Late Night Live — Full program podcast

Ian Dunt, UK politics commentator known for sharp takes on Westminster, discusses Keir Starmer’s cautious Middle East stance, Iran’s leverage and the politics of defensive operations. Geoffrey Watson SC, anti-corruption campaigner, critiques the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s secretive handling of Robodebt. Saikrishna Prakash, constitutional law professor, explores the politics, history and reform of US presidential pardons.

Our regular Canberra correspondent Anna Henderson on the new-look Nationals. Saudi Arabia is playing a quiet hand so far in the war. And a longtime radical feminist reflects on the need to keep protesting.Guests:Anna Henderson,  chief political correspondent, SBSSimon Mabon, Professor of International Politics at Lancaster University, specialising in Saudi-Iranian relationsMargaret 'Mag' Merrilees, author of 'Scared Angry Laughing - how to fix the world'

Antony Beevor, acclaimed historian and author of narrative military histories, on Rasputin’s rise from Siberian peasant to a scandal-haunted court figure and his role in the Romanovs’ collapse. Jo Bartosz, journalist and assistant editor who co-wrote Pornocracy, on AI-made porn, platform responsibility, and how synthetic sexual imagery reshapes society and regulation.

Simon Nasht, former ABC journalist turned documentary maker, and Anna Potter, QUT professor of screen policy, discuss the crisis in Australian TV funding and what counts as an Australian story. They tackle streamers, shrinking drama hours, public subsidies, foreign ownership and targeted support for uniquely Australian and First Nations drama. They also explore why conspiracy theories thrive in Ireland and how to counter them.

Donald Trump's war in Iran is certainly taking the world's attention away from the scandals of his administration, including the firing of former Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and the latest allegations about Trump in the Epstein files. Speaking of the US military, what role does Christian nationalism play in the most lethal military in the world? Any role is too much for Mikey Weinstein, the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Plus: recovering a lost language for counting in Vanuatu.

Our Canberra correspondent on Australia's delicate positioning with the Middle East War. Why the French President is passionately arguing for no further attacks on Lebanon. And the mafia, even after all these years, still holds sway in Japan, the US, and Italy.

Yanis Varoufakis, the firebrand economist and former Greek Minister of Finance, joins David for a talk about the Iran war, Trump's tariffs and the new drug charges against him. Plus how our oldest library has been reflecting us for 200 years. The Mitchell Librarian, Richard Neville, talks about the living collection under his care.

For the first time, Late Night Live UK political commentator Ian Dunt, meets David Marr in person. In this special hour-long conversation, Dunt explores the parallels and distinctions between political developments in the United Kingdom and Australia, analyses the strains in relations between the UK and the US over the Iran conflict, and examines the recent Greens by-election win, in a long-held UK Labour seat.Guest: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentatorProducer: Ali Benton 

What are Israel's ultimate objectives in Iran, Lebanon and the broader Middle East? The veteran journalist and author Gideon Levy joins the show to discuss Israel's role in the Iran war, and whether or not peace is possible in the Middle East. Then: what even is a battery? So much of modern life depends on our ability to store energy, and humanity's turn towards a green energy future is only possible because of the humble battery. But should you recycle your old AAs? Plus: new research on Australia's very, very early desert settlers.

Australian Government leaders have been taking a cautious 'let's just wait and see what happens' approach to the war in the Middle East. Bruce Shapiro explains the legal and political constraints on President Trump's war leadership. And the scandals scattered across the literary world.