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The AIH Transcript for February 07, 2020

Hosts: Carol Off and Chris Howden

CAROL OFF: Hello, I’m Carol Off.

CHRIS HOWDEN: Good evening, I'm Chris Howden. This is As It Happens.

[Music: Theme]

Prologue

CH: Tonight:

CO: A nation divided. People across the country are protesting in solidarity with members of the Wet'suwet'en Nation who don't want a pipeline built on their territory.

CH: But one Wet'suwet'en woman tells us why she and others support the northern B.C. project — and why she's been afraid to speak her mind.

CO: All by himself: Our guest was waiting-out the quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship along with his wife. That is, until she tested positive for the coronavirus.

CH: Doing Ka-white well on their own. Some fans worried the Toronto Raptors were doomed after they lost star player Kawhi Leonard. But a sports journalist tells us how the team has managed to exceed everyone's expectations...during a record-setting win streak.

CO: The doctors aren't in. New Brunswick is shutting down overnight emergency rooms in six of the province's hospitals. One rural doctor says it's only a matter of time before that decision has deadly consequences.

CH: And ... The wind at your bike. The whole point of the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships is to ride against gale-force winds. But a powerful storm sweeping across Europe means it's too windy for even these road warriors.

CH: As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that never faults cyclists for packing it in when they're two-tired.

[Music: Theme]

Part one: Wet'suwet'en: pipeline supporter, coronavirus: cruise passenger, Joseph Shabalala obit

Wet'suwet'en: pipeline supporter

Guest: Bonnie George

CH: Today has been another day of protest across the country — in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in Northern B.C.

SOUNDCLIP

[Sound{ Drumming and cheering]

CH: In Victoria, protesters cheered as they barred MLAs from entering the B.C. legislature before this afternoon's throne speech. In Ontario, demonstrators were stationed at a rail crossing near Belleville for the sixth day in a row. Via Rail says more than 24-thousand passengers have now been affected by cancellations. And back in Northern B.C. — where the CGL pipeline is supposed to be built — police continued to enforce a court injunction that has led to dozens of arrests. But while opposition continues to mount, 20 affected band councils have signed onto the project. And Bonnie George says many local Wet'suwet'en people are on board. She's a Wet'suwet'en member of the Witset First Nation and a former Coastal GasLink employee. We reached her in Telkwa, B.C.

CO: Bonnie, how many people in Witset First Nation do you believe share your support for the Coastal GasLink project?

BONNIE GEORGE: There's quite a bit of support for this project, but people are afraid to speak up. Because in the past few years, people that has broken up were either ostracized or ridiculed. And even with me accepting employment contract with Coastal GasLink, I was called a traitor, and I was just totally bullied on social media and so on. And there is a small, small group of members from the Wet'suwet'en Nation that doesn't support the projects.

CO: But Witset Band Council is among those 20 First Nation band councils who have given their support to the Coastal GasLink project. And then the argument back has been, well, you know were people onside with that? Were the members of those First Nations, did they support it? So what did Witset Band Council do to consult or to say that they actually have the support of the people in your community?

BG: There was community meetings, and there was obvious a small group of individuals that didn't support that crashed the meetings and was very outspoken. So it went to a blind vote in-camera, and the results came out as it is now that they voted to sign. And so from there, the resistance gained a lot of momentum from a lot of outsiders from the U.S. and from Eastern Canada — which unravelled to what it looks like today.

CO: You say it's a small group who are the ones making the noise about this — who are who are protesting. But a small group that includes hereditary chiefs who oppose the project, who say that their role in your society is to protect the land. It's not to protect the interests of any particular band council, but a more widespread responsibility to safeguard the unseated territory. So…

BG: That's absolutely correct. And I would also like to say that there is two sides of the story. Within our band council, we do have hereditary chiefs that sit on the council and that also know their role and understand their role as a hereditary chief and as band council. And they're able to hold those two roles to the utmost respect for the betterment of the people of their membership because it's a membership that voted them in.

CO: Last week on our show, we spoke with Karla Tait, who's a Wet'suwet'en opponents of the pipeline. she has been at the Unist'ot'en healing house at the protest site. She was arrested and released yesterday. But she told us last week that she thinks that Coastal GasLink has persuaded people like you that this project is inevitable, and well, you might as well cash in. Here is some of what she had to say to us last week.

SOUNDCLIP

KARLA TAIT: That same argument is exactly the line that CGL used to coerce many of the band councils into signing agreements in the first place. The threat that this will happen whether you say it can or not, and you might as well get some small economic benefit.

CO: What do you say to Karla Tait?

BG: I highly doubt it. Because I've worked on the projects as well, and I've also worked on the ground with the project managers, and I've never, ever felt threatened or coerced in any way. That's unfair to say that there was coercion used because the staff and the members on the negotiating team and the Indigenous relations are tied to professionalism in dealing with all First Nations.

CO: I just wonder though as you're watching events unfold these days, how it's the protests and the opposition is escalating, this has come from a court-ordered injunction enforced by police who arrived in tactical gear. How do you feel about how the government has dealt with it? Do you think that the authorities could have done a better job at handling this?

BG: Well, the authorities, there are just like the rest of us. They have a job to fulfill. They have a injunction in front of them that they have to enforce. As a Wet'suwet'en person, it's really disheartening to see all of this unravel as it has. Because our people, they've always had discussions. If there was disharmony or disagreements within the clan or house or within a nation, they would come to the table together as one, and they would keep discussing until they come together with the conclusion that both parties agree with. And my hope is that we do do that. And looking at all the support from all across Canada and all over the world, you know it's a two-sided coin. Because you know it's good that people come together to support other nations. But, on the other hand, it would be good for them to hear both sides of the story. You know, talk to our grassroots people who work out there. Talk to are individuals that's losing on you know every day that this is holding them back for work. It's holding them back their paychecks.

CO: What kind of reaction do you think you're going to get to this interview? What are people…how do you think you go respond to you making these statements on this radio show?

BG: Well, I've endured a lot of criticism and a lot of remarks on social media being called dumb, being called a traitor. But I overlook that because I hold a lot of pride in myself. And I keep my integrity very high. I will not jeopardize my integrity because I come from a line of hereditary chiefs on my mother's side and my father's side. And they're the one that taught me what I know today. And I will not jeopardize or dishonour that integrity.

CO: Bonnie, I really appreciate speaking with you. Thank you.

BG: Thank you.

CH: Bonnie George is a Wet'suwet'en member of the Witset First Nation and a former Coastal GasLink employee. We reached her in Telkwa, British Columbia. In a statement released today, Coastal GasLink said, quote, "This week will see the recommencement of construction activities in Wet'suwet'en territory and the return to work of many members of the Wet'suwet'en community." Unquote. For more on this story, visit our website at: www.cbc.ca/aih.

