As It Happens

A former U.S. diplomat tells us Donald Trump is making yet another catastrophic miscalculation by blocking access to Iran's ports -- and that it could be just as destructive for the global economy as anything Iran does. A decade ago, a devastating oil spill wreaked havoc along the B.C. coast. The Heiltsuk Nation says the damage wasn't limited to the environment -- and it's taking that argument to the UN. After 16 years, Viktor Orban's time leading Hungary is now over. Michael Ignatieff tells us Orban's loss is a win for Hungarians, Europeans, and liberal democracy worldwide. Scientists find a once tightly-connected group of chimpanzees in Uganda now locked in lethal conflict. A researcher tells us what we can learn from their ugly war -- and spoiler alert, it's not all bad. We'll remember the Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle -- with the leader of a band that paid tribute to her in a 90s hit. Montreal Canadiens defenceman David Reinbacher faces a classic rookie ritual -- getting the local press corps to pronounce his name in both official languages. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that’s not sure if that should have been "back check", "bock check", or "Baccch check".

A former advisor to Stephen Harper's government concedes things are not going great for the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre -- but he says MPs need to fix the party from within rather than cross the floor. The mayor of Sarnia, Ontario says some constituents feel betrayed by Marilyn Gladu's defection to the Liberal government -- and the only solution is a byelection. A Manitoba First Nations Chief describes the suicide crisis unfolding around her -- and what it will take to stop it. A small town in north west England is plagued by an overwhelming stench from a nearby landfill that residents say is not complying with environmental regulations. A man spent years building a precise replica of the Orca, from "Jaws". He says it's a dream come true -- with a touch of nightmare. You might think it's fun to add emojis to your work emails, but your colleagues may not agree -- according to a new study that looks at the big picture in terms of small pictures. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that knows a laughing emoji can drive you up the LOL.

A fourth Conservative MP defected to the Liberal government yesterday -- and another recent floor crosser tells us there are still more Tories who may be considering switching allegiances. Despite the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is nowhere near back to normal. One shipping company says it could take weeks -- or months -- for things to stabilize. A Lebanese MP says Israeli strikes on her country were unjustified, but she doesn't think Lebanon should have anything to do with that ceasefire -- because she doesn't think Lebanon should have anything to do with Iran. We'll reach the 14-year-old winner of this year’s Junior African Spelling Bee – who defeated opponents from more than 30 countries, spelling in more than 20 languages. We hear from a New Brunswick engineering student whose team was able to track the Artemis 2 mission using a tiny satellite dish on a campus rooftop. The CEO of McDonald's was mocked for a video in which he took a tiny bite of a burger he claimed to love -- and a new interview suggests it's really gnawing at him. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that thinks he bit off less than he could chew.

Lebanon awoke to news of a ceasefire, and a surge of optimism -- which was shattered by deadly Israeli strikes. An aid worker in Beirut describes the aftermath. Despite the ongoing war of words between Iran and the U.S., Norway's Foreign Minister tells us the two-week ceasefire is the best possible result for the region and the world -- in the short term. It’s been decades since the body of his first victim was found, and a 62-year-old New York architect has finally confessed to being the Gilgo Beach serial killer -- pleading guilty to killing eight women. Biologists in Northern California believe their conservation efforts are making a difference for the California Condor -- because a pair of birds appear to be tending to the region's first egg in a century. When their school board threatens to cut several middle school music programs, a trio of high schoolers in B.C. step in to ensure nobody pulls the strings. New research finds that merely doing hours and hours of meditation every day for a week can completely rewire your brain and body. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio with namaste-ing power.

Donald Trump has agreed to suspend promised attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran for two weeks. A former State Department official tells us what likely happened behind the scenes today. And we hear from an Iranian-Canadian professor about her conversations with loved ones in the leadup to today's now-extended deadline -- and about the anxieties Iranians around the world are experiencing, day in and day out. With polls suggesting he might be headed for electoral defeat, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán phones a friend: U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. When our minds wander, our bodies are affected. A researcher explains the phenomenon of "body-wandering," and how it can affect our mental health. A senior in Washington State tells us how he managed to survive a crocodile attack -- and why the experience renewed his faith in humanity. A British Airways plane on its way to Houston, Texas is forced to land in St. John's -- and from the headlines, you'd think the passengers had been abandoned in a frozen wasteland. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that guarantees they got tundra loving care.

