As It Happens

Dishonourable discharges. Rae Timberlake has served their country in the U.S. Navy for 17 years. But as the Trump administration begins its removal of a thousand trans troops, they don't feel like their country is serving them. Running for coverage. A Russian journalist flees house arrest and a possible prison sentence, and escapes to France. She tells us leaving her loved ones behind was the only way to break free. Out of office replies. I'll talk to Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai about his surprise resignation announcement; he tells us that, when it comes to his children, it's time to make up for lost time. Disaster aria. A new opera sets a horrendous case of wrongful conviction to music. The composer behind "The Central Park Five" tells us its themes have a whole new resonance right now. I get where they're coming from. No one knows what to call people from Chelsea, Quebec -- and the mayor tells us the city's 150th anniversary is the perfect time for residents to decide how to identify themselves. And, indubitably, unreservedly sorry, not sorry. A UK researcher reveals that the more uncommon and sesquipedalian vocabulary you utilize in an apology, the more sincere it will seem. As It Happens, the Friday edition. Radio that never cuts a long sorry short.

Holy smoke. A Canadian Catholic tells us what it was like to stand with thousands in St Peter's Square when the white smoke billowed -- and waited to hear the first words of the first American Pope. Well, the first except for the pretend American Pope, chosen by university students in Chicago recently, in a re-creation of the Conclave of 1492. The history prof behind it explains the powerful lesson in that exercise. And: the Young Pope. We hear from a childhood friend of the boy known as Robert Prevost -- long before he became Pope Leo the Fourteenth. It's kind of a big deal. The UK becomes the first country to hammer out a new trade agreement with the White House. An expert in business diplomacy tells us it won't be so easy for Canada. Getting his message across. The sister of a murder victim used artificial intelligence to generate a victim impact statement from her late brother. She tells us she believes he would have offered his killer the forgiveness she can't. The bleat goes on. Sheep are still by far the dominant population in New Zealand -- but a new count reveals that humans are closing the gap. Slowly, and slightly. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that puts people behind baa-ers.

Flight from fight response. After India attacks Pakistan and Pakistan authorizes "corresponding action", a journalist in Kashmir tells us the threat of escalation has people unsure what to do or where to go. Search me. American authorities in a Washington state border town inspect cars and question drivers heading toward Canada. A local lawyer says that might destroy whatever was left of the town's cross-border business. Spyware and tear. An Israeli cyber-intelligence firm is ordered to pay more than 2-hundred and 30 million Canadian in damages, for surveilling hundreds of WhatsApp users. Your chance to pontiff-icate. While the conclave is in session, Italians are guessing who the next Pope will be -- by playing a fantasy-league game called "Fantapapa". A true sensation about real sensations. A graduate student in Finland wins this year's "Dance Your PhD" contest with a powerful performance about the science behind sensations such as burning, cooling, and tingling. And...villain the blanks. A British woman is given tens of thousands in compensation, after her colleagues filled out a Star Wars-related personality test on her behalf -- and declared her a "Darth Vader". As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that survives a near-Darth experience.

Face to face, but not quite eye to eye. Former Canadian ambassador to Washington Frank McKenna says that, despite his bluster about the 51st state, when Mark Carney visited the White House, the president seemed to respect the prime minister. From bad to worse to worse. The head of a British charity supporting Palestinians tells us he's trying to stay hopeful, despite Israeli plans that promise to make life for civilians in Gaza even more dangerous. Zero compromise on zero tolerance. As cardinals gather in Rome to choose a new Pope, a survivor of sexual abuse tells us now has to be the time for the Catholic church to make things right. It's a free country; well, right now, it's a free province. But we hear from activist Dennis Modry who says Alberta should be its own country -- and is confident a referendum would deliver just that verdict. The needles and the damage undone. During the NHL playoffs, an Edmonton Oilers fanatic is crocheting emotional support chickens for her fellow stressed-out fans -- in the hopes that her handiwork will unknit their brows. Thrust into the limb-light. We'll cuttle up with the cuttlefish -- which science suggests is using its many flexible arms to communicate in some kind of sign language. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that's also available as a cephalopodcast.

