How Jeremy McKenzie put his group Diagolon at the centre of the so-called Freedom Convoy protests; the writer behind Ram Ranch on the song making headlines for trolling protesters in Ottawa; why Russia's doping controversy at the Olympics could be valuable propaganda on Ukraine for the Kremlin; teacher reacts to the hit comedy Abbott Elementary, CBC's Jonathan Ore on whether you should play Horizon: Forbidden West; embracing your inner winter Olympian and more.

The Ottawa protests are dug in and spreading; writer Fatuma Adar wants to free Black people from the pressures of Black excellence; museums embrace the opportunities and risks of NFTs; the return of the Asahi baseball team; the lives of history's most infamous heiresses and more.

Press freedom under attack in China; Erin O'Toole, the Colorado radio host, is going to miss Erin O'Toole, the Canadian political leader; how Substack became a haven — and a source of income — for promoting vaccine skepticism; what makes We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto work; Ukraine's far-right militia, the Azov movement, sees opportunity in Russia's threats; a new podcast digs into the story of Vernon, B.C.'s, self-proclaimed bush boys and more.

Who are the fundraisers behind the protest convoy on Parliament Hill; Bill Browder on how to stop Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine; why U.S. schools are banning books by Black authors; two bills that could reshape Puerto Rico's relationship with the U.S.; watching Groundhog Day during the pandemic and more.

China's bid for a COVID-free Olympics; a former TV reporter takes to TikTok with parody parenting videos; front-line health-care workers confront the fifth wave; why Vladimir Putin is so fixated on Ukraine; unordered Amazon packages and a scam called brushing; Canada's broken access to information system and more.

Quebec proposes a tax on people who refuse COVID-19 vaccinations; fans clap back against profit-seeking Wordle knock-offs; how to support the arts as the pandemic deals another blow; the TV adaptation of Station Eleven is a timely look at a fictional post-pandemic world, but should you watch it?; soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause documents how climate change has has transformed the way the planet sounds and more.

Trump supporters are taking over local election machinery with an eye on 2024; BlackBerry enthusiasts bid a fond farewell to an iconic device; Don't Look Up is a cathartic experience for climate scientists; the trouble with U.S. copyright laws; how procrastination acts on your brain; why National JoyGerm Day is particularly poignant during the pandemic and more.

The once more with feeling edition. Victoria Leacock Hoffman, the friend and colleague who produced the original production of Jonathan Larson's Tick, Tick ... Boom!; how American keyboardist Billy Preston crashed the Beatles' Get Back sessions; and celebrating Joni Mitchell's musical masterpiece, Blue, five decades on.

Why we're getting better at modelling where the pandemic is heading; Santa visits are back, if not quite back to normal; actor Ali Liebert on Hallmark's move to include more LGBTQ characters in its Christmas movies; Becky Toyne's recommendations for holiday book giving; the Day 6 music panel on the best of 2021 and more.

Russia's information war in Ukraine; the best bad Christmas movies on Netflix; why Devin Nunes is leaving Congress for Donald Trump's social media company; the LGBTQ roots of West Side Story; a Hall & Oates emergency phone hotline celebrates 10 years; Emmett Till's cousin continues the fight for justice and more.