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As It Happens
Weekdays at 7 p.m.

Listening to "As It Happens" is like taking a trip around the world five nights a week. For more than 35 years, using the simplest of tools - the telephone - this current affairs program has explored the heart of a story, whether it's happening in the streets of Belgrade, the dockyards of Vancouver, the boardrooms of Bay Street, or the kitchens of Paris.

"As It Happens" gets its stories from "the horse's mouth" - securing interviews with world leaders, rabble-rousers, bingo callers and deposed dictators. The show has a soft spot for "characters" and never turns its nose up at something wild, weird or wacky. And, on the complex and troubling stories of the day, "As It Happens" searches for a greater understanding of the story behind the story.

For more information about this program, visit the As It Happens website.

  • Can Canada’s “major projects” exist alongside climate goals?
    The federal government has made it clear it wants to make Canada a natural-resources superpower -- and who better to explain how they plan to do that -- than Canada's Minister of Natural Resources.Dr. Demetre Daskalakis just quit his job as the CDC's vaccine chief -- but he says his work fighting misinformation in the US is only getting started. 20 years ago, a Mississippi woman lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Two weeks ago she met a stranger who found a small piece of her former life -- and it was a life-changing moment for both of them. After thousands of performances, Broadway legend Tshidi Manye is leaving the role of Rafiki -- the mandrill in question -- in "The Lion King". She tells us how she felt the love every night. After nearly 40 years, the Family Channel is going dark -- breaking the hearts of the Canadian former kids who grew up watching it. Ashley Leggat -- who played Casey on "Life with Derek" -- tells us what life without the channel means. Here comes Peter Quantum-tail. To defeat an invasive army of pythons, Florida has deployed a high-tech squad of solar-powered robot rabbits -- which look and smell like the real thing.As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that's worried they're breeding like robots.
  • Using the “two walls rule” to survive a strike on Kyiv
    Overnight, Russian missiles battered the city -- and all our guest could do was cower in a hallway and hope that none of them would hit her apartment building.The director of the American Public Health Association tells us chaos at the Centres for Disease Control spells trouble for health professionals – and for the well-being of everyone in the country.The late Joe Hickerson was a folk singer/songwriter but his greatest contributions to the genre happened behind the signs, in the archives of the Library of Congress.The back-to-school season will look different for some students in Manitoba – as wildfire evacuees prepare to start the year in classrooms far from home. Felix Perry was on everyone's nice list -- for bringing a big beard and a bigger heart to his role as a mall Santa to kids in Nova Scotia. A Winnipeg hill built on a garbage dump has become a beloved local landmark -- and thanks to a newly-repaired sign, it’s been forever immortalized as “Garbage Hill.”As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that welcomes a little trash talk.
  • Can a meeting in Washington plan for post-war Gaza?
    While the Israeli military prepares to conquer famine-stricken Gaza City, Donald Trump and friends prepare for a post-war Gaza. But a former Middle East negotiator tells us he has no confidence their plans will come to fruition. A survivor of the 2016 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida says the state's move to erase rainbow crosswalks really highlights the governor's true colours.After dramatic cuts to their funding, the future of public radio in the U.S. is precarious -- and in some communities, the loss of a station would be devastating. Canadian small business owners face the end of duty-free shipping to the U.S. -- which means they're facing some tough decisions. The port authority in London is finally tackling what might be its most daunting, disgusting task yet: removing a giant agglomeration of stuff that wound up in the River Thames after people flushed it -- known as "wet wipe island."As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that hates to end things on a sewer note.
  • The U.S. relationship is in question. Is Germany the answer?
    Prime Minister Mark Carney wraps up his visit to Berlin and a former German politician tells us that, now more than ever, it's crucial for Canada and Germany to be bosom diplomatic buddies. Tens of thousands of anguished fans sign a petition to save the uniquely Québecois version of "The Simpsons". The actor who voices the lead character says this hits close to Homer.As wildfire threats grow across Canada, so do calls for a new national agency and aerial firefighting service. We hear from an NDP MP who's pushing for both.A longtime friend remembers Ron Turcotte, the Canadian jockey who expertly rode to fame on one of the greatest horses in racing history: Secretariat.You can’t spell “pool” without the first three letters. But no one wants that stuff in an actual pool -- which is why a Finnish city is so troubled by the emergence of a serial pool pooper.Tired of fish being viewed as lesser vertebrates, a scientist explores their hidden emotional depths -- and finds they don't only feel fear or stress, but pleasure, as well.As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that knows gills just want to have fun.
