The Current

As tensions rise between Israel and Iran, a Canadian citizen and her family trapped in Tehran are trying to find a way out — with fuel scarce and borders uncertain. We speak with one family preparing to flee, and hear what it's like on the ground in Jerusalem with CBC’s Margaret Evans.

Nike’s latest collection is making waves — not just for the fashion, but for who’s behind it. The brand has teamed up with the Toronto-born label NorBlack NorWhite in what’s being celebrated as a landmark collaboration. For many in the South Asian community, it’s a rare moment of representation in an industry that often borrows from their culture without credit.

mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the pandemic. But now, that science is under political attack in the United States. Funding is being pulled, approvals are being delayed, and the science questioned by politicians. Science journalist Elie Dolgin joins us to explain how a technology once hailed as revolutionary is now facing an existential threat — and what that could cost in the fight against diseases.

Hospital parking is expensive. Add that to the already high cost of being sick. Cancer patients, parents and caregivers can spend thousands on parking and are calling for fees to be reduced or eliminated. But hospitals say they need the money to help pay for healthcare in a stretched system. We hear from one patient about the cost, and why when Nova Scotia recently made parking at hospitals free, it didn't exactly go as planned.

Dave Burnett started his degree in 1976. Now 49 years later, he is graduating. He talks to Matt Galloway about that moment crossing the stage nearly half a century in the making. The 68-year-old just completed his agriculture degree — and reflects on the long road to graduation — a story of addiction, recovery and achieving long-held dreams. 

As thousands of graduates toss their caps in the air, the president of Canada’s largest university is stepping down. Meric Gertler reflects on 12 years at the helm of the University of Toronto — and the future of education and life after the classroom in the age of AI and fewer jobs. 

 As the prime minister eyes a number of “nation-building” projects, the country is in need of tens of thousands more tradespeople to make them happen. We hear from high school students planning to pursue jobs in the trades, while economists Simon Gaudreault and Jim Stanford debate whether lowering standards and encouraging greater immigration could get this country the skilled workers it needs.

Many small communities across the country are struggling to survive, as people age and their children chase big city life. Powell River, B.C. is trying to keep its own numbers up with the help of a conductor who’s worked with some of the world’s biggest orchestras. In her documentary War and Peace, the CBC’s Liz Hoath hears from locals who say Arthur Arnold is bringing a lot more than music to their town of 13,000 people.

Israel targeted nuclear facilities inside Iran in a major attack against the country, killing top military brass and civilians alike. Iran is already retaliating against what it calls a “declaration of war” by Israel with drone strikes of its own. We hear from a journalist and an Iranian political expert about why the escalation is coming right now, and what it will take to de-escalate from here.

ALS is a death sentence for those diagnosed with it. Now a scientist in Moose Jaw claims he has discovered the secret to stopping the disease in its tracks. CBC’s Geoff Leo investigated the claims of a treatment, which desperate patients are forking over tens of thousands of dollars for, in his documentary Hard to Swallow.

When it comes to treating chronic pain, doctors have few options to reach for aside from opioid prescriptions for their patients. A non-opioid medication recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stands to change that. A journalist explains how researchers discovered a new way to combat pain with this drug, which a Canadian doctor describes as “almost the holy grail.”

ICE raids in L.A. sparked protests, pushback and stopped traffic in that city — which have been met with military force, as U.S. President Donald Trump sent in the National Guard and Marines earlier this week.  Antonio Gutierrez, co-founder of Organized Communities Against Deportations, says these moves are a threat to American democracy — and a law professor says the deployment risks politicizing the military.

Earlier this month, Remy Siu and his team at Sunset Visitor won a Peabody for their video game 1000xResist. The project was a success, to its own creators' surprise, as they attempted to create a story about mythology for the Asian diaspora. Siu talks about the big win — and a journalist breaks down the context of mass layoffs that are roiling a video game industry that’s facing growing pains.

It’s not always easy to get your kids reading in the summer. Whether it’s Minecraft or going to the swimming pool, kids have plenty of excuses to not pick up a book. Three experts are here with their favourite kids books for the season — and they tell us how you, too, can get the child in your life to keep reading.

From shore, the ocean looks brilliant, blue and clear. But somewhere out there, pirates, traffickers, slave labourers and migrants navigate the high seas — a place without laws. Ian Urbina shares the incredible stories of squid fishers who haven’t touched solid ground in years and of migrants shot at by Libya’s coastguard in the second season of his podcast The Outlaw Ocean.

Journalist Chris Hayes says “attention capitalism” demands we pay heed to everything at once, from social media doomscrolling to the 24-hour global news cycle. In a conversation with Matt Galloway from March, the MSNBC host explores what that means for our lives and politics — and explains why he thinks Donald Trump’s attention-grabbing antics are “a kind of feral instinct.”