Front Burner

Even with 80 per cent of eligible Canadians fully vaccinated, hospitals in many parts of the country are facing an unprecedented crisis. Today, we speak to doctors and nurses about how the fourth wave is pushing Canadian health-care systems to their breaking point.

Angela Merkel will step aside after 16 years as Germany’s chancellor, but Sunday’s election leaves questions over who will lead next. Today, how Merkel built her legacy of stability, and the forces that threaten to reverse it.

After 1,020 days in Chinese jail cells, the two Michaels — Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — came home. CBC’s Jason Proctor and the University of Ottawa’s Errol Mendes break it down.

Hotelier Paul Rusesabagina once won the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, for protecting Tutsis from Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. This week, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism charges. What happened?

New York Times’ Katie Rosman on the internet’s obsession with the murder of Gabby Petito and the online sleuths trying to crack the case.

Leader Erin O’Toole brought a moderate strategy to the Conservative election campaign, but his loss was nearly identical to his predecessor's. What went wrong, and what that means for the party’s future.

After a day of voting and with some ballots still left to be counted, Justin Trudeau will remain Canada's prime minister, and the Liberals will continue ruling with a minority. CBC's Aaron Wherry breaks down the results of the election so far.

CBC’s Carolyn Dunn on Alberta’s fourth wave after what Premier Jason Kenney promised to be the “best Alberta summer ever.”

The CBC’s senior political correspondent Rosemary Barton on how the national federal party leaders did on tough questions from undecided Canadian voters.

The CBC’s Ryan Maloney returns for Part 2 of our back-to-back platform primers for the major parties. This episode: the NDP, Green Party, and People’s Party of Canada.

Election day is just around the corner, so CBC’s Ryan Maloney is here to provide back-to-back platform primers for the major parties. First up: The Liberals and Conservatives.

As food prices rise and the currency falls in Taliban-held Afghanistan, many are fleeing to neighbouring Pakistan in search of a better life. CBC senior correspondent Susan Ormiston takes us there.

Nearly six years after her disappearance, Sheree Fertuck’s husband is on trial for murder in Saskatoon. Today, Front Burner explores the controversial undercover police sting operation at the heart of the case.

The Flamethrowers captures the punch-you-in-the-mouth energy and sound of right-wing talk radio. Host Justin Ling takes us from the fringe preachers and conspiracy peddlers of the 1920s to the political firestorm that rages today. With humour and candour, Ling examines the appeal of broadcasters like Rush Limbaugh, who found a sleeping audience, radicalized it, and became an accidental kingmaker — culminating in the election of Donald Trump. More episodes are available at smarturl.it/theflamethrowers

Last night was the only English-language federal leaders’ debate of this election cycle. And with Justin Trudeau and Erin O’Toole neck and neck in the polls, the stakes couldn’t be much higher. CBC senior writer Ryan Maloney joins us for a look at the night’s most significant moments

As the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, ProPublica’s Tim Golden fills us in on why families of those killed are suing Saudi Arabia, and what secrets are contained in documents they want released.

Masai Ujiri recently signed on to become vice-chairman of the Toronto Raptors, in addition to his role as the NBA team's president. Today, he talks to host Jayme Poisson about what it means to rebuild the team after Kyle Lowry's departure, his commitment to growing African basketball, and why he wants to stay in Toronto.

The major parties are all promising big action on climate change, but their plans and targets look different. Today on Front Burner, we compare the parties’ strategies and take a closer look at their credibility.

One woman’s story of how two of her loved ones got pulled into conspiracy theories — and how she fought to bring them back from the brink. This episode originally aired in January 2021.

A mysterious noise frustrating an affluent Alberta community sparked the discovery of a secretly set up bitcoin-mining operation. CBC Calgary’s Sarah Rieger explains.

In the third week of the federal election campaign, Althia Raj describes the vitriolic protests seen at campaign events and the newly released Liberal platform.

False claims about COVID-19 have people calling up Alberta farm supply stores looking for a livestock dewormer called ivermectin. Vera Bergengruen tells us why.

After 20 years, the last U.S. troops have left Afghanistan. Ali M. Latifi, a correspondent for Al Jazeera English, brings us a view from the ground in Kabul.

Once a darling of Silicon Valley, Theranos’s Elizabeth Holmes is now facing prison time for fraud. Host of ABC’s The Dropout podcast Rebecca Jarvis on what you need to know about the upcoming trial.

Housing affordability is shaping up to be a top issue for voters in the upcoming federal election. What are parties promising to do about it? And will it actually work? We ask senior director at the Smart Prosperity Institute Mike Moffatt.

