The Currentwith Anna Maria Tremonti

Today on The Current: we look at the political turmoil in Britain and France and what it says about the wider trend in Western democracies; could a new bill that aims to help Indigenous women actually end up harming them?; and why some people argue that minimalism, and living with less, is actually a form of consumerism.

James Allison is an immunologist who rejected scientific orthodoxy early in his career, but has earned the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his revolutionary work on cancer treatment. Not all scientists who go rogue reap the rewards however, so where's the line between confidence and stubbornness?

The Arrest of tech exec Meng Wanzhou is underlining worries that her company, Huawei, could use its position in Canada as a means for espionage or retaliation against the government.

In many ways, Lisa Brennan-Jobs' memoir Small Fry tells stories that will ring true to many kids of parents who have split — except that her father was Apple co-founder and tech messiah Steve Jobs.

Today on The Current: does Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei pose a risk to western communications systems?; as a scientific maverick is awarded a Nobel Prize today, we look at where going rogue pays off in research, and where it doesn't; and Lisa Brennan-Jobs tells us about her childhood and her father, the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

A 26-year-old Christian missionary was killed last month when he snuck onto a remote island in the Indian Ocean. John Allen Chau hoped to preach to an uncontacted tribe, but he was killed. His death has sparked a debate: was he a martyr, or misguided?

With over 60 per cent of the population living on the brink of famine and an estimated 85,000 children dead from malnutrition, the war has propelled the country into a devastating humanitarian crisis.

A new government report says hackers are increasingly targeting smart home devices, from thermostats to security cameras.

Today on The Current: the death of a missionary on a remote island has sparked a debate over whether he was a martyr, or misguided; could an end finally be in sight for the devastating conflict in Yemen?; as the ‘internet of things’ grows, who bears the responsibility for making sure our smart devices are secure?

The health benefits of breastfeeding are well-established, but not every new mother can do it. Those who can't are finding themselves relying on expensive formula — sometimes having to forage for it online or in food banks — with little help from health policy that insists "breast is best."

We look at how the fat-tailed dwarf lemur could hold the secret to human hibernation, and whether that could be the key to deep-space travel.

Gina Parvaneh Cody graduated from Concordia with her PhD in engineering the same year as the École Polytechnique massacre. She talks to Anna Maria Tremonti about how she donated $15 million to her alma mater to "make a future where women are allowed in engineering."

Today on The Current: are new mothers who can't breastfeed being left behind by "breast is best" health policies?; we speak to Gina Parvaneh Cody, the first woman to have an engineering building and faculty named after her; we take a look at the phenomenon of celebrity deaths — where no one has actually died; and we look at how the fat-tailed dwarf lemur could hold the secret to human hibernation, and whether that could be the key to deep-space travel.

After a boxing match in Quebec City left a fighter in an induced coma, questions are being asked about the sport's safety. Anna Maria Tremonti spoke to two medical professionals, and the son of a Canadian boxing legend.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley tells Anna Maria Tremonti that oil production cuts are just a short-term stopgap to Alberta's oil price "crisis." She says her government will push for upgrades and more pipelines as a long-term solution.

Justin Trudeau's $50 million tweet to Trevor Noah caused consternation among his opponents this week — but where is the money actually going? We speak to Yasmine Sherif, director of Education Cannot Wait.

We hear from scientists who are saying we need to pay more attention to something called subsidence, or sinking ground, because they say is being exacerbated by climate change.

Today on the Current: We talk to Premier of Alberta Rachel Notley about the mandatory cut in oil production, and her longer-term plans to tackle the price problem; in light of recent boxing injuries, we talk to two doctors about whether the sport should be abolished; we look at where the $50 million fund announced in Justin Trudeau's tweet is actually going; and we hear from scientists who are saying we need to pay more attention to subsidence, or sinking ground, that they say is being exacerbated by climate change.

Witnesses to testimony at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada have been motivated to build a better country, says the commission's chair Senator Murray Sinclair. He's seen firsthand who suffers most when the truth is sidelined.

People will find a way to defend their beliefs even when faced with contradictory evidence, says psychologist James Alcock. He talks to Anna Maria Tremonti about why we believe what we believe, and how evolution played a role.

Anna Maria Tremonti speaks with a journalist and a technologist about how technology is being deployed to undermine truth in the modern world, and whether technology could also be used to fight back.

In a special edition, The Current looks at the state of truth in our world today: from why we believe what we believe; to who suffers most when the truth gets sidelined; and the groups and technologies being deployed on both sides of the war on reality.