Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates.

Rudyard and Janice begin today's show with Trump's threat to Hamas to accept the terms of his ceasefire deal by Sunday or risk being "quickly extinguished". What are the sticking points for Hamas and surrounding Arab countries like Egypt and Qatar? Why do the Qataris in particular continue to be included in negotiations when they have been unsuccessful thus far at brokering an agreement? And can the Trump administration reasonably expect Hamas to accept this agreement that is so favourable to Israel? Janice is more optimistic that given all the pressure on Hamas and on the Netanyahu government we could finally see a conclusion to this war within the next few weeks. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to 'AI slop', a new term that has come to define substandard products developed by artificial intelligence. How is this AI generated content, which is being churned out at great speed but without much thought, affecting everything from higher education to critical thinking skills to productivity in the workplace?

To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue.

More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates.
Rudyard and Janice begin today's show with Trump's threat to Hamas to accept the terms of his ceasefire deal by Sunday or risk being "quickly extinguished". What are the sticking points for Hamas and surrounding Arab countries like Egypt and Qatar? Why do the Qataris in particular continue to be included in negotiations when they have been unsuccessful&nbsp;thus far at brokering an agreement? And can the Trump administration reasonably expect Hamas to accept this agreement that is so favourable to Israel? Janice is more optimistic&nbsp;that given all the pressure on Hamas and on the Netanyahu&nbsp;government we could finally see a conclusion to this war within the next few weeks. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to 'AI slop', a new term that has come to define substandard products developed by artificial&nbsp;intelligence. How is this AI generated content, which is being churned out at great speed but without much thought, affecting everything from higher&nbsp;education to critical thinking skills to productivity in the workplace?
To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a <a href="https://munkdebates.com/donate">donor</a>&nbsp;to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or&nbsp;$.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt.
This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue.
More information at&nbsp;<a href="https://open.acast.com/shows/6008b82f0c8488532b25d16c/episodes/www.munkdebates.com">www.munkdebates.com</a>.

The Munk Debates podcast is an extension of the main stage events - in subject, speaker selection, tone and format. It will introduce the iconic brand - and its engaging debates about significant issues of our time. Audiences will hear strong and passionate arguments from both sides of an issue so they will have enough information to make up their own minds about where they stand.

The Munk Debates podcast is an extension of the main stage events - in subject, speaker selection, tone and format. It will introduce the iconic brand - and its engaging debates about significant issues of our time. Audiences will hear strong and passionate arguments from both sides of an issue so they will have enough information to make up their own minds about where they stand.

The Munk Debates Podcast

The Munk Debates Podcast is dedicated to convening civil and substantive debates and dialogues on the big issues of the day. 

 

The podcast is an extension of the charitable Munk Debates' commitment to pushing back against the political polarization and restoring the art of public debate in our time. For more information about the Munk Debates visit www.munkdebates.com/podcast

The Munk Debates Podcast is dedicated to convening civil and substantive debates and dialogues on the big issues of the day.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The podcast is an extension of the charitable Munk Debates' commitment to pushing back against the political polarization and restoring the art of public debate in our time. For more information about the Munk Debates visit www.munkdebates.com/podcast