It’s been another roller coaster this week for mortgage holders. Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock issued a stern warning about inflation, before the clouds parted a little when there was a welcome dip in the numbers.

We check in with the state of the economy with senior economics correspondent Shane Wright, before crossing to state political editor Chip Le Grand after quite a momentous week in Victoria.

This week, Jacinta Allan was ousted as premier, with Ben Carroll taking the reins ahead of what is shaping up to be a genuine three-way contest in the November election between the Labor government, the Coalition and One Nation.

Today’s episode is hosted, as usual, by Jacqueline Maley.

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They are wars on different fronts, but both are showcasing what international and political editor Peter Hartcher says are the deep misjudgements of leaders.

Reporting this week revealed US armaments are running low as war continues in the Middle East. And the ramifications of the “unbelievable” nuclear deal that US President Donald Trump signed with Saudi Arabia are beginning to surface.

Meanwhile, in the Russia-Ukraine war, Hartcher says the decisions being made by Vladimir Putin aren’t much better, with the Russian president poised to begin a widespread and desperate recruitment drive for more soldiers.

Today, Peter Hartcher on what he calls the inglorious, disgraceful and counterproductive decisions of Trump and Putin.

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The Victorian government made headlines, for all the wrong reasons, in 2023, when it pulled out of hosting the Commonwealth Games on the grounds that it was too expensive.

Now, the Games are on in Glasgow, with many locals barely registering that it’s even taking place in their city, according to our reporter on the ground.

Today, senior sports writer Michael Gleeson on whether the competition, which started in 1930 as a means of uniting the colonies and honouring the monarchy, is on its last legs. 

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Victorian politics is in turmoil. On Tuesday morning, Jacinta Allan stood down as the state's 49th premier after more than 25 years in parliament.

In a bonus episode of The Morning Edition, state political reporter Kieran Rooney discusses what brought Allan down, who has replaced her and what it means for the state election in just four months’ time.

Background reading:

• 'Slow, then fast, the downfall of a premier under siege'
• The one thing Jacinta Allan left out of her farewell speech is Carroll’s first priority

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There are not that many company CEOs who the general public knows by name. But Alan Joyce is one of them.

In part, it's because of how customers and employees were treated by Qantas, the company he led, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, senior reporter Chris Zappone discusses why Alan Joyce is now telling his side of the story.

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The Labor party is facing fresh scrutiny over where it gets its money.

Five days ago, it was the result of revelations that the party collected more than $4 million in gambling donations in five years – a chunk of that while it dithered on gambling reform.

And now, another donation has raised eyebrows.

Today investigative reporter Lucy Macken on the billionaire’s son who allegedly offered to donate money to the Labor Party at an exclusive dinner aattended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – and why it has raised questions.

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It has been quite the week in federal politics, and our attention has been sucked by two One Nation clangers.

First, Barnaby Joyce yelled at his dog on national television, then Pauline Hanson made some incredibly controversial remarks about domestic violence.

Meanwhile, our guests for today, chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos, are tuning in under the fluorescent lights of the Labor Party National Conference in Adelaide.

Today’s episode is hosted, as usual, by Jacqueline Maley.

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Why, six years on, is Donald Trump peddling the falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen? And how many Americans now believe it?

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses what the timing of Trump’s renewed fixation may tells us about his ulterior motives.

Background reading

• Trump’s three-pronged threat to American democracy

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Christopher Nolan’s $250 million film The Odyssey was always going to inspire – and enrage – fans. That’s what you get when you take on one of the oldest surviving stories in history and refashion the hero at its centre.

The New York Review of Books editor-at-large Daniel Mendelsohn is today's guest. The classics scholar discusses what Nolan is trying to tell us with his version and why it's provoked people such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr.

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If you’ve ever felt that you are being rushed through a healthcare appointment, you’re not alone.

Now a number of optometrists have told our mastheads that they are being pressured to rush appointments, and even skip providing clinical tests, in order to sell, sell, sell.

Today, health reporter Rachel Rasker on the optometry chains allegedly prioritising money over patient health.

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There are nearly one and a half million registered medical devices on the market in Australia.

Now, you would think that life-saving treatments such as pacemakers, defibrillators and pain pumps would be subject to the same sorts of clinical trials as prescription drugs. Right?

Today, investigative reporter Liam Mannix on which devices have attracted the most complaints, and the medical device under investigation by a coroner after a tragic case in a regional town in Victoria.

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