The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/20 at 09:00 EST

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/20 at 09:00 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, it's the World This Hour. I'm Joe Cummings. With talking points frequently used by the Kremlin, U.S. President Donald Trump is stepping up his attacks on the credibility of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Specifically, Trump is claiming that Zelensky refuses to hold a general election. Which isn't exactly true. Anna Cunningham explains. A dictator without elections.

Speaking at a Sandy Bact event in Miami, in Miami, US President Donald Trump repeated his claims. Zelensky better move faster, he's not going to have a country left. Gotta move, gotta move fast. This battle of words has seen the US-Ukraine relationship crumble rapidly, with Trump first claiming Ukraine initiated the war. Then-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying Trump was living in a Russian disinformation bubble. Zelensky was elected in 2019. His term in office was due to end in May 2024, but it was extended because Ukraine is in a state of martial law. Zelensky has promised to hold elections as soon as the war is over. Last night, British Prime Minister Kirsten Amaphone Zelensky to reassure him he was a democratically elected leader.

Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. Meanwhile, it looks like the Defense Department is the next target for the Trump administration's ongoing spending cuts. The Washington Post is reporting that the White House is looking for the Pentagon to shave tens of billions of dollars from its budget. Steve Futterman reports. It appears the Pentagon is next. The Trump administration is aiming to make massive cuts to the Defense Department budget,

cuts that could amount to $50 billion. This week, Donald Trump has defended all the firings, enclosures, and reductions which have taken place across the board. I got elected on the basis of making our government stronger and smaller. The Pentagon's current budget is close to 900 billion. The 50 billion would amount to around 8 percent. Where would the Pentagon cuts come from? A few days ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth said Western Europe is no longer the top priority.

Stark strategic realities. Instead, Hexeth said, the U.S. must now focus on security at the U.S. southern border and threats from China. According to published reports, those two areas are exempt from the budget cuts. Steve Futterman for CBC News, Los Angeles. Canada's ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, says it's possible Canada might be in a position to avoid widespread U.S. tariffs. I'm getting signals that the work that we are doing and the results that we are achieving

is well received. And there's a recognition that Canada has made important steps and that we are doing good work. Appearing on CBC's Power and Politics, Hillman says it appears the Trump administration is threatening different tariffs for different reasons She says the broad 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods appears to be a general negotiating tactic But the others on steel and aluminum are being used as a tool to protect American industry Later today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be discussing the state of the tariff threats in a virtual meeting with the premiers Justin Trudeau will be discussing the state of the tariff threats in a virtual meeting with the premiers.

Canadians are getting a first look today at the federal government's plan to modernize the CBC mandate. The mandate hasn't been formally reviewed since 1991. And updating it is a directive that's been assigned to Heritage Minister Pascal St. Ange. She will release her vision later this morning. It's expected to include an assurance that Radio Canada's French language services are independent of the CBC. In Boston tonight, it's Canada against the United States in the championship game of the Four Nations Face-Off Tournament. We came here for this purpose, and now it's win one more game. Should be a pretty good made-for-TV event.

That's Canada's head coach John Cooper. The Americans are undefeated going into tonight's final and among their wins was a 3-1 victory over Canada in the Round Robin. That game featured three fights in the first nine seconds. Game time tonight is 8 o'clock Eastern again in Boston. And that is The World This Hour. Remember you can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts. The World This Hour. Remember you can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts. The World This Hour is updated every hour seven days a week. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.