The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/20 at 11:00 EST

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/20 at 11:00 EST...

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Starting point is 00:00:00 1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades, he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's Personally, Toy Soldier. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. Federal Heritage Minister Pascal Saint-Ange wants to create a stable funding initiative for the CBC that won't be impacted by changes in government. CBC does not belong to the Liberals, it does not belong to the Conservatives, and it does not belong to any other political parties.
Starting point is 00:01:01 It belongs to the Canadian people. And this is why to be able to give CBC Radio Canada the means to fulfill its mandate, I propose that it be financed directly in the legislation instead of in the budget through statutory appropriation. St. Ange goes on to say that CBC Radio Canada was originally created in response to concerns the country was being inundated by communications from other countries. She's revealing her proposal to modernize the government's mandate for CBC and public broadcasting, something that hasn't been done since 1991. With talking points frequently used by the Kremlin, US 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
Starting point is 00:01:49 isn't exactly true. Anna Cunningham reports. A dictator without elections. Speaking at a Saudi-backed event in Miami, U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his claims. Zelensky better move faster. He's not going to have a country left. Got to move. Got to move faster. He's not going to have a country left. Got to move. Got to move fast. This battle of words has seen the US-Ukraine relationship crumble rapidly,
Starting point is 00:02:10 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. Zalensky has promised to hold elections as soon as the war is over. Last night, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer phoned Zalensky to reassure him he was a democratically elected leader. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. And while it looks like the US 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
Starting point is 00:02:55 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, reports. 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 Hegseth said Western Europe is no longer the top priority.
Starting point is 00:03:38 Stark strategic realities. Instead, Hegseth 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. North American hockey supremacy is on the line tonight in Boston. Canada is playing the United States in the championship game of the Four Nations faceoff tournament. This already heated rivalry is now at a new level due to the ongoing tariff and sovereignty
Starting point is 00:04:08 threats coming from President Trump, which is something Sportsnet host Ron McLean says could be a distraction for the players. They're not unaware of what's going on in the world, and yet your focus has to be so razor thin in an event like this. You can't really allow yourself the white noise. So I'm sure they're a little bit in their own little cocoon, but it's all around us. There's no question about that. These two teams met over the weekend in Montreal on the Round Robin with the United States posting a 3-1 win. Game time tonight in Boston is 8 o'clock
Starting point is 00:04:41 Eastern. And that is 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.

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