Episodes
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The man behind Trump’s trade war is Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his backstory is extraordinary. He’s been a hero, he’s been a villain, he’s been a sympathetic figure and also one of the most hated men in America - and all of that is even before he attached himself to Donald Trump.
Over the last few months, gambling with tariffs has caused economic chaos and sent global markets into a tailspin… but Howard Lutnick is clearly all in. So why is the Commerce Secretary so reckless when it comes to the future of America’s economy?
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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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Just a few months ago Elon Musk was heralded as a political kingmaker when he had a hand in helping Donald Trump win the US election. Musk has since meddled in the politics of the UK, Germany, Spain and elsewhere but has struggled to convert his political prowess into victories for his chosen Conservative parties. I
n fact, being in any way similar to Trump or Musk has been a dead weight around the ankle of political campaigns over the last few months.
It was clear the DOGE dynamism had officially worn off when federal elections in Canada and Australia saw both conservative parties lose by a landslide…
Given that Musk and the other tech bro billionaires have so much influence over how we communicate... why are they seemingly struggling to actually influence our politics?
If you're around Newcastle on the 18th of May, come along to the live show of If You're Listening at the Young People's Theatre - tickets available here: https://yptninc.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/149193
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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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Missing episodes?
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To scroll through social media during an election campaign in 2025 is to experience some of the worst misinformation. But an online soup of bots spouting partisan talking points wasn’t inevitable, even in recent years.
After the 2016 election of US President Donald Trump and UK vote for Brexit, it was clear that online platforms like Facebook and Twitter were used to target voters with misinformation and disrupt political discourse enough to sway elections. As a result, the social media giants really tried to crack down on harmful content spreading online…or at least they pretended to.
But in the last year or so, they’ve almost completely given up… and the vast digital sea of misinformation has become more dangerous than ever.
If you're around Newcastle on the 18th of May, come along to the live show of If You're Listening at the Young People's Theatre - tickets available here: https://yptninc.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/149193
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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When US President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January, the world’s three wealthiest people stood right behind him, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. All own massive online platforms. These tech billionaires are now major political players in their own right, but for the last 15 years the platforms they control have shaped political debate, changed how people feel about their governments and gathered information on voters that tells politicians which buttons to push.
The Australian government has attempted to force the social media giants to pay for the news that they profit from and that worked… for a little while. But in the last year the broligarchs have torn up those contracts and are embracing a brave new newsless world – which isn’t great news for Australia’s upcoming federal election.
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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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In the middle of the 1800s, the Confederate army built a stealth vessel that could travel undetected underwater to give them the military edge over the Union...so did it work and how has it impacted military innovation since?
In this special episode of If You’re Listening, Matt Bevan sits down with Marc Fennell to talk about his new ABC RN show, “No One Saw It Coming”.
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You’re not losing your mind, the internet is different now.
The 2025 Australian federal election will be the first in a decade where news isn’t readily available on social media, and there’s no effort to fact check or moderate what is there. The billionaires behind the major tech platforms aren’t just background characters in politics anymore; they’re centre stage, making decisions around misinformation, bankrolling candidates, generating content that aligns with their own ideology and broadcasting it to the masses.
Not only has the fight against misinformation online been lost, sometimes social media feels entirely divorced from reality. While the United States government has been incapable of regulating the tech giants, and now seems to have been taken over by them, Australia has made multiple attempts to push back.
In this series from If You’re Listening, Australia vs the Internet looks at Australia’s attempts to rein in big tech, and how it's shaping the Australian election.
First episode drops Thursday 24th April.
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Australia’s housing market is in the midst of a crisis that feels like it will never be solved and now housing is one of the major battlefields of the upcoming federal election.
In this episode of If You’re Listening originally published last year we head to Japan, where 30 years ago, houses were the most expensive in the world.
Today home ownership in Tokyo is comparatively affordable with plenty of housing stock up for grabs – so how did they achieve this massive turnaround? And is it something we could do here in Australia?
This episode was originally published on the 28th March 2024
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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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It has not been a good year so far for Elon Musk’s car company Tesla. Stocks are plummeting and sales are falling even faster as people around the world who are opposed to his involvement in the Trump Administration boycott the company.
