- Biden era begins: a pandemic, impeachment and deep divisions await
Thursday, January 21st 2021
On his first day in office, Joe Biden signed 17 executive actions relating to protections against deportations of immigrant children, the Paris climate accord and a new leader in COVID response. Edward Keenan, Toronto Star’s Washington bureau chief, talks to “This Matters” host Adrian Cheung about the final days of the Trump presidency, what to expect from Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in their first 100 days and what the Canada-U.S. relationship looks like now. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can subscribe at thestar.com/subscribingmatters.
- Waiting game: What’s delaying the vaccine rollout?
Wednesday, January 20th 2021
If ever there was something that figuratively needed a shot in the arm, it's the vaccine rollout across Canada, and unfortunately due to manufacturer delays, many Canadians will be waiting a while longer until they get that literal shot in the arm. The Star's Alex Boyd has covering vaccines and joins us to talk about what the holdup is and what other COVID-19 medicines we are waiting for and why.
If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can subscribe at thestar.com/subscribingmatters.
- A more contagious COVID variant explained
Tuesday, January 19th 2021
Just as Canada and countries around the world struggle to contain COVID, another wrench has been thrown into the mix. How does a virus mutate? Should you be worried about the COVID variants? Does it affect how existing vaccines work? Two experts, two interviews: Dr. Tony Mazzulli, Microbiologist-in-Chief of the University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital’s microbiology department, along with Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious disease expert and clinician at the University Health Network, join “This Matters” host Adrian Cheung to demystify the science behind virus mutations, what to know about protecting yourself and what can be done to control the new strains of the virus.
- What’s for dinner? Lab-grown meat and the ethics of food science
Monday, January 18th 2021
In late 2020, a scientific breakthrough happened that had nothing to do with COVID vaccines. Singapore became the first country in the world to authorize the sale of lab-grown meat. Matt Simon, science reporter for WIRED Magazine, talks to host Adrian Cheung about the mystery behind the meat, fact checks the claims made by cultured meat companies and discusses why the future of meat might (or might not) be found inside of a test tube. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can subscribe here.
- Misinformed by disinformation and a lack of media literacy
Friday, January 15th 2021
Disinformation and misinformation can make us emotional and angry and can even lead to violence. So how do we learn to recognize that and better assess the information we are flooded with? On today’s episode, disinformation expert and critical thinking advocate Helen Lee Bouygues talks about the power and the dangers of dis- and misinformation in a hyperpolarized world and how we can improve our critical thinking skills in these uncertain times.
