In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on June 19th, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson begin with a foreign affairs roundup. Prime Minister Mark Carney heads to Ireland and France to strengthen ties with Europe while also trying to maintain a workable relationship with Donald Trump. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visits NATO and delivers some pointed criticism of allies that, while not directed at Canada by name, certainly sounds familiar. Your hosts also discuss the aftermath of America’s confrontation with Iran. Matt argues that the United States has, in practical terms, suffered a defeat — an embarrassing outcome for Trump, but perhaps a useful lesson for the rest of us about the limits of military power.

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Next, they take a quick tour through the provinces. Matt is increasingly worried that Doug Ford could inadvertently throw Canada-U.S. negotiations into chaos, and explains why. Jen provides an update from Alberta, where the political situation remains bizarre. By the end of the segment, both hosts arrive at a grim conclusion: the incentives facing almost every major political actor now reward escalation, confrontation, and nastiness. That rarely ends well.

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Finally, Jen disappears down one of her trademark rabbit holes and emerges with a sweeping explanation of how she came to fully appreciate the sheer economic power of the United States. Somehow, this journey involves gas pumps, brisket, beef jerky, the Soviet Union, and the defeat of Imperial Japan in 1945. Your hosts find themselves reflecting on what American economic dominance really means, why it has proven so durable, and what lessons Canada should draw from it as we navigate an increasingly uncertain world.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. As ever, like and subscribe.

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Please sign up at those options not just for this episode, or future episodes of The Line Podcast, but so that you can also receive our other podcast series, On the Line, which releases new episodes every Tuesday morning. In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode, where Jen Gerson spoke with Mark Kawar, an amateur historian and journalist whose book America But Bigger explores a surprisingly persistent feature of American history: attempts to expand the United States beyond its current borders.

Thanks, all. Talk to you soon.

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