Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

The US has removed its military forces from its two surveillance bases in Niger after the breakdown of their 11-year military agreement. 

The bases served to monitor terrorism activity in the area. 

Guest: Olayinka Ajala, lecturer in politics and international relations at Leeds Beckett University, consultant trainer for the UK Ministry of Defence and lead panel analyst on ‘Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Africa’.

Christian nationalism has emerged as a foundation of Donald Trump’s support base as he seeks to re-enter the White House. Christian nationalists believe that Christians are the only true Americans and that the Church should be involved in government. 

The Olympic Games are fast approaching the finishing line with focus in Paris turning to the closing ceremony. What does it take - other than Tom Cruise - to stage a memorable farewell to the Olympics? 

Can you guess this week's tweeter?

Kerryn Phelp's life has been marked by many firsts: first person in her family to complete high school, first female doctor reporting on health issues on Australian TV, first same-sex couple to publicly talk about marriage equality and same sex parenting in Australia. 

But for Kerryn, the year she became the first woman and LBGTQIA+ person to be elected President of the Australian Medical Association held special significance. 

Guest: Dr Kerryn Phelps, former AMA president, former federal MP, GP, and health communicator.

Landscape architect Richard Weller, author of To The Ends of the Earth: A Grand Tour for the 21st Century, reflects on the idea that humanity is the first species in evolutionary history to self-consciously design a planet. 

Guest: Professor Richard Weller, former Chair of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania.

Aussie baseballer Travis Bazzana has made history, becoming the first Australian to be the number one draft pick in U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB). 

Democratic Party attacks have prompted Donald Trump to distance himself from the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation and its controversial Project 2025 “Mandate for Leadership 2025”, much of it written by former Trump administration officials.

Guest: Zachary Albert is Assistant Professor of Politics at Brandeis University and the author of a forthcoming book 'Partisan Policy Networks' which looks at trends in America’s think tank ecosystem. 

As the Middle East teeters on the brink of another war between Israel and Lebanon, new research by Arab Barometer reveals relatively few Lebanese people support Hezbollah, despite its significant influence throughout the country.  

A parliamentary inquiry into the events during the floods in 2022 in Victoria has found that not all the damage done was caused by nature alone. 

73 findings and 90 recommendations have been made regarding planning systems and the effects of the built environment, as well as community resilience. 

Guest: Dr Margaret Moreton, executive director of Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.