Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Tilman Ruff has spent decades campaigning for nuclear disarmament, and right now he's worried.

With Donald Trump announcing the US will re-start nuclear testing and Russia saying it’ll follow suit, a lot of experts are seeing signs that humanity is dangerously close to a nuclear Armageddon.

So does Professor Ruff agree?

And what would all-out nuclear war actually look like?

In this longer interview cut for the hack podcast, Tilman Ruff answers these and more questions, sketching out how a nuclear war could start, how fast things might spiral out of control, and whether there’s still time for us to step back from the brink.

Guests:

• Dr Tilman Ruff, Nobel laureate and Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

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Credits

• Dave Marchese, Presenter

Adult time for violent crime: Victoria's unveiled a plan to fight youth crime, and it could see 14-year-olds facing life sentences.

Also: are you the first person in your family to go to uni? Some researchers have looked at why going first can be hard, and experts have some ideas about how to make it a better experience. 

Plus Queensland's Supreme Court is hearing the trial of Rajwinder Singh, the man accused of murdering Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley. We unpack what's happened in court so far. 

And heavy metal bands are having a moment right across regional Australia. We head to SA's west coast to catch one that's been driving 800 kms just to gig. 

Listen now: 

01:14 - Victoria's adult time for violent crime plan

06:10 -  Are uni students disadvantaged by their family?

18:35 - Toyah Cordingley murder trial 

24:26 - Metal music in the regions

Guests

• Dr Sarah Attfield, senior lecturer, University of Technology Sydney
• Stephen Stockwell, host of podcast 'The Case Of'

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Is the International Olympic Committee about to ban trans athletes? We don't know for sure, but it's looking increasingly likely.  

And the Liberal Party is meeting tomorrow to debate ditching the net zero emissions target by 2050. We hear how young conservatives feel about it. 

Plus: the US has had no functioning federal government for 41 days. This afternoon, a controversial deal was done to open it back up. So what happens next? 

Listen now: 

01:30 - Is the IOC about to ban trans athletes?

17:25 - Young Liberals on the Liberal Party

22:50 - Ending America's government shutdown

Guests

• Ada Cheung, Professorial Fellow in Endocrinology, The University of Melbourne
• Jared Mondschein, Director of Research, US Studies Centre

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Female politicians speaking out against an antisemitic rally in Sydney say they're now being threatened. With Jewish leaders condemning the rally as "dangerous", why did police allow the neo-Nazis to gather in the first place? 

And why are big bosses at the BBC quitting after criticism from Donald Trump?

Plus, new research shows young people and those outside major cities have the least confidence in democracy. 

Listen now: 

01:30 - Speaking out against neo-Nazis

12:55 - The BBC controversy

17:25 - Democracy outside the cities

Guests

• Allegra Spender, Member for Wentworth
• Jacob Wright, young farmers' advocate

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Year 12 exams are wrapping up, schoolies group chats are firing off, and British adult creator Bonnie Blue is talking about coming to the Gold Coast: yep, it's that time of year again.

In 2024, Bonnie Blue's schoolies stunt looked like marketing genius — until the immigration department pointed out it sounded like work, which she didn't have a visa for, and blocked her arrival.

Now, she's told Channel 9 she's lawyered up ready to try again.

So is she actually going to make it to schoolies?

And why does everyone care so much?

In the deep dive this week, we're getting into the hype and backlash behind one of the internet's most polarising figures. 

And we get into the key contradiction about Bonnie Blue: is what she's doing feminist trailblazing, or straight up misogyny? 

Guests:

• Dr Lexi Eikelboom, senior research fellow in theology and religion, Australian Catholic University

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Hang on: is Elon Musk a trillionaire now? 

Potentially... after Tesla approved a record-breaking pay deal.

And should ciggies be cheaper? The illicit tobacco market is costing Australia billions of dollars – as the government loses cash to organised criminal groups.

Plus: is having a boyfriend embarrassing now? A lot of us are saying... yes.

Host Dave Marchese is joined by journalist and presenter Elfy Scott and Sydney Morning Herald crime reporter Perry Duffin.Get the whole story from Hack:

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What does masculinity even look like?

A new report says teenage boys feel pressure to act tough, strong and straight – all old school ideas of being a man. But it also says they want more gender equality.

Also, adult creator Bonnie Blue says she's planning on filming content at Schoolies on the Gold Coast. But will she really get a visa for Australia or is this all another publicity stunt?

Plus: is it fair that rich people and big corporations can pay to spend time with politicians? Punter's Politics is trying to change that.

Listen now:

01:05 - What the masculinity study reveals

08:31 - Will Bonnie Blue be at Schoolies this year?

18:23 - Punter's Politics takes on lobbyists

Guests:

• Isabella Higgins, ABC's national social affairs reporter
• Dr Lexi Eikelboom, senior research fellow in theology and religion, Australian Catholic University
• Konrad Benjamin, Punter's Politics

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Konrad Benjamin from Punter's Politics went from being a school teacher 2 years ago to one of Australia's most influential political commentators. 

He's got millions of followers by pushing a pretty simple message: keep money out of politics. 

He's been in Canberra this week, putting on a fundraiser that gives regular people access to politicians. 

So how has it gone? 

In this longer interview cut, Konrad talks to Dave about the pressure he feels to keep going and why he's taking on lobbyists.

Guests:

• Konrad Benjamin, Punter's Politics

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It's official: Zohran Mamdani has been elected mayor of New York.

The Muslim Democratic socialist and outspoken critic of the war in Gaza used his victory speech to take aim at Donald Trump. So is the political tide turning in the US?

Also, the Maldives just banned anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 from buying tobacco. Will it work?

Plus: could tiny homes be the solution to the housing crisis? They're getting more popular, but a lot of people have doubts.

Listen now:

01:09 - Mamdani wins NYC mayor race

13:40 - Banning cigs for anyone born since 2007

20:30 - Tiny homes: yes/no/maybe?

Guests:

• Jeremy Heimans, co-founder of GetUp! and Purpose + author of 'New Power'
• Becky Freeman, professor of public health, University of Sydney
• Heather Shearer, lecturer in urban planning, Griffith University

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House prices in Australia rose faster in September than any time in the past year according to new data. 

It's prompted the Opposition to call for house prices to fall for 'entry-level' homes. So what is an 'entry-level' home and is it realistic for house prices to fall?Also, what happens when you're banned on Instagram but you did nothing wrong?

Plus, a new radio station is broadcasting into a youth detention facility in Western Sydney. The people behind it hope it will help turn the detainees lives around.

Listen now:

01:20 - The Liberals want house prices to fall

14:40 - Losing your Instagram account

25:10 - How radio is helping youth offenders

Guests:

• Senator Andrew Bragg, Shadow Housing Minister
• Dr Shaanan Cohoney, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security, University of Melbourne

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