Late Night Live — Full program podcast - podcast cover

Late Night Live — Full program podcast

ABC Australiawww.abc.net.au
Incisive analysis, fearless debates and nightly surprises. Explore the serious, the strange and the profound with David Marr.
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Episodes

Hiroshima and the new nuclear threat, plus inside London's exclusive clubs

Eighty years since Hiroshima a nuclear expert says deterrence policies are no longer enough to deal with the increasing prospect of nuclear escalation. Plus inside London's exclusive clubs - how much have they changed since they were the illegal gambling dens of the eighteenth century?

Aug 06, 202555 min

Future warfare is already here, plus the Chinese survivors of the Titanic

Israel is using AI to track and target Hamas operatives - and those around them. Ukraine is efficiently deploying cheap drones against the military might of Russia. Both conflicts show us how quickly warfare is changing, according to acclaimed New Yorker writer Dexter Filkins. And just when you thought you knew the story of the Titanic, we hear about an overlooked group of passengers. There were eight Chinese men aboard, but their presence has been largely forgotten.

Jul 31, 202554 min

John Hewson says sack the NACC, plus the Roosevelts' giant panda hunt

Former Liberal leader John Hewson says after two years the National Anti-Corruption Commission has failed in its mission to properly investigate allegations of systemic corruption. Plus how US President Theodore Roosevelt's sons introduced the panda to the West.

Jul 24, 202555 min

Starvation in Gaza, China's clean energy boom and Putin's sledgehammer

Health officials in Gaza say starvation is now killing Palestinians at a faster rate than at any point in the 21-month war. China might be a coal behemoth, but our northern neighbours are also dominating the world in renewable energy. Plus the rise and fall of Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin. Two years since he was killed in a plane crash, how has the Wagner group reorganised?

Jul 23, 202557 min

The decline of history teaching, and abortion through the ages

Professor Chris Wallace argues the decline in both enrolments in, and the offering of history and other humanities subjects at Australian universities has resulted in a loss of capacity for historical thinking. Plus, how women have handled unwanted and dangerous pregnancies throughout history.

Jul 17, 202554 min

What next when climate litigation fails? And tales of tourists lost in the bush

The Torres Strait Islanders' case against the federal government over responsibility for action on climate change may have been lost, but another significant case is coming up in the International Court of Justice which could set a new legal framework for future cases. Plus more than 25 years ago another case of a missing tourist in outback WA dominated the headlines, but in this case the missing man did not want to be found.

Jul 16, 202555 min

Telling the truth about Victoria's past, plus a US critique of 'woke' elites

ABC's Bridget Brennan surveys the process that lead to Victoria's Yoorrook Justice Commission's final truth-telling report, which found that the Indigenous people of Victoria were subject to a genocide. Plus, US sociologist Musa al-Gharbi contends that the so-called 'woke elites' of the West, are more concerned about self-promotion than actual social change.

Jul 07, 202554 min

Tracing the trajectory of the Christchurch killer, and is AI a con?

The man who killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques in 2019, was motivated by far-right extremism and white nationalist ideology. A new podcast traces the killer's digital footprint prior to the massacre. And the promise of AI (artificial intelligence). A linguistics professor warns that AI technologies, particularly large language models like ChatGPT, are often misrepresented as intelligent entities.

Jul 03, 202554 min

The twins separated by foreign adoption, plus the ancient allure of isolationism

The world is experiencing a profound break from the orthodoxy of globalisation. President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement didn’t invent isolationism - the concept goes back to ancient Greece. So what's the appeal of self-sufficiency, from a nation-state level down to the individual? Plus, a story of changing polices and attitudes to children in China - a journalist tracks down a stolen child, and reunites twins who grew up separately in China and Texas.

Jul 02, 202554 min

Could the world have two Dalai Lamas? And a marathon vote on Trump's 'big beautiful bill'

As the Dalai Lama turns 90, a struggle looms over his succession, with China insisting they will choose the next in line. Bruce Shapiro examines divisions amongst Republicans as Trump's 'big beautiful bill' faces a marathon debate in the Senate. And a sweeping 150 year history of test cricket - a story of race, class, money and empire.

Jul 01, 202554 min

Albanese's second term ambitions, a new MI6 chief, and the forgotten Flinders brother

A look at Anthony Albanese's political agenda for his second term with Guardian Australia Political correspondent, Tom McIlroy and for the first time in history, the MI6 chief — codename C — will be a woman. Plus the life of the lesser known Flinders brother, Samuel, who is seems was overlooked because of a family feud.

Jun 30, 202554 min

How to share resources in space, and the true crimes of Wiradjuri brothers Jimmy and Joe Governor

Space lawyer Steven Freeland is just back from UN meetings in Vienna, where his draft principles for accessing space resources were discussed. As chair of a working group, his job is to get all 107 member countries to agree on rules for who can do what. And the truths about Jimmy Governor, and his brother Joe, who inspired the book and film 'The chant of Jimmy Blacksmith'.

Jun 26, 202554 min

What is France's role in the world? Plus, a trailblazing, rebellious Māori Professor

French President Emmanuel Macron's political fortunes may have turned against him at home, but in Europe, he now stands as one of the longest-serving leaders on the continent. What is the role of Macron's France in a tumultuous region and world? Plus, trailblazing Maori Professor Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku tells the wild, heartbreaking and beautiful stories of her life.

Jun 25, 202554 min

The fallacies of the fertility crisis, and a gritty history of Macau

Why are people around the world having fewer babies, and what – if anything – should be done about it? And Macau has long been overshadowed by Hong Kong, but it was once a central meeting place of Western and Chinese cultures, a colonial outpost rich in stories and characters.

Jun 19, 202554 min

A shambolic expedition to Arnhem Land, and the first despot of North Korea

In 1948, a team of 17 Australians and Americans went to Arnhem Land to document traditional Aboriginal life, collecting thousands of natural specimens and cultural artefacts. It was an ethical and organisational shambles. And Kim Il-Sung, the grandfather of North Korea's current leader, Kim Jong Un, created the state of despair and oppression that continues today.

Jun 18, 202554 min
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