Saturday Extra - Separate stories podcast

What's the first sweet thing you remember eating? Comedian Jennifer Wong is a keen observer of Australia's changing tastes, and she's found that starting a conversation with food quickly leads it to surprising and profound places. She joins Nick to share her best last things. 

The rise of One Nation has been one of the biggest political stories in Australia this year. But who exactly are the people behind the surging polling numbers?This week, a survey of 1,014 One Nation supporters shed some light on the kind of people getting on board with the party.One finding was 91 per cent believed the country is heading in the wrong direction. For all voters, this is 62 per cent.The survey was run by pollster John Utting and Labor strategist Bruce Hawker.

There was sad news this week from Nashville, Tennessee, the home of the undisputed Queen of Country, Dolly Parton. Regular listeners will know that we were big Dolly fans, in fact we tried to get her to come on the show on July 4th, to mark America’s 250th birthday. We did that partly because in the disunited states of America, she was a unifying figure. We’ve been looking back on an extraordinary American life, in her words, and in her songs.

An Australian start-up company has been developing a drag-reducing adhesive film for use on aircraft which helps reduce fuel and lower emissions. And it was all inspired by a shark.

The US has launched a campaign to cripple Iran's economy by cutting off its remaining economic lifelines.The Treasury sanctioned more than 60 entities, including Chinese firms, but fell short of placing more forceful sanctions directly on China.

Washington and Ottawa are locked in a tariff tit-for-tat after trade talks collapsed earlier this week.Hundreds of thousands of jobs are potentially at stake on both sides of the border.

Nepal and Tibet are still reeling from the catastrophic flash floods that hit the Himalaya region earlier this week.The images coming from the disaster have been shocking: Bridges swept away, highways destroyed, entire villages engulfed by torrents of mud and water.As more details of the disaster continue to emerge, we speak with a journalist on the ground there.

In 2022, parts of the Nord Stream gas pipeline system, the multibillion-dollar network carrying Russian gas into Europe, were blown up.So who exactly was behind what has been described as "the greatest act of sabotage in modern history?"

When a badly stuffed "fox head" was advertised by a UK auction house, James Cranfield quickly worked out that it was a "priceless" head of a thylacine.The taxidermist and collector won the two-way bidding war for "the find of a lifetime."How important is this specimen of the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger?

This week, the federal government's gambling reforms passed parliament, after a bipartisan deal was struck with the Coalition.The package includes restrictions on gambling ads, but in the eyes of some politicians and many campaigners, it doesn't go nearly far enough.So why is it so hard to pass major gambling reform in this country?

It was Britain's deadliest terror attack: In December 1988, Pan Am flight 103 exploded in the air above Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 passengers on board and 11 on the ground.Almost four decades on, there is fresh evidence and a new trial.Next week, a Libyan man suspected of making and detonating the bomb will face court in Washington DC. 

This week, the headlines were dominated by the Trump administration's decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, a longtime US ally and a linchpin of America's national security strategy in Asia.The US aircraft carrier USS George Washington has been redeployed to the Middle East, temporarily leaving the Asia-Pacific region without an American carrier strike fleet.So is the US pivoting away from Asia?

Growing up in a lower middle class family on the south side of Chicago fundamentally shaped the thinking of Glenn Loury, but his politics cut against the grain of many black Americans."Here I was in the era of Reagan telling black people to pull their socks up," the leading US black conservative intellectual says. He discusses the impact of Obama's presidency, self-censorship, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

This week, former Liberal leader Sussan Ley joined a cast of former politicians who have found a new voice in a life after politics.She's been in the media after spending 6 weeks on a solo trip catching Greyhound buses across the US.It got us thinking here at Saturday Extra, how do we reassess politicians after they say goodbye to politics? And in some cases, do we only find ourselves liking them once they've left the job?

Australia's Clean Energy Finance Corporation is the world's biggest green bank.After a decade in the role, CEO Ian Learmonth reflects on Australia's progress to decarbonise the economy and global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. 

This week marks five years since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan.Since its return, the Taliban has imposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, as it did when it first came to power in the 1990s.For women and girls, whose worlds have become smaller and heavily policed, the anniversary is a grim one.

Next week, Darwin is hosting its first international test cricket match in 22 years.In a city known for cane toad races and a million-dollar barramundi fishing competition, the mood and the event itself are likely to be a little different than other Australian cities.

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor is the daughter of legendary comedian Richard Pryor, whose stand-up transformed American comedy in the 1970s.In her new memoir, Elizabeth weaves together family memories with historical research to explore the legacy of her father, the history of one of America's most contested words and what it reveals about race, identity and belonging.

