Five months after his first appearance in the Oval Office, Prime Minister Mark Carney made his second trip down to Washington. And while he said little during the 30-minute press conference, talks between the countries carried on throughout the day and into the night.

Doug Saunders, The Globe’s international affairs columnist, assesses Carney’s second performance at the White House and explains why he thinks Carney might be stalling on making a trade deal.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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On October 7, 2023, members of Hamas launched attacks in Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 people hostage. Israel responded by launching a war in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of eliminating Hamas. Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, and much of Gaza has been destroyed.

Two years later, reverberations of that initial attack and the ongoing war continue. The ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has led to a global protest movement in support of Palestinians. At the same time, antisemitic incidents have been on the rise in the diaspora. In the years since October 7, dinner table conversations in Jewish families have increasingly centred on – do we still feel safe in our homes? And what responsibility do we feel for the destruction that is happening in another land? These are questions that have led to division – and reckoning – within Jewish communities.

Globe columnist and author of October 7: Searching for the Humanitarian Middle Marsha Lederman joins Decibel producer Michal Stein for a conversation from a Canadian Jewish perspective in understanding what’s happened since October 7 and how it impacts them today.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza. He did so alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it a “critical step”. Hamas has since responded, and agreed to parts of the plan — notably, the release of all remaining hostages and the relinquishing of its control over Gaza. Negotiations will begin in Egypt on Monday.

The Globe’s European Bureau Chief, Eric Reguly, joins the show. He’s been reporting from Cairo and Jerusalem, and will explain the details of Trump’s peace plan, how it’s being received across the region, and whether it could mark the beginning of the end of this war.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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The education system has been fraught with controversy in Alberta. From the government’s recent attempt to ban certain books in school libraries, to their introduction of several measures affecting transgender students. And now, a major pressure point between teachers and Premier Danielle Smith’s government has come to a head: overcrowding in Alberta’s schools. On Monday, over 50,000 educators across the province are set to strike for the first time in over 20 years.

Today, the Globe’s education reporter, Dave McGinn, joins the show. He’ll tell us about the major influx of students in Alberta, what’s behind it, and how it’s transforming schools.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at – thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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The great boom of the lobster industry is, in many ways, a story of success. For more than 30 years, Canada’s most valuable seafood export has generated wealth for Canadian fishing communities and created an appetite around the world for the luxury food. But it’s also come at a tremendous cost – Indigenous fishers have been excluded, and scientists have warned warming waters and overfishing are severely affecting catches, causing high tensions and sometimes violent fights.

Greg Mercer, investigative reporter for The Globe and author of Lobster Trap: The Global Fight for a Seafood on the Brink, joins the podcast to talk about how the gold-rush mentality of the multi-billion dollar industry is creating a crisis for both the shellfish and its environment.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Official estimates from Ukraine’s government say 19,000 Ukrainian children have been taken by Russian forces since the start of the conflict. And many of these kids are living in Russian camps overseen by former soldiers.

Now, a pamphlet from one of the camps has given the world a window into the lives of these children. Janice Dickson, The Globe’s international affairs report, discusses Russia’s attempts to turn these children against their home land.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Today marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. In observance of this day, The Globe and Mail is not publishing a new Decibel episode. We hope to encourage learning, reflection, and meaningful conversations about the history and ongoing impacts of colonialism in Canada.

Just two months after ChatGPT was launched in 2022, a survey found 90 per cent of college students were already using it. But students are no longer using artificial intelligence for writing essays – AI is used in generating ideas, conducting research, and summarizing reading. In other words: they’re using it to think for them. What does this mean for higher education? And what are the real costs of AI in critical thinking?

Machines Like Us Host Taylor Owen, welcomes two guests – Conor Grennan, chief AI architect at NYU’s Stern School of Business and Niall Ferguson, senior fellow at Stanford and Harvard, and the co-founder of the University of Austin.

Subscribe to The Globe and Mail’s ‘Machines Like Us’ podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

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Last Monday, the Trump administration linked Tylenol to autism and warned against pregnant women taking it — Health Canada says there is no conclusive evidence and continues to recommend acetaminophen to treat fever and pain during pregnancy. This is not the first time U.S. President Trump or Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have made controversial remarks on autism and what causes it. And some advocates and scientists are concerned about the wider impact this could have.

Today, developmental pediatrician Dr. Melanie Penner joins the show to help us unpack the growing fixation on autism, why unproven links to its cause continue to resurface, and what we should be focusing on instead.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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