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

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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.