The members of the Artemis II mission will get an extremely rare glimpse of the dark side of the moon. A retired astronaut says that even watching this mission from Earth is a dream come true. After an Iranian missile kills four Israelis, a reporter in Haifa tells us the increasing cost of the war has people questioning the political leaders who pushed so hard for this fight. The former MP who introduced a bill to legalize single-game sports betting says he never imagined an explosion of online gambling ads was in the cards -- and now he's calling for tighter restrictions. A conservationist in Ukraine describes the moment hundreds of people gathered to watch endangered bats be released into the night. A new study takes a closer look at bee stomachs -- and finds the gut health of the individual members of a colony can tell us a lot about the strength of the whole colony. Scientists declare a Swiss court made the right decision when it ruled cheesemakers should be allowed to add hay powder to their cheese curd -- because it is responsible for the holes. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that emphasizes the importance of a hole-some diet.

After a U.S. fighter jet goes down in Iran, American forces launch a search-and-rescue mission. A defence expert and retired colonel tells us about that mission -- and what today’s developments mean for the prospect of peace. Researchers in Denmark are painstakingly excavating the wreck of a ship that exploded in battle more than 200 years ago. Our guest tells us what it’s like to get a close-up look. A Radio-Canada investigation spurred by a reporter’s breakfast finds a major Quebec producer selling altered maple syrup. We get to the bottom of the sticky situation. We bring you Fireside Al’s reading of the Oscar Wilde classic “The Selfish Giant” – a reminder that community makes a garden grow. Researchers discover a new way to cook french fries that makes them less greasy -- but just as crispy. Despite the use of a microwave. We reach an engineer who explains the technical features of the Orion spacecraft –- including a piece of infrastructure essential to the Artemis II mission: the toilet. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that boldly goes where no man has gone before.

As the UK hosts an emergency meeting on the Strait of Hormuz, one country is notably absent. A former ambassador says the U.S. is snubbing international allies at a time when it needs them the most. A new report says that if Ottawa's ambitious military spending promises are met, Canadians will need to be prepared for big tax hikes -- and, possibly, deep cuts to other government services. When Syracuse International airport told a sexual harassment lawyer the ad she wanted to run there was a "bit harsh", she sued. And now she's got herself an even bigger billboard. Two, actually. A New Zealand helicopter crew rescues Molly the border collie -- who went missing after her owner accidentally fell 50 metres down a remote waterfall. Scientists discover that male octopuses have a favorite arm -- and, maybe unsurprisingly, it's the one that plays a crucial role in octopus sex. A tour guide in Iceland says even rising costs won’t keep locals from lining up for their unofficial national dish: the hot dog. As It Happens, the Thursday edition, Radio that never shies away from a frank conversation.

A century ago, Wong Kim Ark took his fight for birthright citizenship in the U.S. all the way to the Supreme Court; today, his great-grandson was at the court as the government argued to overturn it. An American journalist is kidnapped in Baghdad by a militia allied with Iran; a former colleague tells us Shelly Kittleson is a "gutsy" reporter who believes in the importance of the work, despite the risks. A petition in support of Alberta separatism now has more than 170 thousand signatures; one of the organizers tells us why he's so keen to extricate his province from the country. We'll meet a Columbia Business School professor who decided the best way to deal with his students' use of AI was to create his own chatbot to help them learn. The detailed designs for hundreds of thousands of ships are being made available to the public for the first time -- including the plans for the Titanic. A once-wild mustang sets a new world record by performing dozens of complex tasks in under 3 minutes; his trainer explains how she taught an old horse new tricks. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that supposes the doubters were saddle-ly mistaken.

Stephen Lewis tackled global issues such as poverty, AIDS and children in armed conflict. An African activist remembers her friend’s "fiery" passion for justice -- and his ability to connect with anyone to bring about change. A member of the Knesset shares her objection to a new law that allows for the hanging of Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis -- legislation that doesn't apply to Israelis who commit similar crimes. As NASA prepares to send the first Canadian to the moon, fellow astronaut Joshua Kutryk shares his excitement about that journey -- and what could come next. Derek Sheely died after suffering a head injury during a college football practice. Now his mom is raising awareness by modifying a popular NFL video game to replicate what it’s like to play after a big hit. A fourteen-year-old hockey player and a former NHLer pay tribute to the Dawson City Nuggets' attempt at a Stanley Cup victory, by transporting the trophy to a local tournament by dogsled. A Wisconsin petting zoo owner describes the three-day rescue effort after her adolescent kangaroo escaped, despite a 2-and-a-half-metre-high fence. As It Happens, the Tuesday edition. Radio that senses it was a roo'd awakening.

Avi Lewis marks his first full day at the helm of the NDP. A longtime strategist tells us why he thinks this puts the party back on a path to power...but not everyone is convinced. We reach Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi who says the new leader has a lot of work to do...especially in western Canada. Donald Trump says the US is making "great progress" in negotiations with Iran. But with talk of a looming ground invasion, a professor in Qatar tells us what's likely happening behind the scenes. We'll reach a food bank in Moose Jaw that says steadily rising visits have forced it to take a step it never wanted to. As gas prices hit new highs around the world, two Australian states respond by giving transit users a free ride. Nestle wants consumers to be on the lookout after some sticky-fingered thieves make off with over four hundred thousand Kit Kats in a brazen candy heist. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that thinks, one way or another, we'll see the perpetrators behind bars.

