Front Burner

Jayme sits down with Nobel laureate economist, Daron Acemoglu, a professor at MIT, and one of the leading thinkers about labour, politics and technology.

He’s the author of the best-selling book “Why Nations Fail” and the forthcoming work “What Happened to Liberal Democracy?”. They talk about the decline of western liberal democracy, the alienation of the working class, AI, and more.

This was a live conversation at a summit put on by OCAD and Toronto Metropolitan University called the Democracy Xchange.

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

During the spring, farmers around the globe work to get the seeds and enough fertilizer in the ground to maintain the growing season. If that doesn't happen, food prices spike and farmers could face lower crop yields.

That is very much at risk of happening right now because of the Strait of Hormuz’s closure. About a third of the world’s seaborne fertilizer goes through the strait and prices have skyrocketed. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warns that this could lead to a global food catastrophe. Marcia Brown covers food and agriculture for Politico. She’s here to explain.

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

U.S. President Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, following diplomatic talks in Washington. This follows an intense period of violence, in which more than 2100 people have been killed in Lebanon, including a Canadian citizen.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has condemned Israel’s actions in Lebanon, which he characterized as an illegal invasion. CBC’s Evan Dyer says that’s a major change from how Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau spoke about Israel. He discusses why that change came about, and what it says about how Carney views Canada’s place in the world.

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

The energy crisis spurred by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is wreaking economic havoc on much of the world; especially in Asia and Europe, where shortages have already forced people to ration fuel, travel less for work, and pay more for food.

And it could all get even worse, because this week, after ceasefire talks fell apart, the Trump administration imposed a blockade of its own. Now, as both countries play a high stakes game of chicken on the Strait, many questions remain. What ships can and can’t be allowed through? Will the blockade actually pressure Iran to capitulate? How much worse could this crisis get? We’re joined by Ian Ralby, a leading expert in international maritime law and security.

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

Pope Leo has once again criticized the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, saying “I don’t think the message of the gospel is meant to be abused in the way some people are doing, and I will continue to speak out loudly against war.”

This is not the first time the pontiff has criticized Trump's behaviour and policies.

Trump responded with a Truth Social post calling the Pope “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy”. Trump later posted and deleted an image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure. Reporting also suggests Trump officials issued a veiled threat involving military force against the Vatican.

Today, we look at the President and the Pope’s competing visions of the world. Our guest is Christopher Hale, a democratic political operative and author of the Substack ‘Letters from Leo’ which focuses on the intersection of Catholicism and U.S. politics.

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