Rosie and Elamin are running on little sleep after a late Tuesday night watching ballots trickle in south of the border — so they’ve recruited Bloomberg White House reporter Josh Wingrove to help make sense of what’s (still) unfolding in the U.S. election. When will we know who wins the presidency? What can initial results tell us about how our next-door neighbour is really feeling? And is Canada ready for either Donald Trump or Joe Biden to win? The three take stock of what’s on the table and w...
Nov 05, 2020•29 min
At time of recording, we still don't know who will be the next president of the United States. But honestly, there's enough to discuss while we wait for the numbers — from Trump's premature declaration of victory, to his preemptive legal strikes, to duelling demonstrations happening all across the country. Elamin calls up CBC’s Steven D'Souza, reporting from the lightning-rod state of Pennsylvania, where a deep divide tells the story of the whole country. Yes, even in Biden’s hometown. Plus, Hay...
Nov 05, 2020•33 min
The odds of a clear result on voting day are slim to none, and that's going to prove a great challenge for news organizations, especially cable news networks who are so used to building a narrative out of the numbers as they come in and then presenting a conclusive result. All signs—not the least of which is that Trump has said he won't concede, even if he appears to be losing—point to a long drawn out election, or worse. So how are we going to collectively process this one? Elamin calls up Ben ...
Nov 03, 2020•31 min
Sure, the U.S. election is on November 3 — but that doesn’t mean that we’ll know who won the presidency by November 4. Between the lag time for mail-in ballots to Trump’s constant foreboding about voter fraud, there’s a great deal of tension building up to voting day. Add to that concerns over armed rightwing militias, voter suppression tactics, the threat of foreign interference and the ongoing global pandemic. In today’s special episode, Elamin zooms out to understand this moment in history an...
Oct 30, 2020•44 min
Four elections in under four days — whew. Voters in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and two federal Toronto ridings all headed to the polls this past week, and incumbents were largely rewarded across the board. B.C. Premier John Horgan and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe were handed majorities, while the federal Liberals held onto those two Toronto seats. But is there more to glean from these somewhat expected results? Rosie and Elamin dig deeper into the numbers to look for the kind of signs fede...
Oct 29, 2020•25 min
Here we are in the final stretch. In just seven days, millions of Americans will head to the polls and elect the next president of the United States. Elamin calls up Sabrina Siddiqui, national politics reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Toluse Olorunnipa, who covers the White House for the Washington Post. They go through the biggest stories of the past week, including Thursday night’s presidential debate, and Trump’s sudden obsession with Joe Biden’s son Hunter. They also check in on what...
Oct 26, 2020•30 min
Yesterday marked exactly one year since the last federal election… and yesterday, Canadians were nearly sent to the polls once again. After the Conservatives put forward a motion in the House calling for a special committee to examine the WE Charity controversy, Liberals said they would make the vote on that motion a matter of confidence, meaning the minority government could have fallen. Okay, yes, that’s a lot to wrap your head around — but Rosie and Elamin are here to answer the big questions...
Oct 22, 2020•27 min
If it feels like the U.S. election has been going on for two to twenty years, take this in: we're now just two weeks out. This week Elamin calls up Hayes Brown, host of BuzzFeed’s Daily News podcast News O'Clock, and Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui. They talk through the top stories in the last week, from the push to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the competing town halls that replaced a second presidential debate. Elamin thinks this is also a great time to zoom out and get a global ...
Oct 19, 2020•37 min
“This is something which we shall never forget.” Those were just some of the strong words Canada’s new ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae, shared last week in reference to China’s treatment of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The two Canadians have been detained in Chinese prison for well over 600 days, and just last weekend received their first consular visit since January. On a week that also marks 50 years since Trudeau Sr. established diplomatic ties with the country, Rosie and Elamin wonder: w...
Oct 15, 2020•24 min
It's been a quiet week in the U.S. presidential race, relatively speaking, considering the dizzying drama of the last few. But even still, there have been plenty of news stories that under normal circumstances would dominate headlines for weeks — the Senate confirmation hearings of Amy Coney Barrett for a seat on the Supreme Court, the cancellation of a second debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and Trump's first public appearance since his COVID-19 diagnosis are just a few. This gives us...