After a crushing defeat in last year's elections, the NDP are about to choose a new leader; a party strategist tells us each of the apparent front-runners offers New Democrats a different path forward. Because of a partial government shutdown, American airport security workers haven't been paid since mid-February. Now politicians say paycheques are on the way. Our guest says she'll believe it when she sees it. A new bill threatens to roll back transgender rights in India. The founder of an LGBTQ+ organization there tells us her community isn't about to let that happen without a fight. Scientists capture rare video footage of a sperm whale giving birth -- and discover that the whale's family and friends were there to help out. A resident of Annapolis, Maryland, tells us her community's unusual way of celebrating spring will really knock your socks off -- and then set them on fire. The mayor of Ottawa posted a photo of a city park on the brink of spring -- but critics, of whom there are many, think it looks more like a hellscape on the brink of the apocalypse. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that guesses he thought "Ottawa" -- but they thought he ought not-awa.

A U.S. jury finds Meta and YouTube designed their products to be addictive. I'll speak with a woman whose daughter died by suicide -- in part, she says, because of what she saw when she scrolled. For the first time in decades, Canada has met its defence spending target. Former army commander Andrew Leslie tells us this kind of support is past due -- and the work is far from over. We've got an all-dressed, two-for-one, double-decker feast of tales about the sandwich-obsessed city of Philadelphia. First: roll reversal. We hear from a bestselling romance author who's in trouble because one of her characters commits the cardinal sin of calling a sandwich from a Philadelphia chain a "sub" rather than a "hoagie." And...high steaks. The only way to rescue the words "world's longest airport line" is to follow them immediately with "made entirely of cheese steaks"; we'll hear from the folks in Philly who made that dream a reality. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that gives you plenty to chew on.

Israel announces plans to occupy part of Southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah vows to continue fighting “without limits.” A former Lebanese minister tells us his people are caught in the middle -- and paying a heavy price. Ontario's education minister tells schools to make sure that graduation ceremonies contain no "political views." A Toronto school board trustee says the minister is tackling an imaginary problem. A Canadian woman and her seven-year-old daughter are still in ICE custody after more than ten days. Her mother tells us she wouldn't wish this on anybody. A former student remembers a groundbreaking Canadian primatologist who changed the way we see and understand orangutans ... and ourselves. The people of a very small Texas town would appreciate it if people would stop stealing all their signs -- no matter how much the thieves are delighted by the fact that the town is called Bug Tussle. A German handball team is filled with angst after someone steals the silver plate they were awarded for winning the championship -- but then they find it in the weirdest place, and crack the trophy case themselves. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that hopes they appreciated those stolen moments.

A new report issues dozens of recommendations to repair Canada’s sports system after concluding abuse is rampant; our guest says this is just official recognition of what many athletes know all too well. Both sides are talking about how the U.S. and Iran are talking, or not talking -- but a pro-regime analyst in Tehran tells us that Donald Trump's claims about negotiations are more about calming the markets than ending the war. A years-long CBC investigation confirms that, in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, the RCMP infiltrated and spied on Indigenous organizations -- as part of what they called a “Native extremism program”. A new study reveals that Neanderthals may have figured out how to stave off infections with the help of birch bark -- much farther back than we knew. A pitbull went missing from her family’s yard more than a decade ago -- and tonight, a Pennsylvania pet-owner tells us what it was like to be reunited with the long-lost pooch she never fur-got. An Austrian man sets out to break a record for inserting uninflated, oiled balloons into his nostril and pulling them out of his mouth -- an astonishing...where are you going? I'm not done explaining. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that reflects on the dangers of rampant inflation.

After two pilots are killed at LaGuardia, a longtime air traffic controller tries to answer the question we're all asking: how was a fire truck cleared to cross a runway at the exact moment an Air Canada plane was landing? A doctor in Edmonton says she doesn't know what the Alberta government's new legislation restricting access to MAID is supposed to do, but she knows what it will do: make difficult conversations even harder. Turns out Nigel Farage isn't just making a political comeback in the U.K., he's also making personalized videos on Cameo -- including some for right-wing extremists, and a Canadian neo-Nazi group. Andrew Scott is being honoured by the Halifax art school he dropped out of to perform with a band that seemed promising -- and 35 years later, he says he still can't believe he gets to make music with Sloan. A herpetologist stumbles across a newly discovered species of spider that pretends to be covered in zombie-like fungus to avoid being eaten -- and to eat others. What’s dung is dung. But in one Ontario city, people are demanding to know whose dung is making a huge mess -- and a pigeon expert insists her clients have a built-in alibi. As It Happens, the Monday edition. Radio that guess they may be dirty -- but they're not stool pigeons.

