The Sunday Magazine

Guest host Nora Young speaks with CBC News senior business reporter Peter Armstrong and The Economist's Canada correspondent Rob Russo about Donald Trump calling off trade talks with Canada, The Economist's Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom and Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari consider Iran's future, writer Tim Clare explores how board games are a portal to the past, and we revisit Piya Chattopadhyay's conversation with entertainment legend Barbra Streisand about her memoir My Name is Barbra.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

You may know Ed Helms from The Daily Show, The Office and The Hangover movies. But the actor and comedian is also a history buff. And he thinks there's a lot we can learn – and laugh about – by delving into history's greatest, zaniest and funniest screw-ups. Helms explores those stories in his podcast and book SNAFU. He joins Piya Chattopadhyay to share some of his favourites – from a CIA plot to make Fidel Castro's beard fall out, to a nuclear scare in Canada where a 20-something future-president named Jimmy Carter saved the day.

Arash Azizi, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, and Barbara Slavin from the Stimson Center discuss the implications of recent U.S. strikes on Iran, emphasizing the need for diplomatic solutions amid rising tensions. Astrophysicist Adam Becker takes a critical look at tech moguls' visions for the future, questioning their societal influence and the risks of unchecked AI development. Meanwhile, Ed Helms offers comedic insights into historical blunders, blending humor with lessons from the past, showcasing the importance of learning from our mistakes.

One year ago this month, Joe Biden’s performance at the first U.S. presidential debate against Donald Trump sparked global headlines – and rang alarms – about his mental and physical acuity, culminating in Biden's eventual withdrawal from the race. After the Democrats went on to lose the election, CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political reporter Alex Thompson began investigating the roots of Biden's decline. In their new book Original Sin, they argue that his inner circle went to great lengths to cover it up. Tapper joins Piya Chattopadhyay to make his case, and respond to the criticism his reporting has received from across the political spectrum.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with global affairs experts Arif Lalani and Jennifer Welsh about how heightened tensions between Israel and Iran are looming over the G7 leaders' summit, historian Augustine Sedgewick looks at how fatherhood has evolved through the ages, CNN anchor Jake Tapper defends his case that Joe Biden's cognitive decline was covered up, and literary food historian Nathalie Cooke muses on what menus can reveal about art, culture and class.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Erica Jong became a literary sensation and feminist icon in the 1970s and 80s for her depictions of female agency, sexuality and relationships. And her work often drew from her real life, with friends and family members inspiring her characters... including her daughter, Molly Jong-Fast. Jong-Fast joins Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss her new memoir How to Lose Your Mother, which lays bare her perspective on her upbringing, relationship with her mom – and the conundrum of competing narratives in families.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with defence and security experts David Perry and Stephen Saideman about how Canada should prepare for less U.S. involvement on the world stage, Julia Pagel explores how tariffs are causing chaos for customs brokers, The Atlantic's David A. Graham outlines how Project 2025 is reshaping U.S. policy, and Molly Jong-Fast discusses her new memoir about her relationship with her famous feminist novelist mother, Erica Jong.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

In the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, Piya Chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Playing along this month are Brent Bambury, host of CBC Radio's Day Six, and Truro, N.S. listener Katherine Reed.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with University of British Columbia professor Lori Daniels about what Canada's early fire activity signals about the wildfire season ahead, nature writer Robert Macfarlane reflects on the push for rivers to be designated as living entities, former National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation director Ry Moran looks at progress made 10 years after the TRC's calls to action, we play an all-new round of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, and poet and lecturer Lee Campbell explains how the underground queer slang Polari went mainstream.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

This past Sunday marked five years since George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer. His death sparked global outrage and propelled a movement for racial justice. But the anniversary arrives against a backdrop of stalled police reform, and polling that shows the number of Americans who believe an emphasis on racial injustice leads to progress has declined. Selwyn Jones, Floyd's uncle, and Robert Samuels, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice, join Piya Chattopadhyay to reflect on Floyd's legacy, and what a path forward looks like for racial equality.