[Music: Horns!]

Coronavirus: cruise passenger

Guest: Kent Frasure

CH: Being quarantined on a cruise ship is not ideal. But one couple from Oregon figured at least they were in it together, on board the Diamond Princess in Japan. That is, until Rebecca Frasure contracted the new coronavirus. Now, she's in a Tokyo hospital — and her husband Kent is still cooped up inside his cruise ship hotel room. Ms Frasure is one of 135 passengers on board the ship confirmed to have contracted the virus — now known by the name "COVID-19." And the couple's not sure exactly when they'll be reunited. We reached Kent Frasure on the Diamond Princess, off the coast of Tokyo.

CO: Kent, you have been quarantined on that ship now for a week. So how are you holding up?

KENT FRASURE: I'm doing okay. Things are kind of starting to get into a rhythm. The Princess is starting to figure out the service a bit more. And I’m staving off boredom as good as I can.

CO: [laughing] And The Princess being the Diamond Princess — which is the name of the boat.

KF: Yes.

CO: Yeah.

KF: Yeah.

CO: Okay, so last week, your wife Rebecca was quarantined with you. Where is she now?

KF: She is currently in a hospital north of Tokyo.

CO: And what's going on with her?

KF: She is doing good. So she tested positive, but she's never actually shown symptoms. So in the very beginning, she had a very minor cough. But ever since going to the hospital, she's been just fine.

CO: But this is something if she is infected, this happened while she's been onboard the Diamond Princess?

KF: Correct.

CO: Yeah. How did they learn? How was she diagnosed?

KF: So coming into Yokohama — which is the port that we are in Tokyo — the Japanese officials boarded the ship and had everybody fill out questionnaires, as well as taking the temperature of everybody on board. Part of that questionnaire was did you visit mainland China? Do you have any symptoms? Are you taking any medication for those symptoms? Or do you take painkillers? We regularly take ibuprofen for like headaches. And because of that, we answered yes on that questionnaire, and that's what triggered the initial test.

CO: The testing isn't done on anybody else except if you answer yes to one of those questions?

KF: Initially, yes. They also gave out thermometers actually the day that Rebecca was taken to the hospital. And if the reading is above a certain temperature, they ask you to report that to them. And then they will do a test. But it's only been self-reporting. They aren't systematically going through and testing individuals. The numbers that I've been hearing from different people, it's a very low percentage of folks that have been tested — probably less than 50 per cent of the people on board have actually been tested.

CO: After Rebecca was diagnosed, what did they do? How did they take her away?

KF: They came and told her that she was diagnosed, and she had an hour to get ready. And that she would be gone for three to four days. Initially, it was a big shock. You know, it's just kind of beside ourselves. And we didn't really know what to think because we're both very healthy. And they basically came five to six hours later to take her. And then she just basically was taken down to an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

CO: What was that like for you? I mean, she’s removed into a hospital in the city, and you had no ability to go with her. How was that for you?

KF: It's tough being in a foreign place talking to people that don't really speak your language. It's been really difficult; we FaceTime each other a lot. The hardest part for me has just been not knowing what the future holds. I've been keeping myself busy. We're told that we're going to be getting off the ship on the 19th, so hopefully, that does happen. But I'm not really sure when Rebecca is going to get out of the hospital? So that's been difficult to internalize, and you know how are we going to get home? How you know how we're just going to be all that move on from this?

CO: And how concerned are you? You have been in the room with her. You've been in close proximity. Are you concerned that you have it as well?

KF: No, I've been tested twice. The first time, I know the tests came back negative. The second time, I haven't heard results from that. I’m not showing any symptoms. So if I do have it, I think even the risks of my health being affected dramatically are pretty low. So I'm not that concerned.

CO: Have you noticed as far as to what the company — what the cruise ship — is doing to reduce the spread of the virus? What precautions are they seem to be taking?

KF: So that's hard to say completely. I only get outside of my room about every four days for about an hour to walk around up on deck, which is the top of the ship. They have rules, everybody has to wear masks, everybody has to stay at least two metres away from each other. But other than that, it's really hard to say what else is going on. Nobody has been in my room since the quarantine started. So they haven't like sanitized my room or anything like that.

CO: Well, how do you get your meals?

KF: So I get a knock on the door, pretty random, and somebody hands a tray through the threshold.

CO: [chuckling] Okay, I mean there's no concern that, first of all, those poor people are actually encountering everybody who is sick or not sick. Plus, they're moving on to the next room after they've been at the other one?

KF: Right, yeah. And the crew are kind of the unsung heroes of all this. They have to go to every single room and deliver food, deliver new linens, just all sorts of different duties that they're still trying to perform.

CO: So health experts now there's some are suggesting that quarantine is not the best idea. That maybe initially was a good idea, but it's not effective like it is now. And one health expert said it was like being on that ship is being in a shooting gallery for the virus, and keeping you all together like that. How do you feel about this long quarantine?

KF: I would say under normal conditions, I would agree with that person. Like, that's how the virus spread through the ship so well. But since we've been under quarantine, I would completely disagree with that. We're getting fresh air that's not recycled air. The numbers that we're getting from the people that are sick are people that have, in my opinion, have been infected before the quality and started, and just now starting to show symptoms are being tested. I think it's effective, but maybe it's just a blunt force way to try to stop things.

CO: I presume this is going to be a vacation that you and Rebecca are not going to forget for a long time?

KF: Oh, no doubt. Yeah, this will be one that will remember for the rest of our lives. It's been quite an adventure.

CO: [dry laugh] Well, Kent, I'm glad you're healthy, and I hope Rebecca is okay.

KF: All right. Thank you.

CO: Take care. Bye-bye.

KF: Bye.

CH: Kent Frasure is an American passenger on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan. That's where we reached him.

[Music: Ambient]

Joseph Shabalala obit

Guest: Sipho Mabuse

CH: South Africans knew there was something special about Ladysmith Black Mambazo — years before Paul Simon fell in love with the Zulu choir. The American musician famously collaborated with the a capella group in the 1980s on his album "Graceland." But despite the sudden worldwide audience, the group's founder and frontman, Joseph Shabalala, wasn't fazed by the fame. He told Rolling Stone magazine, quote, "I am not in a hurry to go outside and sing for somebody. There is something in me, in my veins, that needs music. That's all." Unquote. Joseph Shabalala died today. He was 78 years old. He helped bring a traditional form of a capella — known in Zulu as "isicathamiya" — to a worldwide audience. Sipho Mabuse is a South African musician and a longtime friend of Joseph Shabalala. We reached him in Johannesburg.

CO: Sipho, first of all, I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.

