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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A judge’s verdict in the case of a Canadian billionaire
Jun 1901:00:03Tap to summarizeA judge finds Frank Stronach guilty of sexual assault. A woman suing him in a separate case tells us why for her, justice is at least partly about the money. Canada's largest auto worker union will start labour negotiations with the Big Three automakers next week — and the union president says there's more at stake for workers than ever before. For his official presidential centre, Barack Obama wanted a new type of building. Our guests were the architects who actually had to design it. An Ontario delicacy is getting the deep-dish deep-dive it deserves, as a new docu-series explores the phenomenon of Cornwall pizza — known for its deep and pillowy crust.At last, young people in South Carolina will be able to catch each other on the flipper sides — now that the state has overturned an archaic law that banned children from playing pinball.During its World Cup coverage, the BBC broadcasts an AI image of the Houston skyline — to which the AI added mountains that look truly majestic, but unfortunately don't actually exist.As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that issues a warning: the following program contains topo-graphic material.
Transcribe →Her mother was forced to give her up. Is an apology enough?
Jun 1801:01:36Tap to summarizeIt took over 50 years — but the U.K. government is finally apologizing for pressuring tens of thousands of new mothers to give their babies up for adoption. And our guest was one of those children. A Canadian Senator tells us she disagrees with her colleagues’ conclusion that people whose sole diagnosis is mental illness should be indefinitely excluded from a medically assisted death. Elsewhere in the U.K. all eyes are on the vote in a northern constituency — which could spell the beginning of the end for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.A Canadian MP makes the case for loosening federal restrictions on magic mushrooms — after a constituent who was battling cancer convinced him of their benefits. We’ll try to understand why Team Scotland's unofficial World Cup anthem isn't a stirring Highland stomp from yesteryear — but the obscure 70’s jam, "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie". Finally, an interviewer has the courage to ask Steven Spielberg a question that has haunted us all for 40-plus years: "was E.T. slimy or dry?"As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that salutes one of Mr. Spielberg's moist popular characters.
Transcribe →A Canadian held in ICE detention tells his story
Jun 1700:59:01Tap to summarizeA Canadian was just released from an ICE detention centre where he spent the last eight months. He tells us he's glad to be out -- and eager to make sure the world knows just how bad it is inside.The co-chair of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying tells us why they've recommended that the government indefinitely pause the proposed expansion of MAID to include people whose only underlying medical condition is mental illness.An eighteen-year-old who suffered severe burns to her face and neck this past December is now almost fully healed -- thanks to a groundbreaking new treatment. A psychologist packed up to move from the U.S. to Canada -- only to discover that she's one of many whose newly granted citizenship certificates have been mysteriously suspended by the Canadian government. New York is getting yet another new area code -- and a phone number broker tell us if you hate the idea of 465 as much he does -- he can hook you up with a classic 212 -- for a price. In Peru, police officers arrest a World Cup-loving suspect by dressing up as the Canadian mascot -- a moose -- and the U.S. mascot -- an eagle -- both of whom then smashed their way into his house.As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that's there when plush comes to shove.
Transcribe →Will safe water finally flow to First Nations without it?
Jun 1600:57:48Tap to summarizeThe federal government tables new legislation designed to ensure access to safe drinking water for First Nations. We ask the Indigenous Services Minister when those taps might start flowing.Despite warnings from officials, a U.S.-Iran peace deal is prompting displaced Lebanese families to head home -- and one mayor says he understands the temptation to return because he never left. This fall, after 74 years, NHL hockey will no longer air on CBC; sportswriter Bruce Arthur tells us that's been a long time coming -- but it's still a shame for Canadians. An Irish writer tells us about the moment she learned a poem she'd written that was inspired by her son had appeared on his English exam. A new study shows that your trash is a bowerbird's treasure -- used by males to charm females. Sir Rod Stewart disappoints fans by cancelling a concert due to a sinus infection -- and disappoints fans further by showing up healthy, the next day, at Scotland's first World Cup game.As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that guesses whatever will be, will be -- que Sir Rod, Sir Rod.
Transcribe →A racism scandal rocks one of Canada’s biggest police forces
Jun 1500:51:58Tap to summarizeMontreal Police investigate their own amid allegations of racial profiling, discrimination and violence. A community organizer tells us people should be shocked -- but she is not surprised.An Iranian-American football fanatic says he'll be in the stadium tonight in Los Angeles as Iran plays its first FIFA World Cup match, but he won't be cheering. While Donald Trump celebrates a ceasefire, a political scientist in Jerusalem tells us why Israelis from the left, right and centre are denouncing the agreement -- and their Prime Minister. A six-year-old in Windsor, Ontario has been visiting the site of the Gordie Howe Bridge nearly every week for almost his entire life. And now...he has a message for the powers that be.15 years after its release, a Bosnian band’s satirical song about immigrating to the US has become a soccer anthem. The band tells us why fans think the new version is pitch perfect.A store owner in Halifax tells us she can't keep her dapper porch geese in stock, thanks to an online revival of the replica bird trend. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that appreciates a geese offering.
Transcribe →The perfect outcome for a Bosnian Canadian soccer fan
Jun 1201:00:44Tap to summarizeCanada's men's soccer team plays its first FIFA World Cup game at home. We reach a fan in Toronto with divided loyalties. Ireland is not in the FIFA World Cup. But a closer look at another country's flag is giving fans something to cheer about. A woman in Florida discovers a thrift-store painting that's been hanging in her home for 60 years is actually a Scottish masterpiece — after her son gets an AI appraisal.The organization that governs international chess suspends the game's Russian federation. We hear from the Ukrainian grandmaster who helped lead the charge. An Ontario man explains his unique role at the World Cup: training border collies to keep honking invaders off the practice pitch. We hear from a streamer whose quest to rank every early Nintendo game took him three years and meant working his way through more than 700 titles. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that imagines he took things 8-bit at a time.
Transcribe →The stock market offering poised to break records
Jun 1101:03:01Tap to summarizeSpaceX goes public tomorrow. Elon Musk is promising investors a chance to own a piece of the future. Our guest says everyone needs to come back down to earth. A woman in Belfast tells us what the past few days have been like for her family and the entire Sudanese community as violent anti-immigrant rioters terrorized the city. A Toronto police officer is shot and killed after executing a search warrant in a residential building. A councillor for the ward where gunfire broke out tells us how her constituents are processing the news. As the FIFA World Cup gets underway, soccer fans all over the world are buzzing — including those in Miami’s Little Haiti, who are celebrating their team’s first world cup in more than fifty years. After a historic comeback on the court, the New York Knicks are now one win away from an NBA title. An ecstatic fan tells us why he was just as star-struck to see star player Jalen Brunson's mom. In a bid to curb overcrowding on Sardinian beaches, authorities there have decided to ban umbrellas for most of the population — a measure that has some beach-goers throwing serious shade.As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that thinks they're headed beyond the pale.
Transcribe →Another U.K. city consumed by riots
Jun 1000:58:45Tap to summarizeA city councilor in the Northern Irish city appeals for calm, after a night of violent anti-immigrant rioting in which families were forced from their homes by arson. In a new "online harms" bill, Ottawa proposes a social media ban for kids under 16; and an expert advisor to the government tells us what it would take to make that idea a reality. The government says a brand-new task force will update the country's cancer screening guidelines, after the last group was disbanded due to a controversial recommendation on mammograms.You may not have heard of the rock star Carlos "Indio" Solari — but right now, Argentinians are mourning the truly massive homegrown hero. A French woman has won Icelandair's World's Worst Photographer contest — and now she'll put her lack of talent to the test in one of the most photogenic places on Earth. Scientists are left stunned by a study that suggests humans have an innate tendency to turn left — even when we're feeling all right. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that puts the "left" in "left to our own devices."
Transcribe →Can the beautiful game outshine its bountiful controversies?
Jun 901:03:32Tap to summarizeA longtime soccer correspondent tells us he's ready to cover this year's big tournament — but worrying that a never-ending list of FIFA controversies might just drain the World Cup of its magic.The organization that represents Inuit in Canada launches a new poverty-reduction strategy — and calls on Ottawa to scrap a federal food-subsidy program our guest says simply isn't working. The long delayed Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan may finally be set to open — even as the U-S President keeps throwing up road blocks.Elections Alberta says finding enough staff to work this fall's referendum is a huge undertaking. We'll talk to the woman in charge of organizing the manual counting of up to 45 million ballots. At an exhibition of terrible album art in England, you can see aesthetic disasters that might change your feelings about particular musicians — and perhaps even all human life. Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan is not pleased to be facing a challenge from a new rival whose name is Dan Sullivan — and wants to boot his namesake for his name's sake.As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that wonders if we're seeing the Dan of a new era.
Transcribe →The Conservative Party’s unity pitch in Alberta
Jun 801:02:15Tap to summarizeOpposition leader Pierre Poilievre makes his case for Alberta to remain in Canada — and says Liberal governments should shoulder the blame for increasing separatist sentiment in the province where he grew up.The mayor of London, Ontario tells us why he believes the feds should treat addressing homelessness as a nation-building project — and fund it accordingly. A Michigan state highway is renamed in honour of a regiment of Indigenous soldiers who fought in the Civil War — when they weren't even considered U.S. citizens. British Prime Minister Kier Starmer gives tech companies three months to roll out features that would stop children from seeing or sending explicit material online. A Mohawk flight attendant tells us about getting ready to work on what she thought would be another routine commercial flight — and then learning that Rihanna would be on board. We hear from two Liverpudlian golfing buddies whose incredible feats on the course defied 17-million-to-one odds. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that knows they were not teed off after they teed off.
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