In what was billed as a battle over the future of the Democratic Party, progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary this week.He defeated Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate who had the backing of much of the party establishment.What does this say about the direction of the Democrats and its chances of winning back the White House?

In recent weeks, FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed to sell a stake in future World Cup profits to private investors.He's since abandoned the highly controversial idea, but not before triggering a civil war in the footballing world, which may lead to his downfall.Being a FIFA story, it's all about power, influence and of course, money.

Richard Flanagan has brought out a collection of essays, speeches and columns entitled Heresies.Its topics range from Manus Island to the Black Summer bushfires to the growing corrosion of democracy.Flanagan, the only writer on the planet who has won both the Booker Prize for fiction and the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction, joins us for an extended discussion.

Aussie kids is touring the country with a one-woman theatre production.Noni Hazlehurst plays publican Rose Grey in The Lark, a show about an inner city Melbourne pub facing demolition as gentrification marches on without her.

While there is a lot of attention being paid to the economic and technological change that AI is bringing, a new report argues that AI may also become a major force in reshaping Australian politics. If the effect of AI falls most heavily on educated professionals in "digitally intensive" neighbourhoods, what will be the political fallout? 

A key step in President Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan appears to have been reached.Hamas has agreed to a plan with international mediators to lay down its heavy weapons on condition that Israeli forces fully withdraw from the Gaza territory.Can this complicated agreement work and offer a new path forward?

Cyber attacks against Australian public and private entities seem to be happening more frequently, and with more sophistication.So how prepared are we for a large attack and should we doing more to stop this from happening?Plus, we look at Pine Gap, the secretive facility near Alice Springs.

This week, Nauru officially changed its name to Naoero, in order to more faithfully honour the country's language and identity.The move reflects a long desire for decolonisation and self-determination in the Pacific, but how much is in a name?

Last year was Earth's third warmest year on record, with fires sweeping through parts of in Los Angeles, a heatwave killed more than 24,000 in Europe and catastrophic flooding in Southeast Asia.But despite this, media coverage of climate change continues to drop.A new study found coverage of the topic decreased by 14 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024.Is it possible for the trend to be reversed? And is the onus on the media or the public?

This week, hundreds of thousands of people in France and Spain were forced to leave their homes and holiday accommodation in one of the largest peacetime evacuation operations in modern European history.Meanwhile, Greece, Italy and parts of Central Europe are expected to face heightened wildfire risk in the coming weeks. In France, the worst affected area has been the Gironde, near the city of Bordeaux, where residents have been wearing masks to cope with the smoke. We speak to a Bordeaux resident about the situation there.

Sarah Ferguson is the host of ABC TV's flagship news and current affairs program 7.30 (and has one of the most impressive CVs in Australian journalism).She joins Saturday Extra for The Last Thing, where she talks through her last great read, the last great TV show she watched, and the last great art exhibition she attended.

US news site Politico is set to launch its Australian offering next month — a newsletter called Canberra Playbook.Its launch editor is Ryan Heath, an Australian journalist who spent many years in the US and who also helped launch Politico's Playbook in Brussels.

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce went viral this week when he yelled at his dog mid-interview. Was he right to aggressively reprimand the animal?

The history and current workings of Australia's spies are a little opaque to us everyday people.But a group of Australians, most of whom come from within the intelligence community, is hoping to change that.The group is proposing that Australia build a National Spy Museum in Canberra, which will look at Australia's espionage efforts and pay tribute to its spooks, past and present.

While the Trump administration continues to confront Iran over its nuclear ambitions, it's also struck a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. The agreement will give the kingdom access to US civilian nuclear technology which could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium.But there's a catch. Donald Trump has added a potentially deal-ending stipulation, Saudi Arabia must normalise relations with Israel, a move the Saudis have long refused to do.

This week, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched strikes on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers, immediately leading to yet another spike in oil prices.The Strait of Hormuz, which has become a choke-point for a crucial supply chain, continues to be severely disrupted. But so far, the world economy has avoided a meltdown, a global recession or even depression, despite dire predictions.Have the economic threats been overstated or is there more pain to come?

Horror films are enjoying huge success at the box office and many 'prestige' offerings from the genre are earning critical acclaim, even Oscars.And Australia is playing a big part in this trend. Over recent years, several Australian horror films have performed very well both locally and internationally.So are we in a golden age of Australian horror films?

