Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

Josef Stalin left this earthly realm on March 5, 1953. The circumstances of his death were deeply chaotic – his guards and inner circle were too afraid to open the door to his room, and he was found days later lying on the floor. Stalin’s ghost however, still haunts modern day Russia – from tea-leaf readers to mediums on the internet, there's no shortage of people trying to contact the Soviet dictator on the other side.GUEST: Sheila Fitzpatrick, Emeritus professor at the Australian Catholic University and Author, The Death of StalinPRODUCER: Ali Benton

It was 1974 and Canberra was in turmoil. A young Paul Kelly was the chief political correspondent for The Australian newspaper, and covered the mounting scandals and intrigues. As we near the 50th anniversary of 11 November, 1975, Paul and David look back at the political environment that led to The Dismissal.Guest: Paul Kelly, Editor-at-Large, The Australian

Love is the big emotion, the one that drives our literature and our lives. It has done since antiquity. But when the Greeks and Romans wrote about love, did they mean the same things we do today? Is love eternal, or has the concept evolved over time?Guest: Marguerite Johnson, Honorary Professor in Classics at The University of QueenslandProducer: Alex Tighe

The new Museum of West African Art will open in Benin City, Nigeria next month. It was hoped that the new galleries would display the world's most comprehensive collection of Benin bronzes - precious fourteenth Century artefacts looted by the British in the late 19th Century. Bronzes are gradually being repatriated from collections around the world - but not into the collection of the new museum. Guest: Philip Oltermann, The Guardian's European Culture EditorProducer: Jack Schmidt

After water, sand is the most-exploited natural resource in the world, but its use is largely ungoverned, meaning we are consuming it faster than it can be replaced by geological processes that take hundreds of thousands of years. Making sand from ore could solve the looming crisis.GUEST: Professor Daniel Franks Director, Global Centre for Mineral Security, University of QueenslandPRODUCER: Ali Benton

This week, Australia went to Washington. Our PM, Anthony Albanese, met with Donald Trump in the White House, where Trump signed an agreement about critical minerals and took a dig at Kevin Rudd.Guest: Bruce Shapiro, Contributing Editor for The Nation, and Executive Director of the Global Center for Journalism and TraumaProducer: Alex Tighe

Suriname is a small Dutch speaking country in South America. It’s been run by a despot racking up debt and oppressing its citizens. But now they’ve elected their first female President who’s promising fiscal transparency, good governance and sustainable development. Meanwhile the impoverished country has discovered oil off its coast and both China and the US are circling like flies. Guest: Zoe Deceuninck, Editor-in-Chief of Parbode, the only Surinamese magazine in the country Producer: Catherine Zengerer

Last month, the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne cancelled a scheduled speaking event entitled 'Children and War' amid concerns about staff safety and wellbeing. As reported by Guardian Australia and The Jerusalem Post, the Sydney-based psychiatrist Dr Doron Samuell wrote a letter to the hospital's executive expressing concerns about the potential for 'moral injury' and 'vicarious trauma.' Last year, a similar event featuring Palestinian-Australian doctors was cancelled at Fremantle's Fiona Stanley Hospital. The hospital's namesake is troubled by the cancellations. Guest: Professor Fiona Stanley, epidemiologist and distinguished professorial fellow in the School of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Western AustraliaRead Dr Samuell's concerns about the Royal Children's Hospital event as reported in the Jerusalem PostRead responses from Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne and Fiona Stanley Hospital, as provided to Guardian Australia

Australia’s National Press Club was due to host Pulitzer prize winning journalist, the former Middle East Bureau Chief for the New York Times, Chris Hedges on Monday October 20, 2025. But after receiving the outline for his speech, they cancelled the event, saying they "decided to pursue other speakers". Hedges has been a significant critic of the way western media has handled the war in Gaza. Guest: Chris Hedges, author, journalist and presenter of The Chris Hedges ReportEditor's note: The program said APAN (Australian Palestine Advocacy Network) brought Chris Hedges to Australia to present the Edward Said Memorial Lecture, when it was in fact AFOPA (Australian Friends of Palestine Association)

