The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/24 at 18:00 EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/24 at 18:00 EST

There are two kinds of Canadians, those who feel something when they hear this music. And those who've been missing out so far. I'm Chris Howden. And I'm Neil Kuksal. We are the co-hosts of As It Happens. And every day we speak with people at the center of the day's most hard-hitting, heartbreaking, and sometimes hilarious news stories. Also, we have puns.

Here Why As It Happens is one of Canada's longest running in most beloved shows. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Hallie Cottenham. Fresh data from Stats Canada show the decline in cross-border trips by Canadians continued in October. The number of Canadians who travel to the U.S. is down by more than a quarter compared to the same time last year. However, the number of Americans crossing north rose for the first time in eight months, up 3%. Travel and trade tensions have been trending upward since Donald Trump's return to the White House. Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government's trying to make life more affordable for Canadians.

In an interview with the CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, he talked about cutting taxes and preserving programs that help those struggling with the cost of living. Carney also admits our economy has been getting closer to the U.S. over the past few decades, and it's time to change that. We need to build at home, build lots of homes, build these big projects, and we need new trading relations. The return from doing that, which is essential, and I will be up front and I am up front about that period of time. It's one of the reasons, though, why we're moving at such a pace.

It's one of the reasons why we're moving on multiple major projects at the same time. Carney says the change will mean sacrifice, especially in the public service, which will shrink by 10% over the coming years. Evacuation orders are in place across Southern California due to an elevated risk of flash floods. Thunderstorms and winds lashing the state have washed out roads and cut power to many homes. Steve Futterman reports from Los Angeles.

It is just a mess here in Southern California right now. Heavy rain, strong winds, streets are flooded, trees have come down, many people are without power. This man tried to drive through a flooded intersection. He didn't get through. You guys okay? You're all right? What happened, bro?

We thought we were able to get through it. Oh, man. You're just trying to get it. get through. What happened to the car? I just shut off. And this is going to go on through Christmas Day. In some areas, forecasters say more than 450 millimeters of rain will come down. There is big concern in the areas that were hit by the Southern California wildfires last January. The mountains are bare. There's no vegetation to hold the water. There's concern about rock slides, mudslides, and debris flows. Steve Futterman, CBC News. Los Angeles. The next president of Honduras will be Nasri al-Fura. The right-wing candidate backed

by U.S. President Donald Trump received 40 percent of the vote. The results announced today and weeks of uncertainty in the vote count, but they're unlikely to ease accusations of election interference. Trump endorsed the 67-year-old just days before the vote, calling him the only candidate the U.S. administration would work with. Opposition candidate Salvador Nasrallah maintains his claim that the election was fraudulent. As Fuhr says, he's ready to govern and will not let the people of Honduras down. The Ukrainian president is asking for peace in his Christmas message. Vladimir Zelensky says the country is marking the holiday in difficult circumstances

with Russia launching massive attacks contrary to Christian values. Zelensky says the updated peace offer has now been prepared. presented to the Kremlin. For the first time, Zelensky says it includes the potential withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east of the country and the creation of a demilitarized zone. Canada and more than a dozen other nations are condemning the Israeli government's approval of new settlements in the occupied West Bank. On Sunday, Israel's security cabinet approved 19 new settlements. They're considered illegal under international law. Since 2022, the number of settlements approved in the West Bank has grown by nearly 50%.

In a joint statement, Canada says these actions risk undermining a lasting peace in Gaza and harm prospects for long-term regional security. And that is The World is Sour. For news any time, you can visit our website at cbcnews.ca. For CBC News, I'm Halle Cottenham. Thank you.