After a month of footballing excellence at the FIFA World Cup, 48 teams have been whittled down to just two.The tournament has been very eventful, from a Trumpian intervention, debates over the pros and cons of the VAR system and hydration breaks, and the unexpected success of a tiny island nation.We take a look back at the past month and preview the final between Spain and Argentina.

In a project that goes to the heart of how our human relationship with machines is being completely overhauled, researchers at the University of New South Wales are developing an AI companion to address loneliness.The companion is being developed with Chinese students as well as the elderly — two groups that are very susceptible to loneliness. It may sound a bit dystopic, but trials are so far proving hopeful.

March 15, 2019 was one of New Zealand's darkest days.We now know that the Australian terrorist who shot dead 51 people during Friday prayers at two Christchurch mosques had meticulously planned his attack.But New Zealand's royal commission into the attack which reported in December 2020 concluded "there was no plausible way" he could have been detected in advance "except by chance".The authors of a new book take issue with that statement, arguing the terrorist's online activity gave clear indications of his intentions.

Republicans in the US are mourning the loss of one of the party's most influential figures and powerbrokers — Senator Lindsey Graham — who died suddenly last weekend at the age of 71.News of his passing seemed to prompt another GOP grandee Mitch McConnell to issue a proof of life photograph, where he was seen smiling alongside his wife. But there are lingering doubts about the 84-year-old's capacity.And it's not just the Republicans making headlines as the midterm elections loom.

Andy Burnham will become Britain's seventh prime minister in 10 years next week after winning a Labour leadership contest.Facing economic headwinds, he is promising to ease cost of living pressures by devolving power from London, reversing the privatisation of public utilities and with an ambitious council house building project. 

The annual Sydney Tango Weekend brings together dancers from across the country and around the world.They've bonded over the intimate intensity of the dance to form a community that lasts long after the music stops.

8.3 billion and counting - that's the UN's best estimate on how many people live on the planet when it marks World Population Day this Saturday. But while the Earth's population is growing quickly, the growth rate is starting to slow down. What are the implications ?         

The Norwegian striker Erling Haarland is in the running for the Golden Boot, the trophy awarded to the World Cup's top goalscorer. But it's not just Haarland's goalscoring that has excited fans.With his super-hero physique, flowing platinum blond hair, speed and size, the comparisons to a Viking warrior or Norse god are inevitable.Mímir Kristjánsson tells us more about Haarland's family and the excitement in Norway ahead of the match against England.

The big story at the World Cup this week came off the field rather than on it, with Donald Trump's intervention on behalf of a star US striker who'd been banned from playing against Belgium after receiving a red card in the previous game.The US president called the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, and the player in question, Folarin Balogun, was allowed to play, essentially ripping up the world governing body's own rule book.The United States went on to lose the game, 4-1, which many fans around the world viewed as poetic justice.

Two giant figures of Europe's populist right have announced a reset of sorts. France's Marine le Pen and the UK's Nigel Farage have both mounted fresh bids for power even as financial scandals threaten to derail their political futures. Their renewed push underscores the enduring appeal and persistent controversy of Europe's nationalist movements. 

When China launched a ballistic missile into the South Pacific Ocean on Monday, it was a rare test of a nuclear-capable weapons system that drew international rebuke.New Zealand will now consider joining a new defence alliance between Australia and Fiji which commits each country to come to ​the other's aid if either is attacked, as Australia ​works to counter China's growing influence in the region.

NATO leaders wrapped up their summit this week with a joint declaration affirming a unified stance on several issues, including support for Ukraine to make Patriot air defence systems to counter missile attacks from Russia.The surprisingly amicable conclusion followed a more turbulent start.The summit ended with Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan presenting a firearm to the leader of each country who attended the event in Ankara.

For the finale of our America at 250 series, we look at how America is marking July 4.We criss-cross the country, from Donald Trump's Great American State Fair to the town of Normal in Illinois to an attempt at getting Dolly Parton on the show

On the eve of NAIDOC Week, the National Indigenous Art Fair is up and running at the Cutaway in Sydney's Barangaroo.Now in its 7th year, the event is bringing together over 100 artists from more than 30 art centres.

Australians' lack of understanding of our own region is making the country increasingly vulnerable in a volatile security environment, according to the findings of a parliamentary inquiry released this week.The Federal Inquiry into Building Australia's Asia Capability found that fewer students are learning Asian languages at all levels of our education system, and there is less academic study of the region.That's despite the rising clout of China as a global super power, and India now our largest source of migrants.