The Current

Today on The Current: Cities plunged back into lockdown, Episode four of CBC podcast Unlocking Bryson’s Brain

Journalist Rami Khouri says the explosion in Beirut is the latest "body blow" to the Lebanese, after successive crises have hit their country.

All summer long, The Current is bringing you the best of CBC podcasts. Here's what we're playing on air, and where to find episodes online.

Following the closure of queer spaces across the country, a researcher based in London suggests that remaining venues might become more inclusive following the pandemic.

Today on The Current: Calls for systemic change after Beirut explosion, Queer spaces closing under financial stress of COVID-19, Episode three of CBC podcast Unlocking Bryson’s Brain

Political analyst Rebecca Sive says putting a Black woman on the ticket could help Biden in key states where "Black women are a significant group of voters who really care and really turn out."

New series No Easy Answers looks at how we can safely return kids to school, Joe Biden set to reveal his running mate, Episode two of CBC podcast Unlocking Bryson’s Brain

A month from now — in normal times — university and college dorms would be filling up with students, but high school graduates are facing a number of unknowns as they prepare to attend their first year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

High school grads prepare for higher education amid pandemic, Unlocking Bryson's Brain - "The Mystery Disease"

A migrant worker says he was unfairly fired from Scotlynn Farms in southwestern Ontario and threatened with deportation after speaking out about the conditions on the farm following the death of his bunkmate from COVID-19. 

The New Yorker's Jill Lepore takes a look back at how the polio vaccine saved lives and changed the course of history, and how resistance to it may be repeated in the era of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau grilled over WE Charity scandal, Migrant worker fired, facing deportation after voicing COVID-19 fears, Migrant workers need more protections, lawyer says, 3 billion animals killed, displaced during Australian wildfires

Richard Antoine White, the first African American to earn a doctorate in music for tuba performance, recounts what it was like to grow up black and homeless in Baltimore as the son of an alcoholic mother — and how, through music, that childhood did not come to define the rest of his life.

U.S. lawmakers grill the Big Tech CEOs, Local spikes of COVID-19 more likely than “second wave,” Are face shields an alternative to masks?, From homelessness to elite classical tuba player

As politicians and school boards grapple with the challenge of how to safely reopen schools in the fall, some education experts are suggesting a simple solution — hold class outside. 

What happens to all your stuff after you drop it off to a Goodwill store? In his new book, journalist Adam Minter takes a deep dive into the global secondhand economy, and argues prolonging the useful life of our products will help the environment.

WE co-founders testify before House finance committee, How WE controversy will affect entire charity sector, Holding class outdoors amid pandemic, A journey through the secondhand economy

A WE Charity worker says he and his team were encouraged to prioritize the interests of corporations whose operations did not fit into the organization’s ethical structure over that of its charitable work.