Russia, If You're Listening

Former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort is the subject of the first trial of the Mueller investigation, which begins this week in Alexandria, Virginia. Despite the fact that his charges have nothing to do with the Trump campaign, there is intense scrutiny on it, and speculation about whether it will lead to Manafort turning on Donald Trump, or receiving a Presidential pardon. But what is Manafort on trial for? And what shenanigans has he been up to while he's been in custody? Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app to find out how this story ends.

Jared Kushner was in charge of getting his father-in-law Donald Trump elected president. He was a young property developer with no political experience and crushing debts. And he went from one family besieged by scandal, to another. So who is this man prepared to defend first, his father, then his father-in-law? Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app to find out how this story ends.

An army of professional Russian trolls tried to change the outcome of the 2016 US election from a four storey building in St Petersburg. Did the dirty trickster Roger Stone help them? And was the Troll Factory ultimately successful? Language warning: This episode contains some swearing. You can get in touch at russia@abc.net.au.

Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin gave an astonishing press conference after their big summit in Helsinki. There was an assumption Trump would be forced to confront the allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, but few thought it would play out quite like this. We're joined by Gorana Grgic, a lecturer in US politics and foreign policy at the US Studies Centre and the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney, and Emma Shortis, a research officer at the RMIT University European Union Centre. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app to find out how this story ends.

Hacking, leaking, and the spreading of chaos. How Russian Government hackers timed a Democratic National Committee email leak with Hillary Clinton's biggest scandal. This week, we find out how Russia stepped over the line and tried to influence the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential Election. This is the ninth episode of Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan brings the story of a character involved in the investigation. You can get in touch at russia@abc.net.au.

In 2016 Don Jr took an ill-fated meeting with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower. The meeting is a pivotal moment in the entire story of Trump and Russia and has since been called "treasonous" and "unpatriotic". So is the meeting it a smoking gun or was it all just a waste of time? This is the eighth episode of Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan brings the story of a character involved in the investigation. You can get in touch at russia@abc.net.au.

Veteran Republican strategist Paul Manafort spent 30 years working for dictators before he struck gold in Ukraine. But when he returned to America and became the boss of the Trump campaign, his past caught up with him. How did this man get landed with over a dozen federal indictments, and why is he still refusing to flip? This is the seventh episode of Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan brings the story of a character involved in the investigation. You can get in touch at russia@abc.net.au.

If you read about the Russia investigation long enough, it is inevitable that before long you're going to come across a comparison to Watergate. But for those of us who didn't live through the Watergate scandal, or didn't follow it closely at the time, it can be difficult to fully understand. In today's episode, we're taking a look back at the biggest political scandal of 20th Century America, and how it compares to the Russia investigation. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.

Christopher Steele is the author of the infamous Trump/Russia dossier. You remember - the one that contains allegations about sex workers urinating on a hotel bed. But there's so much more to the dossier than that. It outlines a massive conspiracy between Donald Trump and the Russian government - a list of allegations which, if proven, would constitute by-far the biggest attack on American democracy in history. But is Christopher Steele a credible Russia expert? How likely is it that what's written in the dossier ever took place? This is the sixth episode of Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan brings the story of a character involved in the investigation. You can get in touch at russia@abc.net.au.

The G8 threw Russia out after the annexation of Crimea. Donald Trump thinks Russia should be let back into the club - so does he have a point? This is a Trumpdate - your regular update on all things to do with the investigation. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au. You can also subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Both the Russians and the Republicans have called Donald Trump's former foreign policy advisor Carter Page "an idiot". It seems everyone has been able to manipulate him to do their bidding. So is Carter Page an actual idiot or a Russian spy? This is the fifth episode of Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan brings the story of a character involved in the investigation. You can get in touch at russia@abc.net.au. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app to find out how this story ends.

This week we ponder what message Donald Trump is sending by pardoning well known conservatives and famous people. And it's been a tough week for the President's former campaign manager Paul Manafort and current Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. One is facing time in the big house, and the other is defending her honour. This is a Trumpdate - your regular update on all things to do with the investigation. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.

George Papadopoulos is the first known link between the Trump campaign and Russia. Just how close was the so-called coffee boy George Papadopoulos to Russian spies offering dirt on Hillary Clinton? This is the fourth episode of Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan brings the story of a character involved in the investigation. You can get in touch at russia@abc.net.au. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app to find out how this story ends.

It seems increasingly likely that at some point the question will be asked - is the President of the United States above the law? What would happen if Robert Mueller decided to involve the US President directly in his investigation? I asked US law expert Professor Sandeep Gopalan, from Deakin University. This is a Trumpdate - your regular update on all things to do with the investigation. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.

The oligarchs hold the power and the money in Russia. So who are they and why does your average Russian billionaire care about who sits in The White House? This is the third episode of Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan will bring the story of a character involved in the investigation. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app to find out how this story ends.

Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen has proved a ruthless and loyal friend but details of his personal finances are raising all sorts of eyebrows. And Trump has accused the FBI of planting a spy inside his presidential campaign. Two heavy hitters from the ABC's Washington bureau, Stephanie March and Conor Duffy, give us the low down. This is a Trumpdate - your regular update on all things to do with the investigation. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.

The spy from St Petersburg and the lawyer from Chicago. Why does Russia's president have such a deep and abiding hatred for Hillary Clinton? This is the second episode of Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan will bring the story of a character involved in the investigation. You can go back to hear our earlier episode on Donald Trump plus our special Trumpdate with 7.30 presenter Leigh Sales. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app to find out how this story ends.

7.30 presenter Leigh Sales was the only Australian to score an interview with James Comey when his book came out last month. And this week she interviewed Hillary Clinton. We get a behind the scenes look at both interviews and Leigh's take on two people who disprove the rule "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.

Donald Trump has always claimed he has "nothing to do with Russia" but is that true? What if Trump was caught in a Russian web, long before he even considered a career in politics? This is the first episode of the ABC's new podcast, Russia, If You're Listening. Each week, host Matt Bevan will bring the story of a character involved in the investigation. And keep an eye out for our minisode updates - available whenever news breaks. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au

In this new series from the ABC, reporter Matt Bevan will take you through the story of Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the US presidential election.