Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - How I Ended Up On CNN This Morning: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1651

Episode Date: March 14, 2025

In this 1651st episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike shares how he ended up on CNN the morning if March 14th before playing audio of his appearance. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

Welcome to episode 1651 of Toronto Mic'd. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, a fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times and brewing amazing beer. Order online for free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta. Enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. RecycleMyElectronics.ca. Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. Building Toronto Skyline, a podcast and book from Nick Ienies, sponsored by Fusion Corp. Construction Management Inc. and Rid Thursday night, that's last night, I received an email

from a producer at CNN asking me if I'd be willing to speak with Audie Cornish on CNN this morning. Apparently Toronto Mic'd was on their radar, and I was intrigued by this chance to address Americans. I said I'd do it, and I was asked to click a WebEx link at 6.30am for a 6.45am chat with Audie. I'll admit, I was nervous. I can hear it in my voice. I'm far more comfortable with a long-form conversation, and the thought of having a

five-minute chat isn't particularly appealing to me. But I did my best. I posted this video, by the way, on the Toronto Miked YouTube channel, and I embedded it into a post on torontomic.com to answer a few questions I've already received this morning. No, I wasn't paid for my appearance. I didn't even get a Palma Pasta lasagna, Great Lakes beer, or a Ridley funeral home measuring tape. No money changed hands.

And no, I don't actually subscribe to CNN. So Monica watched me live via a pirate stream. Arrrrr. And no, I couldn't see Audie. You just hear the audio. I had a very similar experience when I appeared on a CTV debate show in 2023. It's kind of like a phone call, except you know that they can see you. And here's a fun fact before I play for you the exact feed that I heard in my headphones when I connected. I took out the blank space

where they had commercials, but otherwise it's unedited. Yesterday, which was March 13th, 2025, following my chat with Mike Wilner, that was episode 1650, I quit Twitter. One hour later, I received an email from a producer at Family Feud Canada asking me if I'd be on that show. Then at 7 p.m., an email from CNN. It all just happened very quickly. Oh, and one more thing. Happy 9th birthday Morgan. Daddy loves you very much.

President Trump pointing the finger at Democrats as the clock takes closer to midnight and a possible government shutdown. Good morning everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. It's 30 minutes past the half. It's 30 minutes past the hour here on the East Coast. I want to thank you for joining me on CNN this morning. Here's what's happening right now. In just hours, the Senate will try to pass a funding bill. Republicans need 60 votes, which made a shutdown seem inevitable. That was until Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he would support it. Now all eyes are on what the rest of the Democratic Party will do. And a federal judge in D.C. said to hear arguments this afternoon in two immigration lawsuits against the Trump

administration. These suits involve migrants who were recently detained at Guantanamo Bay. The Justice Department plans to appeal a judge's ruling that ordered six federal agencies to immediately reinstate probationary employees who were fired last month. Another judge made a similar ruling later, but that one covered just 18 agencies. And right now in Denver, the FAA is investigating after an engine on an American Airlines plane burst into flames, forcing passengers to evacuate onto the wing as smoke filled the air. This flight was actually on the way to Dallas with more than a hundred and seventy people on board when it was diverted to Denver Because of engine vibrations the fire started after it landed twelve people went to the hospital with minor injuries

Joining me now to discuss this and everything that's been going on in the skies lately CNN aviation safety analyst David Susie who's actually in Denver David I have to keep reporting on these each time because it's having this cumulative effect on the public. What do you see about what's going on? Well, right now in Denver, they're trying to clean up what happened, but the fact that it was diverted, there was something that happened in the air. The vibration could have been caused by a number of factors. However, once it got on the ground, it appears that there was a fuel leak or fuel pour that got out onto the ground and then was struck on fire.

So trying to exit this aircraft and the fact that they got exited and out of the aircraft so quickly is really a testament to how well the crew is prepared to get people out of the airplanes. It's very concerning though how they had to go out, They couldn't go out through the tarmac door the regular door They had to get out through the emergency exits and the slides and you can see that That they actually had to go out onto the wings to then prepare Good morning search Brad in Atlanta. Can you hear me here? Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me? I Do I hear and see you perfect. Thank you

I do, I hear and see you. Perfect, thank you. Good. Well, I'll check Dan. I just want to make sure you can hear the show, okay? Yeah. I can hear you. ... rescue efforts that go well, but... Very good. One moment, be right back. ... about right now. Well, that's a really good question, and for me, my perspective is quite different than most. But the general public flying and watching these things happen and they think that, well,

it's still going to be the safest place to fly. We're still going to be able to be safe and it will be and you can throw statistics at it. But that still doesn't help many people that ask me that question. So what I tell people is that you have to be comfortable with flying. The worst thing you can do is if you're scared of flying and you think that all these things are going to cause a problem, just don't fly for a while until you get comfortable with it. Alright, we're ready for an audio level check. Can you help me count to ten, please? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Thank you. About difficulty getting on the airplane or have these... We'll have you up after a break at about 45 after. We're 10 minutes away. Sure. And tell me what the camera set up there is usually on a wide shot. It can't get any tighter or anything like that? Good question. I don't know. It's a Logitech 4k here and it just sort of sits right here and I thought maybe on your end you could crop or something. But gotcha. All right yeah yeah we can look into that. Perfect. Thank you. No problem.

