Front Burner

Erin Griffith, a New York Times technology and business reporter, examines Anthropic’s potential record-setting IPO. They explore Claude’s rapid growth, narrowing losses, massive computing commitments and the economics behind large language models. The conversation also covers Anthropic’s safety-focused structure, public-benefit governance, AI bubble fears, mounting debt and community resistance to data centers.

Alex Shepard, senior editor at The New Republic and a political writer covering American elections, examines Democrats’ strongest chance in Texas in decades and key Senate races in Maine and Michigan. He discusses Trump’s slipping support among Latino voters and young men, conservative influencers creating distance, billionaire donors, Obama’s unifying campaign role, Republican Islamophobic attacks, and Kushner’s conflicts of interest.

Kory Teneycke, a Canadian political strategist and former Stephen Harper communications director, examines B.C.’s Conservative turnaround. He explores mainstream conservatism versus online fringe politics, Alberta separatism, and the challenges facing Pierre Poilievre’s federal Conservatives. The conversation also considers affordability, national unity, Donald Trump’s influence, and how conservative coalitions are being reshaped.

Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli pollster, political analyst and Haaretz columnist, examines Israel’s high-stakes election. Three voters reveal sharply divided views on Netanyahu, Arab representation and the country’s future. Scheindlin discusses Netanyahu’s enduring support, Gadi Eisenkot’s challenge, the pivotal role of Arab parties, Gaza’s influence on politics and the coalition scenarios that could keep Netanyahu in power.

Jason Markusoff, a Calgary-based journalist covering Alberta politics, joins Danielle Smith, Alberta’s premier and UCP leader, for a candid look at the referendum’s fallout. They discuss immigration rules, temporary-resident costs, urban-rural divides, labour shortages and Alberta’s push for more control. Smith also addresses separatists in her party, the petition appeal and the UCP’s test of unity.

Sharon Weinberger, a national security journalist and author of Valley of Death, examines Starlink’s disruption in Ukraine. She explores how lost satellite connectivity affected drones and battlefield communications, who controls SpaceX’s military services, and Elon Musk’s influence over wartime decisions. The conversation also probes political pressure on Kyiv, Silicon Valley’s growing role in defence, and the search for alternatives.

Emile Chabal, a historian of modern France and professor at the University of Edinburgh, explores how school blockades grew into a nationwide uprising. They discuss France’s protest tradition, police tactics, economic anxiety, strained public services, Mélenchon’s revolutionary rhetoric, and why immigration narratives miss the movement’s broader roots. Political gridlock and Marine Le Pen’s prospects also come under scrutiny.

Akbar Shahid Ahmed, diplomatic correspondent and author of *Crossing the Red Line*, examines the Biden administration’s Gaza policy. He explores the inner circle shaping decisions, officials’ suppressed dissent, and the post-9/11 framing of October 7. He also discusses casualty figures, hostage diplomacy, the failed Rafah “red line,” arms sales, Kamala Harris’s limited break, and growing Democratic tensions.

Jason Markusoff, a CBC journalist covering Alberta politics, breaks down the province’s decisive vote to remain in Canada. He explores what the margin means for the separatist movement, Danielle Smith’s looming pressure from her base, and Ottawa’s response. The conversation also examines Alberta’s demands around pipelines, immigration and provincial power, plus the political battles ahead.

Corey Morgan, an Alberta independence organizer, and Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Alberta cabinet minister, make competing cases before the province’s referendum. Hear the final rallies for Canadian unity and greater autonomy, debates over immigration, pipelines, Ottawa and Mark Carney, and warnings about protest votes. The discussion also examines the deadly training-range fire at CFB Wainwright that killed four service members and critically injured others.