False claims of Indigenous ancestry are nothing new in Canada. But recent accusations levelled against public figures like Buffy Sainte-Marie, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond and Michelle Latimer have put increased pressure on institutions and society at large to grapple with the phenomenon of so-called "pretendians." Métis author and poet katherena vermette joins David Common to talk about putting the tension surrounding "pretendians" at the heart of her new novel Real Ones, and why such figures can cause uniquely deep damage to Indigenous communities.

Guest host David Common speaks with Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske about the state of the labour movement today, writer katherena vermette explores how "pretendians" uniquely damage Indigenous communities, journalist and podcaster Jon Ronson talks about how COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns helped fuel culture wars, and cognitive scientist Maya Shankar offers advice on how we can all weather change better.

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The notion that "fire knows no borders" continues to ring true this summer. From Jasper, Alta. to Athens and the American West Coast... wildfires have left their marks on so many communities – and on the minds and memories of those who call them home. Viet Thanh Nguyen is a self-described scholar of memory. Much of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's work examines how trauma shapes our narrative and emotional recollection. He speaks with Piya Chattopadhyay about his latest kids book Simone, which tells the story of a young girl and her mom fleeing home in the face of fire.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with columnist Emilie Nicolas, senior political reporter Marieke Walsh, and former Liberal strategist David Herle about what's at stake for the federal Liberals ahead of Parliament's return, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen talks about his latest kids book Simone, and we present an on-stage conversation with journalists April Lindgren, Mohsin Abbas, Juanita Taylor, and Nicholas Hune-Brown about the vital role of local news – and new ideas emerging to enhance it.

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Sound travels more than four times faster underwater - and almost all marine creatures depend on it in some way. But humans are making it really difficult for them to interpret sound, which can have disastrous consequences, says Amorina Kingdon. The science writer joins Duncan McCue to discuss her book Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Underwater.

Guest host Duncan McCue is joined by Toluse Olorunnipa, Molly Ball and, Keith Boag to unpack the latest on Kamala Harris' election campaign ahead of the democratic national convention, science writer Amorina Kingdon explains the effect of human activity on the natural marine soundscape, Jennifer Welsh, and Arif Lalani, discuss the latest developments in the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and 'Godmother of AI' Fei Fei Li reflects on her groundbreaking work.

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Something "weird" – or maybe something "brat" – seems to be happening with internet slang this summer. The language of the chronically-online is transcending TikTok and entering the political arena, with some potentially lasting, real world consequences. In the latest installment of Word Processing, our ongoing look at language, Gen Z linguist Adam Aleksic tells Piya Chattopadhyay about the political and cultural force of memes and online language… and how it all shapes our popular lexicon.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with law professor Lisa Pruitt about how the white working class became a force in American politics, linguist Adam Aleksic spells out how online subcultures shape popular language, CBC Sports senior contributors Shireen Ahmed and Morgan Campbell reflect on the successes, controversies and surprises of the Paris Olympics, and historian Mary Beard shares lessons for our world from the Roman Empire.

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She has two Olympic golds and four podium finishes at the World Championships. But Caster Semenya can no longer compete in elite competition, all because of what's long defined the middle distance runner more than her athletic achievement: her gender. Semenya has higher testosterone levels than average women, which has made her a lightning rod in conversations around gender in sports for years. Now, she's telling her own story in a memoir called The Race to Be Myself. She joins Piya Chattopadhyay to talk about being the subject of debate in public and how she's keeping up her fight for all women to be respected and included in sports.

Guest host David Common speaks with the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy's Bijan Ahmadi and Canada's former ambassador to Israel Jon Allen about the latest developments in the Middle East, journalist Julia Davis surveys the state of media in Russia, paraclimbing world champion Maureen Beck shares her view from the top, and Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya reflects on being at the centre of debates around gender in sports.

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