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Last week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth gathered hundreds of service members at a base in Virginia to lay out his vision for the American military.
Alongside sweeping changes to the way it fights and trains, Hegseth announced a new Office of Religious Affairs – reporting directly to him – aimed at putting what he calls “spiritual health” on the same level as physical health.
It’s the clearest sign yet of how Hegseth’s evangelical Christianity is shaping the Pentagon and religious policy across the armed forces.
Earlier this year, we looked at the beliefs driving Hegseth’s push to remake the military – and why Donald Trump chose him to wage a cultural and ideological battle inside it, bringing so-called “warrior culture” back to an institution they believed had gone “woke”.
Today, former Voice of America Chief National Correspondent Steve Herman on Pete Hegseth, Christian nationalism and the religious worldview reshaping the US military.
This episode first aired in March, 2026.

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Guest: Former chief national correspondent for Voice of America, Steve Herman
Photo: Alex Wong/Pool Photo via AP
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The Coalition is under pressure from One Nation, and its response is becoming increasingly clear. Angus Taylor is pushing a much harder line on immigration, borrowing language that echoes populist movements overseas.
At the same time, One Nation is escalating its own rhetoric as it tries to capitalise on the anger and discontent spreading across the electorate. It’s part of a broader fracturing in Australian politics, as the major parties try to confront a more volatile electorate – and as the government faces renewed pressure over interest rates, inflation and the cost of living.
Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on a political system being pulled towards its edges, and whether Anthony Albanese can still make the centre hold.

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Guest: Press gallery journalist Karen Middleton
Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
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The Greens’ official think-tank has a new proposition — a national chain of 624 publicly owned supermarkets.
To make that a reality would cost more than $25 billion, and involve the forced sale of 200 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets.
But the Institute, which took its inspiration from New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, says it would cut grocery bills by 22 per cent.
Today, former MP and now Green Institute Executive Director Max Chandler-Mather on his proposal for a publicly owned supermarket chain.

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Guest: Green Institute Executive Director Max Chandler-Mather
Photo: AAP Image/Dan Peled
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Big events have always had the power to shape elections: from John Howard and the Tampa affair, to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
And it doesn’t get much bigger than a foiled attempt to bring down a plane mid-flight.
One week on from the Flydubai incident, details are continuing to filter out about the co-pilot accused of stabbing his colleague in an effort to crash the Tel Aviv-bound plane.
And as investigations continue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been front and centre – with the country’s election just weeks away.
Today, Middle East correspondent for The Economist, Gregg Carlstrom on what we know about what happened on Flydubai flight 1073 and whether Netanyahu could use it to help him get re-elected.

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Guest: Middle East correspondent for The Economist, Gregg Carlstrom
Photo: @IsraeliPM via x.com
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Angus Taylor has promised “the biggest cut to immigration in the history of this country” – vowing to cut net overseas migration to one hundred thousand for two years if he wins office, slashing Australia’s temporary migration intake by 650 thousand over four years.
Temporary graduate visas would be scrapped and new international students capped at 240 thousand. Australia’s humanitarian intake to be halved at ten thousand a year.
In a press conference which saw classic Coalition slogan “stop the boats” make a comeback, a new catch cry made an appearance as Angus Taylor tried to out muscle Labor and One Nation – promising to “raise the standards and reduce the numbers”.
Today, Director of the Migration Hub at ANU, Professor Alan Gamlen on what the Coalition’s drastic cuts would actually mean for Australia, why this debate is happening now, and the dangers when migration rhetoric reaches fever pitch

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Guest: Director of the ANU Migration Hub, Professor Alan Gamlen
Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.