of US Studies at the United States Studies Centre

In a landmark US court case, attorneys general representing 29 states are suing Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, accusing it of knowingly harming children and designing its platforms to keep young users hooked on scrolling.

It's being likened to the wave of lawsuits filed against big tobacco companies in the 1990s.

If the states are successful, the ruling could have far-reaching consequences for Meta's business model, and for the way all of us use social media.

Today, Dara Kerr, tech reporter with The Guardian US on what could be Meta's big tobacco moment

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Dara Kerr, tech reporter for The Guardian US

It took a week, but the head of the AFL has now fronted the press over the Swans scandal.  

CEO Andrew Dillon has distanced the sport from the Sydney club, saying the actions of a few do not define an entire code. 

Today, investigative sports reporter Jessica Halloran on the AFL's response and why it's not enough.  

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Jess Halloran, ABC investigative sports reporter