The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/04 at 07:00 EST

Episode Date: February 4, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/04 at 07:00 EST

Hi, I'm Alameen Abdul Mahmood. I'm the host of commotion. Our show dives into all the big pop culture stories and why they matter. Okay, so last night the Grammys took place. It's a big night. You'll hear about the big surprises that no one saw coming and the snubs that people are upset about. We're bringing the group chat together and getting into all of it. Chaperone, Taylor Swift and of course the big story Beyonce. Find our Grammy highlights episode wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. US President Donald Trump says, thanks to him, Canada is taking steps to tighten its border security. Those steps include additional measures by the federal government to prevent fentanyl

trafficking and in return, Trump's tariff threats are temporarily on hold. Kate McKenna has more. We are obviously pleased to see this development, but we have more work to do. Public safety minister David McGinty says the 30-day pause on Donald Trump's proposed tariffs is good news, but the threat isn't over yet. The president expressed concerns, we listened. Trump threatened massive tariffs unless Canada curbs the flow of fentanyl and migrants over its southern border. In December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed a $1.3 billion border plan.

Yesterday he agreed to spend another $200 million to fight organized crime and fentanyl trafficking. He also announced plans to list cartels as terrorist organizations and appoint a fentanyl czar. McGinty told CBC's Power and Politics what that job could look like. It's really about following the fentanyl and finding out where it's coming from, what the sources are. But the president only granted a one-month reprieve.

It's unclear what would dissuade him from tariffs completely. The White House took credit for forcing Canada's hand, saying in just two weeks, Trump has advanced America's interests around the globe. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. Meanwhile, Trump's threat to impose tariffs on China have now drawn a formal response from Beijing, China saying it is prepared to put 10 to 15 percent tariffs on a range of American exports from coal, natural gas, and crude oil to agricultural machinery and auto parts. Beijing says the countermeasures will take effect next Monday. It also says it's launching an investigation into Google, saying it may be in violation

of global antitrust laws. Voters in Greenland are going to the polls on April 6th, but before the election, it's looking to ban foreign political donations. The government of the autonomous territory says it needs to safeguard its political integrity. It's concerned about potential election interference after US President Donald Trump expressed an interest in buying the Arctic island. The proposed bill says political parties can't receive donations from anonymous donors or anyone who resides outside Greenland. With the delicate ceasefire in Gaza hanging in the balance, Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington today for talks with the Trump administration. Sasha Petrusik reports. Bulldozers dig through Gaza's rubble as its people scramble to make the most of a pause in this war, which may not last beyond the next few weeks. Whether the ceasefire continues depends much on today's meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. Trump pressured Israel into the ceasefire's first phase and reportedly wants war to end for good in the second.

Netanyahu says he does too, if only to bring the rest of Israel's dozens of hostages home. But those are contradictory goals. So far, Israel has not been able to destroy Hamas despite nearly 16 months of conflict and intense pressure from Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners who insist the war resume. The question now is will there be enough pressure from Trump to continue the ceasefire? Sasha Petrusik, CBC News, Jerusalem. Now to the Greek island of Santorini. That's people boarding a ship headed for the mainland.

In recent days there have been more than 200 underwater tremors in the immediate area of the island. The strongest was measured at 4.9 magnitude and it triggered a number of landslides. Now there are concerns that a bigger earthquake or a tsunami could be coming. Packed planes and ferries are leaving the island on the hour. Schools in Santorini and some surrounding islands have also been closed for the week. And that is The World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.