SIPHO MABUSE: Thank you, thank you, I really appreciate that. We appreciate all the condolences we've received from all over the world, and some of these speeches. And we really appreciate that.

CO: And that's because that his — Joseph Shabalala’s — music touched millions of people around the world. So…but for you personally, what are you remembering about your friend today?

SM: Well, there so much to remember about Joseph Shabalala. One of the most important things that people…I think everybody who's actually and counted Joseph would know his humility. You know, everybody to him was just equal. And that for me made him you know a very remarkable human being.

CO: Can you tell us a bit about the music? Because people know this, perhaps not understanding where it comes from, people who have heard…well, first of all, those who know the music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo would know it. But also, those who would listen to Paul Simon, and hear “Diamonds On The Soles of her Shoes” would know this music.

SM: Yes, yes, yes.

CO: What is it about? What is the Zulu music sound? What is it that's unique about it?

SM: It’s traditional music. You know, I come from a lineage of uncles that would sing that music. It’s music that is created in a camaraderie spirit. So what Ladysmith Black Mambazo did was to come up to Joberg because most of the people came to work in Johannesburg. And it's the kind of music they would call isicathamiya. And few people understood the pebbles. It was just that music to bring people together.

CO: It brought a lot of people together, didn't it? Because, I mean, let’s just look at the politics for a moment of apartheid South Africa. Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo managed to put a musical bridge between black and white society in your country. But how did he do that? How did he elevate this to a place where it just had this universal quality to it?

SM: One very important part that we should not overlook is the interaction with Paul Simon. The interaction with Hilton Rosenthal. I think Paul had always been someone who you'd consider an explorer. Because if you listened to most of his music, he's probably traveled almost all over the world to try and find different kinds of music he could work with. And, indeed, when he recorded with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, he introduced that kind of music. Because the fusion that he created with the music through his lyrical sense — which obviously was in English — and what Ladysmith Black Mambazo did, and with the harmonic a cappella. You know, that combination was just fascinating. I think everybody understood where the music was heading — even though they could not understand the language. But the fact that Paul Simon was leading the process made it easier for the Western ear to appreciate the music even more so.

CO: And he then produced work of Ladysmith Black Mambazo that was separate from his own collaborations, right?

SM: Well, that was confirmation of the kind of love he had for the music. It was to affirm you know a Ladysmith Black Mambazo to say that whether you record music with me or you record the music alone, what is important is that I'm reaffirming what I loved, what I had began with you through the music I recorded.

CO: Wow! And, of course, then Ladysmith Black Mambazo went on to win five Grammy awards for their work. You said, you mentioned how humble Joseph was. How did he feel about that kind of attention?

SM: I always believed that it was not something that he was conscious of. He was someone that believes that you know he makes his music for a purpose, to make people happy, to say despite his creativity, to ensure that he educated people about himself, about his peoples. You know, about the Zulu culture. About the music of the African people in a certain area which was called Ladysmith.

CO: And you say that Paul Simon, he recognized that, he connected with. But I’m wondering about the other very famous musicians who collaborated with Joseph Shabalala, including Stevie Wonder, and Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris.

SM: And Michael Jackson.

CO: Did they respect them?

SM: Yes, very much so. You know, when Joseph walked into a room, you could feel that this man has made a contribution, he's made a difference to the rest of the world through his music.

CO: Is there any story, is there any particular memory that you're holding dear about your friend today?

SM: You know, for me, everywhere I've been everywhere, everywhere I’ve met Joseph when he was at his performances, he always ensured that you know he would let people know that I'm present. I remember this particular concert, which was in New Jersey with Harry Belafonte. And he was told that I was in the audience, and for some strange reason, he introduced me to the audience. Of course, many people didn't know who I was. But that for me was a great gesture from him. I didn't really realize the level of respect he had for me, much as I had the same kind of respect I had for him. And what also was critical is that we always refer to each other through our clan names. I would call him [indiscernible] and he would call me [indiscernible].

New Brunswick emerg rooms closing

Guest: Hubert Dupuis

CH: If you're going to have a medical crisis in rural New Brunswick, you'd better try to have it at a convenient time. Starting March 11th, the province will be closing emergency rooms overnight at six hospitals. Health care minister Ted Flemming says the move isn't about saving money: it's about freeing up more doctors to work during the day — when they can help more patients. Sussex Health Centre is one of the affected hospitals. Today, people gathered there to confront their local MLA, Bruce Northrup.

SOUNDCLIP

[Sound: Bell ringing]

[Sound: A lot of voices talking over one another]

MAN: You’ll just keep cutting and cutting and cutting till there's nothing left here. And if people don't take a stand and demand this and not let this happen. We are not going to let this happen.

[Sound: More bell ringing]

[Sound: Cheering]

CH: That was the scene outside Sussex Health Centre in Sussex, New Brunswick, earlier today. Hubert Dupuis is also concerned about what these changes will mean. He's a family doctor and president of the lobby group Egalite Sante en francais. We reached Dr Dupuis in Cocagne, New Brunswick.

CO: Dr Dupis Health Minister Ted Fleming acknowledges these changes could be controversial, but he says they're the right decision for New Brunswick. So what do you say to him?

HUBERT DUPUIS: I do not agree. I think it's a bit irresponsible on the part of the Health Department and the minister to cut health care services in rural New Brunswick, in places where you have to drive at least an hour — if not more — to have emergency services because your emergency will be closed down. Most people will agree that you should live around 30 to 40 minutes from an emergency room. And in New Brunswick, we have a new standard and people will pay at the peril of their health and if not with their lives.

CO: But it’s not that cutting the emergency rooms, is it? It's cutting the operating hours of those emergency rooms.

HD: Yeah, but they're cutting the hours in the time of the day where people don't have any other place to go. I mean, the only accessible health care facility in the area during the night, so if you're in an automobile accident, if you have a myocardial infarc, if you have any other acute diseases that can shorten your life span, you need to be seen soon, and you need to be seeing quick. And I know the health minister is trying to put a good spin on it. But I think it's irresponsible.

CO: But what I guess the argument is that they're trying to make use of the available doctors. And if doctors are not in those hospitals during those overnight hours, where they say they only get about five patients a night, and most of the cases aren't critical, then it frees up those doctors for shifts during the day when they're more needed.

HD: Well, that's a simplistic way of going at it. You need doctors at night or in the evenings to take care of people. Now, yes, some emergency rooms are not very occupied certain nights. But then in other nights, they might be very occupied. And the problem is these patients who should go to these small hospitals will have to go to bigger hospitals. But the bigger hospitals are already overcrowded. And he's not only cutting the hours in the emergency room, he's cutting the acute beds in those hospitals at the same time. You cannot close down a whole countryside just because you think you're going to get a handle on the health care expenses.

