For months, Jim Chalmers has been trying to write a budget about the future – productivity, reform, repair.

But events have a way of dragging budgets back into the present. And right now, the present looks expensive.

People are still under pressure. The economy’s been hit by another oil shock. And the Treasurer is trying to make the case for restraint without looking like he’s asking Australians to wear even more pain.

So will Jim Chalmer's upcoming budget be one of reform - or crisis management?

Today, senior economics correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Shane Wright, on what kind of budget this moment demands.

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Guest: Senior economics correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Shane Wright.

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Readers and writers have been left reeling after a horror novel became the first book to be cancelled over AI claims.

The New York Times has reported that an AI detection program indicated that ‘Shy Girl’ was 71 percent AI generated.

The news has shocked the publishing industry, with the novel discontinued in the UK and pulled from publication in America.

So what are the implications for writers, for readers and for the publishing industry as AI seeps into new and frightening corners of our creative industries?

Today, beloved Aussie author Kathy Lette on how AI slop is threatening the future of young writers, and how to protect our art from the onslaught of bots.

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Guest: Author Kathy Lette

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Donald Trump says Cuba's next.

For decades, the United States has tried to isolate the country, but now the language is getting stronger, and a tightening of the oil blockade has brought the island to its knees.

President Trump has said taking the country would be an "honour", and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says Cuba cannot fix its economy without changing its government.

In Havana, officials are now preparing for the possibility of a U.S. attack.

Today, Havana-based journalist Ruaridh Nicoll, on what people inside Cuba are living through – and fearing might come next.

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Guest: Havana-based journalist Ruaridh Nicoll.

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Jeffrey Hoffman grew up on Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. He was still a boy when the space age began – Sputnik, the first American astronauts, then Apollo. From early on, he knew he wanted to be part of it.

He was. Hoffman went on to fly five Space Shuttle missions, logging more than 1,200 hours in space. And today, he’ll be watching as NASA sends astronauts back around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

While Artemis II won't land on the moon – it's the next step in a plan to return humans to the lunar surface, and eventually establish a more permanent presence there.

And with China wanting to put astronauts on the moon before 2030, we're in the midst of a new space race.

Today, former NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, on why humanity is racing to the moon once again.

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Guest: Former NASA Astronaut and professor of Aerospace Engineering at MIT, Dr Jeffrey Hoffman.

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It’s now one month since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran – and it looks like it may be entering a more dangerous phase.

Washington is sending thousands more troops into the Middle East – with President Trump saying he wants Iran’s oil and may seize the country’s Kharg island, adding he could take it “easily”.

Meanwhile, the diplomacy is confused, with Trump claiming negotiations are underway and Tehran stating there are no direct talks, while dismissing a potential U.S. proposal as one-sided and unfair.

Today, executive vice-president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi, on whether the U.S. is edging towards a ground war with Iran – and what it would actually take to get to a deal, if a deal is still possible at all.

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Guest: Iranian-born analyst and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi.

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Louis Theroux has spent years making television out of the people polite society prefers not to think about.

In his new documentary on the Manosphere, he turns that gaze on a world of male grievance, online swagger and old misogyny dressed up in the language of self-help.

In Australia, researchers and educators say that boys, women and girls are bearing the consequences of actions and attitudes turning up far beyond the screen – into classrooms, into harassment and intimidation, and in the growing sense among girls that school is becoming less and less safe.

Today, misogyny researcher at Monash University, Dr. Stephanie Westcott, on why Louis Theroux's documentary misses the real story, and what happens when we treat misogyny as fascinating instead of dangerous.

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Guest: Dr Stephanie Wescott, misogyny researcher at Monash University

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In late 2023, Australia signed a landmark treaty with Tuvalu – a low-lying Pacific nation threatened by climate change – promising a special visa pathway, disaster support and closer security ties.

The deal is now in force. The first climate refugees have begun arriving in Australia, and this year, Tuvalu will help host key Pacific climate talks ahead of COP.

But the questions at the heart of this agreement have not gone away.

As rising seas threaten the future of one of our smallest neighbours, is Australia offering a genuine lifeline – or using the climate crisis to deepen its own influence in the Pacific?

Today, Mike Seccombe, on the agreement between Australia and Tuvalu – and whether Australia is helping them, or themselves.

This episode first aired in November 2023.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe

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Last weekend’s South Australian election wasn’t just a wipeout for the Liberals and triumph for Labor, it was a sign that political discontent is beginning to find a new home in an old brand: One Nation.

Pauline Hanson’s party showed just how much room there is for anger on the right in a traditionally progressive state. But the rise in One Nation’s popularity isn’t just contained to SA. Nationally and in states like Victoria discontent is growing and the far right is capitalising. And with the war in Iran exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis, that frustration may only deepen.

Today, Waleed Aly, on what the South Australian result says about the mood of the electorate, and where that mood could go next.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

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Guest: Waleed Aly, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald columnist

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