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If You’re Listening — News & Politics
If You’re Listening

The world is on fire. There’s a coup. Inflation is through the roof, and AI is taking our jobs. What does it all mean? Each week, Matt Bevan explains the biggest story in world news while hiding in his basement from assassins and authoritarian regimes.

Recent episodes include an exploration of the relationship between India and China, a closer look at the Saudi Arabian city of NEOM, the conflict in the Middle East, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, and Ukraine’s incursions into Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Matt Bevan draws connections between stories from the past and the events of the present to help listeners understand world news and international affairs.

The podcast also features series about big moments in world news; previous series have focused on the United States presidential election, the United Kingdom’s 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia, Donald Trump’s presidency and promise to Make America Great Again, the Mueller Report, Vladimir Putin’s scheme to destroy western democracies, how the relationship between Australia and China came to the verge of collapse, and Australia’s turbulent history with climate change.

There’s a new episode of If You’re Listening every Thursday.

Latest Episodes:

How good are Australia’s gun laws really? Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Australians are very proud of our gun laws, and we have good reason to be. The laws are world famous and frequently referenced in the wake of almost every mass shooting in the United States. And yet, we have now seen two men terrorise Australia’s Jewish community at a Hanukkah event at Bondi beach with legally-owned high-powered guns.

Despite almost universal support for stricter gun control, there are more guns in Australia now than there were before the famous gun laws were introduced.

So, what are the specifics of Australia's laws? Are they really as water-tight as we all like to believe? And if they are about to change what will that actually accomplish?

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

24 hours after the Bondi shooting Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

On Sunday the 14th of December, two men; a father and son, used a range of firearms to attack a large Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach playground. At least 16 people were killed, including one of the two gunmen, and a ten year old girl.

It was Australia’s worst ever terrorist attack, and its second-deadliest mass shooting. The local and global Jewish community are horrified and frightened, by the events.

Australia is in shock, it’s left people wondering what could have been done to prevent this attack, and what needs to be done now.

Perry Duffin is the Sydney Morning Herald’s senior crime reporter, and has broken multiple stories about the seemingly escalating violence and anti-Semitism in Sydney. For the last 24 hours - virtually without sleeping - he’s been covering the early investigations into the events in Bondi.

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

Why is Venezuela falling apart? Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

During a 15 minute phone call, US President Donald Trump offered the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro safe passage for him and his family to the country of their choice, if they left Venezuela immediately. The deal seems to have fallen through and now Maduro is in hiding, and for the last few weeks, Maduro has reportedly slept in a different house every night. So why is the country with the most proven oil reserves on the planet enduring an economic meltdown that is so grave the President is now on the run?

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

This robot will shoot you and steal your wife Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

We have always been obsessed with stories about killer robots. But where do stories about malevolent machines with a mind of their own originate? Matt and Kara dig into the archives and discover an English robot called Alpha who; according to newspapers at the time, “became more man than machine” and “fired a gun at its inventor” in front of a packed room of terrified onlookers in Brighton, England in 1932.

The terrifying story was covered widely, and audiences flocked from all over to see the killer robot. But it turns out that’s not how the story went at all…

Read the Ogden Standard Examiner story from 1932: https://www.scribd.com/document/35924338/1932-Oct-23-Ogden-Standard-Examiner-Ogden-City-UTRead the Time article from 1934: https://time.com/archive/6819850/science-robot/Watch Alpha at Macy's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiiq0V9QRJ4

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

Where’s my robot butler? Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Tech bros are racing to develop the first mass-produced humanoid. But despite billions of dollars in investment, these robots require a great deal of human intervention. So, why has creating a humanoid proven so difficult?

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

Is internet piracy making a comeback, me hearties? Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

You wouldn't steal a podcast!

After meeting the founder of Sweden's Pirate Party, Rick Falkvinge, we decided to take a closer look at the world of piracy (on the internet, not the high seas).

Matt chats with If You're Listening producer Adair Sheppard about the rise and fall of The Pirate Bay, the kinds of angry letters you'll get for stealing fonts, and whether piracy is making a comeback.

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

Is China’s plan to invade Taiwan inevitable? Nov 27, 2025

Show notes

Currently, as many as 5000 Chinese spies are operating in Taiwan. Many of Taiwan’s allies are concerned that these spies, along with the increasing frequency of military demonstrations in the South China Sea, indicate Beijing may invade and force the "reunification" of China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that while he won’t rule out force, he would prefer a peaceful unification of the two territories. But what exactly does it mean to “peacefully” take a country that doesn’t want to be taken?

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

The time Andrew Denton tried to hire a bounty hunter Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

In the early 90s, Australia’s most wanted fugitive was Christopher Skase. He was hiding on the Spanish island of Mallorca, to avoid the corporate crime charges that had been piling up against him back in Australia.

In today's episode, Mark Humphries tells Matt about the bizarre attempts to bring Skase back to Australia, including one involving bounty hunters and TV personality Andrew Denton.

Mark is the host of Skase: Fall of a Tycoon available here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

The truth about China’s social credit scores Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

For the last decade or so, there’s been a lot of talk about how the Chinese government uses technology to issue social credit scores to its citizens. There was even that episode of Black Mirror that everyone still talks about.

Every time a Western government tries to increase its control over the internet, we hear that this is the beginning of a slippery slope that leads to jaywalkers being prevented from using vending machines. But does this dystopian AI powered surveillance system actually even exist?

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

maTt and kaRa address yoUr conspiracy THeory Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

Get ready as Matt and Kara address a whole lot more listener questions. All things from Elon Musk’s impending trillionaire status to the mystery of the missing If You’re Listening episode. Soil also once again gets a mention of course.

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Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq

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