If Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have their way, the new space age will bring holidays in orbit, asteroid mining and human colonies on Mars. Musk says humanity must become a “multi-planetary species”. But philosopher Ben Bramble argues that vision is a dangerous fantasy. In his new book, Lunacy: Ten False Promises of the New Space Age he says our priority should be solving the problems here on Earth — not chasing the promise of another world.

Guest: Ben Bramble, Lecturer in Philosophy, Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University 

Producer: Ali Benton

Australia has just signed new bilateral treaties with Fiji and Vanuatu, which is widely viewed as a diplomatic triumph. But what are the pro's and cons of such treaties, and how do they sit with Australia's very mixed history of attempted Pacific relationships? 

• Guest: Joanne Wallis, Professor of International Security, and director of the Stretton Institute Security in the Pacific Islands Research Program at Adelaide University. Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Co-author, with Jack Corbett, of ‘Neighbours: Australia and the Pacific’ (La Trobe)
• Producer: Ann Arnold

Two historians throw open the archives and leave the dusty corridors of academia behind, hunting through the mess and intrigue of Australia’s past for the scandals, secrets and gossip that history books often leave out

Guest: Alecia Simmonds, Professor of Law, UTS and co-host The Dead Can't Sue

Every second a tree is cut down to become an affordable IKEA product. The Swedish mega-company claims it's sustainable, but is that really the case? Investigative journalist, Tom Heinemann, visits IKEA's forests in Romania's Carpathian Mountains to discover how their production line is impacting the safety of the forest, wildlife and local biodiversity.

• Guest: Tom Heinemann, Investigative journalist and Director of 'Ikea Loves Wood'
• Producer: Catherine Zengerer

In a statement to Tom Heinemann Ikea said: "We have a comprehensive wood control system in place to make sure the wood we use is responsibly sourced. We do not accept wood that fails to meet our strict requirements, such as wood from illegal harvests, non-commercial high conservation value forests, areas with social conflicts, or genetically modified tree plantations. If we discover irregularities, we take immediate action." 

Find out more information about Ikea's wood use here: https://www.ikea.com/global/en/our-business/sustainability/wood-we-use/

Bruce Shapiro looks at how the sudden death of US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will affect the Senate, Trump's attack on several New York Times journalists over their reporting on security concerns with the new Qatari-donated Air Force One plane, and how the US's latest attacks on Iran are being seen ahead of the November primaries. 

• Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine and Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma. 

More of us are using subtitles while watching TV and movies  -  particularly amongst Gen Z and Millennials. Is this a sign of our shrinking attention spans, or are there technological factors at play in this era of digital streaming? 

• Guest: Andrew Wright, Oscar-winning sound editor, based in Sydney

'Nitrogen hypoxia' has been used by the US state of Alabama at least seven times to execute prisoners on death row. Human rights experts say the method is akin to torture and should be banned permanently. Legal challenges are ongoing after two lower courts found the method likely violates the US Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. A subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was denied. 

• Guest: Deborah Denno, Arthur A. McGivney Professor of Law at the Fordham University School of Law, where she is also the founding director of the Neuroscience and Law Center
• Producer: Ali Benton

Canberra columnist Professor Mark Kenny looks at why Liberal leader Angus Taylor has finally begun to criticise Pauline Hanson and One Nation. Plus a new poll from Resolve Political Monitor  has shown a marked difference between One Nation policies and what Australians want in terms of policies. 

• Guest: Professor Mark Kenny, Director Australian Studies Institute, ANU; columnist, The Canberra Times
• Producer: Catherine Zengerer

Uncle Roger Knox joins David Marr in the studio for an hour of stories and songs: from growing up on the mission, to making his name in Tamworth, surviving two plane crashes, and singing the truth about frontier violence. 

• Guest: Uncle Roger Knox, Gomeroi Elder and musician; joined by collaborator Toby Martin
• Producer: Catherine Zengerer
• Sound Engineer: Tegan Nicholls, Harvey O'Sullivan

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the USA, drafted the words 'all men are created equal', in the US Declaration of Independence. He wanted slavery to end, but mainly because he was deeply worried about slaves revolting against the white population.  He also thought the new nation would not be taken seriously if it was mixed race. He wanted to banish all black people from the US. 

• Guest: Nicholas Guyatt, Professor of North American History at Cambridge University. Co-author, with Christa Dierksheide, of ‘Jefferson’s Wolf: a founding father’s troubling answer to the problem of slavery’  (Harvard University Press, May 2026)
• Producer: Ann Arnold