RN Breakfast - Separate stories podcast

The population of feral rabbits is booming — resisting control efforts from traditional hunting measures to infection with the calicivirus. The vermin cost Australian farmers an estimated 200-million dollars in lost production each year — roughly 10 times the losses caused by fox or mice. That's not counting the damage to native animals and plants. Now experts warn the country lacks a virus capable of curbing the spread of the animals.

To Victoria now and Premier Jacinta Allan has warned the fire threat has not passed, with at least one blaze still uncontained. One man has been confirmed killed and hundreds of structures have been destroyed by blazes over the last few days. The Victorian Farmers Federation says livestock losses — now estimated to be more than 15,000 — are expected to increase. Guest: Helen Haines, independent Member for Indi Producer: Isadora Bogle

Federal parliament's coming back early, with the Prime Minister announcing both houses will return on Monday — two weeks ahead of schedule. Hate speech and gun law reform will be top of the agenda in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. Anthony Albanese says he wants to see the proposed legislation pass parliament on Tuesday. Guest: Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing Producer: Isadora Bogle

US President Donald Trump says military action against Tehran is being considered as protests in Iran continue to be met with deadly force. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell — who has faced multiple public attacks by the President. Guest: John Lyons, ABC Americas editor Producer: Joe Sullivan

Victorian fire authorities continue to battle at least one uncontrolled blaze as total structural losses climbs past 350. The town of Harcourt south of Bendigo has been the hardest hit where at least 47 homes and three businesses have been destroyed by fire. The town is known for its historic apple orchards with a recent influx of boutique producers flocking to the area to take advantage of the region's lush pastoral lands. 

The New South Wales state parliament is considering hate speech in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, and particularly slogans that incite hatred. It's a hasty investigation announced three weeks ago. Submissions closed yesterday and no public hearings have been held ahead of handing down a final report by January 31. The rush has left some members of the opposition concerned. Guest: Shadow Attorney General, Damien Tudehope Producer: Isadora Bogle, Clare O'Halloran

Author and screenwriter, Eliza Reilly, shares her summer reading list with Jade McMillan. Currently reading: The Frenchman trilogy - Jack Beaumont Summer list: Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yaros The Spy and The Traitor - Ben Macintyre

The board of the Adelaide Festival is still in limbo after the removal of Palestinian-Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from its line-up. The Adelaide Festival Corporation said yesterday it's navigating a "complex and unprecedented moment" following "significant community response" to its decision to dis-invite the author from Adelaide Writers' Week. The board had earlier said her appearance would "not be culturally sensitive" in the wake of the Bondi terror attack prompting a mass boycott. More than 110 authors have walked away from appearing at this year's event. The chair has since stepped down and three board members have quit. 

Agenda-setting news coverage, breaking news and stories impacting the lives of all Australians.

In the US, hundreds more immigration officers are being sent to Minnesota after the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent sparked big protests in Minneapolis and around the country. The Trump administration says the officer acted in self-defence, but Minnesota officials dispute that and have launched their own inquiry. As the enforcement operations expand — and community tensions escalate — civil liberties groups have raised broader questions about immigration policy in the US. Guest: Deepinder Mayell, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota Producer: Anne Barker, Pip Cook

A landmark case brought by Gambia accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the minority Muslim Rohingya has opened at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It's the first full genocide case the court has heard in more than a decade and legal experts say the outcome could influence other cases — including South Africa's case against Israel over the war in Gaza. Myanmar denies the genocide allegations — but investigators say the case could set important precedents for how genocide is defined and proven under international law. Guest: Matt Bugher, Research Director and Legal counsel, Southeast Asia Human Rights Project, Harvard Univ Asia Centre Producer: Anne Barker

At least 648 protesters have been killed in Iran, according to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights as the people's revolt continues to grow across the country. Large crowds also gathered in several cities yesterday following calls for pro-government counter demonstrations, according to state media — which claims the protests are "under control". A national internet blackout is now in its fifth day, shielding much of the police crackdown from view and making it difficult for families to reach loved ones. Guest: Dr Saba Vasefi, Iranian-Australian journalist and academic at the University of Sydney Producer: Pip Cook

Venezuela's political future and that of its 29 million citizens remains very much in flux after the U-S assault on the country and capture of its president nine days ago. What's more certain is the future of the country's oil stocks with US President Donald Trump declaring he was taking over the sales of 30 to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil. Today, Mr Trump urged Cuba to "make a deal" or face consequences - including the loss of 35,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil sent to the island each day. So what does America's oil-based diplomacy mean for global security - and the efforts to reduce fossil fuel reliance?

Several states, led by Tasmania, are pushing back against the federal government's proposed national gun buyback saying the plan lacks detail and could cost them millions. Tasmania's Police Minister says any buyback should be fully funded by Canberra warning it could cost Tasmanians around twenty million dollars - and impact legitimate gun owners. He says his state does back tougher measures to keep firearms out of the wrong hands but that all reforms should be properly funded and with proper consultation with the states.

Doubts are growing over the future of Adelaide's Writers Week as withdrawals mount following the removal of Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the program. The latest departures include four board members - who reportedly resigned after an extraordinary board meeting over the weekend. 

NASA is cutting short a mission aboard the International Space Station after one astronaut fell ill, triggering the first medical evacuation in the station's 25-year history. The four-member US-Japanese-Russian crew will return to Earth early even though NASA says the astronaut is stable and it is not an emergency. The agency says it's also cancelled a planned spacewalk — and will leave fewer astronauts on board the station for now. Guest: Dr Sara Webb, astrophysicist at Swinburne University of Technology Producer: Anne Barker

Authorities in Iran say they could intensify their crackdown on the biggest anti-government protests in years, blaming what they call "terrorists" and vowing to protect the Islamic regime. One human rights group says at least 192 protesters have died since the demonstrations began two weeks ago — amid warnings the actual death toll could be several hundred. US President Donald Trump has again warned he could intervene — saying America stands ready to help — as reports of violence and an internet blackout make the situation hard to verify. Despite that, new videos suggest protests are still spreading across Tehran and other cities, with the exiled son of the former shah urging Iranians to turn the unrest into a full-scale revolt. Guest: Gregg Carlstrom is a Middle East Correspondent for The Economist Producer: Anne Barker

The last fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — or the SDF — have left the Syrian city of Aleppo following a ceasefire deal that allowed evacuations after days of deadly clashes. Around 150,000 people fled the city after it was bombed by Syrian government forces in what they said were efforts to rid the city of SDF fighters. It come as the US and its partner forces carried out large-scale strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on US forces in December. Guest: Heidi Pett, journalist based in Damascus Producer: Oscar Coleman

New South Wales has just recorded its deadliest year on the roads since 2017, with 355 lives lost in 2025. Authorities say speeding is the biggest killer — it was named a contributing factor in more than a third of those deaths. One expert says more political courage is needed to introduce stronger enforcement laws to reduce speeding, and drink- and drug-driving. Guest: Raphael Grzebieta, Professor emeritus, Transport and Road Safety Research (TARS) Centre, UNSW and adjunct professor, Monash University. Producer: Oscar Coleman

There are currently 10 "major fires" in Victoria and 15 current emergency warnings in place across the state Yesterday, Victoria Police confirmed the remains of a person were found in the Longwood bushfire area, around 100 metres from a vehicle. And further west on Sunday afternoon, residents in Natimuk were finally able to return to their community following the devastating fire that hit the region, destroying around 30 houses and 40 sheds. Horsham Deputy Mayor Bec Sluggett lives in nearby Pimpinio. She evacuated her two teenage children on Friday morning before she and her husband returned to fight the fire with the local CFA. Guest: Horsham Deputy Mayor Bec Sluggett  Producer: Kate Uebergang