As It Happens

As It Happens: Thursday Edition

Dec. 13, 2018

Full Episode Transcript

Part One

China: 2nd Canadian detained
After Canada arrests a Chinese executive for the U.S., China arrests a second Canadian for what Canada did — and our guest says these efforts to get even are getting odd.

Maria Butina guilty
She presented herself as just a weapons-loving Russian who wanted to make friends in America — but today, Maria Butina pleaded guilty to "conspiring to act as a foreign agent." 

Cigarette fined
 A Quebec theatre is fined, after an actor smokes in a scene. Artistic director Marc Gourdeau explains how the cigarette is integral to the the dynamic between the two characters — which are a guy and his own penis. 

Part Two

China arrest: politics
Ottawa says there was nothing political about the arrest of Meng Wanzhou — but U.S. President Trump insists on making his ulterior motives exterior. 

Space definition
Virgin Galactic says its ship made it to space today, but some aren't so sure — because the definition of where space really begins is, like, people don't even know, it's like "Whoa." 

Part Three

Facebook partnership
A while ago, a humble-seeming Facebook announced it would team up with media experts to stop the spread of fake news. But one journalist and fact-checker says the partnership was more about rebranding than debunking. 

Encore: artillery shell
Re-broadcast of an interview from this past May, with London, Ontario resident Danny Vellow — who discovered someone had put out a First World War artillery shell on Garbage Day.