Elon Musk, head of the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ has gained access to the U.S. government’s federal payment system — the system responsible for the flow of over $6-trillion in payments to American families and businesses each year. 

This is a level of access into government apparatus that is unprecedented for a private citizen. Musk has used this power to declare war on, and interfere with, state agencies and organizations across the federal government. This includes USAID, the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, and the General Services Administration, among others. 

What are the implications of giving the richest man in the world — unelected by the public, unappointed by the President and the Senate, and unanswerable to Congress — this kind of authority and access to government? 

Waleed Shahid is a democratic strategist and former senior advisor and staffer for the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, and he joins the show to discuss Musk’s power grab, and whether it can be fairly characterized as a ‘coup.’

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

Many Canadians breathed a sigh of relief on Monday, after Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump agreed to pause tariffs for at least 30 days. But how permanent is this solution? And with the clock ticking on the Liberal leadership race, a prorogued parliament, and a looming federal election, will Canada’s domestic political chaos hamper our ability to respond if the fragile tariff peace doesn’t hold?

Today Rosemary Barton, CBC’s Chief Political Correspondent, joins us to break down the government’s response so far, and the rocky road ahead.

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

On Monday, after a long phone call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Donald Trump put a pause on the tariffs that were supposed to come into effect the next day.

The tariffs, 25 per cent on Canadian goods, and 10 per cent on Canadian energy products, have been delayed for at least 30 days. In return, Canada is implementing a billion dollar border plan, including 10,000 frontline personnel, and committing to appointing a fentanyl czar.

Despite the reprieve, Trump has said little about what it would take to avoid the tariffs for good.

CBC Washington correspondent Alex Panetta talks to guest host Jonathan Montpetit about why Trump keeps coming back to tariffs, and what his endgame might be with them.

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

On Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government would hit back against the U.S. after President Donald Trump launched a trade war against Canada.

Starting Tuesday, the U.S. is imposing 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods and 10 per cent on energy products in particular. In response, Trudeau said that the federal government would levy retaliatory 25 per cent tariffs on $155 billion worth of U.S. goods.

CBC senior business reporter Peter Armstrong on the consequences of a Canada-U.S. trade war, and what these tariffs might mean for the average Canadian.

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

A body is pulled from the ocean, and a race against time to capture one of the world's most wanted criminals begins.

Uncover: Sea of LIes is the story of a con man who couldn't stop lying. A tale of murder, stolen identities, fine art, a diaper bag stuffed with gold bars, and a crime solved by a Rolex watch. From rural Canada to coastal England, he lied and deceived at every turn.

Award-winning podcaster Sam Mullins (Chameleon: Dr. Dante & Wild Boys) takes you inside the world of a devious scammer whose trail of destruction crosses continents and decades. So who is he? And how did this ruthless villain finally get unmasked? More episodes of Sea of Lies from Uncover are available at: https://link.mgln.ai/kP7LAY

It’s been nearly two weeks since a ceasefire brought more than 15 months of violence in Gaza to an end, and now, hundreds of thousands of Gazans are returning to the north, or what’s left of it.

Abubaker Abed, a Palestinian freelance journalist, joins us to share what he has witnessed since becoming thrust into this role of war correspondent, how Palestinians are feeling about this fragile peace, and what comes next.

Warning: this episode describes upsetting accounts of war and despair. Please take care while listening.

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

A small Chinese tech company called Deepseek has upended the world of AI.  Deepseek recently released a large language model that rivals ChatGP called R1 and it shot almost immediately to #1 on the app charts. 

The interesting thing about it is that the company built their model really cheap and that has called into question this narrative that you need an endless supply of chips and data centres and money to develop AI.

On today’s show we’re speaking to WIRED’s senior tech writer Zeyi Yang about the deepening AI cold war between the US and China and the lingering questions about where AI is headed and what it’s good for?

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

On his first night back in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump signed a series of sweeping executive orders that effectively dismantle federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and revoke a landmark Civil Rights-era anti-discrimination rule.

This comes as major American companies, from McDonald’s to Walmart to Meta, have been rolling back their own diversity policies, which have recently faced growing legal and cultural backlash.

Does this spell the end of DEI? And what could that mean, in the US and beyond?

Today Washington Post business reporter Julian Mark joins us to break it all down.

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

Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould was elected as the member of Parliament for Burlington in 2015 at the age of 28, but it didn't take long before she ended up in cabinet. In fact she was the youngest ever woman named to cabinet and the first ever active minister to take maternity leave.

Gould has played a number of roles for the Liberal's during their decade in government… including Minister of Democratic Institutions, Minister for International Development, followed by Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, all before becoming the Government House leader.

Today, Gould makes her case why should lead the Liberal party, and if she wins, fight the next election.

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

The Liberal leadership race really got underway this week. Mark Carney wracked up endorsements from current cabinet ministers, while Chrystia Freeland pitched herself as running against the "Ottawa establishment".

Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling an early election on Wednesday in hopes of shoring up another strong mandate, and capitalize on his visibility during the tariff fight.

Vandana Kattar is a former advisor to Justin Trudeau, and a political strategist. Dennis Matthews is the President of the a national advertising agency Creative Currency, a conservative strategist and former advertising director for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Mélanie Richer is Principal at Earnscliffe Strategies and former Director of Communications for the NDP and Jagmeet Singh. They join host Jayme Poisson to talk about it all.

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