As case counts rise across the country, health experts warn that the COVID-19 fourth wave is very much here. But who will bear the brunt of it?

Today, the harrowing story of an Afghan doctor — currently in hiding from the Taliban — and his Canadian wife, who are desperate for the Canadian government to help them escape Afghanistan.

As we roll into the second week of this federal election campaign, Éric Grenier and Althia Raj look at where things stand in the polls, and break down how the major parties are faring thus far.

In Yellowknife and Iqaluit, as much as 80% of private, multi-unit rental housing is owned by one company: Northview Canadian High Yield Residential Fund. Today, why some tenants say that’s a big problem, and what this story says about the challenges facing renters across Canada.

From record-breaking heat waves to droughts and floods — people are acutely experiencing climate change this summer. Many are struggling with ‘climate anxiety’ as a result. Stanford Planetary Health Fellow Britt Wray explains why, and what can be done about it.

An earthquake, overflowing hospitals and critical supply shortages have Haitians remembering the fallout from past disasters. Two guests from the community reflect on what’s happened, and what recovery should look like.

In the wake of the fatal police shooting of Jean René Junior Olivier, CBC Montreal reporter Antoni Nerestant offers a closer look at the strained relations between police and Black residents in Repentigny, Que.

As civilians try to flee a Taliban-held Afghanistan, Canadian veteran Ryerson Maybee reflects on our country’s historic role there, and what our government’s responsibilities should be to the Afghans who risked their lives to help Canadians during the war.

A federal election has been called for Sept. 20, less than two years after the last one. Today, Aaron Wherry of CBC's Parliament Hill bureau on why now.

DaBaby’s recent homophobic rant at a major music festival has set off a conversation about anti-gay sentiment and toxic masculinity in hip hop. Today, two rappers reflect on the controversy around DaBaby, the rise of Lil Nas X and the lack of queer representation in their industry.

Canadian Michael Spavor, who’s been detained in China since 2018, has been given an 11-year prison sentence by a Chinese court. Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau called the verdict “completely unjustified.” Today, Toronto Star reporter Joanna Chiu on what this means for Canada-China relations.

The Taliban continues to gain territory at a rapid pace, as the U.S. army and NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan. Journalist Akhtar Mohammad Makoii takes us to Herat, a city contested by Taliban and government forces.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is calling a major new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "a code red for humanity." Today on Front Burner, we break down what's in the report, its potential impact and why there might be reason to feel hopeful about it.

As a potential COVID-19 fourth wave looms, epidemiologist Raywat Deonandan talks to guest host Jonathan Montpetit about frustrations with those who have opted out of a COVID-19 vaccine thus far, and options for getting tougher on their access to public spaces.

There is growing anger around Alberta’s rollback of COVID-19 restrictions. Today on Front Burner, Macleans’ Alberta correspondent Jason Markusoff digs into what might be behind the controversial move.

A year after Beirut’s deadly port explosion, Lebanon’s economy is in freefall and protesters have hit the streets. Journalist Rebecca Collard gives us the backstory.

Kyle Lowry’s Toronto Raptors career is coming to an end after nine seasons. Sports writer Alex Wong looks back at his legacy on and off the court, through victory and defeat.

One woman’s experience using magic mushrooms therapeutically, and why some are now pushing for greater legal access to the drug in Canada.

The first Hong Konger to be charged under China’s National Security Law has been found guilty. Today on Front Burner, two pro-democracy activists from the city-state reflect on China’s tightening grip on Hong Kong.

This week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his final state of the nation. He’s been called the “vigilante president” for his handling of the illegal drug trade, and his treatment of dissenters. Today on Front Burner, veteran investigative journalist Sheila Coronel reflects on what his legacy might mean for the future of the Philippines.

The 24-year-old champion Simone Biles surprised the world this week by pulling out of the Olympics, saying she needed to look after her mental health. As historian Amira Rose Davis explains, that decision is a momentous shift in the culture of sport.

The armed insurrection in Washington, after Donald Trump lost the presidential election, shook many. This week, U.S. lawmakers heard from the police officers who tried to hold it at bay — as a committee pieces together what happened.

Another controversy for the Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Ottawa as some donations were made to it in honour of fascists and Nazi collaborators.

Chinese-Canadian pop superstar Kris Wu is caught in a #MeToo firestorm over allegations of predatory sexual behaviour with an underage girl now sweeping Chinese media.

Deepfake technology — the use of algorithms to create realistic copies of people in video, audio, or photography — is once again in the spotlight. That's after Morgan Neville's documentary Roadrunner used the technology to copy the voice of the late Anthony Bourdain. MIT Technology Review's senior A.I. editor, Karen Hao, breaks down the risks for how we perceive our reality.