Front Burner

It's not you — the internet really does suck. Novelist, blogger and noted internet commentator Cory Doctorow explains what happened to the internet and why you're tormented by ads, bots, algorithms, AI slop and so many pop-ups. Spoiler alert: it wasn't an accident.

In Understood: Who Broke the Internet, Doctorow gets into the decisions made by powerful people that got us here, and most importantly, how we fix it. More episodes of Who Broke the Internet are available at: https://link.mgln.ai/DkvHgc

Measles case numbers in Ontario are now higher than the total registered cases in the entire United States.

This week’s report from Ontario Public Health puts the total at 1,646 cases of the disease since January. In Alberta, measles is spreading even quicker, outpacing Ontario in growth per-capita. 

Nearly three decades ago Canada had declared measles completely eliminated. But now the country is facing a situation where public health experts say, without prompt action, the disease could become endemic once again.

CBC senior health reporter, Jennifer Yoon, joins the show to talk about how things got so bad and what public health officials are doing about it.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Content warning: this conversation contains graphic details of an alleged sexual assault so please take care while listening.

Proceedings began late last month in a trial that has been seven years in the making.

It involves five former members of Canada's gold medal winning 2018 world juniors hockey team. They've been accused of sexually assaulting a woman who is known as E.M.

All five have pleaded not guilty.

This same alleged assault made headlines a few years back when it was revealed that Hockey Canada quietly settled a civil suit over it, and had settled other unrelated cases as well.

The CEO and entire board of Hockey Canada resigned. It ignited a fierce debate over hockey culture in this country.

The ongoing criminal trial has put that debate back in the crosshairs as the woman at the centre wrapped up a marathon seven day cross examination by multiple lawyers this week.

Today we are going to talk about what has transpired in the case so far and the larger questions about hockey culture with Katie Strang, a reporter with The Athletic.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet was sworn in at Rideau Hall. Among them are 24 new faces but also a solid handful of the same big names from the previous government. 

What does it tell us about the government’s priorities? Is it enough of a change from the Trudeau years?

Plus, the Liberals gained a seat after winning a recount in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne by a single vote. It’s fuelling conspiracy theories and misinformation about the electoral process.

CBC’s chief political correspondent, Rosemary Barton, joins us to talk about all that and more.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Israel is planning a major escalation of its military campaign in Gaza — one that the government says is necessary to eradicate Hamas, but which rights groups have said amounts to the annexation of the Palestinian territory.

It comes amid apparent rifts between the U.S. and Israel. Trump is currently on a tour of the Middle East which won’t include a stop in Israel; he has conducted talks with a number of countries in the region without notifying Israel; and the U.S. has just secured the release of a hostage from Gaza — again without any Israeli involvement. 

What does all this mean for US-Israel relations? Could it mean that the Trump administration may intervene in an expanded military campaign? Or broker a lasting ceasefire?

Today we’re joined by Meron Rapoport. He’s a 35-year veteran of the Israeli news industry and was formerly the head of news at Israel's Ha’aretz newspaper. Today, he works as an editor at Local Call, a Hebrew-language news organization operating in Israel.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Top economic officials from the U.S. and China met in Geneva, Switzerland over the weekend. This was the first time that they’ve had face-to-face since the start of their enormous trade war.

The U.S. has currently placed 145 per cent tariffs on China. China has responded with 125 per cent. These levies have essentially stopped business between the world’s two largest economies.

Daniel Desrochers is Politico’s international trade reporter. He’s here for a catch-up on the latest developments of the global trade war.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Dozens have died this week as military tensions escalate between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir. India fired missiles into Pakistan-controlled territory in what it says is retaliation for a militant attack on a tourist town in Indian territory in April.

The Kashmir region has long been the source of violent conflict between India and Pakistan. But there are concerns that this latest flare-up could lead to a much bigger conflict between the two nuclear powers.

Salimah Shivji, CBC's South Asia bureau chief, explains what's been happening this week and where it could go next.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

What's going on behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel this week, as the Catholic Church's cardinals meet in Rome to choose the next pope?

It's a centuries-old tradition, but this time, the college of cardinals is bigger than ever, with a growing contingent from Africa and Asia — many of them attending their first conclave ever. That means lots of different priorities, and of course the lingering question of whether to continue the liberal legacy of the late Francis, or to opt for more stability and traditionality.

Charles Collins is the managing editor of the Crux, an independent publication covering the Catholic Church. He is our guest to break it all down.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump had their first face-to-face meeting, amidst an ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S.

The relationship between the two countries is at a historic low. On top of existing tariffs, Trump said on Monday that he wants to impose 100 per cent tariffs on movies produced outside the U.S. The move could have devastating implications for the Canadian film industry.

On top of all that, there was the potential for things to go sideways, given how the meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump went earlier this year.

There was a lot at stake.

Aaron Wherry is a senior writer with the CBC’s parliamentary bureau. He spoke to Front Burner guest host Elaine Chau about how the meeting went, and where Canada-U.S. trade negotiations go from here.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Dr. Agnès Callamard has been a leader in the human rights sector for decades, and since 2021 has worked in the role of Secretary General for Amnesty International. She joins the show to discuss doing human rights work at this difficult historical moment, the future of international law, Canada’s role on the world stage, the question of genocide, and some of the lessons that can be drawn from the world’s most precarious frontiers. 

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts