Hack

Three million documents from the Epstein files including the names of some of the world's most powerful people were dumped on the internet this week. We take stock of the fallout. And 13-year-old Austin Appelbee's wild story of survival made international headlines this week. He swam 4 kilometres across the sea to save his family. Can anyone top this hero story? Plus, are Winter Olympics ski jumpe...

An attempted terrorism attack, motivated by "pro white ideology": that's what WA authorities allege happened in Perth 10 days ago, when they say a man threw a homemade bomb into an Invasion Day crowd.  And Iranians say they're being harassed and silenced right here in Australia, as they speak up for friends and family who are facing a vicious crackdown back home. Plus: why do young Nats see some b...

Every week, protesters have been taking to the streets of Aussie cities begging for other Australians to listen. They're standing in solidarity with Iranians facing a violent crackdown by their own government, as the country's religious rulers try to crush protests and stifle debate by cutting off internet access. International observers think tens of thousands of Iranians have been killed by the...

After the deaths of 2 teenage brothers in a suspected double murder-suicide in Perth last week, disability advocates say some of the talk online is becoming dangerous. Plus years of rising antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the Bondi Beach terror attack have many Jewish Australians living with fear, grief and social ostracism.  And with Israeli president Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia further divid...

Should courts hear about the "good character" of people who get convicted of crimes? One state has decided no, and is changing rules around sentencing. So with other states looking into it too: what's really in a reference? And while some young victim-survivors who've been campaigning for an end to good character references are celebrating, not all legal experts are convinced it's the right move....

The US Department of Justice has released millions of files related to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. So what's new?  And the leaders of both the National and Liberal parties are fighting to hold their positions after the Coalition's break-up. David Littleproud held on today — can Sussan Ley do the same? Plus: one state is cracking down on underquoting to stop real...

Often when you hear people talk about screen time, the focus is on young people.  The Australian government has even banned kids from being on social media before they turn 16. But is Gen Z really the problem? Or are older generations spending more time staring at their phones (and tablets and TVs)? On the deep dive today, we ask young Aussies about screen time, disconnecting and talking to their...

Pauline Hanson is launching a music and film career, all while her One Nation party keeps surging in opinion polls. What's going on? And a private moment, or fair game for the cameras? Coco Gauff wasn't happy when her racquet smash backstage at the Australian Open this week went viral.  Plus, a new twist in the Beckham family drama. Now brothers Cruz and Romeo have entered the feud. How long can i...

Police in Perth say they're investigating a "potential terrorist act" at an Invasion Day rally on Monday, as Indigenous communities say they've felt ignored and scared all week. So could the media, politicians and police have done better? And ever dreamed of being the ruler of your own domain? We speak to the young Aussie who has claimed a piece of land in eastern Europe and declared it his own co...

Daniel Jackson says he's the youngest head of state in the world. There's just one problem: no other nation recognises his country. What started out as joke when he was 14 has developed into the Free Republic of Verdis. The micronation which Daniel is working to set up is between Croatia and Serbia, on a marshy piece of land in the Danube river. It has a flag, a government, and hundreds of "citize...

From recreational shooters to contract hunters, gun-owners are still working out how Australia's new firearms laws will impact them. So what's changing? And does Australia need to do more to monitor radical preachers? Former prime minister Scott Morrison thinks so.  Plus boomers love to slam young people for the amount of time they spend on their phones. But is it boomers that actually have the bi...

ICE officers in the US city of Minneapolis have killed a second protester, as locals fight against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. We get the latest from the ground with journalist Laura Jedeed.  Plus as part of her reporting, Laura was researching what it takes to sign up for ICE. So why did the agency end up hiring her? And back home: there were 4 shark attacks in 48 hours l...

It's Hottest 100 day today, and all over Australia, people are getting around their favourite music discoveries. But one of the main platforms that helps people find new tracks is having a bumpy ride, with users boycotting Spotify because of AI, algorithms and the investments of the company's CEO. So what is the boycott Spotify movement about? And what does it tell us about the state of music in g...

Is parliament's response to the Bondi terrorist attack about to destroy the coalition? It's the question everyone in Canberra is asking, after politicians returned for the year for an emergency sitting. The to-do list this week was short: tougher gun restrictions and new laws governing hate speech. So what did the parliament achieve, and how are laws about to change? In this ep of the hack summer...

When Luke Bateman was at the peak of his NRL career, his seemed to be living the dream of many young Aussie men.  At 24, he was earning hundreds of thousands of dollars to play the sport he loved. But the reality of what was happening in Luke's life was much darker.  He was struggling with a gambling addiction and depression.  In this extended interview Luke opens up, revealing details of how he r...

Have you heard of Grok? It’s an AI bot that lives inside X, which you might still know as Twitter. Grok has come under fire in the last few days for 'undressing' women against their consent in response to prompts from X users.  On Friday Grok started to limit the ability of users to generate AI images, due to concerns about non consensual sexual imagery. So, why was the bot able to make those imag...

It's been a crazy few days in Venezuela. On Saturday, the US dropped bombs on the country's capital Caracas while US special forces descended on a compound where the president Nicolás Maduro was staying, capturing him and his wife and flying them both to the US. Then a few days later, Maduro appeared in court in New York, charged with drug trafficking and terrorism crimes. The reaction has been a...

According to Uber drivers, it's the "oldest trick in the book": gaming the system to charge you more. In some cases, it could mean you end up paying 2 or 3 times the normal cost of a trip. So how does the trick work? Well, triple j hack has been speaking to drivers about how they create artificial surge prices, leaving passengers out of pocket. And even more remarkably, the union representing them...

It's the social season in Australia — barbecues, festivals, long nights out. And with it often comes alcohol and drugs, which are woven into how we celebrate and connect. But what about the costs to your health, your bank account, and your headspace? And while more people are cutting back, others are realising they can't have a healthy relationship with booze, opting for sobriety instead. So how d...

It's something drummed into Australians before they can even walk or talk.  To beat our strong Aussie sun, you've gotta put on sunscreen.  We all know the jingles and slogans: Slip Slop Slap, There's Nothing Healthy About A Tan.  But is the sunscreen we've been told is so vital... actually working?  Consumer group CHOICE tested 20 popular sunscreens this year, and found most of them weren't provid...

When she was just 14 years old, Molly Burke lost her vision, and with it the way she understood the world.  But Molly refused to let losing her sight mean giving up what she loved: beauty.  For Molly, makeup isn't just an interest, it's a passion, and today she's a hugely influential beauty creator with millions of followers.  So how does someone who can't see choose an outfit, apply makeup, and b...

There are certain things in life that we don't question too much. Like kissing, for example.  Snogging, making out, even just a peck... but why? Why is swapping saliva something all human societies have normalised? So where did it originate?  Well, it turns out kissing isn't just a human thing: all sorts of species appear to kiss, and new research now suggests Neanderthals did it too, possibly eve...

Horror, anger and intense grief have gripped Australia in the days since two gunmen opened fire on Bondi Beach targeting those gathered to mark the start of Hanukkah. But many young Jewish Australians are telling us while they were shocked, they weren't surprised. In this chat, Sam and Jas sit down with hack to explain why they've felt like a target for a long time. We hear what it's like experien...

Australia has changed in the past 24 hours, after a shocking act of terrorism targeted at the Jewish community left 15 people dead on Sydney's Bondi Beach. The attack happened during a community event to mark the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday, with a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis and a holocaust survivor among those who were killed. Amid the devastating pain there have also been stories of herois...

Been at a festival lately? You might have spotted more people using walking sticks.  But it's not a traditional accessibility aid. So is it Australia's growing ketamine obsession that's fuelling the trend? In the hack deep dive this week, we're unpacking the "ket stick" thing. We speak with young Aussies who are on the walking stick bandwagon, and chat with a disability advocate who's worried the...