As It Happens

Enormous wildfires have engulfed parts of Northwestern Ontario; a wilderness guide tells us about his escape, and worries about the fate of the lodge where he works.

MPP Sol Mamakwa says the devastation is unimaginable – and that First Nations communities in the path of the fire have been hit especially hard. 

An Edmonton man who survived a deadly gas explosion caused by a car crash tells us why he went back inside his building, knowing he might not come back out.

When cats lick each other, it's mass adorbs, but a new study suggests it’s not always a sign of love – it's sometimes just another form of cattiness.

While visiting for the World Cup, Scottish fans fell in love with Boston and vice versa -- and now, the city of Glasgow is joining the affectionate pile-on by sending an affection pylon. 

A Florida restaurant is encouraging the hunt for invasive snakes by accepting Burmese pythons as currency – and in return, serving you a pizza topped with snake bits.

As It Happens, the Wednesday edition. Radio that’s always time well serpent. 

A U.S. Congressman wants Quebec to lift its restrictions on U.S. wine sales in the province. We’ll ask him how he recommends Canada should fight back against the tariffs enacted by his Commander-in-Chief.  

For the second time in a week, U.S immigration agents shoot and kill a driver -- and later say that neither of the men were actually who they were after. 

More than 150 years ago, Newfoundlanders saved a Scottish stowaway who was found walking barefoot on the sea-ice. Now, his great great grand-daughter has visited the island to say thank you

Washington State’s attorney general tells us why he thinks the courts are the best place to try to stop the mega-merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers

Later this year, 80 athletes will descend on an IKEA in England -- and run a marathon entirely inside the store.  

Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland returns home with a World Cup souvenir: a taxidermied raccoon hugging a bottle of booze. We’ll talk to the Dallas store owner who sold it to him. 

As It Happens, the Tuesday edition. Radio that discovers one man’s trash panda is another man’s treasure. 

After the deadly shooting at a street festival in Toronto, a local business owner tells us she's angry about the violence and worried that fear could end a beloved community event.

Gibraltar finally removes 118-year-old border controls – allowing free movement between Spain and the British Territory at last. 

The mayor of Windsor, Ontario says the compromise agreement to get the Gordie Howe bridge open is a masterclass in how to calm the waters with the Trump administration.

After Sony announces it soon won't produce physical discs for new Playstation video games, a Canadian game store owner tells us he’s not ready to let that happen without a fight.

A Toronto ice-cream shop attracts lineups for its lobster-flavoured gelato -- which reminded us of an interview with the Texas-based pioneers of popular crustacean-themed desserts. 

Can the eight-legged tardigrade eke out another victory -- or will the common earthworm reclaim its title as The Guardian's invertebrate of the year? 

As It Happens, the Monday edition. Radio that knows we can't enter this contest -- because they won't let our backbone slide. 

A woman in Spain tells us about the terrifying moment when what appeared to be dust hanging in the air turned out to be flames nearing her doorstep – and the mad rush to get her and her friends to safety.

An official in rural Manitoba says she and her colleagues had to knock on people’s doors to warn them of incoming flooding because the cell service in her region is so bad. And she says it’s about time that reality changed.

As our guest watched a woman and her car get swallowed up in a slough, he jumped in  – and set about trying to get her to safety.

The UK offers a posthumous pardon to Ruth Ellis – the last woman ever executed there. Her granddaughter tells us about the long fight to set the record straight.

When a B.C. man saw a horse trapped on a bridge, he thought it was dead. But quickly realized there was a chance to save it.

As long as Norway stays alive in the FIFA  World Cup, Norwegian fans will keep doing their now-famous “viking row” chant. But our guest refuses to – and is downright fed up, saying Vikings did not row across the Atlantic... they sailed.

As It Happens, the Friday Edition, radio that admires his ability to respectfully bow out.

A professor in Doha tells us what the latest escalation between Iran and the US means for him and other civilians in the region -- where American military bases, and the communities that surround them, are under fire again. 

Two weeks after earthquakes did catastrophic damage to Venezuela, thousands are still unaccounted for. Our guest says he’s doing his best to support survivors through a heartbreaking situation.

Donald Trump backtracks on his threat to cut off trade with Spain over its NATO contributions -- but a Spanish politician says people there are still feeling a little defensive. 

At the NATO summit, Prime Minister Mark Carney gets a surprising gift from Turkey’s president -- and he's afraid it overshadows his offering of maple syrup. 

Rocker Suzi Quatro remembers her late friend Bonnie Tyler – a larger-than-life performer who eclipsed many of her contemporaries.

United Airlines argues that just because you've paid for a window seat doesn't mean you'll have a seat by the window -- but that doesn't sit well with a judge. 

As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that assures you: having no window is actually quite paneless. 

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych grapples with the IOC's decision to clear the way for the Russian Olympic Committee to make a full return to the Games. 

With the truce in ashes and the worst exchange of strikes since June, an Iranian-Canadian shares his fears for friends and family, and tells us what he's hearing from them. 

For 18 months, Israel has detained a Palestinian pediatrician without charge and now the doctor says he believes he'll die in prison. An Israeli advocate tells us about the effort to free him — and more than a dozen other Gazan physicians. 

Rogers shutters six radio stations across Canada. We'll hear from Calgary Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner who says the stations were integral parts of the community...and transcended politics. 

Wearing his trademark garbage can on his head, perennial British candidate Count Binface tells us he's no has-bin — and he's ready to kick Nigel Farage to the curb. 

A new actor arrives on "General Hospital" and British comedian John Oliver is as surprised as anyone to find himself on the classic soap opera, getting slapped.

As It Happens, the Wednesday edition. Radio that's tried to get on soaps — but knows it's easier said than dun-dun-dunnnnn.

NATO leaders are meeting in Turkey — and Canada's former NATO ambassador says important priorities are being put on hold, while placating the American President tops the agenda. 

An Edmonton doctor helped save a life at a basketball game — and wound up getting billed for his trouble. 

Prominent Democrats pull support for Senate nominee Graham Platner, after an accusation of sexual assault. One former supporter tells us why this was the last straw. 

After Lionel Messi leads his team to another World Cup victory, a fan in Bangladesh explains why his country is full of hardcore Argentina fans. 

A team of engineers struggles to get the lid off an enduring mystery: why do pickles glow when they're electrified?

The ultra rich are installing "snow rooms" in their homes and yachts — in which snow actually falls from the ceiling. But they're not the only ones who might find that kind of chilling.

As It Happens, the Tuesday edition. Radio that will be there when all hail breaks loose.

After Donald Trump called the head of FIFA, the soccer body reversed a suspension that would have kept an American star on the bench tonight. A Belgian sports journalist says there's outrage on and off the pitch.

After a hard-fought competition, Germany beats out South Korea to win a multi-billion dollar contract to outfit Canada with new submarines. 

An Oregon teenager tells us about the thrift store find of a lifetime: paying three dollars for a warm-up jacket worn by basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain. 

160 acres of Crown land is given back to a Mohawk community in Quebec. Kahnawà:ke Grand Chief Cody Diabo explains the process they're calling "rematriation".

English soccer fans visiting the U.S. for the FIFA World Cup discover baseball in Atlanta -- and develop a love for one centerfielder that really comes out of left field. 

Researchers are stunned, after toiling to prove that a species of bats chows down on birds - only to discover that an artist had revealed that exact truth in a painting from the 17th century.

As It Happens, the Monday edition. Radio that knows you can't have a bird with a good batting average -- but you can have a bat with a good birding average.

Alberta says it has a private backer for 10 percent of its proposed pipeline. We'll ask federal energy minister Tim Hodgson if that means taxpayers are on the hook for the rest. 

The legendary Anne Murray pays tribute to a man who helped launch her career, and many others', on his long-running TV show. Remembering the late great Tommy Hunter. 

The small Danish town of Rebild has hosted a Fourth of July party for decades — but this year, there are extra fireworks: American officials have been left off the invite list. 

A German zoologist tells us about testing how fast spiders could sprint by prodding them with a paint brush — and inadvertently setting a new arachnid land speed record. 

For years, a collection of wool and sheep skin samples belonging to a pioneering Australian scientist has been tucked away in the UK. We hear from an Aussie farmer who helped bring the archive home. 

Two avid outdoorsmen from the UK set a new record for putting up a tent by relying heavily on each other, and pitching at a fever pitch. 

As It Happens, the Thursday Edition. Radio that assumes they have a co-depen-tent relationship.

As flooding continues in Manitoba, the city of Dauphin is under a state of emergency — and the Mayor tells us the situation is the worst he's seen in 50 years. 

After an ultra-traditionalist Catholic sect ordains bishops without papal consent, Pope Leo asserts his authority by excommunicating the renegade leaders.

Almost nine years after the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the man accused of ordering her death has finally gone on trial. And her sister says that's a huge moment. 

An octogenarian with Alzheimer's survives a house fire — thanks to the quick-thinking neighbours who contacted her daughter through a doorbell camera. 

Putting down roots. A Saskatchewan man digs deep in an attempt to reclaim the tree-planting world record he first set 25 years ago, by planting thousands of saplings in a mere 24 hours. 

A blot on the landscape. A Spanish family is lucky to get a valuable painting back, after they accidentally left it lying outside their house and a passerby took a liking to its frame. 

As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that's glad he got his fifteen minutes of frame.