Nationals MP and former leader, Barnaby Joyce has announced he won't run for the seat of New England at the next election. Rumours about that he'll join Pauline Hanson's One Nation, but he is keeping mum. So what's he up to? Bernard Keane looks back at his political career.Guest: Bernard Keane, political editor, Crikey

Tim Minchin turned fifty this year and just ran a marathon for the first time. He's returned home to Australia, with his new album Time Machine, and his tour 'Songs the World Will Never Hear'. In this special one hour conversation, David speaks to Tim about the joys of running, quitting social media and worrying less.GUEST: Tim MinchinPRODUCER: Ali Benton

Israeli-British historian Ilan Pappé, warns that political fractures in Israel are wider than ever. In his new book, he highlights the 2022 right-wing government election, the October 7 Hamas attack, and the Gaza war, as key turning points, and outlines eight “mini-revolutions” needed for a peaceful path forward.GUEST: Ilan Pappé, Director of the European Centre of Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter, UK. Author, Israel on the Brink: Eight Steps for a Better FuturePRODUCER: Ali Benton

While Donald Trump’s presidency might seem chaotic from the outside as the US appears to be retreating from its former role as a global superpower, intelligence analyst Clinton Fernandes says that behind the scenes a shrewd geo-political strategy is being rolled out. And it’s one that could see Australia dragged into a war with China.Guest: Clinton Fernandes, Professor of International and Political Studies at the University of New South Wales, and author of ‘Turbulence: Australian Foreign Policy in the Trump Era’Producer: Catherine Zengerer

Commercial aviation really took off after World War Two. Many countries established their own national airlines and women became an integral part of the flying experience. Historian Phil Tiemeyer has collated a history about the role of women in the skies.GUEST: Phil Tiemeyer, Associate Professor of History, Kansas State University, US.PRODUCER: Ali BentonWomen and the Jet Age: A Global History of Aviation and Flight Attendants

A military coup is underway in Madagascar after nationwide protests triggered by chronic power and water outages, poverty and government corruption. The protests have been led by Gen Z Madagascar, an amorphous group of young people inspired by the Gen Z movement in Nepal. Now the army has switched sides to join the movement and the President has fled the country.Guest: Dr Luke Freeman, Madagascar expert at University College LondonProducer: Catherine Zengerer

Ian Dunt looks at the UK's role in the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and examines why British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is slamming Brexit.GUEST: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentatorPRODUCER: Ali Benton

With a common tongue, could the world solve its problems? In 1887, a Polish eye doctor tried to answer that question by creating a new, easy-to-learn world language, which came to be known as "Esperanto" — literally, "one who hopes". A century later, what can be said for Esperanto's utopian project?Guest: Jonathan Cooper, art educator and president of Esperanto NSWProducer: Alex Tighe

Gavin Pretor-Pinney is the founder of an organisation called the Cloud Appreciation Society, which boasts thousands of members online. His passion has taken him all over the world, including to remote corners of Australia. Gavin celebrates the importance of clouds and ponders how patterns might change as our climate shifts.Guest: Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Cloud Appreciation SocietyProducer: Catherine Zengerer, Rebecca MetcalfGuest: Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Cloud Appreciation SocietyProducer: Catherine Zengerer, Rebecca Metcalf

The treasurer has reworked the government's stalled superannuation tax plan, in an effort to push it through the parliament. New polling paints a sorry picture for Opposition leader Sussan Ley. Plus, what is the government attempting to do to freedom of information laws? Guest: Tom McIlroy, Chief Political Correspondent, The Guardian Australia

Journalist Irris Makler returns to Late Night Live in the wake of Israel, Hamas and the negotiating parties reaching an agreement on the 'first phase' of the Gaza peace proposal.

On a warming planet, heatwaves are proving increasingly deadly. But in the cities where most of us live, shade can be hard to come by. In ancient times, shade was prioritised for urban comfort, but in the age of the air-conditioner its value is often overlooked. Guest: Sam Bloch, journalist and author of Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural ResourceProducer: Jack Schmidt

Gisele Pelicot became a feminist hero when she waived her right to anonymity after being drugged and raped by her husband and at least fifty other men. She famously said the shame should be on those men, not on the women they rape. This week one of the convicted men is appealing, arguing he didn’t know that she hadn’t given her consent. So what does sexual consent look like? Are we living in a society that builds in 'cultural scaffolding of rape'? And how do we build healthy sexual and loving relationships?Guest: Manon Garcia, Junior Professor of Philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin and author of Living With Men: Reflections on the Pelicot Trial, published by PolityProducer: Catherine ZengererWarning: This interview may contain details that may be distressing for some listeners.Sexual assault support lines:1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114Victims of Crime Helpline: 1800 819 817Full Stop Australia: 1800 385 578

Sir Mark Oliphant hasn't had a billion-dollar movie made about him, but — according to the author Roland Perry — maybe he should have. Oliphant was an Australian physicist who played a crucial role in convincing Oppenheimer and the Americans that a nuclear bomb was possible, and necessary. Without Oliphant, Perry says, it's possible the Germans would have built the bomb first.Guest: Roland Perry, author of more than 40 booksProducer: Alex Tighe

In June Israel launched a surprise 12 day long attack on Iran. The US joined in, damaging much of their nuclear infrastructure and large parts of Tehran. Now England, Germany and France have weighed in, re-imposing sanctions they had lifted under Obama's 2015 nuclear deal. But rather than inspiring an internal revolt against the theocratic regime, the bombings and trade restrictions are only serving to push Iran towards China, which has a strong interest in Iran's oil. And China can offer Iran a lucrative trade in weapons. Guest: Sina Toosi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy. Author of an article for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists called “Why Europe’s snapback gamble against Iran will backfire"Producer: Catherine Zengerer

New Zealand has an ambitious mission to become predator-free by 2050, aiming to eradicate all invasive species—such as rats, stoats, and possums—that threaten its unique wildlife. This conservation effort seeks to protect and restore the country’s fragile ecosystems, preserving its natural heritage for future generationsGUEST: Brent Beavan, manager of the Predator Free 2050 program at New Zealand's Department of Conservation. PRODUCER: Ali Benton

Two years on from Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7th, Israel and Gaza are irrevocably changed. Journalist Irris Makler reflects on the profound sorrow of Israelis and Palestinians, the political fate of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the promise of current peace negotiations. Two years on from Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7th, Israel and Gaza are irrevocably changed. Journalist Irris Makler reflects on the profound sorrow of Israelis and Palestinians, the political fate of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the promise of current peace negotiations. Guest: Irris Makler, veteran Jerusalem correspondent for ABC, SBS

US President Donald Trump is determined to deploy the National Guard in more American cities to support deportation efforts, but a Trump-appointed judge in Oregon has blocked deployment in Portland.

'Plant hunting required cunning, resilience, and a seemingly unshakeable sense of entitlement to the resources of other nations.' An account of the hunt for a particular 'lost orchid'. GUEST: Sarah Bilston, author of 'The Lost Orchid: A Story of Victorian Plunder and Obsession' (Harvard University Press, May 2025) Producer: Ann Arnold*This story originally aired on 08 May 2025.

Dutch historian and writer Rutger Bregman is good at making wealthy people uncomfortable. In 2019, he called out the billionaires at Davos for their tax avoidance. His new book Moral Ambition calls on the world's best and brightest to quit their meaningless corporate jobs and start working on the world's biggest problems - from disease prevention, to climate change.Guest: Rutger Bregman, historian and author of Moral Ambition: Stop wasting your talent and start making a difference, Bloomsbury*This story originally aired on 08 May 2025.

Rope weaves together the fascinating story of one of humanity’s oldest inventions — a simple twist of fibres that literally held the world together. From hauling stones for the pyramids to anchoring ships on daring voyages, rope has been the silent hero behind some of history’s greatest achievements.GUEST Tim Queeney, Author, “Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibres Became the Backbone of Civilisation".PRODUCER: Ali Benton

IN 1947, Herbert Vere "Doc" Evatt was Australia's external affairs minister and the appointed chair of the United Nation's Ad-Hoc Committee on the Palestinian Question, which was tasked with devising a plan for Palestine in the wake of World War II, as Britain planned to relinquish its mandate over the area. According to Jewish-Australian historian Dr Suzanne Rutland, Evatt's manoeuvrers at the UN were instrumental in securing the narrow two-thirds majority support required for the partition of Palestine and the creation of a Jewish state. Guest: Dr Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emeritus at the University of Sydney, Department of Hebrew, Biblical & Jewish StudiesProducer: Rebecca Metcalf, Jack Schmidt

At the turn of the 20th century, one American became obsessed with the idea of life on Mars, and carried his obsessions into a public movement that may have sparked actual space exploration and scientific advancement.Guest: David Baron, an author, journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who writes about astronomy and other sciences. His latest book is “The Martians: A True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America.” Producer: Alex Tighe

The new documentary Surviving Malka Leifer reveals the inside-story of the Malka Leifer saga, when three sisters from Melbourne's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community fought for years to bring their abuser and former-headmistress to justice. The documentary recently screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival and is available to stream on Stan from October 5. Guest: Adam Kamien, journalist and director of Surviving Malka Leifer (2025)

In the mid-1800s, Tasmanian sheep farmer James Youl embarked on a fanciful mission, to transport live Atlantic salmon eggs from the northern hemisphere to the south, thousands of miles across the seas, in the hopes of spawning a viable salmon colony in Australia. It was a mad endeavour that stretched the limits of science and technology, and defied the accepted laws of nature. Guest: Steve Harris, author of Under the influence of salmon: how a man and a fish turned the world upside downProducer: Jack Schmidt

When Nila Ibrahimi was 13 and living in Kabul, the local government banned girls from singing. She sang anyway, and was part of a protest movement that had the ban reversed. Months later Nila and her family fled to Canada when the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Nila has continued to advocate for the rights of girls in her home country, and in 2024 she won the International Children's Peace Prize. This week she's giving the Gandhi Oration at UNSW.Guest: Nila Ibrahimi, girls' education activistProducer: Alex Tighe

Ian Dunt explores the political culture surrounding the UK’s party conference season, considers whether Reform’s Nigel Farage has become the default Opposition leader in the UK, and looks at Donald Trump’s plans involving Tony Blair and Gaza.Guest: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentatorProducer: Ali Benton

For centuries, carpets have been coveted by shahs, emperors, conquerors and chieftains. Historian Dorothy Armstrong tells the stories of twelve fascinating carpets, from the 5th Century BC, to the rug under the boots of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill at Yalta in 1945.Guest: Dorothy Armstrong, historian of the material culture of South, Central and West Asia, University of Oxford. Author of Threads of EmpireProducer: Alex Tighe

ASIC, the Australian financial regulator, has licensed a stablecoin for the first time in its history. A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency, and we're at a moment where cryptocurrencies could change the plumbing of the global financial system... with profound consequences for geopolitics. Guest: Ross Buckley, Scientia Professor at UNSWProducer: Alex Tighe

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on his way home after announcing Australia's intention to run for a position on the UN Security Council at his speech to the UK Labour Party Conference. The PM pushed the importance of Australia's place on the global stage, shoring up AUKUS, and Australia's position on climate change, healthcare and the PBS in the face of Donald Trump's tariff threats. Guest: Professor Mark Kenny, Director Australian Studies Institute, ANU; columnist, The Canberra Times Producer: Catherine Zengerer

Kate Cocks was a formidable woman. Appointed to the South Australian Police Force in 1915 at the age of 40, she was given the same salary and powers of arrest as men in the force. It was a first in the British Empire. As a guardian of morality, she marched through Adelaide’s parklands whacking canoodling couples with a five-foot cane. Husbands caught abusing their wives, were made to kneel before her and recite the Lord’s Prayer. Protecting women's virtue wasn't her only agenda though. Later in life she set up a refuge for homeless women over fifty and, with the Methodist Church, established a home for unwed mothers with the aim of helping them keep their babies. But the Kate Cocks Memorial Babies Home had a darker legacy. Aboriginal children stolen from their mothers were taken there to be adopted out to white families. Guest: Lainie Anderson, journalist, historian and author of “Murder on North Terrace” - a book inspired by the true story of South Australian policewoman Kate Cocks. Published by Hachette.Producer: Catherine Zengerer

