The Current

The Current for July 15, 2021

Today on The Current: Canada facing pressure to help Afghan interpreters threatened by Taliban; Rachel Johnson on the personal and political dynamics of Brexit; the tricky monkeys that steal to barter for food; and Episode 3 of A Death in Cryptoland.
Mark Kelley is guest host of The Current. (CBC)

Full Episode Transcript

Today on The Current

As the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, interpreters who worked for the Canadian Armed Forces now face renewed threats to their lives from the Taliban. Guest host Mark Kelley talks to retired major-general David Fraser, one of three former Canadian generals urging the government to speed up the process of bringing Afghan interpreters to this country; and asks Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino what the federal government is doing to help those at risk.

Then, Rachel Johnson, the sister of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, campaigned against Brexit, while her brother hung his political hat on the phrase "Get Brexit Done." She joins us to talk about political and personal crises, the family dynamics of being a staunch Remainer, and her new book, Rake's Progress: The Madcap True Tale of My Political Midlife Crisis

Plus, macaque monkeys are notorious for stealing from humans, but did you know they can also barter for food and negotiate to return the things they've stolen? University of Lethbridge associate professor Jean-Baptiste Leca has studied these creatures, and tells us what he's learned.

And this summer, we're bringing you a few of the best original CBC podcasts. Today it's Episode 3 of A Death in Cryptoland, in which host Takara Small explores the cataclysmic chain of events that come after the young CEO of Canada's biggest cryptocurrency exchange is reported dead.