7am

When Pete Hegseth faced the Senate to become Donald Trump’s defense secretary, he was grilled on everything from his lack of experience and his drinking to past controversial remarks – including that women should not serve in combat roles.
But the hearing also made something else clear: Hegseth wasn’t just being chosen to run the Pentagon in the ordinary sense. He was being chosen to wage a cultural and ideological battle inside it – to bring what he called “warrior culture” back to an institution he and Trump believed had gone “woke”.
Today, former chief national correspondent for Voice of America, Steve Herman, on the face of America’s new militarism and the role of Christian nationalism in the Trump administration.

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Guest: Former chief national correspondent for Voice of America, Steve Herman
Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
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It’s been a rollercoaster ride on the global oil market, with wild swings in petrol prices at the bowser.
The war against Iran has caused panic buying in Australia and around the world.
Meanwhile, our government has been criticised for not having greater reserves of petrol, diesel and jet fuel.
And for not imposing higher taxes on giant gas companies, which are now raking in
a fortune thanks to the war.
Today, Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen on how prepared Australia is for the worst energy crisis in more than 50 years – and the war: should we even be backing it?

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Guest: Energy Minister Chris Bowen
Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
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Australia’s tobacco wars are fuelling violence, with fire bombings and arson attacks spanning across the east coast.
Now the federal government wants to treat these organised crime syndicates like ‘drug lords’ by going after them with wire tapping and seizing their assets.
And the tobacconists are in trouble too, with calls to ban tobacco stores and only sell cigarettes in supermarkets.
Today, Criminologist Dr James Martin, from Deakin University on how to reign in the multi billion dollar black market that’s created a gangsters paradise

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Guest: Criminologist Dr James Martin, Deakin University
Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett
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John Blackburn spent four decades in the Air Force, rising to Deputy Chief.
For more than decade he’s been warning that Australia is too reliant on imported fuel, too light on reserves, and too exposed if a global crisis – just like this one – disrupts supply.
Now, as more than hundred servos around the country run dry and a Trump ultimatum looms, threatening to make the fuel crisis worse, Australia is paying the price for our lack of preparedness.
Today, Chair of the Institute of Economic Research Australia, John Blackburn on how Australia botched our emergency fuel plan, what we should do next, and why the Iran war is shaping up to be a covid-level crisis.

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Guest: John Blackburn, Chair of the Institute of Economic Research Australia
Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
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Like so many stories about misinformation, this one starts with a social media post.
“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed. Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM.”
Not long after that, Donald Trump backtracked and set the record straight.
“He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way.”
But in those few short hours before clarification, misinformation had already taken hold.
Social media posts accusing Australia of inaction on the soccer team, and falsely claiming Albanese lied to Trump about granting the women asylum gained millions of views on X.
Meanwhile, news commentary which wrongly portrayed Trump as triggering Albanese’s decision hit the mainstream media.
It’s just one recent example of the wave of misinformation making it increasingly difficult for all of us to work out what is and isn't factual in this ‘post truth’ world.
Today ABC journalist and host of new doco ‘The Matter of Facts’ Hamish Macdonald on the misinformation and disinformation taking over our online world.

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Guest: Hamish Macdonald, ABC journalist
Photo: Samuel Corum/Sipa USA
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