{"podcast":{"title":"If You're Listening","slug":"if-you-re-listening-232515","podcast_index_feed_id":232515,"rss_url":"https://www.abc.net.au/feeds/9593214/podcast.xml","website_url":"https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/if-youre-listening/","image_url":"https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/0b00910f69470533fe28ab472d099166.jpg?src","author":"ABC Australia","episode_count":250,"summary":"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 clima…","last_synced_at":"2026-09-12T04:23:07.571960+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/if-you-re-listening-232515"},"episode":{"title":"What’s Under Trump’s Ballroom?","slug":"what-s-under-trump-s-ballroom","published_at":"2026-07-08T15:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/if-you-re-listening-232515/what-s-under-trump-s-ballroom","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/if-you-re-listening-232515","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/if-youre-listening/what-s-under-trump-s-ballroom/106890218","audio_url":"https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/ma/Z/3m.mp3","summary":"Presidents have always left their mark on the White House. Harry Truman rebuilt it from the inside out. John F. Kennedy restored its elegance. Jimmy Carter installed solar panels… then Ronald Reagan removed them. By that standard, Donald Trump's plan to build a grand ballroom isn't all that unusual. In fact, it's something he's talked about for years. The real story isn't the renovation; it's the reaction. After years of fuelling conspiracy theories about Washington elites and corruption, Trump has created an audience primed to question everything. So when he announces his biggest White House project yet, many of his own supporters assume there's far more to it. Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app . Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq","meta_description":"Presidents have always left their mark on the White House. Harry Truman rebuilt it from the inside out. John F. Kennedy restored its elegance. Jimmy Carte…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1560,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/if-you-re-listening-232515/episodes/what-s-under-trump-s-ballroom/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/if-you-re-listening-232515/what-s-under-trump-s-ballroom.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}