In the wake of the Bondi terror attack, the Prime Minister invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Australia, a move framed as an act of solidarity with the Jewish community.

But that visit, which begins on Sunday, is now sparking criticism, including from within the government, with a series of protests planned across the country.

Supporters of the visit say Herzog’s presence will bring comfort to grieving families. But critics argue it risks deepening divides, particularly as Israel faces genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice, with Herzog’s own statements cited as evidence.

Today, Principal lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, Josh Bornstein, on the visit that’s raising tensions and dividing communities and whether those divisions can ever can ever be mended.

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Guest: Josh Bornstein, Principal lawyer at Maurice Blackburn

Photo: AAP Image/Callum Godde

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Between them, the US and Russia hold 90 per cent of the world’s nuclear firepower.

But today, the New START Treaty, which limits the number of missiles and warheads in their arsenals, expires.

President Putin first suspended it two years ago.

Now, without a last-minute deal, it looks set to collapse for good amid fears of a new nuclear arms race.

Today, a view from the inside as we speak with Paul Dean – who helped implement the Treaty and is now a Vice President for the US-based ‘Nuclear Threat Initiative’ – on the threat of nuclear war.

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Guest: Paul Dean, Vice President of Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Global Nuclear Policy Program

Photo: U.S. Energy Department via AP, File

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For years, survivors of some of the worst crimes imaginable have been put through hell. Their perpetrators allowed to use glowing character references in court, in an effort to have their sentences reduced.

But today, that’s set to change as New South Wales introduces new laws scrapping character references for all criminal sentencing - in response to years of campaigning from sexual abuse survivors.

Today, ‘Your Reference Ain’t Relevant’ Cofounder Harrison James on what these changes mean and how the rest of the country is lagging behind on character reference reform.

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Guest: Cofounder of ‘Your Reference Ain’t Relevant’, Harrison James

Photo: AAP Image/Sarah Wilson

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When the US military seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, people in Colombia were left wondering if they were next.

Almost immediately, Donald Trump was accusing Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, of being tied to cocaine trafficking – without providing evidence – and publicly entertaining a US “operation” in the country.

Monica Villamizar, a Colombian-American journalist, says the mood on the streets has been a mix of shock and fear.

Now, following a phone call that temporarily cooled the crisis, Petro is due to meet Trump in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday – a meeting Monica calls a wild card.

Today, Monica Villamizar on the feud between Trump and Petro – and what’s riding on their meeting for Colombia, and the broader Latin American region.

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Guest: Colombian-American journalist, Monica Villamizar

Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

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Australia likes to present itself as a defender of human rights. But right now, on the world stage, that reputation is being seriously questioned.

Dozens of countries have called on Australia to stop locking up children, some as young as ten, and to confront the fact that Indigenous kids make up the overwhelming majority of those behind bars.

For a nation that claims moral leadership on human rights, the scrutiny now facing Australia is deeply shameful and impossible to ignore. The tough-on-crime agendas of several state and territory governments risk undermining Australia’s reputation when it comes to the way we treat our own children.

Today, CEO of Change the Record, Jade Lane, and CEO of the Human Rights Law Centre, Caitlin Reiger, on Australia’s standing on the world stage, and why so many Australian children call prison home.

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Guest: CEO of Change the Record, Jade Lane and CEO of the Human Rights Law Centre, Caitlin Reiger

Photo: ABC Indigenous

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In Anthony Albanese’s political universe, personal relationships are everything.

High on the list for Albanese is his bond with Peter V'landys, the Chair of the Australian Rugby League Commission and Chief Executive of Racing NSW.

That relationship has been central to the government’s decision to again delay reforms of gambling advertising, which V’Landys strongly opposes.

Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis with the inside story of why the government still hasn’t acted on gambling reform.

This episode was originally published in December 2024.

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Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

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The Liberal Party is locked in a very public power struggle. The Coalition has broken apart. One Nation is on the rise.

What’s emerging isn’t just a shift in support, it’s something deeper – a realignment of the conservative side of politics, with broader ramifications that we’re only beginning to understand.

Today, political columnist and former Labor adviser Sean Kelly – on what’s breaking inside conservative politics, what it means for the government, and what comes next.

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Guest: Political columnist and former Labor adviser Sean Kelly

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

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At Forrest Place in Boorloo (Perth), on what this country officially calls Australia Day, around 2,500 people gathered to mark Invasion Day. They listened to speakers, held banners and, for a few hours, took up civic space in the way protest is meant to: visibly, peacefully, together.

Then, from a balcony above, an object arced through the air and landed near the stage. Police allege it was a homemade improvised explosive device containing nails, ball bearings and chemicals, later described as a fragmentation‑style device with the potential to cause serious harm or death. It did not detonate; it landed. The crowd was evacuated. Within hours, a 31‑year‑old man was arrested and charged with offences including intent to harm and possession of explosives.

What happened next stayed with our host Daniel James – and he decided to write about it. So in this special episode, we’re bringing you his essay on the Perth pipe bomb – and the silence that followed.

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Guest: Award-winning writer and 7am host Daniel James

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