Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

The longstanding Director-General of the National Library of Australia Dr Marie-Louise Ayres has just retired after a long career, overseeing the digital cataloguing of millions of physical archives. It's a never-ending project, as the archive grows and technology continues to improve. Guest: Marie-Louise Ayres, General-Director, National Library of Australia

The wars on Iran, Gaza and Lebanon have seen millions left without shelter or food. People are fleeing into neighbouring Syria, Turkiye and Iraq and aid organisations are struggling to meet the demand for help. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has seen much needed aid stranded in key transportation hubs like Dubai. Crucial fertiliser for growing crops is also being blocked just as spring planting season has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning we could see global food supplies impacted. Here in Australia getting the message through that help is urgently needed has been difficult as people are focused on the cost of petrol and paying the bills.Guests: Susanne Legena, CEO of Plan International Australia; and Mat Tinkler, CEO Save the Children AustraliaProducer: Catherine ZengererAustralians wishing to donate to the Middle East Appeal can do so here: https://emergencyaction.org.au/middle-east-appeal/ or call 1300-939-000.

The Museum of Failure, founded by psychologist Dr. Samuel West, is a celebration of innovation gone wrong. It showcases a wide range of failed products and ideas from around the world, from famous flops like the Apple Newton and Google Glass to lesser-known attempts that never made it to market. The museum emphasises that failure is not something to be feared or hidden, but rather a crucial part of creativity, experimentation, and progress.Guest: Dr Samuel West, Clinical psychologist and founder, Museum of FailureProducer: Ali Benton 

Donald Trump’s private business footprint in the Gulf spans luxury real estate, golf courses, and high-profile partnerships. The Trump administration denies that this business activity is a conflict of interest with the US presidency. The Democrats, US based ethics groups and the American constitution says otherwise.Guest: Eric Lipton, Investigative reporter, New York TimesProducer: Ali Benton

Donald Trump told the press his Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner conducted talks with Iran on Sunday. The US stock market rose sharply but fell again when Iran denied the talks. Now a Guardian report says Egypt has been assisting negotiations - so is Trump looking for an out? Meanwhile Congress has confirmed a new Homeland Secretary to replace the disgraced Kristi Noem, but Markwayne Mullin will have his hands full dealing with chaos as airports across America as Trump sends ICE agents in to replace workers affected by a go0vernmet shutdown. And the Pentagon loses its defence of media shut-out rules. Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine and Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma. Producer: Catherine Zengerer

Pretty flowers often carry a dark side. Pesticides that harm the florists who handle them. Thousands of travel miles for the many imported flowers. And floral foam that leaks microplastics into water, and therefore waterways.Guest: Rita Feldmann, founder and education director of the Australian-based Sustainable Floristry NetworkProducer: Ann Arnold 

Trailblazing Arts executive and Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung Nation Rhoda Roberts AO has died, aged 66. Alongside her vast accomplishments in Australian arts, media and culture, she is credited with coining the term 'Welcome to Country' - a modern ceremony with ancient roots, which first emerged in Australia's cultural scene in the 1970s. Rhoda joined David Marr on Late Night Live in February 2025, at a time when some federal politicians were suggesting these ceremonies were too costly and 'overdone'. Rhoda discussed their origins, purpose and value to First Nations people and the broader community. Guest: Rhoda Roberts AO, Arts executive and Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung Nation

Why One Nation appealed to South Australians, plus the looming fuel shortage - is Australia moving fast enough to prepare for it?Guest: Anna Henderson, chief political correspondent with SBS

In 2017, a lawsuit uncovered internal emails from chemical giant Monsanto that suggested its employees helped ghostwrite an influential paper that claimed to find no evidence the company’s widely used glyphosate herbicide, Roundup, caused cancer. Now, the scientific journal that published the 2000 paper has announced it has been retracted, at the request of Harvard scientist Naomi Oreskes.Guest: Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University. Producer: Ali BentonThe authority which regulates pesticides in Australia - the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) - maintains that glyphosate products are "...considered safe to use when the instructions on the label are followed."

In the USA today the Americans who own the most guns are not military veterans or hunters. They are white evangelical Christians, and there are 60 million of them. Evangelical churches are not only encouraging their congregations to bring their guns to church, in some cases they are setting up shooting ranges, raffling off guns as prizes and even manufacturing the mass killing weapons being used in school shootings. Veteran journalist Bill Kole was an evangelical Christian himself when began investigating the intersection between guns and god, and what he found out made him question his own religion.  Guest: William J. Kole, journalist and author of In Guns We Trust -The Unholy Trinity of White Evangelicals, Politics, and Firearms, published by Broadleaf books Producer: Catherine Zengerer