  • A deadly day in Gaza, including for those covering the war
    Several journalists are among the dead after Israeli air strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis; that means nearly 200 media workers have now been killed since the war in Gaza began. A Canadian-Ukrainian dual citizen living in Kyiv shares his reaction after Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a surprise trip to Ukraine. DC students went back to school today, as armed National Guard troops patrol the city. One parent tells us what she's doing to keep her kids safe in the newly militarized environment.A California Democratic state senator tells us why her party is responding to Republican re-districting tactics first by decrying them -- and then by matching them. It's been a year since the satirical publication The Onion returned to print -- and it's been a lot easier, and a lot more successful, than anyone imagined. A South Korean fraudster might still be ripping people off, if he hadn't attracted police attention by throwing a cigarette butt away in the wrong place.As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that warns: you can bust your butt, only for your butt to get you busted.
  • Want in-depth Canadian politics? Try ‘The House’
    If you’re looking for a deep dive on what’s happening in Canadian politics, As It Happens is recommending The House. Catherine Cullen and CBC’s best political journalists cut through the noise and make politics make sense.In this episode:Pierre Poilievre is returning to the House of Commons after winning an Alberta byelection this week — and he’s already laid out his priorities for the fall, including tackling crime, increasing affordability and making Canada self-reliant. But despite these goals, the Conservative Party of Canada has lost the last four federal elections — and some party insiders worry it may be difficult to ever win again. Political reporter Kate McKenna covers the Conservative Party for CBC News, and in this special episode of The House, she hears from party insiders who offer their frank analysis of how to move forward if they want to return to government.Featuring the voices of:· Melissa Lantsman, deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada · Jason Kenney, former Alberta premier and former Conservative cabinet minister· Sean Speer, editor-at-large for The Hub and former adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper· Ben Woodfinden, former director of communications for Pierre Poilievre· Rob Batherson, former president of the Conservative Party of Canada· Dimitri Soudas, former director of communications to Prime Minister Stephen Harper · Daniel Allain, former New Brunswick Progressive Conservative MLA· Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute· Rob Russo, Canada correspondent for The Economist· Shannon Proudfoot, feature writer for the Globe and MailListen to episodes of The House wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.mgln.ai/j94G1k
  • A new move raises questions about Trump, trade and tariffs
    Prime Minister Mark Carney drops a lot of Canada's counter-tariffs on American products -- leading to questions about what direction, exactly, his elbows are pointing. A Toronto psychologist has developed an app he says can help people experiencing hallucinations determine whether what they're hearing is real, or imaginary.Remembering activist Richard Lee, who died last month after a life spent taking huge risks to make a point most people now take for granted: that cannabis should be legal. A rapper in Philadelphia looked in the mirror, saw a receding hairline and reacted in the usual way: he organized what he hopes will be an annual Bald Fest at a local skate park. A retired British physician dove into dinosaur fossil research for fun -- and ended up discovering a whole new species that had a giant sail coming out of its back. And...on the lookout -- or lack thereof. Former passengers sue United and Delta airlines for boldly stretching the definition of "window seat" to mean "a seat without a window". As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that guesses their travel experience was relatively pane-less.
  • Gazans get ready for a new Israeli offensive
    We reach a reporter in one of the refugee camps that's preparing to receive thousands of people who no longer have anywhere else to go. An advisor to embattled New York City mayor Eric Adams pressed an open bag of sour cream and onion chips on a reporter -- who tells us that, inside that bag, she was stunned to find something a lot spicier than she expected.Entire continents are in bad shape. But the African Union wants to change that -- by replacing the distorted Mercator projection maps with ones that provide a better perspective on our planet. A bus crash kills dozens of Afghan nationals who were expelled from Iran -- just a few of the thousands forced to face an uncertain future in a country they may not recognize. When a hike in B.C.'s beautiful Bugaboo Provincial Park goes sideways, our guest ends up on a helicopter, plucking some sixty cornered climbers out of harm's way. A psychiatrist describes the independent-minded people he has named "otroverts" -- a group that simply refuses to belong to a group. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that's heard -- but not part of the herd.
  • The slice of land that may be key to Russia/Ukraine talks
    As part of a peace deal, Vladimir Putin wants the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. But that would mean ceding a key line of defence -- and making Ukraine vulnerable to another Russian invasion. A Canadian Labour Congress leader says it's time to throw out the labour-code rule that the Liberals have leaned on to end strikes -- at the expense of workers' rights. Canadian soldiers are allegedly caught on video at a party giving Nazi salutes -- which suggests the military still has an extremely concerning problem with extremism. Archaeologists unearth new artifacts at the homestead of John Ware -- a formerly enslaved man who became Canada's most famous cowboy.Chocolate scientists continue their life-changing work, uncovering what gives the confection its flavour -- and unlocking the stunning possibility of chocolate that could taste even better. A history-making discovery in oral hygiene could see a new product on shelves in just a few years: toothpaste made out of hair.As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that hopes they've performed a thorough tress rehearsal.
  • How a climber survived two days trapped in the “toilet bowl”
    We'll hear about the dramatic rescue of a climber who was rappelling in a California canyon, but wound up trapped behind a powerful waterfall. A Newfoundland man is waiting for a call, to find out if his family home has been destroyed by wildfire -- and supporting his neighbours, who've already received bad news. She's back home after fleeing to delay a Republican redistricting move -- but now a Texas Democrat is living under police surveillance, and has been compelled to promise not to leave the state. MSNBC is becoming MS NOW, but the team responsible for the re-brand is getting reprimanded -- because they didn't dot their i's, cross their t's, or reserve their URLs.Putting the "diver" in "biodiversity". Australia holds a vote to determine the country's most underrated animal -- and the tale of the swimming rodent that won is a real underdog story. Well, under-rat story.And...mobile apse. A historic church in Sweden is being relocated -- very very slowly -- from its original location to a new home. A local official tells us the journey is challenging -- both technically and emotionally.
  • We reach the ex-MP who gave up his seat for Pierre Poilievre
    Damien Kurek won big in April, but stepped aside to clear the way for his party leader, who didn't. Now, as residents of Battle River-Crowfoot vote again, he tells us how it looks for Pierre Poilievre from where he's no longer sitting. An eight-year-old Toronto boy was at home in bed when he was killed by a stray bullet. A family friend tells us it's a wake-up call about gun violence in the city. Zelenskyy was met with a warmer reception on his return trip to the White House today. The head of the Ukrainian Canadian Council weighs in on whether peace seems any closer.We'll talk to one of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who took to the streets yesterday to call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the war in Gaza, and bring Israeli hostages home. The late stuntman Ronnie Rondell didn't just make a paycheck when he posed for the cover of a Pink Floyd album engulfed in flames -- he made rock history.A hiker who's fed up with a proliferation of stone stacks known as "cairns" in Britain's national parks takes matters in his own feet -- kicking over as many as he can. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio without a cairn in the world.
  • By sitting down with Trump, has Putin already won?
    We reach former Canadian Ambassador to Russia Jeremy Kinsman for a breakdown of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s meeting.Tariffs are keeping Bick's pickles off the shelves of some Canadian retailers … and the company's CEO says that's putting him in a real pickle. A negotiator from Palau tells us what the collapse of plastics treaty talks in Geneva mean for vulnerable Pacific island nations like hers.A would-be-bride explains what inspired her to go prospecting for her own engagement ring diamond. And why the whole experience really rocked.School is back in LA. And on top of making sure students stay on top of their classwork, a high school teacher is also trying to ease their fears about ICE raids.The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games kick off in Beijing, showcasing the athletic prowess of robots. And their limitations too -- after one runner's head -- falls off, mid-race. As It Happens, the Friday edition, radio that declares the results of the race null and droid