Front Burner

Hockey Night in Canada aired Saturday night without Don Cherry, while his firing stoked a national debate about hockey’s place in this country. Today on Front Burner, we talk to hockey fan Noha Beshir and retired sportswriter David Shoalts, who wrote Hockey Fight in Canada: The Big Media Faceoff Over the NHL.

This week marks the first time in 20 years that public hearings could result in the removal of a U.S. President from office. In question is a whistleblower’s complaint alleging the U.S. President attempted to pressure the Ukrainian president into investigating his political rival by threatening to withhold military aid. Today on Front Burner, CBC’s Washington correspondent Alex Panetta preps us for day two of the Donald Trump public impeachment inquiry by explaining why these hearings are so important, and what we can learn from past examples like Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.

Disney Plus is the latest streaming service on the block, with a library stretching from those classic animated movies from your childhood, to new Marvel blockbusters. It joins Apple TV, Netflix and Amazon Prime. But this ever-growing number of digital companies don't play by the same set of rules as traditional broadcasters. They are largely tax exempt, and they don't have to follow Canadian content regulations. Today on Front Burner, Jayme talks to Tina Hassannia and John Semley, two culture critics who disagree on what streaming services mean for the home-grown screen industry.

Over the last five years, more than 50 criminal cases have fallen apart after a judge found a police officer gave false or misleading testimony, according to a CBC News investigation. Today on Front Burner, we talk to reporters Chris Glover and Stephen Davis about what they found when digging into judges' rulings in these cases, and what the possible consequences are.

On Monday, Sportsnet let go of Don Cherry after the hockey broadcaster called immigrants "you people", and claimed they don't wear poppies to honour Canadian veterans. This comes after a career filled with controversy, from anti-Quebecer sentiments to Cherry’s advocacy for fighting in hockey. Today on Front Burner, host Jayme Poisson talks to Postmedia sports columnist Scott Stinson about Cherry’s career, his controversial legacy, and what might happen next for Hockey Night in Canada.

Kristian Ayoungman, from Siksika First Nation in Southern Alberta, was shot and killed on a rural highway in March. CBC investigative journalist Connie Walker travelled to meet with the young man’s friends and family, as well as the leaders of the two communities he straddled. As she tells host Jayme Poisson, what she found was unexpected. Connie also reflects on her time at the CBC covering Indigenous communities across the country.

A new investigative series from CBC Podcasts and the Norwegian newspaper VG. Hunting Warhead follows an international team of police officers as they attempt to track down the people behind a massive child-abuse site on the dark web. Listen at hyperurl.co/huntingwarhead

Ransomware attacks are changing. Cyber criminals are learning to target the most vulnerable systems including our municipalities, schools and hospitals. Today on Front Burner, tech journalist and friend of the podcast Matt Braga tells us why just changing passwords isn’t enough to keep critical data and services safe from cyber crime.

He’s a president under pressure. He’s facing impeachment, fending off lawsuits, and his approval rating is consistently below 50 per cent. But Donald Trump is also presiding over a strong economy, and a low unemployment rate. Today on Front Burner, CBC Washington Correspondent Paul Hunter on Trump’s next challenge… re-election. One year from voting day -- we look at Trump’s path to victory.

Today on Front Burner, the final installment of a two-part series exploring the growing political anger in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This time, Maclean’s Alberta correspondent Jason Markusoff explains how climate change has put Ottawa on a collision course with the West.