CO: Right. But Health Minister Ted Fleming, his argument is that look, the health care system in New Brunswick is in a crisis. The status quo it's simply not an option. You can't maintain that. There is deterioration. Hard Choices have to be made. And this is how he's making those choices. Do you dispute that hard choices need to be made with the resources that you have for health care in New Brunswick?

HD: He could cut in other areas. There's lots of duplication and triplication in the health care system in New Brunswick. And he would save a ton of money. He won't save a ton of money in small communities in New Brunswick with small rural hospitals. And there's an injustice in New Brunswick. All the anglophone hospitals have health care services, wall-to-wall, while the Francophones have a lot less health care services — and often don't have any at all.

CO: Why is that? Woah, Dr D, why is that the case?

HD: Because we've been discriminated for years. As we're a minority, and we're supposed to be equal like everybody says, New Brunswick is bilingual, so and so forth. But not in health care. We're not equal. And I've been fighting for the last 12 years to have equality in health care. But on the English side, you have big hospitals that have neurosurgery in double. Trauma centres in double. We have three neonatal intensive care unit in small New Brunswick, and I could go on and on. So he knows where he can cut if he wishes, but he's not cutting at the right area. So this is ridiculous.

CO: Okay. I want to ask you about one other area that the province also says it's going to convert 120 acute care beds to long-term care beds. Which would, I guess, reflect the ageing population of your province. Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?

HD: These are acute care hospitals. Of course, they have long-term care patients in them because, like everywhere else in Canada, you have overcrowding and you're waiting for your long-term care facilities to take up your patients. But if he needs nursing home beds, he should build nursing homes and have nursing home beds in New Brunswick. We're the most aging population. You will not get the right quality of care in the acute care hospital by putting nursing care patients in those beds. That's not how the system is built.

CO: Do you think there's any way, any possibility that you can get the master to change his mind at this point?

HD: Oh, we have a minority government here in New Brunswick. And I think this government has done a big mistake. And I think the population as you heard in Sussex not so long ago, I think this government will fall on this, and we're going to have an election, and we're going to be sure that the next gang which comes along will be better in administrating health care in New Brunswick. And I don't think these guys have a notion to what to do at all.

CO: All right. We'll be watching Dr Dupuis, thank you.

HD: My pleasure.

CO: Bye-bye.

CH: Hubert Dupuis is a family doctor and president of the lobby group Egalite Sante francais. We reached Dr Dupuis in Cocagne, New Brunswick.

[Music: Chimes]

Kicked off cruise

CH: For the 251 Canadians currently quarantined aboard that luxury cruise liner off of Japan, getting kicked off surely sounds like a dream at this point. Aside from the boredom of being confined to their rooms, they have to contend with the growing number of confirmed cases of coronavirus on the ship. And Marc-Anthony Dumesnil of Montreal certainly appreciates that he's lucky, in a way. He understands why he was forced to leave, shortly after embarking on a Caribbean cruise with his mother. He just wishes it had been handled a little differently. Mr. Dumesnil and his mom, Martine, booked the week-long cruise to cap off his year of living in China. But as he told Mike Finnerty, host of CBC Montreal's Daybreak, their sea voyage ended before the ship left port.

SOUNDCLIP

MARC-ANTHONY DUMESNIL: So I got on the boat at 2:00, and we got called at around 5:00. We had to go to the reception area, where the lady asked for our passports. She didn't want to tell us why, which I thought was a bit weird. She checked, and in my passport, I have a China exit stamp, which was for January 16^th, which was at the time, 16 days. And she informed us that I would have to go off the boat, that the authorities were waiting for me, and that I had five minutes to pack my suitcase. [chuckling]

MIKE FINNERTY: Wow! That was quite abrupt!

MAD: Yeah, it was definitely sudden and unexpected. The worst part for me, in my opinion, was they told my mom if you want to submit to a medical exam just to make sure you're okay, you can stay. But, unfortunately, your son will not be able to stay. I even asked for that same medical exam, and they denied me.

MF: You had left China 16 days earlier, two days over what the quarantine is, is that right?

MAD: Yes, definitely, you're right.

MF: So is there any kind of argument you could make that could persuade them?

MAD: As soon as she gave me back my passport and she said you're going to have to get off the boat, I knew there wasn't much I could do. You know, everyone's scared about the coronavirus. I understand the reasoning behind the 30 days. If you're a cruise ship and someone's sick, has a coronavirus, of course, it's the perfect breeding ground for the virus, you know? Everybody's together, a lot of people. So I definitely understand. What I'm really sad about is we were provided no help. We're basically kicked off the boat, and we had to contact our airlines for any kind of customer service. They wanted us off the boat as soon as possible.

MF: Are you gonna get your money back? How does that work?

MAD: So I was guaranteed a full refund, but my mom was not guaranteed a refund. Because according to MSC — which is the cruise company — she wasn't kicked off the boat. So since she left by herself to accompany me, she's not guaranteed a full refund. Of course, [laughing] my mom, we came together, shouldn't be allowed to stay on and yeah.

CH: That was Marc-Anthony Dumesnil of Montreal speaking with Mike Finnerty, host of CBC Montreal's Daybreak.

[Music: World music]

Raptors streak

Guest: Alex Wong

SOUNDCLIP

ANNOUNCER: And that's going to do it.

ANNOUNCER #2: How about that? Fifteen wins in a row for the Toronto Raptors — a Canadian professional sports record.

ANNOUNCER: Toronto Raptors, [buzzer] as Fred Van Vleet throws it high in the air, have won 15 straight.

CH: That was the end of last night's game between the Toronto Raptors and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Raptors won 137-126. But as you heard in that clip, it wasn't just a regular regular-season win: it was the Raptors' 15th win in a row. That's the new record for longest single-season win streak by a major professional team based in Canada — surpassing the previous streak record held by the Calgary Stampeders, who won 14 games straight in 2016. Now, the Raptors' achievement might not seem that surprising. After all, they are the defending NBA champions. But this season began with doubt — because they playing without Kawhi Leonard, the star player who helped the Raptors secure their first NBA championship last season. Alex Wong is a freelance NBA writer who covers The Toronto Raptors. We reached him in Toronto.

CO: So Alex, this is the Raptors 15th win in a row. What does that mean?

ALEX WONG: Yeah, well, it's the longest streak in Canadian major pro sports history. And I think for Raptors fans, and for the city, coming off a championship last year, people felt like maybe there would be a huge letdown this season with the Kawhi Leonard obviously leaving after the championship. But, instead, the Raptors — this year's Raptors — are writing their own story. And you know arguably this is the most fun Raptors team in franchise history — which is a funny thing to say after they won a championship. But this group is just such a joy to watch right now.

CO [laughing] And funny thing to say after the history of getting to this place. And last year, well, the Kawhi Leonard year was considered to be just spectacular. And thought, well, we'd never see it again. So how does it compare with where they are right now their past seasons?

AW: Yeah, I think, you know the obvious comparison is to last year. And obviously, with hindsight, everybody knows that it ended up in a championship. But there was also a lot of tension along the way last year. People weren't sure how Kawhi Leonard was going to fit into the team. And obviously the bigger question was was Kawhi Leonard going to stay in the city of Toronto. He ultimately didn’t. This year, it feels like there is no pressure. The championship banner is hanging at the arena, and the Raptors have one of the youngest teams in the league right now. And that's one thing that I feel like a lot of people don't talk about. And what we're seeing I think is the beginning of a really sustainable winning stretch for this team that's not going to be just this season, but for the foreseeable future.

CO: But a lot of injuries, right, that the team has right now. Tell us a bit about that?

AW: You know, I don't think they've had a fully healthy lineup for more than say five games this season — whether it's their starting point guard, Kyle Lowry. Or their starting centre, Marc Gasol. Other players like Pascal Siakim, Norman Powell. But the way that they have fought through those injuries and are now on this franchise-record win streak I think says a lot about this team, but also this organization of the player development that they've done. And Nick Nurse obviously coming in last year as a first-year coach winning a championship has set a really high standard for everyone on the roster. And has set it up so that when someone does get hurt, when a star player is out, somebody steps in, and they honestly don't miss a beat.

CO: And people are talking about Nick Nurse wondering if he can change water into wine at this point [laughing]. So what is Nick Nurse, what is the coach saying about why they're playing so well?

AW: Yeah, well, first of all, he can change water into wine, I believe [both chuckle]. But you know, for Nick, I think Nick has high expectations for this whole team. And he has set that standard since the beginning of training camp. He has come out and called out players if there is a lack of effort. He expects a certain level of competitiveness from any five guys that's on the floor — whether you're a superstar or a bench player who doesn't play. And Nick has been kind of at a loss in terms of explaining or maybe pinpointing what's that secret ingredient to this winning streak. Because what he says is there's a different guy stepping up every night. There's a different narrative and a different story every night — whether it's undrafted rookie Terrance Davis, or six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry, from top to bottom, you don't know what to expect from the Raptors every night. The only consistent thing right now is that they're winning every game.

CO: So how are the fans responding? Are they starting to get into all kinds of superstitions, and wondering what they should wear on game day and things like that? [laughing] What are you seeing out there?

AW: So you know, it's funny. Because you know for the longest time, the Raptors were this laughing stock at the NBA. And every time things would go well, the fan base which is expect it to come crashing down. And many times it did in the playoffs before they won the championship last season. But now there's a confidence. There's no superstition. There's no worry that this thing is going to go sideways. The fan base is honestly as confident as ever. And it's a beautiful thing to see coming off a championship. I think Kawhi leaving left a huge dent in the celebration this summer. And everybody thought it was gonna be a huge letdown this season. But now the Raptors are charting this own path. And you know there's a quiet confidence within the fanbase that, hey, we don't have Kawhi, but we have these championship players, we have a great head coach, we play great defence. Those are the ingredients of making another deep playoff run.

CO: What's it like for you to watch? I know you have written about the Raptors for a long time. You have reminded us recently about how it used to be jokes about purple dinosaur jerseys and things like that. So what's it like for you to be watching this?

AW: It's a surreal feeling, you know? Honestly, I always describe last year's championship run as surreal. Just watching players wearing Raptors jerseys raising the championship trophy, it was something that I think myself and anyone who's followed the Raptors for a very long time could have never imagined. And now you look at it you know you always want your team to be one of the most competent, one of the most well-run, sustainable organizations in the league. And the Raptors were never that, and now they are. And honestly, it's a beautiful thing to see it. And I think Raptors fans are really puffing out their chests — and they should — because this is the most fun team that they've ever seen, honestly.

CO: And about from here? Do you see them continuing this right into the playoffs?

AW: Yeah. So you know to be realistic, obviously the win streak will end at some point. But you know, the Raptors have been playing so well that I think there's honestly a confidence building not just within the team but with the fanbase that, hey, if we keep playing this way, why can't we make it back to the NBA Finals? And if we make it back to the NBA Finals, why can't we win another championship?

CO: And maybe we'll have some good news for a change around here [laughing]. That would be great!

AW: [chuckle] Yes, and that too. [laughing]

CO: Alex, it’s great to talk to you. Thank you.

AW: Thank you.

CO: Bye.

CH: Alex Wong is a freelancer NBA writer. We reached him in Toronto.

[Music: Bright instrumental]

NL windy cycling

CH: If you're going to be in a race, you need some kind of incentive. Or I do, anyway. I'm more motivated when I know the organizers will provide me with a T-shirt that I'll never wear, or soup. And I'm a hundred percent less motivated when I know they'll provide me with vomit buckets. But that's just one of the unappealing aspects of the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships. Every year, on the windiest day possible, 300 brave people gather at the Oosterscheldekering storm surge barrier in The Netherlands. They pedal bikes with no gears the full length of the barrier — eight-point-five kilometres — directly into gale-force winds that usually reach around 90 kilometres per hour. It's always a trial of pure misery, existential horror, and debilitating nausea. But this year was different, because it was worse. Storm Ciara whipped up winds that reached 120 kilometres per hour. Here's a brief snippet of audio from Sunday's race. See if you can hear the cyclists exchanging fun banter.

SOUNDCLIP

[Sound: Nope, no banter. Just wind]

CH: Just kidding. That was just horrible wind, and inaudible screaming doesn't count as banter. In the end, the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships were actually called off on account of wind. But 250 people did race before that. Two people won. It was not a breeze. One cyclist told the Associated Press: "This is a bucket list thing." Not referring to the vomit buckets. And gross as this whole event is, you have to admire the kind of person who hurls themselves into something, knowing full well it will make them hurl into something.

[Music: Industrieal]

Part three: Washington Post Crypto article, pitcher lawsuit

New tyrannosaurus

CH: At 25, Jared Voris is still very early in his career. But he's already part of a major discovery. A couple of years ago, he came across part of a dinosaur skull at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. Now, the museum says it's the first new species of tyrannosaur to be found in Canada in 50 years. Jared Voris spoke with CBC host Jim Brown about the discovery — and about the creature's scary name, suggested by one of Mr. Voris's friends. Here's some of that conversation.

SOUNDCLIP

JARED VORIS: Another one of my friends came up with something that translates to reaper of death, and that is the Thanatotheristes.

JIM BROWN: So that's how you say it now?

