Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

Australia's wild deer population is on the rise, but the management of this introduced species remains a vexed issue. In Tasmania and Victoria, deer continues to be classified as a game resource for hunting, rather than a feral pest. An estimated 1-2 million deer now inhabit Australia - and reducing those numbers is both a practical, and political challenge. Guest: Professor Mike Letnic, applied ecologist and conservation biologist, UNSWProducer: Jack Schmidt

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is coming under increasing pressure to take a stronger stance on the atrocities unfolding in Gaza. It has take the Egyptian leader months to condemn Israel's actions and he has held firm to the view that Egypt “will not be a gateway for the displacement of the Palestinian people”.  A $USD35 billion gas deal with Israel may hold some clues to the complicated relationship between the two countries. GUEST: Farid Y. Farid, AAP journalist formerly based in Egypt with AFP. PRODUCER: Catherine Zengerer

Trump is taking over the police force of Washington, DC — why?  Plus, the battle over electoral distributions in Texas.Guest: Bruce Shapiro, Contributing Editor for The Nation, and Executive Director of the Global Center for Journalism and TraumaProducer: Jack Schmidt

A groundbreaking book collates all that is known about Tasmania's first inhabitants, back to 40,000 years ago, by surveying contemporary scientific evidence, and re-interpreting colonial records.  It also offers insights into ancient peoples on the mainland and elsewhere. Guest: Shayne Breen, historian who has worked with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community for over 30 years. Author of ‘First Tasmanians: a deep history’ (Miegunyah Press/MUP) Producer: Ann Arnold

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, joining the UK, France and Canada. The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says a two-state solution is ‘humanity’s best hope’ to end suffering in Gaza. GUEST: Irris Makler, journalist, author, Jerusalem correspondent.

100 years ago Adolf Hitler wrote Mein Kampf in prison. It would become compulsory reading in Germany, and millions of copies sold around the world. On its centenary, the acclaimed journalist and author John Kampfner re-examines the book, its years of suppression in Germany, and its ongoing survival in the worst corners of the internet in a new documentary for the BBC. GUEST: John Kampfner, award-winning author, columnist and foreign affairs specialist. His article for The Independent is herePRODUCERS: Ali Benton and Jack Schmidt 

Satyajit Das, a former banker and author, dives deep into the U.S. national debt crisis exceeding $36 trillion. He discusses the ramifications of President Trump's proposed tariffs and questions their effectiveness in reducing debt. Historical perspectives on borrowing highlight the urgency of economic restructuring. Das critiques the U.S.'s aggressive international negotiation tactics, drawing parallels to historical tribute demands. He also explores the complexities of new tax strategies and their potential impact on economic stability amidst rising inflation.

London’s exclusive clubs date back hundreds of years and many a secret has been shared in them, from exclusive business deals to plots destined to unseat Prime Ministers. Now there is a comprehensive guide to what lies within, and how the former gambling dens for white male aristocrats are adapting to bring in new wheelers, dealers and those who just want to be seen. GUEST: Dr Seth Alexander Thévoz, historian and author of London Clubland: A Companion for the Curious, published by Hachette PRODUCER: Catherine Zengerer

Japan has marked 80 years since the Americans dropped “Little Boy” on the city of Hiroshima which killed 80,000 and changed global power dynamics forever. Nuclear expert Ankit Panda says we have entered a new threat level, and policies of nuclear deterrence are no longer enough to deal with the increasing prospect of nuclear escalation.GUEST: Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon, published by Polity. PRODUCER: Catherine Zengerer*This program first appeared on 12 March 2025

Australia recently lifted biosecurity import controls placed on US beef that have been in place since a 'mad cow' disease outbreak in the US in 2003. Mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) was first detected in the south of England 40 years ago. 4 million cattle were slaughtered, and 178 people died in the ensuing years. Today, the global trade of beef and livestock remains a source of risk and anxiety. Guest: Professor Matthew Baylis, chair of veterinary epidemiology at Liverpool UniversityProducer: Ali Benton