Sunday Morning

8:10 Can Trump and Putin make headway? 

Dr Benjamin Jensen is with Jim again to discuss talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and give an update on the conflict in Ukraine. Ben is the director of the Futures Lab and a senior fellow for the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

 

8:30 Riley Knight: History's Strangest Deaths 

Queenslander Riley Knight is the host of the Half-Arsed History podcast and has just released his highly entertaining debut book History's Strangest Deaths. From a Chinese Duke who fell down a toilet in 581BC, to a Viking raider bitten by a severed head, to an Aussie PM who disappears of the coast - the book encapsulates some of the most unusual ways people have met their ends over the centuries. 

 

9:10 Mediawatch 

Mediawatch looks at how the media covered the government’s proposal to scrap NCEA in secondary schools. And many media reports claimed Trump’s 15 per cent tariff on our exports was ‘a surprise.’ But was it?  

Also - the prospects for some of our popular and enduring magazines, which are up for sale across the Tasman again.   

 

9:40 The Sunday Morning Quiz  

Our usual quizmaster Jack Waley-Cohen is taking a break this week - so Jim is joined by regular listener Ray Coventry, who put his hand up to be a stand-in for Jack. 

Wake up your brain and have a go at Ray's quiz!   

 

 9:45 Dr Stephen Best: Can we throw away our specs? 

Ophthalmologist Stephen Best is with Jim to talk about the latest ‘cure’ for poor eyesight being touted on social media 

 

10:10 Calling Home: Lynda Flinn from Nova Scotia  

Lynda Flinn has been living in the seaside town of Chester, Nova Scotia for almost 36 years. She owns and runs the very successful Kiwi Cafe where ANZAC biscuits and caramel squares are on the menu. She joins Jim to talk about what it’s like living in what has been described as ‘the Hamptons of Canada’. 

 

10:35  Across the Tasman with ABC’s Angus Grigg 

Angus Grigg is an investigative reporter based in Sydney and is part of ABC’s Four Corners team.  A Four Corners investigation has revealed how a simple scam saw tens of thousands of Australians fraudulently claim at least $2b in GST refunds. It also revealed how little the Australian Taxation Office did to find and stop the scammers. 

 

11:10 Could microbes in the brain help unlock the mystery of dementia? 

Molecular biologist Professor Richard Lathe joins us to discuss the provocative idea that the brain may host its own microbiome—a hidden world of bacteria and fungi that could play a role in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.  

 

11:30 Defective buildings: Holding those responsible to account 

John Gray, president of the Home Owners & Buyers Association of New Zealand, is back with Jim to talk about what is being done in other countries to lift building standards and dissuade rogue builders. 

 

11:40 Posting ennui: Is social media getting less social? 

Have you noticed a drop in breakfast photos and random musings on your social media pages? It’s not just you, people seem to be posting less and reclaiming some privacy in the digital realm, meanwhile we are left with influencers and content producers filling up the feeds.

Kyle Chayka writes for the New Yorker about technology and culture on the internet. He joins Jim to talk about the retreat from sharing our lives online.