The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/01 at 06:00 EST

Episode Date: February 1, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/01 at 06:00 EST

Hey, friend, come on in. My name is Alameen Abdelmahmoud. I'm the host of a show called Komotion. Let me tell you what we do. Every day we gather some of the sharpest and wittiest culture critics I know around the Komotion table and then we get into the biggest stories that are happening right now in the world of arts and entertainment. Things like Bad Bunny's latest album or this incredibly close best actress race at the Oscars or how YouTube is changing kids entertainment. You can find a new episode of commotion every weekday, wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Gina Louise Phillips.

Donald Trump's terror threats are expected to become a reality today. It remains unclear what they will target, but it gets even murkier when it comes to oil and gas. The U.S. president says the levy will probably be set at 10 percent for the sector and suggests it wouldn't be put into place until February 18th. Sam Sampson has more. Blackjack's Roadhouse just outside Edmonton is smack dab in oil country, complete with stained glass art of oil workers and rigs. Almost all Canadian crude oil goes to the U.S. and most of that is from Alberta. So no one knows the worries of tariffs like these patrons and staff.

It's scary because of the unknowns. Natalie Rehmann worries oil tariffs could affect her clientele and in turn her job as a server. It will be a huge hit that could affect people's jobs. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has pushed for oil and gas carve-outs. She's also using this moment to try and resurrect old pipeline plans. She and others argue if Trump becomes a tough customer, Alberta needs other ways to get oil to international markets.

David De Tomasi, who studies and teaches geopolitics of oil at Queen's University, says Trump's actions may force Canada to have tough conversations. I think we should have a more integrated national idea of what we're trying to do economically. And if it takes someone like him to convince us of this, maybe it's a bit of a blessing in a very, very deep disguise. Sam Sampson, CBC News, near Edmonton. In Quebec, industries like aluminum are bracing for the economic fallout, but some big players say it's the U.S. that will suffer the most. Matt Damour reports. We've been preparing for the worst for months.

Jean Simard is president of the Quebec-based Aluminum Association of Canada. Aluminum is the second largest sector in the province and represents the biggest export from Quebec to the U.S. Simard says the imported metal is vital for the U.S. So the threat is on everyone's mind. We basically represent 75% of their imports that they need to manufacture cars, planes, buildings, construction and stuff like that. But if U.S. manufacturers stop buying Canadian aluminum due to a higher price, where will local producers send it?

Simard says the stock of metal can be shifted overseas. I will sell it to Europe because there's no tariff in Europe. But it will create a void in the U.S. In the immediate aftermath of tariffs, the association says unshipped aluminum in Canada may start to pile up, but it expects shipping capacity to be up and running to Europe within 90 days. Matt Damour, CBC News, Montreal. B.C. Premier David Eby says his province will support Team Canada's response to the U.S. tariffs. They're not justified.

They will hurt families on both sides of the border. And we will respond in kind. It will not be an advantage to the United States to have these tariffs. And I hope that Mr. Trump takes a moment and reflects on how we can work together instead of dividing our two countries that have worked so well together for so many generations. Eby says he met with his new provincial economic protection committee. To Israel. The family of one of three Israeli hostages released by the militant group Hamas today

expresses joy. Three male hostages were handed over to the International Red Cross and then to the Israeli Defense Forces today. Two of the hostages were released in Haun Unis while the third was turned over in Gaza City. In return, Israel is expected to release over 180 Palestinian detainees. In Philadelphia, a Medivac jet carrying six people crashed into a local mall and residential area after takeoff this evening.

A spokesperson for the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance confirmed a child patient along with her mother and four crew members were on board. The flight was en route to Tijuana, Mexico. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft shortly after takeoff. The air ambulance company says they cannot confirm any survivors and the number of fatalities on the ground remains unclear. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Gina Louise Phillips.