Front Burner

Helena DeGroote, Belgian-born memoirist and narrator of Creation Myth, reflects on her choice not to have children and a life-changing relationship. She recounts meeting David, their early honesty about kids, the strain of conflicting desires, moments of doubt and caregiving, and a surprising pregnancy that upends everything.

Jon Lee Anderson, longtime New Yorker correspondent with deep Cuba and Latin America reporting, breaks down the crisis on the island. He traces the oil cutoff and its ripple effects. He describes rolling blackouts, strained hospitals, and tourism collapse. He explains how tanker tracking, U.S. pressure, and regional politics shape Cuba’s precarious future.

Caroline Barghout, a CBC senior reporter on location in Tumbler Ridge, gives on-the-ground coverage of a deadly mass shooting. She outlines official RCMP details and the timeline of events. She describes survivors' lockdown experiences, community grief in the small mining town, and outstanding questions about motive and next steps.

Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, argues social media harmed a generation of kids and calls for higher age limits. He discusses research lines, internal tech company findings, and different impacts on girls and boys. He explains how age-verification laws could work and why governments are starting to act.

George Perkovich, senior fellow and author on nuclear weapons and non-proliferation, breaks down treaty tools and what losing visibility between powers would mean. He explores new weapons, why smaller arsenals can still deter, and whether Canada could realistically pursue nukes. He also weighs geopolitical risks as rival states modernize their forces.

Robert Worth, an on-the-ground Atlantic reporter who covered Minneapolis protests, recounts how ICE’s Operation Metro Surge unfolded. He discusses why Minneapolis became a target and the political motives involved. He describes community organizing, whistle networks, direct-action tactics, and how deadly incidents reshaped public response and enforcement tactics.

Max Tani, a Semafor media reporter who tracks ownership and industry shifts, breaks down the Washington Post layoffs and their shock to journalism. He maps the paper's rise and recent decline, Bezos’s editorial pivot and its fallout, and how billionaire ownership is reshaping mainstream news. The discussion also covers legal pressures and the long-term risks to press freedom.

Eric Miller, president of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group and trade policy expert, explains the high-stakes USMCA review. He breaks down U.S. pressure tactics, dairy and auto industry flashpoints, customs-union ideas, dispute panel risks, and what surrendering the deal could mean for cross-border trade.

Kyle Cheney, Politico senior legal affairs reporter who covers high-profile investigations, walks through the DOJ’s 3 million Epstein files. He outlines links to powerful figures, details prolific communications like those with Steve Bannon, and explores Epstein’s role as a broker among elites. The conversation also covers released sensitive material, questions about prosecutorial review, and what accountability might look like.

Amy Fischer, Director for Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International USA, is an expert on U.S. immigration detention conditions. She describes arrests and processing, barriers to legal access, family detention harms, shocking findings at facilities like Alligator Alcatraz, denied inspections, rising deaths in custody, and how courts and Congress can try to respond.