The Morning Edition

This week we debate the merits of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s national address before getting stuck into what’s happening with the budget. With the world in a bit of a shambles, we found it interesting that the PM hasn’t totally killed off the idea of reforms in the budget to things such as capital gains tax and negative gearing.
But, as our guest and senior economics correspondent Shane Wright says, this is the most difficult budget to piece together since the response to the global financial crisis in 2008.
Finally, host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal talk about a fascinating interview Andrew Hastie gave recently.
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US President Donald Trump says he’s nearly done with the war in Iran, declaring: "We will be leaving very soon." His secretary of state also said on Wednesday that he can "see the finish line".
This would be significant, but only if the Americans were in control of the war.
Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher argues the United States has leached power in this war, while the Iranian regime is in its element.
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Investigative reporter Nick McKenzie logged on to a Zoom call to meet the man who said he was Aaron Pierson.
McKenzie was also hiding his real identity, posing as a recruiter for an Australian tech company. The whole thing was a set-up, a trap for someone McKenzie suspected to be a spy for North Korea.
Today, McKenzie talks about the new way spies are targeting Australian businesses, and what happened in that Zoom call.
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The government has finally announced its national fuel security plan to help us cope with one of the worst global oil crisis the world has seen.

After meeting with the heads of all states and territories in a special meeting of the national cabinet, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was acting now to be “overprepared" for any worsening of the crisis that has resulted from the war in the Middle East - now in its fifth week, and showing no signs of stopping.

Today, hear federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos on what relief Australians will get out of this plan, and whether the government’s measures will boost inflation.
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In a sudden conclusion to one of Australia’s most intensive manhunts, self-described sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman was shot dead by police on Monday morning.
For more than 200 days, Freeman evaded police after killing two police officers at a rural property in Porepunkah, in Victoria’s High Country, on August 26 last year.
In a bonus episode today, crime reporter Melissa Cunningham on how the deadly saga of Dezi Freeman came to an end.
For all the latest on this story, visit theage.com.au or smh.com.au.
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