The Current

<p>The wildfire season is in full effect, and it’s only May. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are in a state of emergency as wildfires burn across the provinces. Thousands of people have evacuated their homes, and many are still finding ways to get out of the fire’s way. First Nations leaders Peter Beatty, Chief of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and David Monias, Chief of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba explain how they are moving their communities out of danger when many exits are closed — and what worries they have for this wildfire season.</p>

<p>There are many statues of Canada’s first Prime Minister across this country — but in recent years statues of John A. Macdonald have been toppled or taken down to protest his role as an architect of the residential schools system and his treatment of Indigenous people. We'll talk about what to do about the statues - and why the plans to clean up and uncover one John A. Mcdonald in Toronto is particularly controversial.</p>

<p>Democratic U.S. Senator Peter Welch recently came to Canada to try to mend fences, over what he sees as President Donald Trump’s damaging tariffs and threats to make Canada the 51st state. The Vermont senator talks to Matt Galloway about the Canada-U.S. relationship — and military expert Christian Leuprecht digs into Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan for a defence deal with the EU, as a way to reduce Canada’s reliance on the U.S.</p>

<p>The first time Laura Bordignon held her daughter Makayla Poppy was also the last. A month after Makayla Poppy was delivered stillborn, Laura and her husband Nick received an invoice for her autopsy. The bill included an itemized list of procedures, but also revealed their daughter’s remains were still in the morgue — weeks after they should have been released. Laura and Nick share their story in Jodie Martinson’s documentary <em>Seven Months with Makayla</em>, in the hopes of highlighting the errors that compound grief for the thousands of Canadian families who experience stillbirth every year.</p>

<p>Noelle Drimmie could taste the smoke in the air as she and her family fled the wildfires approaching their home in Flin Flon, Man. She tells Matt Galloway how surreal it felt to drive away under apocalyptic skies, while trying to keep her young kids entertained in the back seat. </p>

<p>Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin is "playing with fire," following Russia’s largest air attack of the war on Ukraine, Russia responds with a warning for World War Three. Christopher Miller, the Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times joins Matt Galloway to talk about what’s on the mind of Ukrainians after months of failed peace talks — and what Volodymyr Zelenskyy told him yesterday.</p>

<p>The search for alien life in space continues, but there is an update. Chinese astronauts discovered a bacteria, and it turns out it can survive the extreme conditions of space. “That’s evolution at work,” says Jamie Foster, a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida. What lessons should it teach us, and how can we use it to help us with future space missions, Foster explains.</p>

<p>Oji-Cree musician Aysanabee almost died when he was 19, after falling through the ice on a frozen lake. That experience changed the life of the Juno award winner, pushing him to his career today. A new study shows his experience is a common one among people who have near-death experiences. So why do a brush with death might help people have a better work-life balance — and how do we gain the same attitude without almost dying? Well, that’s the question. </p>

<p>A little elvish toy in a bunny suit with a mischievous smile, that’s a Labubu for you — and she, yes it’s a girl, is taking the world by storm. What made Labubus so popular, and how are they bringing us together when people are fighting to get their hands on one? We have answers. </p>

<p>Running an ultramarathon is hard, but running 100kms six months post-partum and breastfeeding during breaks… Well, that sounds like a scene from an inspirational movie. But, for Stephanie Case, and her baby girl Pepper, it was real life. Why would she do this, and what keeps her running these extreme distances, she shares with Matt Galloway. </p>