7am

Ten days out from the American capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the country faces an uncertain future. Pro-regime gangs with guns are roaming the streets, citizens are deleting their messages and search histories before going out, for fear of being searched and punished for being critical of the government. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump insists he will control the oil-rich nation. Today, we speak to a Venezuelan journalist who lives abroad. We aren’t using her full name as her family back home fear retribution. She talks about Maduro’s legacy, the reality on the ground after Trump’s intervention, and what comes next for the people of Venezuela.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Venezuelan journalist living abroad  Photo: AP Photo/Cristian HernandezSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruby Jones is taking some time off from 7am to report an episode of the ABC’s premier investigative news program, Four Corners. While she’s gone, Daniel James will be sharing hosting duties with journalist and foreign correspondent Nicole Johnston. Originally a country girl from regional NSW, Nicole has spent almost two decades reporting on the biggest events shaping our world. From the Middle East to Africa, Europe, the US and Asia, there aren’t many frontlines she hasn’t been on. In this bonus episode, she tells Daniel about some of the most impactful moments in her career so far, including living in Gaza for a year and witnessing Egypt’s military coup against the Mohamed Morsi government. “That was really for me one of those moments where you're sitting on the edge of history and thinking, I can't believe that I'm here.” If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Foreign correspondent and 7am host Nicole Johnston Photo: SuppliedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Anthony Albanese announced a royal commission – something he’d spent nearly a month arguing against. Now, former High Court justice Virginia Bell will lead an inquiry into the Bondi terror attack and the rise of antisemitism in Australia. It’s a major shift for the Prime Minister – one that raises questions about how he makes decisions and how he handles pressure. Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on the scope of the royal commission, the political fallout of Albanese’s reversal and the risk that it could all lead to deeper division.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Press gallery journalist Karen Middleton Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!” That’s the message 76-year-old Thongbue “Bue” Wongbandue received from a flirty Facebook Messenger chatbot before it proposed he travel to New York for a meet-up. Bue – who was cognitively impaired after suffering a stroke – packed a suitcase to catch a train, believing the woman was real. He never made it home alive. Jeff Horwitz is an investigative tech reporter based in Silicon Valley. He has written a book about Facebook’s scandals and cover-ups, so when he received an email claiming ‘Meta AI killed my relative’, he wasn’t surprised, but he was intrigued. Today, he reveals Meta’s internal guidelines that permitted this behaviour, including examples allowing romantic or ‘sensual’ chats with minors.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Investigative technology reporter for Reuters, Jeff HorwitzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darwin’s crocodile farms supply some of the world’s most exclusive fashion houses. But as award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson started looking into this booming hundred million dollar industry, she knew she had to visit the Northern Territory herself. As she got closer to this secretive industry, what she found was shocking: animals being kept in cramped conditions and being killed in drawn out processes, Indigenous people who say they are being ripped off for dangerous work and claims of conservation by a scientist with a sordid criminal history. This is part one of a two part series, which we originally published in August.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson Photo: AAP Image/Paul MillerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is part two of a two-part series. Start with Part 1: The true cost of crocodile skin. The lucrative Australian crocodile skin industry has always sold its conservation credentials – arguing that by farming the animals, they were ensuring the future of the species.  Two prominent scientists, using successful media businesses to promote research which showed those benefits, gave credibility to an industry worth 100 million dollars. Their work also reportedly underpinned Northern Territory and Queensland legislation regulating the industry. But when one of these scientists was exposed as one of the worst animal abusers in Australian history, everything about crocodile farming was called into question. Today we go inside the Darwin jail cell where that scientist now resides, and hear about the reckoning inside the controversial crocodile industry.  This episode was originally published in August.    If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson Photo: AAP Image/Paul Miller Background reading: https://www.themonthly.com.au/august-2025/essays/skin-gameSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year, the federal environment minister approved Woodside’s plans to keep its North West Shelf project producing gas out to 2070. Both the government and Woodside claim that gas is a necessary transition fuel as the world decarbonises – but how convincing are their arguments? Today, investigative journalist and author of the Quarterly Essay Woodside vs the Planet, Marian Wilkinson, on how one company captured the country – and convinced us that we need the gas industry. This episode was originally published in September 2025.