I saw an interview recently with Donald Trump in The New York Times.

Then yesterday, I saw a Trump interview with Reuters.

I’ll admit. Seeing those interviews was refreshing, given Trump’s desire to control the media narrative.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper was no friend of the Canadian press. In the foyer of the House of Commons, he insisted his own staff decide which reporters could ask questions.

After being elected, it took 20 months for him to hold a proper press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa—the only place where the rules prevented him from controlling the questioning.

Pierre Poilievre refused to allow reporters to travel with him during last year’s election campaign. At each stop, his aides chose four reporters who could ask only a single question each.

It’s not just party leaders. PressProgress found that during the 2025 federal election, there were almost 80 no-shows at local all-candidate debates and town halls. Of these absentee candidates, 57 were Conservative, 17 NDP, and nine Liberal.

Before I get accused of singling out Conservatives, Justin Trudeau wasn’t innocent either.

Yes, his access to reporters was more open. But his government passed the Online News Act, which prompted Meta to block news on its platforms—cutting Canadians off from access to news and depriving media outlets of much-needed traffic and revenue.

Which brings me back to Trump. When he’s not making accusations of “fake news,” he’s revoking access to the White House press pool.

So that’s why it was refreshing to see these two interviews get published.

You don’t have to agree with the man, but hopefully he’s more open now to speaking with media outlets that aren’t Fox News. Time will tell, I guess.

Speaking of questions, today’s feature asks if now is the right time for the U.S. to step into the Iranian protest situation. Check it out below.

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-Neil Malik

If there was ever a perfect time to free Iranians from their brutal regime, it’s now. Decades of military conflict, corruption, sanctions, and general mismanagement have created an economic dumpster fire.

Iranians are fed up. The will of the people to throw out their government appears to be stronger than ever. Geopolitically, Iran is lacking support. This could be Iran’s weakest point in decades – and thus an ideal time for the U.S. to intervene in some manner.

Once a U.S. intervention starts, no one can confidently say where it stops. And that’s a significant problem. It could create a scenario where you have a wounded regime that can still kill people, plus a power vacuum no one is ready to fill. Not good at all.

That’s why Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states advised Trump against a U.S. intervention. While they might benefit from a weakened Iranian regime, they don’t want one that collapses without an obvious successor.

Until next time!