It's the most exciting time for soccer fans and sports lovers alike, as World Cup 2026 kicks off across North America. But in the shadows of fan fests and buzzing bars remains the very stark reality of strict US immigration policy that threatens the very nature of the tournament.

Somali referee Omar Artan was sent back to Turkey upon his arrival in Miami earlier this month after White House officials claimed he'd been in contact with terrorists. Meanwhile, the Iranian team has been advised they can't stay in the US before or after a match, forcing their accommodations onto Mexican soil instead.

Guest Host Devang Desai speaks to Founder and Host of Soccerwise, David Gass, to discuss the immigration fallout from the World Cup thus far and how geopolitical tensions may overshadow the game.

You can find more of David's work, here: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksm

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On February 24th, 2022, Russian troops marched across the Ukrainian border-- the beginning of an invasion experts had been warning of for some time. It was believed the embattled nation would fall within months. But four years later, Ukrainians continue to defy the odds. One of their key weapons: drones, which they use as devastating weapons of modern warfare. And while a fifth of the nation remains under Russian occupation, the Russian army hasn't managed to advance any further. It's become a stalemate, a war attrition-- but that might be a good thing for Ukraine.

Today on The Big Story podcast, host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Dominique Arel, chair of Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa about Ukraine's attacks on Russian logistics, and whether or not the country might be able to force Putin into a peace deal.

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It's something scientists have never observed before: chimpanzees, formerly with close family bonds, now engaging in deadly combat.

A recent study looked at one of the largest groups of chimps in the world, which primatologists have been observing since 1995. For decades, the group thrived, but recently, factions have broken off, and fighting has turned deadly-- and scientists aren't sure why.

Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Dr. John Mitani, one of the researchers who's been observing the chimps, and an author of the paper, about what's going on between the primates-- and what we might be able to learn from it.

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It's been an interesting past few months for the Federal Conservatives, from several MPs crossing the floor, to reports of inner-circle fighting, to Pierre Poilievre questioning PM Carney's education in economics.

In more recent events, the Federal Opposition leader has since claimed that Canada is in a 'full-blown' recession, and has called for unity among Alberta separatists.

Host Maria Kestane speaks to Glen McGregor, political correspondent for CityNews to discuss what challenges Poilievre's caucus may return to after the summer recess, and what issues are currently dividing the party.

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Louise Arbour, a former lawyer, Supreme Court Justice, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is being sworn in as Canada's next Governor General. It comes at a nuanced time for Canada's global identity.

Host Catherine Jette speaks to Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto about the Governor General's role in Canada, whether or not Canadians feel connected to the monarch, and how Arbour could use this precarious geopolitical moment to capture the country's appetite for unity and identity.

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