Late Night Live — Full program podcast

Cambridge scholars Dr Wesam Amer and Dr Mona Jabril on the destruction of universities in Gaza. Plus, why does US President Donald Trump enjoy meddling with the world map?

Bruce Shapiro critiques Donald Trump's first hundred days in office. Fifty years ago Kerala was one of India’s poorest states, now it's one of the richest. How? And a tribute to Canadian Ted Kotcheff, who directed one of Australia's biggest cult films - Wake in Fright.

Laura Tingle and Niki Savva dissect Labor's landslide victory in the federal election, and examine what went wrong for the Coalition. Plus, writer Nick Ryan explains why there's a glut of wine in Australia.

Leni Riefenstahl has been hailed as one of the greatest directors of all time, even though her most famous films were works of propaganda for Hitler's Reich. Her film about the 1934 Nuremberg rallies broke new ground in cinematic techniques and had a huge influence on filmmakers for years to come. Riefenstahl always claimed she was just an artist, unaware of Nazi atrocities, but a new documentary reveals secrets from her extensive archives.

Australia's tax system is unusually generous to the prosperous. Ahead of the Federal election, why is tax reform not on the agenda? And how Mexico's first female President, Claudia Sheinbaum, is taking on US President Donald Trump.

Ian Dunt looks at how the gender wars have exploded in the UK, Global Affairs Editor John Lyons take us to a bunker in Kyiv and Brook Turner examines the funding dramas inside some of Australia's oldest arts institutions.

Laura Tingle counts down to election day, as costings are released and Labor maintains its two-party preferred polling lead. Writer Phil Craig recounts how the final, dramatic acts of the Second World War shaped the ensuing century. And a look back at 125 years of Australian electoral paraphernalia: from flyers, to ballots, boxes, pins and corflutes.

Approximately 70 Australians risked their lives to fight Franco's fascism in the Spanish Civil War, but they are not honoured in Australia. And, whiskerology - one term for the 19th century American movement that judged people's character by their hair.

A former employee of the US Institute of Peace (USIP) recounts the dramatic days when members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) raided his office and sacked most of the staff. Plus, historian Judith Brett on the fearless 1970s Australian feminist, Beatrice Faust.

Early voting opens on a subdued day in the federal election campaign. Will the 76 year-old security pact NATO survive, despite US President Trump's skepticism? And how did pigeons go from prized possessions, to pests?

As Taiwan waits to hear what tariffs the Trump Government will impose on its world-leading computer chips and semi-conductors, we bring you a rollicking account of this strategically important small nation. This program was first broadcast on 10 October 2024.Guest: Jonathan Clements, author of 'Rebel Island: the incredible history of Taiwan' (Scribe) Producer: Ann Arnold

In 1998, the former Chilean head of state Augusto Pinochet was arrested on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide. Philippe Sands was called to advise Pinochet on his claim to immunity, but would instead represent a human rights organisation against him. Guest: Philippe Sands, author of 38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia, appearing at the Sydney Writers Festival, May 2025

Sean Johnson from Open Politics says Australia's federal parliament needs to act against MPs who fail to disclose their private interests. And journalist Pagan Kennedy shares the story of Marty Goddard - the true inventor of the standardised rape kit - a vital tool in sexual assault forensics.

The Trump administration's war on universities continues, but Harvard refuses to 'yield'. Political economist Yanis Varoufakis compares Trump's tariffs to the 'Nixon Shock' of 1971. Plus, the folklore of Australia's oldest running race: the Stawell Gift.

Laura Tingle recaps the official campaign launches of the major parties, three weeks out from the federal election. Another federal term ends without a promised reform to the Sex Discrimination Act, to remove an exemption allowing religious schools to discriminate against LGBTQI students and staff. And philosopher Damon Young maps the history of human gestures..

Two decades after The Secret River, Kate Grenville looks back into her family history—this time with fresh questions. What does it mean to live on land taken from others? Retracing her settler ancestors’ footsteps, Grenville reflects on legacy, belonging, and the stories we inherit.

Legendary ABC election analyst Antony Green has announced this federal election will be his last in an on-air role. Plus, journalist Nicholas Pelham on what lies ahead for Syria's new government.

Bruce Shapiro on who is getting rich from Trump's tariffs, Irris Makler on how the Gaza war is playing out inside Israel, plus why the theatre interval is disappearing.

Can Opposition leader Peter Dutton recover from a policy backtrack? What does the UK's AUKUS review mean for the relationship between the three allies? And a look at ancient Rome reveals that tariffs are nothing new, but always messy.

An ABC podcast has uncovered new evidence that casts doubt on the Howard governments' claims they knew nothing about plans to sack 1400 wharfies and train a new, non-union workforce in Dubai during the 1998 waterfront dispute. Plus the Australian Book Review's CEO and editor, Peter Rose, reflects on a lifetime shaping the national conversation.

Historian Stephen Gapps reveals the incredible story of frontier resistance warfare in a huge area of the Murray-Darling river system, across many First Nations’ lands, in a concerted defence of River Country. Plus, Professor of Humanities Mark Lilla on why humans are seduced by ignorance.

Analysis of current events to the hottest debates in politics, science, philosophy and culture.

As the election campaign gets underway, Laura Tingle looks at the messaging, who is being effective and what role US President Donald Trump plays in it all. Plus why many Australian universities have adopted a definition of antisemitism that includes criticism of Israel.

Journalist Omar El Akkad examines what he sees as the moral contradictions of the West in the face of sustained violence in Gaza. Plus, lawyer Judy Courtin on the recent Australian High Court ruling that the Catholic Church is not 'vicariously liable' for a priest's abuse.

Perpetrators of sexual violence are getting younger, and the messaging campaigns aimed at men are only causing a backlash. Jess Hill on why our prevention programs are failing. Plus the real story behind the tale of four children lost in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed.

Bruce Shapiro on the pressure facing judges, law firms and institutions to either comply with - or resist - US President Donald Trump's executive orders. As Europe ramps up defence spending, Poland is already digging lines of defence. And what happens when human conflict - or even a crime - occurs in an Antarctic workplace?

Laura Tingle on how the major parties have aligned to water down environmental protection laws in the face of further disasters in the Tasmanian salmon industry. Thousands protest the arrest of Turkiye's opposition leader. Plus the Australian-isms we love, and what they say about our history.

Questions are being asked about whether its ethical to publish author Joan Didion's personal diaries after her death - and without her consent. Plus the dark history of the green cities movement - with links to eugenics and ideas of making compliant workers.

Historian Margaret Peacock traces the history of radio propaganda in the Middle East from 1940-1960. From the BBC to Radio Moscow, all the big powers had their own Arabic language radio stations broadcasting across the region. Plus the ongoing trauma of the firebombing of Tokyo. The elderly survivors of the bombing are still fighting for recognition.

Ian Dunt reflects on the role of Britain in a Europe bolstering its defences. Sir William Browder says sanctioned Russian assets should be used to leverage a decent peace deal for Ukraine. And a new museum fills the silence of Poland's queer history.

7.30 Political editor, Laura Tingle, asks whether Anthony Albanese ever had any chance of escaping Trump's tariffs. Economist and writer Satyajit Das, on how Australia should navigate this economic uncertainty. And a history of trolling before the internet.

The Danes, alongside other Scandinavian nations, are the most trusting people on Earth - trusting of their neighbours, fellow citizens and public institutions. Why then, has trust in the Danish media collapsed? Plus, biographer Stephen Maher on the rise and fall of Justin Trudeau, the prince of Canadian politics.

As alliances wobble, wars rage and world leaders talk of rearmament, are we on the precipice of a new nuclear age? Security expert Ankit Panda says our coexistence with the bomb is becoming more complicated and perilous. Plus, why are Caribbean nations lining up to leave the British monarchy?