Iranians at home and abroad grapple with how to celebrate Nowruz at a time when joy and optimism feel out of step with the bleak realities of war. To preserve confidentiality, the most comprehensive archive of abuse at Canadian residential schools will be destroyed. So journalist Connie Walker has set out to create her own archive of survivors' stories. A Florida priest says he has no plans to shut down his soup kitchen despite racking up more than a half a million dollars in penalties for violating zoning laws. A B.C. woman tells us about getting airlifted out of Coquitlam yesterday after being awoken by an early morning mudslide. Canada takes an unprecedented plunge in this year's World Happiness Report, largely due to the malaise of young people. We get the inside scoop on The Washington Post's annual Peeps diorama contest — an event that's a real chick magnet. Dressed to the canines. The publisher of Vogue is suing another fashion magazine for trademark infringement — even though that magazine has a much furrier demographic. Which is why it's called "Dogue". As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that knows a "Dogue" cover model always looks fetching.

After Israel strikes the biggest gas field in the world, and Iran retaliates by hitting Qatar’s main gas complex, a reporter in Doha tells us the war has entered a volatile new phase. Alberta is hoping to pass the strictest restrictions on medical assistance in dying in Canada. A disability advocate tells us why she fully supports new constraints. Charges against the self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” have been stayed. Now the mayor of Richmound, Saskatchewan fears she'll return to his village, which is still recovering from her cult's takeover attempt. A Latino civil rights organizer shares his horror after the late, legendary labour rights activist Cesar Chavez is accused of numerous cases of sexual assault — some involving minors. A scientist in Fiji spends a lot of her time swimming with bull sharks and she’s delighted to share that the ocean’s apex predators are actually pretty good at making friends. A Belgian court rules that a former diplomat must stand trial for the murder of the first Congolese Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba. Mr. Lumumba's granddaughter tells us that's a win for the family, but only the very beginning of justice for the country. At the end of this month, Yellowknife’s only movie theatre will be going out of business — unless local movie lovers can find a way to keep the doors open. He never met a metaverse he didn't like. But after spending 80 billion dollars on that virtual world, Mark Zuckerberg is effectively shutting it down — to the chagrin of all the virtual characters stuck inside it. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that guesses they're not going to live happily ever avatar.

A woman in Lebanon’s capital tells us she and her family are ready to flee at a moment's notice now that their home is on the edge of an evacuation zone. Canada's athletes brought home gold from the Games, but not as much as fans might have expected. And Own the Podium CEO Anne Merklinger thinks she knows why our medal count is slipping. More troops are preparing to head to Haiti, and a U.N. expert says he's hopeful they'll change things at last for those caught in the crossfire in a country overrun by gangs. Cuban journalist Daniel Montero tries to make sense of where his country is headed, as it deals with major blackouts and Donald Trump's renewed threats of a takeover. Nearly five years after wildfire destroyed Lytton, B.C., the province's auditor general finds the village wasn't given sufficient tools and support to rebuild. Margareta Magnusson — who spread the word about the Swedish art of death cleaning — has died. Her daughter tells us she leaves behind few possessions, but a big legacy. A team of researchers attends hundreds of boring, humourless talks at scientific conferences — and concludes that the presenters need to develop a stronger gag reflex. And...the saunter of attention. Scientists believe they've made great strides with a new study revealing that you can tell how people are feeling by the way they walk, but others resent their gait-keeping. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that really hates to overstep.

The European Parliament's top lawmaker on Iran tells us why the EU won't be sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz. One of the few aid workers still allowed in Afghanistan describes the moment Pakistani airstrikes hit Kabul and the devastation that followed. A Palestinian activist is out, after a year in US immigration detention. Leqaa Kordia’s lawyer tells us that's a huge relief, but there's still a long road ahead until her client is truly free. Months after being forced from their homes yet again, Kashechewan First Nation got a visit from the Indigenous Services Minister. Mandy Gull-Masty tells us when they might finally be able to go home. When a waterfall owned by Oregon monks for over a century hit the real estate market, the public was shocked, then worried, then relieved. We remember Paula Doress-Worters, who drew on her own experience of post-partum depression to contribute to one of the most influential books on women’s health: Our Bodies, Ourselves. A confident cat in South Surrey, B.C. is brazenly flouting international law with his cross-border travel. U.S. authorities haven't captured him, but he has captured millions of hearts. While trying to pull his cousin's ATV out of a swampy area, a Mississippi man got stuck in the muck himself. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that guesses he developed a sedimental attachment.