Saturday Extra - Full program podcast

The latest on the Middle East and the clearest sign yet of a breakthrough between Washington and Tehran  -  David Rennie, the Geopolitics Editor at The Economist, and Professor David Kilcullen, one of Australia's leading military thinkers, unpack the overnight announcements and meetings.
Author and journalist Katherine Stewart looks at the feud between Donald Trump and Pope Leo, and whether it points to something bigger: The fraying of MAGA?
Jill Sheppard joins the show to discuss a new book, Landslide: The 2025 Federal Election.
Australian journalist Cheng Lei talks about recreating her three years in Chinese detention as a live stage show at Melbourne Arts House. 
And nearly 200 people, including renowned Australian artist Lucy Culliton are painting outside this weekend as part of the first ever Art Prize in the country town of Bombala.

Understand Australia and the world with Nick Bryant.

As a search and rescue mission is underway for a crew member from a US fighter jet that was downed in southern Iran, Gregg Carlstrom, the Middle East Correspondent for The Economist, joins Saturday Extra with the latest news from the region.
To the stars and the Artemis moon mission with Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
David McCloskey, the co-host of podcast THE REST IS CLASSIFIED takes us into the world of his fourth novel, The Persian.
The Queensland outback town of Winton becomes an official Dark Sky Place making it one of the best places on earth to star gaze.
Eurovision is expanding into Asia, and the power of Bach's St John Passion this Easter weekend.

Understand Australia and the world with Nick Bryant.

The Pentagon is sending more US Marines to the Middle East as the war with Iran escalates and widens  -  Professor Robert Pape explains how the US is falling into an "escalation trap".
Economist Stephen Koukoulas on how the oil shock is hitting the Australian economy and whether the government may use the crisis to bring forward economic reform.
Andrew Day from The American Conservative, on how the decision to go to war is dividing President Trump's MAGA support base. 
How weight loss drugs are changing the world and might they become available to adolescents?
Plus the ABC's Annabel Crabb on the South Australian election.