Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

How the MAGA-backed Warner Bros deal is a takeover of American culture

From Barbie to Casablanca, Warner Bros studios have fundamentally shaped western popular culture. So will its $110 billion dollar takeover by Paramount re-write the script for American cinema as we know it? And with Trump's least favourite cable news channel, CNN, also changing hands in the deal, who is the 'nepo baby' now in charge, what is his connection to MAGA? Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke are joined by legendary entertainment reporter Kim Masters, who first broke the news of a potential deal last year, to talk about David Ellison's journey from aspiring actor to media mogul; his controversial instalment of Bari Weiss at CBS; and what his political connections say about the shrinking free press.  Guest: Kim Masters, co-founder and writer for Puck Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [global.roaming@abc.net.au] Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Has Trump thrust the US into another forever war?

It's been just three days since Israel and the US launched their war on Iran and Trump is already floating the possibility of deploying US troops on the ground, as so-called precision strikes on Iran spiral into far more dangerous regional conflict.   So, as casualties rise into the thousands and violence rips across the Middle East, what's driving the full-scale attack on Iran?   Today, as Israel launches flurries of missiles into Lebanon, hosts Hamish Mcdonald and Kylie Morris head to the streets of Beirut to speak with Al Jazeera's Heidi Pett as the situation unfolds. Guests: Heidi Pett, Al Jazeera correspondent reporting from Beirut Recommendations: Hamish -  Dictators & Demagogues 05: Iran's Ali Khamenei [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-me-to-your-leader/ali-khamenei-iran/104292096], Take Me To Your Leader! Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Can Trump and Netanyahu bomb their way to regime change?

With Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dead, and Trump promising military operations will continue until "all objectives" are achieved, it's unclear what American and Israeli calls for regime change will lead to.  Hamish Macdonald, Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke (The Nightly) are joined by two guests to unpack the extraordinary attacks against Iran. From Abu Dhabi, Mohamad Ali Harisi shares his concerns from a shaken region. And from Washington DC, Barbara Slavin talks about who the Assembly of Experts could chose as the next Supreme Leader.  Guests: Mohamad Ali Harisi, foreign editor of The National; and Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington

Is Iran on the brink of freedom?

With the Supreme Leader of Iran killed by military strikes, what happens next in Iran? Announcing his death, President Trump called Ayatollah Ali Khomeini "one of the most evil people in history." But does regime change follow the audacious attack by Israel and the US, or do they become mired again in a Middle Eastern war with no guaranteed outcome? And what about the Iranian people? What do they want, and how do they get it? After this episode was recorded, Iran confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

How Mexico got stuck between Trump's fury and Cartel fire

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is stuck in a political trap. On the one hand, Trump has threatened to intervene if she doesn't tackle the country's cartels. On the other, her strike against notorious 'El Mencho' this week sparked violence and unrest, with some cities like Guadalajara shutting down for days. But is killing El Mencho the end of America's fentanyl woes, or the start of a new chapter in the 'War on Drugs'? David Mora from the International Crisis Group joins Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue from Guadalajara to talk about the Jalisco cartel's global drug networks, and why ordinary Mexicans are bearing the brunt of Sheinbaum's diplomatic tightrope-walking. Guest: David Mora, senior Mexican analyst with the International Crisis Group Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [global.roaming@abc.net.au] Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.