As It Happens

People in British Columbia's Fraser Valley could only watch as torrential rain triggered widespread flooding…again. A campground owner tells us parts of her property were swept away without warning. The United States jacks up tensions with Venezuela by seizing an oil tanker — a tactic our guest says is meant to catalyze regime change, an outcome he endorses. UNESCO formally recognizes the Haitian music and dance genre konpa, to the delight of Sony Laventure who teaches the art form. Paleontologists conclude that they've discovered a one-time "dinosaur freeway" in a Bolivian national park. And Raúl Esperante helped count its many thousands of footprints. Canada designates the extremist network 764 as a terrorist entity. The executive director of the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism tells us if that move will actually prevent the group from targeting kids online. For a long time, scientists believed dolphins and orcas were enemies when it came to preying on salmon. But new footage suggests they’re actually working together. The U.S. Secretary of State demands that American diplomats switch to Times New Roman, and abandon the Calibri font, but the man who designed that font insists it's the strong, silent typeface. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that wants you to know there's a new serif in town.

A Royal Canadian Navy sailor is rescued after going missing -- in the Pacific Ocean; we'll talk to a commander on a ship that got the mayday call. The Alberta government has used the notwithstanding clause yet again, this time to push through laws that will affect young transgender people. A trans advocate tells us it's too much -- and they've gone too far. A Liberal MP says he has concerns about an Alberta-built pipeline -- but Conservative attempts to get MPs like him to break from the federal government aren't going to fly. Australia enacts the world's first social media ban for children under the age of sixteen; one woman tells us that for her son, who has a disability, it's like losing a lifeline. We'll remember Sophie Kinsella, whose "Confessions of a Shopaholic" novels earned her legions of fans. Her editor tells us the author was as special as her books. After we heard about a rank ginkgo tree in a Nova Scotia historic garden, we heard from you about your own gingko struggles -- and how you odour-came them. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that turns over an "ew" leaf.

A Virginia farmer tells us what he thinks of Washington's 12 billion dollar aid package -- and whether it can actually help save farms collapsing under the weight of the U.S. President's tariffs.Maryland's top public defender tells us the heating at a youth jail in Baltimore has been broken for weeks in winter temperatures -- says the state should not be freezing those young people out.Dozens of students have been rescued after last month's mass kidnapping in Nigeria, but many are still being held captive -- and fears of a similar fate mean many more children across the country are being forced to abandon school altogether. An activist says a giant yellow cedar that was recently cut down in B.C. should have been protected under the law -- and its disappearance exposes gaps in the province's promise to safeguard its forests. For decades, a ginkgo tree on the grounds of Nova Scotia's Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens has been feted, as in celebrated -- but this year it's being fetid as in: it reeks. A world record number of golden retrievers gather in a park in Argentina -- but they were so incredibly chill it seemed like barking was arf-limits. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that knows silence is goldens. 

Last week, it seemed Netflix had made a deal to take over Warner Bros. -- but now, Paramount Skydance has swooped in with a surprise hostile takeover bid.New numbers show that already high rates of over-crowding in Ontario jails are getting worse. And our guest warns that promised bail and sentencing reforms will just exacerbate the problem.His app lets anonymous users report sightings of U.S. ICE agents; now, he's suing Trump officials, alleging the administration pressured Apple to bury it. A U.S. public health researcher believes cervical cancer can be eliminated in her lifetime -- and says an expansion of at-home HPV tests could help achieve that goal. A B.C. couple is working around the clock to reunite a lost house cat that disappeared six months ago with its worried owner, all the way in Oklahoma --before Christmas.An English landscape photographer went to the beach to capture images of some washed-up shipping containers -- and discovered the cargo was lots and lots of unripened bananas. As It Happens, the Monday edition. Radio that rolls with the bunches.

As It Happens host Nil Köksal speaks with Yoruba Richen about her new documentary about the life of Joan Little, an unlikely civil rights figure who became the first woman in U.S. history to be acquitted of murder on the basis that she was defending herself from sexual assault.

The Netflix-Warner Brothers merger is a multi-billion dollar blockbuster -- a business journalist tells us what the deal might mean for where -- and what kind of blockbusters -- you'll be watching from here on out.The chair of the expert panel advising the government on reaching net-zero goals says he had no choice but to resign -- because he doesn't feel like anyone in power was listening. A student editor was floored by the University of Alabama's decision to pulled the plug on publications focused on women and Black campus life, citing new federal limits on DEI initiatives.For the first time in generations, Siletz tribal members in Oregon got the opportunity to salvage a whale; our guest tells us about an emotional day on the beach.We remember Frank Gehry -- the Canadian-born architect whose daring and imaginative style re-defined what a building could be. After almost 15 years of planning, Detroit finally gets its two-and-a-half ton, 11-foot-tall sculpture of science fiction icon "Robocop". As It Happens, the Friday edition. Radio that follows a statue of no limitations. 

Donald Trump says he could let the Canada-US-Mexico trade deal expire -- but our guest, the president of the Business Council of Canada, argues the agreement is crucial to American and Canadian prosperity. A new trove of thousands of photos shows the horrors of detention under the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. British Columbia makes a move to seize three properties from the group it says is using them for crime -- that group being the Hell's Angels. Even if you don't know his name, you know his songs -- a fellow Stax Records musician tells us about the legendary guitarist and songwriter Steve Cropper. An Arizona lineman confronts a bear that has climbed a power pole and cannot, or will not, get down -- and discovers the most effective way to convince it is by prodding it with a stick. If you've ever been told you sound like a "dying walrus" when you thought you were outdoing Celine, Sharon Marnell wants you in her musical group. It's called the Tuneless Choir. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that believes everyone deserves some tenor loving care. 

A Somali-American says his community is living in fear, after a series of ugly comments by U.S. President Donald Trump -- language he says need to be called out as racism, pure and simple.The ICC's first chief prosecutor says American strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats are definitely illegal -- and possibly a war crime. One family's hopes of bringing their adopted daughter from Kenya to Canada to celebrate Christmas with her grandparents are fading -- after two failed attempts to secure a travel visa for her. Pioneering sociologist Kai Erikson spent his life studying and validating the effects of collective trauma -- work, his friend tells us, that drew on his own compassion.We'll talk to the winner of this year's un-prestigious Turnip Prize, which honours the worst and laziest artist in Britain -- if he can be bothered to pick up the phone. Police get multiple complaints about a Brantford, Ontario resident who put up signs denying the existence of Santa Claus during the town's Santa Claus parade -- proving you give some people a grinch, and they'll take a mile. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that guesses he's some kind of rebel without a Claus. 

Before the Prime Minister even arrived at a Special Chiefs Meeting today, the Assembly of First Nations had already voted to oppose Ottawa's pipeline agreement with Alberta. After getting hundreds of thousands of signatures, Alberta's 'Forever Canadian' petition will be submitted to the provincial legislature. The man who started it says he hopes it will put any question of separation to rest.The U.S. delegation presented Vladimir Putin with an amended peace plan today; a journalist tells us that a workable deal with Russia is still a long way off -- but we could be seeing the beginning of the end of the war.Christmas will be pretty bleak this year in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario -- where hundreds of steelworkers are facing unemployment, in large part because of Donald Trump's trade war.  Biologists have come up with a new way to do health check-ups on North Atlantic right whales by collecting the spray from their blowholes.An outdoor rink in Italy is built around a bronze of Luciano Pavarotti, so he appears to be knee-deep in ice -- and that's getting a chilly reception from the legendary opera singer's widow.As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that guesses someone's got cold feet.

The man accused of killing a member of the National Guard served in a CIA-backed paramilitary group in Afghanistan called the "Zero Units"; we'll find out what that is, and what those who served with him are saying about the attack.A Toronto man says he doesn't know if anything from his childhood home was saved from the catastrophic fire in Hong Kong -- but he's grateful to know for sure that his parents and his sister all survived. On World AIDS Day, a doctor tells us about new HIV-prevention guidelines -- and why he believes his fellow physicians need to stop being so judgmental about who gets the pre-exposure drug protocol, PrEP.An Alberta man recalls the day he can't forget 65 years ago -- when he was on a school bus that was hit by a train, killing 17 of his classmates. For the first time in club history, the Vancouver Whitecaps are headed to an MLS Cup final. Two fans tell us they're not afraid of Inter Miami -- or its star player, Lionel Messi.Time Magazine quotes a truly shocking statement from the US ambassador to Canada from a very reliable source -- by which I mean a reliably funny, entirely satirical Canadian website. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that suggests you to be careful what you swallow -- could be a joking hazard. 

After Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland, Denmark's Foreign Affairs Ministry establishes a new "night watch" of bureaucrats -- who keep an eye on the U.S. President after hours. A B.C. Indigenous leader says he's not interested in sitting down with a minister from Alberta's government -- because he is never going to support a bitumen pipeline. There are furious calls for accountability after a video the UN is calling an "apparent summary execution" by Israeli border police is broadcast. A human rights advocate tells us that accountability won't happen. After months of pressure, Nova Scotia releases a draft report from a special panel on environmental racism. Our guest tells us it's about time the province answers the call for a formal apology.Archeologists say they now have hard evidence that a ring of large pits discovered near Stonehenge were made by humans some 4,000 years ago -- but why is still a mystery. A South Korean man was charged with theft after taking about a dollar's worth of treats from the office refrigerator -- and after his employer takes him to court, he finds himself snack-dab in the middle of a major case. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that shares an embarrassment of fridges. 

Alberta and Ottawa gleefully shake hands on an agreement that promises to fast-track a pipeline project. We'll ask Calgary's only Liberal MP if this newly chummy relationship between Mark Carney and Danielle Smith can last, and what dissent from other province, First Nations and now his own party says about the project’s future. The Quebec government expands its push for secularism -- and a Muslim student in Montreal tells us a new bill that would ban prayer rooms on campus would be devastating for her and her peers.The shooting of two National Guard Members shakes people across the U.S. – including resettled Afghans who fear the suspect’s background makes them a target for the Trump administration.Italy passes new legislation making femicide a criminal offense distinct from murder – but an advocate tells us it just distracts from efforts that would do far more to protect women. Thanks to the thrilling discovery of a single, ancient tooth, a researcher at McGill University is shedding new light on the habitat and lifestyle of the woolly mammoth.A Calgary artist tells us how he turned his fascination with armour into a decades-long career of making tiny suits of armour for mice. We'll also see if he can tell us why.As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that presents a Knight's Tail. 

The White House went into lockdown this afternoon after two members of the National Guard were shot in Washington; we'll get the latest from the U.S. capital.A reporter in describes the catastrophic scene in Hong Kong, after a fire rips through high-rise apartment towers, killing at least 40s -- including a firefighter.A huge donation to a Toronto hospital will finance new research that could change the way we screen for cancer; we'll talk to a scientist who hopes that one day, doctors will be able to diagnose early-stage cancer with one simple blood test. The UK's fiscal watchdog accidentally scoops the government by releasing the budget an hour early -- causing chaos on trading floors and catcalls in parliament. A dispute over tennis courts in Palm Beach, Florida, morphed into a tale of hate mail, stolen DNA -- and now, 15 years later, a civil suit decision worth 50 million dollars US.A group of British students are asking for the public's help to find a lost toy bear after he took a tumble from a great height -- specifically, the stratosphere. Where they sent him on a balloon.As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that figures sending stuffed toys to space has its plushes and minuses. 

Anishnaabe columnist Niigaan Sinclair says the news that renowned author Thomas King is not Indigenous is a painful breach of a trust -- and demands that Canada ask itself some serious questions.After violating anti-doping rules, swimmer Penny Oleksiak -- Canada's most decorated female Olympian -- is banned from competition for two years.The fire that destroyed a historic Toronto church is being investigated as arson; the priest-in-charge tells us that news is yet another blow for her congregation.A new study reveals that the human brain goes through five distinct phases -- and the adolescence phase might be longer than you think. We'll say goodbye to a beloved Galapagos tortoise named "Gramma" -- and revisit our conversation about a tortoise named "Mommy" who became a mother for the first time at the approximate age of one hundred.The late, legendary toy inventor Burt Meyer made success look like child's play -- by creating such all-time diversions as "Lite Brite", "Mouse Trap", and the slugfest "Rock Em Sock Em Robots".As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that's glad he didn't pull any punchers.

A US federal judge dismisses the criminal cases against former FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general Letitia James. But a former US Attorney tells us this may not be their last day in court. The editor of a Toronto magazine tells us he was ready to take a chance on an ambitious young writer -- but the more he dug in to her work, the more it seemed like she'd had help from AI. The late Jimmy Cliff helped bring reggae to the world; Roger Lewis of the group Inner Circle reflects on the incredible cultural impact his friend had. An American magazine giant is facing tough questions after firing four employees who tried to ask management some tough questions of their own.If you worry about food that scorches your mouth, you'll benefit from a new synthetic tongue that can determine the exact spiciness level beforehand.Disappearing into thin hair. Conchologists and citizen scientists have joined forces in London, England to track down -- and save -- the endangered German hairy snail. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that's always in hot hirsute.

After months of mutual criticism, New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and U.S. President Trump have a surprisingly warm meeting. Bill de Blasio tells us he knows why Mr. Trump was impressed by the man he once called a "Communist lunatic."A survivor of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein explains why she took on Donald Trump and Congress to secure a promise that files on the serial predator would finally be released. Given the serious concessions it demands from Ukraine, that country's foreign-affairs chair says it's hard to believe the American-led peace plan is meant to be serious. After a horrifying grizzly bear attack in B.C., a woman from Bella Coola Valley tells us about her own grizzly encounter -- which convinced her a tragedy like this was only a matter of time. A legendary collection containing some of the rarest vinyl records in the world is now accessible to all online. We'll hear about it ... and hear some of it.Psychologists find people become more altruistic when a growly costumed vigilante shows up -- a phenomenon they call "the Batman effect".As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that knows some science is beyond our cape abilities.

Ukrainian officials are pushing back on a purported peace plan that would require major concessions to Russia. A former American ambassador to Ukraine tells us Kyiv won't accept any deal that looks like surrender. A paramedic in Saskatoon tells us a toxic drug supply caused more than a hundred overdoses in just seven days -- and that crisis has also taken a toll on first responders. An Indigenous woman whose mother lost her status for marrying a non-Indigenous man celebrates a change meant to ensure that status passes through generations -- regardless of who you marry. An Oxford University biologist traces the history of the kiss -- and finds that the ancestors of humans and other large apes were locking lips at least 16 million years ago. When an NBA rookie's parents suggested he invite some friends over for dinner, they weren't expecting the whole Charlotte Hornets roster to turn up.We hate a mosquito's proboscis when it's sucking our blood -- but we love a mosquito's proboscis when scientists take it off the mosquito, and use it as a nozzle in a 3D printer. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that presents a good nose/bad nose scenario. 

Despite investor jitters, there are strong projections in chip-maker Nvidia's earnings report; a market reporter tells us what this means for the AI boom-or-bubble debate.Prime Minister Carney is off to the U.A.E., and Canada's former ambassador to that country says it's about time and says there is a lot to gain from a strengthened relationship. The Ontario government says impaired drivers who kill a parent should have to pay child support. Our guest says that would have helped his family, after a drunk driver killed his son. A longtime campaigner against price gouging supports the UK government's plan to make it illegal for ticket resellers to extort people -- provided it actually becomes law. An animal sanctuary staffer in Utah says it's not every day you get the call to help an owl that got caught in a cement mixer -- and knowing how to help was the hardened-est part.A major Hollywood agency signs a huge new client. Well, a huge new aged client: Parmigiano Reggiano -- the classic, 1000-year-old Italian cheese.As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that's got you in the parm of our hand.

In Nigeria -- two dozen girls are missing after armed men attacked their school. Bukky Shonibare helped draft the rules that are supposed to protect the country's youngest citizens.  A nonprofit director in Charlotte, North Carolina, tells us what an onslaught of federal agents is doing to his city, as the Trump administration's immigration crackdown continues.After that tense vote on the federal budget, interim NDP Leader Don Davies tells us this contentious Parliament needs to focus on helping Canadians, and not on party politics. The excavation of a 1200-year-old clay sculpture of a goose attempting to mate with a woman suggests Paleolithic hunter-gatherers had a more complex belief system than we knew.A wolf in British Columbia is caught on camera reeling in crab traps in order to eat the bait -- and scientists say that could be the first evidence of wolves using tools.Science says that, unlike their rural cousins, urban raccoons are adapting to become less wild and more chill -- because they've developed a taste for our garbage.As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that guesses the raccoons has become the pest of all possible worlds.

We'll take a close look at the political manoeuvering behind Prime Minister Mark Carney's first budget as he tries to make sure it passes.After an explosion on the railway line from Poland to Ukraine, a Polish Senator says she believes it's part of a larger effort to sow confusion and terror -- and she's got a suspect in mind.One of Donald Trump's most aggressive supporters is publicly changing course; a political reporter from Georgia tells us what she thinks is behind the political evolution of Marjorie Taylor Greene.A research scientist tells us what it's like to follow the exact routes of individual monarch butterflies as they make their journey south -- thanks to tiny electronic tags. Divers locate a rare, pristine shipwreck from the depths of Lake Ontario. One of them tells us it's the find of a lifetime. In line with the Trump administration's order to remove "political messages and artwork" from roads, Lubbock, Texas is reluctantly remove a crosswalk with giant Buddy Holly glasses on it.As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that tut-tuts: they're unmaking spectacles of themselves.