Power Play

Latest Episodes:

America’s battle against disinformation in the era of AI Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

In the wake of a devastating Islamist terror attack in Moscow, the dark arts of spreading disinformation are again in focus as Russia’s President Vladmir Putin pins blame for the assault on Ukraine.

As a widening array of countries and malign actors spread fake news and analysis, real life consequences are all too clear. How can democracies like the United States and its allies confront information warfare from their adversaries in the era of artificial intelligence?

Host Anne McElvoy talks to James Rubin, who leads the Global Engagement Center within the U.S. State Department. Reporting to Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, his job is to disentangle propaganda and disinformation targeting the United States and its allies around the world.

Power Play will return after the Easter break with the next edition on April 11.

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Labour’s David Lammy on Trump, ‘visionary’ Margaret Thatcher and his bid to be the UK’s next foreign secretary Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

With the specter of a famine and a possible ground incursion of Rafah looming, Israel's allies are fretting. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of an impending catastrophe in Gaza. Yet Benjamin Netanyahu says “no international pressure will stop Israel” from achieving its war aims.

The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and uncertainty about who will be calling the shots in the White House next year are testing European foreign ministers — and those vying for their jobs. Nowhere more so than in Britain’s Labour party, which is under closer scrutiny as it looks likely to form the next U.K. government.

Host Anne McElvoy talks to Labour's David Lammy about the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, cultivating friendships across the aisle in Washington and paying tribute to Margaret Thatcher.

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Meet the mayor from Florida who wants to be Trump's VP Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

Now that Donald Trump is all but certain to lead his party into November’s presidential election in the U.S., it’s make up your mind time for Republicans – are they with him or not? One of them is a big gun in Floridan politics, the Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez.

Suarez earned a national profile by briefly entering the race for the White House last year before dropping out as the Trump bandwagon rumbled on. He’s gained wider attention for his efforts to lure companies to Miami, with an eye on turning the city into a crytpo hub and the next Silicon Valley.

In this week's episode, host Anne McElvoy sits down with the mayor in his waterfront offices in Miami. They discuss his recent endorsement of Donald Trump, the changing character of the Republican Party and the crisis on America's Southern border. Suarez also responds to allegations of impropriety in his administration.

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Biden's State of the Union and Trump rematch | Interview with POLITICO's global editor-in-chief Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

From Maine to California, Super Tuesday is the biggest date in the calendar for the United States primary election — a third of delegates for the Republican and Democratic conventions have been chosen.

While Donald Trump didn’t quite manage a clean sweep, the former president looks all but certain to face Joe Biden in November — now that the only other contender for the Republican crown, Nikki Haley, has pulled out.

As President Biden makes his final State of the Union address before the election, it’s shaping up to be an epic rematch of 2020 ... with even higher stakes at home and abroad.

From Washington, host Anne McElvoy brings together two of POLITICO's finest minds on the state of play in this year's race for the White House. She's joined by John Harris, global editor-in-chief and co-founder of POLITICO, who's observed many Super Tuesdays; and Josh Gerstein, senior legal affairs reporter, who's following the race being played out in the courts.

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Will NATO send troops to Ukraine? Estonia’s Kaja Kallas on war, Trump and European defense Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

As European leaders gathered in Paris this week, there was a sense of foreboding about the war in Ukraine, and the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is a further reminder of how far the Kremlin will go to suppress its foes.

Nowhere is the threat posed by Russia felt more acutely than on Europe’s Eastern frontier — and especially in Estonia, home to a significant ethnic Russian population.

In this episode, host Anne McElvoy talks to Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas about the war in Ukraine, as it enters its third year, her campaign to be NATO’s next secretary-general and how she feels about being on Putin's "wanted" list.

Kallas also responds to suggestions that Western allies could send troops to Ukraine — and described how seriously she takes Donald Trump’s threat not to defend NATO countries who don't pay up on defense.

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From Munich: US top officials talk Russia, Israel and Trump Feb 18, 2024

Show notes

From the Munich Security Conference, host Anne McElvoy speaks to U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Celeste Wallander, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

News of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny set the tone for the conference, where securocrats and world leaders gathered to discuss the mounting crises facing decision-makers.

Our guests discuss how America and its allies should deal with pressing conflicts — from Ukraine's stalemate to the war in Gaza, and the specter of a possible Donald Trump return.

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World on fire: Trump, NATO, Gaza and Ukraine top the bill at Munich Security Conference Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

As security and defense chiefs descend on Bavaria this weekend for the annual Munich Security Conference, can anything be done to dampen down the geopolitical fires around the world?

On everyone's lips will be Donald Trump's latest campaign salvo, which has shaken confidence in America’s commitment to the Atlantic defense alliance. The wars in Gaza and Ukraine, along with the crisis in the Red Sea, also top the agenda.

Host Anne McElvoy talks to two of POLITICO’s heavy hitters about what to expect. Alexander Ward, national security reporter and anchor of "National Security Daily" in Washington; and Suzanne Lynch, author of POLITICO's Global Playbook, appearing in your inbox each morning from Munich.

Power Play's subsequent episode — featuring an exclusive interview with a leading figure in global security — will be released as the conference wraps up this weekend.

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Steadfast Defender: NATO's UK ambassador on Ukraine, US war-funding and Europe’s looming defense headache Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

The largest NATO exercise since the Cold War is underway in the North Atlantic. The most powerful military alliance on the planet is putting on a show of strength — hoping that the Kremlin is taking note.

As Congress struggles to agree a new package of American support for Ukraine, can the rest of the alliance share the burden?

In this week's edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy speaks to the U.K.'s Ambassador to NATO, David Quarrey, about the alliance's readiness for a potential conflict with Russia, military support for Ukraine from its members and whether talk of a separate European defense capability will become reality.

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Election 2024: Race for the White House Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

As Donald Trump’s seemingly unstoppable campaign to win the Republican nomination gathers pace, most eyes in America and the world are moving to the more important contest — between him and Joe Biden.

Trump’s resurgence is causing jitters in the Biden camp. He has a small but consistent lead in national polls. Will Biden manage to keep hold of the electoral coalition that brought him to the White House four years ago?

Host Anne McElvoy brings together two leading pollsters and party strategists for their inside analysis of where the race is heading. Jim Hobart is partner at Public Opinion Strategies, who has worked on Republican campaigns; Maggie Omero is principal at the Democratic polling firm GBAO.

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'Another way of slavery': Singer, activist Angélique Kidjo on UK's Rwanda policy, politics and music Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

How much attention is Africa receiving as the world remains transfixed by wars in Europe, the Middle East, and as elections in the West loom?

This week, host Anne McElvoy talks to the award-winning musician and activist Angélique Kidjo about her campaign to improve education for girls in Africa and to address the humanitarian needs of her native continent.

They also discuss the U.K.'s attempts to send illegal asylum seekers to Rwanda. (Spoiler alert: The five-time Grammy winner calls on U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to abandon the policy, which she reviles as "another way of slavery.")

Music courtesy of World Economic Forum.

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