World Report - April 26: Sunday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: April 26, 2026

Gunfire erupts at the White House Correspondents' Dinner — President Trump is safe after a suspect was apprehended by Secret Service.CBC’s Paul Hunter describes the "absolute chaos" inside the ballroom as the White House Correspondents' Dinner turned into a crime scene.World leaders — including Prime Minister Mark Carney — are condemning last night’s shooting in Washington as a "shocking" assault on democracy.King Charles is expected to begin a high-stakes state visit to Washington tomorrow — amid rising diplomatic tensions and a security crisis at the White House.Doctors in Toronto are celebrating a "Canadian first" — an HIV patient in sustained remission following a historic bone marrow transplant.One year after the deadly Lapu-Lapu Day attack in Vancouver — survivors are calling for better support and transparency over missing victim funds.Ukraine marks 40 years since the Chernobyl disaster while warning that ongoing Russian air strikes could trigger a new nuclear catastrophe.Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe makes sports history as the first person to break the two-hour marathon barrier in an official race.

This week on two blocks from the White House, we're talking about a Supreme Court decision that could have a big impact on American elections. The decision narrows, some argue guts the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and it's expected to lead to a major redrawing of electoral maps. Join me, Paul Hunter, and my fellow Washington correspondence, Katie Simpson and Willie Lowry as we break down U.S. politics from a Canadian perspective. Find and follow two blocks from the White House, wherever you get your podcasts, and watch us on YouTube. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. U.S. President Donald Trump says a man is in custody after opening fire at the White House

Correspondence dinner in Washington, D.C. The annual event was being held at a hotel as more than 2,000 guests and reporters gathered inside the ballroom. A Secret Service agent was shot, but he is said to be okay thanks to his bulletproof vest. The CBCC's Katie Nicholson is in Washington. Katie, what do we know? So this was a packed event. You think the press corps was there, cabinet officials, the president himself,

and as the appetizer course was served, there was this loud commotion. But in the lobby, and this is corroborated by video that was posted by the U.S. president later in the evening, there was a man who charged through security checkpoint there and shots were fired. No, D.C. police said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives. The man was taken down, but his Secret Service. officer was shot in the body armor but was fine. Police say they believe the suspect had a room in the hotel. They cordoned that off. They've searched it. And acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is making the rounds this morning with reporters. And he's saying that they're still investigating

a motive, but the preliminary information, and he stressed it, it's preliminary, is that the suspect was likely targeting Trump administration officials, including, again, likely the U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump did say there that the, the, the shooter appeared to be a lone wolf. Here's a little bit more of what he had to say. You know, he's in custody and they're asking him a lot of questions. I guess they're going over Todd and they're already at his apartment. He lives in California. Katie Nicholson in Washington. Thanks, Katie. You're welcome. The CBC's Washington correspondent, Paul Hunter, was in the ballroom for the dinner when that shooting took place. He was one of more than 2,000 journalists and guests who went from a

black-tie gala to a security lockdown in a matter of seconds. He spoke to CBC News shortly after he was evacuated from the Hilton. God, I've seen anything, never heard anything like it. We were just sitting, that's like the dinner was just starting. Trump had just come in the room that played the National Anthem. We're sitting sort of at the back near the main entrance doors. And just as we were sitting there, literally as the program for the evening was beginning, it was like, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.

And like, honestly, the first thing you thought, The first thing I thought was it was some sort of bad taste gift because it seemed too surreal. The security at this place is like next level. The president of the United States is here. To get anywhere near the ballroom, you've got to go through multiple layers of security. There's secret service all over the place. And all of a sudden you're hearing gunfire. And so everybody in the room and there's like, I don't know, two or three thousand people here went down on the ground under tape, hiding behind pillars.

Secret service like ran from all directions. I looked up at the main at the head table. Trump was already gone. Then Secret Service starts grabbing all the cabinet secretaries who are here, Pete Hankseth, Cash Patel. And nobody knew what was going on. Nobody knew if there was another shooter. Nobody knew what had happened to the shooter that we all heard. And everybody was just looking at each other.

I think of what on earth is going on here? How could anybody with a gun get so close to where the president was on this night, where there was so much security because it was a, known event that the president was coming to. It was, as I say, it's a moment that I, myself, I've never experienced anything like it before. That was the CBC's Paul Hunter in Washington last night. Prime Minister Mark Carney says political violence has no place in a democracy following last night's shooting in Washington.