That’s been accompanied by arson and vandalism at Tesla dealerships around the world. But this isn’t the first time that a company has come under sustained attack for its connections to a Presidential administration.
For three decades, one of America’s biggest beer companies was subject to a boycott because of the conservative views of the family that owned it.
How did that turn out? And what does it tell us about what’s in store for Tesla?
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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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Donald Trump is talking about rare earth elements like they are magic rings with the power to unlock world domination.
The US President is on the brink of signing a multi-billion dollar deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that would give the US access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals in exchange for financial security and continued military support in the war with Russia. Rare earths are critical for manufacturing electronics, batteries, magnets, and military weapons.
But are these rare earth elements actually as rare and valuable as Trump has been led to believe?
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SkEn86RIsOk?si=-APXjdvpRF5RAeM0
And if you're a Newcastle fan come see If You're Listening live with Matt Bevan on Sunday 6th April at 4pm at the Conservatorium of music concert hall - Tickets are free! Find out more: https://www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au/events/if-youre-listening-live/
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Donald Trump’s sudden shift on Ukraine has come as a massive shock to most countries in America’s orbit. European leaders who have long banked their national security on US military protection are beginning to lose confidence in their most powerful ally. But there is one American ally that has been planning for this potential eventuality for decades.
France has long been sceptical of how much America can be trusted and now they may be the only safe refuge for countries looking for new security guarantees. So how did they see this about-face coming? And what capacity does Paris have to be the new security guarantor for global democracy?
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SkEn86RIsOk?si=-APXjdvpRF5RAeM0
And if you're a Newcastle fan come see If You're Listening live with Matt Bevan on Sunday 6th April at 4pm at the Conservatorium of music concert hall - Tickets are free! Find out more: https://www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au/events/if-youre-listening-live/
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Since he took office, Donald Trump has made a lot of decisions that fly in the face of traditional US foreign policy. He’s left Ukraine high and dry, he’s abandoning Europe, he’s slapped tariffs on America’s allies, and he’s floated the idea of seizing new territory in Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal.
And the big one: President Trump seems to have a great deal of time and respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
So what’s the deal with Putin and Trump - is what we’re witnessing now just the beginning of their grand plans for a new world order? And what hints can we get on how things might unfold from a conference that happened 80 years ago between US president Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in a little town called Yalta?
This week on If You’re Listening, will Putin’s dream of an emboldened Soviet sphere come true?
And if you're a Newcastle fan come see If You're Listening live with Matt Bevan on Sunday 4th April at 4pm at the Conservatorium of music concert hall - Tickets are free! Find out more: https://www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au/events/if-youre-listening-live/
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
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In the United States, there are laws constraining the President’s power. The Attorney General and everyone who works at the Department of Justice aren’t meant to just do whatever the President tells them; they’re in charge of enforcing the law, whatever it is.
So what will they do when enforcing the law doesn’t align with Donald Trump’s policies?
In Trump’s first term, the Attorneys General and Justice Department staff prioritised the law over Trump’s desires, because that’s how democracies work. Is there any chance that will happen this time?
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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3iLKlAcMl4&list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq&index=1&t=6s
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Throughout Donald Trump’s campaign he declared that the Justice Department and the FBI were weaponised against him.
Now that he’s US President, he’s making huge changes to both, putting loyal supporters in charge.
Over two episodes, If You’re Listening looks at the massive transformation underway in the US federal criminal justice system, starting with the appointment of Kash Patel as Director of the FBI.
For almost 50 years, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover used the bureau as a political weapon, and successive Presidents let him.
The 50 years since his death have seen the FBI aim for independence from the President. Now, with Patel’s appointment, that work is at risk of being undone, with potentially terrifying consequences.
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Check out our series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lG9pxvpGY-Q?si=XI4y-FicLE8mHyRe
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Billionaire Elon Musk is at the helm of US President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, established to slash massive amounts of government spending as fast as possible.
In just weeks they’ve dismantled agencies, cancelled programs and attempted to lay off tens of thousands of government workers.
Everyone agrees that the US government is a mess, that it’s spending more than it earns and something should be done. And yet, there are mass protests across America against what Musk is doing.
This week on If You’re Listening, can DOGE do what Musk and Trump say it will do?
Adelaide, check out the full podfest program, including shows from Not Stupid and All in the Mind: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/podfest/
Newcastle you can find details for our live show on April 6 here: https://www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au/events/if-youre-listening-live/
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdUGdSEXkQU&list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq&index=1&t=8s
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When US President Donald Trump announced his plan for America to take over the Gaza Strip, everyone was stunned. That includes the man standing next to him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
President Trump says everyone he’s spoken to loves the idea. But who has he spoken to? In his first term as president, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner led efforts to broker peace in the region, and his approach makes this latest announcement make a lot more sense.
This week on If You’re Listening, how Kushner and Trump turned geopolitics into property development.
Are you in Adelaide? On March 1 we're performing live, with all new stories at the Adelaide Festival Writers' Week. Tickets are selling fast: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/2025-writers-week/if-you-re-listening/
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RhRPA57_iQE?si=UhVFsMF5RIHgbUoX
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Donald Trump started his presidency by picking a fight with Colombia. The US threatened its Central American neighbour with massive tariffs if it didn't accept planes full of handcuffed deportees.
Colombia backed down — and that has serious implications for the rest of the region. President Trump is gearing up for negotiations over deportations and his new favourite issue, ownership of the Panama Canal.
This week on If You're Listening, can one of the most divided, violent and vulnerable parts of the world find a way to fight back against President Trump's agenda?
Are you in Adelaide? On March 1 we're performing live, with all new stories at the Adelaide Festival Writers' Week. Tickets are selling fast: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/2025-writers-week/if-you-re-listening/
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RhRPA57_iQE?si=UhVFsMF5RIHgbUoX
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Donald Trump has liked the idea of tariffs for a long time, since before his first term as president. Now that he’s back in office he’s using them to do all sorts of things — threaten other countries, crack down on drug importation and bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States.
He’s starting with a 25 per cent tax on imports from Canada and Mexico, a move that would have huge implications for America’s economy and its relationship with its closest neighbours.
President Trump is promising it’s just the beginning, and that this won’t make goods more expensive for Americans. It’s been a long time since most developed countries have used tariffs in this way, but there is one US ally with a recent memory of something like it.
In this episode of If You’re Listening, what can we understand about tariffs from Australia’s recent past?
We're coming to Adelaide! Find tickets to our live show at Adelaide Festival Writers' Week here: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/2025-writers-week/if-you-re-listening/
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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The people of Georgia are in the streets of Tbilisi, protesting the ruling party’s recent election win. At the heart of the fight is whether the country should appease Vladimir Putin, or oppose him.
For years Georgia was moving closer to the European Union, but the war in Ukraine changed everything. Now, billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and his Georgia Dream party are betting on a relationship with Putin, hoping to save the country from a fate similar to Ukraine’s.
Today on If You’re Listening, the story of a democracy at the crossroads of the West and the East, fighting over whether to be afraid of Vladimir Putin or not.
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/q9zRfSut8TU?si=0KJ4A49zvSz35Th6
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Hunter Biden has been a main character in far-right conspiracy theories for years, and Donald Trump’s associates have spent significant effort searching for proof that could lead to his prosecution. In the end, Hunter reportedly provided the only evidence that has mattered: a laptop full of terribly embarrassing and potentially incriminating material. The story of how that laptop found its way to Trump’s favourite lawyer Rudy Giuliani is almost too bizarre to believe. But the Biden family story has been improbably tragic for decades, and it was those tragedies that have seemingly steered the outgoing president to pardon his son despite the very real cost to his own reputation, and the country.
Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.
Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R75Jqu0ySM&list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq
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We want to know what you think of the show so we can make it better in 2025! Give us your feedback here: https://forms.office.com/r/w0hT5fzuxg
The International Criminal Court in The Hague wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
But international justice works differently to other forms of justice — it relies on everyone opting in. More than 20 years into its existence the court is yet to convict any world leaders of anything. As the first fugitive from the ICC who is also an ally to Western countries like Australia and France, this case is one that could make or break the court itself.
So what does that mean for Netanyahu and his allies? And what does it mean for the idea that there are some crimes that go beyond borders, committed against humanity itself.
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Check out our series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LAUiawjoKKs?si=fSxJDpMEK7EuhdWs
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