7am

After a week of turmoil, the Coalition has patched things up and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has unveiled her new shadow ministry.

The appointments show the Coalition’s wounds are still raw.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud secured key concessions in the renewed pact, but his hardball tactics have colleagues wondering how long he’ll last.

Meanwhile, Labor is wrestling with its own debate over Gaza, as party elders and backbenchers push for tougher action against Israel.

Today, press gallery journalist and Inside Story columnist, Karen Middleton, on the winners and losers of the reshuffle – and where the next parliament’s battlelines will be drawn.

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Guest: Press gallery journalist and Inside Story columnist, Karen Middleton.

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

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Philip Low’s brain-mapping breakthrough made him a billionaire.

Now a blistering Facebook post has thrust the neuroscientist into a new fight – with his old friend, Elon Musk.

Low called Musk a “narcissist with an obsessive lust for power” in a post shared nearly 50,000 times before it mysteriously vanished.

Now Low is claiming X and other social media platforms are silencing dissent, and has set aside US$250 million to test in court whether their promises of “free speech” are really false advertising.

Today, veteran UK correspondent and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Paola Totaro, on the neuroscientist taking on Silicon Valley, and attacking the character and credibility of the world’s richest man.

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

You can read more of this reporting in this weekend's edition of The Saturday Paper.

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Guest: UK correspondent and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Paola Totaro.

Photo: AP Photo/Susan Walsh

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Until late last year, the United States had a US$10 million bounty on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

A former leader of the al-Nusra Front and al-Qaeda in Iraq, al-Sharaa was once an enemy of America.

Now Syria’s transitional leader, al-Sharaa has just met US President Donald Trump, who called him “an attractive young guy” with “a strong past” and pledged to lift sanctions on Damascus.

Today, Damascus-based correspondent, Heidi Pett, on meeting al-Sharaa in person, how he won an audience with Trump and what it means for Syria’s future.

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Guest: Damascus-based correspondent, Heidi Pett.

Photo: PA/Alamy

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Tony Abbott was on a layover in Dubai when he phoned Natasha Griggs – the president of the Country Liberal Party – and set off a chain reaction inside the Coalition.

Hours later, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price defected to the Liberals and a surprise leadership ticket was taking shape.

For moderates, it was another sign that the former prime minister and his confidante, Peta Credlin, are still pulling the party’s levers from the outside.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis, on Tony Abbott, the shadow network steering the Liberals and why insiders say it’s a cancer that’s killing the party.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis.

Photo: Supplied

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Australia has a new environment minister – and he has a big job ahead of him: fixing the country’s broken environment laws.

Murray Watt has replaced Tanya Plibersek, whose efforts at reform were famously thwarted by the prime minister.

But before Watt can begin that task, he faces another critical decision: whether to let Woodside Energy extend its North West Shelf gas project to 2070 – opening new gas fields and unleashing a “carbon bomb” worth roughly 10 times Australia’s current annual emissions.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe, on Murray Watt, his plans for the environment and the decision that could define his tenure.

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: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe. 

Photo: AAP Image / Darren England

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London-based Australian author Jessica Stanley’s second novel, Consider Yourself Kissed, opens with all the beats of a classic romantic comedy – a meet-cute, a grand gesture, instant attraction – but what follows is a book about the next bit, the day to day reality of just living. But Jessica writes it with grace and wit and compassion, finding the romance in what comes next when two people decide to be together. In this episode of Read This, Michael sits down with Jessica for a conversation about life, love, and the importance of what’s on your bookshelf.

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Yesterday we were saying “rest in peace” to the Coalition – but today there are signs it could be reborn.

The Liberal and National parties are back at the negotiating table to see if they can repair their broken bond.

How Sussan Ley handles this moment will say a lot about the future of the Liberal Party  under her leadership. It’s a choice between a strained partnership or a future free from the constraints of compromise.

Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow, on why the Coalition might suddenly be reforming and whether they can ever really trust each other again.

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Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow.

Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP Image

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Just a week after taking charge in the wake of the Liberals’ disastrous election result, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley now finds herself without a coalition partner.

Nationals leader David Littleproud says he walked from the agreement after the Liberals refused to lock in a list of policy commitments, while Ley accused the Nationals of holding the agreement “hostage”.

The split is a major setback for the Liberals, but it may be worse for the National Party – now relegated to a minor party on the crossbench.

Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis, on why the Coalition broke up and what it will take to bring them back together.

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: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis.

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch; Mick Tsikas

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Thousands of children from South Korea have been adopted by Australian families over decades.

In many cases, these children were raised to believe they were orphans – and their adoptive families believed they were doing something loving and selfless by giving them a home.

But a much more sinister truth has been laid bare: South Korea’s own Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposed how many of those adoptions were built on falsified orphan records, and traced trafficking and forged documents back to the agencies involved.

Today, associate editor for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray, on the trafficking of fake orphans, and whether Australia is finally ready to confront its role in the trade.

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Guest: Associate editor for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray.

Photo: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

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Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his plans to step up his country’s attacks on Gaza, with “extensive ground operations”. Israeli officials have described the strategy as “conquering” and occupying the strip.

That plan is now underway, with ground operations in the north and in the south.

In the past week, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, making it one of the deadliest periods in Gaza since ceasefire negotiations broke down in March.

Last week, Donald Trump visited the Middle East – but didn’t go to Israel.

Today, Middle East correspondent for The Economist, Gregg Carlstrom, on Trump’s role in the conflict – and what it would take for the war to end.

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Guest: Middle East correspondent for The Economist Gregg Carlstrom

Photo: EPA/Abir Sultan

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