Radio National Breakfast

Older Australians on disability pensions are concerned reductions in private health rebates will mean they won't be able to afford private health insurance. 

Meanwhile, the government has announced it will again delay the implementation of formal price caps for support at home aged care services.

• GUEST: Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing
• PRODUCER: Isadora Bogle 

Last week, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor used his budget reply speech to declare non-citizens - including tax-paying permanent residents - would be barred from accessing social services under an updated migration crackdown proposed by the Coalition.

But at least one Liberal Party politician is worried about the signals that sends to the electorate.

• GUEST: Andrew McLachlan, Liberal Senator for South Australia 
• PRODUCER: Isadora Bogle 

A US jury has ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, Sam Altman and Microsoft.

The Tesla chief executive alleged that Open AI and its boss had strayed from the company's core mission, but the case was essentially deemed to have been lodged too late. 

A Senate inquiry has heard the illicit tobacco market now accounts for around 50-60% of all tobacco sales in Australia — worth around 7 billion dollars to crime gangs.

It's estimated the federal government is now losing out on more than 11 billion dollars in tobacco excise annually.

While public health advocates and the tobacco industry argue over the merits of lowering the tobacco excise, small businesses are caught in the middle.

• GUEST: David Allen, The Cobargo Hotel publican
• PRODUCER: Eddy Diamond

The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak in central Africa an international emergency.

Around 390 suspected cases have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province - and at least 100 deaths reported, including one death in neighbouring Uganda.

The WHO says it's concerned the outbreak could be "much larger" than what's currently being detected and reported.

The current strain of the disease is caused by the Bundibugyo virus - for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines.

• GUEST: Dr Amanda Rojek, Associate Professor of Health Emergencies at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford
• PRODUCER: Pip Cook

Cuba has reached a grim milestone - with the government announcing the island nation's oil reserves have officially run dry.

The country has been facing a growing humanitarian crisis since the US captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro - a key ally - in early January and cut off a vital source of oil.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel says the country could accept humanitarian aid from Washington - while again making the case for the US to lift its trade embargo on the island.

Meanwhile - in comments overnight - Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the US of building a "fraudulent case" for military intervention, following US media reports that Cuba has acquired attack drones capable of targeting Florida.

• GUEST: Michael Bustamante, Associate Professor of History and Emilio Bacardí Moreau Chair in Cuban and Cuban American Studies at the University of Miami
• PRODUCER: Brooke Young

The United States was poised to resume its military campaign against Iran - but will now hold off at the request of Gulf state leaders.

That's according to US President Donald Trump, who posted on his Truth Social platform that he now believes a peace deal is possible - which will disable Iran's nuclear program.

Diplomatic efforts have been deadlocked for weeks, with the two sides unable to reach an agreement on nuclear development and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Emir of Qatar, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the President of the United Arab Emirates all urged him to hold off on further military action to resume talks.

• GUEST: Joel Rayburn, retired US Army officer and former diplomat who served as US Special Envoy for Syria and senior director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council
• PRODUCER: Pip Cook, Brooke Young

The World Health Organisation has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern.

There have been around 250 suspected cases - and 80 deaths - reported in Congo's eastern Ituri province.

We hear from Professor Jane Halton, former Australian Health Department Secretary and current boss of the non-profit Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

Then, how different are the Coalition and One Nation on immigration policy? Shadow minister Dave Sharma gives his take. 

And NSW is undertaking an inquiry into the live music sector, so what is the message from festival organisers? 

Recap the morning's news, politics and global affairs with the Breakfast Wrap.

The first time Peter Davis got on a motorbike he was 13 - helping his mate muster sheep in Western Australia.  

He was hooked.

Decades later, he realised he could use his love of motorbiking to help others - and Blood Bikes of Australia was born.

The volunteer group has become a last resort service that transports vital items - for free - between hospitals and other facilities ... from blood, to corneas for transplant, to urgent pathology samples.

• Guest: Peter Davis, Blood Bikes Australia founder 

Australia has recorded its first death from diphtheria in almost a decade.

It comes months after the Northern Territory and Western Australia declared outbreaks of the disease.

More than 160 cases have been recorded nationally in 2026 - the highest number since the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System began in 1991.

• GUEST: John Boffa, Chief Medical Officer Public Health at Central Australian Aboriginal Congress 
• PRODUCER: Eddy Diamond