Bruce Shapiro is back as measles spreads in Texas, and Columbia University faces drastic defunding from the Trump administration. Criminologist Yvonne Jewkes on the myths and benefits of prisoner rehabilitation through building design. And playwright Katy Forde celebrates the life of Dr Lilian Cooper - Brisbane's first female doctor - with an award-winning musical.

Political Editor Laura Tingle on the potential federal implications of WA's state election result. What are the origins of the DEI initiatives (diversity, equity and inclusion) in the United States, that President Trump so reviles? And who really discovered gold in Australia in the mid-19th Century?

Alan Rusbridger, the former editor in chief of The Guardian UK on Trump's push to silence dissenting voices in the media and writer Robert Dessaix has a new memoir, Chameleon, in which he reflects on his many identities and how his changing understandings of life.

Has the rise of leaders like Orbán, Trump and Netanyahu finally put paid to the liberal fantasy that fascism, ultra-nationalism and xenophobia were symptoms of a political malaise consigned to the 19th century? Authors Wesley Lowery and John Crace join David Marr in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week.

Despite the promise that we were “all in it together”, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a flight from sociability. While that escape may have been a relief for some, has it intensified a culture of excessive individualism, narcissism, and disconnection from one another? Julia Baird, Geraldine Brooks and Rachel Kushner join David Marr in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week.

Has the myth of the Australian fair-go finally been broken? Are social divides deepening and widening? And in a time of great uncertainty, how does Australia see itself in the world? Bob Carr, Rick Morton and Rebecca Huntley join David Marr in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week.

Trans poet and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon on how they use humour to flip the narrative about transgender people, and how to tackle Donald Trump's transgender ban - by focusing on compassion for the people who want to oppress them.

Three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, renowned historian Orlando Figes, delves into President Vladimir Putin's rationale for war. And we go back to 1970s Australia and America, when the Whitlam Government paid a record sum for an abstract expressionist painting - Blue Poles. There was an outcry, and the government would pay a political price as well.

Ian Dunt on how the UK is reacting to Trump abandoning Ukraine. What happens to NT Indigenous communities when mining royalties dry up? And how to rescue a hummingbird.

Laura Tingle on the variation in poll results ahead of the election being called, the big money media-training the conservative young faces of the far-right. Plus was Western Australia's first government geologist a genius... or a charlatan?

Indigenous Australian theatre and arts director Rhoda Roberts says the backlash against Welcome to Country ceremonies is a return to assimilation. Plus in 2024, the planet was hit by 58 weather disasters with damages of more than a billion dollars and numerous insurance companies are either folding or limiting what they will insure. So who pays for the damage?

A growing number of Catholic Church leaders have criticised US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Bishop Mark Seitz from El Paso, Texas, says immigrants deserve mercy, not persecution. And happy fiftieth birthday to McPhee Gribble, the small enterprise that changed Australian publishing forever.

Members of the US Congress are wondering whether President Donal Trump will simply ignore the courts and and precipitate a constitutional crisis. How does Vanuatu recover from the double shock of earthquakes and cyclones? And major publishing house Simon and Schuster has banned book blurbs, claiming the practice is part of an "incestuous" system that rewards an author's connections.

Laura Tingle looks at what role the independents could play in a minority Coalition government. And a look back at the shipwreck that devastated early Darwin in 1875 - the sinking of the SS Gothenburg.

A declaration of martial law in South Korea, lasting six hours, has created the country’s biggest constitutional crisis since the late 1980s, and the life of forgotten Australian poet, Francis Webb.

The small town of Predappio is Italy’s premier neo-fascist tourist site, with hundreds of thousands of fascist sympathisers descending on the town annually. So how do the locals feel about living in the shadow of Mussolini’s grave? Plus the strange connection between the wellness industry and white nationalism.

Calls to "stop the boats" have returned to UK Parliament. What is the degrowth movement, and can it really challenge the global economic order? Plus how relevant are the Oscars as they near their centenary?