After a brief moment where two nuclear powers looked to be on the verge of war, India and Pakistan have agreed to a temporary ceasefire. But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says it’s not an end to hostilities, just a pause. The scary thing is - there are factions in both governments that think a war might be a good thing for them politically. So why is that and will it inevitably lead to a deadly conflict? Over the next two episodes, we’re going to take a look at both sides: India and then Pakistan. Why they want to fight, and what they have to lose. Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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22:14
Howard Lutnick and The Gates of Hell
When two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers on September 11 2001 Howard Lutnick lost 658 of his colleagues. It was a tragedy of unthinkable proportions which we covered in last week’s episode. But Howard Lutnick lost something else that day and Matt can’t stop thinking about it. In this bonus episode of If You’re Listening we take a look at the most famous sculptor since Michelangelo; Auguste Rodin, and his work, “The Gates of Hell” which was on the 101st floor of the North Tower that day, and hasn’t been seen since. Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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20:00
The man betting big on Trump's tariffs
The man behind Trump’s trade war is Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his backstory is extraordinary. He’s been a hero, he’s been a villain, he’s been a sympathetic figure and also one of the most hated men in America - and all of that is even before he attached himself to Donald Trump. Over the last few months, gambling with tariffs has caused economic chaos and sent global markets into a tailspin… but Howard Lutnick is clearly all in. So why is the Commerce Secretary so reckless when it comes to the future of America’s economy? Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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25:24
Australia vs the Internet: Conservative kill screen
Just a few months ago Elon Musk was heralded as a political kingmaker when he had a hand in helping Donald Trump win the US election. Musk has since meddled in the politics of the UK, Germany, Spain and elsewhere but has struggled to convert his political prowess into victories for his chosen Conservative parties. In fact, being in any way similar to Trump or Musk has been a dead weight around the ankle of political campaigns over the last few months. It was clear the DOGE dynamism had officially worn off when federal elections in Canada and Australia saw both conservative parties lose by a landslide…Given that Musk and the other tech bro billionaires have so much influence over how we communicate... why are they seemingly struggling to actually influence our politics?If you're around Newcastle on the 18th of May, come along to the live show of If You're Listening at the Young People's Theatre - tickets available here: https://yptninc.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/149193Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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24:00
Australia vs the Internet: Misinformation overload
To scroll through social media during an election campaign in 2025 is to experience some of the worst misinformation. But an online soup of bots spouting partisan talking points wasn’t inevitable, even in recent years. After the 2016 election of US President Donald Trump and UK vote for Brexit, it was clear that online platforms like Facebook and Twitter were used to target voters with misinformation and disrupt political discourse enough to sway elections. As a result, the social media giants really tried to crack down on harmful content spreading online…or at least they pretended to.But in the last year or so, they’ve almost completely given up… and the vast digital sea of misinformation has become more dangerous than ever. If you're around Newcastle on the 18th of May, come along to the live show of If You're Listening at the Young People's Theatre - tickets available here: https://yptninc.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/149193Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
The world is on fire. There's a coup. Inflation is through the roof, and AI is taking our jobs. What does it all mean? Each week, Matt Bevan explains the biggest story in world news while hiding in his basement from assassins and authoritarian regimes.
Recent episodes include an exploration of the relationship between India and China, a closer look at the Saudi Arabian city of NEOM, the conflict in the Middle East, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, and Ukraine's incursions into Vladimir Putin's Russia. Matt Bevan draws connections between stories from the past and the events of the present to help listeners understand world news and international affairs.
The podcast also features series about big moments in world news; previous series have focused on the United States presidential election, the United Kingdom's 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, Donald Trump's relationship with Russia, Donald Trump's presidency and promise to Make America Great Again, the Mueller Report, Vladimir Putin's scheme to destroy western democracies, how the relationship between Australia and China came to the verge of collapse, and Australia's turbulent history with climate change.
There's a new episode of If You're Listening every Thursday.
New Zealand