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The Current

Latest episodes

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Jan 30, 2025 • 20min

What the science says about fluoride in drinking water

Montreal is removing fluoride from drinking water, while Calgary is putting it back after a pause of more than a decade. We look at what the science says — and the direct influence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who got into heated exchanges at his confirmation hearing to become U.S. health secretary on Wednesday.
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Jan 30, 2025 • 25min

This U.S. economist is pushing for tariffs on Canada

Economist Oren Cass has been pushing for a new economic strategy in Washington, and supports the sweeping tariffs that could be imposed on Canada this weekend. He says those tariffs will hurt in the short term, but thinks they’re ultimately necessary to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. — and rebuild the U.S. trade relationship with the rest of the world.
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Jan 30, 2025 • 26min

The ‘people’s bid’ to buy TikTok — and rewild the internet

American billionaire Frank McCourt wants to buy TikTok in the U.S., with a plan that would rewire the app’s addictive qualities and give users more control over their experience and data. We look at the bid — and the case for building a new and improved internet.
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Jan 29, 2025 • 20min

What Canada needs to do about foreign interference

Justice Marie-Josée Hogue found no evidence of traitors in parliament, but her final report on foreign interference highlights several other threats to Canada’s democracy. We unpack the vulnerabilities she's identified, from disinformation on social media to party leaders who have so far refused to get security clearance. 
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Jan 29, 2025 • 18min

Trump deportation threats open up old wounds in Mississippi

Hundreds of undocumented migrants were arrested in ICE workplace raids in Mississippi in 2019, resulting in deportations that split families apart. In his documentary Practically Mexico Now, the CBC’s John Chipman went there to meet people still living with the fallout, amid fresh fears over U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of mass deportations.
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Jan 29, 2025 • 20min

The CBC is facing an ‘existential threat,’ says new CEO

Marie-Philippe Bouchard has taken over as CBC/Radio-Canada’s new president and CEO at a time when Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and others are calling for the public broadcaster to be defunded. She talks to Matt Galloway about proving to Canadians that the CBC is a vital part of their communities, and making sure she’s not the president who turns the lights out as she leaves.
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Jan 29, 2025 • 9min

Why did AI chatbot DeepSeek stun the tech world?

DeepSeek, an AI chatbot from China, rattled the stock market this week when its sudden rise caught the tech industry off guard. Tech reporter Rashi Shrivastava explains what makes it different — and why she’s been hesitant to test it out herself.
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Jan 28, 2025 • 20min

Stretched Alberta doctors told to drop healthy patients

Doctors struggling to care for all of their patients in Alberta have been advised to drop the healthy ones, to make sure they have time for those with the greatest health needs. The new guidelines are drafted with safety in mind, but critics and frustrated patients say it’s a sad indicator of how stretched the country’s health care system has become.
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Jan 28, 2025 • 14min

How magic sparked Joe Schwarcz’s passion for science

Joe Schwarcz has made it his life's work to debunk misinformation and snake oil salespeople in the scientific world. Now, the director of the McGill Office for Science and Society  has been named to the Order of Canada.
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Jan 28, 2025 • 13min

Indigenous leader Bill Wilson’s legacy, told by his daughters

Hereditary chief Bill Wilson, who helped to reshape Indigenous rights in Canada, has died. Matt Galloway discusses his legacy with his daughters, Kory Wilson, chair of the B.C. First Nations Justice Council; and Jody Wilson-Raybould, the former federal minister of justice.

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