Episodes

  • Why China looms large over contest to lead Oxford University

    Why China looms large over contest to lead Oxford University
    Nov 21 2024
    It’s been six years since a British prime minister met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Could Keir Starmer's encounter with the president at this week’s G20 lead to a thaw after years of frosty relations as the world prepares for a possible trade war when Donald Trump returns to the White House? The quiet quads of Oxford University might seem a world apart from the high diplomacy on the other side of the globe. But China’s influence in Britain’s universities is far from remote — not least for a former senior politician hoping to lead one of the most powerful centers of learning in the world. Host Anne McElvoy talks to William Hague, the former British foreign secretary, who is front-runner to become the university’s next chancellor. Next week, tens of thousands of Oxford alumni and faculty members will decide who becomes the university's titular head, serving a full 10-year term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Biden's climate policies were designed to outlive him. Can they survive Trump?

    Biden's climate policies were designed to outlive him. Can they survive Trump?
    Nov 14 2024
    Is there much the outgoing U.S. administration can do to salvage its climate change agenda as Donald Trump surrounds himself with global warming skeptics in his new team? Host Anne McElvoy talks to one of those playing a leading role at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Ali Zaidi is assistant to President Biden and White House national climate adviser. They discuss what the Biden administration is seeking to accomplish in its last weeks in office and what it's seeking from the climate talks. Later, she's joined by Karl Mathiesen, senior climate correspondent at POLITICO Europe, to survey the state of play as the first week of negotiations draw to a close. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 mins
  • UN climate talks contend with Trump 2.0

    UN climate talks contend with Trump 2.0
    Nov 13 2024
    Amid the 50,000-odd delegates attending this year’s sprawling COP29 UN climate conference in Azerbaijan, you can hear the wheels of climate diplomacy turning. But even 6,000 miles from Washington, D.C., you don’t have to go far before Donald Trump intrudes on the conversation. Will he follow through on plans to dilute or abandon the climate initiatives of the incumbent Biden administration? Host Anne McElvoy begins Power Play’s coverage of the talks in Baku by chatting with Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s minister of the environment and climate change, about how Canada and the rest of the world are preparing for Trump’s next presidency. She also talks with climate campaigner Paul Polman — a former Unilever CEO — on his serious concerns about the Azerbaijani hosts of COP29 and about his encounter with Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 mins
  • Trump returns: The whole world is watching

    Trump returns: The whole world is watching
    Nov 7 2024
    remarkable comeback to the White House. By any standards, his victory over Kamala Harris was historic. What does it mean for the U.S. and its place in the world? Host Anne McElvoy was in POLITICO's Washington, D.C. newsroom to see how the election unfolded. She talks to John Harris, global editor-in-chief — a veteran of many races for the White House — and in Philadelphia, to Senior Political Columnist Jonathan Martin. Josh Gerstein, senior legal affairs reporter, also joins to discuss the president-elect's various legal battles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    32 mins
  • Kemi Badenoch makes her last pitch for the Tory crown

    Kemi Badenoch makes her last pitch for the Tory crown
    Oct 31 2024
    Britain’s Conservative Party chooses their new leader in a few days. Kemi Badenoch has emerged as the favorite to win, but her combative style and a number of bruising exchanges with her rival, Robert Jenrick, have prompted questions about the breadth of her appeal. Power Play host Anne McElvoy talks to Badenoch about whether she can restore her party’s fortunes after Rishi Sunak’s last few troubled years in office, culminating in the heaviest election defeat in their history. What is her final pitch to party members in the last days of the contest, and might she struggle to be heard just days after Sir Keir Starmer’s government delivered its keynote budget? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Britain and Germany have a new defence pact. What will it mean for the Ukraine war?

    Britain and Germany have a new defence pact. What will it mean for the Ukraine war?
    Oct 24 2024
    The U.K. and Germany have signed a defense deal to bolster NATO and European security. But will it do anything to meet their immediate needs and alter the course of the war in Ukraine? Host Anne McElvoy talks to John Healey, the U.K. Defence Secretary — one of the most senior jobs in PM Keir Starmer’s government, which has just passed its first 100 days in office. She sat down with Healey at London’s historic Trinity House, where his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, came to sign a deal to strengthen co-operation between Europe two biggest defense spenders and donors to Ukraine’s war effort. Despite the glad-handing, is there any room for optimism as the war enters another long winter and Americans head to the polls in an election that could have a decisive impact on the outcome? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 mins
  • Israel needs ‘harder advice’ from the US, says Saudi ambassador to Britain

    Israel needs ‘harder advice’ from the US, says Saudi ambassador to Britain
    Oct 17 2024
    Few countries have as much influence inside and outside the Middle East as Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is an increasingly important power broker in the region, but can it help end the bloodshed and temper Iran’s ambitions? Host Anne McElvoy talks to Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.K. who, as a member of the House of Saud, has the ear of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. What does he make of the U.S. threat to withhold military aid to Israel if it doesn’t allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza? What are the consequences for the region if Israel doesn’t comply? Six years on since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Anne presses the ambassador on what happened and how it has affected the Kingdom’s reputation abroad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Transatlantic allies weigh up Israeli options on Iran

    Transatlantic allies weigh up Israeli options on Iran
    Oct 10 2024
    The barrage of Hezbollah rockets, the amassing of Israeli ground forces in Lebanon and the prospect of a retaliatory strike on Iran mark the grim first anniversary of Oct. 7. As Israel considers its options, how much influence do the U.S and its allies have in shaping the response? Host Anne McElvoy talks to two guests with over half a century of top-level diplomacy in the region between them. David Satterfield was until recently the White House special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues and currently leads Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Nicholas Hopton was the U.K.’s ambassador to Iran, Yemen, Qatar and Libya, and is director general of the Middle East Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 mins