JV: That is correct, yeah.

JB: Thanatotheristes.

JV: Thanatotheristes

JB: Thanatotheristes

JV: Yeah.

JB: okay, and that sounds Greek rather than Latin.

JV: It is Greek, yeah. It's after the Greek god of death, Thanatos.

JB: So this guy was just walking around reaping death then all day? [JV laughs] That's how he made his living, reaping death?

JV: Well, I wouldn't say that say that. I would assume their biology was maybe a little bit more complex than that. Maybe they were only hunting when they had to — kind of like lions today or any other apex predator, if you will.

JB: So tell me the story about, first of all, the discovery of the fossil. Where was the fossil found?

JV: Yeah, so the fossil was actually not found by the Royal Tyrrell Museum. It was found by the family of John and Sandra De Groot of southern Alberta. And they found it while they were walking with their family alongside the Bow River down near, I guess, the Forks area, where the South Saskatchewan starts. And so they found there discovery, and they reported it to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. And then from there, the Royal Tyrrell Museum collected it and housed the fossil until now. And that was back in 2010, so it's just kind of been sitting in the cabinets there. And then during my masters, back in 2018, I realized that this animal must be something unique. There were features about it that didn't fit with any other known tyrannosaurus species. And so during the course my PhD, we started to start to identify those and catalogue those differences. And eventually, we came up with the new species, Thanatotheristes.

JB: So this bone is just sitting in a drawer for six or seven years, and you're doing your thing. And all of a sudden, you see it, and you’re like hello, and then you just started looking into it?

JV: Yeah, so we just it just we had been identified originally as another tyrannosaur species, but these rocks layers predate that by about two-and-a-half-million years. So that kind of piqued my interest, and then when I started to look at this and compare it, we realized that there were several features there that made it unique that made it so that you can't identify it as such.

CH: That was University of Calgary PhD student Jared Voris speaking with host Jim Brown on the CBC program The Homestretch yesterday.

[Music: Instrumental]

Washington Post Crypto article

Guest: Greg Miller

CH: For years, countries have used a company called Crypto AG to send encrypted messages to their spies and diplomats around the word. At least, that's what they thought they were doing. What they didn't know was that the Swiss company was secretly owned by the CIA and West German Intelligence. And that, until 2018, the CIA was listening in on almost everything they said. That's all been revealed in a new Washington Post report, which looked at nearly a hundred pages of internal documents from the CIA. Greg Miller is the Washington Post's National Security Correspondent, who broke the story alongside ZDF, Germany's public broadcaster. We reached Mr. Miller in Washington, DC.

CO: Greg, the headline on your Washington Post article is “The Intelligence Coup Of The Century”. How so?

GREG MILLER: Well, for one reason, this is an intelligence operation that lasted nearly a century. I mean, this is one of the most astonishing espionage programs I've ever encountered in covering this beat for nearly 20 years now. The CIA secretly owned a company in Switzerland that was the world's leading provider of encryption devices. These are machines that dozens and dozens of nations — other governments around the world — relied on to keep all of their communications secret. They don't know what's happening. They have no idea that what they are doing in essence is buying machines from the CIA that are built to betray them.

CO: How did the CIA come to own this Swiss company?

GM: Well, it's a long and a bit of a convoluted history. But it actually traces back to World War Two. This company is founded by a Swedish entrepreneur. He ends up selling compact encryption devices to U.S. troops for World War Two. Coming out of that, he ends up having this sort of relationship with the United States and U.S. intelligence agencies that deepens over time. So by the 1960s, they are paying him money — hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash — to keep his best devices out of the hands of U.S. adversaries. Then it goes another step further in 1970, United States, CIA and German intelligence agency buy the company outright. So they end up owning what other countries believe is a Swiss company that is a trustworthy provider of encryption equipment to help them safeguard their communications.

CO: You report that 120 countries were under the surveillance of the CIA through machines they bought in order to send encrypted messages within their systems, is that right?

GM: Yeah, so one of the taglines for us in this story is that they're not only taking the money of these countries. The CIA is not only taking their money, but stealing their secrets. So more than 120 countries, you're right, end up buying these devices from this company — which was named Crypto. And they use them for year after year after year without knowing that these devices are all designed for U.S. code breakers to be able to read everything that they send.

CO: What are some of the big events over all of those decades that the CIA probably had access to because of these machines?

GM: I mean, we only know a small portion of them from the documents. But some of the examples cited in the materials include: when the United States finds a Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega hiding in the Vatican Embassy in Panama City. They learn this because the Vatican itself — the Catholic Church — is using Crypto devices for sending communications between its embassies and the Vatican in Rome. We know that the United States is monitoring Iran during the Iran hostage crisis. It's monitoring Egypt during peace talks with Israel. The examples go on and on and on.

CO: But they must have in the course of listening in to the world, the CIA must have known about some pretty horrific things those countries might have been — doing human rights abuses, what death squads are operating, ethnic cleansing, whatever. I mean, was there actionable intelligence on that front that they might have been able to do something about to prevent?

GM: To me, that is one of the most haunting questions about these revelations and our understanding of this operation. It tells us that the CIA and U.S. agencies were listening, were reading, everything that these countries were saying and about everything that they were doing for decade after decade. That suggests that, for example, as you said, the United States would have known that there were death squads that work in Latin America. That there were ethnic cleansing campaigns being pursued in the Balkans. If the United States knew about this, what did it do about these things? Did it look the other way at times so that it could maintain its access to this intelligence and not betray it?

CO: So now, I’ll get to Canada, because Canada is one of the Five Eyes. Were we being spied on, or where were we in on the action, or what?

GM: You were somewhere in the middle. I don't think that you were being spied on as a member of the Five Eyes, but you were benefiting. You were absolutely getting intelligence from the United States that undoubtedly came because of this program. Even if the Canadian government was never explicitly at form informed about it, you were a beneficiary of it.

CO: And how is it that the Soviets and the Chinese never bought into the Crypto AG system?

GM: Well, I think that that tells you a lot about they're just sort of they're their views of the West. They look at this, this is Western. This is a western-linked company, we’re not going to have anything to do with this. They relied on their own capabilities. And as a result, they were shielded from exposure from this operation.

CO: What happens now? This has been revealed. Are there consequences for any of the players now that we know that this is what they were doing?

GM: Probably not. I think that they all melt into the woodwork here. I mean, one of the other revelations of our story is that this this company was kind of quietly dismantled in 2018, as assets were sold off. The Swiss Government, today, announced that it was mounting an investigation into this. But I think that we have to view that as a pretty half-hearted measure. Because the documents make clear that the Swiss government knew what was happening almost from the very beginning, and allowed it to persist, decade after decade. And they're only acting now because they see it being exposed in the media.

