Friday Focus: Trump’s Davos TACO, Carney’s vision for Canada, and an AI deepfake blurs the lines of reality
Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to full length editions of the Friday Focus podcast with Janice Stein. Your donor membership comes with other great perks like a livestream pass to our mainstage debates and advanced access to full length episodes of our other weekly podcast with Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne.
Rudyard and Janice begin the show with the remarkable-sized TACO Trump delivered this week, whipping the world into a frenzy over threats to take over Greenland. His tough talk turned into a whimper after a meeting with the NATO Secretary General and a framework of a deal that has not been accepted by European leaders. What happened behind closed doors that made Trump back down from these threats? How did the bond market play into this? Meanwhile Mark Carney’s Davos speech was well received by the European elite, but what is his plan for Canada? How will he enact sweeping and fundamental change in this country that match the substance of his speech? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice discuss an AI-generated video impersonating former UN Ambassador John Bolton discussing Mark Carney’s China visit. The convincing video – which has been viewed over 180,000 times – is a reminder of how easily AI can be used in interference and influence campaigns by foreign governments. What if 2026 is the year we can’t tell what’s real and what’s not?
You may also like
February 24, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump shakes his fist at the court and will AI take everyone’s jobs?
March 31, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump’s mixed messages on Iran and the NDP elects a new leader
April 7, 2026
– Watch
Gene Editing Debate
February 4, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Alberta’s separatist movement gets support from Washington and Canada needs a new security agenda
February 10, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump demands half ownership of the Gordie-Howe Bridge and will Carney call a spring election?
March 25, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: at this point, what is Iran’s incentive to negotiate?
May 20, 2026
– Watch
Foreign Wars Debate
April 9, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: the end of Pax Americana and the Liberals are within one seat of a majority government
March 3, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump strikes Iran without a strategy
April 14, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Mark Carney gets his Liberal Majority
April 28, 2026