As It Happens

News that’s not afraid of fun. Meet people at the centre of the day’s most hard-hitting, hilarious and heartbreaking stories — powerful leaders, proud eccentrics and ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And plenty of puns too. Hosted by Nil Köksal and Chris Howden, find out why As It Happens is one of Canada’s longest-running and most beloved shows. (Ahem, we literally helped make the beaver a national symbol.) New episodes Monday to Friday by 7:30 pm E.T.

As It Happens is a news podcast hosted by CBC, with 203 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

CBC hosts As It Happens, a news show with 203 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  As It Happens

  Could a new trade deal really resurrect Keystone XL?

  Aug 19, 202644 min

  As officials hammer out a trade deal, Trump is trumpeting a revival of cross-border pipeline plans — and an Alberta energy exec who worked on the Keystone XL project says it might be just the bargaining chip Canada needs. Ukraine's former defence minister says it's time for an election — war or no war — but an opposition MP argues a vote would be illegal and open to Russian manipulation.  The IDF launches an investigation into the high-profile, 2024 killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab. We hear from an emergency dispatcher who spoke to her in the moments before she died.  A professor tells us why he's challenging the Quebec law that made swearing an oath of allegiance to the King optional for provincial lawmakers.  The last thing a marathon runner needs is extra distance tacked onto the end of the race, but that's exactly what happened in Edmonton. We hear from a runner who says that mistake may have robbed him of his chance to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  As It Happens, the Wednesday edition. Radio that hopes it all works out... in the long run.

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  As It Happens

  Business owners on edge as tariff deadline approaches

  Aug 18, 202649 min

  A wallpaper manufacturer in British Columbia tells us if Canada and the U.S. can’t work out a trade deal before Trump’s tariff deadline, he might have to start laying off his employees.  The ruling party in Zambia declares election victory — after a delayed vote count and election day arrests. An international election observer weighs in and shares his own concerns.  As Newfoundland & Labrador moves forward with a new energy deal on Churchill Falls, Premier Tony Wakeham tells us it's a win not just for his province, but for the rest of the country too. The Trump administration has paused its border barrier construction project in Big Bend National Park. A former superintendent of the park tells us he wants to see bulldozers banned permanently.  Flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028 and the Canadian women's team has just punched its ticket. Quarterback Sara Parker tells us what it feels like to see this long dream realized.  A 43-year-old woman from Ontario has become the first Canadian woman to lift Scotland's iconic Dinnie Stones — a pair of boulders with a combined weight of over seven hundred pounds.  As It Happens, the Tuesday edition, radio that thinks it’s important to know your stone strength.

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  As It Happens

  This trade deadline is different, says CUSMA negotiator

  Aug 17, 202646 min

  As Canada-U.S. trade talks head towards a Wednesday tariff deadline, a Trudeau-era staffer speaks from experience about the challenges of doing a deal with Donald Trump.  France is battling scorching temperatures and severe drought. We hear from a local engineer who says the water supply is drying up, and the forecast doesn’t look good. The University of Toronto is looking to ban laptops in some classrooms this fall in favour of handwriting. A law student tells us he’d like to have a say in how he takes his own notes.  We hear from a scientist who explains her research into how female tree frogs react when they have so many suitors they don't know which way to jump.  Two juvenile goats in Portland, Oregon break out of their enclosure and attempt to ride a public bus — to the delight of the driver and passengers.  As It Happens, the Monday edition, radio that appreciates them maaaaaking a breaaaaaak for it. 

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  As It Happens

  Afghan women mark five years since Taliban takeover

  Aug 14, 202647 min

  As Taliban officials celebrate the anniversary of the 2021 fall of Kabul, Afghan journalist Zahra Joya tallies the grim toll being paid by the country's women and girls.  An activist says the world needs to do more to condemn Israeli settlers who have surrounded Palestinian homes in the West Bank — trapping families with no water or electricity. Decades after they met as teenagers and became friends, two women learn they are, in fact, biological sisters. We hear about their first encounter as girls — and more recently, as relatives.  More than 80 years after a landmark battle in the Second World War, a tiny Pacific Island remains littered with landmines. Our guest describes the dangerous detective work needed to clear out the explosives those soldiers left behind. As voting heats up for this year’s invertebrate of the year competition, a scientist in Slovenia makes the case for a giant bee nicknamed the flying mouse. As It Happens, the Friday edition, radio that asks: ARE YOU READY TO BUMBLE?!

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  As It Happens

  Meet the woman offering Alberta conservatives an alternative

  Aug 13, 202646 min

  Bonnie Critchley ran as an independent against Pierre Poilievre last year. Now, the retired military veteran has joined the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta — to run against the UCP in the next provincial election.  An overcrowded ferry capsizes in Zimbabwe, killing at least 44 people. A member of the country's parliament tells us how she's consoling family members who lost loved ones in the stormy waters.  When the 2023 earthquakes affected millions in Turkey and Syria, Canada responded with temporary visas. With many of those permits set to expire, we reach a mother walking from Toronto to Ottawa, as she pushes for an extension to keep her family in Canada.  At the ripe old age of eleven, Anderson Taylor of the Cambridge Natural History Museum in Illinois is officially the youngest museum curator in the world.  You've heard of Fat Bear Week. But today an organizer tells us about Fat Marmot Week — a new pre-hibernation competition underway in Colorado.  As It Happens, the Thursday edition, radio that appreciates a good fat-checker.

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