The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/22 at 11:00 EST

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/22 at 11:00 EST

I'm Jeff Turner, host of the podcast On Drugs. Each episode I take a deep dive into a different aspect of drug culture. And this season we cover everything from the popularity of ketamine to the enduring allure of tobacco. We explore the age of ozempic and the magic and mystery of anesthesia. You can listen to episodes of On Drugs wherever you get your podcasts. Tel Aviv's hostage square. A total of six are being released today in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The CBC's Sasser Petrusic is there. Hostage square in Tel Aviv is crowded with people. They are staring at a huge screen. They are waiting to welcome six more hostages who are set to be released. People are very anxious to see what shape they're in but also very nervous because this is the last of this group that is supposed to be released alive. A few days ago we had the first release of

four dead hostages who came home in caskets. But these four today who are being released from the October 7th incident, three of them were at the music festival down in the South, the Nova Music Festival, they're in their 20s. One of them was visiting at Kibbutz near the border. But it's really been a lot of mixed emotions here and that's not about to stop. Sasha Petrosik, CBC News, Tel Aviv.

European leaders are expected to put on a united front this coming week in Washington as French President Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepare to meet with Donald Trump. They're expected to show their ongoing support for Ukraine. It all comes as US officials announce they'll be meeting with their Russian counterparts in two weeks. More pink slips are being handed out by the White House. Among those now without a job in the US is General Charles Q. Brown. He's accused of being a proponent of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the Pentagon.

Brown, who is black, is being replaced by retired Lieutenant General, who is white. The CBC's Linda Ward is following this story. Air Force General CQ Brown, a fighter pilot and only the second black general to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, fired. His replacement, three-star Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Raisen Kane, coming out of retirement. The Trump loyalist most recently served as associate director for military affairs at the CIA. He's said ISIS could be taken down in a matter of days. Brown's firing is abrupt but perhaps not unexpected. During Defense Secretary Pete Hegsath's confirmation hearing, Hegsath promised to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military.

He's openly questioned whether Brown would have gotten the job if he weren't black. The president did not explain his decision. Taking to Truth Social, he thanked him for his service and called him a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader. Democrats are criticizing the decision saying it politicizes the military. Linda Ward, CBC News, Toronto. The 2025 federal election would seem to have all the makings of a breakthrough for Canada's new Democratic Party. As polling shows, voters want change. The Liberal Party is leaderless.

But at this point, at least, many things don't seem to be working in the NDP's favour. David Thurton reports. The NDP federally is in really bad shape. Rob Ashton has close ties with the New Democrats, but as president of Canada's International Longshore and Warehouse Union, he says his members are disappointed with the party. It repeatedly voted confidence in the government, while the Liberals forced striking workers into binding arbitration. So I think they've lost their way.

The CBC poll tracker shows the NDP is below 16%, the party's lowest polling average since June 2020. According to pollster David Coletta with Abacus Data, many of their supporters have gone to the liberals and the conservatives. The NDP is losing supports to two sides. But New Democrats are fighting back. That's why I got in the ring. The party released its first pre-election TV ad.

It shows NDP leader Jagmeet Singh throwing punches in a boxing ring. The ad comes weeks before a possible snap federal election. The party's national campaign director warned that could come as early as March 10. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa. And that is your World This Hour. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa. And that is your World This Hour.

For CBC News, I'm Neil Kumar.