CO: Just finaly, how do you think this story is playing in China today, where there are countries, yours, ours considering not allowing Huawei to have technology in our countries because of this very thing. Of the fear that somehow they'll be able to spy on us.

GM: Yeah, that’s a great question. I'm sure that it cuts both ways. I'm sure that in China, there is a sense that, look, this is exactly what the Americans do. Look at how hypocritical they are to accuse us of doing this. But, at the same time, because the story calls attention to the fact that governments seek ways to exploit other private — supposedly private companies — they may also wonder whether this will complicate Huawei’s ability to continue to expand and to gain access to other markets.

CO: Greg, excellent reporting. And I appreciate speaking with you. Thank you.

GM: Thank you.

CH: Greg Miller is a national security reporter for the Washington Post. We reached him in Washington, DC.

[Music: Jazzy riff]

FOA: JTF2 farmer

CH: Canada's elite commando force won't be needing Frank Meyers's land after all. On Monday, the Minister of Defence reversed a Harper government plan to move its Joint Task Force 2 from Ottawa to a new headquarters in Quinte, Ontario. That would have been welcome news to the late Frank Meyers — who spent seven years fighting the government's efforts to expropriate his family's farm to make room for the base. By the time he spoke to Carol in 2013, Mr Meyers was 85. He had refused to take the government's money — and uniformed commissionaires had arrived to make him leave.

SOUNDCLIP

FRANK MEYERS: The money's not the issue. The issue is that this is prime farmland they don't make any more.

CO: How long has your family been farming that land?

FM: [sigh] It come to us 1798 by my forefathers.

CO: And you were born there, 85 years ago.

FM: That’s right. And the house is still here yet.

CO: And you've been farming. What do you plant there?

FM: Corn, beans, hay, I had 28 head of cattle.

CO: And you planted a crop this summer? You've harvested a crop?

FM: No, I haven't harvested at all yet because it doesn't get ripe yet. The beans is not off yet and the corn is not off yet.

CO: You planted that corn yourself, did you?

FM: Yes, I did.

CO: When you harvest that, and you harvest your beans, is that it? Do you think that's the last time that you’ll do that?

FM: I have no idea yet. Depends on what the minister national defence or the Harper wants to do.

CO: What are they saying to you?

FM: Well, we have a guy from Toronto, Rick… [sigh] I can't think his name right now. But he told me the day he was in here that they're gonna build a military ammunition dump here on my farm.

CO: You've been doing this for seven years — after a lifetime of farming.

FM: Yes, yes, correct.

CO: What toll has that taken on you, those seven years?

FM: Well, could you take it? I'm taking it. It's an awful toll on me. It makes you sick to think they're destroying all the farmland that produces the food for the people of this country. What's the third or fourth generations from now going to live on? They don't care.

CH: That was Frank Meyers speaking to Carol in 2013 from his farm in Quinte, Ontario. On Monday, the government announced that it’s scrapping plans to move JTF2 to Quinte. Unfortunately, Frank Meyers didn't live to hear the news. Mr. Meyers died last October at the age of 91. He never did accept the government's payment for the expropriation of his farm.

[Music : Bluegrass]

97-year-old salesman

CH: A lot of seniors stop driving as they get older. But 97-year-old Gerry Kowalsky doesn't just drive cars — he also sells them. And today, the Ontario government recognized him as the longest-serving registered vehicle salesman in the province. He's been in the business more than 60 years. And still works a five-day week. The CBC's Paula Duhatschek visited the dealership in Guelph to hear more about Gerry Kowalsky's long career.

SOUNDCLIP

GERRY KOWALSKY: I started in the automotive business on my 35th birthday, 1957. I can remember I went down on the bus, and I come home with a new Ford. And that was the start of my sales career. In 57, if I can remember correctly, a 57 Ford six-cylinder sedan sells for about 26-hundred dollars.

PAULA DUHATSCHEK: Did they come with seat belts?

GK: No, no, never heard of seat belts [laughing]. No, there was no such thing as seat belts. There was no turning signals, none of that. Everything was out the window [laughing]. Every person that comes has got some kind of idea of how to beat the person. They all come in with the idea that everybody is a crook. We're always trying to steal [laughing]. I know, it's ridiculous, it hasn't changed much.

PD: How do you earn that trust from people?

GK: Well, you have to be up-in-front with them. And once people get to trust you, they don't even come in to shop, they just pick up the phone and tell you they want to trade. I was always told by the people that I worked, to treat the customer like you want to be treated, and you won't have any trouble with follow-ups. And that's how you build clientele.

PD: How will you know when it's time to retire?

GK: What's there to retire about? I enjoy what I'm doing, and they put up with me. It's the idea if you're being wanted, if they appreciate it, I appreciate being able to come to work every day. I don't want to retire. What would I do? Sit in a mall and shoot the balloon with the old Corries? No thank you! [laughing]

PD: You've been in the business for 63 years. Another 63 years from now, do you think people will still be driving cars?

GK: Either that or they'll be flying. [laughing] I have no idea, but I'll be watching. [both laughing]

CH: That's Ontario's longest-serving registered vehicle salesman, 97-year-old Gerry Kowalsky. Today, Mr. Kowalsky received a certificate of honour from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, for dedication to his industry.

[Music: Slow piano]

Pitcher lawsuit

Guest: Ben Meiselas

CH: Michael Bolsinger is suing the Houston Astros. He says they cheated him out of Major League Baseball. In 2017, Mr. Bolsinger was a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. That August, he was brought in as a reliever in Houston. It did not go well. Here's some of the play-by-play.

SOUNDCLIP

ANNOUNCER: This ball is hit the right field pretty well. Bautista back to the wall — this ball is gone. Breaking ball, hit the other, base hit. Beltran being sent home; he will score. There’s a ball hammered to left field. McCann off second. He’s going to be waved around. The throw by Peirce will be cut off, McCann will score — 12-2.

CH: After that game, the Jays sent Mr. Bolsinger down to the minors. He hasn't been back to the majors since. As you probably know, the league has fined the Astros for cheating during the 2017 season. They used computers to steal the signs of opposing pitchers, and then passed them on to their own batters by making banging sounds on garbage cans. Ben Meiselas is Mike Bolsinger's lawyer. We reached him in Los Angeles.

CO: Mr Meiselas: Can you just first of all, describe what happened in that inning in August 2017, when Michael Bolsinger took the pitcher's mound?

BEN MEISELAS: The short of it is, four runs scored in the fourth inning. Mike Bolsinger pitched one-third of one inning. Twelve of his 29 pitches, there were recorded bags approximately 40 per cent of his pitches. I mean, it was a disastrous, embarrassing game for him — and for any pitcher — especially a journeyman pitcher, where every inning, every pitch matters, you know, for your career. And my client, Mike Bolsinger, directly after that game, was swiftly terminated and demoted to the minors. And he's never played in Major League Baseball again.

