The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2026/01/04 at 18:00 EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

The World This Hour for 2026/01/04 at 18:00 EST

With the Morial app, you can sharpen your French skills in no time. You'll have a blast learning with content from Radio Canada. It's easy as Arndor III. Learn French, have fun, repeat. Download the free Morial app now. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Kate McGilfrey. In the aftermath of the U.S. military operation in Venezuela,

Washington is a buzz with questions. How does the Trump administration plan to, quote, run Venezuela? And the big question on Capitol Hill, why wasn't Congress notified? Katie Nicholson reports. It wasn't necessary because this is not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration didn't need to run its plan past Congress because it wasn't an act of war.

This is a law enforcement operation. He was arrested on the ground in Venezuela by FBI agents. But Democrats and some Republicans have argued this was a military, operation and required congressional approval. On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump had suggested briefing Congress would be problematic because Congress leaks. An argument, Democratic Representative Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, isn't buying. Whether you think Congress leaks or not, the law says you must brief the Congress. So this is just yet another example of absolute lawlessness on the part of this administration. Rubio said the U.S. military presence

will remain your Venezuela as leverage until it sees changes. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. Ottawa is urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Venezuela while recommending those currently in the country shelter in place and keep a supply of essential items. Anyone requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Canadian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. Not everyone in the mega base is happy about the Trump administration's attack on Venezuela.

Representative Marjorie Taylor, Green called the mission a departure from the promise of America first. My pushback here is on the Trump administration that campaigned on putting America first. I want to see domestic policy be the priority that helps Americans afford life. We don't consider Venezuela our neighborhood. Our neighborhood is right here in the 50 United States, not in the southern hemisphere. Taylor Green said President Trump is serving corporations, the banks and oil executives, not ordinary Americans. And speaking of oil executives, another outstanding question in all of this

is what will happen to Venezuela's oil reserves. If the country does ramp up production, it could be a major competitor for Canada since both produce heavy crude. But Heather Exner-Perrault with the McDonald-Lorier Institute says she doesn't expect that to happen anytime soon. Venezuela will not be a very attractive place for investment. And it would take tens of billions of you know, probably several years, to really meaningfully increase production up to, let's say, 3 million barrels a day. Trump has said that U.S. oil companies will go into Venezuela to fix up the infrastructure and ramp up production.

But Exner Perrault says she expects private capital will want to see stability in the country before investing. Those venturing outdoors on B.C.'s South Coast this weekend are being warned about an increased risk of both coastal flooding and avalanche. As Sorab Sandu reports, the problem is high tides combined with the powerful storm. Strong winds, fluctuating, freezing levels, all of that directly impacts the snowpack and the avalanche conditions. Martina Halleck is an avalanche forecaster with Avalanche Canada, which has released an advisory about an increased avalanche risk in BC's south coast mountains.

We have a persistent weak layer that formed in mid-December, and now there's quite a bit of snow that's built up on top of that. In some areas, that persistent week. has been getting overloaded. Environment Canada is also warning of the potential for flooding in southwestern BC as high tides and high winds collide over the weekend. City of Vancouver is advising its residents and businesses in low-lying areas to monitor outdoor conditions for heavy rainfall and pooling water. Surab Sandus, CBC News, Surrey. And Newfoundland's East Coast is also bracing for some possibly hazardous conditions. Environment Canada says the island could see 15 to 30 centimeters of overnight and northerly winds up to 70 kilometers per hour.

That is the world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Kate McGilvery.