Oct 12, 2020•37 min
Elamin Abdelmahmoud and the Pop Chat round-table invite you in to the group chat to help make sense of the cultural drama blowing up the internet. Bringing their hottest takes to the table, join them every week as they debate, discuss and work through the pop culture discourse. The Pop Chat panel consists of: Shireen Ahmed, Angelina Chapin, Kevin Fallon, Sarah Hagi, Hussein Kesvani, Stacy Lee Kong, Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Amil Niazi and Andrea Warner. More episodes are available at http://smart...
Oct 10, 2020•34 min
The Prime Minister revealed this week that he tested negative for COVID-19 last month. Should the public have known that he was concerned? As U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization continues to dominate the news cycle, Rosie and Elamin wonder when a politician's health becomes a matter of public concern. Plus: a look at the Green Party’s brand new leader, Annamie Paul. The successor to Elizabeth May is hoping to win a Toronto by-election at the end of the mon...
Oct 08, 2020•24 min
We are less than 30 days away from the election and the President of the United States would have you believe that he’s got it all under control. His positive COVID-19 diagnosis? He feels “better than I did 20 years ago!” A growing threat from white supremacist militia groups? “Not a right-wing problem.” America itself? “MAKING IT GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!” Following a whirlwind few days in the headlines, Elamin calls up two journalists with critical insight. First, Bloomberg News’ White House r...
Oct 05, 2020•35 min
Breaking at the tail end of one of the strangest and most unpredictable election years in recent memory, news that Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 — after months of downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic — has turned out to be the ultimate October surprise. As questions swirl around Trump’s condition, and he remains in hospital, an already fragile election’s been thrown into even more chaos, with little clarity around if and when he’ll be able to resume campaigning. On this specia...
Oct 03, 2020•25 min
The second wave of the pandemic has begun, according to the prime minister and the premier of Ontario. That doesn’t cover the whole country, of course — hat tip to the Atlantic bubble — but it does turn up feelings of apprehension in Canada’s hardest-hit areas. Are tighter restrictions around the corner? And if so: is there enough political will to lock things down again, or will it be too tough a sell? Elamin and Rosie also sift through the new CERB-replacing economic aid measures that were fas...
Oct 01, 2020•23 min
The Trump campaign has spent months setting expectations low for Joe Biden, from nicknaming him “Sleepy Joe” to outright questioning his mental capacity. Now, on the eve of the first Presidential debate, the pressure is on for the challenger to show up sharp and steady — and do much more than position himself as the “not Trump” of the election. Also top of mind: Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. If he loses in November, the incumbent says “we'll have to see what happens....
Sep 29, 2020•26 min
So, that was a lot yesterday: a lengthy throne speech, that resets the Liberal government’s priorities six months into this pandemic; some fiery responses from opposition parties, one of which the government will need to survive a confidence vote; and a whole separate address-to-the-nation from the Prime Minister himself, stressing the urgency of this pandemic. But will that urgency translate into action, when it comes to flattening the curve once again? What further action can we expect from th...
Sep 24, 2020•19 min
November’s election was already set to go down as the most litigated in U.S. history — but then Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, opening up a whole new layer of complications. To understand the stakes of filling the feminist icon’s now-vacant seat, Elamin calls on Zoe Tillman, who covers the intersection of law and politics for Buzzfeed News. Tillman explains how the next few weeks could change the highest court for generations. Meanwhile, the West coast is still burning. Elamin r...
Sep 22, 2020•34 min
You’ve probably seen the headlines this week: COVID-19 cases are on the rise in several provinces across the country. “The time to act is now,” according to Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam — but is that message actually getting through to anyone? Rosie and Elamin point out we haven’t seen a substantial shift in messaging from governments recently, and the power of that “flatten the curve” motto from the spring has dwindled. On top of that, the spike in cases is now truly hitting home...
Sep 17, 2020•23 min
It's become gospel in America: win the suburbs, win the election. These vast, rapidly changing communities have become the focus of both campaigns. Trump claims that a Biden administration would spread big city looting, chaos and crime. Biden is betting on a progressive shift in suburban values, including support for racial justice. Nowhere are these competing narratives more live than in Wisconsin, which has become an unexpected crossroads following the shooting of Jacob Blake. Washington Post ...
Sep 15, 2020•26 min
Okay, let’s catch you up: in the span of about a week last month, the finance minister resigned, the prime minister prorogued Parliament, and the Conservatives elected a new leader. Where does that leave things, heading into the fall? Rosie and Elamin break down some of August’s biggest political headlines, and build up what’s quickly becoming a highly anticipated fall session of Parliament — complete with a new Opposition Leader, Erin O’Toole. All eyes will be on the opposition parties as they ...
Sep 10, 2020•25 min
Let’s face it: whether or not you’ve been officially following the U.S. presidential race, you’ve been hearing about it. And the Trump vs. Biden talk is only going to ramp up this fall, as the whole world tunes in to the 2020 election. Enter Elamin: a curious global citizen who wants to be in the loop but not in the weeds. Starting next Tuesday, he’ll be hosting a Party Lines spin-off — Party in the U.S.A. — in addition to the Thursday show. What will that sound like? Here’s a chat with two of s...
Sep 07, 2020•14 min
Call it a prorogation, call it a vacation — Party Lines is taking a summer break! Elamin runs through the political stories he and Rosie will be keeping an eye on, from the WE Charity controversy to the Conservative leadership race, and Party Lines producer Emma Godmere swings by to read through some of your responses to last week’s Last Call question. Rosie and Elamin will return at the end of the summer with brand new weekly episodes to bring you up to speed on the biggest headlines in Canadia...
Jul 23, 2020•4 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted this week he should have recused himself from discussions about WE Charity; specifically, whether they should have been contracted to run a multi-million dollar student service program. Last week, we learned that both Trudeau’s mother and brother had been previously paid to speak at WE events. Conservatives want the RCMP to investigate, the Bloc is asking Trudeau to step aside, and the federal ethics commissioner has launched an investigation — Trudeau’s th...
Jul 16, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Rosie and Elamin were pretty sure the federal government’s fiscal “snapshot” was going to present a rather bleak picture this week. Lo and behold, they were right on the money: Finance Minister Bill Morneau unveiled a projected deficit of $343 billion for the 2020–21 fiscal year, along with the expectation that Canada’s GDP will shrink by an amount not seen since the Great Depression. It all sounds pretty serious, but how worried should we be? Elamin and Rosie break down what you need to know ab...
Jul 09, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Get ready to make space on your home screen soon: July 2nd was supposed to be the day Canada’s “COVID Alert” app rolled out for testing across Ontario, with a wider cross-country release expected down the line. When the Prime Minister unveiled these plans a couple weeks back, he emphasized the app’s privacy measures and low-maintenance nature — but will that equate to an uptake significant enough to reap the public health benefits? Plus, Rosie and Elamin look south of the border as COVID-19 case...
Jul 02, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit a milestone, if you will, on Monday: he completed his eightieth press conference since the pandemic was declared in mid-March. The majority of them have been held just off his front porch at Rideau Cottage, though a few recent briefings have become almost campaign-style visits to Ottawa-area businesses. And those big-impact announcements of border closures and emergency economic supports that dominated spring headlines? They’re now few and far between. With that...
Jun 25, 2020•22 min•Season 2Ep. 22
You’ve probably heard a lot of discussion around systemic racism this past week — particularly when it comes to the RCMP. Commissioner Brenda Lucki acknowledged last Friday that it exists within the force she leads, after dodging questions days earlier and explaining she’d heard up to “15 or 20 definitions” of the term. Elamin sifts through several examples of systemic racism specifically involving Indigenous people, from the creation of the RCMP itself to current statistics illustrating how Ind...
Jun 18, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 21
People all around the world saw the photo of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau taking a knee at an anti-Black racism protest in Ottawa last week. Some felt it was a striking image, but others wondered if that moment would translate into action. Elamin and Rosie take a look at some of the federal government's possible next steps, including Trudeau's recent move to support outfitting RCMP officers with body cameras. Plus, as the feds pledge $14 billion in support for re-opening provinces, Rosie and El...
Jun 11, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Elamin was ready to talk about something else this week — anything else, but recent events have forced another heavy conversation about structural, anti-Black racism. The protests unfolding in cities across the continent are responding to issues that are not strictly American. The concern around police brutality and the relationships between police forces and Black communities is a live issue in Canada, too. Some are calling to defund, redefine or divest from the police — but what might that loo...
Jun 04, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 19
