The Decibel

After a little more than two days, U.S. President Donald Trump paused the 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico until April 2. It’s not just the tariff whiplash that’s causing anxiety – since Trump took office, he’s alienated allies, moved closer to traditional rivals, and hinted at a new age of U.S. imperialism.

Doug Saunders is the international affairs columnist for the Globe. He joins the Decibel to talk about how the world as we know it has changed since Trump took office in January, and how countries are adapting to the constantly shifting global order.

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On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke on the phone for nearly an hour about the trade war between the two countries. A slight reprieve was announced later that afternoon – but not necessarily because of that call. And at the center of all of these negotiations is one U.S. official: Howard Lutnick.

Nathan VanderKlippe is an international correspondent for The Globe and has been covering the Trump administration. He explains what happened on that call between the two leaders, which officials are working behind the scenes, and whether there are any ways to de-escalate this trade war.

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U.S. President Donald Trump‘s 25 per cent tariffs are now in effect on Canadian goods entering the U.S., with 10 per cent on energy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit back with countertariffs on $155 billion worth of American goods.

If the trade war continues, inflation will start to rise, jobs will be lost, and economists project a likely recession. And with growing sentiment that Trump’s motivations could go beyond stated security concerns at the Canada-U.S. border, Trudeau is taking a more blunt approach.

Campbell Clark, the Globe’s chief political writer, joins the show to break down the first day of the trade war, and what Trudeau’s response tells us about this moment.

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On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to follow through on his economic threat against North American neighbours – his government plans to impose 25 per-cent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. In response, the Canadian government said it would retaliate with tariffs of its own. The tariff plan disrupts Canada’s most important economic relationship and would effectively throw the two nations into a trade war.

Nojoud Al Mallees is The Globe’s economics reporter. She explains exactly what Trump said he’d do, what tools Canada can use to fight back and the serious pressure the economy could soon be under.

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The Islamic Republic of Iran is as isolated from the western world as ever. It has no diplomatic relations with Canada, President Trump recently recommitted to exerting “maximum economic pressure” on the country to force it to abandon its nuclear weapons program and support for terrorism. Western sanctions have contributed to its 32 per cent inflation rate.

And yet, as The Globe’s Africa Bureau Chief Geoffrey York found on a recent — and rare — reporting trip to the country, ordinary Iranians are pushing for change. More women are defying the strict dress code laws and don’t cover their hair in public, despite the violent crackdown on their protests in 2022. Iranian films are also defying morality laws, screening them in Iran, and submitting them to the international film festival in Cannes.

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Presenting Machines Like Us, a Globe and Mail podcast on technology and people.

We are living in a world of perpetual distraction. There are more things to read, watch and listen to than ever before – but our brains, it turns out, can only absorb so much. Politicians like Donald Trump have figured out how to exploit this dynamic. If you’re constantly saying outrageous things, it becomes almost impossible to focus on the things that really matter. Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon called this strategy “flooding the zone.”

As the host of the MSNBC show All In, Chris Hayes has had a front-row seat to the war for our attention – and, now, he’s decided to sound the alarm with a new book called The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource.Hayes joins Machines Like Us host Taylor Owen to explain how our attention became so scarce, and what happens to us when we lose the ability to focus on the things that matter most.

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Scammers are using generative AI technology to create deepfakes, compelling their targets to send large sums of money. And it is not just individuals getting scammed any more – businesses are increasingly being targeted by these look-alikes too.

While there are positive applications for generative AI, these digital replicas may mean the need for better regulation.

Alexandra Posadski is the Globe’s financial and cybersecurity reporter. Alexandra will explain how these scams usually work, how deepfakes are increasingly being used, and what can be done to help protect ourselves against them.

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March 1 marks the official end of the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. Phase two remains in doubt, unless all parties can start negotiations or extend the deadline for phase one.

Hamida Ghafour is The Globe’s Deputy Foreign Editor. She explains what has happened during the last six weeks, how hostage handovers have caused outrage in Israel and what could happen next.

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This Thursday, Ontario voters head to the polls for a provincial election that Premier Doug Ford called more than a year early. The threat of tariffs looms large, overshadowing traditional election issues like health care and affordability.

Jeff Gray is The Globe’s Ontario politics reporter. He’s on the show to talk about how tariffs shaped this election, how the parties are approaching the challenges facing Ontario and how Ford’s opponents are dealing with the uphill battle against him.

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Since returning to office, the Trump administration has taken aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with major American corporations scrapping their policies and programs in response. But the backlash goes beyond DEI — corporate climate commitments are under attack, too.

The progressive policies being rolled back fall under ESG (environmental, social and governance). ESG factors help businesses evaluate their practices related to sustainability and ethics, and help investors decide who to support. But with major political shifts taking place in the U.S., could Canada’s ESG boom go bust too?

Jeffrey Jones is the Globe’s ESG and sustainable finance reporter. He’ll explain the rise of ESG, the growing backlash, and whether we could see Canadian companies roll back their own environmental commitments in the coming months.

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