Covering the Trump era through Canadian eyes

When most people want to learn more about what's going on in Washington, they typically turn to television news and current affairs. 

And some of the most respected and influential names in American broadcast journalism, the reporters and news anchors walking their viewers through the biggest stories of the day, have been Canadian. Morley Safer, Peter Jennings, Robert MacNeil. 

But none of them covered a presidency quite like the one that another Canadian, Ali Velshi. 

Velshi hosts on MSNBC, a cable news organization that is the ideological counterpoint of President Trump's favourite news outlet Fox News.

The job is also perhaps more complex for Velshi's breed of hosts on cable news. An earlier generation projected a reassuring and genial air of authority and respectfully asked questions of their guests. 

Today's cable news host isn't just trying to get straight answers out of their guests and hold the powerful to account. They're also fact-checking on the fly, refuting falsehoods, stating opinions and actively debating their guests -- a role Velshi excels at and seems to enjoy immensely.

Ali Velshi has been a correspondent and host on CNN and Al Jazeera, where he reported on business and finance, as well as politics. Before that, worked for several Canadian broadcasters.

At MSNBC, he's the co-host of Velshi and Ruhle with Stephanie Ruhle, and he's the host of MSNBC Live with Ali Velshi. Ali Velshi joined Michael Enright in the Toronto studio.

Click 'listen' at the top of the page to hear Michael's full interview with Ali Velshi.