Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

The war medic Edward 'Weary' Dunlop became legendary in the POW camps of World War II for his courage and leadership, including putting his body between a patient and a Japanese bayonet. From the football field through to the horrific working conditions on the Thai-Burma Railway, Peter FitzSimons traces the life of an Australian hero.Guest: Peter FitzSimons, journalist and authorProducer: Alex Tighe

The dismissal of Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by the Governor-General on November 11, 1975 is perhaps the most dramatic and most contentious moment in Australian political history. 50 years on, do modern Liberals still back Governor-General Sir John Kerr's decision to sack a sitting PM?Guest: Julian Leeser MP, shadow Education Minister, Liberal Member for BerowraProducer: Jack Schmidt

When New York based, Queer thriller writer Andrea Bartz, discovered the AI company Anthropic, had pirated her book to train its AI large language models, she decided to sue. Alongside two other authors, a class action suit was filed. In a landmark settlement, Anthropic agreed to pay 2.28 billion dollars to five hundred thousand authors. It’s the largest payout in the history of U.S copyright cases.GUEST: Queer thriller writer Andrea Bartz, author of The Last Ferry OutPRODUCER: Ali Benton

Despite lacking approval for construction from the federal agency that oversees building projects, US President Donald Trump has commenced major renovations at the White House. The East Wing, has been flattened, and a new, 90000 square foot ballroom will be built in its place. Heritage architects are concerned about the new design, claiming that one of America's most famous landmarks could be compromised.GUEST: Jan Werner Muller, Professor of Politics at Princeton University.PRODUCER: Ali Benton

After a stunning ascent, Zohran Mamdani is the youngest mayor of New York in more than a century. Mamdani is a fierce critic of Donald Trump, and Trump had endorsed an alternative candidate. But New York wasn't the only anti-Trump election result; Democratic governors were elected in New Jersey and Virginia, and Californian voters approved a measure designed to bolster the number of Democrats in the House. What do all of these results mean for Donald Trump's second presidency?Guest: Bruce Shapiro, Contributing Editor at The Nation and Executive Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma

Elisa de Corsi, a historian and curator specializing in 19th-century colonial Australian photography, discusses the fascinating arrival of the first camera in Australia and the initial public reaction. She highlights the 1845 William Bland daguerreotype as the earliest surviving photograph and shares intriguing details about the lost portraits and their global journey. The conversation also touches on photography's role in documenting Indigenous people and the colonial landscape, and how it served both as a celebration of empire and a tool for surveillance.

Thant Myint U, historian and grandson of U Thant, discusses his grandfather's pivotal role as UN Secretary-General amid Cold War crises. He explores U Thant's transformation from a Burmese teacher to a global diplomat, emphasizing his Buddhist principles that shaped his calm mediation style. Myint U highlights U Thant's critical interventions during the Cuban Missile Crisis and his advocacy for nuclear disarmament. Despite facing challenges, including strained relations over Vietnam, U Thant's vision for a just world remains a legacy worth remembering.

When the CIA was building its new headquarters, they commissioned a statue designed to pay homage to the spy agency. 'Krytpos' was both a sculpture and a mystery: the artwork contains encrypted messages, one of which — known as K4 — has never been decrypted. But just this year, as the artist was preparing to auction the solution, two journalists found K4's answer written in plain English in the Smithsonian archives. But have they really solved the K4 mystery?Guest: Dr Sam Blake, the Australian mathematician and cryptographer who solved the Zodiac Killer cipher Z340Producer: Alex Tighe, Catherine Zengerer

On 10 December, the government's new law banning under-16s from having social media accounts will be enforced. It's a world-first attempt to rein in the power of Big Tech, free kids from their phones, and prevent the harms of social media — but will the law actually achieve its aims?Guest: Cam Wilson is the associate editor of Crikey, where he writes about internet culture and techProducer: Alex Tighe

Pressure is building inside the Liberal party to follow the Nationals' decision to abandon its commitment to net zero carbon emissions. Anna Henderson looks at the political implications for both parties. Guest: Anna Henderson, SBS World News Chief Political Correspondent | National Press Club Director