If You're Listening

RUSSIA | S02 08 - The night at the wine rooms

It's the meeting at a fancy wine bar in London that sparked the Mueller investigation.Some say it was a boozy, alcohol-fuelled drinking session where a clever spy tricked a Trump official into divulging information about Russia.Others say it was a brief encounter where a Trump official naively blurted something to a senior diplomat.So what is the truth?For the first time, both people at the meeting - George Papadopoulos and Alexander Downer - reveal what really happened that night.Here's one spoiler: they agree they both had a gin and tonic.So pull up a chair and grab a drink, because this story gets weird.

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.

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