The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/13 at 02:00 EST

Episode Date: December 13, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/13 at 02:00 EST

This ascent isn't for everyone. You need grit to climb this high this often. You've got to be an underdog that always over-delivers. You've got to be 6,500 hospital staff, 1,000 doctors, all doing so much with so little. You've got to be Scarborough. Defined by our uphill battle and always striving towards new heights. And you can help us keep climbing.

Donate at lovescarbro.cairbo. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Mike Miles. The route has not been decided, and it will be at least a decade before it's ready. But the Kearney government's pushing forward with plans for a high-speed rail line in central Canada. As Alexander Silberman explains, there is still plenty of details to sort it out. One of the largest public works.

Transport Minister Stephen McKinnon, unveiling the first leg of a long-awaited high-speed rail network. 200 kilometers of track connecting Montreal to Ottawa, promoted as a concrete starting point for a project promised for decades. McKinnon says the first section is feasible. It is a relatively short and straight portion of the overall route. The fully electric train, traveling at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour, eventually spanning from Toronto to Quebec City, at a total cost of 60 to 90 billion.

dollars. The federal government says it's fast-tracking the project. It hopes to break ground in four years with no opening deadline. And experts say it could take another seven to eight years before the high-speed trains start running. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Montreal. Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Karina Machado says it's time for Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro to go. She says his regime is in its final days and the best way for him believe is through negotiations. As for a U.S. intervention, I will welcome more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go, that his time is over. We had an election. Regime change was already mandated by our 70%

of the population. And what we need is support to enforce that decision. Machado says she has no knowledge of Donald Trump's plan for the country and wouldn't share it if she knew and that she wouldn't get involved. U.S. Democrats on a congressional oversight panel have released new images from the estate of a convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They include photos of President Donald Trump, former Prince Andrew, former President Bill Clinton, and Technogal, rather, Bill Gates, among others. None of the photos depict illegal activity, but for survivors like Haley Robson, they still bring back traumatic memories. As an American and as a human being, you cannot look at these photos and not have. have a reaction and not feel devastated. And then I had to take a deep breath and brace myself

and said, okay, this is a teaser. This is just a little preview. There's more that's going to follow. Survivors have been advocating to have the Epstein files made public by the Justice Department, Department rather. Last month, Trump signed a law compelling the DOJ to release them by December 19th next Friday. Toys enabled with artificial intelligence are relatively new on the market, but already there are warnings about the dangers for children, as some AI chatbots talk about things that are not kid-friendly. Jennifer Lagrasa has more. Hi, I'm Kuma, your best AI friend. Kuma is a stuffed teddy bear that uses an AI chatbot to have conversations.

Oh, that's an interesting topic. It's one of several AI toys now on the market and is advertised as a smart, AI-powered plush companion that goes beyond cuddles. These toys need a lot more work. RJ Cross co-authored a report about the hidden dangers of AI toys. She's with the public interest research group in the United States, a nonprofit that looks at consumer safety. The report found these toys need more regulation before they can be considered safe for kids.

One of the toys in particular gave us information on how to light a match and also gave us pretty detailed, sexually explicit information about different fetishes. They also found that some toys offered advice on where. to find knives and acted upset when the testers said they had to leave. There are also privacy and developmental concerns. Jennifer Lagrasa, CBC News, Windsor. Marine mammal rescuers in British Columbia say they freed a sea lion from a rope tightly wrapped around its neck. The animal in Cowichin Bay had been tracked for weeks as the rope caused worsening injuries. Rescuers used boats, drones, and sedation to safely remove the debris. That is your world this hour for CBC News. I'm Mike Miles.

Thank you.