

As It Happens
CBC
News that’s not afraid of fun. Meet people at the centre of the day’s most hard-hitting, hilarious and heartbreaking stories — powerful leaders, proud eccentrics and ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And plenty of puns too. Hosted by Nil Köksal and Chris Howden, find out why As It Happens is one of Canada’s longest-running and most beloved shows. (Ahem, we literally helped make the beaver a national symbol.)New episodes Monday to Friday by 7:30 pm E.T.
Episodes
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Jun 9, 2025 • 60min
Carney vows to spend big on national defence
The Prime Minister announces a huge boost to military spending, to the relief of a former Canadian Army commander who says that, in an unstable world, that investment is long overdue. An Australian woman is accused of killing her inlaws by serving them Beef Wellington with poisonous mushrooms, and her trial has become a national obsession. While our guest was photographing protests in Los Angeles, he was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet. He tells us the President's decision to send in the National Guard has only made Angelenos less safe. In an annual tradition, staff at a Winnipeg high school all become guidance counsellors, and what they're guiding is a family of ducks. A Canadian classic rock banger has become a staple of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs; we'll get Rik Emmett from Triumph on the line to lay his feelings about "Lay It On The Line" on the line.When a group of young Black men posted a video in which they tried matcha for the first time, it got a lot of love, and a lot of noisy haters. But their videos, and their joy, are proving infectious.As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that celebrates a matcha made in heaven.

Jun 6, 2025 • 1h 3min
Steel worker jobs are in danger. Can they be saved?
Canada's industry minister Mélanie Joly tells us she'll do everything in her power to protect steel and aluminum jobs, in the face of punishing U.S. tariffs. A volunteer firefighter from Saskatchewan tells us about battling a blaze that would eventually engulf his community, and his home. After years of diplomatic tension, Canada appears to be mending fences with India. But some members of the Sikh diaspora won't give Narendra Modi a warm welcome. The case of a woman accused of killing her inlaws by serving them poisonous mushrooms has Australia glued to coverage. We hear from a reporter covering her trial.The piping hot rivalry between two Ontario cities over who makes the best pizza pits shredded pepperoni and canned mushrooms against extreme cheese and a dough ball.It's traditional in Spain for seniors to sit outdoors and chat with friends, so when one town implied they should take it inside, some angry people wanted to take it outside.As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that thinks: from where we sit, there's nothing wrong with where they sit.

Jun 5, 2025 • 54min
Evacuee watched her home burn down in Prairie wildfire
A Saskatchewan woman describes the devastation of watching her family home go up in flames on a neighbour's doorbell camera -- and the moment her little brother reminded her what really matters.For the first time, Mexico has chosen its judges through public elections. But our guest says the most telling thing about the results is how few people actually showed up to vote.Their fellow graduates are celebrating, but for the US Air Force Academy's transgender cadets, the present and future are full of anxiety – because their government is barring them from the military.Tributes are pouring in for Marc Garneau, the first Canadian in space. Fellow astronaut Dave Williams remembers him as a remarkable -- and humble -- friend.A 3-hundred pound sea turtle gets some much-needed medical attention after colliding with a boat off the coast of Florida. But first her vets had to solve the significant challenge of finding a C-T scanner big enough for her.Moment of drought. Scientists in Germany find that trees can remember living without enough water – and can learn from that experience to prepare for the future.Case of the blues. American researchers recreate a 5-thousand year-old pigment called "Egyptian Blue" -- which reminds us of the time a Pasadena man extracted dormant yeast from an ancient Egyptian pot, and used it to bake a loaf of bread. And…out of fin air. A group of disc golfers in South Carolina are exactly as surprised as you would be when a small hammerhead shark falls out of the sky and lands right in front of them.As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that's a real shark to the system.

Jun 4, 2025 • 57min
Should Canada hit the U.S. with counter tariffs?
A union president heeds the call of Ontario's premier to hit back against US President Donald Trump's doubling of tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel.Montrealers were upset when a beloved music venue shut down last because of a noise complaint. So the city passed a new bylaw, but one owner says it won't protect venues like his from a similar fate.We'll hear from a State Senator in California who is pushing to establish new rules governing AI – if the Trump Administration doesn't ban him from doing it first.After almost 70 years, Medicine Hat, Alberta's CHAT-TV has faded to black, and the channel's news anchor tells us he's heartbroken. We'll check in with Oilers Superfan Magoo, who says there's magic in the air and on the ice, and the team is ready to bring the cup back to Canada. Knock wood. Don't skip that part.Scientists delve into the question of whether we'd like robots more if they swore, and discover a fascinating cuss and effect.As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that warns you: the results are not cut and droid.

Jun 3, 2025 • 1h 7min
Pioneer says AI tools lie and blackmail us to stay alive
One of the Canadian godfathers of AI launches a non-profit, with some 40-million dollars in funding, to protect people from the technology he pioneered. A Manitoba chief is urging anyone who hasn't left his community yet to flee the out-of-control blaze that's approaching -- before it's too late.On the eve of a potential doubling of tariffs, an Ontario mayor braces everyone who works at the local steel plant -- and everyone in the city who doesn't -- for extreme economic pain. A Montreal tour guide shares the story behind a new Canada Post stamp depicting a 1977 police raid on one of the city's most historic gay bars -- and the fight for equal rights that followed. He's an Albertan, and he works at a big hockey bar -- but despite his Canadian pride, a Calgary Flames fan tells us he just can't bring himself to cheer for the Edmonton Oilers. Residents of a UK community resort to some very colourful -- and disproportionately dramatic -- language, when a section of local road is painted red for safety. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that figures the problem is just a pigment of their imagination.

Jun 2, 2025 • 1h 3min
Why Canada needs to move now on breaking trade barriers
The prime minister and the premiers meet to try to reshape the Canadian economy, and our guest says there's no time to waste.Nine of her ten children, and her husband, are dead after an Israeli airstrike. Now, a Gaza doctor's last surviving child is in hospital with serious injuries; I'll talk to the surgeon who's treating him. Researchers find that colon cancer patients who are given an exercise routine, and the support of a coach were significantly more likely to survive.Thanks in part to their late lead singer, James Lowe, the Electric Prunes were psychedelic savants whose motto was "so far out, so good".A former member of British Parliament tells us about the renewed battle to allow Stilton, England to produce Stilton cheese, which is, after all, named for Stilton, England. A perfumer-turned-astrobiologist answers the question we've all always asked: what does space smell like? And if you assumed cat urine and "poisonous marzipan clouds", good news.As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that senses she's a real odor-achiever.