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Investigative journalist and author of the Quarterly Essay Woodside vs the Planet, Marian Wilkinson Photo: AAP Image/Supplied by Woodside EnergySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When one of the world’s most powerful families converged in a Nevada court room in 2024 to fight over the future of their empire, what unfolded was tightly guarded.  Rupert Murdoch was attempting to change a decades-old family trust in order to install his chosen son, Lachlan, as heir apparent when he dies. But then, in a rare interview with The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins, James Murdoch gave his account of the case and how it tore his family apart. Today, Coppins tells us why James spoke out to reveal the bitter details of the battle over the Murdoch empire. This is part one in a two part interview. It was originally published in February 2025.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Staff writer at The Atlantic, McKay Coppins  Photo: Ron Galella / GettySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the cardinal Murdoch family rules is never speak about the family outside the family. So, when journalist McKay Coppins got in touch with James Murdoch back in 2024, he really wasn’t expecting a reply. But Coppins was curious – what would happen to the Murdoch empire when Rupert died? And what it would mean for his youngest son, James, who was seemingly an outcast from the family? What he didn’t yet know was there was a secret high stakes legal battle going on – and James was ready to talk. This is part two in a two part interview. It was originally published in February 2025.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Staff writer at The Atlantic, McKay Coppins  Photo: Ron Galella / GettySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As hard-fought gains in reproductive medicine, voluntary assisted dying and LGBTQI health care have been made – another story has emerged. One where religious pharmacists, doctors and hospital systems believe it's justifiable to withhold medication or support, often with devastating consequences. Now, one in five pharmacists in Australia will refuse you care if the medication you’re asking for doesn’t align with their beliefs – and in some parts of the country, that number is closer to half. Today, writer and reproductive health advocate Hannah Bambra on the unconscionable reality of conscientious objection. This episode was originally published in September 2025.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Writer and reproductive health advocate Hannah Bambra Photo: AAP Image/ABE MADDISONSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump wants to write the next chapter in US spaceflight history. With billionaire tech CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk by his side, he’s outlined an ambitious agenda: to land the first humans on Mars before he leaves office. Whether or not that goal is achievable, the plan would massively reshape America’s space program to the benefit of Musk’s company. NASA has already suffered from Musk’s efforts to gut the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency – and key SpaceX officials have been gaining power at the space agency. Today, Wall Street Journal reporter Emily Glazer, on Elon Musk’s plan to take over NASA. This episode was originally published in April 2025.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Wall Street Journal reporter, Emily Glazer. Photo: AP Photo/NASASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk is pressing NASA to abandon its planned journeys to the moon – projects that have been decades in the making, with billions already spent and contracts already signed. Despite backlash from NASA insiders and politicians on both sides of Congress – who view his plans as costly, disruptive and politically toxic – Musk remains resolute. Today, Wall Street Journal reporter Emily Glazer, on whether the SpaceX CEO can really upend NASA’s return to the moon. This is part two of a two-part series. It was originally published in April 2025.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Wall Street Journal reporter, Emily Glazer. Background Reading: Elon Musk’s Mission to Take Over NASA—and Mars Photo: AP Photo/NASASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1990s, a small group of men in Silicon Valley imagined a world without governments or rules – a world run by code. They called themselves the cypherpunks, and they believed technology could replace politics entirely. Those ideas didn’t stay online. They shaped the culture of the tech industry, which in turn has reshaped Western civilisation itself. Now, the billionaires behind it all are trying to remake democracy in their image. Today, writer and contributor to The Monthly, Elmo Keep, on how Silicon Valley’s most dangerous philosophy escaped the internet and entered the real world.