Carney joined several other world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Kier Starrmer in condemning the attack. Starrmer called the incident shocking and an assault on democratic institutions. and the freedom of the press. All three leaders expressed relief that the president and first lady were unharmed. The shooting in Washington is putting a massive spotlight on security ahead of a scheduled royal visit.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to arrive in the U.S. Capitol tomorrow, but officials are now scrambling to review protection plans following last night's violence. The CBC's Julia Chapman is following developments from London. Julia Buckingham Palace says King Charles is relieved to hear the president and first lady were unharmed.

How has the upcoming visit been affected? Buckingham Palace says discussions are taking place about how the events of last night may or may not impact the operational planning of this visit. It says that King Charles is being kept fully informed of developments and that he's relieved that the president and other guests were unharmed. We heard from a British government minister, Darren Jones, who said security services in the UK are working in close cooperation with their American colleagues and will continue to do so over the coming days.

King Charles is scheduled to set off tomorrow for Washington. So far, there's no indication that he won't be boarding that plane as planned. Well, Julia, let's talk about the background, the significance of this visit. Yeah, a state visit is always a big event. King Charles doesn't make many of them, especially because he's still receiving treatment for cancer. This one is timed to mark 250 years of American independence, but it comes at a low point in UK-US political relations.

Donald Trump has been very vocal in his criticism of Prime Minister Kier-Starmer, accusing him of dragging his feet over the war in Iran. He's denigrated the British armed forces. And now a leaked memo suggests he's questioning British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Those topics are unlikely to come up this week. The King is a seasoned diplomat. He'll know how to carefully navigate this visit. And President Trump is a huge.

admirer of the royal family. He's reportedly backed down from certain positions because of that respect for the monarchy. So the UK government is hoping that this visit will go some way towards thawing the frosty relations, assuming any embarrassing moments can be avoided. CBC's Julia Chapman in London. Thanks, Julia. Thank you. In other news, it's a Canadian first. A Toronto man is in sustained remission from HIV. Doctors at the University Health Network say the patient who lives, lived with the virus for 27 years, received a bone marrow transplant from a donor

with a rare genetic resistance. The patient has been off medication since last July with no detectable trace of the virus. He is now one of only 10 people in the world to reach this milestone. Ukraine is marking 40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. While the area remains radioactive and inhospitable, today's commemorations are being held under a new threat.

He warns that Russian missiles frequently flying near the site could spark a brand new catastrophe. Dominic Velitis has more. Residents of Slavutic were among the first in Ukraine to remember those who died in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. At 1.23 a.m., the exact time reactor number four exploded 40 years ago, a bell rang out. A moment to remember the thousands who've died and others whose lives have been irreversibly changed. Petro-Hurin is a survivor, one of the hundreds of thousands sent to clean up after the explosion. He says many are still suffering long-term health consequences as a result. First responders to the disaster are quietly dying, he says. Few remain. I can tell you not a single Chernobyl person

is in good health. It's called a death by a third. thousand cuts. Now devoid of humans, Chernobyl's exclusion zone is a beacon of biodiversity. Nature has moved back in, wild animals roam streets that were once full of people. But parts are still dangerously radioactive and will be for thousands of years. In some spots, a person could receive a years worth of recommended exposure in less than an hour. Today's commemorations in Ukraine are deliberately low-key, the result of security concerns tied to Russia's ongoing invasion. And with Russian drones and missiles often passing near the Chernobyl site, they take place amid genuine fears the conflict could spark a repeat of what

happened 40 years ago. CBC News, Bristol, England. In London. That's the moment Kenny Sebastian Saouet made sports history becoming the first person to officially break the fabled two-hour barrier in a competitive marathon. Saway won the London Marathon this morning in one hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds. He smashed the previous men's world record by 65 seconds. The top three finishers, in fact, all beat the standing world record.

Before we leave you, a quick time, note about our coverage this week. This Tuesday, the CBC Radio brings you special coverage from the federal government's spring economic update. I'll be joined by co-host Catherine Cullen of the House as we broadcast live from Parliament Hill. We'll dive into what this update actually means for you and what it signals about the road ahead for the country. That's this Tuesday, 1 p.m. Pacific, right here on CBC Radio and the CBC Listen app. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm John North Cut, thanks for spending part of your weekend with us here at CBC News.

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