The end. Yeah. What happens is there are people that are ready. Yes and and obviously in this incident people were hospitalized, people are getting injured. But to your point, people need to sort of weigh their sense of risk. CNN Aviation Safety Analyst Dave Sousi speaking to us. We also want to turn to new cuts at the Agriculture Department that could impact millions of American families already struggling with food insecurity. The agency is canceling two programs that provided about a billion dollars or so to schools and food banks so that they could buy locally grown foods.

For one single mom, this will add to her struggle since she visits three food banks in a month in Houston to keep her family fed. As a single mama with three babies and another one that is coming, it's very hard. So for me to start going to the food banks, it helps a lot. If you have a big unexpected expense, would that be terrible for your family? Yeah, of course. And the ones that is going to feel it is my babies.

The USDA says the cut was made to restore, quote, long-term fiscally responsible initiatives. That's not putting food on the table for desperate families. The CEO of Dollar General says many customers report they only have enough money for basic essentials, with some noting that they have had to sacrifice even on the necessities. CNN's Rosa Flores joins us live from Houston.

Rosa, I crossed paths with a food bank on the weekends when I'm doing my own kind of grocery shopping. Can you talk about how this is playing out for people, especially low-income people? this is playing out for people, especially low income people. Adi, good morning. You know, it is having such a drastic impact. There are drastic measures being planned by some of these families as they look at tariffs, as they look at rising prices.

And as you know, there's a lot of talk about the middle class, about the stock market, about how stocks are doing, but there is a portion of the population who don't track stocks. They don't have stocks. What they track are food banks, and the food that is available add food fares. Now that woman, Adi, that you just mentioned a moment ago, her name is Bianca Paneleosa, we spent a day with her. She is a mother of three with another on the way,

and she says that she can't work because two of her children have disabilities. And she does get $400 of food stamps every month, but that's not enough for her family. And so she does go to those three food banks, and we went to one with her. We woke up very early. She actually leaves her home and it's still dark.

She arrives at this food bank at about 545 in the morning. When we arrived, there were already people there. There was already a long line. I talked to the first woman in line and she told me that she arrived at 430 in the morning to get a box of food. She was a 72 year old woman on a fixed income who said that she just can't afford to go to the grocery store.

But Adi, about those drastic measures that some of these people are planning on doing if prices continue to rise, if tariffs have an impact on the grocery store where they purchase these goods, hear this. If tariffs have an impact on the grocery store where they purchase these goods, hear this. Bianca Paneleosa says that she is planning to feed her children less, that she is planning to dilute juice with water,

dilute milk with water for cereal. And then also she says, if other household goods become more expensive, that she plans to cut old clothes and make toilet paper. Those are the types of plans that people who are low income are making right now as they look at the economy, as they look at rising prices, and as they look at tariffs. Rosa, can I just ask you one more question, which is about the food banks themselves? What were you learning in your reporting about sort of how they are feeling this moment?

They feel nervous. They see what the outlook is looking like at the moment, and they know that the need in the community is already increasing. So the, for example, here in Houston, the Houston Food Bank serves an 18 county area, and the latest data shows a 22% increase in distribution. And Adi, they're nervous about the tariffs, and there's something that's counterintuitive. Initially, according to the food bank CEO here in Houston,

he says that there's a bump in supply when there are tariffs. He was here during Trump's first term, and here's what he described happen. Take a listen. This last time we had the trade wars, that actually increased supply of food to us because what happens is when the other countries slap tariffs on the agriculture products, that decreases demand there which increases the supply here so before they go

bankrupt USDA steps in and buys the food and then they give it to us. So that could be a positive effect of the potential tariffs. Yeah, it's nowhere near as big as the negative to the economy when you have a trade war. So, Audie, in essence, what he's saying there is that initially when there is a trade war, there is an increase in supply in the United States. Before those dairy farmers go out of business, the USDA jumps in, buys that milk, gives it to the food banks. So there's an initial bump in supply but then after that, Audi says it lasts about six months and then it's back to a lot of worry and a lot of need. Rosa Flores, thank you for this reporting, appreciate it. And still ahead on

CNN this morning, Canada vows to fight back against new U.S. tariffs. We're going to take a closer look at how Canadians are responding to a president wanting to make them the 51st state. Plus, we'll show you a daring water rescue as some nasty weather swamps southern California and more from the group chat after this. This is CNN Audio, can you hear me okay? Yes, can you hear me? I got you loud and clear, thank you. Good. Trump at the Justice Department. Protests in New York City.

Wow, this is- All happy news. This is bizarre. Maybe we should- We did Snow White. Toronto Mike. Hello there. This is Bruce, the producer in the control room. Hey, Bruce.

We're very excited because it's a podcaster to podcaster this morning. Love it. So we're looking forward to it. The whole segment is about four, four and a half long and happy Friday, sir. Happy Friday. And we love our neighbors to the north. Love to hear it, man. and than practically the 51st state. Okay, so that's a clip from the 1995 comedy,

Canadian Bacon, check it out, where a fictional US president stokes fears of Canada in order to distract voters from other issues. Now, 30 years later, the US and Canada are finding themselves divided by a very real trade war, a trade war that Canada is vowing to win. We didn't ask for this fight. The Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves.

So the Americans, they should make no mistake, in trade as in hockey, Canada will win. Okay, so that's Mark Carney. He's soon going gonna take over Canada's fight when he is sworn in as prime minister later this morning. Joining me now is Toronto Mike. He's the host of the Toronto Mike podcast. Welcome to the program, Mike. We appreciate having you. I wanna ask you about this moment because I think just the yesterday maybe

we heard the president continue to talk about this 51st state idea. So how do Canadians hear it? Well, it's relentless really, Audie. Good morning from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the way. So I have on my podcast, I have maybe three, four, five times a week, I have people over for in-person long form conversations about what's happening. And they may be politicians or musicians or broadcasters or comedians. Scott Thompson was here on Tuesday from Kids in the Hall and Larry Sanders Show.

And without a doubt in 2025, the number one issue in our hearts and on our minds is this threat of annexation. It's really number one, nothing comes close right now. I was listening to your show and was actually struck in one episode by this public service announcement. I want to play it for the group. We're standing proud together. For Canada. Let's protect Canadian jobs and Canadian business. Shop as if your country depends on it.

Keep your money in Canada for Canada. Can you talk about just personal spending? We hear boycotts, we hear about like whiskey being pulled from the shelves. But for like everyday people, is it reaching them in terms of like their lifestyle changes? Well, without a doubt, Audie, like if you go to the grocery store, you'll see suddenly people are reading the labels, right? Like this is a new thing.

You see them looking really closely. Where was this product made? We're all trying to buy Canadian made goods, but even more importantly, we're avoiding American goods. I know many people I've talked to are changing their travel plans. They typically, we just had March break here where kids get a week off. That would be a time to go to Florida or somewhere warmer, but people are canceling those plans. They're going elsewhere, exploring Canada. At least in this, you know, the most populous city in the country, we're absolutely changing

where we direct our dollars right now. Can I ask you about the politics of some of this? Andrea Horwath, a Canadian politician, was saying that this actually is a moment to kind of step up for Canadians. Well I could tell you I could sense this unified pride across the country like Mike Myers said on Saturday Night Live, elbows up. So we're all very unified, united. We're all willing to pitch in and do what it takes.

And we take these threats very seriously. Nothing's more important to a Canadian than our fiercely independent sovereignty. And when that's threatened, we get together and we fight. Before I let you go, I do want to ask one more thing, which is for a time, obviously, there are competing political factions in Canada. There was very much a conservative movement that was on the rise prior to this election.

Is that starting to shift or fortune starting to shift? Maybe the greatest shift I've ever witnessed because if we were talking three months ago, Audie, I would tell you it's a foregone conclusion that after ten years the Liberal Party will be replaced by the Conservative Party and Pierre Poliev. It's funny we're talking today, it's March 14th, but I don't know, in any moment now, Mark Carney will be sworn in as the new Prime Minister, our first new Prime Minister in ten years. And without a doubt this threat from your president, the 51st state rhetoric, calling our prime minister governor, these insulting comments,

without a doubt there's been a shift from the conservative party, which seemed aligned with the MAGA movement and with your president, there's been a shift to the liberal party, and with your president, there's been a shift to the Liberal Party and this foregone conclusion of a majority for the Conservative Party has has switched. Now it's a real fight and we'll be going to the polls this spring. So there's a lot going on in this country, Adi. And I hope we can check back in with you again. That's Toronto Mike. It's now 52 minutes past the hour. I wanna give you your morning roundup. Toronto Mike, man.

I love that. And we will check back in with you, I hope. I hope you have a great Friday. Thanks for this. Thank you so much. This comes after the Medical Research Institution lost eight. Take care, sir. Bye-bye.

You're getting funding from... Take care, sir. Bye-bye. Thanks for the funding. And that brings us to the end of our 1651st show. Go to torontomic.com for all your Toronto Mic needs. I'm active on blue sky as at torontomic.com. Much love to all who made this possible. That's Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Recycle My Electronics, Building Toronto Skyline, and Ridley Funeral Home. See you all Monday for the next episode of Toast. It's Rob Prus and Bob Willett joining me in the basement. See you all then. Music So So So I'm going to go ahead and get the So So I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star

I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star Music