Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

The Moon, our closest celestial neighbour, is almost 400,000 kilometres away and only twelve people have walked on its surface to date. Yet, Rebecca Boyle believes the Moon is responsible for every giant leap humankind has ever made.

The new film Damage is the story of an Iraqi taxi driver Ali, and his elderly passenger Esther. Initially suspicious of each other they eventually form a bond. Filmmaker Madeleine Blackwell cast Ali Al Jenabi as the taxi driver after seeing him at a writers festival.

Guests: Damage director Madeleine Blackwell and actor Ali Al Jenabi 

The populist Law and Justice party (PiS) was voted out in October 2023. What is the legacy of their 8 years in office and what lies ahead for Poland?

Radoslaw Markowski: Professor of Political Science, Center for the Study of Democracy (Director), University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw.

Anand Patwardhan is an Indian documentary filmmaker whose films have explored the rise of religious fundamentalism, sectarianism and casteism in India. Others have been banned for investigating nuclear nationalism and unsustainable development. His most recent film reflects on his family’s role in fighting for freedom from Britain, and how Modi’s India is not the country his pro-unification family fought for.  

Guest: Anand Patwardhan, Indian documentary filmmaker. His work can be found here

Bruce Shapiro unravels the possible consequences of the $355 million fine imposed on Donald Trump for fraud and looks at what the Democrats can learn from winning back the seat in Long Islands from Republican fraudster George Santos.

Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. 

Someone who epitomises fearless reporting, is the Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative journalist Kate McClymont. 

Kate has been a journalist for nearly 40 years.  

She’s exposed corruption at the highest levels of politics, she’s also lead investigations into financial conwoman Melissa Caddick, high profile neurosurgeon Charlie Teo, High Court Judge Dyson Heydon, and media personalities Don Burke and Alan Jones.  

Kate is a winner of many writing awards, including the coveted Gold Walkley as well as recently being honoured with the Walkley for outstanding contribution to journalism.

Guest: 

Kate McClymont,  SMH chief investigative reporter

The Opposition is claiming the government has lost control of its borders after the arrival of an asylum seeker boat in WA. Meanwhile a review of our naval ship capabilities is expected to recommend we increase the number of warships in our fleet. 

Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

John Clarke, was one of New Zealand and Australia’s comedic geniuses. He died of a fatal heart attack while bushwalking with his wife  in 2017.   

John’s eldest daughter Lorin recently  wrote a memoir about her family’s life, titled,  Would that be funny? Growing Up with John Clarke 

Guest: Lorin Clarke, writer

We tend to think of books and war as being at opposite ends of the spectrum. Books rank among humanity’s greatest inventions; war amongst its most terrible. Yet literary historian Andrew Pettegree argues that throughout history books and conflict have been deeply intertwined. 

Human Rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson has been representing Julian Assange for many years. Next week he is requesting leave to appeal against the decision to extradite him to the USA which was made over a year ago. If leave to appeal is denied he could face imminent extradition to a high security prison in the United States.

Guest: Jennifer Robinson, human rights lawyer representing Julian Assange

These days, hitchhiking is discouraged by authorities and concerned parents alike, but in the 1930s it was seen as an opportunity for good manners, generosity and youthful adventure. 

The appointment of Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neil as First Minister in Northern Ireland is an historical moment for the party which was once called a terrorist organisation unfit to lead. So what does this augur a new step for the reunification movement?

Guest: Fintan O’Toole, author and columnist for the Irish Times

The politics of the U-turn as Labour ditches a by-election candidate and walks back from a 28 billion pound green fund pledge. Meanwhile it's a week from hell for PM Rishi Sunak's Tories. 

At a time when thousands of languages are vanishing linguistics professor Caleb Everett explores how language shapes the way we think and feel about the world, as well as our perceptions of fundamental life experiences — and what linguistic diversity can tell us about human culture.

Guest: Caleb Everett, Professor of Anthropology and Psychology at the University of Miami. Author of "A Myriad of Tongues — How Languages Reveal Differences in How We Think," published by Harvard University Press.

Shocking revelations about Home Affairs awarding contracts to companies with suspected links to drugs, firearms and bribery. Do we have double standards when it comes to white men's drinking habits? And will the government make an announcement about closing the gap on the anniversary of the apology?

Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Sugandha Srivastav recounts the story of the fantastic sun ray machine and how its creator George Cove was allegedly kidnapped, setting back the development of solar panels for decades.

As the world transitions to green energy and electric vehicles, demand for metals like lithium, copper and nickel is on the rise. Mining for these metals in the past has resulted in environmental degradation and in many cases human rights abuses. Can we do better in the future?

Guest: Christopher Pollon, Award winning journalist and author of Pitfall: The Race to Mine the World’s Most Vulnerable Places (University of Queensland Press)

A name synonymous with social welfare particularly when it comes to asylum seekers and refugees is Sr Brigid Arthur.

Sr Brigid is the co-founder of the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project which was set up in 2001 and has helped thousands of refugees since then.

She’s been in court protecting the interests of indigenous children and teenage climate activists

Sister Brigid recently received an Order of Australia, and at 89,  has no plans to retire. One might say she’s a rebel with a cause.

Guest: Sr Brigid Arthur, Coordinator Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project

The International Court of Justice found that there was a plausible risk that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. What should the global response be to the finding, and in particular what should Australia's response be? Could the defunding of UNRWA be seen as collective punishment?

Guests: Regina Weiss, barrister and former prosecution trial lawyer at the International Criminal Court

Ben Saul, Challis Chair of International Law, The University of Sydney, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-terrorism

Bruce Shapiro examines the arguments in the case brought by Colorado to the Supreme Court to have Donald Trump removed from the presidential primary ballot. 

Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University.