The 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia, was an historic meeting of 29 Asian and African nations - the largest gathering of non-European nations the world had seen. It marked the first major collective effort by newly independent countries to assert their voice in global affairs and begin their collective journey towards decolonisation. But the conference wasn’t just about throwing off the yoke of colonialism. The countries' leaders had one key objective: how to prevent a war between China and the United States. Guest: Nathan Hollier, Manager ANU Press, and author of an essay for the Australian Book Review called ‘Come nearer to Asia’ Australia’s place at Bandung, 1955 Producer: Catherine Zengerer

In the 1990s, NGOs (non government organisations) delivered more official development assistance than the entire U.N. system. Now, increasing anti-NGO rhetoric on both the left and right, means these groups have less power and influence than ever before.GUEST: Suparna Chaudhry, Associate Professor of International Affairs at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, US PRODUCER: Ali Benton

When Australians went to the polls in May's federal election, Generation Z and Millennials outnumbered baby boomers at the ballot box. What does this mean for the future of Australian voting patterns?GUEST: Dr. Intifar Chowdhury, Lecturer in Government at Flinders University, South AustraliaPRODUCER: Ali Benton

Journalist and former presenter of Media Watch, Richard Ackland, looks at how Australia's privacy laws are being used in place of expensive defamation cases in the wake of the Brittany Higgins/Linda Reynolds case, and how that might impact journalism going forward.Guest: Richard Ackland AM, journalist, publisher, lawyerProducer: Ali Benton

A flash revolution toppled Nepal's government earlier this month, as protests from young people over a social media ban quickly escalated into violence and the 73-year-old leader fleeing the country. An interim prime minister, Sushila Karki, has been appointed to lead the country back to stability. Will she succeed? Will Nepal?Guest: Biswas Baral, Editor of The Kathmandu PostProducer: Alex Tighe

Returning: Jimmy Kimmel. Not returning: the dozens of academics fired for comments on Charlie Kirk. America's love of free speech is being tested by Kirk's assassination, and Trump's speech at the memorial included the line, "I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them."Guest: Bruce Shapiro, Contributing Editor with The Nation, and Director of the Global Center for Journalism and TraumaProducer: Jack Schmidt

Poetry has been part of Muslim expression since ancient times; from the 8th century, poetry flourished in Arabic, Persian, and later Urdu and Turkish. Rumi, the 13th-century Sufi mystic, is still celebrated all over the world. Now, for national poetry month, the Sweatshop Literacy Movement has just published the world’s first collection of Muslim-Australian poetry, which aims to capture what it means to be a Muslim-Australian today, and reflect how poetry can transcend politics.Guest: Zainab Syed, poet and Editor (with Sara M. Saleh and by Manal Younus) of Ritual, published by Sweatshop Literacy Movement, and Adrian Mouhajer, Lebanese-Australian writer and editor from Lakemba in Western Sydney. Producer: Catherine Zengerer

US President Donald Trump was elected on a law and order platform, but consumer and public affairs watch organisation, Public Citizen, Trump’s administration has withdrawn or halted enforcement actions against 165 corporations, and at least a quarter of them are in the tech sector. Guest: Rick Claypool, Research Director, Public Citizen, author, “Corporate Clemency - How the Second Trump Administration Is Halting Enforcement Against Corporate Lawbreakers” (Public Citizen, March 2025) And “Deleting tech enforcement - Trump 2.0 Is Dropping Lawsuits and Investigations Against the $1 Billion-Spending Technology Sector” Producer: Catherine Zengerer

Mark Kenny examines the political path to Australia recognising Palestine ahead of the UN General Assembly and what it means for our relationship with President Donald Trump and the United States. Meanwhile the Opposition continues to vehemently oppose the move. GUEST: Mark Kenny, Professor at the ANU's Australian Studies Institute, host of the Democracy Sausage podcast and political analyst for the Canberra Times

Founded in 1947, the CIA was established under the mission 'know thine enemy'. Now, under US President Donald Trump, the agency is being gutted. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Tim Weiner, argues that Trump has instigated what he calls an “ideological purge” at the CIA. Analysts and officers with decades of experience are being pushed out (or told to leave) under the new leadership, of CIA Director John RatcliffeGUEST: Tim Weiner, author The Mission: The CIA in the 21st CenturyPRODUCER: Ali Benton