The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/20 at 13:00 EST

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/20 at 13:00 EST

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, the world this hour. I'm Tom Harrington. President Donald Trump's envoy to Ukraine met with President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev

today. The meeting follows days of tense accusations from both countries as the US started peace talks with Russia but without Ukraine or Europe at the table. Anna Cunningham reports from London. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Keith Kellogg, President Trump's envoy to Ukraine, shook hands but a joint news conference scheduled for after the meeting was cancelled. An indication perhaps of just how delicate this diplomatic dance is. President Trump falsely accusing Ukraine of starting the war.

President Zelensky saying he believes Trump was living in a Russian disinformation bubble. Then the US leader calling his Ukrainian counterpart a dictator for not holding elections. The EU's spokesperson Stefan de Kiersmaker challenged Trump's claims. President Zelensky was legitimately elected in free, fair and democratic elections. Ukraine is a democracy. Putin's Russia is not. All this just days after the US initiated talks with Russia without Ukraine. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. Heritage Minister Paxe-Alsthys St-Henrges is proposing a new mandate for the CBC. It includes steady funding, regardless of what party is in power.

She says increased funding is vital in an age of misinformation. I think we need to envision the investments that we're making in our public broadcaster as a national security issue. We know that our sovereignty is more than ever an issue that Canadians are preoccupied about. Protecting Canadian sovereignty implies investing in our means of communication and in being able to resist a foreign influence. St. Onge says at least at $32 per person per year spending on the public broadcaster is the second lowest of all the G7 countries. Only the United States spends less.

However, there are no guarantees the minister's plan will survive the next general election, which is expected as early as this spring. Conservative leader Pierre Pauliev reiterated his pledge to cut roughly one billion dollars from the funding the CBC receives. He says he'd do that by shutting down the English television service. Almost nobody watches CBC television. They have among the worst ratings of any network, and yet Trudeau gives them billions more. We're going to cut wasteful spending, not just there, but across the government to bring down inflation, deficits and taxes.

Poliev says he would continue to fund Radio Canada, the CBC's French language service. A Toronto area man has agreed to be extradited to the U.S. to face terrorism charges. Mohammed Shahzeb Khan is accused of planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting in New York City. He was allegedly targeting the Jewish community. Khan was arrested near the border between Quebec and New York State last September. We are hours away from one of the most anticipated hockey games in years, Canada versus the United States in the final of the new four nations faceoff. Jamie Strachan has more on a cross-border battle that goes well beyond the ice.

The tension around this game being fueled by the politics that surround it. The simmering war of words most coming from US President Donald Trump who won't be at the game but spoke to the American team this morning. Also in a tweet this morning he continued to push the idea of Canada as a 51st state and again referred to Justin Trudeau as governor. All of this has fueled renewed patriotism in Canada. Many fans have made the trip to Boston. Well just the build-up with everything going on you know there's been a great series to watch, but also just everything in politics these days. It just seems like something you can't miss. Players like Sydney

Crosby say this game is different. I think it's been something probably even more than maybe what people expected. We're a pretty hockey proud country. The game is sold out, tickets on the secondary market going for more than $1,200. Canadian. Jamie Strash in CBC News, Boston. And that is Your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Tom Harrington. Thanks for listening.