7am

Xi Jinping has just sacked his top military general – putting him under investigation and accusing him of “grave violations of discipline and the law”. It’s the latest, and most stunning sacking in a massive purge of the country’s military and political elite. With China’s People's Liberation Army in crisis – there are now questions about what it will mean for China’s plans to take over Taiwan. Today, expert in US-Asia Relations at Harvard Kennedy School and author of several books on China, Rana Mitter on what the sackings say about Xi’s grip on power.   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: Expert in US-Asia Relations at Harvard Kennedy School, Rana Mitter Photo: AP Photo/Andy WongSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minneapolis has become the focal point of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, as he tries to round up and deport 10 million people from the country.  As the city’s residents have fought back against ICE’s often violent arrests, protests have intensified. In just three weeks, two American citizens have been killed in Minneapolis by ICE agents, with many more injured.  So why is Trump targeting Minneapolis? And what comes next for this small city under siege? Today, journalist and radio host Jason DeRusha on the real reason for Trump’s retribution.   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: Journalist and WCCO radio host, Jason DeRusha Photo: Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2019, a new venture in the Australian outback looked set to export our solar power to the world – upending our neighbours’ reliance on fossil fuels. Backed by the billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andrew Forrest – Sun Cable was supposed to be Australia’s largest ever renewable energy project, transporting electricity to Singapore via 4,300 kilometres of sea cable. It was meant to show what a different future could look like – one where Australia could export massive amounts of renewable power. But now, that future is being overtaken by something else entirely. As big tech converges on Australia to build data centres for AI, there’s a fight over how to use our renewable energy – and big tech is winning. Today, writer and senior research associate with the Australia Institute, Ketan Joshi, on how Australia’s AI push is colliding with the energy transition — and what it means for our emissions, our power grid, and the dream of becoming a clean energy exporter.   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: Senior Research Associate with the Australia Institute, Ketan Joshi Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Family violence in Aboriginal communities is a national crisis – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 33 times more likely to be victims of domestic violence, and eight times more likely to be killed by their partner. The trauma First Nations women experience is often made worse by the systems they seek help from and people within those systems that often misidentify the victim as the perpetrator.  But alongside these fraught systems are people doing relentless and unheralded work, to make things better for women and families fleeing domestic violence. Kalina Morgan-Whyman is one of those people – and she follows in the footsteps of her nan, Aunty Elizabeth Morgan, who founded a refuge for Indigenous women fleeing violence.  Today, CEO of Elizabeth Morgan House, Kalina Morgan-Whyman on the issues confronting our most vulnerable, the tenuous funding environment for services like hers, and whether governments of all persuasions are serious about addressing the family violence epidemic.   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: CEO of Elizabeth Morgan House, Kalina Morgan-Whyman Photo: SuppliedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1970s, eight children in Perth were sent to a psychiatric hospital to be ‘treated’ for being transgender. Their experiences became the basis of a medical study that claimed kids could be cured of their identity. Now, nearly forty years after it was released, that same study is being cited in arguments against trans healthcare and being used to shape policy and law. Today, Walkley Award-winning journalist and founding editor of ABC Queer, Mon Schafter, on how a forgotten experiment from another era is still influencing the culture war over trans healthcare. This episode was originally published in October 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: Walkley Award-winning journalist and founding editor of ABC Queer, Mon Schafter Photo: Supplied: Jayne McFadyenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the on-again, off-again political drama that has turned Australian politics into something resembling a soap opera.  For the second time in a year, the Liberal and National parties have split, rendering the coalition dead – again.  The break-up has once again thrown Sussan Ley’s leadership under the bus, shattered the opposition’s ability to challenge the government – and underscored deeper pressures from an ascendant One Nation.  Today, contributing editor of The New Daily Amy Remeikis, on the break-up, the fallout, and the ex sitting on the sidelines who can’t get enough of the spectacle.    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.

