As It Happens

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.

The Montreal filmmakers behind "The Girl Who Cried Pearls" tell us all about their Academy Award win for Best Animated Short Film. As oil prices climb, Donald Trump insists NATO countries could help reopen the Strait of Hormuz — suggesting refusal would be "very bad" for the alliance. But not all NATO members are convinced. The facts of life-giving. A new study shows dangerous — but largely preventable — pregnancy-related complications often happen outside labor and delivery, threatening lives. A recently discovered tape labelled "fish noises" turns out to be the oldest-known recording of humpback whales — and lets us hear what the oceans sounded like in 1949. For years, anti-cruising laws in cities across the US tried to keep lowriders off the roads. But now, the customized cars and the people who love them are getting their due, in the form of a new U.S. postage stamp. After two lost episodes of "Dr. Who" are discovered in a private archive, a TV historian tells us what it takes to keep classic film from getting lost in time. A renowned Italian museum is bending the rules — and letting visually impaired visitors touch some of their most famous sculptures.

American officials claim they've got the situation under control -- but a former diplomat tells us that Iran throttling the Strait of Hormuz could spell political disaster for Donald Trump. An Iranian strike hit a Canadian bunker on a military base in Kuwait, almost two weeks ago. No one was hurt, but the government said nothing about it -- and the Conservatives' defence critic says that's a problem. Bill Kurtis has deployed his dulcet tones on the airwaves for six decades now; tonight, he'll tell us about leaving his gig as the judge and scorekeeper of the NPR news quiz show "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" This weekend, director Geeta Gandbhir is up for two Oscars; she's nominated in both the short and feature-length documentary categories. Nil talks to her about her short doc "The Devil is Busy" -- which covers one day at Georgia abortion clinic -- and her feature "The Perfect Neighbour," which tells the story of a neighbourhood shooting through police bodycam footage. A new high-tech glass floor for basketball courts is great at blasting your retinas with statistics and ads and graphics -- but it turns out to be not great at having basketball played on it. As It Happens, the Friday edition. Radio that finds itself in contempt of court.

Police in London, Ontario are searching for someone they say was driving around downtown handing out free drugs -- and triggering a wave of overdoses on the doorstep of a local outreach centre. History in the unmaking. American and Israeli strikes have severely damaged at least four cultural and historical landmarks in Iran. An Iranian-Canadian scholar she says it's heartbreaking to watch -- but eerily familiar. When two young women left a cinema in the early 70s, they found an abandoned newborn. And now, half a century later, they’ve all reunited. A Norwegian researcher has not-so-fond childhood memories of getting his tongue stuck to a frozen pole. Now that he’s all grown up, he’s delving into the science -- to tackle tundra tongue. Colm Dalton can tell you what makes a real Irish pub -- because he's been to more than a hundred of them on four continents, as he attempts to drink at every single one on Earth. Scientists discover that we blink unconsciously to the beat of music -- although so far, they've only tested that theory on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that thinks they should start thinking outside the Bach...s.

Another MP -- this time from the NDP -- has crossed the floor to join the Liberals. A by-election candidate in what was a must-win riding in Quebec tells us what that means for her campaign. A neighbourhood in central Beirut is in shock after an Israeli airstrike hits an apartment building. A journalist on the ground describes the scene. The British government is mulling a social media ban for children -- but the father of a teenager who took her own life after being exposed to harmful content online says just blocking those platforms isn't the answer. An Alabama restaurant never thought anyone would take up their offer of free oysters to any customer 80 years old accompanied by his father. But we'll talk to two men who are putting that pledge to the test. A para-alpine skier shares his frustration over mild March weather in Italy that's messing with the Paralympics -- and argues they need to be held much earlier. A British construction worker rushes to hospital after he wakes up with a bright blue body -- but is relieved and embarrassed to discover the blue-ity is only skin deep. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that admires anyone who's so self-azured.

The one thing standing between Mark Carney and a majority government may turn out to be a by-election in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne -- where the Bloc Quebecois candidate says she's confident she'll win. It's not clear when the war in Iran will end -- but we'll ask an Iranian-Canadian historian what kind of order he foresees after the chaos. New Brunswick serial killer Allan Legere dies in prison; a reporter who covered the murders, the manhunt, and the trial tells us a lot of people are breathing easier. Heavy rain in Nairobi last week led to deadly floods. And for many including our guest, those floods cut off electricity and running water. A neuroscientist tells us about the leap he's made in understanding how mice view their surroundings -- with the help of action movies. Just weeks before athletes were scheduled to run the Pyongyang Marathon, the North Korean regime cancels the event -- and the reason it gives is "reasons." As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that assumes, for the out-of-shape runners, this is a staggering loss.

I'll speak with an Iranian-Canadian who stands firmly behind the U.S and Israeli attacks on Iran -- saying he believes they're the only real hope for regime change. Donald Trump continues to suggest that Iran may be to blame for the strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed scores of children -- but a very different story is emerging. A para hockey player tells us about her journey to try and make the technically co-ed Canadian Paralympic hockey team -- which, at least for now, is really just a men's team. UNESCO has already recognized Dublin as a "city of literature," but an Irish arts organization thinks it's only right that an area farther north in the borderlands be named the world's first UNESCO literary region. We catch up with the Finnish couple that placed first in the UK's Wife Carrying Race -- and they attempt to convey how one of them conveyed the other. The centuries-old coat of arms of a Swiss canton features a black bear with visible genitalia -- and despite a parliamentarian's request, the local government won't be tucking it away. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that supposes it's a package deal.

After many days trying to connect, we reach a defiant resident of Tehran -- who says U.S. and Israeli bombs are the wrong way to topple the regime he opposes. We also connect with a longtime rights activist in Kabul who tells us that despite a horrifying new decree, there's not much else the Taliban can take away from women in Afghanistan. An Ontario library dealing with open drug use and near-daily overdoses tries a last-ditch effort to keep from closing its doors completely. At a funeral in Chicago, three former presidents pay tribute to the late civil rights pioneer Jesse Jackson. Researchers turn to the study of trees to discover one of the few mysteries left about what makes the world famous Stradivarius violins the best of the best. An opera singer in Florida shifts gears when the gigs dry up...using his prodigious pipes to sell used vehicles. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that asks: Aria lookin' for some new wheels?

The brother of a Nobel Peace Prize winner detained in Iran says there's no escape for those trapped in prisons -- and he's afraid of what the regime will do to them in the fog of war. A Nova Scotia father says provincial cuts to programs for people with disabilities, like the one his daughter uses, are a real punch in the gut -- and he's not sure how families like his will cope. We'll pay tribute to Yanar Mohammed, who was killed by gunmen in Baghdad this week -- after decades of fighting for equality and safety for women in Iraq. A Canadian man has been held in ICE detention for the past four months; his brother says his family wants him back home -- but first, they just want him to go before a judge. A curator of old movies tells us about finding a lost gem by a true pioneer of silent film -- and the man who gave him that lost gem tells us just how close he came to chucking it in a dumpster. A Las Vegas casino magnate lays his cards on the table: he wants Canadians who are avoiding travel to the U.S. back at his blackjack tables and slot machines -- and he's willing to take a gamble of his own to get us there. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that's not sure it'll visit -- but won't roulette out.

