Jayme Poisson interviews one expert daily on the story dominating the news.
Front Burner turns major headlines into focused, interview-led explanations. Recent episodes move from Mark Carney’s majority math to Iran, Israel, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Vatican’s clash with Trump administration power.
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Front Burner is a daily news podcast produced by CBC, released Monday through Friday, in which host Jayme Poisson interviews one expert per episode about a single story shaping Canada and the world. The format is consistently interview-based: after a brief scene-setting introduction, Poisson spends the bulk of the episode in conversation with a journalist, academic, or former official who supplies detail and context beyond the daily headlines. Recurring subject areas include the Iran-Israel war and its aftermath, U.S. foreign policy and Middle East diplomacy, Mexican cartel violence and drug trafficking, Canadian federal politics (elections, immigration policy, party realignment), and the intersection of AI, technology, and regulation. Guests are typically academics and researchers, such as Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins SAIS and Robert Pape of the University of Chicago, alongside political figures like former Alberta premier Jason Kenney and CBC's own parliamentary reporters. Episodes are tightly scoped, usually 27 to 36 minutes, and organized around a clear analytical thesis — for example, that leadership decapitation didn't stop Iran's retaliation, or that killing a cartel kingpin isn't itself a security strategy. The show mixes breaking-news urgency with explanatory depth, often revisiting the same unfolding story, such as the Iran war or U.S.-Iran talks, across multiple episodes with different guests. Listeners get more background and expert framing than a typical news brief, though less debate and cross-talk than panel-format shows. It suits listeners who want to follow one major story in depth each weekday rather than skim headlines, particularly those following geopolitics, Canadian politics, and U.S. policy. Production is narration-led by the host with straightforward interview audio, consistent with CBC's news division style, and includes occasional cross-promotion of other CBC podcasts.
Made for: News-attentive listeners who want a daily 30-minute deep dive into one major story in geopolitics, Canadian politics, or policy, explained through expert interviews.
What sets it apart: Unlike daily news roundups covering several stories briefly, Front Burner devotes each full episode to one story through an extended one-on-one interview with a specialist rather than a panel or headline-brief format.
Front Burner is a daily news podcast that takes you deep into the stories shaping Canada and the world. Each morning, from Monday to Friday, host Jayme Poisson talks with the smartest people covering the biggest stories to help you understand what’s going on.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Front Burner gives Canadian current affairs a disciplined second read, connecting immediate disputes to policy consequences and historical context.
Front Burner builds each edition around a focused, question-led conversation, with Jamie Poisson usually moving from an immediate news clip into the policy choices and history beneath it.
Canadian power meets global pressure, with Jamie Poisson asking the follow-up before you can.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear read on how Carney's Middle East policy is being shaped by grief, public anger, and diplomatic pressure.
Front Burner frames Mark Carney's Middle East policy through a Canadian family's grief and a government under pressure. The episode opens with Hussein Haider demanding more than condolences after his brother Hassan, a Windsor resident, was killed in an Israeli attack in southern…
A measured look at how competing blockades around the Strait of Hormuz could widen global economic pressure.
Front Burner centers the Strait of Hormuz as the pressure point in a widening economic crisis, following the consequences of Iran closing the strait and the U.S. answering with a blockade of its own.
A sharp look at Pope Leo, Trump, and how a Vatican history reference became a political flashpoint.
The Pope vs The President follows a volatile clash between Pope Leo and President Trump over war, immigration, and the use of religious language in politics.
A measured look at Carney's new majority and the uneasy coalition now behind it.
Mark Carney's Liberal majority lands here as more than a clean win. Jamie Poisson and CBC senior parliamentary writer Aaron Wary frame it as a test of what Carney's enlarged party now stands for after by-election gains and a run of floor-crossers from very different political…
A clear look at Poilievre's caucus pressure, the leadership math, and why Conservative history matters now.
Pierre Poilievre's trouble inside the Conservative Party is framed as a problem of power, timing, and caucus control. Jamie Poisson and Tonda MacCharles focus on the pressure point: Mark Carney's Liberals were one seat short of a majority after a fourth Conservative MP crossed…
A sharp look at how threats, public defiance, and regional risk shape the U.S.-Iran talks.
Front Burner frames the U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad as a hard test of leverage after a ceasefire that has not settled the wider regional picture.
A clear, unsentimental read on a war where victory is murky and Hormuz still matters.
Front Burner frames the Iran war less as a finished conflict than as a pause full of unresolved pressure. Jamie Poisson keeps the hour focused on the shaky ceasefire, the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices, Iran's damaged but still-surviving regime, and the awkward question of who can…
A tense, useful read on Trump's Iran threat and the limits behind the rhetoric.
Front Burner turns Trump's threat toward Iran into a tense, clear-eyed look at how quickly rhetoric can outrun strategy. Jamie Poisson frames the alarm around Trump's warning that a "whole civilization" could die if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, then the conversation…
A Times host interviews the paper's own reporters on the day's biggest story.
Outline writers unpack their own published stories, one essay-driven conversation at a time.
Monocle's weekday briefing on Iran, Hormuz, and Gulf diplomacy, often broadcast live from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
A Windsor resident is dead.
Fuel is already being rationed.
Pope Leo is not staying quiet.
Carney has his majority now.
The Conservatives are losing MPs.
The U.S.
By Wednesday, the ceasefire was already wobbling.
Trump's threat lands hard.
Israel is fighting on several fronts.
A CBC bonus handoff opens the door to an investigation.
Host Jayme Poisson discusses the economic risks of the war on Iran with business editor Liz Hoffman.
This episode examines how Iran, the US, and Israel use modern propaganda in the ongoing conflict, featuring expert Nicholas Cole.
Host Jamie Poisson interviews former CBC correspondent Alex Panetta about how he uses AI and whether it makes us dumber.
This episode covers Avi Lewis's decisive win as the new leader of the federal NDP and his vision for the party's future.
This episode investigates accusations of market manipulation and insider trading by the Trump administration, featuring analysis from The Economist's Wall Street editor.
This episode explores the parallels and differences between the 2003 Iraq War and the current U.S.-Israeli war with Iran to understand potential consequences in the Gulf region.
This episode discusses a CBC investigation revealing how the RCMP conducted extensive covert surveillance and infiltration of Indigenous political organizations in Canada during the 1960s and 1970s.
Trump revives language the episode hears as part of an old American claim on Cuba.
This episode examines the rapid expansion of AI data centres in Canada, focusing on economic benefits versus community and environmental costs, featuring investigative reporter Ellen Thomas.
An exploration of open source intelligence and its use in monitoring war updates, including the rise of amateur OSINT cowboys and the gamification of conflict tracking.
This episode discusses the political backlash against bail systems in Canada, highlighting bipartisan efforts to reform legislation after high-profile cases where individuals committed crimes while on bail.
Donald Trump says America does not need help, but the Strait of Hormuz makes that line harder to hold.
This episode discusses fears of election subversion in the upcoming US midterms, featuring clips from Trump allies.
Lebanon is now one of the war's harshest fronts.
An analysis of Pete Hegseth's worldview and influence as Secretary of Defense amid the Iran war.
An analysis of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its role in the ongoing Middle East conflict.
CBC's Front Burner discusses the fourth floor crossing in Canadian Parliament, with Nunavut MP Laurie Idlout leaving the NDP for the Liberals, and analyzes the political implications.
A daily news podcast that interviews experts to explain major stories, with this episode featuring a man on the ground in Tehran discussing the impact of attacks.
Host Jayme Poisson discusses the global energy crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East with expert Jim Crane.
This episode covers the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, analyzing the latest developments and regional impacts.
This episode discusses the use of AI, specifically Anthropic's Claude, in the war with Iran, including its role in decision support and the ethical implications.
Robert Pape sees a trap.
This episode examines Canada's stance on the US-Israel strikes against Iran and the tension between supporting international law and backing allies.
This episode explores the complex relationship between Iran and the United States, including proxy wars, sanctions, and peace efforts, with expert Nader Hashemi.
War has begun.
Host Jayme Poisson interviews Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand about Canada's foreign policy doctrine, relations with India and the U.S., and the country's role in a changing world.
OpenAI faced questions after Tumbler Ridge.
Canada's immigration debate is back up front.
El Mencho is dead.
Host Jayme Poisson interviews Jonathan Haidt about the harms of smartphones and social media on children and the push for age restrictions.