Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

Right now, there are 902 billionaires in the US and almost half of the representatives in Congress are millionaires. Described as ‘ the comfort class’ by writer, Xochitl Gonzalez, the group is so out of touch with people living from pay-check to pay-check, that their perspective may no longer be relevant in America. GUEST: Xochitl Gonzalez, is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She is the author of the novel Olga Dies Dreaming and was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.PRODUCER: Ali Benton

As US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth calls on Australia to significantly increase its military spending, journalist Bernard Keane asks if the US remains a predictable partner in the Asia-Pacific region. Guest: Bernard Keane, Politics Editor, Crikey

Hollywood actress Merle Oberon was born in poverty in India. To make it in the movies, first in London and then Hollywood, she had to invent a new life story that concealed her race. Her advisors came up with Tasmania as her birth place. Guest: Mayukh Sen, New York-based journalism teacher and film writer.  Author of ‘Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s first South Asian star’ (WW Norton) Producer: Ann Arnold

It was Franklin Roosevelt who came up with the notion of national security, to persuade Americans to get involved in World War ll. His pitch was that Americans had social security, domestically, under the New Deal. But to keep the world's instability at bay, and protect the 'American way of life', participation in world affairs was necessary. Guest: Professor Andrew Preston, author of 'Total Defense: The New Deal, and the invention of national security’ (Harvard University Press) Producer: Ann Arnold

In 2016, Spanish civil engineer and avid scuba diver, Carlos Mallo Molina quit his job to protest the plans for a huge recreational boat and ferry terminal in Tenerife. Thanks to his relentless efforts, the project was scrapped in 2021. Now, in 2025, Carlos has been honoured with the Goldman Prize — the environmental world’s equivalent of a Nobel.GUEST: Carlos Mallo Molina, civil engineer, environmental activist and CEO of global marine conservation organisation, InnoceanaPRODUCER: Ali Benton

100 words plus Guests name & book 

One of the world's oldest surviving cookbooks is a collection of recipes from ancient Rome called De Re Coquinaria (“On the Topic of Cooking”). Whether it be braised flamingos, stuffed door mouse or roast parrot, Roman elites spared no expense when it came to fine dining.GUEST: Christopher D Parkinson, PhD Candidate in Classics at the University of MelbournePRODUCER: Ali Benton

In May 2026, a resort in Las Vegas will host the inaugural Enhanced Games, where athletes will be free to use performance enhancing drugs. The controversial event is the brainchild of Australian businessman Aron D'Souza, and has gained support from the likes of billionaire Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.Guest: Josh Gabert-Doyon, journalist and podcast producer for Financial Times

The Trump administration wants to send a group of migrants to war torn South Sudan. Some say it's to instil fear into would-be US immigrants. Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor for The Nation magazine and executive director for the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University  Producer: Jack Schmidt

After 30 years of appearances on Late Night Live - spanning nine Australian Prime Ministers - Laura Tingle bids farewell to LNL as its political correspondent in Canberra, before commencing her ABC Global Affairs role. In a sprawling conversation, Laura recounts her early beginnings in journalism, the ebbs and flows of Canberra politics through the decades, and what she's come to admire in our representatives.