The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/17 at 00:00 EST

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/17 at 00:00 EST

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From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Neil Herland. Much of Canada is dealing with harsh weather. A winter storm is hammering Ontario and Quebec and parts of western Canada are shivering under extreme cold. Linda Ward reports. As fast as plows can clear the roads and sidewalks they're covered again. Three to six centimeters of snow per hour with a total of 15 to 25 centimeters expected by this evening, up to 40 or 50 centimeters for parts of Quebec. Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Carrie Schmidt is urging people to stay off the roads.

You can't see the lane markings. We have had cars and ditches. Some collisions are happening as we speak. At Toronto Pearson Airport there have been hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. Forecasters say they expect the snowfall in the last week to beat the total accumulation last winter. And central Canada isn't the only one coping with tough conditions. Much of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and parts of northwestern Ontario are under an extreme cold warning, with temperatures hitting minus 40 and even minus 50 in some places.

Linda Ward, CBC News, Toronto. In the U.S., at least eight people were killed in Kentucky after heavy rains triggered dangerous flooding this weekend. Here's Governor Andy Beshear. Where we are right now is in the emergency response phase. This is the search and rescue phase. We've already seen over a thousand rescues, primarily because of the Swiftwater boat teams as well as so many other responders that are out there." Bashir says the flash flooding is largely over, but there will be

riverbank flooding in the next few days. Ten million people from Ohio to Mississippi are under flood warnings. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke directly to American athletes at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games tonight in Vancouver. The sports competition features wounded, injured and sick military members and veterans from around the world. Trudeau made reference to the current tension between Canada and the U.S. and he emphasized the friendship between the two countries. We all stand proudly together. We all believe in a future where we have values

and a friendship that endures the test of time. We have stood together for generations and Canada and Canadians will never stop fighting for the friendship that unites our two countries through tough times and through the best times in the world. Americans are our friends, always. On Saturday night some spectators at the Four Nations Hockey Tournament in Montreal booed the U.S. national anthem.

The Invictus games were established by Prince Harry, who attended the closing ceremony tonight. Monday is President's Day in the U.S. but some Americans say they're not pleased with the current president especially his cuts to the U.S. federal workforce. As Katie Simpson reports however the cuts are being celebrated by Trump supporters. The president had a right to do what he has done. Senator John Barrasso the Republican majority whip downplaying concern about Trump's dramatic reshaping of the federal government. Anytime President Trump does anything, they call it a constitutional crisis.

There have been mass terminations in multiple departments at the recommendation of Elon Musk, the billionaire tech giant who is leading the Department of Government Efficiency called Doge. This was the knife in the back for a lot of the federal workforce. Jordan Solis worked at the IRS and decided to take a buyout rather than risk being laid off. Congressman Jamie Raskin says Democrats are looking to the courts to slow Trump's agenda. We're winning in court.

More than a dozen federal injunctions and temporary restraining orders have been issued. On social media, the president posted, he who saves his country does not violate any law. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. France will host an emergency European Leaders' Summit on Monday to discuss the war on Ukraine and European security. The President of the Republic will meet the main European countries. Jean-Noël Barreau is the French Foreign Minister.

He says there's a wind of unity blowing over Europe. And that is Your World This Hour. I'm Neil Hurland.