The US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says Australia's biosecurity changes for US beef will help make American Agriculture Great Again, declaring it another example of Donald Trump's negotiating prowess.

Some of Australia's top economists and tax experts will descend on Parliament House today for a "tax reform roundtable", hosted by Independent MP for Wentworth Allegra Spender.

The roundtable will dive into Australia's key economic challenges, including the nation's sluggish productivity, and comes ahead of Treasurer Jim Chalmers' economic reform roundtable next month.

• Guest: Allegra Spender, Independent MP for Wentworth
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic 

"Every government in the world is about to have a famine on its watch": that's the warning from a former USAID official in the Biden and Obama administrations, Jeremy Konyndyk, as Israel’s blockade and military offensive continue in Gaza.

The United Nations food agency says nearly 100-thousand women and children are suffering from severe, acute malnutrition and the Gaza Health Ministry has reported a rise in hunger-related deaths.

Israel says it is allowing enough aid in and blames UN agencies for not distributing it.  

• Guest: Jeremy Konyndyk, President of Refugees International and former USAID official in the Biden and Obama administrations  
• Producers: Sally Sara and Eleni Psaltis

The federal government has lifted its biosecurity restrictions on US beef imports after a decade-long scientific review found they pose no safety risk.

The decision process has been called "suspicious" by National's party leader David Littleproud. 

Mr Littleproud also says he wants to see what safety protocols have been put in place. 

• Guest: Tony Hegarty, Chair of the New South Wales Farmers Biosecurity Committee and a grazier
• Producer: Eddy Diamond

Marine scientists have described South Australia's toxic algal bloom a "one of the worst marine disasters in living memory",  with the outbreak leaving a devastating mark on the marine life as well as local industries for parts of the state.

This week, the federal government committed $14 million to help South Australia manage the outbreak, and a senate inquiry is also on the table.

But as the bloom spreads further across the state's waters, is there any end in sight?

• Guest: Dr Dominic McAfee, marine ecologist at the University of Adelaide
• Producer: Brooke Young

Thousands of Australians are about to lose access to their psychologist, with Ramsay Health Care — the country's largest private provider of mental health services — shutting down the bulk of its clinics.

Seventeen of Ramsay's 20 psychology clinics will close by September, sparking concerns about how people will access mental health care across the country.

• Guest: Dr Sara Quinn, President of the Australian Psychological Society 
• Producer: Eddy Diamond

Statement to ABC Radio National Breakfast from Ramsay Health Care

"Ramsay Health Care is reshaping how it delivers community-based mental health support to better meet the evolving needs of clients and clinicians.

After careful consideration, we are transitioning Ramsay Psychology to a more flexible and sustainable model, which includes the progressive closure of 17 clinics by the end of August. Three clinics, in Cairns (QLD), Charlestown (NSW) and Joondalup (WA), will remain open to support local needs, maintain key partnerships and pilot more integrated models of care.

We understand this change might be unsettling and we are working closely with our psychologists to ensure every client is supported and has continuity of care, whether through our existing and expanded Telehealth service or with another trusted provider, depending on what is clinically appropriate.

This change is part of Ramsay's broader strategy to strengthen how we deliver high-quality, accessible and connected care across hospital, home and virtual settings."

US President Donald Trump is facing fresh pressure after the Wall Street Journal reported the President was told in May that his name appears in government-held files related to convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

The White House has downplayed the claims as "fake news" and says being named in the files doesn't suggest any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Justice Department officials are set to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of Epstein, according to an Associated Press source.   

• Guest: Randy Zelin, New York defence attorney, and an adjunct professor of law at Cornell Law School
• Producer: Anne Barker

Cambodian officials have accused Thai soldiers of firing first, sparking border clashes that have claimed the lives of at least 12 people, most of them civilians. 

Thailand has recalled its ambassador to Cambodia and says it will also expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok.

It comes after a second Thai soldier lost a limb in a landmine explosion that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops, an accusation Cambodia called baseless.

• Guest: Sophal Ear, Cambodian-American political analyst, and an Associate Professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University
• Producer: Anne Barker

When it comes to being fit and healthy, we're often told to walk 10,000 steps a day.

Research published in The Lancet Public Health journal reports that 7000 steps a day is the sweet spot if you want to maximise the health benefits from walking.

This research is the first to comprehensively examine how taking more steps per day can reduce the risk of several different health outcomes including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and dementia.

Guest: Dr Katherine Owen, School of Public Health, University of Sydney

Leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, has called for greater transparency from the federal government following its decision to lift restrictions on US beef imports into Australia. 

This morning the government announced the change,  which will see access expanded to include beef sourced from cattle born in Canada and Mexico.

• Guest: David Littleproud, Leader of the Nationals
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic