Front Burner

Mattea Roach's 23-game winning streak on Jeopardy! is both an intellectual feat and the quiz show at its most entertaining.

The Canadian superchamp responded to countless topics with 92 per cent accuracy, netting $560,983 US in winnings. But the 23-year-old also narrowly triumphed in a number of neck-and-neck games, brought personable quips and commentary to an often straightlaced stage and was visibly having fun in even the most high-pressure situations.

Roach's winning streak ended with a $1 loss in Friday's episode of Jeopardy!. Today, she joins us to explain why her life felt directionless before getting the invitation, what she discovered about herself on set and why the show has become an intellectual institution.

When Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist, was poisoned in 2020, he was relocated to Germany to recover. While he was there, he teamed up with a Bulgarian data-journalist named Christo Grozev, who claimed he had figured out who was behind the assassination attempt. Together, using advanced prank call technology, they managed to get an admission of guilt from a member of the team tasked with poisoning Navalny.

There to capture it all was Canadian documentarian Daniel Roher. The resulting film, Navalny, is an up-close look at Navalny’s final months as a free man.

Today on Front Burner, a conversation with Roher on what it was like to document Russia’s most famous political opposition leader as he recovered from an assassination attempt and made the decision to return to the country he wants to lead.

If the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, 13 states have already passed what are known as "trigger" bans which automatically ban abortion. While it is still unclear if the leaked draft opinion represents the court's final word on the matter, as many as half of U.S. states are expected to bring in restrictions in the future should it be struck down.

Meanwhile, some predominantly Catholic countries have recently made moves once thought impossible: legalizing or expanding abortion access.

Today on Front Burner, a look at the long road to legal abortion in Ireland and the tragic impacts bans have had on generations of women. Caelainn Hogan is a freelance journalist based in Ireland and the author of Republic of Shame: Stories from Ireland's Institutions for 'Fallen Women'.

The U.K.'s plan to send refugees on a one-way trip to Rwanda is causing outrage.

In a controversial, multimillion-pound deal, the British government will send some asylum seekers to Rwanda instead of allowing them to stay in the U.K. This plan marks a major shift in how refugees are treated and could have a far-reaching implications for the rest of Europe — and for thousands of refugees fleeing war and persecution.

This week, Nothing is Foreign explains how the deal works, why thousands of lives could be in jeopardy, why some are calling this immigration policy "neo-colonialism" and why critics say Rwanda isn't a safe haven.

Featuring:

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action.

Theogene Rudasingwa, former Rwandan ambassador to the U.S.

In a record-breaking 2021-22 NHL season, Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews scored more goals than any other Leaf in history, and the team finished with more wins than in any other season.

But for some fans, those accomplishments will only make the loss even more painful if the Leafs can’t succeed in the playoffs.

The Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, and haven’t won a single playoff series since 2004. Toronto is now tied 1-1 in its first-round series against the defending Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, after one decisive win and one wildly uneven loss.

Today, a staple of the Maple Leafs fandom joins us to explain the modern history of Leafs losses, and why his growing frustration has given way to greater optimism than ever. Steven Glynn — better known as Steve Dangle — is the host of a podcast, Sportsnet live streams and a YouTube channel that’s been reacting to the Leafs for 15 seasons.

The rising cost of living and the lack of affordable housing are key issues in Ontario’s provincial election campaign which officially began this week. Another big issue is how voters feel about Progressive Conservative leader and incumbent Doug Ford.

While Ford’s handling of the pandemic is likely to be part of what makes up the minds of voters, it is just one factor in who will form the next government.

Today on Front Burner, we talk to Mike Crawley, the CBC’s Ontario provincial affairs reporter about what will sway Ontario voters.

An unprecedented leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court decision suggested plans to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that enshrined abortion rights across the country in 1973.

If Roe v. Wade is reversed, abortion could be banned in as many as 26 states, some starting almost immediately.

Today on Front Burner, we talk to journalist and Nomadland author Jessica Bruder about the networks of underground abortion providers and what comes next for people seeking help.

For the first time in more than a decade, Netflix announced it has lost 200,000 subscribers globally, and the company says it may lose as many as two million more in the months ahead.

But that loss doesn't just signal a change in how Netflix does business — it has ripple effects on streaming services everywhere and sends a strong message about how and what we want to watch.

Today on Front Burner, we talk to Alex Weprin, media and business writer with The Hollywood Reporter about how the streaming wars could affect what you'll be watching next.

Touring is often an essential aspect of a musician's career — perhaps now more than ever. Some bands rely on performance income because streaming plays net fractional pay, while for others it might be the only way they grow their audience.

And while many COVID-19 restrictions have ended and music fans are flocking to stages, the virus is still making this very exposed way of life even more challenging.

Today on Front Burner, producer Derek Vanderwyk speaks to independent musicians — including Charlotte Cornfield, Daniel Monkman and Zack Mykula — about the challenges of going on tour in 2022.

Starting in the mid-2000s, a pulsing fusion of EDM, rap and Egyptian folk – known as Mahraganat – has risen from the streets of Cairo and become a worldwide phenomenon.

But Egypt's authorities are now cracking down on the music and the artists creating it, saying it's immoral and corrupting young people.

We take you inside the culture and class wars of Egypt and explore what the banning of popular music says about the African country's image and its future.

Featuring:

Mahmoud Refat, music producer and executive of 100Copies Music.

Fady Adel, Egyptian culture journalist.