Big Headlines: Iran strikes energy facilities in the Middle East while police thwart school attacks in two Canadian provinces

Plus: European leaders meet in Brussels, Poilievre on Joe Rogan's podcast, Canada's ranking on the World Happiness Report, and can the Canadian Armed Forces keep out white supremacists? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at [email protected]  Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

A recent investigation exposed several members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) had accounts on a whites-only dating site that worked to promote white supremacy ideology. It comes almost a year after the RCMP arrested four men, including CAF members for plotting to forcibly take over land in Quebec using military weapons. Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Dr. David Hofmann, the Director of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Program at the University of New Brunswick and an expert on far-right extremism and violence, to discuss how - or if - the CAF is able to sift out white supremacists from their recruitment, why militaries are so attractive to white nationalists, and how the CAF takes action once an extremist is identified. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Plus: The Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 2.25%, the federal government is appealing a ruling on its use of the Emergencies Act, and Venezuela wins the World Baseball Classic. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at [email protected]  Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

It's been an emotional rollercoaster of a week so far for US President Trump. First he was greatly disappointed that none of his allies wanted to donate their military resources to guard commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Then he said he wasn't surprised that NATO worked on what he called a 'one way street' basis. Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Willy Lowry, one of the hosts of Two Blocks from the White House - a CBC podcast about US politics from a Canadian context - and a correspondent for CBC News in Washington. The two discuss where Trump's calculations went wrong for on ally support, how Canada could use a 'get out of jail free' card, and how much deeper the war could expand. You can listen to Two Blocks from the White House here: https://app.magellan.ai/listen_links/2BFTWHxTBS We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Plus: Canadian home sales slow, the Vatican returns Indigenous items to Canada, a federal investigation into numerous fishing regulations is underway, and what is A-I baby slop? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at [email protected]  Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

It's like brain-rot but for babies. And all of a sudden, it's not funny anymore. AI baby slop, a form of content that consists of highly stimulating audio and video of random objects and sounds, posted on YouTube, and found by children whose algorithm cues it up after their parent chose a separate video. Host Catherine Jette speaks with Dr. Keri Ewart, Chair of the Bachelor of Education program and assistant professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, to discuss how these videos are produced and for whom. They also dig into what kind of content children should be consuming, and how AI can help in childhood development, but with close supervision. You can find the New York Times article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/us/ai-videos-children-youtube.html We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Plus: The cost of living saw a big cool down last month, Carney is in London, rising fuel costs, and will Canada's immigration system regret relying on Artificial Intelligence? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at [email protected]  Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently announced its AI Strategy as part of the AI Strategy for the Federal Public Service 2025-2027. Included are measures to streamline the ministry's administrative tasks using AI without allowing the technology to make executive decisions on applications. According to the IRCC, AI has been used since 2013, although only for what it calls 'if-then' models, but starting this year, it says it will be used to triage applications and respond to inquiries. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Joshua Schachnow, a family lawyer and the CEO of Visto.AI to learn more about the technology's potential to help the ministry become more efficient, but also what dangers we should be on the lookout for. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Plus: February was a bad month for the labour market, Carney arrives in Norway, Canadians are changing their March Break travel plans, NASA's historic flight, and is Canada missing the mark on alcohol awareness? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us: Through email at [email protected]  Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

What is the most harmful substance in Canada? You may not be able to guess it-- but according to a recent Canada-wide study, it's alcohol. While it may not cause the most deaths, the study suggests it causes the most harms. And that's aggravated by that fact that most Canadians are woefully uninformed about the basics of alcohol safety and consumption. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a Toronto-based family physician and clinical researcher to discuss the price Canadians pay - both physically and fiscally - for the lack of awareness of alcohol dangers, and how Ottawa can fill the policy gaps to reduce deaths and harms. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky