The Big Story

Today on The Big Story - we're debriefing, big time. Hosts David Smith, Kris McCusker and Cormac Mac Sweeney get together to chat about Prime Minister Carney's choice of cabinet and the fallout from a mixed week on the job. Join us for "The Big Debrief", a weekly examination of the news events of the week, as seen through the eyes of the people reporting on them.

It’s been a rough few weeks at the airport in New Jersey after two radar and radio outages - but there’s a lot more to the story. The acting administrator with the U-S Federal Aviation Administration says travel into Newark is safe. But it’s not the only issue with air travel in the U-S this year, which might have some travelers concerned ahead of the summer travel season. Host Kris McCusker speaks to George Ferguson - Senior Aerospace, Defense & Airline analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence – about what’s been happening, how it gets fixed and who is to blame.

Has the White House gone completely "pay for play"? While experts debate the ethics of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest actions including accepting a plane from Qatar, others are watching his foray into cryptocurrency closely. While many in the space have called for more regulation of crypto, "Trump coin" is causing issues for those trying to build cryptocurrencies as a legitimate financial instrument. Host Mike Eppel discusses this with Erica Pimental, Assistant Professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University. With a foray into cryptocurrency, U.S. president Donald Trump iA once relatively regulated system of purchasing and holding value in cryptocurrency has started its way down a slippery slope with US President Trump's exclusive pay-for-play Trump Coin, which lines the pockets of the Trump family in more ways than one. But what does this mean for those looking to gain digital capital but aren't looking to be a token in Trump's game of Monopoly? Host Mike Eppel speaks to Erica Pimental, Assistant Professor for the Smith School of Business at Queen's University to make sense of it all.

Canada's unemployment rate remained relatively stable for the month of April, sitting at 6.9%. But the rate for youth unemployment jumped to its highest figure in the past two decades excluding pandemic figures, now sitting at a little more than 15%. And as companies continue to strategize how to stay afloat among tariffs, more specifically, who they can get rid of and who they have to keep around, the term 'last hired, first hired' enters the chat. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Emily Durham, career coach and host of the Straight Shooter Recruiter podcast, on how to enter, move through, exit and gracefully re-enter the workforce in a time of bottom line uncertainty thanks to a global trade war.

You can’t always see it but plastic is everywhere. So much so – that it’s now in our rain and it’s there because of humans. It’s almost as worrisome as acid rain was in the 1970s – an issue that is no longer a major concern. Host Kris McCusker speaks to Benji Jones, Environmental Correspondent at Vox in New York, about how pervasive plastic has become – and what you can do to mitigate your exposure.

Tomorrow Prime Minister Mark Carney will be unveiling his first cabinet since receiving a minority mandate from voters 2 weeks ago. The decisions will not be easy, as Carney has to navigate regional representation, a leaner inner circle, and a trade war with the U.S. that hangs over every federal decision. So who stays and who may get promoted? Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is speaking about the delicate art of cabinet making with Marci Surkes, Chief Strategy Officer at The Compass Rose Group, and a former Executive Director of Policy and Cabinet Affairs to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Punctuality– its definition and importance really depend on who you speak to. A recent study out of the UK shows a generational divide when it comes to tardiness and how it could be perceived by those around us. Host Melanie Ng speaks with peak performance coach and best-selling author, Hina Khan @coachwithhina, about a number of scenarios and why there is a sweet spot when it comes to how you show up both professionally and socially.

“Peace be with you”. Those were the first words spoken from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to the massive crowd below by the newly chosen pontiff, now known as Pope Leo XIV. 133 cardinals from around the world voted in a handful of rounds before the final decision was made and the white smoke billowed from the Sistene Chapel chimney. Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, Leo is the first pope from the United States – a choice that shocked some and has many wondering what this may signal. Host Melanie Ng speaks with religious scholar Héctor Acero Ferrer from the Institute for Christian Studies about the new pontiff and how he will position himself on the world stage.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has made his first trip to the White House to meet President Donald Trump, with Trump heaping praise on Carney. But the meeting wasn't all sunshine, as the two leaders clashed over trade positions and Trump's ongoing musings of making Canada the 51st state. Host Cormac Mac Sweeney breaks down the first face-to-face in the oval office with Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat who also helped negotiate the first two trade deals between Canada and the U.S. They also discuss where negotiations may go from here, and the hard work that has to be done here at home to buffer our economy from further shocks.

Is Hollywood North in jeopardy, based on a social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump? After musing about hitting foreign film production with a 100% tariff, there are concerns this could shut down the film industry in Canada. Host Mike Eppel is gauging reaction from Andrew Barnsley, President of the Toronto Film School.