Late Night Live — Full program podcast

Israel's opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has been asked to form the next government, putting an end to Benjamin Netanyahu's long political dominance. The former army chief now faces the task of assembling a governing coalition and navigating Israel's deep political divisions. Plus, Professor Richard Dawkins reflects on fifty years since writing The Selfish Gene, where developments in artificial intelligence might take us, and whether he's at risk of a death-bed conversion to believing in god. Guests:Irris Makler, veteran Israel correspondentProfessor Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and author Get in touch: Email us at [email protected]

The newly-published 20th annual Scanlon Foundation report into Australia's social cohesion has found that more and more Australians are feeling pessimistic about the future, amid growing financial pressures. But social cohesion remains fairly robust, with most Australia broadly supportive of immigration. Plus, the former Australian soldier and military strategist Professor David Kilcullen considers when (if ever) it is justified for a nation to intervene in the affairs of another - with troops, money or force.Guests:Dr James O'Donnell, demographer at ANU; lead investigator, Scanlon FoundationDr David Kilcullen, Professor of War Studies at the University of New South Wales; Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, and CEO of the geopolitical risk analysis firm Cordillera Applications GroupGet in touch:  Email us at [email protected]

US correspondent Bruce Shapiro brings his analysis of the 'blue wave' that saw the Democrats take both the House and the Senate in a resounding repudiation of Trumpian politics in the US mid-term elections. Did any potential presidential candidates emerge? What's the future for the Republicans, and what can the Democrats achieve with Donald Trump threatening to veto their legislation? Plus in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries technological developments meant guns became small enough and affordable enough to be used by ordinary men. Italy led the way, helped along by Leonardo da Vinci. They caused havoc, and posed a difficult question for rulers - how to balance their need for defence versus how to control the use of guns in everyday life. Guests: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine and Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma.Catherine Fletcher, author of The Firearm Revolution: From Renaissance Italy to the European Empires Get in touch:Email us at [email protected]

When the Assad regime fell in Syria in 2024, NPR correspondent Emily Feng was surprised to find thousands of Uyghurs amongst the victorious rebel forces. What were they doing there and why were they fighting? Plus, bestselling author Sally Rooney and her publisher have pulled he books from UK shelves, while legislation continues to designate the group 'Palestine Action' as a terror organisation. Does this amount to censorship? Guests: Emily Feng, NPR correspondent and author of 'Our hearts burned from home: Uyghur militants in Syria's civil war'Tanjil Rashid, culture editor at the New StatesmanGet in touch:Email us at [email protected]

Anna Henderson reveals an Australian doctor from Perth who worked in ISIS medical centres could face the death penalty in Iraq. She and David also discuss antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal's report which has  called out what Segal describes as "progressive antisemitism", and whether One Nation will run a candidate against Nationals leader Matt Canavan in the Queensland seat of Capricornia. Plus Singapore is threatening to prosecute companies responsible for some of the worst fires in years in neighbouring Indonesia, as the region grows increasingly frustrated with a persistent, toxic smoke haze. And the latest craze for billionaires - purchasing dinosaurs rare fossils.GuestsAnna Henderson, SBS, Chief political correspondent, SBS.Sean Tseng, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL) at National University SingaporeConor O'Keeffe, Science Journalism Fellow, ABC.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]

After President Lula de Silva's comeback election victory in Brazil, his defeated opponent Flavio Bolsonaro vanished from the country. What now lies ahead for the giant South American nation, under the 81 year-old Lula? Plus, a new biography explores the complexities of Geoffrey Bardon, the white Australian school teacher who became a key figure in the contemporary Indigenous art movement of the 1970s, while battling his own demons. Guests: Deborah Barros Leal Farias, Associate Professor at the University of New South WalesKitty Hauser, author of 'Art Mania: Geoffrey Bardon and the Painting Men of Papunya', Giromondo PressGet in touch: We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]

Correspondent Irris Makler joins Late Night Live as the votes are tallied after Israel's election - with a deadlock looking increasingly likely. Plus the story behind the European lawyers, who fled to Australia after World War Two.Guests:Irris Makler, veteran Middle East CorrespondentKatherine Biber, historian and Professor of Law, University of Technology, SydneyGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]

UK journalist Ian Dunt previews PM Andy Burnham's first budget, plus a new book analyses published and unpublished polling data to understand how and why the 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum failed to win the majority support of the Australian public. Guests:Ian Dunt, columnist for i-news, co-host of Origin Story podcastProfessor Murray Goot, Macquarie University and Professor Emeritus Tim Rowse, Western Sydney University, co-authors 'The Year Our Voice Broke' (2026)Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]

Anna Henderson discusses the ongoing debate over the connection between the tone of political rhetoric and real world acts of violence, since the attack on Independent MP Helen Haines, plus whether the government's use of algorithms in aged care assessments shows it has learned the lessons of Robodebt. France’s debt is mounting, its governments are paralysed and public anger is spilling into the streets. As the political centre falters, far-right leader Marine Le Pen is waiting to capitalise. Plus, bones are an extraordinary record of human life, holding clues to our histories, our societies and the ways we die. From forensic science to Europe’s vast ossuaries, what can the dead tell us about the living?Guests:Anna Henderson, Chief Political Correspondent, SBSJames Waterhouse, BBC Paris CorrespondentCarla Valentine, author, The Language of Bones

Correspondent Irris Makler joins Late Night Live from Israel, days away from the country's elections. Plus, Washington journalist Susan Page details Queen Elizabeth II's relationship with 13 US presidents, from Truman to Trump. Guests:Irris Makler, journalist and former Jerusalem correspondent, France24Susan Page, Washington, D.C. bureau chief for USA Today, author of 'The Queen and Her Presidents'Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]