As It Happens

CBC News & Politics
CBC News & Politics
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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.

  1. 5h ago

    “Our Obama moment.” Mississippi student on Scott Colom’s win

    Democrat Scott Colom will be Mississippi's first Black senator since Reconstruction — turning a red state blue, and turning expectations upside-down. We reach a senior at the historically Black Tougaloo College, where Mr. Colom delivered his victory speech last night. Another Israeli strike hits Nasser Hospital in Gaza; an American doctor who worked there tells us about the always-affable, always-committed Palestinian surgeon who was killed in that attack. Ongoing storms in British Columbia are flooding parts of the province — and the influx of water means an exodus for members of the Lil'wat First Nation. Jason Jones spent a decade fighting to overturn an archaic and homophobic law in Trinidad and Tobago — and now he's won a landmark victory. A researcher with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection takes us through the complicated process of getting illegal images off the internet. Maybe you thought the female bonobo was oh-so mellow — but that's a no-go. We now know it's a gung-ho dynamo that bestows death-blows with gusto. Two biologists find and tag the same turtle on the same lake, decades apart — and then, in a heartwarming development, they come together to solve the longstanding mystery of that turtle's longevity. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that's experiencing a turtle eclipse of the heart.

  2. 1d ago

    AI slop on war hero is “all lies,” disrespectful to veterans

    A military historian in Newfoundland and Labrador is raising the alarm after an AI-generated post devoted to a real Inuk soldier, Lance-Corporal John Shiwak, gets the facts of his life all wrong. For years, advocates have pushed the federal government to take over and fund Canada's largest private cemetery for veterans and their families. One of them shares his relief that it's finally happening. A series of storms have hit B.C. hard; a student in Prince George tells us about trying to clear debris in his community — even as another wind warning is issued. The director of the Detroit Animal Welfare Group — or DAWG — tells us about her team's efforts to free a wild deer with a plastic jack-o'-lantern stuck on its head. The late Lonnie Thompson spent a lot of his scientific career on top of mountains. Not because he loved heights, but because that's where he had to go to prove the effects of climate change. A Saskatoon couple recalls a panicked trip to the landfill — after they realized their pet cat Moze was inside the couch they'd just thrown out. And...putting the "dental" in "accidental". An Indiana man offers local amateur detectives a reward: if you find the dentures he lost while celebrating after a football game, he'll make you a lasagna. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that guesses he's offering to be your un-dentured servant.

  3. 2d ago

    Ontario auto plant closure 'a betrayal,' says Brampton mayor

    Brampton, Ont., Mayor Patrick Brown says he’s gutted to hear that Stellantis is selling its plant -- and angry on behalf of the thousands of workers in his city waiting for answers. Canada's former environment minister says lifting the ban on oil and gas exploration in the Arctic is a profoundly bad idea — even if the Carney government says it just wants to consult with northerners about the prospect. A Newfoundlander tells us about getting a surprise visit from the RCMP over an old Facebook post in which it's alleged he vented his frustrations about the US President. A hand-written draft of Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech resurfaces; our guest says it contains lessons for scholars — and for everyone in the U.S. today. Onstage in Vancouver, American comedian Josh Johnson says he'd love to talk to an editor about the local CBC station's apparent obsession with cat stories — and it so happens an editor is in the crowd. People in a small Quebec town are shaken and worried after a number of suspicious fires at restaurants. The mayor tells us what he's doing to help his constituents in Ormstown feel safe. The home of Nova Scotia’s first Black doctor has municipal heritage status — but plans to widen a nearby roadway are raising concerns about the future of the historic site. And... The late Del Casher wanted to make a guitar sound like a trumpet — which is how he wound up playing a big honking part in the invention of the wah-wah pedal. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that urges you to come on in — the wah-wah's fine.

  4. 3d ago

    Sex, Lies and AI: the spy plot targeting Nvidia’s CEO

    One of the world's most profitable companies is thrown into turmoil when it's revealed that Nvidia's CEO had an affair with a woman that intelligence agencies believe is a Chinese spy. Six people are dead after a rare mass shooting in Krakow, Poland. A tour guide who was there tells us about the panic after the gunshots and the pain of knowing her city isn't as safe as she thought. Google gives schools an ultimatum: if you want to use our search tools, you need to accept our AI in the classroom. A New York parent activist says there has to be another option. His past calendar masterpieces have depicted pylons and garbage cans; tonight, a British man tells us about the unlikely star of his 2027 calendar: gravel.  Ottawa denied her employment insurance benefits because she found herself in a situation that only a new mom could be in. Ten years later, our guest is celebrating, and federal lawyers are rewriting legislation. An aid worker describes yet another new depth of suffering in Gaza after torrential rains move in. A woman and three young children are dead and there are barely any places for displaced Palestinians to stay safe or dry. We remember the late, legendary conductor Herbert Blomstedt, who loved his work so much he didn't put down the baton -- even as he approached his hundredth birthday. And… A crowd of hundreds gathers to shove a gargantuan Chicago landmark 7 inches to the left -- but the Bean refuses to budge. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that guesses it was Bean there, couldn't do that.

  5. 6d ago

    “Happy tears” after feds pledge billions to end homelessness

    Prime Minister Mark Carney is promising Manitoba a new, $1-billion housing partnership to help people move from homelessness to stable housing. An advocate in Winnipeg tells us she’s ready to put that money to work. Representative-elect Allison Montgomery is Alabama's first transgender lawmaker — but she tells us she’s not scared of working alongside the Republicans who've been attacking her rights. Fewer women are using domestic violence shelters in Alberta — not because they’re experiencing less violence, but because they can't afford to leave. After years of struggling to keep the population afloat, scientists are thrilled to find that 24 right whale calves were born during this year's breeding season — including one that came as a complete surprise. Flying in the face of doubt. The father of a young co-pilot who died in Sunday's plane crash in Florida remembers his daughter as a hero — and recalls the time they spent in the air together. A construction site in Coldbrook, Nova Scotia is blowing sand all over town. A woman who lives next door to the open pit tells us it’s like living in a sandstorm — and officials need to make it stop.   And… After three years, the world’s richest man announces that Tesla will be winding down production of a vehicle that was unsuccessful financially, mechanically, and aesthetically: the contentious Cybertruck. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that guesses no one fell for his pickup line.

  6. Nov 6

    Debt, deficit and affordability: inside Canada’s 2026 budget

    Prime Minister Mark Carney's government says its 2026 budget has Canadians' best interests at heart. We'll ask the Conservative industry critic for his assessment. A Hong Kong court adds a decade onto the sentence of pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong; a fellow activist who's known him since childhood worries about the toll that will take on her friend. With Democrats about to control both houses of the U.S. Congress, a former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tells us what that means for Canada -- and the trade war with President Trump. At first a Baltimore photographer didn't believe a stranger would leave him money. Then he heard how she'd felt about the pictures he'd taken in the wake of police killings of Black men. The Court for the Arbitration of Sport has announced Russia's hockey team must be allowed to play abroad. A former arbitrator at the court says that doesn't mean the Canadian government can't block the Russian team from coming to the World Junior Championships later this year. Nackawic, New Brunswick is so connected to forestry there's a giant axe sticking out of the downtown. But now the town's only mill has been shut down. A laid-off worker tells us what will happen if things don't turn around for the industry. They met when they ran into each other on a flight. And then the human pilot whose plane hit a great blue heron refused to rest until the bird was back in the air. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that could tell you stories that would make your heron stand on end.

  7. Nov 5

    A Senate seat in Texas and other big midterm wins for Dems

    A thrilled voter in Austin shares her reaction to last night's 'blue tsunami' in the midterms -- and says there was never any doubt who was getting her vote. A Republican strategist in Texas gives us his diagnosis on why the G.O.P. was D.O.A. in the Lone Star state, and beyond. Alberta's UCP government says it expects to pass a new election map -- but the leader of the opposition says that's cheating, and he'll go to court to stop it. The star of a powerful film by the late Anne Claire Poirier tells us the Quebec filmmaker brought grit and sensitivity to her films about the lives of women.   A Pennsylvania man heads to the movie theatre, nearly every single day, for a full year. More than a thousand films and a world record later, he says he's still lining up for popcorn. Canada's deputy auditor general describes the troubling state of Nunavut's foster care system -- and warns it raises serious concerns about the safety of the children the system is meant to serve. A fisherman from a small Nova Scotia fishing village says his wharfs are set to be partially closed -- despite the fact that he's spent years calling on the federal government to repair them. And... An amazing art exhibit makes surprising use of gelatin -- and a trip to our archives reveals the wobbly stuff has long been an inspiration for artists. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that always leaves itself some wiggle room.

  8. Nov 4

    Meet the mules carrying midterm ballots in the Grand Canyon

    We hear from an elections official in Arizona who is overseeing the effort to carry U.S. midterm ballots from the bottom of the Grand Canyon -- by mule. An 18-year-old in Afghanistan was awarded a full-ride scholarship to study in Canada. All she wants is to return to a classroom -- but Ottawa rejected her study permit. The Ontario government has paused a crucial student aid program -- leaving a father training to become a paramedic -- in a crisis of his own. Gary Tyler is a celebrated textile artist -- but at 17 years old, he was sentenced to death for a murder he has always maintained he didn't commit. He tells us how quilting saved his sanity. Animal rescuers in Virginia have finally determined why a seemingly uninjured red-shouldered hawk couldn't fly. And the answer is: it ate way too many free-range chickens.   Out of detention but still unable to do her job, one of Egypt's few remaining independent journalists says she still believes in the power of publishing the truth. Sixty years after he first laid eyes on it, an Ontario man has donated more than half a million dollars to build a new sundial at York University.   And... Scientists are delighted to discover a bull and donkey who have become a thriving same-sex, different-species couple. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that believes the donkey was lucky to find someone who was ready, willing, and a bull.

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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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