Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

Authorities are so concerned about gang violence in Haiti, they’ve hired Erik Prince, a private military contractor who founded Blackwater, the company notorious for a civilian massacre in Iraq, back in 2007.GUEST: David C.Adams, freelancer writer for New York TimesPRODUCER: Ali Benton

The human body is made up of thousands of intricate components - each with their own medical name. But who are the people behind these names? For the most part, they are long-dead men, some of whom were of seriously questionable character. So should we do away with anatomical eponyms all together? 

Water and the rivers that carry it are becoming increasingly prized. Our warming planet, increased droughts and burgeoning populations make control of water more and more important. And when there are disagreements, the fallout can be very serious. Pakistan and India have stopped bombing each other after short but intense fighting erupted in Kasmir last month. Now a potentially more catastrophic tension is building over a long-standing water sharing agreement. Guest: Anupreeta Das - New York Times South Asia correspondent 

Britain will increase its defence spending from 2.3% of GDP per annum to 2.7% by 2027, but is all the talk of "war-readiness" proportionate at this moment? Guest: Ian Dunt, columnist for i-news, co-host of the Origin Story podcast

Food criticism has changed a lot since John Lethlean wrote for publications like The Age and The Australian. Over a 25 year career, John chronicled Australia's shifting tastes, watching dining fads come and go. Ultimately, his career came to an end after one line in a review got him into hot water. Guest: John Lethlean - former restaurant critic and author of Post Script: The good, bad and occasionally ugly bits from a 25 year career in Australian food writing

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