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Writer and contributor to The Monthly, Elmo Keep Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In just one year, Donald Trump has transformed America's government and its institutions. His actions and agenda reflect a far more emboldened president in his second term – and the guardrails designed to keep a president in check, from the courts to Congress, are buckling. Trump’s success in reshaping the system raises deeper questions about exactly what kind of country the United States will become. Today, Director of the Australia Institute's International & Security Affairs Program, Dr Emma Shortis, on how Trump is remaking American politics – and whether there is any way back from here.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Director of the Australia Institute's International & Security Affairs Program Dr Emma Shortis Photo: ANP KOEN VAN WEEL /ANP/Sipa USSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After decades of spectacular growth built on property and heavy industry, China has tried to chart a new path – one driven by electric vehicles, green technology and AI.  But as those bets begin to falter, there are questions about whether China has reached its peak, with stubborn problems like high youth unemployment and an ageing population seemingly intractable. So as the new year begins, what is Xi Jinping’s plan to course correct? And if he can’t pull it off, what does that mean for Australia? Today, essayist, translator and author of eleven books on China, Linda Jaivin, on what’s next for one of the world's great superpowers.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Essayist, translator and author of eleven books on China, Linda Jaivin Photo: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/PoolSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like so many of us, Chloe Hooper spent 2025 obsessing over the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson. It was different to the crimes she’s written about before, in her books The Arsonist and The Tall Man, which was about a death in custody. For Chloe, it was the domesticity of the mushroom killings, the family dynamic, that drew her in. But why did this story captivate the country at-large? And what does it say about us, particularly about women, that we are drawn to true crime? These were some of the questions that drove Chloe, and her friends and colleagues, the writers Helen Garner and Sarah Krasnostein, as they began traveling to the town of Morwell to watch Erin Patterson’s trial. What followed is The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder – a book that wrestles with ideas about power, money, marriage and murder. Today, Chloe Hooper on what our collective fascination with Erin Patterson tells us about who we are as a country in 2025.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Writer and co-author of The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Chloe Hooper Photo: AAP Image/Anita LesterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the big stories of the 2025 election campaign was the wipeout of the Australian Greens.  In a stunning defeat, they lost three out of their four lower house MPs, including their leader Adam Bandt. It left the party with big questions, about why they weren’t growing at a time when young people are more progressive than ever. Now, more than six months out from the election, and under the leadership of Larissa Waters, they are beginning to show some signs of where the party wants to go next.  Today, Crikey columnist Rachel Withers, on whether the Greens can claw back support, or if they’ve taken the wrong message from their defeat.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Crikey columnist Rachel Withers  Photo: AAP Image/Mick TsikasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year, Anthony Albanese promised to make big changes — on childcare, on Medicare, on the cost of living. But while the government delivered some wins, it also quietly stepped back from the fights it didn’t want to have — on gambling, housing, and corporate power. Today, contributing editor of The New Daily, Amy Remeikis, looks back on yet another huge year in politics, on the deals Labor made, the reforms it shelved, and what it reveals about how this government really works.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Contributing editor of The New Daily Amy Remeikis Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a huge year for video games. Small developers are leading a renaissance of original ideas breaking through into the mainstream. They are going up against blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty – and winning. The 7am team debated adding “games” to our ‘best of’ features this year – but the numbers don’t lie. More than four out of five Australians game and the industry is at least three times the size of the film industry. Games can be so many things: high art, pop art – and pure dopamine. Sometimes all at once. Today, video games critic and tech journalist at the ABC, Rad Yeo, on her top five favourite games of the year.If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Video games critic and tech journalist at the ABC, Rad YeoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruby Jones listens to a lot of podcasts.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, they all circle the same theme: journalism.  Today, she’s bringing you her favourite journalistic podcasts of the year – recommending everything from immersive narrative series to friends with chat shows.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: 7am host Ruby Jones Photo: Ian West/PA WireSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.