As It Happens

People around the world are mourning the death of the supercentenarian -- who started his remarkable career as a runner in his eighties. Excavation begins at the site of one of Ireland's former mother-and-baby homes -- where hundreds of infants were buried in an unmarked grave. And our guest helped bring the truth to light. A data leak put thousands of Afghans at risk, including many who worked with British forces. But journalists weren't allowed to talk about a secret resettlement -- until today. An evolutionary biologist talks about discovering two warring species of ants living peacefully within the same plant in Fiji -- and says it's the plant that makes it work. For two decades now, a dentist in Seattle has been getting emails meant for the Tooth Fairy. She tells us about the love and worry in those notes -- and how she responds. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio with a strong molar compass.

A fire burning near Pikangikum First Nation in Ontario has knocked out the electricity -- making a bad situation worse for people waiting to evacuate. Chief Paddy Peters tells us this wouldn't have happened if the government had given more warning. A new UN report suggests hundreds of people in Gaza have been killed over a six-week span at or near aid-distribution sites. Our guest says that leaves Palestinians there in an impossible situation. A librarian tells us that Alberta's new rules governing school libraries will rob young people of access to books that speak to their experience. Two years after England's famed Sycamore Gap tree was felled by vandals, an installation featuring a large section of the trunk has been unveiled.

U-S President Donald Trump threatens Canada -- again -- with another tariff hike. Even as the two countries are talking at the negotiating table. The president of an organization representing Canadian manufacturers says his members are already hurting -- but hope for a deal springs eternal. Critics say Alberta’s new policies for school libraries are simple book-banning -- but the province’s education minister tells us he's trying to protect kids from explicit content. 35 years after the start of what's commonly known as the Oka Crisis, Mohawk activist and artist Ellen Gabriel reflects on the police and military siege on her community. The Kanehsatà:ke Nation negotiator says that siege was a moment of awakening for Canada, and Indigenous people -- but that far too little has changed since. Regardless of blistering heat or blistering blisters, our guest is trying to become the first woman to walk from the southernmost tip of South America to the top of North America. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that warns: she does tend to ramble.

The head of UNAIDS says it is painful -- and cruel -- to watch life-saving progress erode because of Donald Trump's abrupt cuts to funding. She tells us there are solutions, but they'll only work if countries like Canada step in to fill the void. Amid the immigration crackdown in the U.S., one Quebec border crossing sees a surge in asylum applications. A woman who works with news arrivals from Haiti tells us about the fears of the families showing up at her door. Researchers in California develop a new underwater microscope and our guest says it's already bringing fragile coral ecosystems into focus -- in their natural habitat -- instead of a lab. After a Newfoundland couple stuck a message in a bottle, they didn't think about it much -- until it ended up in the hands of another couple, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, 13 years later. Heathrow Airport sets out to capture the magic of the airport by commissioning a subtle soundtrack that incorporates the sounds of the airport, to be played on repeat at the airport. Chimpanzees in Zambia appear to be sticking grass in their ears as a kind of fashion trend -- which they may have learned from humans. And also: in their rumps. Which it appears they taught themselves. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that salutes them for blades-ing a trail.

After a barrage of drone attacks from Russia, a Ukrainian MP in Kyiv calls a timely renewal of support from the U.S. "a matter of pure survival." Choked by wildfire smoke, a Manitoba Cree community works to get its most vulnerable people out to safety. But their deputy chief tells us that won't happen until his people have somewhere safe to go. Toronto is considering new colour-coded signage to alert prospective renters to bad landlords. A tenant advocate explains why she thinks that public shaming could help. How the threat of American tariffs on Asian imports is already shrinking profits for the independent grocers who serve immigrant communities in the US. When he lost his sight, a young man in San Francisco man immediately set out to be the best blind skateboarder around. Two years after his death, the city is honouring his legacy. Bodyguards protecting the prime minister of Sweden are potentially endangering the prime minister of Sweden -- by posting their runs to a fitness app, repeatedly revealing exactly where he is. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that knows if you forget where the PM is, his guards will jog your memory.

