Today on On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with economics professor and founding Director of McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy Chris Ragan. They talk about a story that has been absolutely buried under an avalanche of news -- the threatened indictment of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome (Jay) Powell.

Last week Powell put out a statement stating flatly that the Trump administration is abusing the courts in order to put pressure on the independence of the fed.

What does that mean, exactly? Why does it matter? And what are the political and economic implications of the US central bank whose independence is increasingly under pressure? We get right into it today on On The Line.

Canada agrees to cut its tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products and Ontario premier Doug Ford is positively pissed. In this week's episode of The Line Podcast, host Jen Gerson sits down with The Line Alberta's Rob Breakenridge at the Saskatchewan Crops Forum. This is a live taping of the podcast that took place, and what a topical moment as they were there to discuss China, tarifs, and agriculture just as Prime Minister Mark Carney conducted his delegation to China to ease tense trade relations between the two countries as the friendship between Canada and America continues to fray.

The two Calgarians also lament the city's ongoing water restrictions, and the city's report outlining its failures.

Today on On The Line, host Jen Gerson speaks with Heather Exner-Pirot, the Director of Energy and National Resources and Environment at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute. Exner-Pirot does her damndest to check some of Gerson's rampant New Year's depression as they discuss the U.S. abduction of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. It may be bad news for the Venezuelans -- every hour seems to provide greater evidence for America's own greedy intentions and poorly thought out after-plan. However, she's not worried about what this will mean for Canada's own industry. In some ways, she's outright optimistic that the Americans will come around from their current trajectory. Gerson is not so convinced. You decide.