There are the classic autocracies that we know well - like China and Russia - but what would it take to morph a democracy like the United States into an authoritarian country?

It’s a question that’s not so far-fetched for the States, a month out from its presidential election, and it’s one that Pulitzter prize winning journalist David E. Sanger has been grappling with.

So with a second Donald Trump presidency looming large, what are the chances that Trump could turn the United States into an autocracy, or something close to it?

Today, Sanger, the national security correspondent for The New York Times, on what he has learned about autocrats in his more than 40 years of reporting.

Further reading:

• David E. Sanger's 'New Cold Wars'.

Audio credit:

• President Clinton's China visit, AAP
• Donald Trump: 'We need a military operation' to stop border cartels, News Nation

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It’s been a year since Hamas attacked Israel, in a vicious and sometimes sadistic assault. The murder of innocent civilians sparked a severe and sustained counter strike by Israel on the Gaza Strip, which is struggling with mass deaths and famine.

We don’t know how, or when, this war, which recently spread to Lebanon, will end. Israel is now locked in a battle against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon's south, while Iran itself has twice launched missile attacks on Israel.

But what has this conflict done to the long-term prospect of peace in the Middle East? Is it as catastrophic a set-back as the 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin?

Foreign affairs and national security correspondent, Matthew Knott, travelled to Israel and the West Bank, in October last year. And he’s just returned to the region.

Today, he joins me to discuss how this war has impacted some of the most bitterly divided groups in the world.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wanted to talk about the budget surplus and the crack-down on the big supermarkets over their alleged ill-treatment of customers this week, but that was derailed by the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

While the government struggled to find the right form of words to respond to the crisis between Israel and its neighbours, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton labelled the Prime Minister weak, and said he needed to stand more firmly with Israel.

The result was an ugly week where both men vied to position themselves to voters as the best leader to handle a crisis, showing off their very different styles.

Deputy federal politics editor Nick Bonyhady and federal political correspondent Paul Sakkal join Jacqueline Maley to discuss.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.

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It’s been the question on everyone’s minds, since Iran launched a direct attack on Israel on Wednesday, shooting dozens of ballistic missiles into the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate. And Iran has warned that any retaliation will result in a “more crushing and ruinous” response.

Today, international and political editor, Peter Hartcher, on how this attack differs from Iran's first attack on Israel, earlier this year. And if Benjamin Netanyahu might see this moment, as one former Israeli prime minister said this week, as “the biggest opportunity in the past 50 years” to change the face of the region.

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The suicide of a 12-year-old Sydney school girl last month sent shockwaves across the country. It became the tragic flashpoint for a national discussion about bullying in our schools, and the complex set of issues facing students, parents, teachers and administrators.

Bullying in schools isn’t a new problem, but according to experts it remains a major one. And in Australia, it’s been notoriously difficult – and oftentimes, costly – to tackle.

Today, chief reporter Jordan Baker on the culture of bullying in our schools, and what needs to change.

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A new conflict has opened up on the troubled border between Lebanon and Israel.

It started with pagers and walkie talkies exploding in the very hands of their owners, and then it moved to airstrikes - the deadliest in decades - before the latest news that Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed.

Today, foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott on the likelihood of an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon.

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Last week, we were confronted with our latest economic report card. On the upside, the Reserve Bank announced that our annual inflation rate has sunk to its lowest level in three years.

But then an Australian economic think tank released its so-called “Misery Index”, and said that Australians are living through the most protracted period of economic misery since 2011.

Today, economics correspondent Shane Wright, on whether we’re headed for economic relief… or a recession. And if Australia is behind other countries, when it comes to bringing down inflation.

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Federal politics got interesting this week when our very own James Massola and David Crowe reported that the Labor government has asked the Treasury to model cuts to negative gearing tax concessions, a policy that has previously caused Labor plenty of electoral pain.

The Prime Minister and his frontbench are being very coy about any proposed changes to the tax treatment of investment properties.

Are changes to negative gearing an option the government is really considering? How would they argue the case to cut the concessions this time, given they have tried and failed to do so before? And would changes to negative gearing make any difference to house prices anyway?

Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss are chief political correspondent David Crowe and national affairs editor James Massola.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.

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