Front Burner

Red Lobster used to be one of the biggest names in the world of casual dining — but now the restaurant chain is on the brink of collapse as it files for bankruptcy protection. Was its famous "endless shrimp" promotion really too much for the restaurant to handle? Or is this more about the business decisions of a private equity firm and a major Thai seafood company?

Business Insider senior correspondent Emily Stewart takes us through the story of Red Lobster's years-long fall from glory — and how it joins a club of other businesses knocked out by private equity.

The International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor is requesting arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister. Officials on both sides are being accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity — claims they strongly deny and argue benefit their enemies.

Could these requests make a difference in the war? And what goes into building a war crimes case at the ICC? Michael Lynk, a former UN Special Rapporteur for the human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories, breaks down what comes next.

Europe has a reputation as a place that is generally ahead of the curve on things like social housing. So it might surprise some Canadians to learn that much of the EU is well into the throes of a full-blown housing affordability crisis — and the general patterns bear a striking resemblance to our own.

Senior Politico reporter Aitor Hernandez-Morales explains just how bad things are getting, and what we might learn from how it's unfolding.

How did Narendra Modi, the son of a humble tea seller rise up the political ranks to become one of the most powerful leaders India has ever seen? And did bloody religious riots damage his political future, or turbocharge it?

This is episode 1 of Modi's India: Understood. Hosted by Salimah Shivji.

More episodes are available here.

OpenAI is showing off the latest version of its ChatGPT software in a new set of promotional videos, sounding almost human in the way it talks to users, inviting all sorts of sci-fi comparisons. But AI chatbots are already here, using large language models to simulate human speech, emotion — and even relationships.

As this technology goes increasingly mainstream, what will it mean for our "real life" relationships? Can you actually have a meaningful relationship with a computer program? And if you can… is that something you want to trust a tech company with? Philosophy instructor Jill Fellows tackles the big questions about the future of AI companions.

CBC’s chief political correspondent, Rosemary Barton, returns to explain the latest dust-ups in Ottawa.

Will the tax changes the Liberals are promising impact only Canada’s richest?

Why is a fight over public service workers returning to the office three days a week leading to threats about government services?

And why are the NDP accusing the Conservatives of attacking women’s reproductive health?

The Women's National Basketball Association has been around for 30 years now, but has long struggled to stand out in an increasingly busy marketplace. The league has also struggled with viewership, and pay equity. 

But they may have finally found a star transformative enough to break out of the pack. Her name? Caitlin Clark. 

Just before Clark's professional debut with the Indiana Fever, CBC's Shireen Ahmed joins the show to discuss the WNBA's talismanic star, what some are referring to as a 'golden age' for women's basketball, and Canada's role in it all.

Eurovision might best be described as “the Olympics meets American Idol”: a singing contest where countries face off for the number one spot in musical glory. It’s incredibly campy, silly, and mostly very fun.

But this year’s Eurovision — which wrapped on the weekend — was dogged by controversy, as organizers faced protests for allowing Israel to compete amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, insists the contest is “non-political”. But our guest today argues that geo-political ideals and tensions have coursed through this competition since its inception in 1956.

Tess Megginson — a PhD candidate studying central and eastern European history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — explains.

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

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

There were scenes of celebration in Gaza last Monday, as word spread that Hamas had accepted the terms of an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal.

But the same day, Israel rejected the deal. Its military has since ordered more evacuations and pushed further into Rafah, considered a last refuge for over 1 million Gazans displaced by the war.  

So what would it take for Israel to agree to a ceasefire? If it wants the safety of hostages, why didn’t it take a deal to release them? And what could the human cost of this last push for Israel’s “total victory” be? 

Julian Borger is the Guardian's world affairs editor.

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

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Whether it’s a complex network of fake online designer shops set up to get your credit card details, a scammer impersonating your bank’s fraud department to get more personal information, or a simple “How are you today?” text that might lead to asking you to invest in a crypto scheme…scams are on the rise. And they are getting more sophisticated.

Today on the show, David Reevely, who covers cybersecurity for The Logic, on the evolution of scamming and what you can do to guard against it.

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

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.