Podcast
As It Happens
Hosted by CBC · EN
News that’s not afraid of fun. Meet people at the centre of the day’s most hard-hitting, hilarious and heartbreaking stories — powerful leaders, proud eccentrics and ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And plenty of puns too. Hosted by Nil Köksal and Chris Howden, find out why As It Happens is one of Canada’s longest-running and most beloved shows. (Ahem, we literally helped make the beaver a national symbol.)
New episodes Monday to Friday by 7:30 pm E.T.
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Episodes
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The Alberta sovereignty debate gets going
4d ago01:06:52Tap to summarizeAlberta announces a vote on whether to hold a vote on whether to separate -- and a former Conservative cabinet minister tells us about his plan to convince as many people as possible that Canada's union is worth preserving. He was restrained without restraint. And now, people in Ireland are demanding answers after the death of a Black man who was suspected of shoplifting -- and set upon by security guards. A Jamaican politician tells us what it was like to be interrupted in parliament for speaking Patois -- or Jamaican -- and why she's speaking out about speaking it. When Victor Bal got his university degree today, he was accompanied by his service dog Kopek -- who joined him for every class he took. And ultimately should also have been given a degree. Stephen Colbert's "Late Show" has come to an end; a long-time writer for the show tells us the host's finely tuned moral compass guided the writer's room, even on the toughest days.Everybody wants their photo taken with one Parisian celebrity -- so the Louvre is moving the Mona Lisa to her very own space, where people can stop fighting over self-portraits with the portrait. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that hates to get in the middle of a Louvre's quarrel.
Transcribe →How the pullback of crucial funding helped fuel an outbreak
5d ago01:00:54Tap to summarizeA former U.S. health official tells us international cuts, and the shutdown of USAID, is hampering the response to the growing Ebola outbreak in Congo -- and recovery won't be easy. The tiny island country of Vanuatu convinces a majority of the world's countries to back a UN motion our guest says could make it a legal duty to fight climate change.The Department of Justice is creating a fund for people who say they were mistreated by the federal government. Police who defended the Capitol on January 6th are horrified that rioters are among those looking for a payout.We remember Frank Hayden -- who helped found the Special Olympics. Canadian Olympian Mark Tewksbury says his late friend changed millions of lives for the better. Scientists are finally able to classify an exciting fish with a long nose and what appears to be orange hair -- and name it after the long-nosed orange hairy elephant-like Sesame Street character it most resembles. For years, a souvenir Roman calendar has appeared to offer 12 months of photos of handsome priests -- but now an Italian newspaper has revealed they're not men of the cloth at all, just...men. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that has to admit they're all pretty hot under the collar.
Transcribe →What’s behind the indictment of a former Cuban leader?
6d ago01:02:24Tap to summarizeThe United States indicts former Cuban President Raul Castro on criminal charges -- to the delight of a former Miami prosecutor who worked on the case more than 20 years ago. Canada’s Foreign Affairs minister has summoned Israel’s ambassador over the treatment of Canadian citizens aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla -- which our guest has been watching with growing alarm. A man living in the city that is the epicentre of Congo's deadly Ebola outbreak says people there are experiencing both fear and shame -- and he's asking the world to treat them with a bit more empathy. A Saskatchewan couple get up for an early morning shift to discover their neighbour’s house is on fire -- and scramble to rescue the eight people sleeping inside.Last year, someone stole a statue of Amelia Earhart from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador. But today’s news really sticks the landing. We know T. rex had ridiculous little forelimbs -- and new research suggests that's because its noggin expanded enough to do all the killing.As It Happens, the Wednesday edition. Radio that guesses it was heads you win -- arms you lose.
Transcribe →What another deadly mass shooting leaves in its wake
1w ago00:49:48Tap to summarizeSan Diego is mourning after a shooting at its largest mosque -- and we speak to a community leader who, like so many other Muslims, is processing the depth of the loss.Undone deal. A Newfoundland and Labrador review panel finds a proposed energy deal with Hydro Quebec is not in the province’s best interest. And the Premier tells us why he thinks his government can make good on Churchill Falls.We hear from the mayor of a PEI town where one-in-three work in the oyster business -- the mayor included. He explains the struggles they're facing as the trade is devastated by disease. The organizer of an event called "Ratapalooza" tells us former lab rats make great pets -- and she would know, she has 20 of them. The iconic Snowbirds will be grounded after the 2026 season due to their aging aircraft. A former Snowbirds pilot and commander says this could have been avoided. A man in Australia set out to make a dinner of steak and salad for his housemates ... but almost ended up serving them ribs ... sorry I mean rib-bits -- thanks to the tiny frog in his greens.As It Happens, the Tuesday edition. Radio that's pleased he didn't end up with a frog in his throat.
Transcribe →Lessons not learned from last Ebola outbreak
1w ago01:17:03Tap to summarizeThe Democratic Republic of Congo is battling a rare and deadly strain of the Ebola virus. An aid worker in Kinshasa who lived through the last outbreak shares her frustration and sadness that more wasn’t done to prevent this latest outbreak.Dawson City, Yukon is mourning the loss of the goldrush-era Westminster Hotel -- a watering hole our guest says acted as a community hub that won't be easily replaced.A Montreal-based sex worker tells us she and her colleagues deserve better working conditions...as they prepare to walk off the job.Renowned Two spirit Cree composer and cellist Cris Derksen died in a car crash on Friday at just 45 years old. A friend and fellow musician tells us Cris Derksen was just coming off a career high -- and likely would have had many more to come.An Irish city councillor explains why he wants Cork to honour the mosquito that's credited with killing an English invader...by erecting a very tiny statue.Nil and Chris take us on a tour through the archives, with a special edition of As It Happened, full of stories of the great outdoors.And... He definitely knew batter. A young Dodgers fan is going viral for vigorously cheering on his team from the stands. So vigorously, that the live broadcasts kept being interrupted by his personalized cries to players as they stepped up to the plate. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that's open to a chants encounter.
Transcribe →Canada’s Environment Minister defends the pipeline deal
2w ago00:57:44Tap to summarizeOttawa has reached a new carbon-pricing agreement with Alberta; we'll ask Julie Dabrusin whether the feds are setting the bar for big polluters too low.In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Canada opens the door to a new way for survivors of intimate partner violence to sue their abusers in civil court.A new study suggests at least one Neanderthal did something surprising to deal with a toothache: they submitted to some prehistoric dentistry.It's all hands on deck for the Emerald Coast Open this weekend in Florida -- a tournament where divers compete to see who can kill the most invasive lionfish. I'll speak with a woman who is obsessed with the Montreal Victoire and the Ottawa Charge, who are playing each other in the PWHL Walter Cup Finals -- an experience she compares to being in a polyamorous relationship. A new study of train passengers reaches an alarming conclusion: we have a tendency to follow the person in front of us, regardless of whether we know them or where they're going.As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that warns the following may be upsetting for some listeners.
Transcribe →A setback for Alberta separatists
2w ago00:53:12Tap to summarizeAn Alberta court sides with First Nations and quashes a pro-separation petition -- which means the idea for a province-wide referendum on leaving Canada could be dead on arrival. The Nova Scotia government hits back at the union representing long-term care home workers -- suggesting their striking members might accept the offer on the table, if only they were given a chance to vote on it. There's now a better chance an uncontacted tribe in Brazil will remain that way -- after a move to preserve and protect a million acres of Amazonian land. A new video game puts players in the shoes of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War. The creative director tells us the true stories are as exciting as the gameplay. After carefully observing how crickets respond to mild injury, researchers discover that they're just like you and me -- except for the multiple legs. An Omaha tavern is forced to change its name from "The Barber Shop", when it is met with the righteous wrath of the Nebraska Board of Barber Examiners.As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that shouldn't be surprised a bunch of barbers got snippy.
Transcribe →The extraordinary scene playing out in Manila
2w ago00:59:57Tap to summarizeGunfire erupts inside the Philippine Senate, where a senator is hiding out, trying to avoid a warrant from the International Criminal Court -- a strategy that, so far, seems to be working. Nil talks to a long-term care worker in Nova Scotia who's fresh off the picket line -- as a divisive labour dispute approaches the one-month mark. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome does not involve cysts and isn't limited to the ovaries. A doctor tells us how patients led the charge to get the condition renamed -- and why it will lead to better care. A teenager in Gaza tells us about her award-winning idea to create useable bricks out of the all-too-plentiful debris of bombed buildings.Ahead of his one-hundredth birthday, comedy legend Mel Brooks donates his archives -- a treasure trove that sheds light on the long career of one of the funniest people in the world. A self-driving taxi company issues a massive recall after its cars start driving into severely flooded roadways -- and one gets swept into a creek. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that would rather drive itself to despair.
Transcribe →How long can Keir Starmer hang on?
2w ago00:57:17Tap to summarizeThe British Prime Minister is facing calls to step down, including from within his own cabinet. But a Labour MP explains why he believes the party leader should keep calm and carry on.As Donald Trump heads to China, we'll talk to the brother of an ailing American who's been jailed there for 12 years -- who's hoping the president will manage to secure her release.Cycling Canada cancels the women's team pursuit program, but continues to support the men’s team. One cyclist tells us the reasons she's been given just don't track. The price of train ride to a New Jersey stadium will be jacked way up for the FIFA World Cup -- so a journalist risks life and limb attempting to get there by foot. A longtime friend and collaborator of Keith Haring tells us why he’s parting with the projects the late artist and activist made for and with him -- including a crib painted for his son. You thought it had gone the way of the scrunchie, the shoulder pad, and Tickle-Me Elmo -- but the hacky sack is back, and Gen Z is voting with its feet. As It Happens, the Tuesday edition. Radio that kicked that habit long ago.
Transcribe →Why this isn’t COVID all over again
2w ago00:50:23Tap to summarizeAn infectious disease specialist weighs in, as more Canadians who were on the cruise ship that suffered a hantavirus outbreak return home. It's no secret Canadians have reduced their travel to the U.S. -- but a researcher tells us the boycott is hitting much harder than we can see from border crossings alone. Athletes ran the Palestine Marathon for the first time since 2023 -- and one Palestinian medalist tells us it's not easy to separate sports from politics in the occupied West Bank.A proposed ban on "bromated flour" in New York State would have a major effect on two of the Big Apple's most famous products -- because it's a key ingredient in bagels and pizzas. Amanda Suzuki is a busy hockey fan right now -- because one of her sons is playing in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs, and the other is the captain of the Montreal Canadiens. The black Trans Am from the '80s show "Knight Rider" gets a speeding ticket in New York -- which is strange because it hasn't left an Illinois museum in years. As far as anyone knows...As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that appreciates a self-starter.
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