On the Las Vegas strip, in a sea of casinos, sits an enormous dome that lights up the sky.

It’s called The Sphere and it’s a performance venue where punters are dazzled by 54 thousand metres of LED screens capable of showing 256 million colours, in a display so overwhelming that some concertgoers faint. 

Writer Elmo Keep travelled to Vegas to see her favourite band U2 play at The Sphere in their inaugurating residency. There she found in equal parts, a religious experience and a hyper capitalist nightmare.  

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Guest: Writer, Elmo Keep

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There are laws in Australia that desperately need to be overhauled and amended for the modern era..

But even with almost universal agreement that these laws need to be updated, the challenge is to get our politicians to agree on how to rewrite them.

This is exactly the situation we find ourselves in on reforms to religious discrimination – which still protects religious schools' right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ students and teachers.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on how today’s parliament is failing to break a decade of political gridlock.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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The Coalition is going all in on nuclear power. The opposition’s vision for Australia’s future puts the technology front and centre, despite experts’ concerns about its costs, risks and impracticalities.

So, is there more to it than first appears? Have the Coalition found the answers to making nuclear work in Australia?

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe, on the real reason why the Coalition is going after nuclear, and the factional warfare simmering underneath.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe

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When starting out at university, it’s normal to want to meet new friends and establish a community. 

But for some young Australians, that formative time has led them down the path of a secretive and extreme religious sect that some former members describe as exerting “mind control” and taking over their lives. 

So, who’s behind this group? And how are Australians being impacted?

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Aleisha Orr, on the story of Nathan and what he describes as a “doomsday cult” that changed his life. 

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Aleisha Orr

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The gender pay gap in Australia is well documented, with data on the difference between men’s and women’s wages more detailed and comprehensive than ever.

But we haven’t always been on a course for greater transparency. Almost a decade ago, the Coalition government attempted to dismantle open reporting on the gender pay gap.

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Kristine Ziwica, on how Australia almost took its eye off the gender pay gap.

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Kristine Ziwica

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Peter Dutton is a lot of things: a right-wing firebrand, a former Queensland cop and a champion of what he believes are simple Australian values. But he’s also a multi-millionaire who colleagues describe as pleasant, shy, but fiercely ambitious.

Lech Blaine spent months studying Peter Dutton’s past and political ascendency to discover who the leader of the opposition really is and what’s underneath his “bad cop” exterior.

Today, the author of the latest Quarterly Essay: Bad Cop, Lech Blaine, on what’s driving Peter Dutton’s strongman politics.

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Guest: Author of the latest Quarterly Essay, Lech Blaine

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Coles and Woolworths are in the sights of a Senate inquiry, which has been hearing evidence across Australia this week.

It’s looking into whether prices are set fairly and what could be done to make them more reasonable.

While that was underway, one of parliament's most colourful characters stole the show. Bob Katter has been ratcheting up a campaign of high-profile stunts to force the major parties to crackdown on supermarkets.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on Bob Katter’s contradictions and how the crossbench could force the major parties to get tougher on the big two supermarkets.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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The royal family is no stranger to gossip, innuendo and controversy.

But this week, the rumours and speculation over the whereabouts and health of Kate Middleton reached new, conspiratorial depths. 

So, after an official photo of Kate Middleton and her children was revealed to be digitally altered – leading to more questions than answers about the princess – how broken is the trust between the public and the royal family? 

Today, royal reporter Ellie Hall on the mistakes made by the Palace, and how the scandal reflects on the people next in line to be our head of state.

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Guest: Royal reporter and former Buzzfeed News royal correspondent, Ellie Hall

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Zachary Rolfe, the former Northern Territory police officer who shot and killed an Indigenous teenager, Kumanjayi Walker, has been back in the witness box.

Rolfe was acquitted of Walker’s murder in 2022, but now he’s given new evidence in a coronial inquest into the death. 

So, what do newly revealed text messages and evidence tell us about the culture inside the Northern Territory police? And where do the problems in that policing system lay?

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper, Anna Krien, on who Zachary Rolfe is and why his evidence could spark change in the NT.  

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Anna Krien

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Stan Grant left the ABC, citing the media had failed — it had failed him and his family, and it had failed the country.

Last week, he was struck by a stark reminder when the news of the charging of Sam Kerr in the UK led to an enormous amount of coverage that failed to deal with the story with grace, humanity and a real interrogation of what racism means.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Stan Grant, on his reflections on the media since he left it and where he finds hope.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Stan Grant

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