The Current CBC News & Politics

The poet Molly Peacock turned to her art after the death of her husband. Alisa Siegel's documentary, What Can a Widow Be?, explores how Peacock found a way to not only cope but find a sense of freedom in her grief. Credit: The Widow’s Crayon Box by Molly Peacock. Copyright (c) 2024 by Molly Peacock. With permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

Four people were killed, including an infant and two grandparents, after police chased a suspect at high speed against traffic on an Ontario highway this week. We look at what goes into police decisions to engage in high-speed pursuits like this.

The CBC’s Sarah Leavitt brings us the latest from the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University, where a rival Israeli protest was held Thursday; public opinion researcher Dahlia Scheindlin explains the political mood inside Israel; and the WHO’s Nyka Alexander describes the dire conditions in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians fled to escape Israel’s airstrikes but now face a possible ground incursion.

A Fifth Estate documentary, Whose Police?, investigates a special RCMP unit created to police protests around natural resource projects in B.C. Critics say this public force is protecting the interests of private industry. 

In recent weeks, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been kicked out of question period for calling the prime minister a “wacko,” hinted at using the notwithstanding clause to crack down on criminals, and visited a controversial convoy-style camp protesting the carbon tax. How are these events playing with voters? We ask our national affairs panel: the CBC’s Catherine Cullen, the Toronto Star’s Stephanie Levitz, and the National Post’s Ryan Tumilty.

Arielle Johnson has a PhD in the science of flavour and says knowing the basic building blocks of taste can help any cook create something delicious. She talks to Matt Galloway about her new book, Flavorama.