As It Happens

Plus: “It was like having the Mona Lisa in your living room.” Except it was a portrait of Winston Churchill. And it was stolen.

Also: Astronaut Dave Williams on the Polaris Dawn space walk and why he thinks people will be living full time on the moon within 50 years; a Newfoundland mayor tells us why he padlocked the doors to the local church; and we revisit the Ig Nobels…which celebrate "achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think."

Plus: An all-incarcerated jury is set to judge the entrants at Sing Sing Correctional Facility’s first film festival.  

Also: the story behind the Yousuf Karsh portrait of Winston Churchill, stolen from Ottawa and found in Italy; how an Alberta town got an oil sands company to pay for 15 new homes; and we revisit the muddiest day in Canadian football history.

Plus: “The pressure is very great this time“. Allan Lichtman’s model picks Presidential winners. He defends this year’s pick…and takes on his critics.

Also: Anthony Daniels - aka C-3P0 - remembers when he first met James Earl Jones; a Toronto man is proud that his father is part of the Venezuelan opposition challenging Nicolas Maduro. But with his dad holed up in an embassy under threat of arrest, he's also very worried for his safety; and scientists are working on bread baked from wheat modified to grow in extreme weather.

Plus: “If I was doing any better it’d be illegal.” A Hampton Beach Lobster Roll Eating competitor on the Heimlich manoeuvre that saved his life. 

Also: One of Peter Nygard’s accusers reacts to the sentence handed down to a man the judge described as a “sexual predator”; tension in the Italian town that banned cricket; and MORE listeners take Chris to task over the usefulness of a tiny vacuum cleaner.

In a feature interview, Nil Köksal speaks to Iranian filmmaker Leila Amini about her sister’s journey to become a singer — and the film it inspired. 

Living in Iran, and married to a less than supportive husband, Nasreen Amini’s dream isn’t just unlikely, it’s dangerous. With translation from ‘A Sisters’ Tale’ producer, Afsaneh Salari, Leila explains what compelled Nasreen to pursue her singing goals against all odds — and what it’s like to see the documentary they made together premier at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Plus: Paralympian Nicholas Bennett wins gold in the pool for the second time, and gives all of the credit to his sister – who is also his coach.

Also: Fellow Olympic marathoner remembers Rebecca Cheptegei, who she says showed no signs of abuse; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Haiti; Thousands of Indigenous artifacts may be improperly stored across Ontario; and Chris defends the uselessness of tiny vacuums.

Plus: “The Michael Jordan of advertising”. We remember Jim Riswold, the man behind era-defining Nike ads from Bo Knows to It’s gotta be the shoes.

Also: Booze finally comes to corner stores in Ontario, we check in to see how business is flowing on day one; and why one French lawmaker is calling Emmanuel Macron's pick for Prime Minister is "one of the worst choices" he could have made.

Plus: “Violent, scary and out of a horror mystery.” A shark researcher investigates a grisly – and unusual – case.

Also: Grenfell Tower families get a final report into the deadly disaster; Paraguay finally gets a sex ed curriculum, but it’s not the one many were hoping for; and designers in Vancouver aren’t happy about a FIFA World Cup design contest.

In this extended version of their conversation, Nil Köksal welcomes the former As It Happens host back to the studio to talk about her new book. Carol spent 16 years hosting the program.

In her new book – At A Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage – she goes deep into her life story and decades of experience as a journalist to examine six words whose meaning she says has been distorted over the years…and think about how to reclaim them. 

Plus: Scientists make a surprisingly small discovery that may explain what puts the world’s strongest humans over the top.

Also: Cryptocurrency invades the U.S. election; back-to-school is on hold in fire-stricken Jasper, Alberta; advocates say it’s still too easy for abusers to access firearms; and we remember Phil Lewis, whose life in 1980s London during the AIDS crisis helped inspire the TV show It’s A Sin.