Hack

Has an AI investment frenzy created a "bubble"? And if so, is it going to burst? Google's boss has weighed in with a warning: if AI stocks go bust, no company will be safe. 

Also: scientists are asking questions about the future of research and innovation in Australia, after CSIRO announced hundreds of job cuts. 

And for the first time in decades, there's no hip hop in the Billboard Top 40. Is the genre dying?

Plus hundreds of thousands of fans are getting ready to pack stadiums right around Australia, with the Ashes series starting in Perth this week. 

Listen now: 

01.01 - Is AI over-hyped? 

08.52 - CSIRO job cuts

13.27- Is hip hop dead? 

24.22- Ashes preview

Guests:

• Jason Murphy, economist and journalist
• Chris Lambert, musician and lecturer, SAE University College

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Do you use a hair loss drug? A vocal minority of younger users of finasteride are speaking out about the rare but potentially long-lasting mental health side effects.

Plus: the UN Security Council has approved Donald Trump's plan for an international stabilisation force to provide security in Gaza. So what happens now?

And young Kiwis are streaming out of New Zealand in record numbers, with a lot ending up here. What's the appeal, and are they planning to stay?

Listen now: 

01.13- What it's like on hair loss drugs

14.08 - What's next in Gaza? 

18.22- Choosing Australia over New Zealand

Guests:

Tynan King, reporter, Background Briefing

Asha Sundaram, Associate Professor,  University of Auckland

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After months of unanswered questions and speculation, the Coalition has finally unveiled an energy policy, ditching emissions targets and focusing on lower power prices.

So what about doing something about climate change? And what about younger voters? We sit down with the Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to ask these and more questions, including whether her leadership is now officially on life support.

Plus, Donald Trump has urged Republicans to vote for the release of the Epstein files — a proposal he's been fighting, until now.

Listen now: 

01.01 - Dave's interview with the Opposition Leader Sussan Ley

18.39 - Why did Trump backflip on the Epstein files?

Guests:

• Sussan Ley, opposition leader
• Emma Shortis, US politics expert, The Australia Institute

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• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

Could trans athletes be banned from women's sport at the 2028 Olympic Games?

We don't know for sure, but the International Olympic Committee is considering a ban and the US government has already banned trans athletes at college level.

So what would a total ban on trans athletes look like for women's sport? And what does the science say?

In the deep dive this week, we're taking a look at what's driving this debate.

We set out why it's been in the news this week, which sporting codes have changed their policies already, and how all of this might play out at the next Olympics.

And we speak to an expert about the science at the heart of this issue.Guests:

• Ada Cheung, Professorial Fellow in Endocrinology, The University of Melbourne

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Is pretty privilege a double-edged sword? Is it okay to rank people by intelligence? It's been a big week for Big Brother, with the live stream reality show returning from hiatus to kick off multiple controversies. 

And the Liberal Party has ripped off the bandaid and formally ditched net zero. Is it changing anyone's mind?

Plus, a bad run for psychics. Who saw it coming? 

Host Dave Marchese is joined by influencer Alisha Aitken-Radburn and journalist Charlotte Mortlock.

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History was made in Australia today, with the first treaty with Aboriginal people signed into law in Victoria. So what will change?

Also, the Liberal party has officially dropped net zero as its climate policy, but still says it wants to bring down emissions. 

And could humanity be destroyed in an afternoon? Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Tilman Ruff has spent decades campaigning for nuclear disarmament, and right now he's worried.

Listen now:

01:16 - Australia's first, first nations treaty 

06:55 - The Liberal Party is officially dumping net zero

12:00 - What would a nuclear war look like?

Guests:

• Dr Tilman Ruff, Nobel laureate and Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

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Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Tilman Ruff has spent decades campaigning for nuclear disarmament, and right now he's worried.

With Donald Trump announcing the US will re-start nuclear testing and Russia saying it’ll follow suit, a lot of experts are seeing signs that humanity is dangerously close to a nuclear Armageddon.

So does Professor Ruff agree?

And what would all-out nuclear war actually look like?

In this longer interview cut for the hack podcast, Tilman Ruff answers these and more questions, sketching out how a nuclear war could start, how fast things might spiral out of control, and whether there’s still time for us to step back from the brink.

Guests:

• Dr Tilman Ruff, Nobel laureate and Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

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Credits

• Dave Marchese, Presenter

Adult time for violent crime: Victoria's unveiled a plan to fight youth crime, and it could see 14-year-olds facing life sentences.

Also: are you the first person in your family to go to uni? Some researchers have looked at why going first can be hard, and experts have some ideas about how to make it a better experience. 

Plus Queensland's Supreme Court is hearing the trial of Rajwinder Singh, the man accused of murdering Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley. We unpack what's happened in court so far. 

And heavy metal bands are having a moment right across regional Australia. We head to SA's west coast to catch one that's been driving 800 kms just to gig. 

Listen now: 

01:14 - Victoria's adult time for violent crime plan

06:10 -  Are uni students disadvantaged by their family?

18:35 - Toyah Cordingley murder trial 

24:26 - Metal music in the regions

Guests

• Dr Sarah Attfield, senior lecturer, University of Technology Sydney
• Stephen Stockwell, host of podcast 'The Case Of'

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Is the International Olympic Committee about to ban trans athletes? We don't know for sure, but it's looking increasingly likely.  

And the Liberal Party is meeting tomorrow to debate ditching the net zero emissions target by 2050. We hear how young conservatives feel about it. 

Plus: the US has had no functioning federal government for 41 days. This afternoon, a controversial deal was done to open it back up. So what happens next? 

Listen now: 

01:30 - Is the IOC about to ban trans athletes?

17:25 - Young Liberals on the Liberal Party

22:50 - Ending America's government shutdown

Guests

• Ada Cheung, Professorial Fellow in Endocrinology, The University of Melbourne
• Jared Mondschein, Director of Research, US Studies Centre

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Female politicians speaking out against an antisemitic rally in Sydney say they're now being threatened. With Jewish leaders condemning the rally as "dangerous", why did police allow the neo-Nazis to gather in the first place? 

And why are big bosses at the BBC quitting after criticism from Donald Trump?

Plus, new research shows young people and those outside major cities have the least confidence in democracy. 

Listen now: 

01:30 - Speaking out against neo-Nazis

12:55 - The BBC controversy

17:25 - Democracy outside the cities

Guests

• Allegra Spender, Member for Wentworth
• Jacob Wright, young farmers' advocate

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• Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
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• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm