Just picture it: under the cover of night, police detectives raid a clandestine drug lab in Melbourne belonging to an organised crime gang. But instead of picking through just the usual: beakers, wads of cash and perhaps the unmistakable acetone odour of ICE, they stumble on something else.

Boxes upon boxes – upon BOXES – of Lego.

Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on why your kids’ favourite toy has become the underworld’s new favourite currency, and why it’s so good for laundering dirty money.

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A fire at a Geelong oil refinery - one of two refineries left in Australia - has heightened anxiety around fuel supply.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen joins the Inside Politics podcast today to address the impact of this fire and the scramble for petrol and diesel imports as the nation grapples with one of the most severe oil shocks in history.

The pugilistic minister, a lighting rod in the debate about Australia's renewable energy transition, joins chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and energy correspondent Mike Foley to discuss the rocky path to a green economy, and Australia's position to deal with the war and subsequent energy crisis.

You can read Sakkal and Foley's story on our websites here, and all our federal political coverage here.

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Seven weeks into the US-Israel war with Iran, the narrative that Donald Trump was pushed into the war by Benjamin Netanyahu, and that the US president is an agent of Israel, still permeates the internet.
How much truth is there to these claims?
Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about who really is driving the war, and why it matters.

Read Hartcher's column here.

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As our journalist James Massola put it, his niece Mattea is like most three-year-olds: boisterous and bursting with energy.
Mattea is also not like most three-year-olds: from the moment she was born, her parents have had to grapple with a complex set of problems that make life very different.
I’m Samantha Selinger-Morris, and you’re listening to The Morning Edition, from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.
Today, chief political commentator James Massola on Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme and what next month’s expected cuts to the scheme really mean.

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For years, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have been tanking in popularity polls. Meghan is now the second-most disliked royal, beaten only by the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

So why is this faux-royal tour occurring down under when the British monarchy is arguably on the nose?

Today, senior writer Bevan Shields comments on recent bullying accusations against Prince Harry, what they're doing here this week - and how much they're charging us for the pleasure.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been slammed – over the course of years – for failing to crack down on the more than 1 million gambling ads broadcast every year on Australia's free-to-air TV and radio, not to mention the rest of our gambling industry, which has driven some families to financial ruin.

Then, finally, just over a week ago, came the prime minister’s announcement of a gambling overhaul.

Today, business reporter Kishor Napier-Raman on just how much so-called “filthy money” our government is taking away from stakeholders, and if there’s any chance these reforms might break the link between children and sports wagering.

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The new leader of the Nationals, Matt Canavan, is a former Marxist from the suburbs who was once a Productivity Commission economist and then, a firebrand right-wing senator.

Canavan joins Inside Politics today with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal at a time when the Nationals are battling for survival against an ascendant One Nation.

The pair discuss Australia's over-reliance on the US, Canavan's dislike of identity politics, his surprising love of electric vehicles and, to cap it off, religion.

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US President Donald Trump has backed down, at the eleventh hour, from his horrifying threat to - as Trump put it himself - unleash destruction on Iran’s entire civilisation. 

Both sides have now said they have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on how to make sense of the events of the last 24 hours. And whether in two weeks, the world is likely to be, yet again, on the brink of carnage.

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The Australian Federal Police today arrested war hero Ben Roberts-Smith over the war-crimes murders of five unarmed Afghan civilians and prisoners during the Afghan War.
The arrest comes after a quiet, five-year-long investigation into Roberts-Smith, which reportedly involved tapped phones, listening devices, and raids by secretive Office of the Special Investigator detectives.
Today, investigative reporters Nick McKenzie and Michael Bachelard reveal how this arrest unfolded, and what happens next.

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There was a significant judgment in a Victorian court last week, one that is causing a great deal of controversy in the medical community.

The case centres on what happened when a woman presented to a regional hospital to give birth.
The woman, Larissa Gawthrop, was in labour – but the hospital refused to admit her until she’d undergone a vaginal examination. For the hospital, this test is routine, but Gawthrop had been really clear in her birth plan – she’d only consent to an examination if there was an urgent medical reason.

What happened next, according to the court decision, was tantamount to assault, and the judge awarded Gawthrop $275,000 in damages.

Today, senior writer Wendy Tuohy discusses the landmark case and its implications for the medical community.

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Many of us probably have a hunch that vaping is bad for our health.

Questions about just how bad have been around for years.

So why, then, has there been a backlash by health researchers against a new study, that has now declared that the evidence is in, and e-cigarettes are likely to cause oral and lung cancer?

Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on the main warnings contained in this Australian study.

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