It’s been 20 years since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. It was done on the promise of freedom, but the country is still mired in political violence and corruption two decades later. Matt Galloway speaks with Louisa Loveluck, the Washington Post's Baghdad bureau chief. He also discusses the impact the war had on Iraqis, with Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, an Iraqi journalist and author of the new book, A Stranger in Your Own City; and Nadje Al-Ali, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Brown University and author of What Kind of Liberation?: Women and the Occupation of Iraq.

The Colorado River system provides critical drinking and irrigation supply for seven U.S. states — but water levels on the river have dropped in recent years. CBC News’ Susan Ormiston has been travelling along the river for the past week. She tells us more.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and many people hunkered down at home, author Peggy Orenstein decided to embark on a more ambitious project: shearing sheep and making a sweater. She talks with us about that experience and her new book, Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater.

A judge in Texas is considering whether to overturn federal regulatory approval of Mifepristone, a commonly used abortion pill. New York Times health and science writer Pam Belluck tells us more.

Public libraries have seen an increase in violent incidents, with some installing metal detectors and security personnel. We discuss the balance of providing a public, yet safe, space for patrons and staff with three librarians: Paul Burry, director of the Prince George Public Library in B.C.; Pam Ryan, director of service, development and innovation at the Toronto Public Library; and Pilar Martinez, CEO of the Edmonton Public Library and the chair of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council’s safety and security working group.

Two U.S. banks collapsed in less than a week, while in Europe, Credit Suisse teetered on the brink of failure before Switzerland's central bank stepped in with a loan. Are there implications for Canada’s banking sector? Matt Galloway talks to Eric Reguly, European bureau chief for The Globe and Mail; and Kenneth Rogoff, a professor of economics at Harvard University and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund.

Many international medical students left Ukraine when Russia invaded, but they’re now being told to return for their final exam. We hear from a student who feels it’s not safe to return to a war zone; and Kostyantyn Rybachuk, who’s with the department of Ukraine's Ministry of Health, which oversees the exam.

Cyclone Freddy has claimed hundreds of lives in Malawi, a country already dealing with a cholera outbreak. We talk to Felix Washon, working with the Malawi Red Cross Society in the country’s second largest city, Blantyre.

Renowned Canadian architect Phyllis Lambert has always been a passionate advocate for design that puts people first. She talks to Matt Galloway about how to build better cities, being engaged well into her 90s, and her new photography book Observation Is a Constant That Underlies All Approaches.

A conservative Catholic organization in the U.S. has spent millions on data from dating and hook-up apps, and used that data to track and publicly out gay priests. We talk to Michelle Boorstein, a religion reporter for the Washington Post; and discuss how your data could be harvested and used with Teresa Scassa, a professor and the Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy at the University of Ottawa.

Garbage is piling up in Paris as sanitation workers strike over government plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Matt Galloway talks to Ben Barnier, a senior correspondent with France Télévisions; and Elena Bassoli, a health economist at the Paris School of Economics.

The federal government has pledged $75.9 million to address the backlog of passenger complaints related to lost luggage and delayed or cancelled flights. Guest host Mark Kelley discusses how to address the root problems with Christine Waugh, who has filed three small court claims against WestJet; Tom Oommen, director general of the analysis and outreach branch of the Canadian Transportation Agency; and John Gradek, an aviation management professor at McGill University and a former Air Canada executive.

After a recent U.K. trial of a four-day work week, over 90 per cent of the participating companies decided to stick to the 32-hour week. We talk to John Trougakos, an advisor at the Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence; and Amanda Watson, a lecturer specializing in labour and capitalism at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C.

Researchers have mapped the brain of a fruit fly. It’s a scientific first that could help us understand our own brains in the future. Marta Zlatic, a neuroscientist who worked on the mapping, tells us more.

Off the coast of Iceland, an adult female orca was spotted with a baby pilot whale — likely not more than a month old. The unusual scenario has surprised experts; we hear why from Elizabeth Zwamborn, a PhD candidate at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Two people died and nine others were injured when a pickup truck ran into pedestrians in Amqui, Que., on Monday. We hear more from CBC Quebec reporter Émilie Warren.

Collagen is getting celebrity endorsements as a hair and skincare product — but the billion-dollar industry has been linked to deforestation in the Amazon, and the large-scale slaughter of donkeys and other livestock in Africa. We talk to Andrew Wasley, food and agriculture reporter for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism; Sian Edwards, campaigns manager at The Donkey Sanctuary in the U.K.; and Michael White, a pharmacist and distinguished professor at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy.

The collapse of California-based Silicon Valley Bank has sent companies scrambling in the U.S. and Canada. Guest host Mark Kelley talks to Anya Klimbovskaia, co-founder of Toronto-based startup Diversio, which had deposits at Silicon Valley Bank; and Claire Brownell, a digital currencies reporter for The Logic.

Parents who overshare pictures and videos of their kids online are sometimes accused of “sharenting” — using cute or embarrassing moments to boost views, likes and sometimes income. But there are growing concerns about the impact on children’s privacy. We talk to Sarah Adams, who runs Mom.Uncharted, a TikTok account about the dangers of “sharenting”; Alana Kayfetz, a content creator and founder of Mom Halo, a network of millennial moms in Canada; and Leah Plunkett, author of Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk about Our Kids Online.

In a stretched health-care system, some Canadians are turning to private clinics that charge fees for virtual appointments. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the clinics are at odds with Canada’s pledges on universal health care, but advocates say they ensure timely access for patients. Guest host Mark Kelley talks to Dr. Brett Belchetz, co-founder and CEO of Maple, which offers telephone and online visits; and André Picard, a health reporter and columnist with The Globe and Mail.