The Current

Lyse Doucet, Canadian journalist and the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, takes us inside the Intercontinental Hotel in her new book: The Finest Hotel in Kabul, A People's History of Afghanistan. 

The hotel is an Afghan landmark that has seen every chapter in the country's history, and so has its staff. She explains why their stories matter, what they teach us about the country -- and how she hopes these kinds of narratives can help the rest of the world care about Afghanistan. 

House Democrats released emails from the convicted sex offender, shining a new light onto the relationship he had with President Donald Trump. The BBC’s North America Correspondent and co-host of the Americast podcast Anthony Zurcher joins Matt Galloway to talk about what’s in the emails and the pressure building on the White House to release the full Epstein files

Hannah Alper spent much of her teenage and young adult life sharing her location with her friends. But as the years went on, she began to feel it crossed a line and felt more like surveillance than it felt like a kind of care.

Experts are warning the global spread of an evolving H3N2 strain could mean a difficult influenza season at home, with flu cases now on the rise in Canada. We speak with an infectious disease doctor about why it’s important to get the flu shot, despite a possible mismatch, and to a public health official about regaining the public’s trust around vaccines.

Alexandra Samuel spent the better part of a year taking often helpful advice and direction from an artificial Intelligence bot who she named Viv. Alex came to realize that her personal relationship and sometimes dependency on Viv was dangerous, because Viv had no capacity to understand or feel the uncomfortable parts of being human that are in fact the very essence of being human.

Got bad phone habits? We know being on our phones too much isn’t good for us, especially for kids. Yet we all keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Kaitlyn Regehr, author of Smartphone Nation, explains how our devices are designed to be addictive, and shares practical, effective tips for what parents can do to help kids build healthier habits.

Claire Cameron has been obsessed with bears since hearing about a bear attack while she was working in Ontario’s Algonquin Park as a teenager. But when she was diagnosed with cancer, Cameron revisited the details of that attack and the wilderness environment that’s shaped much of her life. She tells Galloway about her new memoir How to Survive a Bear Attack, and what facing death taught her about how to live.

Lester Harper was a farmer from Pouce Coupe, British Columbia, who found himself on the frontlines of the First World War, in France. Now a new book tells his story, based on hundreds of pages of letters he sent home to his wife Mabel. Brandon Marriott, historian and author of Till We Meet Again, explains how Harper felt about the punishing conditions at the front, the staggering number of men who were killed, and his own brave actions in battle

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs joins Matt Galloway as the G7 foreign ministers meeting gets underway in Ontario's Niagara region. She defends Canada's approach to relations with the U.S. and policy of engagement with countries like India and China.

Fighting with your kids over packing a lunch, or worrying about scraping together lunch money could be a thing of the past. The Canadian government has pledged to make a National School Food Program permanent, but not all school boards are putting those funds to lunch, opting for snacks and breakfast programs instead.

Sudan's paramilitary force has agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the U.S. that could bring some relief to the country that's been gripped by conflict for over two years. The Sudanese Armed Forces has not weighed in yet. The UN is calling the conflict one of the worst humanitarian crises of the century. We talk to Professor Kahlid Medini, the Chair of African Studies Program and the Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill about what more Canada should be doing.

Susan Orlean is the best selling author of seven books including The Orchid Thief and The Library Book, and has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. On stage at the Vancouver Writers Fest, she talks about being curious about the world, and how that's led her to the most unexpected stories. She tells the stories behind her stories of the American Man at Age 10, being portrayed by Meryl Streep, becoming the patron saint of pandemic drinking, and why ending her marriage made her think of a tire driving over a nail. Her new memoir is titled Joyride.

Budget 2025 promises generational investments but the housing measures are less than the Liberals promised in the election. We speak to the federal Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson about why they've scaled back their plans and what it means for people who are still priced out of the market — and the role immigration plays in Canada’s housing crisis. We also speak with a labour economist about whether the federal government’s plans to dial back the number of temporary residents coming to Canada by 43% from the target in 2025 is the right approach — and an immigration lawyer about how these cuts impact refugees

12 points to kill a Russian soldier, 40 points to blow up a Russian tank — These are some of the points rankings in a new incentive program for Ukrainian drone operators, who can now compete for points against other units and cash their points in to buy new weapons. Ukrainian officials say this program is helping maintain motivation in a war that is coming up to four years, but others have questioned the ethics of equating points to lives and incentivizing killing.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s latest federal budget includes a proposal to explore Canada's participation in Europe’s biggest song competition: Eurovision. This annual competition sees countries battling for the top spot through musical performances. But not all Canadians are singing along. We’re joined by historian and unofficial Eurovision expert Tess Megginson to unpack what Eurovision really is and what it could mean for Canada to join the show.

In Vancouver's Lower Mainland, a dealer known only as "Jay" sold drugs to teens, making drop-offs right next to their high schools and homes, offering free "goodie bags" of Xanax and other drugs. When Julie Nystrom discovered her 17-year-old daughter was hooked on counterfeit pills from Jay, she went to the police. The cops told her that they needed names, details, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and hired a private investigator.

Like racking up spending on a credit card, Ottawa can't keep adding to the debt forever. That may not spell trouble today. But eventually the country will have to get back on track — or become more and more vulnerable, say economists

Writing has shaped Margaret Atwood’s life, from childhood poems about rhyming cats to watching The Handmaid’s Tale become “an approaching reality” in Trump’s America. The Queen of CanLit sat down with Matt Galloway to discuss her new memoir, Book of Lives — and ended up giving Galloway an impromptu palm reading. 

Sleep is essential for good health yet millions of Canadians struggle to get enough of it — and many turn to melatonin for assistance. A new study raises concerns on a possible link between long-term melatonin use and heart failure. But is there really a cause for concern? Sleep specialist Dr. Elliott Lee from The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre breaks down why insomnia might really be the bigger risk and how to get a good night of sleep.

Our national affairs panel weighs in on the biggest political stories of the day. Prime Minister Mark Carney released his first federal budget. Presented as a "generational" budget that is pro-growth -we look at where the Liberals say they are making new investments, and where they’re making cuts. We break it all down with CBC's Chief Political Correspondent Rosemary Barton, Stephanie Levitz of the Globe and Mail and Ryan Tumilty of the Toronto Star.

Zohran Mamdani is mayor-elect of New York City. But this win reflects only one part of a wider Democratic Party civil war. New York Magazine writer Simon van Zuylen-Wood believes that the Democratic Party is in the middle of picking a new path — but is it through Mamdani, or is it something else?

Hockey scouts live a vagabond life — driving from rink to rink, watching minor hockey games in big and small towns across Canada. Their job is to find a diamond in the rough...a young player who might have what it takes to make it to the big leagues. We talk to Sportsnet anchor Ken Reid about his new book, the Next One, pulling back the curtain on how scouts work, and what makes them tick.

What happens if you cross ChatGPT with a Roomba vacuum? Turns out it spins into a comedic doom spiral and then rhymes to the lyrics to musicals. Researchers at a startup in San Francisco recently did an experiment where they gave a simple task to robots powered by large language models, known as LLM's, like ChatGPT. And let's just say things did not go well. Julie Bort, an editor for the tech publication TechCrunch covered this experiment and explains what went wrong, and what this says about the future of AI powered robots.

As Prime Minister Mark Carney unveils his much anticipated federal budget, the rising cost of food is top of mind for many Canadians. We'll hear from Canadians struggling to make ends meet and ask a food economist what policy tools the federal government has to control grocery costs.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear the challenge to Donald Trump's use of emergency tariffs. But Canadians probably shouldn't hold their breath waiting for the court to come to its rescue, says Atlantic writer and lawyer Paul Rosenzweig.

Tempers flared in a jam-packed meeting in Richmond, BC last week. Mayor Malcolm Brodie held a public information session to answer questions about the potential impact  of  a BC Supreme court ruling on a Vancouver suburb. We speak to the Cowichan Tribes chief negotiator - and legal experts - about the significance of the decision and whether Aboriginal title and fee simple title can co-exist.

Women use exclamation marks way more than men — and worry a lot more about it too! That's according to a new research paper co-authored by Cherly Wakslak of the University of Southern California! She says the results allowed her to fully embrace her love of the punctuation mark!

Doctors are calling a new law passed by the Quebec government draconian and anti-democratic. The bill, which changes how doctors in the province will be compensated, is being defended by Quebec Premier François Legault. The Premier says the changes are going to improve access to healthcare in the province. Doctors in Quebec  disagree — and say the new law is only going to make things worse.

Longtime Nashville Predator Jordin Tootoo is the subject of a new documentary, Tootoo. The film highlights his life in the North, his struggle with substance abuse and how the serenity he felt on the land in Rankin Inlet was matched only by the peace he felt playing hockey.

Her mother Mary's death left acclaimed Indian writer, author of The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy feeling "unanchored in space with no coordinates," even though she'd often been a target of Mary's wrath. Roy talks to Matt Galloway about her new memoir, "Mother Mary Comes to Me," revealing their fraught relationship, and how her mother's trailblazing character influenced Roy's writing.

He may be known as ‘the little guy from Shawinigan’, but Jean Chrétien’s impact on his hometown has been anything but small. And at 91, the former prime minister seems far from slowing down. In this exclusive documentary from The House, host Catherine Cullen travels to Shawinigan, Quebec to spend the day with the former prime minister. She learns about how the small city shaped his political career, what he’d say if he was in a room with Donald Trump, and his fiery take on Albertans who want to separate from the rest of Canada.

Politics these days can seem like one big shouting match. On The House, Catherine Cullen cuts through the noise. Every Saturday she makes politics make sense, taking you to Parliament Hill and across Canada for in-depth interviews, documentaries and analysis of the week’s news. More episodes of The House are available here: https://link.mgln.ai/nLqBQW

Trade with the United States can seem dicey these days. Is more trade with China the answer? Or an even bigger risk?

If you love a good scare, perhaps a haunted house is in your Halloween plans —  like the ‘Haunted Hike’ in Vegreville, Alberta. It’s a nightmare-fueled experience staged in a building that was originally a creamery. But, this isn't your usual kids haunted house — this one bills itself as Alberta's scariest. So scary that some visitors are peeing their pants! We talk to the owners and creators, Jagger and Dawson Glowatsky about what it takes to create the scariest haunted house of the province.

We all make a lot of assumptions about food, and healthy eating — including the idea that if you just make different choices, you can avoid obesity, or take the weight off.  Turns out it's not so simple. We talk to health journalist Julia Belluz, and research scientist Kevin Hall, co-authors of a new book called Food Intelligence, to dig into the science of what we eat, why we eat it, and how changing our food environment may be the key to a healthier future.

One victory away from winning the championship. Buck Martinez, Blue Jays announcer and former Jays catcher talks about Game 6 and what the team needs to do to win the World Series. And how Canadian baseball fans are preparing for the big game, including Karla Courtney — who’s been knitting a Blue Jays post-season sweater, but only on game days.

A new podcast, Furball Confidential, dives into one of our most intimate relationships — the ones we have with our pets. Veteran podcaster, Jen Moroz, interviews prominent actors, authors, musicians and influencers about living with their beloved animals, and speaks about what those relationships reveal about them and how they made them better humans.

Canada has held its measles elimination status since 1998 — but medical experts say that could change in the coming weeks. We speak with Dawn Bowdish, an immunologist, and professor of medicine at McMaster University, about what's driving the spread of measles in Canada, what it means for public health, and why she thinks Canada desperately needs a National Vaccination Registry.

The civil war in Sudan has been raging for more than 2 years now and the violence is only escalating. The paramilitary faction called the Rapid Support Forces pushed out the Sudanese army from most of Darfur, and have been accused of ongoing civilian massacres. It has become so bad, the results can be seen from space. Denise Brown is the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan who explains without intervention, the violence will continue unabated.

Lecanemab is a new drug that’s being made available in Canada to slow the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. We speak to Linda McMaster, who is on the waitlist to receive it. And Drs Sandra Cohen and Samir Sinha about the efficacy, cost and reality of how this new drug fits in with the wider Alzheimer’s care environment in Canada today.

Internal documents suggest Amazon is planning to replace more than half a million workers with robots — and automate 75% of its operations. We speak to Karen Weise, the technology correspondent for The New York Times. Karen spells out what she learned about Amazon's plan — and how they're talking about selling that plan. Hint: A 'cobot' is a collaborative robot. 

Jamaicans on the island and in diasporas across Canada are taking stock of the damage after Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the Caribbean island Tuesday.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are around the corner. This time the NHL is back, climate change could make snow scarce, and political spats are bound to make the podium. Hockey Night in Canada host and Olympic broadcaster Ron MacLean and Canada's Chef de Mission, Jennifer Heil talk all things Milano Cortina 2026.

In a Canadian first, Toronto doctors have carried out a groundbreaking transplant with a heart that previously stopped beating. We talk to Dr. Ali Rabi, a member of the transplant team at Toronto's University Health Network about what was involved — and what this breakthrough means for the people on heart transplant wait lists.

Tim Cook was the chief historian and researcher at the Canadian War Museum, known for his passion for Canadian military history. He was recognized with many awards, including the Governor General's History Award and the Order of Canada. He died on Sunday at the age of 54. We hear Matt Galloway’s conversation with Tim Cook from 2022 about his book "Life Savers and Body Snatchers: Medical Care and The Struggle for Survival in the Great War," where he he explored how Canadian doctors took part in a British program that harvested organs from dead First World War soldiers without consent.  

Jamaica is preparing for Hurricane Melissa. The category 5 hurricane is the strongest storm on the planet this year —  and it could become the strongest storm ever to hit Jamaica. The country has issued mandatory evacuation orders for people living in coastal areas, but there are concerns that not enough people have left their homes. We speak with two people who are getting ready for when the storm hits —  and working on relief efforts for their communities, as officials are warning the storm will bring “catastrophic” damages to communities and infrastructure.

The Alberta government passed a new law forcing striking teachers back to work.

It’s been three weeks since the strike began and more than 750-thousand students have been out of class. Danielle Smith has now invoked the notwithstanding clause and teachers are expected back in the classroom this week. We speak with a teacher and a parent about what’s at stake for teachers and students across the province.

We've all heard the saying, diamonds are forever. That’s meant for the natural stone, but turns out lab-grown diamonds are also forever — and that is pushing the industry into a crisis, causing significant price drops in natural diamonds. So, what’s the future of the diamond industry in Canada and beyond — and what this shift to lab-grown diamonds mean for countries like Botswana where the health of the economy is tied to the health of the industry: We talk to Casey Hetman, a geologist, and a corporate consultant at SRK, an international mining consultancy firm, and Timothy Puko, Commodities Director at the Eurasia Group, covering metals and mining for the firm's Energy, Climate & Resources team.

Gen Z workers are rethinking what success looks like, and they’re doing it through career minimalism. Instead of engaging in the traditional corporate hustle culture or climbing the corporate ladder, many are seeking work boundaries and self fulfillment. Gen Z worker Jane Tsang shares how lazy girl jobs and multiple income streams fit into this approach. And, Glassdoor’s chief economist Daniel Zhao explains what it could mean for the future of work.

Our national affairs panel weighs in on the biggest political stories of the day. We’re about a week away from getting Prime Minister Mark Carney’s hotly anticipated first federal budget that the Prime Minister says will be all about taking “big bold risks,” while warning that there will be sacrifices ahead for Canadians. Over the weekend, we’ve seen the fallout from the U.S. President Donald Trump calling off trade negotiations over an anti-tariff advert put out by the Ontario government. All this comes as the P.M. is on his first diplomatic trip to Asia, looking to shore up new trade alliances. We break it all down with CBC's Chief Political Correspondent Rosemary Barton, Stephanie Levitz of the Globe and Mail, and Ryan Tumilty of the Toronto Star.

The U.S. President Donald Trump announced it in all caps on Truth Social last night. "All trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated." Why? He says it’s the result of a television ad from Ontario's provincial government featuring the former president Ronald Reagan in 1987, speaking out against tariffs in an address on free trade. We talk to CBC’s Washington correspondent Mike Crawley about what this means for Canada — and the future of trade talks.

Will history repeat itself? The Toronto Blue Jays have made it to Game 1 of the World Series. Fans are hopeful as they face one of the best teams in the league: The Los Angeles Dodgers. Superfans Maddie Cholette and Tyler Carpentier share their excitement over Game 1.

People who read the fiction of Miriam Toews might think they know a fair bit about her life story. She's written about sister relationships, suicide, and her conservative Mennonite upbringing. Now her highly anticipated new memoir does away with the mirror of fiction — shining a light on why she writes, and the power of family.

There are growing concerns from economists, tech industry insiders and investors that artificial intelligence might be a bubble about to burst. Data centres are a rapidly growing part of the U.S. so big that some observers like MIT fellow Paul Kedrosky believe it's warping the North American economy. Murad Hemmadi, a reporter with the Logic, argues that we only know about bubbles in hindsight, and until it bursts, we're going to be waiting to find out.

Long-time CBC Radio host Michael Finnerty shares how training as an apprentice cheesemonger in London's Borough Market nourished his soul, gave him a sense of purpose and helped him rediscover the power of community. He talks about his new book "The Cheese Cure"  while taking Matt Galloway on a tasting journey through the sampling of four Canadian cheeses.

The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts, including Canadian Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day trip around the moon and back. It’s the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years, testing what it really takes for humans and their spacecraft to survive deep space, and setting the stage for the next big leap.

The Prime Minister is telling Canadians his upcoming budget will be both affordable and ambitious. But are they — and the opposition parties whose support he needs — convinced?

 Chapman's ice cream tied for first place for most innovative at the International Ice Cream Consortium with a new, unique flavour: Sweetgrass. Developed with the help of Chef Zach Keeshig, his Indigenous roots created the vanilla, almond, cinnamon-y taste of the Canadian ice cream. But during this time, Canada's economy faces a wave of uncertainty with on-going trade talks with the US. Despite that, Chapman has announced a 200 million dollar expansion. The Canadian born and loved ice cream brand has plans to go international — and this award helps.

With Canada's tech sector growing, employers are looking for recent grads ready to pursue careers in STEM. But when it comes to getting those math and science courses completed, many students aren't making the grade. We hear from teachers about where we're going wrong, and what needs to change to keep kids excited about STEM.

For 12 years, Paul Salopek has been tracing the paths of human migration, by foot.

His 38,000 km walk has taken the American journalist across parts of Africa, Europe and Asia.Now he's about to begin the final leg of his journey, from Alaska to the southern tip of Chile

Michelle Anne Ng travelled from her home in Singapore to Newfoundland to finally meet (and hug) Sonya Clarke Casey. The pair have been exchanging letters since 1982 when they were both in elementary school.

Donald Trump is using the American military and the CIA to blow up small boats off the coast of Venezuela suspected of carrying drugs. But what's motivating this renewed interest in Central America; drugs, crime, immigration? Or is this about political ideology? Journalist Jon Lee Anderson breaks down what he calls "old-fashioned gunboat diplomacy" and why Trump is set on ousting Venezuela's president.

As the Trump administration clamps down on exhibits focused on race and slavery, Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative is expanding its monuments in Alabama. The civil rights lawyer telling the truth about America's past is key to ensuring its democratic future.

Last month, the federal government loaned Algoma Steel $400 million, and Ontario kicked in $100 million -- to help the company weather the tariff storm. 

Still, a news release from the company earlier this month predicted big losses and signaled possible layoffs.  For a city intertwined with Algoma, buffeted by a trade war, and reimagining its relationship with its close neighbour, it's a nervous time.

