The Fourcast

The EU President Ursula Von der Leyen has offered Canada ‘associate membership of the EU’, a move which Donald Trump called ‘laughable’ - but still threatened ‘serious sanctions’ as punishment.  
 
In this episode of the Fourcast, we ask what Canada’s closer ties with the EU could mean - from tighter trade and defence to what Mark Carney calls 'a beacon for other democracies.' But with the far right rising in Europe, is the Canadian Prime Minister trying to join a club that could soon fall apart?  
 
Leslie Vinjamuri, the President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs says Carney is playing a long-game when it comes to the US, picking up support on both sides of the border by standing up to Trump, and that his decision to move closer to the EU is a ‘declaration of independence from King Trump’.  While Dr. Linn Selle, head of the Europe division of the German Council on Foreign Relations, argues that the EU is chasing Carney’s star power to help revive its appeal.

Ed Sheeran has found himself embroiled in a huge row after the rapper Macklemore was dropped as a support act from his tour, after he made comments in support of Palestine. 
The Suffolk singer has said he is "not complicit" and that the decision to drop Macklemore was not his. Since then, all the other support acts have pulled out of the tour in support of the rapper. 
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks with singer Paloma Faith who has publicly supported Macklemore, calling him ‘my hero’ on social media. 
They discuss the pressure put on if musicians by business interests, whether music can ever stay out of politics and if musicians can ever truly sit on the fence when it comes to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Is British politics becoming more like America, dominated by billionaires, huge donations and increasingly polarised media? 
Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by journalist and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, who has returned to the UK to launch Zeteo UK. 
They discuss Reform UK’s £72 million in donations from two crypto billionaires, what wealthy political donors might expect in return, Britain’s changing relationship with Israel, Donald Trump and the threat to journalism in America - and whether independent media can rebuild the trust lost by traditional news organisations. 
Hasan also discusses the war in Gaza, which he describes as a 'genocide' - Israel strongly rejects allegations of genocide and denies committing war crimes, saying its military operations are conducted in accordance with international law.

Twenty-five years after 9/11, its consequences are still shaping the world. From Tony Blair and George W Bush to Trump, MAGA and the rise of populism in Europe, how much of today’s politics can be traced back to September 11th?
In today’s episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban look back at the attack that transformed American foreign policy, ushered in the war on terror and dramatically expanded the power of intelligence agencies and surveillance.
They are joined by Ambassador Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to NATO on 9/11, who reveals how America’s allies responded in the hours after the attack, why he now regrets supporting the invasion of Iraq, and what the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan did to America’s willingness to intervene overseas.

The UK has signalled a major change in its approach to Israel, after its Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced what he called a “reset” of relations, as well banning exports from illegal Israeli settlements.
And while the move has been praised by many, it has attracted condemnation from Washington and Israel, who in response announced they would close the British consulate in Jerusalem.
So is the move mainly a symbolic gesture from the British government? Or could it signify a major policy shift when it comes to its once close ally?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, the Labour Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Dame Emily Thornberry MP, as well as former Conservative Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind.