ABC News Daily is the podcast that helps you understand the issues affecting your world. Every episode, host Samantha Hawley walks through one story with the help of an ABC colleague or expert in under 15 minutes. When you want coverage you can trust, listen to ABC News Daily.
Key topics of recent episodes include the Donald Trump administration, anti-Semitism in Australia, TikTok’s future, artificial intelligence, Israel-Hamas war and ceasefire, Australian dollar, bushfires, the Australians election, Peter Dutton, Anthony Albanese and incumbency.
From interest rates, real estate and the housing crisis, to scams and US politics, ABC News Daily brings you facts and analysis you need to understand the biggest news stories.
In this election year expect regular updates on Australian politics, with key comments from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as they compete for votes in the 2025 Australian election. The podcast picks apart major policy areas, including energy policy, finance and the Federal Budget.
The podcast covers news from America, with analysis on the Donald Trump administration in the White House. His return to power has big implications for global politics and security and US journalists and experts will explain what's at stake.
As Australians battle a cost-of-living crisis, ABC News Daily looks at the causes of inflation, rising rental costs, house prices, insurance costs and the price of groceries. Key experts in business and finance join Samantha Hawley, explaining the state of the economy, the unemployment rate and the jobs market.
Whether you rent, own an investment house or apartment, or are repaying a mortgage, ABC News Daily offers unique insights and analysis. When there are big moves from the Reserve Bank (RBA) on interest rates, or remarkable reactions in the ASX or the Australian dollar, guest experts, including economists, explain why.
Look into ABC News Daily's archive to find episodes on electric vehicles (EVs), artificial intelligence (AI), the big banks, supermarkets, TikTok, Ozempic, Tesla, Elon Musk, Twitter, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, COVID, cyber security, spies, espionage, education, schools, teachers, crime and issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) Australians.
ABC News Daily follows developments in the Middle East and the war between Israel and Hamas, with insights into the mindset of Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinians and the role of Iran.
The podcast looks at the latest from Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky fights to repel the Russian invaders led by Russia's President Vladimir Putin. As China's Xi Jinping contemplates the future of Taiwan, ABC News Daily will sort fact from fiction. When North Korea's Kim Jong Un fires ballistic missiles, we'll assess the danger his regime poses.
When scammers target superannuation, your tax return and the ATO, you'll hear advice on what you can do to protect yourself.
As climate change fuelled by greenhouse gas emissions increases the risk of natural disasters, including fires and floods, ABC News Daily brings you fact-based analysis.
The future of electricity generation in Australia is being debated, and as claims are made about the merits of nuclear power, come to ABC News Daily for context around its potential role in replacing or augmenting coal and gas power plants and what it could mean for power bills. The podcast covers the future of renewable / green power generation, including the use of wind turbines, solar and hydro electric power.
The podcast looks at key businesses, including Coles and Woolworths, Qantas, the Commonwealth Bank and the construction, resources and manufacturing industries. When they report record profit, battle unions, or raise prices, the podcast pays attention.
ABC experts including Ian Verrender, Alan Kohler, Laura Tingle, Patricia Karvelas, John Lyons, and Annabel Crabb join Samantha Hawley to step through big issues and current affairs.
Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars are rising in Australia. But do we have electricity infrastructure that can cope with the demand? Owners will often want to charge at peak times in the early evening, but that convenience could stress the power grid to breaking point and require expensive upgrades to electricity generation and distribution. Today, energy reporter Dan Mercer on the solutions to spread out the demand or even draw power from car batteries to stabilise the grid. Fea...
Aug 25, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Generative AI tools can now produce sophisticated music complete with fake lyrics, a fake singer and fake instruments. With the right prompt and training, artificial intelligence tools can even be used to produce cheap new songs that almost sound like they’re from your favourite artist. AI has some of Australia’s biggest artists worried and a study from the industry suggests nearly a quarter of their revenue is at risk. Today, singer, songwriter Ben Lee joins Sam Hawley with his take on AI music...
Aug 22, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
NASA doesn’t like to phrase it this way, but right now a couple of astronauts are stuck in space. Their mission was meant to take eight days, but might last into next year because the Boeing spacecraft they were testing has experienced some technical difficulties. Today, space expert Rebecca Allen on how NASA plans to get them back to Earth. Featured: Dr Rebecca Allen, Co-Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University of Technology...
Aug 21, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The debate over whether Australia should be granting visas to Palestinians from Gaza has been getting pretty heated. In part it’s turned into a row over what is and isn’t racist. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says we need a ban because of a security risk posed by people from that war zone. But with 1300 people having already managed to reach Australia and others being granted permission to come, is there really any danger? Today, the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas discusses the policy and the politics...
Aug 20, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Thirty months into a gruelling war, Ukraine surprised its enemy by invading Russia. It’s the first major foreign incursion there since World War II and a deep embarrassment for Russian president Vladimir Putin. Today, Rajan Menon, an international relations expert from The City College of New York on whether Ukraine’s major shift in tactics will pay off. Featured: Rajan Menon, international relations professor at The City College of New York...
Aug 19, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Forget the great Australian dream, we’re a nation with a growing number of forever renters. It’s just too politically difficult to do anything that would improve the affordability of buying a home. The situation bolsters the case for strengthening renters’ rights, ensuring longer leases with more checks on the power of landlords. Today, ABC finance expert Alan Kohler shares his ideas on how to save renters. Featured: Alan Kohler, ABC finance presenter...
Aug 18, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Kamala Harris was barely more popular than Joe Biden when she replaced him as the Democratic presidential nominee. But new polling shows she is gaining significant ground against Donald Trump. Today, Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, on the re-energised Democratic campaign and how Trump’s struggling to keep things on track. Featured: Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for the Wall Street Journal...
Aug 15, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins lives in France now, but she’s expected back in Australia very soon to face yet another court hearing. She’s being sued for defamation by her former boss and once defence minister Linda Reynolds. Today, author and co-host of the Not Stupid podcast, Julia Baird,on the huge financial and emotional cost the case brings for both women. Featured: Julia Baird, co-host of Not Stupid podcast
Aug 14, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Australia’s defence alliance with the United States seems to be a given. But do we really need the Americans to protect us? The former Prime Minister Paul Keating doesn’t think so. He insists we can defend ourselves and he wants us to tear up the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. Paul Keating also dismisses Taiwan as ‘Chinese real estate’, a characterisation that veteran US politician, house speaker Nancy Pelosi describes as a ‘stupid statement’. Today, Richard McGregor from the Lowy Institute on wh...
Aug 13, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Allegations of sexism and bullying have been uncovered at Channel Seven, one of the nation’s top media groups, where a so-called second chance club for senior men has thrived. Today, Louise Milligan discusses her Four Corners investigation and why a newsroom’s culture matters to us all. Featured: Louise Milligan, Four Corners reporter
Aug 12, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
When you go to look something up on the internet, more often than not you’re Googling. The search engine’s ubiquity has earned Google billions and billions of dollars, but now a US judge has ruled that Google became a monopoly illegally. How you search the internet might change as a result, with the forced break-up of the firm one of the options on the table to ensure more competition in the market. So, how did Google rise to the top and stay there? Today, we dissect the biggest tech competition...
Aug 11, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Global stock market turmoil this week saw spooked investors dumping billions of dollars in shares, before a rebound restored a lot of the value. There are jitters about the true value of surging stocks on Wall Street, the risk of a recession in the United States and interest rate rises in Japan. Today, the ABC’s chief business correspondent Ian Verrender explains what’s going on and what it means for us and the future of interest rates. Featured: Ian Verrender, ABC chief business correspondent...
Aug 08, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Kamala Harris has chosen Tim Walz as her running mate. The 60-year-old Governor of Minnesota has already gone viral for calling Donald Trump ‘weird’, but will he secure Harris victory in November’s US election? Today, political scientist Andra Gillespie on why Harris picked the former school teacher and the swing voters that might be tempted to back the pair. Featured: Andra Gillespie, associate professor of political science at Emory University...
Aug 07, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The regional airline Rex had an ambition to break into the lucrative ‘golden triangle’, the busy airline routes between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It got a handful of big jet aircraft and started to take on the established players, Qantas and Virgin. But after just three and a half years, those routes have been scrapped and the airline is in administration. So, what went wrong? Today, aviation expert Ian Douglas on Rex’s downfall and whether Australia could ever support more than two major ...
Aug 06, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
It hasn’t raised the terrorism threat level for a decade, so why is ASIO increasing it now? The top spy body says a terrorist attack in Australia is now probable, up from possible. More people holding extreme ideologies are leading to a ‘volatile and unpredictable’ security situation. Today, we discuss what’s going on and how we should react, with counter-terrorism expert Lydia Khalil from the Lowy Institute. Featured: Lydia Khalill, program director of transnational challenges at the Lowy Insti...
Aug 05, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We all love a trip to Europe in summer, but have you ever felt like you’re not really welcome there? Melbourne woman Claudia had that inkling in Barcelona recently when locals made it clear they wanted her to go home. Today, we look at the growing anger in some of the most popular tourist cities and what is being done to try to ease the pressure. Featured: Claudia, Australian tourist Sebastian Zenker, professor in tourism at the Copenhagen Business School...
Aug 04, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Donald Trump is questioning his opponent Kamala Harris’s race, suggesting she started calling herself Black to gain political advantage. The sexism is also remarkable in 2024 with Trump labelling Harris a ‘play toy’ for world leaders. This, after 2021 comments surfaced from JD Vance, where Trump’s pick for vice president derided Democratic Party leaders like Kamala Harris as ‘childless cat ladies’. Remember when we had our own female leader who complained of sexism and misogyny in politics? Toda...