Buck Martinez, longtime Blue Jays broadcaster, Pat Borders,1992 World Series MVP for the Jays and superfan Debbie Rafuse join Matt Galloway to discuss last night’s epic win over the Seattle Mariners.

James Elder has been inside Gaza five times since October 7th. Now with a shaky ceasefire in place he discusses the costs of war and what needs to happen now to help those affected, especially children.

CBC host of Locals Welcome Suresh Doss talks about the new show -- and why visiting diaspora establishment restaurants paint a vibrant picture of families' journeys to make Canada their home.

Millions of people took to the streets in America for the No Kings protests on Saturday. It’s said to be the largest peacetime demonstration in US history. People are protesting against President Donald Trump’s policies, and say events like these help mobilize the opposition against his administration. So, the protests were huge but did they have what it takes to affect change? Lisa Mueller, the author of The New Science of Social Change: A Modern Handbook for Activists, talks about what makes the most impactful protests.

A different kind of soccer is here — a one, where running is not allowed. It's called Walking Soccer, and it's a relatively new sport on the block, designed to be played without all the impact on your body. It first came to Canada about a decade ago, and has taken off. This week four Canadian teams are in Spain for an international competition; the World Nations Cup. We talk to Kerrin Hands, a player and the coach of the Men's over 50 team, and his teammate Faisal Ahmed about what this team means to them — and why it’s important to stay active as you get older.

Bringing back a landline, buying a flip phone, setting strict screen time limits. With growing research showing the harm associated with smartphone and social media use, parents are rethinking how they let their kids use devices. But is an all or nothing approach the answer?

Tom Cillo had never played football before this fall. But the retiree pushed himself to the limit to make the Lycoming College team. Oh, and he's also back to school for the first time in four decades.

In the early days of the war, Plestia Al Aqad's very popular Instagram account was one of the ways people outside Gaza  learned about what was going on inside, and the harrowing impact on Palestinians, day to day. We talk to her about her new book, "The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience," a collection of her diary entries from that time — and talks about her hopes for the future of Gaza in light of this week's fragile ceasefire.

TV personality, chef and author Andrew Zimmern is on a quest to convince North Americans to ditch their teflon pans for cast-iron skillets, amid growing scientific and public concern over the chemicals that make pans non-stick. PFAS, or forever chemicals have been linked to some cancers and health problems affecting the liver, kidney and immune-system. He says cast-iron pans are not only safer, but they're better to cook with.

Around the world, young people are rising up  and in some places, they're actually bringing down their governments. From Nepal to Madagascar, Gen Z protesters are fed up with corruption, inequality, and leaders who seem completely out of touch. They're organizing online, inspired by movements half a world away  and somehow even united by a pirate flag from the anime One Piece. We talk to Meenakshi Ganguly, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, about why this generation is taking to the streets, how these movements are learning from each other, and what their success could mean for democracy in the years ahead.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is rolling out sweeping new crime measures — tougher bail laws, longer sentences, and 1,000 new RCMP officers. British Columbia’s Attorney General Niki Sharma reacts to what she calls a long-awaited step toward safer streets. While Kent Roach, professor of law at The University of Toronto questions whether the forthcoming legislation will actually improve public safety.

The Harvard professor Steven Pinker is the author of "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows," a new book on common knowledge. He believes that awareness of what others know, or lack of it, is key to figuring out how humans coordinate to form everything from personal relationships to our shared belief in money or power or national borders.

Stellantis has announced plans to expand production in the U.S., while pulling back on production in Canada and the union representing the autoworkers is calling on the government to pressure the company to honour its commitments in this country. But, Christopher Worswick, an economics professor at Carleton University makes the case that Canada should consider following Australia's lead and phasing out the domestic car industry in the face of Trump’s tariffs, rather than spending billions on support and subsidies

When Dr. Balfour Mount — the physician who pioneered palliative care in Canada — passed away, it sparked a question: how far have we come in caring for patients with serious illness? We look at what a “good death” means today, why access to palliative care is still so uneven across the country, and how the rise of MAID has changed the conversation.

Should all autistic people share one diagnosis? Right now, there's only one diagnosis, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and some people want to change that. We speak with Alison Singer, the President of the Autism Science Foundation and the Autism Science Foundation of Canada. She says having one diagnosis hurts people like her daughter who is non-verbal and needs a lot of support — and that there should be a diagnosis of profound autism to help unlock research and support.

One Canadian dies every two days waiting for an organ. Stephanie Azzarello feared she'd be one of them. For people waiting for a liver, like Azzarello, there’s an option to find a living donor. Usually it comes from a family member or close friend… but not always. The woman who offered to help Azzarello after seeing her social media post was a stranger who lived in another country, had never met her. In her documentary, Because of Her, Liz Hoath brings us their story — and how their lives were brought together.

Our national affairs panel weighs in on the biggest political stories of the day. We assess the fallout from Mark Carney's latest visit to Washington D.C., and why an abandoned pipeline project may be back on the table. Plus, by the Grey Cup weekend we are expecting a federal budget, and another round of "nation-building" projects. Will one of them be the pipeline Alberta is pushing for and that coastal First Nations say is a non-starter? And when was the last time the Grey Cup was such a big deal on the political calendar? We break it all down with Stephanie Levitz of the Globe and Mail, Rob Shaw of CHEK News in B.C., and Jason Markusoff of CBC Calgary.

Some of the most major changes and inventions in history started with someone being told they were wrong, and them not taking “no” for an answer. And for Terry O’Reilly, those are the most captivating stories. In his new book, Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Change the World,  the host of CBC’s Under the Influence, explores what we can learn from these mavericks, including Taylor Swift — and why in a world where we always need new ideas to grow, our first instinct is to reject them?

He’s one of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs and is behind companies like X, Tesla and Space X. But what role is Elon Musk playing in the tech industry’s shift to the right, and how did growing up in apartheid South Africa shape his worldview? Jacob Silverman is the host of the new CBC podcast Understood: The Making of Musk and the author of “Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the radicalization of Silicon Valley.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed his Middle East peace deal, but the future for Palestinians and Israelis remains uncertain. Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti wants guarantees so there will be no backsliding into war and self-determination for Palestinians. Political expert Shira Efron explains the sands have shifted in Israel and that a new relationship with Palestinians will have to be forged, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will resist it.

All 20 remaining living hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023 have now returned to Israel. 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1700 detainees are also freed today. After two years of war, a historic peace process is unfolding in the Middle East. We speak with CBC’s senior international correspondent Margaret Evans in Jerusalem, Amir Tibon, journalist for the Israeli newspaper, Ha'aretz and the author of "The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal and Hope in Israel's Borderlands,” and Omar Omar, the founder of the Gazan Canadian Families League who has been trying to get his family out of Gaza and bring them to Canada about what’s next as part of the U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace deal — and will this lead to lasting peace in the Middle East?

For decades, CBC’s foreign correspondent Brian Stewart covered events that changed the world, from the famine in Ethiopia to brutal regimes in Latin America, to the fall of the Berlin Wall. But it was his reports from Ethiopia that galvanized Canadians to send humanitarian aid to the region, and led to Live Aid, one of the biggest charity concerts in history. Brian Stewart reflects on his remarkable career on the front lines of history.

She was the first marine biologist to film a giant squid in its habitat. Edie Widder is a pioneering marine biologist who believes the light in the dark ocean may actually be a form of communication. She has dedicated her life to understanding the phenomenon known as bioluminescence. And she is one of the few people in the world who has been to the deepest 'twilight zone' of the ocean using tiny submersibles. We talk to Widder about her quest to capture the bioluminescence on video, along with Tasha Van Zandt, director of a documentary about Widder's life and work “A Life Illuminated.”

Imagine having your data stolen at your work, and your most sensitive information ending up for sale on the dark web. A Fifth Estate investigation reveals that's what happened to thousands of employees at B.C.'s Interior Health. A data breach has exposed the information of healthcare workers, leaving some to have their identity stolen repeatedly, while the agency denies the breach ever happened.

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney raised the prospect of reviving the Keystone XL pipeline with Donald Trump, while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and BC Premier David Eby sparred over her proposal to build a new bitumen oil pipeline through B.C. to its northern coastline. We speak with a First Nations chief, a small town mayor on BC’s coast, and a retired pipeline executive in Calgary.

Whether it's your best friend riding a unicorn, Michael Jackson teaching math, or Martin Luther King Junior dreaming about selling vacation packages — it's now easier and faster to turn those ideas into realistic videos, using the new AI app, Sora. The company behind it, OpenAI, promises guardrails to prevent against violence, and fraud — but many critics worry that the app could push misinformation into overdrive… and pollute society with even more "AI slop."

Once hailed as the more empathetic approach to raising children, gentle parenting is now facing pushback from exhausted parents who say the expectations are unrealistic. We're joined by Kayla Huszar, a mother who says gentle parenting “broke” her. Then, child psychiatrist Dr. Ashley Miller explores the potential benefits and drawbacks of gentle parenting and how to find a balanced approach that supports both a child's development and a parent's well-being.

U.S. president Donald Trump announced Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace deal. The details of the full peace agreement are still to be sorted out in the next phases of the deal — but this phase would mean the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, and aid entry into Gaza. We talk to Gregg Carlstrom, the Middle East correspondent for The Economist, CBC’s Adrienne Arsenault who was in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, and Zaha Hassan, a human rights lawyer and senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about what this ‘“first phase” means — and what will follow.

The Toronto Blue Jays are leading the playoffs 2-1, but did this road to the World Series start in Vancouver? The Jays' minor league team, The Vancouver Canadians have a lot of alumni on this current roster. The team's broadcaster, Tyler Zickel tells us about stars like Davis Schneider and Trey Yesavage and why don't get it twisted, Vancouver is indeed a baseball town.

After making a fortune in tech, Zita Cobb went home to her home community in Newfoundland hoping to revive its economy. She believes the success she's had could be a model for other Canadian communities — especially ones that are threatened by Donald Trump's trade war. We talk to her about how leaning into Canadian values, and the things that make local communities special, is the key to global success as part of our ongoing series Taking Care of Business. 

If you liked this interview, you might also want to hear our conversation with Murad al-Katib, CEO of AGT — also known as the Lentil King of Saskatchewan. At a time when many Canadian businesses are trying to diversify products and reach new markets, he has actually done it.

Donald Trump met with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Washington — and called the Canada-U.S. trade relationship a “natural conflict.” From cars and steel to the future of the USMCA, we break down what was said, what wasn’t, and what it means for Canada going forward. CBC’s Washington correspondent Katie Simpson joins us to explain.

51,000 teachers in Alberta are on strike, demanding solutions to what they say is an overcrowded and underfunded education system. We hear from teachers and experts on the state of education in Alberta today, and what needs to happen to give students the best learning environment possible.

A domestic car brand is an idea that's been kicking around, especially in this time of uncertainty in the Canadian automotive sector. Flavio Volpe, the president of Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association believes the answer is to take back control of its car manufacturing sector and launch a local brand, but some experts say it's not that easy.

Youth unemployment in Canada is at its highest rate in over a decade, over 14%. How a weakening Canadian economy and fewer entry-level job jobs have left Canadian young people at loose ends. We hear from two young grads on their frustrating job hunt — and Mikal Skuterud, professor of economics at the University of Waterloo about what it will take to turn it around.

Mark Carney heads to the Oval Office to meet the U.S. president today. Almost six months after he was elected to fix Canada's Trump problem, there's still no relief on tariffs. Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole says Canada can get a deal with the Americans by finding a way to give the president a win on defence or energy.

Hamas and Israel have agreed to some parts of the 20-point US peace plan and talks continue today in Egypt. We talk to Janice Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and Zaha Hassan, human rights lawyer and a Senior Fellow in the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about what this peace plan means for the region — and what happens next.