Front Burner

The video game phenomenon set to release Friday isn’t a U.S. military shooter, a space epic or even a carjacking simulator. FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, a fantasy game from an auteur Japanese video game director, is part of a series known for its unwelcoming gameplay and frustrating difficulty. The cult following of previous games like Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls has exploded into mainstream popularity, with trailers for the series showing up on network television and before movies. To write the background for Elden Ring's world, FromSoftware managed to recruit author George R.R. Martin, who wrote the A Song of Ice and Fire novels that became the basis for Game of Thrones. Fans on the game's Reddit forums have said — some satirically, some genuinely — that they fear they might die before they get to experience Elden Ring. Today, to understand how a challenging niche game captured the world's attention, we'll talk with GameSpot managing editor Tamoor Hussain as he explains the allure of the game's desolate atmosphere, and how its difficulty level helped him through some real-life personal struggles.

The streets in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa are now mostly cleared after more than three weeks of intense protest. But the debate inside Parliament carried on into Monday night as MPs voted to pass the Emergencies Act. Still, the impact of those convoy protests that led to the unprecedented use of this emergency law could last beyond just this week. Today, Aaron Wherry, of CBC's Parliamentary Bureau, talks about the potential effects of the convoy protests on the Conservative Party, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the health of our political discourse writ large.

As police clashed with protesters near Parliament this weekend, a different fight was playing out inside the House of Commons: a debate over the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act. The federal Liberals invoked the act last Monday, granting temporary powers to the government to handle ongoing blockades and protests against pandemic restrictions, including clearing protesters and freezing associated bank accounts. The Liberals say it was a necessary move to end illegal protests; some opponents, meanwhile, argue it was an overreach that sets a dangerous precedent for cracking down on future protests. The House of Commons is set for a vote that could strike down the emergency powers tonight. But the Canadian Civil Liberties Association is one of multiple groups taking the federal government to court over the act’s use. Today, executive director and general counsel Noa Mendelsohn Aviv on what the CCLA fears the normalization of emergency powers could mean for Canadian democracy.

Anna Maria Tremonti has been keeping her past a secret for over 40 years. As one of Canada’s most respected journalists, she has a reputation for being fearless. She’s reported from some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. But there’s one story she’s never made public: when she was 23 years old, she married a man who became physically abusive. This is the first time Anna Maria has told anyone—including family or close friends—the details of what she endured. Working with her therapist, she reveals the intimate details of a past she’s kept to herself for most of her life. If you or someone you know is affected by intimate partner violence, you can find a list of resources at cbc.ca/WTPresources. More episodes are available at: hyperurl.co/welcometoparadise

In this special edition of Front Burner, we take you to the heart of the convoy protest that has been choking our national capital. Jayme Poisson goes inside a key supply camp in Ottawa and accompanies Steve Day, former head of the Canadian Armed Forces’ JTF-2 special-operations task force, to other protest sites to examine the challenges law enforcement could face. We also talk to protesters about why they’re digging in.

Twenty-two years ago, an aspiring actor named Johnny Knoxville teamed up with a group of filmmakers, misfits and daredevils from the underground skateboarding scene — including Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, and many more. They dared each other to do a series of wild pranks and captured the whole thing on camera and the Jackass universe was born. Their meteoric rise to superstardom is the stuff of legend — and controversy. Now, two decades and many injuries later, they’re still at it. Even as the rest of the world has changed around it, Jackass has managed to stay relevant. Last week, the fourth and potentially final instalment hit theatres and quickly became the number one movie in North America. Today on Front Burner, we talk to senior editor at Rolling Stone, David Fear, to bring you the story of Jackass — a tale of everlasting friendship and chaos.

After multiple delays, public hearings finally begin next week as part of the inquiry into the largest mass shooting in Canadian history. From 10 p.m. on April 18, 2020, well into the next day, a man disguised as a Mountie stalked across nearly 200 kilometres of rural Nova Scotia shooting neighbours, strangers, acquaintances and torching houses. He ultimately killed 22 people. One survivor of the rampage was Lisa Banfield, the killer’s common-law spouse, who — along with her brother and brother-in-law — has since been criminally charged with supplying the shooter with ammunition. Now, the brother-in-law’s lawyer says the charge against his client is “an effort to distract attention away from the incompetence of the RCMP.” Today, CBC Nova Scotia reporter Elizabeth McMillan is here to discuss those charges, which will soon be going to trial, and the looming inquiry, which some families are worried will continue to keep them in the dark.

Nearly two full years have passed since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Now, from the Coutts border-crossing blockade in Alberta, to the streets around Parliament Hill, it’s obvious that there are some people with very strong opinions out there about how the disease is being handled. But beyond the noise of these chaotic protests, how exactly do Canadians feel about how we’ve weathered COVID-19? And how do they feel about the protests? David Coletto is the CEO of the polling firm Abacus Data, which has been asking people across the country for their thoughts. He breaks down what the numbers tell us so far. The margin of error for the data discussed in today’s episode is about 2.5 to 2.6 per cent.

Russian prodigy Kamila Valieva made figure skating history last week, becoming the first woman to land a solo quadruple jump at the Olympics. In fact, Valieva landed two quadruple jumps as she led Russia to the women’s team gold. But just two days later, the medal ceremony for the event was suddenly delayed — and we’ve since learned that Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication in December. The Court for Arbitration in Sport has now ruled Valieva can still compete in the women's individual event, but there will be no medal ceremony if she lands on the podium. Shortly before the ruling, we spoke to freelance journalist Gabby Paluch about how this case fits into a history of Russian doping, and about the story behind the notoriously tough coach that’s both making and breaking young stars like Valieva.

World news, local voices. Nothing is Foreign is a weekly trip to where the story is unfolding. Hosted by Tamara Khandaker. This episode takes you inside El Salvador to hear from locals to see how the promise of a cryptocurrency paradise by a self-professed 'world's coolest dictator' is running up against the reality of regular people just trying to survive. More episodes are available at: http://hyperurl.co/nothingisforeign