7am

As Trump’s war with Iran reaches the six-month mark, the US is increasing its economic pressure – threatening harsher sanctions not just against Iran, but against anyone else who does business with it.

That puts China, the country’s most important trading partner, directly in Washington’s sights.

But how much of this is just bluster? And has Trump lost the ability to turn this conflict in his favour?

Today, The National Interest’s editor-at-large, Steve Clemons, on the dwindling options available to the US – and what that means for its increasingly unpopular president.

 

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Guest: Editor-at-large of The National Interest, Steve Clemons

Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

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Bird flu has reached a new milestone, crossing over to infect and kill a seal in South Australia. 

It marks a new phase of the outbreak, and has sparked fears for many endangered wildlife species, which face the possibility of extinction. 

So how does the way we farm, eat, and live make us vulnerable to viruses like this? And could humans be at risk with the next mutation? 

Today, journalist and author of Sentinel: when diseases spread between animals and humans, Michael Dulaney on the root cause of the virus - and the future of animal pandemics in our times. 

 

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Guest: Journalist and author Michael Dulaney

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Last year, the Prime Minister was ambushed in his hotel lobby by far-right figures boasting of being fed “private intel” during the last election campaign. 

The incident was one of about a dozen stunts targeting Labor, the Greens and some Independents. 

It turns out, this wasn’t just about influencers trying to generate content. It was actually a co-ordinated campaign allegedly paid for by a wealthy Christian sect. 

Today, investigative journalist at The Age Sherryn Groch on the Exclusive Brethren, its bags of cash, and connections to the Liberal Party. 

 

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Guest: Investigative journalist at The Age & SMH Sherryn Groch

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

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Donald Trump has found a new way to make money. Trump Media and Technology Group is monetising the president’s social media posts, selling Wall Street firms early access to them for as much as $100,000 a month. And in the world of traders, a few milliseconds can mean millions of dollars.

Now, Trump is being sued over the arrangement, amid claims it gives paying customers preferential access to official presidential communications.

At the same time, Trump Media is also moving into prediction markets – a fast-growing corner of finance that can turn political events into betting opportunities. 

Today, Reuters journalist Anirban Sen, on the extraordinary collision of presidential power, private profit and a booming industry where almost anything can become a wager.

 

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Guest: Reuters journalist, Anirban Sen

Photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

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Almost one year ago, the Supreme Court of Victoria allowed a television camera to broadcast a sentencing for the first time ever – the hearing for convicted triple murderer Erin Patterson.

Justice Christopher Beale imposed life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years for murdering three in-laws – and attempting to murder a fourth – by lacing their beef Wellingtons with poisonous death cap mushrooms in 2023.

Now, Patterson has been back in court appealing her convictions, while prosecutors argue her sentence is too lenient and that she should never be released.

Today, we revisit our conversation with investigative journalist and author Lucie Morris-Marr on the sentencing of Erin Patterson, the suffering her crimes caused, and how the judge decided her punishment.

This episode was first published in September 2025.

 

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Guest: Investigative journalist and author, Lucie Morris-Marr

Photo: AAP Image/Anita Lester

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For more than a decade, Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has been talking about gambling addiction.

His advocacy means he’s become a lightning rod for people to share their stories.

Now, as the government this week passed legislation aimed at reducing gambling harms, Wilkie is among an angry group of dissenters who say the bill is a “national shame”.

 

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Guest: Independent MP Andrew Wilkie

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

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In 2022, Masha Alyokhina escaped Russia disguised as a food delivery courier. 

She had spent years being arrested, imprisoned and watched by the state for her work with punk rock protest group Pussy Riot and for speaking out against Vladimir Putin.

But Alyokhina says the Russia she fled wasn’t transformed by one dramatic moment. Repression came piece by piece, until fear, censorship and eventually silence became part of everyday life. 

Now, she says the same pattern is taking hold elsewhere, as people become overwhelmed, disengaged from politics, and complacent that the freedoms they inherited will simply endure. 

Today, Pussy Riot’s Masha Alyokhina on what Putin’s Russia can teach us about authoritarianism, and why democracy can never be taken for granted. 

 

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Guest: Pussy Riot’s Maria (Masha) Alyokhina

Photo: AAP Image/Kelly Barnes

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When news broke this week of an alleged sexual assault involving the Sydney Swans AFL team in Melbourne, old faultlines in the way the sport handles accusations against its players re-ignited. 

Everything from the players involved, to the language used by the club, and the way the media reported the allegations, came under the microscope. 

So how much has changed when it comes to footy players doing the wrong thing. And what would a good response from the AFL look like? 

Today, journalist and author of Night Games, Anna Krien, on the way forward for the AFL. 

 

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Guest: Journalist and author of Night Games Anna Krien

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

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Over six days of public hearings, Australians with a disability told parliament what losing NDIS support would mean for their independence, their families, and their everyday lives.

Despite more than 4,000 submissions and calls for reforms to be paused, the government’s overhaul of the scheme passed the senate yesterday, with support from the Coalition.

By tightening access and reducing some supports, the changes are forecast to save $37.8 billion over the next 4 years. But advocates warn the cuts will leave people worse off, and shift the costs onto families, hospitals and the states.

Today, CEO of Women with Disabilities Australia Sophie Cusworth, on what these reforms mean for people who rely on the NDIS, and if the scheme can be made sustainable without leaving people behind.

 

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Guest: CEO of Women with Disabilities Australia Sophie Cusworth

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

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Last week Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccines, sprouting links to autism – which have been definitively disproved by scientists and health organisations around the world.

During Trump’s second term, the misinformation from the president and his health secretary, RFK Jr, has been relentless – undermining public trust in vaccines, as outbreaks of previously eliminated diseases flare up again.

Today, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney’s Infectious Diseases Institute Julie Leask on the politicisation of antivax sentiment, and the implications for Australia

 

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Guest: Professor of Public Health Julie Leask

Photo: Bonnie Cash/EPA

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