This Matters

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This Matters Podcast

The world is changing every day. Now, more than ever, these questions matter. What’s happening? And why should you care? This Matters, a daily news podcast from the Toronto Star, aims to answer those questions, on important stories and ideas, every day, Monday to Friday. Hosts Saba Eitizaz and Ed Keenan talk to their fellow journalists, experts and newsmakers about the social, cultural, political and economic stories that shape your life.

  1. 19 JUL

    Trump’s triumphant convention (and tedious speech)

    Guest: The Toronto Star’s Richard Warnica, reporting from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Less than a week after a would-be assassin wounded former U.S. President Donald Trump, he accepted his party’s nomination to run for president again on a stage in Wisconsin. In between, he selected a vice-presidential candidate, created a new political fashion trend for ear bandages, and watched as Hulk Hogan ripped his shirt off and invoked Trumpamania. The Republican Party, the Star’s Richard Warnica reports from the convention floor, was absolutely giddy in their confidence going into the election as their Democratic opponents muddled through an attempt to get President Joe Biden to step down. If there was hope for Democrats, it might be they now expect a new candidate, and that the speech Trump ended the week with took most of the air out of the room, dragging on and on as a new message of unity quickly gave wave to the same old scaremongering, clothed in new shades of boredom. Audio sources: Forbes Breaking News Produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Paulo Marques

    50 min

  2. 18 JUL

    Moments after the attempted assassination of Trump, conspiracy theories went viral

    Guest: Alex Boyd, Toronto Star reporter  The investigations continue into what drove 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks to open fire last weekend, at former president Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, before being shot dead by a Secret Service sniper. But moments after the shooting, social media platforms were flooded with conspiracy theories with both right and left-wing voices amplifying mis and disinformation. From claims that the blood on Trump's ear was fake and from a theatrical prop to allegations of a staged operation by the Secret Service, the internet was rife with speculation. We unpack how this incident reveals the growing reach of conspiracy theories beyond traditional political lines, how they spread so quickly and social media’s role in amplifying them.  Audio sources: TikTok/The Daily Show  This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Matthew Hearn What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

    23 min

  3. 17 JUL

    After the Trump assassination attempt

    Guest: Allan Woods, Toronto Star global and national affairs reporter On the weekend, a 20-year-old gunman opened fire at a Donald Trump campaign rally, apparently injuring the former president, killing a bystander, and injuring two others. Toronto Star reporter Allan Woods wrote this week about the history of political violence and assassinations in the U.S., and about what that history might teach about how to step back from the brink of civil war. He also discusses the political fallout and implications of the shooting, the ongoing Republican National Convention, and whether those in attendance are tempering or ratcheting up their rhetoric. This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Paulo Marques

    33 min

  4. 11 JUL

    Toronto (sports) the bad: The conclusion

    Bruce Arthur and Dave Feschuk take a final tour through Toronto's recent sports history. They touch on the bean-counting days of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Rogers to the more ambitious days of Bell and Rogers, with Larry Tanenbaum in between. They muse on the bad old days of the Leafs, Raptors and Jays to the current era of Brendan Shanahan, Masai Ujiri, and Mark Shapiro in Toronto sports. They consider the end of Alex Anthopoulos, the Raptors title (and the subsequent idea that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George could have come to Toronto), and the many failures, big and small, of the Toronto Maple Leafs. How could it have been different? How do you fix it now? Are the Jays doomed to corporate mediocrity, are the Raptors too far from their championship peak, and have the Leafs accumulated too much baggage to actually have a championship contending window? Arthur and Feschuk take you through the whole big ball of failure, and more.

    1h 18m

  5. 10 JUL

    The Shanaplan in Shambles

    Guest: Legendary sports broadcaster Dave Hodge, formerly of TSN and Hockey Night in Canada Hosts: Bruce Arthur and Dave Feschuk When Brendan Shanahan took over the helm of the Maple Leafs in 2014, he vowed not to repeat the sins of various predecessors accused of rushing the team-building process. Shanahan insisted he would exercise patience. But after eight post-season runs in which the Maple Leafs have only once advanced beyond the opening round, Shanahan’s refusal to give up on the team’s core stars is accompanied by the reek of stubborn incompetence. Here Arthur, Feschuk and Hodge try to make sense of Shanahan’s approach while pointing out the glaring blind spots that have left the Maple Leafs a long way away from interrupting the longest Stanley Cup drought in the history of the NHL, 57 years and counting. PLUS: Arthur, Feschuk and Hodge discuss the highs and lows of the Shanaplan era.   This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Sean Pattendon

    1h 28m

  6. 9 JUL

    Rebuild in Raptorland

    Guest: Toronto Star basketball writer Doug Smith Hosts: Bruce Arthur and Dave Feschuk   Five years ago, Masai Ujiri was among the most coveted executives in all of pro sports, his masterstroke trade for Kawhi Leonard landing the Raptors their first NBA title. In the five years since, the franchise has won one playoff series while languishing through less-than-inspiring moments that Ujiri himself has characterized as difficult to watch. In this episode, Arthur, Feschuk and Smith discuss Ujiri’s post-championship swoon, including an inability to parlay the offloaded pieces of a title roster into a more formidable collection of assets. Though there are bright spots – including the emergence of Scottie Barnes as the franchise’s foundational player – there are also plenty of question marks on the road to a future that’s potentially more prosperous.   PLUS: Arthur, Feschuk and Smith discuss the highs and lows of the post-championship comedown.   This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston and Sean Pattendon. What would you like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

    58 min

  7. 8 JUL

    The Blue Jays' decade of playing it safe

    Guest: Former Toronto Star baseball columnist and Blue Jays PR director Richard Griffin Hosts: Bruce Arthur and Dave Feschuk   Mark Shapiro could have been the perfect president of the Toronto Blue Jays. In the eight years since he took over for Paul Beeston, Shapiro has successfully convinced Blue Jays ownership to spend big money on the team, not to mention hundreds of millions in renovations to Rogers Centre and the club’s Florida training base. Beyond those improvements, though, the money hasn’t produced the desired results, with the Jays still searching for even a modicum of playoff success. In this episode we’ll look back on the departure of former GM Alex Anthopoulos, who has since gone on to win a World Series in Atlanta, and the underwhelming outcomes of the seasons since.   PLUS: Arthur, Feschuk and Griffin discuss the highlights and low points of the Shapiro era.

    1h 1m

  8. 8 JUL

    Alice Munro's family kept a terrible secret for decades. Now they want the world to know

    Guest: Deborah Dundas, opinion section editor at the Toronto Star  A chilling revelation has surfaced almost a month after the death of Canada's literary giant, Alice Munro. Andrea Skinner — who is Munro’s daughter — has revealed in the Toronto Star that her stepfather Gerald Fremlin sexually abused her when she was nine years old. She was only able to tell her mother in a letter when she was in her 20s. Her mother chose to remain with Fremlin, even after discovering the abuse. For nearly five decades a conspiracy of silence has loomed over the family — casting a chill over the legacy of Canada's Nobel laureate — and raising questions about how society appears to view and protect its icons while uncomfortable truths and complicit silence lurks just beneath the surface. More than anything else, this is the story of a survivor and her courage to speak out so others might follow.  A warning that his episode contains descriptions of child sexual abuse and might be triggering. Please take care while listening.  Audio sources: CBC  This episode was produced by Sean Pattenden and Saba Eitizaz

    29 min
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About

The world is changing every day. Now, more than ever, these questions matter. What’s happening? And why should you care? This Matters, a daily news podcast from the Toronto Star, aims to answer those questions, on important stories and ideas, every day, Monday to Friday. Hosts Saba Eitizaz and Ed Keenan talk to their fellow journalists, experts and newsmakers about the social, cultural, political and economic stories that shape your life.

Information

  • Channel
    The Star
  • Creator
    Toronto Star
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    1K
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd.
  • Show Website
    This Matters

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