The Sunday Magazine for February 9, 2025
This week on The Sunday Magazine with guest host David Common:
Donald Trump pushes agenda – and limits – at rapid clip
Donald Trump is bucking norms at breakneck speed in his second term as United States president, vowing this past week to gut USAID, suggesting the U.S. "take over" Gaza and empowering Elon Musk to slash federal jobs and departments. The Washington Post White House bureau chief Toluse "Tolu" Olorunnipa and Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba join Common to break down the biggest headlines in Washington, and shed light on key stories that may have been missed in the flurry.
Inside the shadowy cyber espionage world that's threatening democracies
As founder and director of the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, Ron Deibert has spent his career tracking down and uncovering some of the world's most clandestine cyber espionage operations. Now, the cybersecurity expert is pulling back the curtain on this world in his new book, Chasing Shadows. Deibert tells Common how our democracies have become vulnerable to these threats as we become more reliant on technology – and what we need to do to protect them.
From awkward kid to tech titan: Bill Gates reflects on how growing pains, persistence shaped him
As the co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates made his name as one of the most influential people in modern tech. Now, in his new memoir Source Code: My Beginnings, he's looking back on the forces that made him. In a wide-ranging Canadian broadcast exclusive interview, Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Gates about navigating childhood social challenges, how his passion for computers blossomed, what drove his confidence to take on tech giants as a teen, and his candid belief that he'd be diagnosed with autism if he was growing up today.
How to turn a moment of national unity into a viable economic plan
With United States President Donald Trump's tariff threat still looming large over Canada, politicians and industry leaders are bracing for what lies ahead when the 30-day pause expires. Mark Manger, a political economist with the University of Toronto's Munk School, and Matthew Holmes from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce join Common to break down the challenges ahead – and how Canada might turn this moment of uncertainty into opportunity.