The Munk Debates Podcast

Munk Foundation / iHeartRadio
  • 4.6 (363)
  • ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Munk Debates Podcast

The Munk Debates podcast is an extension of the main stage events - in subject, speaker selection, tone and format. It will introduce the iconic brand - and its engaging debates about significant issues of our time. Audiences will hear strong and passionate arguments from both sides of an issue so they will have enough information to make up their own minds about where they stand.

  1. Friday Focus: Trump can't shake Epstein and Carney faces another trade test

    1D AGO

    Friday Focus: Trump can't shake Epstein and Carney faces another trade test

    Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice open today's show with the Epstein Files: how Trump's alleged birthday letter to the convicted pedophile from 2003 - just leaked to the public - has added fuel to the fire of his already enraged base. What is it about the Epstein Files that has his otherwise loyal followers up in arms? and why is it sticking to a Teflon President whose past transgressions have been either forgiven or discounted by MAGA? Trump's base has thrived on this particular story of conspiracy, and to find out their leader is complicit presents a major political problem to the current US administration. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn their attention to trade negotiations with the US on the heels of Trump's latest tariff threats. Will Canada project the type of resolve needed to face down a mafioso style of diplomacy with the US? And is it worth riding out a rise in inflation and economic uncertainty to gain leverage against Trump in future negotiations? To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

    17 min
  2. Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Canada seeks to diversify its trade partnerships beyond the U.S

    4D AGO

    Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Canada seeks to diversify its trade partnerships beyond the U.S

    What should we make of Trump's latest 35% tariff threat on Canada? Rudyard and Andrew agree that while this is not surprising given who we are dealing with, it's also not unique to Canada, with Europe and Mexico likewise getting hit with a tariff threat as well. We are not dealing with a normal interlocutor, and anybody who talks about Trump being a natural negotiator is not familiar with the trajectory of his career and many bankruptcies. Unfortunately for Mark Carney, the US holds most of the cards in cross border negotiations, and if recent history is any indication, there is no way of guaranteeing that Trump will live up to any treaty he signs. In the meantime, Europe and the Indo-Pacific have begun strengthening their relationships with other trade partners which will cost the US bargaining power in the future. But should Canada - in a similar bid to diversify trade - seek to strengthen business ties with China? And can Trump's tariffs - which have already paid off a portion of the US treasury's deficit - actually work as intended and chip away at America's ballooning debt?

    32 min
  3. Friday Focus: Google's AI Overview will devastate small and medium-sized businesses

    JUL 11

    Friday Focus: Google's AI Overview will devastate small and medium-sized businesses

    The full version of today's special Friday Focus is available to all paying and non-paying subscribers. Rudyard and Janice devote today's entire show to one of the biggest news stories of the year that is not being covered by mainstream outlets: an upcoming change in the Google search engine that will have a devastating effect on everything from business profitability to how we consume news. Google's AI Overview provides AI-generated summaries instead of links to websites, which when tested in Britain resulted in a 50% drop in site traffic. 90% of Canadians use Google as their preferred search engine and smaller and medium sized businesses rely on Google to drive traffic to their websites. Even an optimistic 25% drop in web traffic to these businesses could mean the difference between being in, and out, of business. AI summaries are also going to transform the news industry, relying on one or two big media organizations for sources while shutting out independent and diverse voices. What role can the government play in mitigating the devastating effects this AI mode will have on our culture and economy? And what can businesses do to survive this AI avalanche that is just around the corner? To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

    29 min
  4. Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: irresponsible tax cuts on both sides of the border

    JUL 10

    Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: irresponsible tax cuts on both sides of the border

    Another week brings another tariff threat from the Trump administration, without clarity on who is being targeted and for what reason. Andrew argues that the media must resist applying normal rules of rational behaviour that you would expect from any other presidency. Trump is becoming increasingly erratic in his second term and must continue exceeding expectations with his bad behaviour to satisfy himself and his followers. Meanwhile his Big Beautiful Bill includes tax cuts that will add billions of dollars to America's debt, an irresponsible fiscal plan that mirrors Mark Carney's tax cut plan in Canada. Why are governments around the world happy to increase debts and deficits at the expense of the long term health of their economies? Andrew and Rudyard agree that to increase productivity in Canada we need more investment which comes from tax reform and bringing down the top marginal tax rate - something no government wants to do.

    31 min
  5. Friday Focus: The US turns its back on Ukraine and a sombre American Independence Day

    TRAILER

    Friday Focus: The US turns its back on Ukraine and a sombre American Independence Day

    Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice open the show unpacking the effect America's pause on military shipments will have on Ukraine's war effort. Putin has managed to drive a wedge between the US and Ukraine, thus removing the biggest obstacle to his maximalist ambitions. Has America officially walked away from Ukraine? And does Europe have the will, the weapons, and the finances to fill the void and give Ukraine a fighting chance in a war that they are losing? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice take stock of America on its Independence Day and agree that things do not look good from north of the border: a President who shows contempt for the courts and rule of law, and a country that is now spending more money servicing its debt than its military. Both Rudyard and Janice worry for America's short term future under this administration, but both are optimistic that American Exceptionalism can withstand this current moment and save the country from decline. To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

    23 min
  6. Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: how do you negotiate with Donald Trump?

    JUL 3

    Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: how do you negotiate with Donald Trump?

    Mark Carney is learning quickly - as the digital services tax debacle proved - that attempting good faith negotiations with the US President does guarantee a positive or lasting agreement. What is the point of making concessions of any kind when the goal posts keep moving? Rudyard and Andrew then turn to America's decision to pause weapon shipments to Ukraine on the heels of easing sanctions against Russia. Andrew believes that Trump has done everything in his power to enhance the Russian position while weakening Ukraine's, thus sending an important message to the world's democracies that American support is not guaranteed. Can Mark Carney's spending commitment to build up Canada's defense protect our borders in an increasingly hostile world dominated by strongmen? And perhaps most importantly, how will we find the money to pay for this?

    34 min
  7. Friday Focus: Diplomacy with Iran and a Democratic socialist stuns New York City

    JUN 27

    Friday Focus: Diplomacy with Iran and a Democratic socialist stuns New York City

    Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice start today's show unpacking the intelligence information about the effectiveness of America's attack on Iran's nuclear sites. While centrifuges at Fordo have been rendered inoperable, a significant amount of enriched uranium has been moved from the site to an unknown location. A diplomatic solution should be explored to prevent Iran from rebuilding their nuclear program, but will Iran trust the US and move towards non-enrichment, or go the way of North Korea and secretly sprint towards a bomb? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to the surprising Democratic mayoral primary in New York City where Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani upset former NY governor Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani's affordability message resonated with voters and showed that Trump and MAGA do not have a monopoly on the public's growing frustration with economic inequality. This crushing defeat of an established politician reflects a powerful desire for change that party elites - on both sides of the aisle - ignore at their peril.     Thank you to this week’s Munk Curators and Supporters. Your contribution supports our efforts to bring back civil and substantive dialogue to the public square. Curators: Dixi LVincent CFrederic GBill M     Supporters: Mary GJames HCynthia SMaria Jose MAshvini DTheodora PTim CJacob KJoslyn BEugene TAlexander PHannah WVictor Nstefan SKevin BKristin ESarah CUlrike HKurt JSeth BDan WChristine BJesse BBen RTilanthi JChris BTrevor WAna RMichael CNeil MJim BJordan GFrances AEric PKaren BJOSE A ALawrence CLuke ANatasha MRobert CGintare MErin FJOSIE WJoe WRick CSuzanne HJay Nflorence MSimon JPaola LSylvia AJonathan WCharles LKatrina LDan BJake SSebastian TJulia NMark ANouri CMadeleine SNathaniel JThomas GMichelle GJohn LRichard CRyan LBraxley LPatrice TAviva RAlexis KCathy GMatt MKevin JJocelyn NBen PMike LDavid LArin KJordan HElena TStephanie HDarren KWilliam KRon BAndy DArvind SJulie PPatrick HJuliane SOmri GJohn MColin HJulie CLinda AMichael H To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

    19 min
  8. Friday Focus special Tuesday edition: a fragile ceasefire takes hold

    JUN 24

    Friday Focus special Tuesday edition: a fragile ceasefire takes hold

    The full version of today's Friday Focus is available to all members.  Rudyard and Janice begin today's special Friday Focus episode with the Trump initiated ceasefire that allows both Israel and Iran to claim some measure of victory. But does Trump have the power to make the truce hold? Bibi is learning that American help comes with a price, and the Israeli PM is no longer in the driver's seat. Pulling back to look at the bigger picture, Rudyard and Janice explain how America's involvement in this war is a game changer that has reinforced American power in the Middle East and beyond. Has this past week's events - including the notable absence of China and Russia in this conflict - challenged the idea that we are moving into a multipolar world? Have we underestimated American power in the 21st century? And finally, how will a weakened Iranian regime respond domestically to the penetration of its military and collapse of its nuclear program?    To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

    26 min
See All (491)

Trailers

Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
363 Ratings

About

The Munk Debates podcast is an extension of the main stage events - in subject, speaker selection, tone and format. It will introduce the iconic brand - and its engaging debates about significant issues of our time. Audiences will hear strong and passionate arguments from both sides of an issue so they will have enough information to make up their own minds about where they stand.

Information

  • Creator
    Munk Foundation / iHeartRadio
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    491
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Antica Productions and Bell Media
  • Show Website
    The Munk Debates Podcast

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada