The largest NATO exercise since the Cold War is underway in the North Atlantic. The most powerful military alliance on the planet is putting on a show of strength — hoping that the Kremlin is taking note. As Congress struggles to agree a new package of American support for Ukraine, can the rest of the alliance share the burden? In this week's edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy speaks to the U.K.'s Ambassador to NATO, David Quarrey, about the alliance's readiness for a potential conflict wi...
Feb 08, 2024•26 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast As Donald Trump’s seemingly unstoppable campaign to win the Republican nomination gathers pace, most eyes in America and the world are moving to the more important contest — between him and Joe Biden. Trump’s resurgence is causing jitters in the Biden camp. He has a small but consistent lead in national polls. Will Biden manage to keep hold of the electoral coalition that brought him to the White House four years ago? Host Anne McElvoy brings together two leading pollsters and party strategists ...
Feb 01, 2024•29 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast How much attention is Africa receiving as the world remains transfixed by wars in Europe, the Middle East, and as elections in the West loom? This week, host Anne McElvoy talks to the award-winning musician and activist Angélique Kidjo about her campaign to improve education for girls in Africa and to address the humanitarian needs of her native continent. They also discuss the U.K.'s attempts to send illegal asylum seekers to Rwanda. (Spoiler alert: The five-time Grammy winner calls on U.K. Pri...
Jan 25, 2024•25 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast The focus of the 2024 World Economic Forum at Davos was on rebuilding trust, with artificial intelligence top of the agenda. Since the roll out of AI-powered chat bots, AI has developed a major trust problem among the public. The majority of Americans said last year that the risks of AI outweigh the potential benefits, and in the EU, Europeans were overwhelmingly in favor of restrictions around its use to protect jobs and privacy. Meanwhile, implementation by corporations is steadily growing. A ...
Jan 22, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the World Economic Forum draws to a close in Davos, Power Play rounds off the week with analysis of an eventful week in the Swiss Alps. Host Anne McElvoy brings together a top team of POLITICO's reporters: Alex Ward, national security reporter based in Washington; Nahal Toosi, senior foreign affairs correspondent; and Suzanne Lynch, author of POLITICO's Global Playbook, your must-read each morning to keep up with the latest news from Davos. They discuss China's notable presence this week, Pre...
Jan 19, 2024•23 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron sits down with Anne McElvoy at the World Economic Forum to discuss the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Britain's role in the Israel-Hamas war, as well as Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine — which he says is his "absolute number one priority." Cameron adds, "One thing we can do is demonstrate during the course of this year that Putin isn't winning." Cameron also addresses U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's controversial policy to send asylum seeke...
Jan 18, 2024•28 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump's emphatic victory in the Iowa caucuses has been the talking point of many at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Meanwhile, the accelerating pace of artificial intelligence is also never far from the lips of those attending this year's WEF. In today's edition of Power Play — continuing our special coverage of Davos — host Anne McElvoy explores these two prevailing themes. Anne talks to Anthony Scaramucci, who was briefly White House director of communications under President T...
Jan 17, 2024•25 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast As the World Economic Forum gets underway in Davos, many of the world's most powerful business leaders, politicians and tech gurus — and even the odd veteran pop star — have arrived in the Swiss Alps hoping to set the agenda for the year ahead. This week we present four episodes of Power Play with an array of interviews and analysis. Today, host Anne McElvoy brings together three of POLITICO's keenest Davos watchers to chart the week ahead. She's joined by Alex Ward, a national security reporter...
Jan 16, 2024•22 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast After weeks of relative calm, Russian forces ushered in the New Year by pounding Ukrainian cities. While global attention has been gripped by the war in Gaza, it’s a reminder that there is no end in sight to the conflict in Ukraine. This week, NATO ambassadors met in Brussels to reinforce their commitments to help Ukraine’s air defences fend off devastating Russian air strikes, which have killed dozens of people in the last few days. It's a critical moment for Kyiv as continued military and fina...
Jan 11, 2024•34 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast As we enter a mammoth election year on either side of the Atlantic, Power Play looks back on the highlights from our interviews in 2023 to set the scene for the big geopolitical stories of 2024. In this week's bumper New Year edition, host Anne McElvoy takes a tour through the best of Power Play since the podcast launched last September, talking to some of the most influential figures in the United States, Europe and beyond. We'll hear from prime ministers, business leaders, diplomats and genera...
Jan 04, 2024•24 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast In Taiwan, political parties are entering the final stint of a lively campaign as voters prepare to go to the polls in a presidential election on 13 January. With a population of 23 million, Taiwan is at the precarious juncture of the South and East China seas, buffeted by geo-strategic gusts as China maintains its claim on sovereignty. In this special edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Vincent Chao, a prominent figure from the incumbent pro-independence party, hoping to win an un...
Dec 14, 2023•44 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast As negotiators from nearly 200 countries enter the final week of climate talks at COP28 in Dubai, all eyes will be on the big players and who moves first. In this week’s special edition of Power Play from Dubai, host Anne McElvoy talks to one of the most influential figures in the talks — John Kerry, the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate. A close ally of President Joe Biden and veteran of climate negotiations over several decades, the former secretary of state has the ear of this year'...
Dec 07, 2023•30 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast The diplomatic caravan is rolling into Dubai for this year’s COP — the United Nations' round of global climate talks. Scores of world leaders and luminaries — including King Charles and the pope — from nearly 200 countries are due to attend, alongside an estimated 70,000 delegates. What are the chances of a meaningful agreement emerging at COP28? In this week’s edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Mark Carney, the U.N.’s special envoy for climate finance and action. He's banging the...
Nov 30, 2023•42 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Thomas Heatherwick’s designs have become icons in his home city of London, including the eye-catching cauldron at the 2012 Olympic Games and the reimagined Routemaster bus. The British designer's projects have popped up around the world — and not without controversy. In this week’s edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Heatherwick about his mission to change the way our cities and urban areas are built. His new book "Humanise" implores mayors and town planners around the world to rep...
Nov 23, 2023•38 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Israel’s most senior diplomat – Michael Herzog, the ambassador to the U.S. – is in the eye of a diplomatic storm in the country that is Israel’s most vital ally. He insists that a ceasefire "would invite the next war." In this week's edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Ambassador Herzog about Israel's raid on Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital, how long the conflict is likely to last and the U.S.'s discussions with Israel on what happens after the war. Anne is then joined by POLITICO’s “Powe...
Nov 16, 2023•44 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast One month after war broke out between Israel and Hamas, the solidarity of European leaders is being tested. Nowhere more so than in Greece, on the EU's southern border, which has traditional ties to Israel and Arab states. On this week’s edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy speaks to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on his concerns about the war in the Middle East, Greece's proximity to the region, and the prospect of increasing humanitarian aid via a sea corridor. They also discuss ...
Nov 09, 2023•38 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast Over 100 leading figures from the biggest tech companies and governments across the globe have assembled for Britain’s two-day AI Safety summit. The UK hopes the event will galvanize power players into agreeing common aims to regulate the growth of artificial intelligence. In this early edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the risks and opportunities posed by AI, as well as other pressing global issues. Anne is then joined by POLITICO’s "Powe...
Nov 01, 2023•40 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast As the Middle East crisis deepens, how should the West react to a growing sense of unease about the world order? On this week's edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy speaks to Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Europe's leading digital publisher, Axel Springer (POLITICO's parent company). His new book, "Trade Trap," calls for a new approach to free trade between democracies. He believes we are experiencing a "war of systems, and it is truly a battle between democracies and autocracies." Anne is also joi...
Oct 26, 2023•39 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast The carnage on the streets of Gaza and mounting tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbours presented a bleak and chaotic backdrop for President Biden’s impromptu visit to Tel Aviv. Is this a conflict on the brink of exploding across the region? In this week’s episode of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA and four-star general who led coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has co-authored a new book, "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare...
Oct 19, 2023•37 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast The horrific events unfolding in Israel have sent shockwaves around the world. As the death toll mounts from Hamas' deadly attacks and Israel's retaliatory strikes on Gaza, how will the ensuing conflict alter the power balance of the Middle East and its alliances? In this week’s episode of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Ron Prosor, Israel's ambassador to Germany. Prosor has also served as the Israeli Ambassador to the UK and Permanent Representative to the UN. She also talks to Fleur Has...
Oct 12, 2023•45 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast The crisis in the U.S. House of Representatives is resonating far beyond Washington, not least in Ukraine, where the durability of America's commitment to the war effort has been thrown into doubt after future funding was omitted from its recent stopgap funding deal. Can Ukraine and its allies in Europe go it alone without agreement on further aid from Congress? And is America’s foreign policy shifting away from the days of spreading liberal democracy? In this week’s episode of Power Play, host ...
Oct 05, 2023•38 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast The exit of the most powerful player at News Corp has made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. At 92, Rupert Murdoch has decided to step down as executive chairman, making way for his son Lachlan. But will much change, given Rupert Murdoch's reputation for being close to the action? In this week's episode of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Michael Wolff, long-time chronicler of the Murdoch empire and biographer. His latest book, "The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty,...
Sep 28, 2023•37 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast In this inaugural episode of POLITICO's new global podcast Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to the man who hopes to be Britain's next prime minister, Keir Starmer. In a wide-ranging interview on global affairs, the Labour leader reveals his concerns about China. He warns that the U.K. needs to “wean itself off” China “when it comes to trade, commerce and technology.” Starmer also tells Anne what he thinks about Donald Trump, Joe Biden, the war in Ukraine and his vision for a "clean energy all...
Sep 21, 2023•40 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast POLITICO's new weekly transatlantic podcast Power Play is officially coming to your podcast feed on Thursday, September 21! Hosted by renowned British journalist Anne McElvoy, Power Play takes listeners inside the minds of those who wield power to better understand the choices they face. The show features guests at the top of their fields in government, business, civil society and more — accompanied by the expert analysis of journalists across POLITICO's newsrooms globally, giving listeners the ...
Sep 01, 2023•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast In an exclusive interview for POLITICO's forthcoming podcast Power Play, Richard Moore, chief of the UK's Secret Intelligence Service — MI6 — speaks to Anne McElvoy about how the culture of agencies like MI6 is changing. Recorded in Prague, a city that shaped the outcome of the Cold War, Moore shares revealing insights into MI6's approach to Russia, China and other threats to the West. Britain's chief spy explains why he believes the West needs to commit to a battle for freedom and against autho...
Jul 19, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
