1978 episodes
Ian Dunt on what the US mid-terms mean for Britain, Poland is having a court crisis, and ancient rock arches are falling
10/11/2026 | 54 mins.Our regular UK political commentator Ian Dunt on why his country should not try to copy the Democrat success in the US. How a dispute over which judges dominate a court could determine who rules Poland. And the world's rock arches are precious, but inevitably, will fall.
Guests:
Ian Dunt, columnist with i-news, co-host of the Origin Story podcast
Bartosz Brzesinski, senior reporter for Politico Europe
Jeffrey Moore, hiker, and Professor of Geology and Physics, University of Utah
Contact Late Night Live via email here.Can Gadi Eisenkot end the Netanyahu era? Plus Richard Dawkins on AI and selfish genes
09/11/2026 | 54 mins.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 correspondent
Professor Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and author
Get in touch: Email us at latenightlive_rn@abc.net.auWhy pessimism is growing in Australia, plus when to join a war and when to exit one
05/11/2026 | 54 mins.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 Foundation
Dr 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 Group
Get in touch: Email us at latenightlive_rn@abc.net.au- 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 latenightlive_rn@abc.net.au - 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 Statesman
Get in touch:
Email us at latenightlive_rn@abc.net.au
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Incisive analysis, fearless debates and nightly surprises. Explore the serious, the strange and the profound with David Marr.
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