As It Happens

CBC
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Sep 26, 2025 • 1h 2min

The James Comey indictment and another line crossed

Former FBI director James Comey is indicted for allegedly lying to Congress. Our guest says when it comes to political interference by the Trump administration, the case is already setting a dangerous precedent. Bullets with inscriptions seem to keep showing up at shootings in the U.S. as an often cryptic kind of manifesto. But as the messages get coverage, our guest worries it's giving other shooters more ammunition. Dozens of delegates walked out en masse as the Israeli Prime Minister addressed the U-N General Assembly today. And Benjamin Netanyahu had much to say about the countries, including Canada, that recognized Palestinian statehood this week.It's do or die for Canada at the finals of the Women's Rugby World Cup. A Canadian Olympic medalist says tomorrow will be the country's best chance to show it can beat the dominant England team -- after a string of losses. When she first purchased a butterfly sanctuary on Vancouver Island, our guest was winging it. But nearly a decade later, she says she's loved every minute...and is looking for a new owner to take over. An 80-year-old Nashville man tells us about his storied barefoot runs, and what it means to have his grandson join him. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that wouldn't want to be in their shoes ... you know, if they wore them.
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Sep 25, 2025 • 54min

Are Toronto’s lucrative speed cameras a “cash grab”?

After several acts of vandalism, Ontario’s Premier says he plans to ban speed cameras. A Toronto city councillor who got a ticket in her own ward says they’re crucial to keeping her citizens safe. He told his father he went to play soccer with friends -- and never came home. On Sunday, Quebec police shot and killed a 15-year-old Nooran Rezayi; we reach his family's lawyer.In their first White House meeting in six years, Donald Trump urges the president of Turkey to stop buying Russian oil -- and suggests that Recep Tayyip Erdogan could play a role in stopping the war in Ukraine. A keen-eyed thrifter in BC spotted what could be a cache of Roman jewellery -- and now students at Simon Fraser University have been tasked with finding out if they’re worth their weight in gold. An urgent update on the asteroid that might smack the moon in the face -- and the bold plan astronomers are considering: to prevent that impact by blowing it to smithereens.We'll talk to the first American to win a top French cheese competition -- who, unlike a quality Stilton, has really broken the mould. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that guesses the French have hit Roquefort bottom. 
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Sep 24, 2025 • 1h 6min

A glimmer of hope for an “untreatable” disease

The results of a new gene therapy for Huntington’s Disease are so promising that, when he saw them, one researcher tells us he thought he was dreaming. The U.S. government is spreading extremely dubious information about the causes of autism -- when a mother of two children with autism tells us what they need most is acceptance.  A human rights advocate tells us Israel's closure of the only gateway from the Occupied West Bank to the outside world risks penning Palestinians in -- and is deepening fears about what might be next. The late Louise Vincent used lessons from her own life in her work as a harm reduction advocate and researcher. A friend tells us she never claimed to be in recovery, and never apologized for using. A young artist defends the dominance of a trio of brothers who are so good at painting, they just can't stop winning the annual U-S Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest -- despite a push to clip their wings.Music teachers in movies strike a chord with all of us -- but according to a new study, their miraculous methods make it harder for their real-life counterparts.As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that knows how to find out how good a music teacher is: just inquire in choir.
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Sep 23, 2025 • 56min

Will leaked audio derail a Liberal gun control program?

Canada's Public Safety Minister casts doubts on the gun buyback program he's promoting today -- so we'll ask Gary Anandasangaree whether Canadians should believe what he said on that tape, or what he's saying now. A reporter says Haitian civilians are at risk not just from ongoing gang violence -- but from explosive drones deployed by the government that have already killed dozens of civilians, while trying to target gang leaders.A researcher responds to the Trump administration's claim that Tylenol use during pregnancy heightens the risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder -- telling us it's not just misleading, it's dangerous.The 11th annual Fat Bear Week kicks off at a national park in Alaska; a ranger there tells us which of the chonkers is most likely to conquer. A postcard mailed in 1953 makes it back to the guy who put it in the mailbox -- but admits he doesn't remember writing it. The third-ever Nigel Night attracts hundreds of Nigels to a British pub -- where they confront the extinction of their name, and rage, rage against the dying of the Nige.As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that warns: it's no more Mr. Nige Guy.
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Sep 22, 2025 • 56min

Palestinian statehood at the United Nations

A politician in the West Bank welcomes Canada's recognition of Palestinian statehood -- but tells us the long-awaited move on its own won't change the brutal reality on the ground. His parents were killed by Hamas on October 7th -- but one peace activist believes recognizing Palestine as a state is a path to peace the world, and his fellow Israelis, should embrace. Long awaited and long overdue. After over a decade of pressure from his family and supporters, Egyptian political prisoner Alaa Abd el-Fattah is pardoned. His aunt tells us how his family is preparing for him to come home at last.Germans have historically been subject to strict rules about where and how they bury their dead. But some states are looking to change that -- and our guest is digging the idea. The World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship has reached its triumphant conclusion; a member of the Canadian team tells us how she kept herself from falling to pieces. Some bigwigs at a European luxury car company reveal that, when they're developing a new vehicle, they ask themselves one question, presumably in a gravelly voice: "Is it Batman enough?"As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that brings you the news straight from the hoarsest mouth.
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Sep 19, 2025 • 57min

The business interests behind Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension

If you're wondering why ABC agreed to silence "Jimmy Kimmel Live", a look at some potentially lucrative pending business deals may provide an answer. It's taken decades for an Anishinaabe man's remains to make the journey from the place he died to to Long Lake 58 First Nation where he was born. An advocacy group in Alberta will keep fighting controversial laws affecting transgender youth -- though a leaked memo suggests the province is planning to use the notwithstanding clause to keep them in effect. A Toronto man completes his quest to run on every single street in the city -- even after being diagnosed with brain cancer. A doctor wins a posthumous Ig Nobel Prize for literature, after spending years analyzing the growth of his fingernails. An Ontario man explains why he decided to get himself a giant inflatable wiener-dog suit and wear it while he's out walking his regular-size, uninflated wiener dog. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio with a strong interest in the unorthodox-sund. 
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Sep 18, 2025 • 59min

Is Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension the beginning of a new era?

After Jimmy Kimmel is yanked off the air, an Obama-era chairman of the Federal Communications Commission says it's clear that his former agency -- and the White House -- have gone too far.And W. Kamau Bell tells us why he thinks it's so important that his fellow comics and late-night hosts stand up for what's right in this pivotal moment for the United States. Cutting out the middle man. Donald Trump's tariffs are bringing Canada and Mexico closer together -- as evidenced by this week's meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Claudia Sheinbaum. A longtime friend remembers the sourdough-loving, trailblazing Yukon politician Ione Christensen. A football fan didn't know his emotional responses to a game were being shown on the Jumbotron, charming the crowd -- but not his boss, who thought he was home sick.Our annual look at the winners of the Ig Nobel Awards -- where previous recipients have been recognized for their research on the shape of narcissists' eyebrows, and constipated scorpions. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that makes sure its science is always backed up. 
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Sep 17, 2025 • 60min

Trump’s return to the UK brings out protesters and police

Members of a UK protest group were shocked to be arrested for projecting a pointed short film about Donald Trump on the walls of Windsor Castle -- and even more so when police told them why. In Nova Scotia, a former swim instructor at a provincially-run youth detention centre is arrested and charged for the alleged sexual abuse of young people over nearly three decades. Ottawa's mayor says the key to solving homelessness in the capital is solving it for the young -- and he's promising to do that in the next five years. We'll remember the North Dakota newspaper columnist Marilyn Hagerty, whose generous review of an Olive Garden restaurant divided the Internet -- and made a fan of Anthony Bourdain. The local historical society in a Maryland town wants two statues removed for being distracting -- but two store owners explain why they're making an emoji-nal appeal to keep the giant peach and the giant eggplant where they are. If you want to know what's contaminating hot springs all over Yellowstone National Park, hold on to your hat: it's hats visitors didn't hang on to. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that blows the lid off people having their lids blown off.
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Sep 16, 2025 • 51min

Directing Robert Redford in one of his last great roles

J.C. Chandor describes how he convinced the late actor to star in All Is Lost — a movie with a small budget and no dialogue, about a lone sailor struggling to survive a storm at sea. An aid worker tells us some people are fleeing Gaza City without shoes on their feet -- because it's better than risking death in Israel's ground invasion. A longtime advocate for a stronger sanctions law tells us why Canada's legislation is falling short -- and why a new bill named for his friend Sergei Magnitsky may be the solution. We'll remember Inuk Elder Jean Crane -- who opened her own home to women fleeing abuse, before helping create an emergency shelter in Labrador. An international golf tournament will be held in New York -- so in preparation for American fans, Team Europe is practicing playing with loud insults blasting through their headphones.A new study suggests cats eat grass for good reason. And our guest was so devoted to her research that she saved her own cats' hairballs in Tupperware. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that recognizes a get-retch-quick scheme.
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Sep 15, 2025 • 49min

Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre square off in Parliament

With the return of Parliament, we found out how the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition handle each other -- and now we'll ask the House Leader how the government plans to handle Canadians' money. The exchanges between MPs today revolved around familiar themes on familiar issues; the CBC's Catherine Cullen tells us what's different this time around. Get this party re-started. The NDP returned to the House of Commons with a mere seven seats; we'll hear how that baker's half-dozen plans to avoid getting sidelined. Trump administration cuts shut down a consortium of doctors who specialize in childhood brain tumours -- which, in turn, means young cancer patients will be shut out of clinical trials in Canada. It's a marathon, not a sprint. But then it's a sprint. At the World Athletics Championships, the men's marathon ends with a top-speed race to the photo-finish -- a staggering achievement when most of us would have been staggering. An annual competition in San Francisco puts the "wha" in "guacamole" -- as contestants come through with some of the weirdest recipes imaginable when the chips are down.As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that knows all guacamole champs have the same motto: "Mashin' accomplished".

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