Straight talk on what's behind the news, recorded live at the Full Circle in Brussels.

Katrin Prybil of Reportrois explains how the far right's wins in German state elections will slow EU policymaking. Katrin also speculates about why European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered Canada an EU status that doesn't exist, and she reflects on how a referendum in Iceland brought back memories — of Brexit.

Joanna Gill of The Parliament Magazine discusses a trend toward "climate hushing" even as heat and drought ravage Europe. Looking to the High North, where warming is happening faster than the global average, Joanna sees Russia and China sizing up new waterways while the EU mostly watches from the sidelines.

Raziye Akkoc of Agence France-Presse unpacks what von der Leyen meant by "China Shock 2.0" and how a "Made in EU" proposal will play in upcoming talks between the EU and Beijing. On the hot topic of media freedom, Raziye says the EU press corps works in an environment that's a good deal more controlled than non-journalists probably realize.

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