Tell Me Straight: Recent Episodes
ABC Radio
Why is this a story? How did we get here? We explain the most interesting and outlandish stories making headlines. Hosted by ABC News journos Yasmin Parry and Will Ockenden.
Manus Island detention centre closed this week, so where will the asylum seekers go? There are three options - stay, settle or hope.
Former Trump advisor Paul Manafort has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 counts - basically he's in big trouble. Will he turn on Donald Trump to bargain for a reduced sentence?
The raid, the denial, and the staffer's resignation. Tuesday's AFP raid on the Australian Workers Union has morphed into a story about honesty, credibility and who knew what.
When the pokie reels spin, what's happening inside the machine? We go to the pub for a punt.
Donald Trump has hated the Iran nuclear deal from day one, and now he's done something about it. He's told Congress to nix it or fix it - so what happens now?
A mathematician has revealed a "really bad and really significant" security flaw that weakens nearly every Wi-Fi system in the world - yep, that includes yours.
Seven pollies faced the High Court this week, arguing their dual citizenship case. Who had a strong argument, is ignorance a defence of the law, who was called "un-Australian" and why so much talk about boats?
Catalonia is a region in Spain with delicious food, an epic football club and a lot of money. For 300 years some Catalans have wanted to become their own nation - so why won't Spain let them leave?
Gravitational waves? They're like a fun house mirror without the fun. Today we're talking about perfect mirrors, lasers, and gossiping scientists.
Imagine a squad of thousands of military soldiers flying through the night toward North Korea with one job — assassinate the leader Kim Jong-un.
How big could the next volcano explosion be? We're talking ash clouds, global temperature changes, acid rain and rivers of fast running molten lava.
The Federal Government could soon face a crisis if former New Zealand citizen and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is ruled ineligible by the High Court. What would happen next?
Rohingya Muslims are fleeing "textbook ethnic cleansing" in Myanmar. So why hasn't country's leader Aung San Su Kyi spoken up?
Western Australia is mad. Real mad. It's angry about the GST. Some West Australians want to dump the east and become their own country. What's going on?
The legal conundrum over the same-sex marriage postal survey has been decided, but the story is far from over. ABC legal eagle Elizabeth Byrne and political whiz Matt Doran break down the decision, the political fallout, and "the vibe" in the High Court.
Is the same-sex marriage postal survey legal? On day one of the High Court hearings, we find out how the arguments went down.
A North Korean missile fired over Japan this week was just a test, but if the missiles really come, will Australia be ready?
The Government is going to hold a voluntary non-binding postal vote on same sex marriage. But is a postal vote without legislative backing constitutional? Or will the idea get shot down in the High Court?
How can smart ATMs help the bad guys? And what could it mean for the future of the CBA?
We go down the rabbit hole and discover the telco billing deals costing Aussies millions of dollars a year.
The UN's refugee agency has accused the Australian Government of breaking a promise. So what happened?
Algorithms are all around us. They power what we see on Netflix and Facebook, they often decide who enters the country, and they calculate your Centrelink payments. But what happens when the algorithm goes wrong?
New laws will force companies to give law enforcement access to encrypted messages. Will it be a weakening of encryption or is it via a more sneaky method?
Round the world people use pronouns and honorifics that identify or conceal class, gender and marital status. So why do we use language the way we do?
Tony Abbott vs Malcolm Turnbull: Who will win in the ultimate showdown? Are the Liberal Party's roots conservative or progressive?
How soon will your job be automated, what jobs are least likely to be affected, and could a Universal Basic Income - where everyone receives a basic wage - ensure a more equitable society?
Australia has long talked about constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians, but what does that practically mean?
As Cardinal George Pell faces an unprecedented legal case, how will he pay for his defence? Actually... who is he?
What is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan? Farmers, governments and environmentalists have argued for ever over how the water from the Murray-Darling Basin system should be used.
People just can't get enough of hearing about grisly murders. But how does a journalist walk the line between ethical reporting and providing gruesome titillation?
Electricity prices are expected to go up by as much as 20 per cent this year! Australia has so much coal, gas and renewable energy, so how did this happen?
More and more companies are encrypting communications, making it very difficult for the Government to access your private texts. So what is encryption? And how can the Government get their hands on everyone's messages?
The Tories are trying to strike a deal with the Northern Ireland's DUP so they can govern with a majority. So who is this extremely socially conservative party and what are they asking for?
James Comey has called Trump a liar and sent him the message that if you come at the FBI, you best not miss.
Who is James Comey, and why is he defending the FBI's honour in front of a congressional hearing?
The UK election will go down this week. What will happen if the Scottish Nationals lose seats? Where the hell has UKIP gone? And could it be the end of another Prime Minister?
Tell Me Straight is a podcast that answers life's curly questions and explains the big news stories of the day. So what do you want to know?