Plus: The father of Luke and Brayden Schenn on what it’s like to see your sons face off in double overtime. Also: An expert on human and machine learning tells us why Minecraft made the perfect test case for his team's theories about how human beings learn and adapt -- and what makes us uniquely good at both.

Plus: A leaked uniform design sends Brazilian football fans (actually pretty much all of Brazil) into a frenzy.

The Haitian-born filmmaker takes Nil inside a theatre festival in Port-au-Prince that's been happening for more than twenty years...in the face of earthquakes, hurricanes, cholera, presidential assassinations, and gang warfare. It's a triumph of artistry against all odds -- and it inspired his new documentary, "At All Kosts."

Plus: Erin O’Toole on how Mark Carney needs to approach Donald Trump (and what he thinks about Pierre Poilievre’s future).

Plus: A village in England unites around an abandoned couch. We hear from the photographer who inspired the community to put the "love" in loveseat. Also: Conservative MP Greg McLean on what Mark Carney’s government needs to do to work with Alberta.

Nil speaks with Liberal Patty Hajdu, Conservative Chris D’Entremont and the NDP’s Heather MacPherson about what happens next.

Plus: A B.C. pilot tells the story of his harrowing crash into the Sea of Cortez near La Paz, Mexico. Also: Evidence from an archaeological site in Britain reveals the gnarly death of an ancient gladiator. And yes, there were lions involved.

According to the Taliban, Manizha Bakhtari no longer represents Afghanistan abroad. But that hasn't stopped the country's one-time top diplomat in Austria from keeping the doors of its embassy in Vienna open and now her efforts are the subject of the new documentary, The Last Ambassador. Nil Köksal sits down with Bakhtari and director Natalie Halla on the eve of three Canadian screenings.

Plus: Judy Kurtz from The Hill prepares for a White House Correspondents Dinner unlike any other. Also: Nearly four years after the Lytton wildfire wiped out most of her village, Mayor Denise O'Connor gives a tour of her new home.

Plus: After scientists created "olo" -- a colour they say no one else can see, artist Stuart Semple created "yolo". And he says it can be yours for a small price. Also: We remember tireless B.C. drug and addiction advocate Trey Helton.

Plus: Nil reaches Nardwuar the Human Serviette, who’s snagged more interviews with Canadian political leaders during this campaign than anyone. Also: Up until 2015, academics at Oxford drank wine out of a chalice made from the human skull -- likely that of an enslaved woman. Archeologist Dan Hicks uncovered that history and says it's now his goal to make sure this woman is given back her dignity and humanity.

Plus: How getting stuck in quicksand led to a rom-com worthy love story for a Michigan couple. Also: Canadian author Robin Stevenson’s book Pride Puppy is at the centre of a Supreme Court decision on 2SLGTBQ+ books in schools. She says she was shocked to hear a Justice repeat the false claim that her alphabet book -- about a puppy at a Pride parade -- included a mention of bondage.

Plus: Did the search for extraterrestrial life just take a huge leap? We reach Cambridge University’s Nikku Madhusudhan to explore the possibility. Also: As spring struggles to break through, we bring you the late, great Fireside Al Maitland’s reading of Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant.

Plus: Game, Set and Match medieval style. We hear about Australian efforts to revive Real Tennis, a move to bring the sport back to it’s Henry VIII roots. Also: A special edition of As It Happened, diving into the archives for some “new discoveries”.

Plus: At the San Diego zoo, elephants go viral when video captures their touching and fascinating reaction to an earthquake. Also: Filmmaker Sepideh Farsi on the death of her new documentary’s subject: 25 year old Gazan photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, reported killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Plus: A Michigan bookstore gets a lot of unexpected help moving its entire inventory. Also: Ahead of the inaugural game of the new Northern Super League, founder and soccer star Diana Matheson tells Nil it's been years in the making to get to the first professional women's soccer game ever played on Canadian soil. But now that we're here, she knows Canada is ready.