Three years since the great American writer Joan Didion died, her publishers are putting a new work on the market. It’s called Notes to John, a diary of her time in therapy with her husband. Her fans will soon be queuing to buy, but the ethics of publishing such private material are being questioned. GUEST: Andrew Biswell – the biographer of Anthony Burgess and now Professor of Modern Literature at Manchester UniversityPRODUCER: Ali Benton

In the early hours of March 10th 1945, Tokyo became the target of the most destructive single air raid in history - a low-altitude US attack that set the city alight and claimed an estimated 100,000 civilian lives. Whilst the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be commemorated in Japan later this year, the firebombing of Tokyo holds a more complex place in Japan's war memory. The elderly survivors of that night continue their struggle to be heard, acknowledged and compensated. Guest: Adrian Francis, Australian filmmaker living in Tokyo, director of Paper City (2021)

Before the 1967 war, radio ruled the Middle East—TV was a rare luxury. For the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Israel, the airwaves buzzed with news, and more often than not, propaganda. Alongside the giants like the BBC, hundreds of smaller stations across the region churned out their own political messages.GUEST: Margaret Peacock, Professor of History, University of Alabama and Frequencies of Deceit: How Global Propaganda Wars Shaped the Middle East PRODUCER: Ali Benton

Poland has unveiled its first queer museum, which chronicles the history of the LGBTQ+ community from the 16th century to the present. The museum showcases nearly 150 artefacts, including letters, photographs and a pair of high heels from the country's oldest drag queen, Lulla La Polaca.GUEST: Milosz Przepiórkowski, Board President, Lambda Warsaw, Poland’s oldest LGBTQI + AssociationPRODUCER: Ali Benton

In 2012 US President Barack Obama introduced laws allowing them to sanction Russians involved in human rights violations and high-level corruption. Known as the Magnitsky laws, they have been enacted by numerous countries, including Australia. Now the man behind the global campaign is worried President Donald Trump will roll them back. GUEST: Sir William (Bill) Browder, CEO Hermitage Capital, Head of Global Magnitsky Justice campaign. PRODUCER: Catherine Zengerer

As Europe looks to become much more self-sufficient on defence, how will the Starmer government find the funds? Plus, relationships sour within Nigel Farage's Reform party. 

Some of history's greatest trolls existed well before the Internet. Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron and even Shakespeare all loved provoking outrage. The desire to hurt or distract another with words goes back a very long way - and says a lot about the state of a culture.  GUEST: David Rudrum, Author of Trolling before the Internet, An Offline History of Insult, Provocation, and Public Humiliation in the Literary ClassicsPRODUCER: Ali Benton

Global finance markets slumped as the US heads towards a recession due to pressure on interest rates, Trump’s chaotic approach to imposing tariffs and the mass lay-offs cause by the DOGE cuts. So at what point do the BRICS countries decide to de-couple from the US dollar? And how should Australia respond in the context of the upcoming budget and the federal election? GUEST: Satyajit Das, former banker and global market analyst.PRODUCER: Catherine Zengerer

After US President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Australia, opposition leader Peter Dutton said his Coalition could have won a tariff exemption, if they'd been in government. Meanwhile Prime Minister Albanese has stepped up the language, describing Trump's move as 'entirely unjustified'.Guest: Laura Tingle, Political Editor, 7.30

When Justin Trudeau became Canadian Prime Minister in 2015, the world swooned. A young, unifying leader with a "sunny" vision for liberal democracy, following in the footsteps of his late father, Pierre. Nine years later, Justin Trudeau has stepped aside as PM at an inflection point for his country. Biographer Stephen Maher mulls the legacy of the mercurial Canadian leader: his achievements, his missteps, and what could've been. Guest: Stephen Maher, journalist and biographer, The Prince: The turbulent reign of Justin Trudeau