As It Happens

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. 23 HR AGO

    Canada’s Environment Minister defends the pipeline deal

    Ottawa 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.

    58 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    A setback for Alberta separatists

    An 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.

    53 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    The extraordinary scene playing out in Manila

    Gunfire 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.

    1 hr

  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    How long can Keir Starmer hang on?

    The 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.

    57 min

  5. 4 DAYS AGO

    Why this isn’t COVID all over again

    An 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.

    50 min

  6. 8 MAY

    How to survive a tornado, and what happens next

    A Mississippi woman hunkered down in her bathtub. She tells us that just those few minutes rendered her community unrecognizable.  B.C. Premier David Eby announces Tumbler Ridge Secondary School will be demolished. The chair of the local school district tells us that's the best way to move on from the horror of February's mass shooting.  Tennessee Republicans take advantage of the U.S. Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act, and cut up the state's only majority-Black congressional district. A Memphis state senator tells us the result is devastating. A coyote that turned up on the former prison island turns out to have swum twice as far as scientists initially believed -- and maybe farther than any coyote ever.  A longtime fan of Sir David Attenborough pays tribute to his hero's one-hundredth birthday by naming a parasitic wasp after him -- which he swears is a compliment.  Residents of a condo building in Denver give the weightlifters who use the gym the floor below them an F for effort -- and file a lawsuit to make them stop grunting so loudly. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that guesses the suit came as a real punch in the guttural.

    57 min

  7. 7 MAY

    Alberta separatism hits close to home for Jason Kenney

    The former Alberta premier tells us he's lawyering up — after a separatist group allegedly shared the personal information of millions of Albertans, including him. A rise in HIV infections prompts Manitoba to declare a public health emergency. The province’s top doctor says solving that crisis will mean tackling its root causes. It's not completely clear whether Jeffrey Epstein wrote the suicide note media outlets are publishing today — but a New York Times reporter explains why the public deserves to see it. To celebrate the 2026 Census, Statistics Canada shares curated playlists with titles like "FrancoFunky" and "Ketchup Chips and Road Trips."  A French academic is on trial for fraud, after winning a prestigious award in his field — an award he apparently made up, and gave to himself.  A German YouTuber breaks the world record for solving a Rubik cube while in free-fall; he says his main strategy was not focusing on the fact that he could die.  As it Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that follows the adage "parachute first — ask questions later".

    1hr 1min

  8. 6 MAY

    How CNN’s Ted Turner changed the media landscape forever

    In the latest controversy for OpenAI, Canada's privacy commissioner says the company broke the law by training ChatGPT on "vast amounts" of users' personal data.  A former colleague remembers Ted Turner, the irascible billionaire who changed the world — and the world of news — by founding CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel in the U.S.  A new study reveals the troubling treatment suffered by South Asian women working on farms in B.C. and one researcher tells us the exploitation they face is often built into the system.  A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter explains how her reporting prompted real change for Californians who survived wildfires, only to battle for payouts from insurance companies that systematically under-estimated rebuilding costs.  For the first time since the classic sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" hit the airwaves, an actual radio station in that city has now acquired those call letters. Airbus and the federal government celebrate a huge new order for Quebec-built planes. But an aviation expert says the company has its work cut out for it — given that it's already struggling to fill existing orders.  At NYU, some students are putting their phones away, to see what happens when you actually have to talk to the person in front of you. One sophomore tells us about the exhilaration and the challenges involved. Two people are suing a New Jersey company for "tomato fraud" — claiming it sold them canned San Marzanos that turned out to really be some tasteless, commonplace substitute.  As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that supposes the tomatoes were whole, but the customers were crushed.

    1hr 2min
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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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