Front Burner

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Republicans, Islamophobia and the midterms Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

As the U.S. voters head to the midterm polls, Republican candidates and leaders are targeting Muslim and Arab Americans casting them as suspect, questioning their loyalties, and their place in American life.

Much of this has centred on Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and Minnesota Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, but they are not alone.

Today, we take a closer look at Islamophobia on the Republican campaign trail and ask how anti-Muslim fear, skepticism and hate can be cultivated and used for political ends.

Moustafa Bayoumi is a professor of English at Brooklyn College and the author of 'How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America.' He's our guest today.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Washington accuses Canada of meddling in midterms Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

Earlier this month, U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra, made the dramatic allegation that Canada could be engaging in election interference in the U.S.

The ambassador was pointing to a few different things. One, was comments made by Industry Minister Melanie Joly about Canada’s tariff strategy. Another was Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s anti-tariff ads that ran in the U.S. last fall. They also pointed to Canadians that have been charged or sentenced in the U.S. with voter fraud-related incidents as part of a broad crackdown on non-citizen voting.

So what actually counts as foreign interference? We’re joined by Leah West, an associate professor of international affairs at Carleton University – and a former advisor for Canada’s Foreign Interference Commission.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Interest rates are up. Should you be worried? Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

On Wednesday, for the first time in three years, the Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate. It’s a modest hike — just 0.25% — but it’s been a controversial one, with several economists arguing that governor Tiff Macklem was jumping the gun, when Canada has by some measures been dealing with a sluggish economy.

But Macklem also had his reasons. Today we take a look at the Bank’s rationale, what the impact of this rate hike may be, and what it says about the state of Canada’s economy.

Our guest is Kevin Carmichael, Economics Columnist and Editor-at-Large at The Logic.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Will Anthropic's IPO go boom or bust? Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

In the few years since its inception, Anthropic has become one of the buzziest companies in tech. In their own words, they’re an AI enterprise that “puts safety at the frontier”. And this week they’re one step closer to going public with one of the biggest initial public offerings of all time, with expectations that they could raise up to $100-billion.

There’s a lot riding on this. Anthropic’s market debut could prove that either the AI boom is here to stay or that the mountains of money poured into the AI race were a bad bet.

With Erin Griffith, tech and business reporter at the New York Times, we look at what Anthropic’s 335-page pitch to investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission tells us about the company’s structure, finances and whether they can keep the AI train running.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

US Politics! Will Texas flip, who's bailing on Trump? Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

On Tuesday, Americans will go to the polls in a midterm vote that stands to challenge the Republican hold on both chambers of congress. For the first time in decades, a state like Texas may flip from Republican to Democrat. The implications would be vast for a Trump administration that has benefited from Republican majorities in the House and Senate.

Alex Shephard, Senior Editor at The New Republic, joins us to break down some of the key dynamics that could decide which way the elections go.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Are Canadian conservatives ditching the fringe? Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

At the end of September the B.C. Conservative party had imploded. Today, they are set to run the province. It's a stunning reversal of political fortune for a party that had been torn apart by infighting and resignations before a snap election call by the NDP.

The whole situation raises a tonne of interesting questions. Was this a triumph of one particular brand of conservatism over another? Or just a rejection of the NDP? Are there lessons here for Danielle Smith in Alberta and the struggling federal Conservatives?

Political strategist Kory Teneycke, co-founder and CEO of Rubicon Strategy joins us to talk about it.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Will Israeli voters turf Netanyahu? Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Israelis will elect a new prime minister on Tuesday for the first time since October 7th. Polls suggest that many voters are ready to turf Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing criticism at home for corruption scandals and his handling of October 7th.

He also faces isolation abroad for his military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. But while he may be sliding in the polls, it’s not clear that his main challengers will be able to pull together a coalition to oust him.

Today, we hear from three voters as well as pollster and analyst Dahlia Scheindlin about Netanyahu’s main challenger and his vision for the country, and how the Netanyahu era has changed Israel.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Weekend Listen: Was this referendum worth it? We ask Danielle Smith Oct 24, 2026

Show notes

Canada is complicated. Alberta has opinions. Ride shotgun with host Kathleen Petty on West of Centre for conversations about the state of politics in Canada, as power and influence shifts West. Whether you live here or just can't look away, you’ll get the no-nonsense analysis you need to make sense of it all.

In this episode Premier Danielle Smith joins host Kathleen Petty after a divisive Alberta referendum. Albertans are clear on their desire to remain a province of Canada. But parts of the province, and Smith’s own party, remain at odds. Separatists still hold United Conservative Party memberships. The premier says they should find a new party. But can she kick them out? And will she?

Also, Smith did not get a mandate on the four referendum questions on constitutional reform, and she failed to get a strong mandate on the other five questions on immigration. There's a clear divide between urban and rural voters. Will she push ahead with planned legislation to remove some social services for temporary residents? And how do conservatives address sagging support in the big cities?

More episodes of West of Centre are available wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/WoCxFB

Elon, Starlink and the betrayal of Ukraine Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

Two weeks ago, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he’d struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply the world with millions of tonnes of Russian diesel. It stunned Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said he felt betrayed. Trump responded by saying it was time for “Ukraine to get a new president.”

Soon after, Ukraine said its access to SpaceX’s military-grade version of Starlink called Starshield was throttled. Their drones slowed to a near halt and they were no longer able to intercept all of Russia’s attacks as Russia hammered Ukrainian energy facilities and civilian areas.

Ukraine blamed the White House. The White House denied it. The Wall Street Journal reported Elon Musk gave the order. He denied it too. But the incident raised questions about the implications of the world’s richest man exercising that kind of power.

Sharon Weinberger is a longtime national security reporter and the author of several books including her latest, 'Valley of Death: How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War'. She joins us to unpack what’s happening with this Starlink debacle and the consequences of Silicon Valley's ever growing role in global conflict.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

What's behind the youth protests in France? Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

France is in the midst of a weeks-long, nationwide protest that began with high school students lamenting the conditions of their public schools and issues like overcrowding, teacher shortages, and deteriorating facilities.

But these protests quickly became a national uprising, the largest the country has seen in decades — drawing in trade unions, public sector workers, and others frustrated with the conditions of life in the country.

France is a country where street protest is part of the political culture, and for many around the world France has become a nation synonymous with uprising.

Emile Chabal is an author, historian of Europe's political history, and professor at the University of Edinburgh. He joins the show to talk about how a student protest became a national demonstration of anger at the French state, and how France came to be viewed by many as "the land of protest."

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

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