Aug 01, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We’ve had 13 punishing interest rate rises that were supposed to quickly kill off inflation. While price rises are not nearly as bad as they were a year or two ago, the main measure of annual inflation has ticked up again. It’s key information to help the Reserve Bank board decide what to do about interest rates when it meets next week. Despite inflation being ‘sticky’, it’s a long way off its peak. So, is the result good enough for rates to remain on hold? Today, economist Cassandra Winzar with...
Jul 31, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
While Australia’s inflation rate is now well below its peak, voters are still struggling to make ends meet. If you believe the polls, it’s a problem for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, given an election is due within a year. Voter confidence has taken a dive and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is making ground on his opponent. Today, the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas on the link between voting intentions and the state of the economy. Featured: Patricia Karvelas, host of RN Breakfast and The Party Room...
Jul 30, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
When it’s so hard to find a place to live and buying property is out of reach for many young Australians, you wouldn’t believe how many properties are sitting empty. What can be done to stop home owners from leaving prime real estate vacant? Today, the good and bad reasons homes are left vacant and how governments could force owners to get these properties back on the market. Featured: Michael Janda, ABC business editor
Jul 29, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Donald Trump plans to increase taxes on Chinese imports to the United States if he wins November’s election. It would escalate a trade war with China and risk a massive disruption to global trade. Would it really bring lost manufacturing jobs back to US towns and cities, or just push up prices? Today, chief business correspondent Ian Verrender explains the potential global impact of Trump’s risky economic plan. Featured: Ian Verrender, ABC chief business correspondent...
Jul 28, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Kamala Harris, the US Democratic Party’s likely presidential nominee has started her fight to defeat Donald Trump at the election in November. Among the obstacles in her way are relentless racist and sexist attacks found online and from some Make America Great Again believers and conservative commentators. Today, Professor Nadia Brown, an expert on women and African American studies at Georgetown University in Washington DC, on how the messages of hate cut through. Featured: Nadia Brown, profess...
Jul 25, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
It was one of the biggest hacks we’ve ever had, but we’ve only just been told of its reach. Almost one in two Australians have had personal data, including potentially sensitive medical information, stolen and it’s up for sale on the dark web. What could scammers do with the information and can you do anything about it? Today, the latest on the MediSecure hack of 12.9 million people’s prescription records. Featured: Ange Lavoipierre, ABC National Technology Reporter...
Jul 24, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
They dress up as sheriffs and try to take the law into their own hands by intimidating judges and lawyers in the courts. It sounds like something you’d find in America, but it’s happening here. Today, investigative reporter Kevin Nguyen on the growth of the sovereign citizen movement and the danger it poses. Featured: Kevin Nguyen, ABC Investigations reporter
Jul 23, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
After holding out for weeks, the US President Joe Biden did what his party demanded, dropping out of the race. Assuming Kamala Harris secures the nomination, would Americans vote for a woman of colour and will the move win the US election for the Democratic Party? Today, we speak to a veteran Democratic Party strategist about the frenetic months ahead in the party’s campaign to retain the White House. Featured: Michael Trujillo, veteran Democratic Party Strategist...
Jul 22, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
He’d lost the confidence of his party and many Americans and faced with the growing prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House, the US President acted. Joe Biden announced he would not be contesting a second term, endorsing his Vice-President Kamala Harris to take the reins. Today, Washington Post reporter Mariana Alfaro unpacks another historic day in US politics. Featured: Mariana Alfaro, Washington Post political reporter...
Jul 22, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Black and Latino voters could play a key role in the upcoming US election, potentially securing Donald Trump’s return to the White House. But why would Latino voters fall in behind Trump, when he plans to launch a mass deportation of illegal immigrants who entered the US through the southern border? Today, Four Corners reporter Mark Willacy explains the role of the economy in November’s election and he takes us to the key swing states where votes from the Black and Latino communities will be key...
Jul 21, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Two Russian-born Australians Kira and Igor Korolev are facing espionage charges after being arrested in suburban Brisbane. Kira Korolev had a job in the Australian army and is accused of trying to pass sensitive defence secrets to Moscow. Today, an expert in Russia and national security on the potential spies living amongst us. Featured: Matthew Sussex, adjunct associate professor at the Australian National University
Jul 18, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
A poor taste joke about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump has ended Tenacious D’s tour of Australia and New Zealand. On stage at a Sydney concert, the comedy rock band’s Kyle Gass revealed his birthday wish was “don’t miss Trump next time”. Now there are tensions within the band with Jack Black saying he was “blindsided” by the comment. Today, ABC News Daily producer Sam Dunn who was in the crowd at the concert, and comedian and co-host of The Chaser Report podcast Dom Knight on the fine...
Jul 17, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
It’s one of the biggest unions in the country, representing tens of thousands of workers, but can the CFMEU survive amid allegations of corruption and ties to the criminal underworld and bikies? The reporting has raised questions about lawlessness in the construction industry. Today, Richard Willingham, the ABC’s state political reporter in Victoria, takes us through the extraordinary allegations and the fallout. Featured: Richard Willingham, Victoria’s state political reporter...
Jul 16, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
