As It Happens

This morning, Iranians were awoken by massive explosions from Israeli airstrikes -- and this evening, Israelis huddled in shelters as missiles hurtled their way. We'll hear from people in Tel-Aviv and Tehran. As Washington prepares for a massive military parade tomorrow, we hear from a U.S. Army veteran who says he and his fellow vets are not impressed. After her husband admits that he's cheering for the Edmonton Oilers, a Calgary woman -- and devoted Calgary Flames fan -- posts him for sale...at a low, low price. A Yukon teen creates a new algorithm to help skiers choose the best wax. He waxes eloquent about his hopes that it will help Team Canada. A friend and biographer remembers Gary England, a trailblazing Oklahoma meteorologist who guided the state through more tornadoes than he could count. We wish we could eradicate bed bugs -- but a new study shows their numbers exploded during the beginning of civilization, and have a talent for out-matching whatever we throw at them. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that knows, for bed bugs, box spring's eternal.

More than 260 people are dead after an Air India flight bound for London crashes into a residential neighborhood. Karishma Mehrotra of the Washington Post is in Delhi. She tells us what she’s learned about how the disaster happened. A potentially game-changing vaccine against Lyme disease is currently in clinical trials. A scientist in Nova Scotia – where ticks are rampant and ravenous – says it can’t come fast enough. Dozens of states join forces to try to prevent the bankrupt biotech company from selling millions of people's DNA, and other deeply sensitive data. A Montreal business owner says last year's Formula One race was a fiasco, but the city seems to have gotten its act together for this weekend's big event. A Cambridge University professor became so spellbound by the many murders in medieval England that he began to map out where they all took place, and he's thrilled to death that his project has just been published. The asteroid we once feared would hit the Earth has switched targets, and may now be on course to smack right into the poor innocent moon. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that supposes it's for the crater good.

His district in Los Angeles has been targeted by ICE raids, and Democratic California Assembly member Isaac G. Bryan says Donald Trump's deployment of U.S. troops has made the city a testing ground for democracy itself. Philomena Lee’s name has become synonymous with the scores of unmarried mothers whose children were sold to American families by Irish nuns. Now her daughter is fighting to make sure every survivor gets the compensation they're owed. Steven Page reflects on the musical genius of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, and tells about the surreal moment Brian Wilson sang him his song, which is called "Brian Wilson". The mayor of St. Mary's, Newfoundland hopes a shuttered fish sauce plant that's been stinking up the joint for two decades will be cleaned up at last. A satirical article claiming Cape Breton has its own new time zone that's 12 minutes ahead of the rest of Nova Scotia has been causing some confusion for AI, which doesn't seem to be in on the joke. A Canadian author's cookbook titled "Every Salad Ever" is not sold on Amazon. But to Greta Podleski’s chagrin, Amazon was selling something that looked awfully similar -- a fake, AI-generated version of the book. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio warns against taking the slaw into your own hands.

As the high profile sexual assault trial of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team wraps up, an advocate calls on Ontario to drop its ban on restorative justice, to give complainants a better option than court. The auditor general exposes the ballooning cost of the F-35 program, but Defence Minister David McGuinty says Canada needs to revive its military with new spending regardless. An Israeli human rights lawyer says Canadian sanctions against two far-right government ministers for inciting violence with their rhetoric are long overdue, but very welcome. California lawmakers decry Donald Trump's deployment of U.S. troops to the streets of Los Angeles, and one spars with the Defence Secretary over whether it's even legal. A museum manager in Taber, Alberta tells us about the moment she found a grenade while going through boxes, and the moment she started seriously panicking. The owner of a giant pencil in Minneapolis tells us about this year's grand sharpening, which happens with great pomp and ceremony on his front lawn. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that warns you: one of the following stories includes graphite content.

The Prime Minister announces a huge boost to military spending, to the relief of a former Canadian Army commander who says that, in an unstable world, that investment is long overdue. An Australian woman is accused of killing her inlaws by serving them Beef Wellington with poisonous mushrooms, and her trial has become a national obsession. While our guest was photographing protests in Los Angeles, he was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet. He tells us the President's decision to send in the National Guard has only made Angelenos less safe. In an annual tradition, staff at a Winnipeg high school all become guidance counsellors, and what they're guiding is a family of ducks. A Canadian classic rock banger has become a staple of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs; we'll get Rik Emmett from Triumph on the line to lay his feelings about "Lay It On The Line" on the line. When a group of young Black men posted a video in which they tried matcha for the first time, it got a lot of love, and a lot of noisy haters. But their videos, and their joy, are proving infectious. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that celebrates a matcha made in heaven.

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

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

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

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

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

As the prairie fires force Manitobans from their home, the head of the province's nurses union tells us how her members are caring for others, when their own homes and loved ones are at risk. A Swiss village manages to evacuate, but not to save their historic community, as a massive glacier collapses and buries their homes under millions of tons of rock and ice. We hear from with an Alaskan man who got trapped under an enormous boulder while out hiking, and his wife, who helped rescue him – just in the nick of time. A new study suggests horses use a wide range of facial expressions to communicate, not just with their human keepers, but with one another. Taylor Swift announces that after all of the drama, and all of the Taylor's Versions, she is now the proud owner of her entire catalogue of music. The Hollywood hit "Sinners" is a Jim-Crow-era horror set in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where locals were excited to see it but couldn't because the city doesn't have a movie theatre. We hear from one of the people who pulled off a special showing, with some special guests. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that always screens with excitement.

As fires burn across the prairies, our guest describes the moment she had to evacuate her community, and the nightmare she and her neighbours have been living through since. Elon Musk announces he's turning his focus away from Washington and back to his companies -- and a Washington reporter takes stock of the Tesla tycoon's adventures in government. The Ontario Hockey League's top team hasn't had an ostensibly mandatory sexual violence prevention training in years. And our guest says that's especially disappointing given the reckoning happening in the sport right now. Some investors are using the acronym TACO -- as in "Trump Always Chickens Out " -- to describe the president's tariff flip-flops. And the journalist who coined was flabbergasted to hear it denounced by in the Oval Office. And, we hear from the passenger who captured the mayhem that ensued when a pair of pigeons made its way into the cabin of commercial plane. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that's always open to ruffling a few feathers.

The federal government says it will quickly ramp up military spending. A former Conservative defence minister tells us there's no time to waste because the country is facing a security emergency. The U.S. Department of Justice cuts a deal that allows Boeing to avoid a trial over two deadly crashes in exchange for a billion dollar payout. But a lawyer for families of victims says there's much more than money at stake. A 96-year-old Nova Scotia woman was so frustrated about not having a family doctor that she took out an ad pleading her case in the local newspaper. Nearly 40 years after a marble bust vanished from Jim Morrison's grave, one of music’s strangest cold cases gets busted wide open. A PhD candidate in California tells us about her team's efforts to remove invasive bullfrogs from Yosemite waterways, one at a time, by hand. And about the encouraging impact it's had on native turtle species. And, Spain proposes legislation to help prevent the sewer blocking monsters made of fat and wet wipes known as fatbergs, so we revisit our interview with a man who would really appreciate that effort. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that guesses they're all feeling pretty wiped out.

We'll hear from AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak about why today's throne speech was an important victory for Indigenous people in Canada -- and for all treaty peoples. Every minute that sepsis goes untreated increases the risk it will be fatal. Now, a team of researchers in Canada is developing a portable detection device to predict a patient's sepsis risk, and save valuable time. A controversial US-backed humanitarian organization begins giving out food packages to desperate Gazans. But a longtime aid worker says the chaos that ensued shows the plan is deeply flawed. In the New Zealand parliament, bills that aren't part of the government's legislative agenda still have a chance to be advanced -- and that chance comes in the form of an old cookie tin that one official tells us embodies nothing less than democracy itself. We meet the 22-year-old who is closing in on completing the quest he began at 10, to visit every Old Spaghetti Factory in the world. Turkey gets serious about airplane etiquette -- promising to fine passengers who stand and crowd the aisles before their rightful turn to disembark. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that anticipates some seated debates.

King Charles is providing the pageantry. But Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada provided the impetus. A former diplomat says the royal visit sends a strong message to the White House at a crucial time. A woman in Kyiv tells us what it's been like to weather Russia's largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began. Major flooding in Australia has killed at least four and displaced thousands. A resident of one of the worst-hit cities tells us about having to flee her home and what it was like to return to the damage. A new New York City festival will have pigeon fans flocking to celebrate the much-maligned bird. And Pigeon Fest's origins all go back to an iconic pigeon on a plinth, which we first told you about last summer. An Ontario couple gets a draw-dropping price for the antique tobacco tin they discovered while renovations led them to rip out a bathroom wall. And, a 3-year-old goes viral after her parents share her intense fear of John Wilkes Booth. As It Happens, the Monday edition. Radio that understands that some people just can't handle the Booth.

It's been five years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. His cousin tells us she won't stop fighting to make sure his death leads to lasting change. Shreya Mishra Reddy was fulfilling a dream by attending Harvard -- but now that the Trump administration wants to bar international students, she has no idea what will become of her, or her expensive education. Can't teach a new Kat old tricks. A lot of Americans say it's time to say goodbye to the Democrats' old guard -- emphasis on "old". And 26-year-old online personality Kat Abughazaleh is ready to be the life of the party. Making history and prehistory. Almost forty years after a father and daughter discovered a fossil in British Columbia, it's officially recognized as a new genus and species. Doing the rounds. People put a lot of things on bagels, but only the late Judith Hope Blau put smiley faces on them -- and the resulting artworks made her the family breadwinner. And...he was just lying there, and then Prow! In Norway, an off-course container ship runs aground and nearly smashes into Johan Helberg's cottage, sending the neighbourhood into a panic -- except Johan Helberg, who sleeps through it. As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that assumes by now he's been to hull and back.

Two young staffers from the Israeli Embassy are shot on the street in Washington DC; a friend of one of the victims says Sarah Lynn Milgrim was a bright light – and her loss is devastating. A Canadian nurse in Gaza says more and more malnourished children are being brought to her hospital – so the territory needs a lot more aid shipments, and it needs them now. And then re-checking them. Weeks after the federal election, a Newfoundland and Labrador riding is still awaiting the results of a recount; the candidates tell me how they're dealing with the suspense. The man who coached Canadian basketball star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in high school reflects on the new NBA MVP. Newfoundland and Labrador writer Michael Crummey tells us he's known for weeks that he'd won a major literary award -- but it still hasn't sunk in. And, the semi-colon may be on the decline, but your love for it is not! We’ll hear from the listeners who called in to show their support for precise punctuation. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that celebrates a victory for comma sense.

President Trump has big plans for the "Golden Dome" and he says Canada wants in. Former Minister of National Defence David Pratt tells us it actually is about time that Canada bolstered its missile defence. A woman looking to sell her charming country home in Ireland tells us why she decided go with a lottery approach -- which the winner will end up purchasing for an investment of about 9 bucks. Canada has never had a successful domestic car company of its own -- but one industry leader says it's past time to take the idea for a test drive. Climbers summited Everest today using a new method that allowed them to do it in days, instead of the usual weeks. A veteran mountaineer says they're missing the point. The Chicago Sun-Times is called out for a "summer reading" list that includes novels that don't exist -- generated, it may not surprise you, by AI. And, water voles are endangered in Wales -- but by feeding them sparkles so they poop out sparkles, scientists see a glimmer of hope. As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that assures you the sparkles are safe -- so it's no-harm dung.

Magnus Carlsen may be the world's greatest chess player -- but a game against 143,000 simultaneous opponents didn't offer him the easy win he may have expected. The leaders of France, Britain and Canada threaten action against Israel if it doesn't lift its restrictions on aid, and end its military offensive in Gaza. A former Canadian ambassador tells us what that might accomplish -- if anything. In response to a water crisis in a small village in Nunavik, the mayor declares a state of emergency. She tells us how thirsty residents are coping. Trump says Qatar's offer of a free, lavishly appointed jumbo jet is a nice gesture from an ally -- but new reporting suggests there's more to the story. The best things in life are three. An Ontario woman was shocked to find two female robins and a male co-parenting in a single nest on her front porch -- a family she has dubbed the Avian Sister Wives. And, a new study finds the puzzling, peculiar punctuation mark is getting less popular all the time -- to the point where it may have been sentenced to death. As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that watches the collapse of the dot-comma bubble.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone today at length, but one analyst says what he saw wasn't so much progress toward a ceasefire, but the U.S. President failing to stand up to Russia. Eighty years after his father's plane was shot down over Dorset, the son of a Canadian Flying Officer killed in the Second World War tells us how he pieced together the details of that day -- and how he's commemorating them now. A Vancouver art student tells us why she wanted to take portraits of others who, like her, spent time in foster care. An English historian explains how he liberated an original version of the Magna Carta from obscurity, after discovering it deep in the Harvard Law School archives -- because it was believed to be a copy. Fifty years after "Jaws" made the waters around Martha's Vineyard seem very scary, a long-distance swimmer is braving them, to show that sharks deserve our friendship, not fear. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that just hopes things don't get too chum-my. (Plus: A bonus episode of "As It Happened: The Archive Edition" featuring stories about surprising and incredible journeys.)