7am

This year a Russian documentary filmed at a school in Russia won an Academy Award.

Its hero? A Russian Primary school teacher, Pasha Talankin.

After Russia invaded Ukraine Mr Talankin found himself trapped in the job of teaching propaganda to students.

He filmed it all until he was forced to flee the country.

And what he captured offers a rare glimpse into Putin’s Russia, and the classroom propaganda program indoctrinating Russian kids.

Today, Andrei Soldatov a Russian investigative journalist, who also fled - and is living in exile in London on how the Kremlin is indoctrinating kids, Putin’s plan to re-write history .. and Russians – are they buying it?

 

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Guest: Russian journalist Andrei Soldatov

Photo: Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

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It’s been dubbed by underworld kingpins as “disorganised crime”

A new wave of young, amateur gangsters is changing the scene – with brazen daylight attacks, hit jobs on rivals’ family members, and cases of alleged mistaken identity.

Of course, it’s all about money, notoriety and settling scores.

Today, Mark Morri, crime editor at the Daily Telegraph, on the evolving world of gangland violence – where contract killing can now be ordered off an encrypted app.

 

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Guest: Daily Telegraph crime editor Mark Morri

Photo: PR HANDOUT

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The images coming out of the US-Israeli-led war in Iran have been described as apocalyptic.

Oil depots have burned for days. Strikes have hit petrochemical facilities and the area around the Bushehr nuclear power plant. In Tehran, toxic black smoke has blanketed the city, with residents reporting black acid rain falling from the sky.

After thousands of missile and drone strikes, Iran and parts of the Gulf are facing not only a humanitarian and economic crisis, but an environmental one too.

Analysts estimate that, in the first 30 days of the war, almost 9 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were released into the atmosphere.

Today, Dr Patrick Bigger, the interim executive director of the Climate and Community Institute, on the long-term environmental cost of this war – and why some are calling these strikes ‘ecocide’.

 

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Guest: Research director of the Climate and Community Project, Dr Patrick Bigger.

Photo: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

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One of Australia’s most prestigious universities is now at the centre of three investigations and could be about to face a fourth.

Last year, ANU vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell resigned after pressure over a massive restructure and the hidden role consultants played in shaping it.

Now two inquiries are now looking at whether the changes, meant to save $250 million, were ever justified. A separate investigation is looking into bullying allegations against former chancellor Julie Bishop. And Bell herself has been suspended from her ongoing role as a distinguished professor, accused of serious misconduct.

It comes as powerful firms are reshaping higher education. A recent Four Corners investigation found Australian unis are spending roughly $1.8 billion a year on consultants and contractors.

Today, we’re bringing you an episode from 2025, where senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton examines how consultants came to shape Australian unis, and what that’s meant for higher education.

This episode first aired in July 2025.

 

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Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

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This week, the Albanese government has been forced to confront a growing sense of instability, with fresh warnings from the IMF about the global economy, including the potential impact on Australia. 

It’s placed new pressure on Treasurer Jim Chalmers ahead of the budget, as the government deals with a fuel supply scare that pulled the prime minister back to the country in the middle of an overseas mission to secure supplies for the nation. 

As Labor tries to steady nerves, the opposition is pushing a hard line on migration, with Angus Taylor reaching for politics that feel both familiar and deliberately divisive – so much so that it prompted a former prime minister to release a scathing statement. 

Today, press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno on the economic anxiety hanging over the government, the opposition's incendiary pitch on migration, and how both sides are trying to define the moment.

 

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Guest: Press Gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno

Photo: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

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For years, gambling advertising has spread far beyond the ad break, becoming a familiar part of how Australians watch sport, follow news about sport and spend time online. Three years after the Murphy review called for a comprehensive ban, the Albanese government has finally responded. 

But the government’s plan to reign in online gambling advertising has drawn sharp criticism. With campaigners and crossbenchers arguing it falls well short of what was recommended. 

And in that gap, a bigger fight has opened up about how deeply betting has worked its way into Australian media and Australian’s lives. 

Today, Crikey media reporter, Daany Saeed, on the government’s plan to reduce gambling ads, and why its long-awaited response is already under fire. 

 

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Guest: Crikey media reporter Daanyal Saeed

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

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It started as a bunch of mummy bloggers on the internet trading tips on everything from breastfeeding to toddler tantrums. 

Now the world of child and family influencers has become a billion-dollar business where kids equal content and absolutely nothing is off limits.

Today, Fortesa Latifi, author of the new book “Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online” offers a rare look inside the belly of the beast from some of the kids who have come out the other side.

 

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Guest: Author and journalist, Fortesa Latifi

Photo: MOODBOARD

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It’s a controversial proposal – immigration based on blatant discrimination.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has laid out the beginnings of the Liberal Party’s hard line migration policy in a provocative speech in Canberra.

Some of his proposals had echoes of Donald Trump, others of John Howard – as he made a play for One Nation’s growing pool of lapsed Liberal voters. 

So what does it all mean? And will his bold move on migration pay off at the polls?

Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton on the Liberal Party’s controversial new migration policy.

 

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Guest: Press gallery journalist, Karen Middleton

Photo: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

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Israel has passed a new law allowing for the execution of Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks.

The law passed through the country’s parliament despite opposition from Israeli and international human rights groups, as well as the governments of the UK, Germany, France and Italy.

Israel’s national doctors’ union has refused to carry out lethal injections, meaning those sentenced under the law would face death by hanging.

The government says the law will deter future Palestinian attacks. Some right-wing Israeli politicians wore noose-shaped pins in parliament as it was debated.

Today, Israeli journalist Amira Hass, who lives in the West Bank and writes for Haaretz, on capital punishment, settler violence and the expansion of settlements in Palestine.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: Haaretz correspondent for the Occupied Territories, Amira Hass

Photo: Ramez Habboub/ABACAPRESS.COM

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More than a decade after he retired from AFL, John Barnes collapsed without warning and began having seizures.

The former Essendon and Geelong ruckman says years of head knocks left him with epilepsy, memory problems, and a life he barely recognised.

Now, as a growing class action takes on the AFL over concussion, Barnes is speaking about the damage he says the game caused – and the accountability he still wants.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: Former AFL ruckman, John Barnes

Photo: AAP Image/Julian Smith

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