The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/15 at 09:00 EST

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/15 at 09:00 EST

Hey Canada. It's me, Gavin Crawford, host of Because News. Each week, I put comedians on the spot with a pop quiz about the headlines. This week, we're talking about the monster of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's own making, Wayne Gretzky's incredible pronunciation skills, and the one kind of Christmas toy experts are all calling dangerous. Miguel Revis, Emma Hunter, and Gene Yune are here, so laugh along as we try to make sense of the headlines. Follow Because News on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts for free. From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. Acclaimed Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner is dead. Reiner's body and the body of his wife, Michelle, were found yesterday at the couple's home in Los Angeles. Los Angeles police officers, along with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, responded to the 200 block of Chadbourne Avenue. here in the city of Brentwood.

Upon arrival, they determined that there were two deceased individuals inside of the residence. What is L.A. Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton. Police officials say they have opened a homicide investigation, and there are media reports this morning that the couple's 32-year-old son may be a suspect. Reiner, the son of comedy great Carl Reiner, began his career as an actor on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family. He went on to direct such hit movies as when Harry met Sally. and by me, a few good men, the Princess Bride, and Spinal Tap, among others.

Rob Reiner was 78 years old. The latest inflation figures are out this morning, and they're showing the national inflation rate was unchanged last month, coming in at 2.2%. Peter Armstrong has more. This falls right about where economists were expecting to see inflation land this month. The biggest driver up was food prices, groceries were up 4.7% year over year. frozen beef, for example, up 17.7%. The biggest driver down was in a category of travel, tours, and accommodation.

And as it turns out, was that we're still working our way through the Taylor Swift impact on economic data. In November of last year, of course, Swift came through Canada and we saw hotel and travel costs shot up as demand surged. Well, now here we are a year later, an accommodation, without time, Taylor Swift in town has come back down 6.9%. Rents at the same time are also rising, but they're rising at a slower pace. And all of this together keeps the rate of inflation right at that target range. The Bank of Canada likes to see. Peter Armstrong, CBC News, Toronto.

Memorial ceremonies are being held across Australia following yesterday's deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bunday Beach. That's one service held overnight in Sydney. Fifteen people were killed in yesterday's shooting, which police and government officials are calling a terrorist attack. Police say it was carried out by a father and son, with a 50-year-old father shot and killed on the scene. They say the 24-year-old was shot by police and is in hospital.

Here is Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. included in that is the need for tougher gun laws. However, many Jewish leaders aren't blaming the country's gun laws. Some are saying that Albanese's government has failed to protect the Jewish community in the face of rising anti-Semitism across the country. A person of interest in the weekend shooting at Brown University has been released, and police say the gunman responsible remains at large.

Two students were killed and nine others were injured in the campus shooting. Willie Lowry has the latest. Rhode Island authorities say that, After hours in custody, they simply didn't have enough evidence to charge the person that they had detained earlier Sunday morning. And they believe that the information they have collected points in a different direction. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Norona says he's still confident they'll find the killer. Obviously, we have a murderer out there, frankly, and so we're not going to give away the game plan. But the fact of the matter is law enforcement has the tools necessary to solve this case.

The Ivy League School has canceled classes and exams and allowed students to head home early for the holidays. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley says residents should still feel safe despite police releasing the initial person of interest. We have not received any credible or specific threats to the Providence community. The FBI is assisting local authorities in the investigation. There's still no word on a possible motive behind the attack. Willie Lowry, CBC News, Washington.

And that is the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings.