The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/01/30 at 01:00 EST

Episode Date: January 30, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/01/30 at 01:00 EST

Hello, I am Gavin Crawford, host of Because News, Canada's funniest news quiz. Each week, I gather a panel of comedians to compete for meaningless points with games, riddles, and we make fun of the latest headlines. What unlikely institution is getting a cute cartoon mascot? The World Health Organization? Meet who? The WHO owl. Where will the next global pandemic start? Who knows? Subscribe for free wherever you get your podcasts and get an early and extended episode every Friday. Why? Because news. From CBC News, the world is sour. I'm Neil Kumar. US authorities have confirmed that there are fatalities after commercial plane and military

helicopter crashed in a mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Airport just outside of Washington, DC. At this stage, the number of deaths is not known. A major search and rescue operation is now underway as teams search the Potomac River next to the airport where the crash occurred. Nick Harper reports from Washington. Sixty passengers and four crew were on board the American Airlines flight that crashed mid-air as it was coming into land, colliding with a Blackhawk helicopter with three army

personnel on board. US President Donald Trump says he's been fully briefed on the terrible accident and has praised the incredible work of the first responders. They are working in the river trying to access the broken apart aircraft that is partially submerged in the freezing water. Ronald Reagan Airport is one of the busiest runways in America with a challenging approach to land over the nation's capital not far from the White House and the Pentagon in one of the most tightly controlled airspaces in the world. Nick Harper for CBC News, Washington. Donald Trump's nominee for Commerce Secretary is teasing about a possible reprieve from

those tariffs. Howard Lutnick told his confirmation hearing the levies won't be imposed on Saturday as threatened if Canada clamps down on fentanyl shipments into the U.S. Overall Lutnick says he favors broad tariffs on all products from a country even if those countries are allies. Lutnick is expected to be confirmed. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie called Lutnick's comments positive. She met late this afternoon with her new U. new US counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Jolie says she felt her message was well received. Every time I'm presenting our border plan, every time I'm presenting facts, which are first, less than 1% of fentanyl that is in the US comes from Canada and less than 1% of illegal migrants in the US come from Canada. Well, that is definitely also resonating. So I think that we have a good strategy. Jolie met earlier with the head of the Canada-US Secretary Caucus, Republican Senator, Kevin Kramer.

At least some of the premiers agree with the approach. We must take President Trump's statements on border security seriously and to take action immediately, rather than focusing on inflaming the issue with rhetoric around retaliation. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is also advocating Canada meet the Trump administration's demand on border security. The president wants the flow of migrants and fentanyl across the border brought to an end, but Smith also admits. Is this likely to end the threat of tariffs entirely?

I don't think so. I think there'll be other things that we will need to work on and we will do so. Meanwhile, a KPMG survey of business leaders found eight in 10 want Canada to respond with targeted dollar-for for dollar retaliatory tariffs. The survey also found the majority of businesses are delaying capital investments until the details of the American plan are known.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled at his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday. He's 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 also 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 force our opinions on other people.

R.F. K. Junior can afford to lose his support of only three Republicans if he's to be confirmed. The HHS Secretary Overseas, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Institutes of Health. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Neal Kumar.