The government of Spain is adamantly against the U.S. - Israeli attack on Iran, and it repeated that position today, even in the face of Donald Trump's trade threats. A non-profit that monitors financial markets says it's concerned that online prediction markets were allowing people to place wagers on the strikes on Iran -- and that many of those betting appeared to know too much. A Texas firefighter tells us what it was like to climb a very, very, very tall communications tower -- to rescue a pair of hot-air ballooners who got tangled up up top. A Vancouver city councillor is baffled as to why the mayor accused him of handing out illegal drugs on Christmas Day. And despite the mayor's apologies, he's not feeling very forgiving. A Canadian comic working in the UK explains how Brits are responding to his blistering take on the peculiar culinary phenomenon known as "picky tea". When certain cockroaches couple up, they demonstrate their commitment by eating each other's wings -- an act of real tenderness. Or toughness, depending on the wings. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that knows sometimes you have plans for dinner -- and sometimes you just wing it.

Ottawa has stated support for military action, but they've also made it clear that Canada had no involvement in that action. Former Foreign Affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy says the government is being unnecessarily unclear. As the U.S. and Israel continue to hammer Iran, an Alberta man fears for his family in Tehran; he tells us they all yearn for change, but he doesn't want them to die for it. A woman in Lebanon tells us about helping feed those who have been forced from their homes and onto the streets of Beirut -- as the conflict widens. Her B.C. town did away with daylight saving time over a century ago -- and now, our guest is welcoming the rest of the province to sit back instead of springing forward. The late Len Garry was a crucial part of the rhythm section in an up-and-coming skiffle band in the UK in the '50s -- but left before they became The Beatles. A partly blind refugee was found dead in Buffalo, New York, days after being released from federal custody. His family wants answers. The author of a new study says there's been a concerning increase in the number of young men in Ontario requiring help for their gambling. And he's pretty sure he knows why. A musician was forced to hold a very delicate, centuries-old violin on a flight, because the airline insisted its case was too big. Now, that airline has changed its policy. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that's glad she refused to play second fiddle.

After three days of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes across Iran -- a journalist tells us that, despite the death of the Ayatollah, the regime remains in full crackdown mode. A pro-regime academic in Tehran tells us the government has a clear plan to stay in power -- and says Iranians are united against their true enemies: the U.S. and Israel. One of Canada's last diplomats in Iran tells us Prime Minister Carney did the right thing by supporting strikes on the country -- no matter the potential fallout at home. Our guest built a seasonings company called Spyce Girlz. But now that the '90s girl-power pop group is threatening to sue her, she's feeling kind of salty. With the world feeling like a dumpster fire, one New Yorker decided to focus on a problem she could do something about: cleaning up the Brooklyn Bridge. Major League Baseball has a new system that can tell for sure whether a pitch was high, low, or just right -- but for it to work, a lot of players are having to admit they're not as tall as they claimed to be. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that never shrinks from the truth.

Wilkie has already won a phenomenal number of medals -- but says she's still surprised and thrilled to be representing Canada at the ceremony. After two women in Uganda are arrested for kissing in public, an activist tells us the LGBTQ+ community is on high alert -- and doing everything it can to push for their release. Mark Carney is in India looking to make new trade deals -- and our guest says it's just another instance of a Canadian prime minister putting economic interests ahead of the safety of the country's Sikh community. A Halifax mother tells us about her daughter, who died in a homeless encampment -- in the hope that it will encourage people to be more understanding of others caught in the throes of addiction. A researcher takes us beat by beat through a new study on the way some caterpillars use complex rhythms to gain access to ant colonies. A young pitching prospect believes he cracked the code of athletic excellence -- by cracking, and eating, 30 raw eggs a day for a month. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that's not sure you should rely on a deus eggs machina.

Just about two weeks after the deadly shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, students and their parents are touring new portable classrooms -- and still unsure about how to move forward. The company behind the AI chatbot Claude is hoping to put guardrails on the Pentagon's use of its tech. But the U.S. military is pushing back. Nova Scotia's government closes a dozen provincial heritage sites, to the shock of our guest -- whose family once lived in the now-shuttered Fisherman’s Life Museum. For years, a pediatric surgeon at Winnipeg's Children’s Hospital has been pushing for a designated space for Indigenous patients. And now, construction is finally underway. Having uncovered why Scotch tape squeals, we are once again providing an answer to a question you didn’t ask: why basketball shoes squeak that squeak. To ensure customer courtesy, Burger King will deploy AI in employees' headsets, that will keep a tally of the number of times they say "welcome", "please", and "thank you." As It Happens, the Thursday edition, Radio that suggests they mind their cheese and Qs.

Canada's Immigration Minister is under fire after Radio-Canada journalists reveal the organizations who work with her, and some of her own Liberal colleagues, says she's often unreachable -- and perhaps not up to the job. Hundreds of American nurses have been welcomed north of the border, after leaving the U.S. during Donald Trump's first year in office; one tells us he's never going back. Zambia needs to replace healthcare funding slashed by U.S. cuts -- and our guest tells us the sub-Saharan nation is about to accept some pretty unhealthy terms from the Trump Administration. A researcher wanted to test the so-called "drunken monkey hypothesis" -- and that meant he had to perfect a technique for collecting chimpanzee urine in the wild. An elementary school basketball team in Utah is obsessed with attending the local high school team's games. But their minds were blown when the high school team showed up to watch them. Researchers finally solve a mystery that has vexed...well, researchers: the mystery of why Scotch tape makes a sort of screeching sound when you peel a piece off. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that knows tape research is tough -- but you just stick to it.

The fire chief in St. John's tells us that, after a series of punishing snowstorms, he and his crew worked overtime to help dig Newfoundlanders out -- and also helped deliver a new one. Canada's Minister of Artificial Intelligence meets with OpenAI over the company's failure to report disturbing posts by the Tumbler Ridge shooter to law enforcement. Four years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there is still no end in sight. We'll return to a guest who's working to honour Bucha's dead and to help the city move forward. A brand new American inter-agency task force may have helped Mexico track down El Mencho -- another indication of the increased militarization of the battle against the cartels. WWII historian tells us the story that stopped him in his tracks -- a story that ended with a 108-year-old Ontario woman being presented with a long-overdue wartime medal. During a soccer game in Turkey, a gull is felled mid-flight when it's smacked by a ball -- and saved when a player immediately begins CPR. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that tells the whole story -- from death to rebirdth.

A resident of Puerto Vallarta tells us what it's like in the Mexican city one day after the killing of a cartel leader triggered waves of violent retaliation across the country. A geopolitical analyst tells us how the U.S. is putting pressure on Mexico to rein in the cartels -- and reflects on the effectiveness of taking out the kingpins like El Mencho. Canada's Artificial Intelligence Minister summons OpenAI officials to Ottawa -- to explain what they knew about the Tumbler Ridge shooter, and when. A UN fact-finding mission to El Fasher says what they found after the capture of the Sudanese city by the RSF bears the "hallmarks of genocide". Profile writer Susan Sheehan's daughter remembers her mother's remarkable gift for disappearing into her subject's lives, and revealing the forces that shaped their struggles. A restaurant in a small British town installs up an official-looking plaque claiming the group Toto wrote a hit song on the premises -- but the local historical society does not bless the claims about "Africa". As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that wouldn't expect this behaviour from a Toto stranger.

The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a swath of Donald Trump's tariffs and Nil speaks with a VP from the family toy company behind the winning case -- who tells us what it's like to be insulted by the president. Joss Reimer will be Canada's next Chief Public Health Officer. We'll ask her what's at the top of her to-do list -- and what keeps her up at night. For decades, the United States' relationship with Cuba has been fraught, at best. Now, long-time observers say it's time to start calling American measures what they are: a blockade. He says a Toronto hospital changed his life by treating his mental health condition -- and now, he's hoping his $10-million donation to that facility will change other patients' lives too. A paleontologist sets off for the Sahara Desert with nothing but an old monograph of an ancient tooth and unearths something truly ferocious, with an appropriately ferocious nickname. Two Michigan men break a record that was exciting to them -- and annoying to everyone in their general vicinity -- by playing pickleball for 28 straight hours.