The Decibel

After weeks of pressure, speculation and open questions from political leaders about his age and health, U.S. President Joe Biden has dropped his re-election campaign ahead of the 2024 election. Biden’s decision now clears the way for a younger candidate to pursue the Democratic Party’s nomination, to run against Donald Trump.

Globe contributor and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David Shribman joins the podcast to explain this historic moment in American politics, and the crucial days ahead for the Democrats, as they seek to rally behind a new presidential candidate.

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In late Februrary, Calgary-based discount airline Lynx Air, which launched a mere two years prior, ceased operations. For customers, that meant they’re likely weren't getting refunds and would have to find alternate and possibly more expensive tickets to their destinations.

This is a familiar story in Canada. Discount airlines have come and gone with only a few years of operation under their belt. The Globe’s transportation reporter, Eric Atkins is on the show to explain why discount airlines keep failing in Canada and what that means for flyers looking for a deal.

This episode originally aired on February 29, 2024.

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When a large drinking water pipe burst in Calgary last month, city residents were subject to water usage restrictions that lasted for weeks. Living in big cities, people tend to take it for granted that they can turn on a tap and clean, drinkable water will come out. But losing that ability calls into question how reliable our drinking water infrastructure really is.

Globe reporters Tu Thanh Ha and Oliver Moore investigated the state of drinking water systems in Canada’s 10 biggest cities. Oliver joins the show to talk about what they found, and why cities have such a hard time keeping such an essential service in a state of good repair.

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Paul Krusky is an unassuming tech nerd whose company, EncroChat, was once just one of the world’s many encrypted phone services. Now, he is in a French prison as police accuse him of building a digital den for Europe’s drug dealers.

Globe reporters Joe Castaldo and Alexandra Posadzki explain how EncroChat wound up at the centre of thousands of criminal arrests in Europe and what we know about Paul Krusky’s past and the charges against him.

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The attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday has thrown an already tense election campaign into further chaos. Despite being injured in the shooting, Trump vowed to maintain his schedule at this week’s Republican National Convention, where the former president has named his running mate.

The Globe’s U.S. correspondent Adrian Morrow joins the podcast from the convention to talk about the fallout from the historic attack on Trump and what lies ahead for Republicans this week at the convention.

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The problems with Canada’s housing market have spread beyond major cities like Toronto and Vancouver to smaller communities across the country. Vacancy is low, houses are prohibitively expensive for many Canadians, and even rental prices have spiked an average of nearly 9% over the past year. How did it get this bad, and why is it so hard to fix?

We zoom in on five examples that demonstrate how and why the market isn’t working. Reporters Matt Lundy, Jason Kirby, Frances Bula and Shane Dingman join us.

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Where does your seafood come from? And who, along the supply chain, handled it? An investigation from the non-profit investigative journalism organization, Outlaw Ocean Project, reveals a network of North Korean labourers at Chinese seafood plants – a violation of United Nations sanctions – supplying certain Canadian seafood companies. The workers detail a pattern of hyper-surveillance, poor pay and sexual assault by their employers.

Ian Urbina, executive editor of The Outlaw Ocean Project, joins The Decibel to discuss the findings of the investigation, the working conditions inside the processing plants and how products made from forced labour are ending up on Canadian store shelves.

VIDEO: Investigation reveals North Korean forced labour in Chinese seafood plants

This episode originally aired on April 9, 2024.

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This year’s NATO summit comes at a critical moment. Pledges of support for Ukraine drum up questions about why Canada and other NATO members are lagging in their commitment to meet the 2 per cent defence spending threshold. Both Trudeau and Biden are looking to show strength after a rocky start to the summer.

Adrian Morrow is the Globe and Mail’s U.S. correspondent. He’s on the show to talk about the significance of this year’s NATO summit, and what’s at stake for Canada’s position on the world stage.

Clarification: An earlier version of this episode contained an inaccurate comparison of Canadian and U.S. military expenditures. It has been updated with the correct information.

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The Myanmar civil war has been raging on for over three years now. Over 50,000 people have been killed, including 8,000 civilians, as the military junta that took over fights a multitude of militias. Recently, an important area along the Thai-Myanmar border changed hands.

The Globe’s Asia Correspondent, James Griffiths, traveled there and explains how resistance forces have gained so much ground, what happens now that the military junta doesn’t control the border and how China is involved.

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Dating apps have gained popularity over the past decade as singles strive to meet new people in a digital age. But frustration is setting in for many who feel that the apps are becoming less of a way to connect and more of a game that ends in heartbreak. Not only that, but the apps can get pricey. Now, people are searching for more meaningful – and in-person – connections. That online dating fatigue is leading to more singles mixers and speed dating events in many cities.

Globe audience editor, Samantha Edwards, breaks down the collective shift in attitudes toward online dating and reflects on the conversations she had with singles about their experiences with finding love on and off the apps.

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