Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice begin today's show trying to make sense of Trump's tariff policy. Rudyard argues that Trump is not concerned with stock market losses if it means keeping promises to his voter base and reworking the American economy so it benefits blue collar workers, but tariffs are not going to bring their jobs back and will end up making everyone poorer.On the second half of the show Ruydyard and Janice turn to Canadian politics and the election of Mark Carney as Liberal Party leader, thus becoming Prime Minister of Canada. As much as we criticize politics in the US, here we have a PM who does not have a parliamentary seat, was not elected by the Canadian public, and is now representing Canada on the world stage. Meanwhile Canada's premiers are stepping in to negotiate trade deals with Washington while Ottawa takes a backseat. What is happening here? To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Can Trump's trade policies and US protectionism bring economic gains to the middle and working class? On this episode we hear from two people with vastly different perspectives:  President Biden's former economic advisor Jared Bernstein, and American Compass Executive Director Oren Cass, whose thinking on these issues have influenced a number of younger Republican politicians such as Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley and most importantly, Vice President J.D. Vance.     The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice start today's show discussing a New York Times article which details a phone conversation between Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump, during which it is seriously suggested by the Americans that the two countries revise the boundary that separates them. Trump wants access to our resources, including water and critical minerals. Let's call this what it is: an old fashioned imperialist attempt by a superior power to exploit and extract resources from a weaker country. Coupled with the constant threat of tariffs, Trump's long term plan is to weaken us and then annex us. Janice and Rudyard agree: we are at economic war and this is a defining moment for our country. It's time to reorganize, embrace our national pride, and not let this crisis go to waste. To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus. Janice and Rudyard react to the shocking Oval Office press conference between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump. Was Zelensky's decision to respond in kind to Trump's aggression a smart move? Zelensky showed great courage, but did he make gains for his country?  In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to Canada which is facing another tariff threat from the US, a liberal leadership race coming to a close, and a possible election call in the coming days. How has Donald Trump's erratic and aggressive behaviour influenced polls in Canada and who voters see as the best candidate to manage this turbulent period? To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Stephen Walt, a renowned professor from Harvard and journalist, joins Evelyn Farkas, an expert on U.S. foreign policy, to dissect the complexities of the Ukraine conflict. They explore what a successful peace deal might entail, while reflecting on Russia's imperial aspirations. Their discussion highlights Trump's admiration for autocrats and the resulting shifts in global alliances, necessitating a unified Western response to deter Russian aggression. The importance of trust in American diplomacy, especially concerning NATO and Taiwan's security, also takes center stage.

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus. Rudyard and Janice start the show by talking about Donald Trump's personal attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Are business opportunities in Russia causing the US to abandon its allies and European partners? The long term consequence of this - depriving the US of any legitimacy among Democratic states - is catastrophic. Rudyard and Janice then turn to Taiwan and the South China Sea where Xi Jinping is taking advantage of USAID's closure to leverage Chinese money and gain influence abroad. In the absence of American power and pressure, can the Chinese leader get the territory he has long sought without military force? To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

On this special edition of the Munk Debates podcast, we are bringing you the best moments from the Munk Debate on media bias, which took place in the fall of 2020 in front of a crowd of 3,000 people at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. This is a debate that went viral on social media - it spoke to a vast number of people whose growing distrust in legacy media was finally being addressed. Recent polls show that one third of Americans have low confidence in the mainstream media, while another third distrust it altogether. Canadian polls show similar numbers. How did we get to this point? Listen to this debate to find out. Arguing in favour of the resolution, Be it Resolved, don’t trust mainstream media, was the associate editor of The Spectator magazine, Fox News contributor, and bestselling author Douglas Murray. He was joined on stage by Substack publishing sensation, former Rolling Stone contributing editor, and investigative journalist, Matt Taibbi Arguing against the resolution was the internationally acclaimed author, podcaster and veteran New Yorker staff writer, Malcolm Gladwell. His debate partner was Michelle Goldberg, New York Times columnist and MSNBC contributor.       The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus. Rudyard and Janice start the show by reacting to the big news announced by Trump's defense secretary this week: Russia gets to keep the Donbas border region, no pathway to membership, and no security guarantee from the US. While Putin's aggression is being rewarded, it's fair to say that we are witnessing the end of the liberal international order and the return of 19th century imperialism: the mighty do what they want, the weak do what they must. What lessons will China and Russia take away from America's abandonment of Ukraine? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to Canadian politics and how Trump's volatile first few weeks in office have influenced voters north of the border - specifically who Canadians view as the best leader to respond to threats from the US. Can Pollievre's disruptive agenda get support in this new political reality? Or is Mark Carney's calm, steady approach what Canadians are looking for? To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Megan McArdle, a Washington Post columnist known for her insights on business and economics, joins Vox's Zack Beauchamp, an expert on democracy and populism, to discuss major issues facing the U.S. They delve into Trump's plans for Gaza and the implications of USAID cuts. The duo critically examines the ramifications of tariffs on Canadian imports, highlighting the economic impact on consumers. They also explore the potential for a constitutional showdown amidst Trump's legal battles, raising alarms about democratic integrity.

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus. Rudyard and Janice start the show talking about President Trump reversing course on tariffs at the last minute. While some say this was all a negotiating tactic by creating confusion to get concessions from Canada and Mexico, others are more concerned that this is all a pretense to Trump 2.0's territorial ambitions.  Moreover, the damage done to the Canada-US bilateral relationship will have huge long term consequences. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn their attention to Trump's shocking plan for Gaza, reimagined as the Riviera on the Mediterranean as the Palestinians are relocated against their will. This plan, so utterly lacking in credibility, is an affront to Trump's entire voting base which wants to retreat from the world, not spend money on developing it. Even so, when a President says something, no matter how outrageous, there are consequences. To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.