Donald Trump has invited Australia to join his new “Board of Peace” – a Trump-led body he says will help bring peace to Gaza. But the invitation comes with a warning. Some leaders say the board could undermine the United Nations – and Trump himself has suggested it might even replace it. Trump has spent years attacking the United Nations as ineffective – and this term, his administration has moved to pull the US out of dozens of UN agencies. So is this a peace plan, or a power play? Today, UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, Maya Ungar, on the real agenda behind Trump’s Board of Peace and whether Australia should join.   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: UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, Maya Ungar Photo: EPA/LAURENT GILLIERONSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Labor’s watered-down hate speech laws passed the Senate. The following day, the bigger story wasn’t the bill. Three senior Nationals – Bridget McKenzie, Susan McDonald and Ross Cadell – were forced off the opposition frontbench after defying shadow cabinet and voting against the legislation. Then, after a late night emergency meeting, the rest of the Nationals frontbench followed suit, quitting their roles in a show of solidarity.  Now, the Liberal National partnership is hanging in the balance and Sussan Ley’s leadership is again under threat.  Today, Press Gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on how hate speech blew up the Coalition.   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/Mick TsikasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Elon Musk first launched his AI tool Grok, he called it “rebellious” and anti-woke. But over the summer, what that meant took a disturbing turn. The chatbot, which is embedded in Musk's social media platform X, started creating sexualised images of women and children without their consent. Anthony Albanese has staked his legacy on keeping children safe online, so what is he doing to protect them from Grok? Today, associate editor at Crikey, Cam Wilson, on whether it’s time for the government to get off X.   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: Associate editor at Crikey, Cam Wilson Photo: AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the aftermath of the 1996 massacre at Port Arthur, Prime Minister John Howard donned a bullet proof vest and argued the case for gun control, to crowds of angry protestors.  His reforms, including a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and a national buyback scheme, changed the country by getting rid of more than half a million guns. But in the years since, the number of guns in Australia has skyrocketed, and as Anthony Albanese tries to change that, the Coalition is fighting back, while the Greens have signalled early support.  Today, deputy director at The Australia Institute Ebony Bennett on why Australia has more guns than ever – and whether Labor’s proposed plan will make us safer.   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: Deputy director at The Australia Institute Ebony Bennett  Photo: AAP Image/Joel CarrettSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rex Patrick is a former senator from South Australia. Before that, he was a submariner in the Navy. Last year, he noticed a reference to a new arm of the Australian Federal Police called the AUKUS Command. He wanted to know more, so he lodged Freedom of Information requests with the Australian Submarine Agency and the Australian Federal Police.  The documents he got back were heavily redacted – but he was able to form a picture of a secretive new command set up to protect AUKUS submarines.  But hidden in the fine print were plans to surveil protest, manage dissent, and deploy force against it.  Today, Rex Patrick on the Australian Federal Police, their new powers to protect America’s interests in Australia, and what it means for the future of protest.   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: Former submariner and former senator for South Australia, Rex Patrick Photo: AAP Image/Pool, Colin MurtySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fallout from this year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week debacle has reignited fierce debate about political interference in the arts and about who gets to speak in Australia’s cultural spaces. After the invitation to Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah was withdrawn, 180 writers pulled out in protest.  The festival was eventually cancelled and Adelaide Festival has since apologised for excluding the author from Writers’ Week, admitting it had failed to uphold artistic freedom. The whole saga raises urgent questions about how decisions are being made – by governments, by boards, and by those in charge of our institutions.  Today, we’re bringing you a story from last year that exposed one of the initial fault lines in cultural administration. It’s about artist Khaled Sabsabi, who was dropped from representing Australia at the Venice Biennale after political pressure. Then, as the backlash intensified, Sabsabi was reinstated.  It’s an episode that feels more relevant than ever.  It features chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow, speaking with Ruby Jones. This episode originally aired in February last 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: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow Photo: Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino in Granville. Photo: Anna KuceraSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, parliament will return early to debate new laws to deal with hate speech and gun ownership. The legislation has been drafted in a hurry – under mounting pressure in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack. But support for the bill has already fractured. The Coalition says it goes too far. The Greens say it doesn’t go far enough. Both want more time to consider the changes. The debate over what is and isn’t hate is unfolding at a time of deep political division with consequences not just for parliament, but for Australia’s cultural institutions. Today, CEO of Cheek Media and host of the Big Small Talk podcast, Hannah Ferguson, on the politics of hate speech and how a fight over free expression spilled into the arts.   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: CEO of Cheek Media and host of the Big Small Talk podcast, Hannah Ferguson Photo: SuppliedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Directly after Donald Trump intervened in Venezuela, capturing president Nicolas Maduro and laying claim to the country’s oil industry, the US President set his sights on Greenland. Trump claims America “needs” Greenland for national security, and has asked his military chiefs to draw up plans to invade if neccessary.  Meanwhile, a meeting between US Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt ended in a stalemate – with Trump doubling down, and Denmark asking for European back-up. Today, defence editor at The Economist Shashank Joshi, on the real reason Trump wants Greenland, and how his plan could change the 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: Defence editor at The Economist Shashank Joshi Photo: EPA/THOMAS TRAASDAHL DENMARKSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the world about to see the United States intervene in another country – this time, Iran? Since late December, Iran has been rocked by mass protests, and the government has responded with force. The internet has been cut for days at a time, making it difficult to verify what’s happening on the ground. Reports suggest a death toll in the thousands, with even larger numbers of protesters detained. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has been publicly encouraging protesters and declaring that “help is on the way”. Today, Iranian-born analyst and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi, on a regime fighting for survival – and on what Trump’s threats could mean for the entire Middle East.   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: Iranian-born analyst and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi. Photo: AP Photo/Kin CheungSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adelaide Writers’ Week has been cancelled after the removal of Palestinian author Randa Abdel-Fattah sparked a mass boycott of the event by more than 100 writers who were programmed to attend, as well as the resignation of the festival’s director. In a statement on Tuesday, Adelaide Festival apologised to Abdel-Fattah, but rather than reinstating her, they announced that Australia’s premier free literary event would not go ahead – and almost all remaining board members would stand down. The board described the cancellation as a “deeply regrettable outcome”. Today, InDaily journalist Helen Karakulak on questions of political influence – and what the cancellation means for the future of the arts.   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: InDaily journalist Helen Karakulak Background reading: https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/entertainment/books/2026/01/13/adelaide-writers-week-cancelled Photo: PR ImageSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.