The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/05/20 at 20:00 EDT

Episode Date: May 21, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/05/20 at 20:00 EDT

Café William wants to know, what's your favorite roast? We're touring selected Metro grocers across Ontario. Come by for a tasting and find the brew that's just right for you. It's the perfect moment for great coffee. For more info, go to CaféWilliam.com. From CBC News, the world this hour, I'm Stephanie Scanderis. The U.S. president says his plan to create a missile defense shield will be made reality in just three years.

Donald Trump's Golden Dome is projected to have a price tag of $175 billion U.S. dollars. And he says Canada could help pay for it. The prime minister's office confirms there have been discussions about the Golden Dome as part of the relationship rebuild with the U.S. Aaron Collins has more on the project. I suggested it and they all said we love the idea, sir. Donald Trump not the first president to dream of a space-based missile defense system. Ronald Reagan pitched the idea in 1983, but the Star Wars program never got off the ground. Trump says the technology now exists to make Ronald Reagan's dream a reality. The US president announced a 25 billion dollar

down payment for the project expected to cost at least seven times that. A bill Trump says Canada will help pay. Canada wants to be a part of it which be you know fairly small expansion but we'll work with them on pricing. While Trump released no details on how Canada would be involved in the system or how much it would pay, the president says his golden dome will be done before the end of his term. Erin Collins, CBC News, Washington.

Canada's inflation rate dipped to 1.7 percent in April from 2.3 in March. Statistics Canada says the falling price of gasoline is the biggest factor in the slowdown, mainly due to the removal of the consumer carbon tax. But the price of food continued to rise faster than general inflation. Ali Chyasson has the details. Inflation may be cooling, but prices for goods are again going up. Beef especially at 16.2 percent year-over-year as the owner of a barbecue restaurant David Neinstein has certainly noticed. We've had to transfer that cost over to the consumer. Burgers used to be a menu mainstay at the Barks

Smokehouse but to manage the rising cost of fresh beef Neinstein says now they only sell them on weekends. They are all done by Canadian beef and cost for hamburger was too high. According to the latest numbers from StatsCan, grocery prices in April rose nearly 4% year over year compared to 3.2% in March. We've seen three straight months of price increases outpacing where overall inflation is. Weaker Canadian dollar in April could have been part of that. Nathan Janssen is the chief economist at RBC.

You also did have carrots and vegetables on fresh fruits and vegetables. It all puts the Bank of Canada in a tricky position about whether to cut interest rates to provide some relief on your grocery bill, even menu prices. Ali Chiasan, CBC News, Toronto. The European Union says it'll review its free trade deal with Israel unless it reverses its Gaza blockade, while the UK is halting free trade talks with Israel in response to its renewed military offensive. As of Monday, Israel has allowed a limited number of aid trucks into the territory. British Trade Minister David Lammy calls the large-scale famine looming in Gaza cruel and indefensible.

He had this message for the people of Israel. We want, I want, a strong friendship with you based on shared values. We are unwavering in our commitment to your security and to your future. But the conduct of the war in Gaza is damaging our relationship with your government. The UK, Canada and France have said they will take concrete action if Israel does not end its renewed military offensive. Israel's Prime Minister accuses the three nations of bending to Hamas. One of the lovable bar stool regulars at Cheers has died.

Norman, you are looking especially spry today. Thank you. Matter of fact, I joined the health club today. Oh, good for you. Nice facilities. Excellent snack bar. George Wendt played Norm Peterson on the sitcom, which aired on NBC from 1982 to 1993.

Wendt was up for an Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy series six years in a row, but never won. After Cheers, he continued acting in movies, on TV, and on Broadway. George Wendt's family says he died in his sleep last night. He was 76. And that is Your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Stephanie Scanderis.