Members of the Canadian military are accused of being part of an extremist plot. An expert says the case should serve as a clear-wake up call to growing anti-government sentiment and radicalization in the ranks. Dozens of people are still missing in Texas. The Archbishop of San Antonio talks to us about the long process of healing ahead for the families and friends of the victims of the flash floods. An army veteran says she can't stop thinking about the children who died at Camp Mystic -- and how an outdoor siren alert system could have saved their lives. So she's doing everything she can to get one built. Early detection is key to reducing the destruction done by wildfires. A group of young inventors is hoping to help -- with a device that's shaped like a pine cone. A man falls into a deep crevasse in the Swiss Alps, and is rescued thanks to the immeasurable courage, and relentless yapping, of his tiny dog. A groundskeeper at an English football club goes viral for his recent artistic designs on the pitch, created using the most delicate of tools: a riding lawn mower. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that likes its lawns like it likes its pie: a la mowed.

The owner of an RV park in Kerrville, TX tells us about trying to rescue campers after the deadly flash floods hit -- and her fears that so many victims are still unaccounted for. And a Texas rescue volunteer tells us about trekking through mud for hours in the hopes of finding flood survivors. She says that in all her years as a first responder, she's never seen anything like this. An unpresidented situation. His Canadian-born wife was at what she thought was her final green card interview when she was detained by ICE -- and now, a one-time Trump supporter says he wishes he could take his vote back. A new raid-zone d'etre. A Los Angeles website was once dedicated to covering the city's taco restaurants; now it's a crucial news source for anyone keeping track of ICE raids in the city. Seine bathing. We'll hear from a delighted Parisian -- who was among the first to take a dip in the newly cleaned up Seine River this weekend. And...For 100 years, Canadians have enjoyed the simple, not to say boring, pleasures of the Jersey Milk chocolate bar -- but now, the figurative chocolate udder has run dry. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that marks the end of a cocoa-dependent relationship.

People in Lynn Lake, Manitoba are forced to leave their town because of an out-of-control wildfire -- just two weeks after they were allowed to return after fleeing another out-of-control wildfire. Our guest tells us what the passage of Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" -- with its deep cuts to Medicaid -- is likely to mean for millions of Americans with disabilities, including him. A Palestinian student was accepted to a Canadian university master's program, on scholarship -- but she can't leave Gaza City until Ottawa comes through with her student visa. And she's hardly the only one. A community in Newfoundland and Labrador got some good news this week: for the first time in decades, part of the town now has clean water coming out of their faucets. Cowbirds skip the hassles of hatching and rearing their young by leaving their eggs in other birds' nests. Now, new research shows how the cowbird chicks find their way back to their own kind -- after flipping their foster parents the bird.

A guide tells us he's proud of the work -- even if survivors are giving it mixed reviews. The legal director for the National Council of Canadian Muslims talks about opening her email to see a video of an attack on a Muslim woman at a pizza parlour in Oshawa, Ontario. A horrifying incident she tells us is, disturbingly, not rare. An inquiry finds British colonizers in Australia committed genocide against Indigenous people. A witness at the commission says reckoning with that past is the first step in moving forward. In response to a growing rat problem, Toronto considers taking a page out of New York City’s book -- and appointing a “rat czar" to get the vermin under control. Scientists catalogue the traits that give me -- I mean, someone -- the indefinable yet indisputable quality of “coolness.” And the results are surprisingly conclusive.

We'll hear from a reporter who was there to capture the chaotic reaction outside the courthouse. The head of a French hotel and restaurant association reacts to the country's new limits on outdoor smoking -- by saying that if they come for his patios, it would be a drag. On the fourth anniversary of the deadly fire in Lytton, B.C., one first responder tells us he and his team have learned to be prepared to fight off new fires all the time -- as they had to do just this week. Remembering the late Jimmy Swaggart's appearance on this program in 1987, when he accused fellow televangelist Jim Bakker of immoral character -- just months before his own catastrophic fall from grace. A British musician explains how she created a haunting piece of music with an orchestra made up of more than 80 species of moths. And…Thousands of Norwegians were told they'd won millions in the lottery -- only for the lottery CEO to tell them they hadn't, and apologize for accidentally putting the decimal point in the wrong place. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that thinks that took a lotto nerve.

A volunteer at a radio station south of the border goes all in on Canada Day by programming twenty-four hours of exclusively Canadian music. In a bid to thwart talk of separation, a new petition is asking Albertans if they want to stay in Canada. The former politician behind that push tells us why he's confident the result will go his way. We'll revisit my interview with the CEO of Metis Crossing in Smokey River, Alberta -- when the wildlife park was celebrating the birth of 7 new bison calves, a century-and-a-half after the last wild bison were seen there. A cross-border rivalry between the top-ranking jogglers in Canada and the U.S. -- as in, joggers who juggle -- wasn't always a toss-up. From our archives, a conversation with the 9-year-old who found the largest maple leaf ever recorded -- which turns out to be a real rake-up call. And...the way she gives the cake really takes the cake. Every Canada Day, a baker in one Ontario community makes a cake big enough to feed thousands. We'll talk to her as her massive cake makes the high-stakes journey from the kitchen to the centre of town. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that knows the thing about a layer cake is it always ends in tiers.

An Idaho mountain community mourns two firefighters slain in what officials say was an ambush by an arsonist. A nearby resident tells us how the situation unfolded. Canada reverses course on a long-promised tax on tech giants, in order to bring Donald Trump back to the negotiating table -- which has us asking finance minister François-Philippe Champagne just how many concessions it'll take to get a trade deal. A University student from Attawapiskat First Nation canoed 400 kilometres to set up an encampment in Ontario's Ring of Fire, protesting laws that could fast-track mining projects there. And he tells us he’s not going anywhere soon. Seoul is overrun with love bugs, whose trick of mating on the move is just one reason residents say the city should clear the air. Feeling the heat. A heat wave gripping parts of Europe has temperatures soaring. Residents and visitors explain how they're keeping their cool while the sun sizzles. On Canada Day eve, we hear from the editor of a dictionary of Canadianisms -- who has just updated the tome to include up-to-the minute Canuck catch-phrases, including "elbows up" and "maple-washing." As It Happens, the Monday edition. Radio that loves a sappy ending.

There are a lot of questions about a Canadian citizen who died in immigration custody in Florida -- and his defence lawyer says his family deserves answers. After a shocking auditor general's report finds Newfoundland and Labrador overspent millions on agency nurses, the head of the provincial health authority tells us change is coming. The brand-new members of the CDC vaccine advisory committee meet for the first time since RFK Jr fired their predecessors. A CDC vaccine expert tells us why that drove her to resign. We remember the prolific composer Lalo Schifrin, who wrote the memorable music to all kinds of TV shows and movies -- including one piece that absolutely refuses to self-destruct. After nearly 40 years of striking fear in the hearts of computer users, Microsoft announces the death of the Blue Screen of Death -- to be replaced by a black as cold as a pitiless void. Researchers discover that orcas off the coast of B.C. use seaweed to scrub each other's skin -- a technique that could have both physical and social benefits. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that gets by with a little kelp from its friends.

As the projected costs for Vancouver to host a handful of FIFA World Cup games next year jump again -- our guest says it's time for the city to bow out -- and use that money to help people across the province who are struggling to make ends meet. A Francophone busker is shocked by a new rule requiring musicians to sing in French only in certain areas of Quebec City. He calls the change out of tune with his diverse community. Bill of health. Newfoundland and Labrador's auditor general tells us the provincial health authority’s questionable and excessive spending on agency nurse contracts should raise serious alarms. Oscar-winning Canadian director Denis Villeneuve is taking on the next James Bond film. An expert on all things double-0-7 says it is a dream scenario for the next phase of the franchise. And, Cuss célèbre. An animal rescue goes viral for its post about a macaw with an "R-rated" vocabulary. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that guesses that means Parrot-al Guidance is Advised.

At the NATO summit, the Prime Minister promises to spend a lot more on defence; Cesar Jaramillo, the chair of a Canadian disarmament group says that if the aim is to make the world safer, the move is way off target. Chandra Pasma, a provincial parliamentarian, tells us about her efforts to get the Ontario government to do more to address extreme heat in schools and other workplaces across the province. An activist in Kenya tells us she thought things would be peaceful today, when protestors commemorated a deadly protest one year ago. Instead, history repeated itself. People have started to return to Denare Beach, Saskatchewan, after wildfires ripped through their village. One resident tells us going home isn't easy -- but it's therapeutic all the same. We remember ground-breaking Quebecois musician Serge Fiori, whose band Harmonium changed the music scene in the province by paving the way for homegrown talent. A poorly-timed wardrobe malfunction leads to an unfortunate photo finish -- in which an American hurdler wins the race while trying -- and failing -- to keep his shorts in place. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that always double-checks its equipment.

An Ottawa mom had to take her son to the ER when he came home from class with heat exhaustion; she says school administrators need to do a better job of keeping students safe. Before the shaky ceasefire with Iran, Israel attacked a prison in Tehran that houses political prisoners -- and today, friends and family are still waiting on news about their loved ones. The Democratic primary for mayor falls on New York City's hottest day in years -- and a strategist says the close race between an establishment moderate and outsider progressive could point to where the party heads next. Two Nigerian communities are taking oil giant Shell to court over longstanding pollution caused by spills -- which they say has infiltrated their drinking water. We hear from an artist in the UK about her project that could take decades: drawing every pub in London. A British nightclub becomes the site of a sinister mystery -- when someone leaves behind a surprisingly large, and just surprising, sausage. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that loves a club banger.

A non-proliferation expert says that no matter what Donald Trump says, there's no way to know if U.S. bombs destroyed Iran's nuclear program. But they did make it more likely that Iran will pursue the bomb in secret. An advocate for Arab residents of Israel tells us too many of their communities have too few of the reliable protections that are commonplace in Jewish-majority cities across the country. After five years, an opposition leader is freed from prison in Belarus. His wife -- who took up the leadership in his absence -- tells us about their family reunion, and her husband's drive to get back to work. Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is released after over a hundred days in ICE detention. We'll hear some of what he told the crowd that gathered to celebrate his return to New York. A triathlete is doing okay after a giant black bear ran in front of his bike during a race this weekend -- at which point he ran into the bear. One of the scientists who discovered little sea spiders that eat methane says the tiny creatures are playing an outsized role in the deep sea ecosystem. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that warns: they may be compact, but they're gas-guzzlers.

British journalist Dom Phillips’s mission was to expose the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. In this episode, Nil's feature conversation with two of the people responsible for finishing a groundbreaking, posthumous book by Phillips, who was killed three years ago in Brazil. Phillips got his start as a music writer -- whose main claim to fame was coining the term "progressive house", and writing a celebrated history of the rise and fall of superstar DJs. Then, in 2007, his work on electronic music took him to Brazil, where he fell in love. First with the place. And then with a person: Alessandra Sampaio. But it would be another ten years before Dom began covering the story that would become his sole focus: the brutal destruction of the Amazon rainforest. In 2018, he traveled to the remote Javari Valley with Bruno Pereira -- an advocate for Indigenous peoples' rights in Brazil. And in 2022, the pair went back...and then, they went missing. In the years since, Brazilian police have charged five people in relation to their murders. And now, a collective of their friends and loved ones has published the manuscript Dom Phillips was working on at the time. It's called "How to Save the Amazon: A Journalist’s Fatal Quest for Answers".

A resident tells us she's determined to disrupt billionaire Jeff Bezos's lavish Venice wedding -- even if it involves jumping into a canal to block the floating wedding party. A hiker at the scene of a deadly rock slide in Banff National Park describes how she and fellow hikers sprang into action to help survivors, after a part of the mountain gave way. An Iranian-Canadian tells about her tense eleven-hour bus ride from Tehran to the Turkish border -- watching the skies for Israeli missiles the whole time. The daughter of celebrated language keeper Sophie McDougall says a new stamp in her mother’s honour is a reminder to protect the critically endangered Metis language. Michigan wildlife experts free a black bear that had a plastic lid stuck around its neck -- ending a very uncomfortable two-year ordeal. Chinese researchers discover a way to embed coded messages in frozen bubbles -- opening a new frontier in penguin espionage. As It Happens, the Friday edition. Radio that reminds you: someone else's bubble code is none of your fizziness.

A Canadian man whose partner was visiting family in Iran when the bombs began to fall tells us about his struggle to reach her -- and about why she won't leave until she knows her loved ones will be safe. The sky's the limit...for foreign-owned airlines. But Canada's competition bureau wants more of them to be allowed to take flight -- to bring down the price of air travel in this country. Researchers investigate the impact of expensive beauty products on their preteen users -- and find that the potential harms are more than just skin deep. As the flood waters recede in South Africa, the extent of the damage is becoming clear. Our guest says she'll never forget watching her own house disappear in the deluge. A new study finds that -- when they stick around -- baboons are surprisingly involved fathers. And baboon daughters who maintain strong bonds with their dads appear to live longer. Patients in the Czech Republic will be down in the mouth to learn that the young dentist who worked on their teeth over the past few months has been arrested for not being a dentist at all. As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that guesses it was just a case of enamel magnetism.