A drone hits a NATO ally. What happens next?

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Tonight. Striking home, Romania's foreign minister says there is no doubt in her mind that an armed Russian drone hit an apartment building in her country and believes NATO must respond forcefully even if it was an accident. Daughter of a revolution, the daughter of former Cuban President Fidel Castro, has lived in exile for decades, and Alina Fernandez is very hopeful that this U.S. administration will bring about regime change in her homeland. In the dark, Gilbert Bernal was among those killed in this week's deadly chemical tank implosion in Washington State. A friend tells us he still doesn't know how it happened.

Chalk and awe. Hundreds of volunteers team up to restore the CERN Abbas giant, an enormous centuries-old chalk figure, carved into the Dorset countryside. Contender-hearted, Senegal's national soccer team has a serious shot at winning this year's World Cup. A Dream fans are finally daring to believe could come true. And giving us the brush off, baseball superstar Bryce Harper weirds everyone out by posting a video documenting his morning routine

in which he applies the toothpaste directly to his tongue. As it happens, the Friday edition, radio that finds that a refreshing change of paste.

Last night, an ordinarily peaceful EU country was hit by a drone laden with explosives. Romania says it's certain it came from Russia, which had been launching attacks across the border in Ukraine. The drone injured two people in the city of Galatz. It's the first time since the war started that a Russian strike has caused. damage and injuries in an urban area of a NATO member state. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said Russia had, quote, crossed yet another line, unquote. And now Romania is considering whether to invoke NATO's Article 4,

which would require alliance members to convene for urgent talks. Juana Toyu is Romania's foreign minister. We reached her in Bucharest. Minister, what is your message to Russia tonight? It is totally reckless that they have been endangered our citizens. they need to come back to respecting international law and civilian life. We do know it is a Russian drone, and Vladimir Putin is trying to deflect from the responsibility they are having.

Romania's message is very clear that Russia needs to stop the war against Ukraine at our border and needs to stop generating risks towards our citizens. We are not a country, part of the war. We are part of an allied space in Europe, and Russia bears full responsibility for the risks that they generate. The reporting so far suggests that this might have been an accident, that it was intended for Ukraine. What do you make of that assessment?

And does that change your response at all? We do see an increased number of Russian drones attacking civilian Ukrainian infrastructure close to our border. Romania has the longest border with the war, 650 kilometers. And of course, we do have the responsibility to protect. the Danube and the Black Sea. It is at this moment in our assessment a drone that was targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and that was derailed. But again, the full responsibility is of Russia irrespective of whether the drone reached this initial target that was also against international

law or that it has been derailed. We do not consider this an international intentional attack, but we do consider this a lack of responsibility, reckless behavior. And that is why, We have summoned the ambassador, assigned persona non grata to the general consular, and we have decided to not allow the activity for the consular general of Russia in Constanza to continue. Vladimir Putin, as you know, has gone so far as to question whether this drone was even Russian at all, and it's suggesting it might have been Ukrainian. Your officials have proof that suggests otherwise? The military teams on the ground have identified both the design and the source of the explosive.

And we have seen Russia throughout the years of this world trying to push false narratives and trying to deflect from their own responsibility. But especially here in Eastern Europe, we do know they are not to be trusted. Two people were hurt. Do you know how they are doing right now? Yes. The apartment where the drone crashed is the 10th floor of a residential building, a mother and the child needed medical care. and they are now outside of any risks. But of course, this is a grave danger.

The citizens there are very concerned and rightfully. So that is why we need to increase the defense on the eastern flank. And we are doing the proper effort and conversations in an allied format to be able to do that immediately. Of course, we have prioritized in terms of our own procurement, our defense we have allocated $2 billion to that. I have spoken actually today as well with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Anita Anand on our needs in an allied format and also have thanked her for the international solidarity that we have seen. What, if anything, did Minister Anand offer or promise? We have had conversations even since September last year at United Nations on shared lessons in maritime security.

and we have seen from Canada a very clear response to that. We are also discussing about common solutions to hybrid threats and hybrid interferences. And we're going to continue to do that in the ministerial in Ankara. You're considering invoking Article 4 over this incident, NATO's Article 4. That would require alliance members to convene for urgent talks. Is this something that your country will do? We do have a planned conversation to NATO on. the needs to strengthen the eastern flank.

We did have this analysis discussed with Sakhir, the commander in Europe, and we do expect that we do have a common planning with the Allies. This is something ongoing and very clear. In that sense, you're going to see in a number of days this consultation happening at the NATO level. We did not take the decision in the National Security Council today to trigger Article 4, but we did take the decision to intensify the Allied consultation and the common planning in terms of air defense and deterrence. Why did you hold back from taking that step at this stage?

We did have a pre-planned consultation in the NATO format on the maritime security and the eastern flank, and we have decided to use that. As Russia's invasion and its war with Ukraine has dragged on, is this the sort of thing you've been concerned about in your country? Yes. It is clearly a concern, and that is why we are contributing in international coalitions to support the resilience of this country that has been attacked without provocation. And that is why we do believe there is a need of increased pressure in terms of packages

of sanctions to reach a peace at our border. What do you say to Romanians who are worried that your country was not able to intercept this and are concerned for their future. Romanians are rightfully worried. This is obviously a common responsibility to protect the border, to protect the security of all our citizens. It is very important that NATO fans strong

at the international solidarity that we saw is essential. And also that our defense is increasing their capabilities. They've allocated $2 billion in procurement for the air defense. And it is very, very important that we do continue to strengthen the defense on the eastern flank, but also the proper steps to reach peace at the border. Minister, I appreciate this. Thank you. Thank you.

Juan Olu is Romania's foreign minister. We reached her in Bucharest. Officials are calling it the deadliest industrial tragedy in the modern history of Washington State. First responders are expecting to find no survivors at the paper mill in Longview, where a chemical tank imploded on Tuesday. As we told you then, a massive industrial storage tank filled with hundreds of thousands of liters of a toxic chemical called white liquor imploded.

11 people are likely dead. And the first victim to be identified was 52-year-old Gilbert Bernal. Mr. Bernal worked as an instrument technician at the plant for nearly 15 years. He was a husband, a father, and a grandfather. Todd Cornwell was a close friend of his. We reached Mr. Cornwell in Longview, Washington. Todd, you've had a couple of days to sit with this loss. Have you been able to process the magnitude of what has happened and who has gone?

Well, yes and no. Life still has to go on, so you're working, trying to support their family as much as we can. My wife and I have taken over supplies to them. I met with them Wednesday evening. And how is the family doing? As well as can be expected. Of course, there is a ton of grief, but as Christians, we do have a hope for the future because we know Gilbert, we know that he had that hope as well.

Our listeners may remember our conversation with a former worker from that plan. on Tuesday after the implosion. We know Gilbert and the others, you know, had just, there was a shift change. They had just come in for that change, and the tank imploded in the morning, you know, just about 15 minutes after folks arrived. When did you find out something was wrong?

I found out about 945-ish. My wife called me. I was at work. And she called me as one of the leaders of our small group ministries, which Gilbert and his wife were a part of, to, hey, you need to come home. Gilbert's in the hospital. There was an accident. They don't know if he's going to survive. That's all they had told anybody at that point in time, first thing in the morning.

And so I let everybody know, and I left. I went up, got up there. And just as I got out there, about 1045, the pastor Jim John was coming out of the hospital, and they just told him that he was dead. So instead of praying for healing, we were praying for comfort for Gilbert's family and healing for anybody that was injured because we did know there was a bunch of people injured. So sorry for your loss, Todd. We know he, as you said, he had survived.

He was alive when he was being taken to the hospital. critical condition. His daughter Giovanna told a local news outlet that, you know, as her dad always was, even under those circumstances, he was very calm. Do you know what kinds of injuries he sustained? I do not. I was not told. I am not privy to any information. I don't even know if the family's been told exactly, you know. I know they're still waiting on answers of a bunch of stuff. What kinds of questions do you still have as someone who lives in this community and knows at least one of the people killed? Well, I mean, just because I'm part of the community, even if I didn't know anybody, I'd want to know what happened, why it happened, you know, what caused it? It's the morbid curiosity of every person who hears about a tragedy in a way.

We all want to know why. We all want to know what. At the end of the day, what happened happened. The reason is, you know, something that may bring some comfort, you know, hey, you know, there was nothing anybody could do. It was just one of those things, you know, maybe, but we don't know. How is the rest of the community dealing with this disaster? Well, I know that there has, yeah, well, I know there's been a bunch of vigils. a lot of the local businesses are doing fundraisers.

They're Saturday from 11 to 7. They're having a barbecue in Bob's sporting goods. And basically it's come and eat and pay what you can and all the proceeds are going to the family, the families, I should say. People are coming together. And there's, yeah, there's several different places. One of the coffee places saying all the funds that are coming, from this weekend or going to them.

And you come in and buy coffee, all the money, 100% of the proceeds, are going to the families. When you spoke with Gilbert, was this the kind of thing he was worried about? Were there ever concerns that something like this could happen? Oh, no. Not that I know of. The only thing I know of is he was tired

because in the springtime, there's always a ton of work, and they had lost a couple of people, and so he was working tons of overtime. That's the extent of what I know of his job. He kept his work separate from his home. What will that loss of income mean to his family in particular? Well, I mean, he was the main breadwinner.

So that is huge. In today's day and age, there's very few people that can manage on just one income anymore, which is one of the reasons why I set up the GoFundMe with his, wife's blessing and just imagine losing half of your income at a minimum. Plus, getting over this is not easy. It's going to be weeks probably before she can even attempt to go back to work. There will be a celebration of life this weekend for Gilbert. Yes. What do you want listeners to know about him? Gilbert was one of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met in my life. He was the kind of person that would literally give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

He always had a smile. He always had a positive response to people. Always was willing to help out in whatever way he could. Well, Todd, I appreciate this. Thank you very much. Please take care. No problem. Todd Cornwell is a friend of the late Gilbert Bernal.

We reached him in Longview, Washington. He's not just a giant of a man. He's also a man of giant manhood. Sprawled across the countryside in Dorset, England is the Cern Abbas giant, named after the village near which he resides. He's a chalk figure, 55 meters long, and baked right into the hill.

And those features alone are striking. But add to that description, his prominent genitalia, and he is on. And this week, dozens of people have teamed up to give him some much-needed TLC. Led by the UK's National Trust, which oversees the landmark. Volunteers have been rechalking the Hill Figure, a process that typically happens around once a decade. Liz Flight is an integral part of that process. She works with the National Trust in West Dorset.

That is where we reached her. Liz, how is the rechalking process going so far? So we are just at the end of our first week. And despite it's been very, very hot in the UK, we've had, we're in the middle of a heat wave at the moment. So despite temperatures this week reaching mid-30s, we're actually, the process is going really well. We're sort of on schedule. The heat has meant that we've had to cut the afternoon shorter. So we've lost a bit of time, but people have been working really hard.

It's been incredible. How would you describe the Cern Giant to someone who has never seen it? So, yeah, the CERN giant, he's, well, he's an ancient, completely naked figure that has been sculpted into the Chalk Hillside. And we know he's male because he's got a very over-exaggerated and large part of him that people notice the most. I had not. Which part of him are you talking about, Liz? I must have missed that. You've missed that.

Well, people have been working very hard on it this week. But he's, yeah, he's, yeah, he's standing proud. He's standing proud on the hillside with us. Giant genitalia. There is giant genitalia there, just to be clear. But it's not a, like, it's, it's not a stick figure, but it is a, it is a representation of a man, not a particular portrait. Yeah, yeah. So he's, well, he's, so just to describe me a little bit, he's 180 foot tall.

So he's, and he's Britain's largest chalk hill figure, so he's huge. We've got an idea of his age, but who he's depicting, why he was ultimately there and what his story is. We don't really know. Some people think that he might have been created in the image of Hercules, because Hercules is a very masculine figure and our CERN Giant's got a real masculine vibe going on about him. He's also carrying a club like Hercules might have done. So that's one theory, but there's lots of other thoughts about why he's there.

And there are more chalk drawings? Well, there's only one giant. There's only one CERN giant. But in the UK, we do have a lot of chalk drawings in our Chalk Hill site. So we've got, there's a few horses. and we've got a long man, someone called a long man. And we have things like crowns and other bits and bobs. So yeah, it's a thing, sort of the chalk drawings.

It's probably, I think, quite unique to the UK. And beloved, I guess, I mean, when you talk about that heat wave, but the fact that there are more than 100 volunteers helping you out with this, it's not an easy task. What does that suggest to you? Oh, yeah. Well, he is much loved. He was recently dated by scientists to be around between 700 AD and 1100 AD.

So he's probably from the late Saxon period. So he's been in the Surin Abbas community for a very long time. So he is really embedded in the community. And people who live in Surinabas, yeah, do really care for him. And so like you say, we had volunteer. And they're volunteers. People are coming out volunteering their time for free. and they're climbing a very steep hill.

I can't, it's really hard to describe how backbreaking the work is unless you've seen the hill. It's a really steep slope. And people are walking up and down, 180 foot sort of image of the giant, walking up and down with axes and carrying bags of chalk. It's exhausting and people are doing that in their own time. And how much chalk are we talking about? we've brought in 20 tons around 20 tons of chalk to redo it but we're taking out the old chalk first so the actual the rechalking process is almost done in three parts so the first part is sort of digging out

the grass so the giant sits on the side of a hillside so the first part of the job is to actually dig some of the grass out to make the white lines wider and more visible the second part is taking out the old chalk which is what we've been doing the last couple of days. And so people are literally taking out bags of old chalk and carrying them up to the top of a very steep hill in very hot weather. And then once that's done, so we haven't started putting in the new chalk yet. We'll possibly start doing that maybe tomorrow, maybe Sunday.

And when do you think you'll be done? Well, we hope it generally like to think it's a two-week process, but it's very weather-dependent. You do this, I think, once every several years, maybe once a decade, but you're starting earlier this year. Why did you have to do that? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So, yeah, we like to aim for once every 10 years. The giant, he sits on the chalk down hillside, and this is a very rare landscape. It's very delicate and important that it gets protected. So we can't be going on to the giant all the time to rechalk him

because it damages the landscape. But more recently, in the UK, we've had, warmer wetter winters. And so our perfect conditions for grass to grow. The grass has been growing mentally. So the grass has sort of covered him probably quicker than we would have expected because of these wetter, warmer winters. And there's an element of a little bit of algae that sort of catches onto the chalk. And the algae is not normally a problem because previously we see really hard,

cold frosts over the winter. And we've not been seeing these really deep hard, like we might used to have, we used to have done. So the alg is sort of taking grip. So the giant looks a bit grey and he's got the grass growing over him. So we're doing him earlier this year. Crisp white chalk. It has to be. How many times have you done this now and how many more do you want to be a part of? Yeah, this is my second one. I was involved in the one in 2019. This is my second one. We have a ranger called, our area ranger is called Michael and he's really in charge of the sort of getting the job done.

and this will be his fourth re-chalking, and he's worked in the air of the giant for 33 years. So he really knows the giant and loves doing that work. Liz, I'm so glad we could speak. Thank you for this. Lovely to talk to you. Really happy to talk to Canada. Thank you.

Liz, Flight works with the National Trust in the UK, where she keeps a close eye on the CERN-Abbos Giant. We reached her in Catastock, England.

On Monday, Philadelphia Philly star Bryce Harper posted a standard get ready with me video on TikTok. By standard, I mean incredibly boring insofar as it's just a sleepy guy telling you about moisturizer and recommending a tongue scraper. But about a quarter of the way through, Mr. Harper revealed part of his morning routine that left a weird taste in everyone's mouth weird and minty. Normal pocket food. Eat, bro, toothpaste. Also, nothing I live on the West Coast.

And I'm maybe a little biased. I think their food is the best. I don't think it's anywhere close. So he just brushes his teeth like a normal person and talks about West Coast food. It's chill, right? Wrong. It's chill. computer enhance

That didn't toothbrush toothpaste ! That didn't really help but you did hear him say toothbrush, toothpaste or rather toothpaste as though the toothbrush was

in his mouth already. But it wasn't. Do you know what was in his mouth? Just the toothpaste. He took the lid off the tube, squeezed the tooth directly onto his tongue, said toothbrush, toothpaste, and then started brushing. Oh, it's okay to be upset. We're all upset. And if you want an apology or self-reflection or even an acceptable explanation from Bryce Harper, you're not getting it. After that post

blew up, he just told reporters, I've done it forever. Oh, okay. Why, though? And when will you stop doing it? We don't know. A spokesperson for the American Dental Association has said, quote, it is not suggested to do it that way, unquote. No, it is not suggested to do it that way. It is suggested to gently squeeze a pea-sized amount onto a toothbrush. It's why the hole in the toothpaste tube is the width of a toothbrush and not the width of a tongue. So, Bryce Harper, please stop it. Your mouth really does not need to be in this kind of mint condition.

We're going to take a short break now. When we return, I'll speak with Alina Fernandez, daughter of former Cuban president Fidel Castro. She tells me what she's hoping will result from the chaos the U.S. is causing in Cuba. And a football journalist in North Africa says he knows Senegal isn't exactly a favorite coming into the World Cup, but that for the first time an African team has a chance to come out the winner, which is huge on its own. Stay tuned. I'm Chris Howden.

And I'm Neil Kirksell. This Monday.com ad was created by a team of people and AI agents. The agents wrote the copy and managed the timelines, while our human creative director made sure it all made sense. Easy. Create your own AI agent today on Monday. I am an actor, fresh out of theater school with big dreams and an even bigger drug habit. But things are pretty good.

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Last week, Donald Trump's maximum pressure campaign against Cuba reached new levels when the U.S. announced its indictment of 94-year-old former Cuban president, Raul Castro. Since that announcement, Cuba and the rest of the world, have been anxiously waiting to see what might be next and whether it might include military action. This week at a cabinet meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, this. Cuba's in a lot of trouble because unfortunately for them it's run by a bunch of incompetent communists. Being communist is bad. Being an incompetent communist is like the worst. You know, we want something good for the Cuban people. And hopefully there'll be a good outcome there for them.

There needs to be. It's 90 miles from our shores. And having a failed state, 90 miles from our shores is a threat to the national security of the United States. Marco Rubio speaking at an open cabinet meeting this week. Alina Fernandez is a longtime anti- communist who learned she was the daughter of former Cuban President Fidel Castro when she was 10 years old. She fled Cuba in 1993 and lives in exile in Miami. That's where we reached her. Alina Fernandez, do you believe the U.S. Secretary of State when he says the U.S. is, you know, going to do the best for the Cuban people? I do. I do. We have to wait until presidency number 14 to have someone engaged in solving the situation

down in Cuba or at least help to push for a solution. And do you agree with... And that person is Michael Marco Rubio. Do you agree with his... With his characterization of what Cuba is like and why it is like that, when he says Cuba is in a lot of trouble and he blames the current government there for it. You agree with that? Absolutely.

I absolutely agree with that. We've been like that for 67 years. This is not a new situation. This is not the first crisis at all that Cuba is facing. and the reason that is happening now is because their colony who was Venezuela had stopped the subsidy. So those are the consequences. In the best case scenario for you, how would the U.S. help Cubans? Well, in this case, pressuring to the maximum for an engagement in a negotiation.

And of course, we have so many Cuban-Americans that are, excellent wealthy professionals that are willing to go back and invest in Cuba. Everything in Cuba has to be redone. I don't know how to explain this from building to plumbing. It's a country that is falling apart. Many, as you know, point to what the U.S. has been doing already putting pressure on Cuba. You know, the water shortages, millions of Cubans experiencing those. the issues around oil and needs there.

We've spoken to folks in Cuba in our coverage as well. They blame the U.S. for what it's doing, for what this impact. Yes, I understand that. That is historical and that's a very firm point of view. And the legend of Cuba is that the small David facing Goliath or Goliath. And it's very apart from reality. been interfering or engaged in every civil war that has been in the hemisphere of South America, Central America, even the Middle East from the beginning. So there is a lot about Cuba that people

really don't know. Cuba is a country that is being decimated in all those international adventures and always being subsidized by another country. As our listeners heard, you fled Cuba. You were in 30s at the time. You've lived in Miami since and you've only been back a handful of times. What shifted for you? When did you realize you wanted to speak out and be critical of your family? I think I spoke out the first time somebody gave me the opportunity. In this case, it was a journalist from Spain. So that was the first time and I did it since I was in Cuba. but I felt uncomfortable and in the wrong place for many, many years. And at that point, when I was able to escape,

my purpose was to get my daughter out from there. That happened during the 90s, and it was called the special period. And the conditions, I'm sorry, were totally similar to the ones we are seeing today. Was that the last time you went back? I went back the last time in 22 for a couple of years. of days. And what was that like? Bitter's sweet, as always, you know, is a country you love so much with a place in which you feel yourself, but you cannot live there. We've been speaking on our program about, you know, what the U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche has been saying about your uncle,

Raul Castro, the indictment that he insists that that Raul Castro will face justice in the United States. When was the last time he spoke to him? Many, many years ago, even before I left, because as I was vocal about not being happy in that country, or not being happy, I wasn't speaking too much about myself, but about my surroundings. And that's one of the Cuban tragedies. You become the enemy if you dissent. And I lost all those relationships with my family since then. Would you support his capture by U.S. forces? I think it's a 90, soon to be 95-year-old person and it's going to be painful. But, and I don't even think it's possible. But that's what it is now.

He's responding for a crime that was committed 30 years ago. But I think it's much a point of pressure than a real thing happening. If things, the relationship, any discussions that are happening, between the U.S. and Cuba disintegrate further and the U.S. were to take military action. What do you make of that possibility? What would the U.S. be up against? I've heard so many, many times that that is not going to happen, that that's what I would like to believe. But at the same time, to negotiate, you need two parts. And right now, the Cuban side seems to be holding their terms and not showing any will of negotiation.

which is absurd because really common sense tells you that this situation that had lasted for so long is unsustainable. We've seen the U.S. take military action elsewhere. As you know, you mentioned Venezuela. Certainly, you know, Iran is a different case, but we've seen what can happen. And the result has not at all been really much better for the people in those countries. Do you think the United States knows what it might get into if it were to take military? action? I hope that they have a very good intelligence service that is having them aware of the

possibilities. I don't have the slightest idea about who is really in charge at this point of the country. I know it's the military, which is another historical, yes, another historical bizarre thing that the country's rule and owned by the army. but who knows what can happen there. It seems that in Venezuela, the replacement or momentarily replacement of this Maduro was clear, but in Cuba is not. And also in Venezuela, it's being governed by a person, a woman who was very close to Maduro. So, you know, it might have been a move that's improved U.S. interests vis-a-vis Venezuela, but not necessarily for Venezuela.

themselves. I mean, how do you weigh that in your mind? That yes, of course, you and so many people want change, but is this the administration that is going to get you the kind of change you want? It just happened. It just happened. And somehow you need to maintain the order and you cannot go and flood everything. That's what happened in Iraq and look at the consequences. You cannot go and destroy the army because the army at the end, is the one that maintains order. But the Cuban situation is totally peculiar and different. That is what is very concerning in this case.

clearly that he doesn't know us and how proud we are of our independence and our determination to defend. magics. What would you say to the minister? I mean, perhaps it's not surprising that a minister in that government would not be, you know, supporting the U.S. Secretary of State's comments or actions. But what she's saying there about Cubans having that pride and independence, that they should have agency in this decision? It is their position, but it's very easy from her position to defend the statute

quo that is maintaining the other people in misery. We are not speaking anymore about politics here, because politics is the justification for this situation. We're speaking about human lives. And really, really, really, what I can say from the bottom of my heart is that Cuban's life of the Cuban people need to improve is unbearable. You've been wanting change for so long. You've had to be away for so long, except for those short visits, as you said. do you let yourself imagine a dream about when you will go back and it will be as you and others hope it to be? Yes, I mean, we have been five generations through this process.

The first one already died or is dying. And I belong to the second one, the one that was born just with the revolution. And I think we have different experiences. But I think even my right daughter that was born here, It feels Cuban and we all are willing to go back. What do you miss the most? I miss the sounds, the smell, the flavors and the light. Alina, it's been a pleasure speaking with you.

I appreciate this. I so much thank you for the opportunity because we need to keep the subject alive while this gets solved. Alina Fernandez is the daughter of former Cuban President Fidel Castro. We reached her in Miami.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just weeks away now. And increasingly, Senegal is the team to watch. And it's not just Senegal's coach who thinks so, although he definitely does think so. Back in March, head coach Pap Tiao said publicly that he believes the African nation has a fair chance of winning the World Cup. It was the first time an African team had openly declared it could win the tournament. And at one point, that might have raised eyebrows. But in the month since, Senegal's ambitions have been treated with respect.

Maharmazahi is a football journalist for the publication, Africa is a country. He's in Algiers. But for you, what are Senegal's chances at this World Cup? Can they win it? Well, Neil, they're not zero, and that's already saying something. You know, for such a long period of time, African football has been marginalized at the World Cup. We didn't even have an automatic place at the World Cup until 1970. And then there's been incremental progress.

Now for the first time ever, we're talking about an African team being a possible contender. To be clear, they're not favorites. That belongs to France, Spain, Argentina. But the fact that there's a non-zero chance of an African team, perhaps winning a World Cup, that in itself is monumental. Yeah, and I think for fans, I mean, of course, diehard fans of particular countries and particular teams want their teams to win. But the idea that a team other than the usual suspects could actually take it is just makes it a much more. a much richer tournament, no? I think so. And the Senegal team, I mean, there's so many great narratives and storylines all over the place.

The best probably being that of their star man, Sadio Mani. He's their captain. I mean, he comes from a village called Bambali in Senegal. When I speak to my Senegalese colleagues, they themselves tell me that they've never heard of Bambali before Sediomane. It's really in the south corner of Senegal. It's a town really known for growing mangoes and rice. It's tiny. And the fact that he made it out of there, he had to run away from a home. home to try and join an academy, to try and make it to Europe. It's such a success story and it's a feel-good story. There's so many stories like that littered across the Senegalese national

team. So I think they will be a neutral favorite. So that's part of where I guess the head coach is coming from when he says things like he said in March, quote, if even for a second, I doubted that I could win the World Cup with Senegal, then I would step aside, unquote. What else is that level of confidence rooted in? And of course, we hear from athletes and and coaches all the time, sort of bombastic talk. But that sounds a little bit different to my ear. Yeah, it comes from consistent results for Senegal. I've been watching this team for the last decade.

I've been covering African football for the last decade. They've either won every single Afghan title or end up losing to the eventual winners. So they're never third place, really. They are incredibly consistent. And when you have that kind of consistency, I think that builds an innate confidence. Was there a particular turning point to help get the team to where we're at now? Yeah, 2002 Senegal win their first ever soccer trophy. They win the male African Cup of Nations title in Cameroon.

And I can tell you, the Senegal, I mean, it had been 60 years since the country was independent. They had always been recognized as one of the strongest teams in Africa. But it was incredible to witness. They had never won any title at any other level. And it really is like a case study, perhaps, in the effects of, you know, collective psychology because it felt like there was a mental block and people always talked about the fact that when they get to a final there was some kind of frailty they would lose in heartbreaking manners penalty shootouts you know own goals things like that and then eventually this team

finally gets over the hump and immediately after the damn breaks we have Senegal winning the under 17 afcon the under 20 afcon the african nation's championship that even the beach soccer tournament in terms of the run out lead up to to the world cup there's been some some hiccups I think we can call them. Coach Tiao, there's some travel issues, some contract negotiations. What is happening there? PAPTial has not really been offered an extension past the World Cup. And there are some reports saying that he hasn't been paid for the previous few months,

which is absolutely incredible to hear, considering the fact that the Senegalese Federation won a huge amount of prize money, close to $10 million for winning the African Cup of Nations initially. A lot of African national teams have been employing former international players like Paptiel who played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup is because they're not commanding huge salaries. He's probably on $20,000 to $30,000 a month, which is modest by World Cup standard. So the fact that, yeah, we're hearing stories like this is really heartbreaking, and it really speaks to sometimes the disorganization that we can get when it comes to the governing bodies in African football.

Do you think he's going to be there to lead his team? These things always get worked out. You have to understand that sometimes federations can take advantage of this when they hire a local because they know that it's also his dream to lead his country at the World Cup. So maybe that's why they can take the time to sort of cut corners and overstep some boundaries. But I do expect it to be resolved in a week or so. Okay. And then, of course, there are the Trump administration's ongoing travel ban, fans from Ivory Coast and Senegal are facing certain visa restrictions.

What are you hearing from your contacts in Senegal about that? Well, I can tell you from where I'm at in Algeria. Algeria also has a travel visa bond where we had to pay a. I think $10,000. I think in Senegal, it's $15,000. So you pay this bond at the American Embassy where you're based, and you get the money back when you return. The problem is, who has that kind of disposable income in these countries? I can tell you that I spoke to diplomatic missions here, whether it's the Americans, the Canadians, or even the Mexicans. And every single one of them has told me that they have been extremely underwhelmed with

the amount of travel visas that have been applied for. We do expect some Senegalese fans that are based in Europe. There's a huge diaspora in France, for example. But unless the fans are being taken by the Federation via chartered flight and the Federation will vouch for a certain amount of fans as they do for supporters committees. We're not expecting your regular rank in file Senegalese to travel for this World Cup. We've had a lot of conversations on the show so far leading up to the World Cup, you know, issues about transportation costs and ticket costs, certainly, as a journalist doing this work. How do you feel about this particular World Cup? I mean, it's a different one for sure. I'm going to be arriving on June 8th. I'm going to be

trying to get to all three host nations. Look, I come from a country where a match day ticket costs $2. You go to the stadium. You're talking to people usually an hour before kickoff. You're talking to people at half time. There's a certain amount of silence that sort of comes with football that I've come to appreciate and enjoy. Last summer, I came to the United States for an inaugural club tournament that FIFA decided to host in preparation for this World Cup as a sort of test run or rehearsal and it just the the I don't want to talk like like too politically but the amount of like sheer capitalism that you can get at some of these soccer events were it was stunning to me like the everything was sponsored even the hydration breaks were sponsored by power raid you enter through

the Xfinity gate or the Verizon gate and and there were no dead periods of silence that's what I think hit me the hardest was every time there was a few minutes before kickoff the DJ was pumping in some kind of you know obnoxious pop music and so it's not really my cup of tea but I understand the the World Cup rotates. It goes around the world, and there's different ways that people consume sports. And so it's just going to be an interesting, again, case study in how Americans consume their sport. Meher, I'm so glad we could speak. Thank you for this. Safe travels. Thanks for having me on. Meher Mazzahi is a football journalist for the publication. Africa is a country.

We reached him in Algiers, Algeria. In the 1960s, people didn't really use the phrase authentic self, but if they did, they certainly would have used it to describe Maureen Duffy. Ms. Duffy was born in England in 1933 and grew up lesbian in a working class neighborhood. Over her long career, she wrote plays, poetry, and books, all of which addressed life as she knew it, frankly and directly. Maureen Duffy died this week. She was 92 years old. As well as being a writer, she was an advocate for writers and helped found the author's license. and collecting society. Last year she was awarded the Pioneer Prize

by the Royal Society of Literature. At the time, she spoke about the reaction to her 1966 book, The Microcosm, which follows a circle of friends who frequent a lesbian bar. Well, I think people were amazed and alarmed. Because, you know, I mean,

I don't think there'd been anything like it, certainly from a working class background. but that was what I knew and that was what I wrote about. And so that's where I was. That was where I was coming from and that was where I was going. Author Maureen Duffy speaking last year after winning the RSL Pioneer Prize Prize. Gail Renard is the treasurer of the Writers Guild of Great Britain.

She was a friend of Maureen Duffy. We reached her in London. Gail amazed and alarmed. Does that sum up the impression Maureen Duffy left people with? I think she sounded like she was enjoying having made them feel that way. Maureen was a formidable woman, and the expression self-made woman was never more true, because as she was saying, she wasn't born into an advantaged life. She was born to a single mother with no father around, and sadly, her mother died when she was 15.

and still, even with that background, she managed to get herself to university. So, I mean, from the word go, she was a determined lady, or rather woman, you know, and she would describe herself as bloody-minded. And that's a compliment, because she was bloody-minded about issues, and there were so many,

and I would just say she couldn't bear injustice. And whenever she saw injustice, she did her best to write it. You get the sense just even from that short clip, if you'd never met her or heard her speak a little bit about what she really was like. When was the last time you saw her? Well, we were always in touch in some way. I was trying to think. Two more recent times, because I know she had been ill.

Of all things, we ran into each other at Full and Broadway tube station, which amazed me because nine million people in London and we managed to run to each other and check. station. And also, we both lobby a lot in Westminster. And you could have been certain if there was a lobby, Maureen would be their lobbying. And she was very good at it. Everyone knew her. Everyone respected her. Politicians, writers, journalists, it was pure respect. When did you first meet? What was your first impression? Well, like the sunshine, Maureen seemed to have always been around. But I joined the Writers Guild of Great Britain probably 25 years ago or more, our trade union for writers. And because Maureen had been president in her time, and I was chair during mine.

So I was always aware of the work Maureen was doing within the guild. but as I got more active myself, we met quite a lot. And Maureen helped to found ALCS, which is the author's licensing and collection society, which is one of the biggest gifts, amongst many gifts that she gave to writers, because Maureen identified there was secondary uses of our writing that weren't being paid for,

something as simple as books being photocopied or now scanned, and our television work being retransmitted to other countries accidentally. So Maureen thought if people are using our material, we should be paid. And it was a Herculean effort to set up the ALCS, and she did it. And it was wonderful because ALCS payouts something like 30 million a couple of times a year to write us. And that's a new stream of money that hadn't existed. before Maureen and others went for it. That sense of, you know, that she couldn't stand for injustice is clearly part of that work.

She talked a little bit more about establishing the public lending right, where authors received a small payment when their books were lent out by libraries. She spoke specifically about that after she won the RSL Pioneer Prize as well. Until that point, I had tried to work through the existing. public library system. And I had been told by the society of authors that writing was a profession and I shouldn't expect to be paid for. So I thought, well, buggered that.

I mean, because quite frankly, I mean, I had no other sorts of income. And if I wasn't paid for my work, then, you know, the work wouldn't get done. So she fought for that. But she fought for other causes as well, including. advocating for gay rights. She came out when many others could not and did not. Well, also, it was illegal in Britain to be openly gay until 1967, would you believe? So the fact that Maureen came out, not only did she come out very early, she wrote books about it and never hit anything. And she was brave, but also were back to a sense of justice.

Of course she should write about her life. Everyone else does. But I don't know how she managed to do as much as she did, because her writing alone, books, poems, stage plays, films, television. And that was aside from her work as an activist, for gay rights, for animals, and as we see for writers. She got it done. One of my favorite quotes from her was she used to say, you have to stand up and play your part. And I hope I've learned that from her. Did she tell you what writing meant to her? I mean, you mentioned her upbringing.

Her mother died when she was just 15. Her semi-autobiographical first book, that's how it was. Tells the story about, you know, the mother and daughter growing up in similar circumstances to how she did. Did she tell you what writing did for her, gave her? Well, I think it's more assumed because the one thing about being a writer is you can't not write. It's something, it's a quirk you do if you're dropped. on your head as a child. But it was also probably her way of escaping her background is the wrong thing to say because she respected where she came from. But it was a way, well, it was a way to do

the things she wanted to do. And not only was it difficult with her background, but there isn't still the same equality for women writers that there can be for men writers. So imagine what that was like in the 50s when she first published. Gail, I'm very glad we could speak. Thank you for sharing your memories with us. Thank you for letting me. Cheers. Gail Renard is an author and advocate for writer's rights. She was also a friend of the late Maureen Duffy.

We reached Ms. Renard in London. You've been listening to the As It Happens podcast. Our show can be heard Monday to Friday on CBC Radio 1 after your world tonight. And you can, of course, also listen to our show online at cbc.ca.ca slash AIH or on the CBC Listen app or, of course, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Neil Keogsel. And I'm Chris Howden.

For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.