The Current cover image

The Current

Latest episodes

undefined
May 9, 2025 • 13min

The surprisingly moving tale of Alberta’s gopher museum

There’s something undeniably special about Alberta’s World Famous Gopher Hole Museum, with its taxidermied rodents kitted out as firefighters, hair stylists, or even enjoying a game of curling. The CBC’s Allison Dempster went to Torrington, Alta., to find out how the town came up with such an unusual tourist attraction — and why it ended up drawing the ire of Paul McCartney.
undefined
May 9, 2025 • 11min

Drilling into Arctic ice to spy 20,000 years into the past

A small group of Canadian and Danish scientists have been drilling deep into the ice on Axel Heiberg Island, on the western edge of the Arctic Ocean. Ice core scientist Alison Criscitiello explains why drilling into the ice cap can give us a glimpse into the Earth’s past.
undefined
May 9, 2025 • 20min

Putin, Trump, Zelenskyy: What 3 personalities mean for peace in Ukraine

Hopes for peace in Ukraine rest with three men: the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. Journalists Simon Shuster and Luke Harding have covered this conflict and its characters in depth. They join Matt Galloway to share their insights into each leader’s personalities and motivations.
undefined
May 9, 2025 • 14min

The new pope is an American. Here’s why that’s surprising

Cardinal Robert Prevost is the first American pontiff, choosing the name Pope Leo XIV. Jesuit priest and journalist Father Sam Sawyer explains why that surprised some people, as did the new pope’s social media rebuke, earlier this year, of JD Vance and the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.
undefined
May 9, 2025 • 11min

Fears of empty shelves as U.S. tariffs disrupt supply lines

Trump’s economic fight with China has already led to a drop in cargo coming into U.S. ports. Supply chain experts are warning that tariffs could soon mean half-empty shelves and higher prices south of the border, which could have a knock-on effect for Canada.
undefined
May 8, 2025 • 38min

The Current Introduces | Understood: Who Broke the Internet

It's not you — the internet really does suck. Novelist, blogger and noted internet commentator Cory Doctorow explains what happened to the internet and why you're tormented by ads, bots, algorithms, AI slop and so many pop-ups. Spoiler alert: it wasn't an accident.In Understood: Who Broke the Internet, Doctorow gets into the decisions made by powerful people that got us here, and most importantly, how we fix it. More episodes of Who Broke the Internet are available at: https://link.mgln.ai/te1tCG
undefined
May 8, 2025 • 16min

Remember when the internet was… good? What happened?

The internet was once a user-friendly place built to connect people, but now it’s rife with bots picking fights, AI fakery and algorithms hellbent on selling you something. In the new CBC podcast Understood: Who Broke the Internet?, tech journalist Cory Doctorow breaks down what he calls the "enshittification" of the internet — and who’s responsible.
undefined
May 8, 2025 • 21min

Air traffic controllers lose sight of planes for 90 seconds

Air traffic controllers reportedly lost track of planes for 90 seconds at Newark airport recently in a chaotic radar outage that prompted some staff to take stress leave. We look at what led to this nightmare scenario, and what needs to be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
undefined
May 8, 2025 • 10min

The fight to save the axolotl, an ever-smiling salamander

The axolotl is a salamander that always appears to be smiling, making them popular as aquarium pets or as characters in video games like Minecraft. But the species is endangered in their natural habitat in Mexico, where researchers are working hard to preserve them.
undefined
May 8, 2025 • 19min

Is Israel flouting international law by blocking Gaza aid?

Israel has blocked any humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for two months, with aid agencies now warning that thousands of children are experiencing severe malnutrition. Matt Galloway talks to lawyer Michael Byers about what Israel’s obligations are under international law, and Moumen al-Natour, a lawyer who has organized public demonstrations against Hamas in Gaza.

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
App store bannerPlay store banner