CO: Has he told you about how he felt on the mound? Did he have a feeling? Was there a sense that, wait a second here, this is weird?

BM: You know, he just felt that they were the best team he's ever played against. And he just thought they were great. And you read the statements that the Astros made after the game, and they were bragging about you know how great of a team they were, what great hitters they are, how they have these innings where they put together you know nine, ten runs in an inning. And he was just shocked. I mean, it was a very depressing moment for him. He had to go to the locker room, pack up with his family who was there watching the game, you know, and you know, lose his job. But he always looked back on it, and it just thought you didn't have the right stuff and couldn't be in the league, you know? But it turned out it was because of cheating.

CO: We know the Astros were fined. There were people who lost their jobs because of that. There was serious repercussions for this electronic sign stealing. Can you just describe what exactly for people who don't know what that is, what happens, what were they accused of doing?

BM: So the Astros were accused of having a camera in the outfield that would, through computerized software, decode the signs that the catcher was giving to the pitcher, which was being relayed to the bullpen where the Astros — or the bench — where the Astros were sitting. And the Astros would then communicate to the batters — Astros batters — by banging on a trash can what pitch was going to be thrown. So that the batter knew what the pitcher on the opposing team was going to throw — whether it was a fastball, or whether it was going to be an off-speed pitch. If it was a slower off-speed pitch, generally, that would mean that someone in the dugout would bang the trash can. And when you are in the big leagues, you know things like knowing the pitch that's going to come as it is a major difference-maker. And so you know the Astros were able to have these great innings, great at-bats, because they knew the pitches that were coming in advance, and it wasn't through talent.

CO: Okay, so you don't have to prove that the Houston Astros were doing this electronic sign stealing, but how are you gonna prove that that's what happened to Mike Bolsinger in that inning in 2017?

BM: So we specifically know in that inning the amount of times the electronic side stealing was used. We know that on twelve of 29 pitches, there were bangs. We also have done a quality control analysis of Mike's pitching — which was that he threw pitches fine. He didn't make mistakes in his in his pitches. So usually, there would be less ERA — a less earned run average — on your pitches if you throw good pitches. And so we specifically know in that inning, on those pitches, where the cheating was taking place. And the discovery and evidence in the case, when the players are under oath, they're going to confirm the broad data that we have — that they did cheat in that inning. That we can actually trace, through some great research that was done by some fans actually, some Astro fans, when the cheating really started in earnest. And we know it started at somewhere around May of that season, and progressively got more and more and more, until that game, August 4^th, 2017, where Mike pitched, there was about 54 bangs that could be heard.

CO: Right, and bangs, you mean other garbage can, bangs on this lid, right?

BM: Correct, signifying the pitches.

CO: Okay, but at the same time, okay, he allowed in a one-third of an inning, four runs, four hits, and three walks. I mean, doesn't he have to take some responsibility for that?

BM: And he takes responsibility for what he can control. As he said, if I fail, I want to foul you know on my own terms. I don't want to fail because of cheating. And that specific inning, we know that they cheated, and that cheating gave them a competitive edge. We know that his prior relief starts that he had done you know in the preceding games you know he was doing good. And he was transitioning from the role of a starting pitcher to a relief pitcher. He's never claimed that I am the greatest pitcher in the major leagues. He claims that I'm a journeyman pitcher. I am a decent MLB pitcher. I'm fighting for a job. And specifically someone like me, who goes in and has a disastrous ending like that, can — and frequently are terminated — and don't return to the game.

CO: I know that you are also the lawyer for Colin Kaepernick. And I just wonder what that your experience with the other experience of major league teams tells you about your chances of winning a suit against the Astros?

BM: Well, you know it's definitely a different type of case. But I think look, I mean, people, whether it's the NFL, whether it's you know the NHL, and you know I represent for your Canadian listeners obviously I represent Akim Aliu, you know who help shake up hockey, you know. And I'm representing Mike Bolsinger. You know, I think people — particularly millennials — who these leagues depend on for support you know want to support leagues that have integrity. And so, ultimately, what we're relying on and counting on is you know the facts are going to show that Mike Bolsinger was wrong, but also part of this is holding you know this team accountable and ensuring that there is integrity. I mean, we've got the facts on our side, and we got the truth out our side. And, ultimately, people are looking for you know integrity, honesty and they don't want to be lied to. And you know that's particularly important you know for the MLB to survive with younger fans.

CO: All right. We will leave it there. Mr Meiselas, thank you.

BM: Thank you very much.

CH: Ben Meiselas is representing Mike Bolsinger in the former big league pitcher's case against the Houston Astros. We reached Mr. Meiselas in Los Angeles.

[Music: Indie rock]

FTR: Rory Stewart

CH: Oh, great, someone's knocking and it's a politician. Oh, good, it's a guy who's running for mayor, and he wants to talk about the "issues affecting me." Oh, perfect, he's handing me a box of chocolates and unrolling his sleeping bag on my living room floor and staying overnight. When you're campaigning against a popular incumbent, you have to do something to ensure your efforts don't come to a crashing halt. So Rory Stewart is trying a crashing restart. As in: if you live in London, England he wants to crash at your place. Mr. Stewart is a former British Conservative MP, a former diplomat, and a current candidate for mayor of London, England. He's a very hands-on politician, and a very feet-on one as well: he believes firmly that walking around connects you to places. Starting in 2002, he famously spent two years walking across Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. Now he wants to walk around London. But he also wants to walk into people's houses, and sit down, and then lie down. Here he is, in a Twitter video, explaining why people should let him do that.

SOUNDCLIP

RORY STEWART: Please have me to stay. That's a weird request, but the way that mayors get to know their cities is by literally walking through every one of the 32 boroughs, being in other people's shoes, seeing things through their eyes, staying in their houses. That's what I found staying with Lorraine last week. It's what I found a couple of weeks ago, staying with a young man in Strensham. So, Please, have me to stay with your family, or just in your home, seeing your borough. I promise to bring a sleeping bag and a box of chocolates.

01:12:14 - SPEAKER: M1

CH: London mayoral candidate Rory Stewart, explaining his new hashtag ComeKipWith Me — "kip" being a British expression meaning "nap" or "sleep". Not sure who'd actually want any politician experiencing night terrors on their pull-out couch, but maybe it'll work. It better. As things stand right now, current London mayor Sadiq Khan has a comfortable lead in the polls. So Mr. Stewart has to do defy conventional wisdom — starting with coining a new adage: you snooze, you don't lose.

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February 11, 2019 episode transcript

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