It started with U.S. President Donald Trump's 'quips' about Canada becoming the 51st state. Nearly a year later, the Canada-U.S. relationship has weathered a barrage of tariffs, trade threats and taunts. CBC's Washington bureau — Paul Hunter, Katie Simpson and Willy Lowry — weigh in on the past year of Canada-U.S. relations under Trump, the current trade stalemate and whether the country that's been known as Canada's ally is even still a friend.

This week, thousands of pages of documents were released from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Some suggest Donald Trump knew more about Epstein’s crimes than the President has let on –– though the White House has called it a smear job.

These 23-thousand pages also tell a story that goes much further than the White House, giving insight into just how enmeshed Epstein was with global power-players and events.

Murtaza Hussain, a national security and foreign affairs reporter for Drop Site News, joins the show to discuss all of this and to share what his reporting has uncovered about the link between Epstein, Israeli intelligence officials and more.

The decisions of one Conservative MP to cross the floor, and another to resign have sparked a wider conversation about whether Pierre Poilievre should remain leader of the party.

Those moves also forced the Conservatives into their version of damage control, given the stories of intense pressure campaigns and disputed accounts of office screaming sessions.

Two conservatives joined host Jayme Poisson with their take on how Poilievre and his supporters are managing this latest crisis.

Fred DeLorey is the chair of Northstar Public Affairs. He was also former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s national campaign director in 2021. Kate Harrison is the vice-chair for Summa Strategies, a public affairs firm that specializes in government relations.

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

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau is dating the American pop star Katy Perry. He’s been spotted with her on her yacht, singing along at her concerts, and globetrotting with her hand in hand.

It’s not the kind of post-political life Canadians are used to witnessing.

So today, a look at the lives of Canadian Prime Ministers once they’ve left office and the post-electoral endeavors of American presidents.

Are they extensions of who they were as leaders or breaks from the past?

Susan Delacourt is a longtime political journalist with the Toronto Star, and Gil Troy is a historian of American history and professor at McGill University. They join us to talk about the second acts of many of our most notable leaders.

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

Nick Fuentes and his followers - Groypers - are working to push American conservatism and the MAGA movement into even more dangerous and reactionary territory. He started to gain a following in 2017 after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. On his show, America First, Fuentes openly praises Adolf Hitler and pushes white supremacist, Christian nationalist and antisemitic ideas.

Fuentes, and his ideas moved one step closer to the mainstream last week when he sat down with Tucker Carlson, one of the most prominent right wing talk show hosts in the U.S.

So we’re talking about this mainstreaming of his beliefs with Ali Breland, staff writer at The Atlantic, and Ben Lorber, senior research analyst at the social justice think tank Political Research Associates. Lorber is also the author of Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism.

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

The Conservative party is reeling from a pair of resignations that happened during budget week.

First, Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor to the Liberals, citing disagreement with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s approach to politics.

Two days later, Edmonton MP Matt Jeneroux resigned from his position, citing the need for more time with his family. According to a senior Liberal source who spoke to the CBC, Jeneroux was in talks with Prime Minister Carney about defecting.

Longtime federal politics reporter Stephen Maher walks us through the high stakes political drama. Maher is also the author of “The Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau”.

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

One year after Trump’s election, the U.S. looks very different than it did in 2024. PM Mark Carney has dubbed Trump “transformative”, and there’s no indication the president is shifting gears. CBC’s Washington correspondents – Paul Hunter, Katie Simpson and Louis Blouin – take stock of the last year, talking to Americans about whether they still stand by their votes, and assessing what’s ahead for Canada.

Writer George Orwell has had a major impact on the way we talk about and view the world. His book 1984 introduced us to words and phrases like “thoughtcrime,” “doublespeak” and “Big Brother,” which have become common parts of our vocabulary. Seventy five years after his death, his ideas around mass surveillance and propaganda continue to resonate in a world of Big Tech, challenges to democracy, and distrust of institutions.

The new documentary Orwell: 2+2=5 by filmmaker Raoul Peck explores the origin of Orwell’s ideas, and how they connect to political events like the January 6th insurrection, the persecution of the Rohingya people in Myanmar, and the invasion of Ukraine.

Raoul Peck joins guest host Daemon Fairless to talk about Orwell’s life, his words, and the ideological battle over his ideas.

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