The Sunday Magazine for June 15, 2025
This week on The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay:
Israel-Iran conflict hangs over G7 leaders' summit
As escalating tensions between Israel and Iran dominate global headlines, so too will they loom over the G7 leaders' summit kicking off Sunday in Alberta. Former Canadian ambassador Arif Lalani and Jennifer Welsh, the Canada 150 Research Chair in Global Governance and Security at McGill University, join Chattopadhyay to break down the global implications of heightened conflict in the Middle East, as well as what's at stake over three days of confabbing in Kananaskis.
What prominent dads from Plato to Bob Dylan can teach us about fatherhood
When Augustine Sedgewick's son was born, he began to survey emblematic fathers of the past – from Plato and Aristotle to Sigmund Freud and Bob Dylan – to figure out what it means to be a good dad. The historian joins Chattopadhyay to discuss what his quest reveals about fatherhood's evolution over time, and the meaning of masculinity and parenting today, as explored in his new book, Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power.
Jake Tapper defends his case that Joe Biden's decline was covered up
One year ago this month, Joe Biden's performance at the first U.S. presidential debate against Donald Trump sparked global headlines – and rang alarms – about his mental and physical acuity, culminating in Biden's eventual withdrawal from the race. After the Democrats went on to lose the election, CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political reporter Alex Thompson began investigating the roots of Biden's decline. In their new book Original Sin, they argue that his inner circle went to great lengths to cover it up. Tapper joins Chattopadhyay to make his case, and respond to the criticism his reporting has received from across the political spectrum.
Dining out? Don't skip out on savouring the menu, says food historian
Whether bound, laminated, scrawled on a chalkboard, or scanned via code... menus are a staple of dining out. When you look at one, you probably see it as a conduit to getting the dish you want. But Nathalie Cooke wants you to look closer. The literary food historian and McGill University professor joins Chattopadhyay to explain how a menu is not just a portal between you and the kitchen... but also to history, art, culture, and class.