The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/01/29 at 14:00 EST

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/01/29 at 14:00 EST

When a body is discovered 10 miles out to sea, it sparks a mind-blowing police investigation. There's a man living in this address in the name of a deceased. He's one of the most wanted men in the world. This isn't really happening. Officers are finding large sums of money. It's a tale of murder, skullduggery and international intrigue. So who really is he? I'm Sam Mullins and this is Sea of Lies from CBC's Uncovered, available now.

From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Tom Harrington. Will they or won't they? The White House says those American tariffs on Canadian goods will be announced on Saturday. But Donald Trump's nominee for Commerce Secretary says there could be no tariffs imposed. Howard Lutnick says a brief read is possible if Canada stops the flow of fentanyl across the border. Caroline Bargout has more from Washington.

Shut your border and stop allowing fentanyl into our country, killing our people. This is what Howard Lutnick says Canada would need to do if it wants to avoid tariffs. Those potential levies came up multiple times at a Senate confirmation hearing today. It was clear Lutnick is very pro-tariff and believes in US President Donald Trump's plan to generate wealth through duties. Here's what else he said about what Canada would need to do. Respect America. If we are your biggest trading partner, show us the respect. Shut your border. U.S. Customs and Border officials say less than 20 kilograms of fentanyl was seized along the border with Canada last year. Compare that with the 9,000 kilograms that was seized along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Canada has also promised to spend more than a billion dollars to secure the border and try to appease Trump and avoid duties. Caroline Bargout, CBC News, Washington. than a billion dollars to secure the border and try to appease Trump and avoid duties. Caroline Bargout, CBC News, Washington. The accounting firm KPMG has surveyed Canadian business leaders about the threat of U.S. tariffs. It found eight in ten want Canada to respond with targeted dollar-for-dollar retaliatory levies. The survey also found the majority of businesses are delaying capital investments until the

details of the American plan are known. 94% of respondents say Ottawa and the 13 premiers must show a united front against the US. The Bank of Canada is making another interest rate cut. Its influential rate was trimmed by 25 basis points down to 3%. But it's also saying it's impossible to predict what effect those US tariffs will have. Senior business reporter Peter Armstrong has more. The Bank of Canada is in a difficult spot here. It's trying to navigate an, obviously, an excessively cloudy forecast. Indeed, right out of the gates, it says this policy report is subject to what it calls more than usual uncertainty because of the rapidly evolving policy landscape, particularly, it says, the threat of trade tariffs by the new administration in the United States. unusual uncertainty because of the rapidly evolving policy landscape, particularly it

says the threat of trade tariffs by the new administration in the United States. And it says that since the scope and duration of a possible trade conflict are impossible to predict this NPR, this report today provides a baseline forecast in the absence of new tariffs. So basically it's put out a forecast without even factoring in what a trade war would look like and it still found the Canadian economy needed the boost of another rate cut. It says previous cuts are working but business investment is weak, employment is soft and the really the only high spots are exports

which may well get slapped with tariffs. The bank will meet again on March 12th and it may well by then be looking at a very different economic landscape. Peter Armstrong, CBC News, Toronto. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled at his Senate confirmation hearing today. He is President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy strongly refuted accusations he is a vaccine skeptic. Despite a record as pro-choice, he says he agrees with Trump that states should control abortion. Forcing somebody to participate in a medical procedure as a provider that they believe is murder does not make any sense to me.

We need to respect each other when we have different opinions and not, you know, not force our opinions on other people. RFK Jr. can afford to lose the support of only three Republicans, if he is to be confirmed. HHS Secretary oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Institutes of Health. Australian police say they have foiled a planned attack on Sydney's Jewish community. There's only one way of calling it out, and that is terrorism. This would strike terror into the community, particularly the Jewish community. There's only one way of calling it out and that is terrorism.

This would strike terror into the community, particularly the Jewish community, and it must be met with the full resources of the government. The Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, spoke after police discovered a trailer outside the city packed with explosives. It's believed a mass casualty event was being set in motion involving at least one synagogue. Police say a number of suspects are in custody. And that is Your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Tom Harrington.

Thanks for listening.