World Report - December 20: Saturday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: December 20, 2025

Release of heavily redacted Epstein files draws criticism.US strikes ISIS sites in Syria in retaliation for killing of three Americans last week.Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel.Outgoing Canadian ambassador to Washington Kirsten Hillman reflects on challenges of Trump era.Prime Minister Mark Carney lays out what he sees as red lines in dealing with China.Nova Scotia's lobster industry challenged by lower quality harvest this season.

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Donate at lovescarbro.cairbo. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. The questions surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files are reaching a fever pitch this morning. Democrats and some Republicans are now accusing the Department of Justice of openly violating its legal obligations. Despite yesterday's document dump, heavy redactions and a lack of full disclosure have many asked. why the government is still keeping secrets in this long-running criminal investigation.

Steve Futterman has the latest from Los Angeles. Yesterday was the deadline. Today, it seems, no one is happy. This is absolutely breaking the law. I mean, they have not produced actually what they were required to do, which was all the files. That's Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia. He has been one of the most vocal lawmakers calling for the release of the Epstein files. Yesterday's release was far from complete. Despite the complaints, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says the Trump Justice Department is complying with the law. President Trump has certainly said from the beginning that he expects

all files that can be released to be released, and that's exactly what we're doing. Among the released files are numerous pictures showing Epstein and many recognizable personalities, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross. But there is little explanation to put the pictures in context. And many pages are redacted, with huge sections blocked out. The Justice Department says this is primarily to protect the victims. One of those victims, Annie Farmer, who says she was abused by Epstein when she was 16, says she expected more to be released. I don't feel tremendously confident that everything will come out. There's been a lot of effort and money and time put into redactions, not to protect victims, but to protect

people in power. There are already threats of lawsuits to force the Trump Justice Department to immediately release all the files. Steve Futterman, CBC News, Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is hitting back hard after last week's deadly ISIS attack in Syria. I ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week. Two soldiers, one interpreter, all great people. But the United States did not do it alone. The Jordanian State TV confirmed this morning that their fighter jets participated in the large-scale U.S. strikes that pounded dozens of ISIS sites across Syria on Friday. Julia Chapman has more. A declaration of vengeance.

The U.S., aided by Jordan, targeted ISIS sites across Syria with more than 100 munitions. Operation Hawkeye strike involved fighter jets, helicopters, and artillery to take out weapons storage and other infrastructure. thought to be used by the group. Three U.S. citizens, two soldiers and an interpreter, were killed last weekend in Palmyra. No one has claimed responsibility, but intelligence suggests ISIS was behind the attack. President Donald Trump says the strike was ordered

to prevent the jihadists from regrouping. And it was very successful. It was precision. We hit every sight flawlessly, and we are restoring peace through strength. We're all over the world. More than a thousand U.S. troops remain in Syria tasked with fighting ISIS. Trump says the action was carried out with the full

support of the Syrian government. Led by former rebel Ahmed al-Shara, it has struggled to suppress various armed groups since taking power last year. Experts warn that ISIS is exploiting the fall of the Assad regime and the transition to new leadership. Last month, Syria joined an international coalition to tackle ISIS. It's been carrying out operations against the group in recent months. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says this is not the start of a new war, but he vowed to continue killing America's enemies. Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. Iran executes a man accused of spying for Israel,

and that marks the latest escalation in a deadly shadow war between Tehran and Jerusalem. State media identifies the man as a 27-year-old architecture student. He was reportedly arrested in May for photographing military sites in the city of Irmia. rights groups, however, claim his conviction was based on confessions extracted under torture. This marks at least the 11th execution for espionage since the direct 12-day air war between the two nations in June. After eight years, as Canada's frontline voice in Washington, Kirsten Hillman is heading home. In an in-depth exit interview with the House, Hillman opens up about the Canada-U.S. relationship

and the unprecedented challenges of navigating a new era of Trump tariffs. Host Catherine Cullen has more. I live and breathe this job every single day, every day, all day. I think about Canada-U.S. relationship every day, all day. Kirsten Hillman says leaving will be hard. Her eight years in Washington included the COVID pandemic, the first Trump administration, and negotiating the Kuzma Free Trade Deal. But this Trump administration has meant a host of news.

challenges for Canada. It was tough, right? The beginning of last year was tough. Hillman, like Prime Minister Mark Carney, is closing out this year trying to make the case Canada is now better off. It feels better to me. It was around this time last year that Donald Trump threatened Canada with across-the-board tariffs. Hillman points out Canada got an exemption on free trade compliant goods. Kuzma has sheltered Canada from tariffs that have hit much of the rest of the world. I am not trying to diminish how hard it is for some. But it is. is we have somehow, you know, been in a world of disruption, been held to a slightly lesser disruption. Yet some sectors have been hammered by specific tariffs, auto, forestry, steel and aluminum.

Hillman and others had been working towards a deal to lift some of those tariffs, but Trump called off the talks in the fall, angry over an anti-tariff TV ad from Ontario. All that work is there. All that support is there. it will be picked up and it will move forward, but it takes two to tango. Hillman says she will leave Washington with mixed emotions, but the incessant thinking about Canada's best interests has had one clear effect. It has made me love my country even more. She's not sure exactly what's next, but she says she's happy to be coming back home.

Catherine Cullen, CBC News, Ottawa. And you can hear more of that interview with the outgoing ambassador to Washington, and Kristen Helman and author David From on the lessons Canada can learn in the Trump era, all on this morning's edition of the House, right after this edition of World Report, or wherever you get your podcasts. Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada must stop keeping all of its eggs in what he calls the American basket. In a year-end interview with CBC's Rosemary Barton, the Prime Minister signaled a major shift towards markets in Asia and Europe,

but admitted that renewing ties with China comes with strict conditions. question is how deep is the relationship and how clear are the guardrails around that relationship. And there are areas, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, defense, where clearly the security threats are such that we would not have a deep relationship with China in those areas. Connie identified India and the European Union as other key targets for expansion that Canada aims to double its non-U.S. exports over the next decade. Finally, while the Prime Minister looks to reset relations with Beijing. Nova Scotia's lobster industry is already feeling the sting of a trade war.

High Chinese tariffs and a cooling U.S. market are pushing the sector to the brink. And now the quality of lobster this season is adding more pressure. Michael Gorman has more. If lobster were a wine, this would be an unspectacular advantage. Lobster exporter Stuart Lamont says the quality coming from southwest Nova Scotia so far has been disappointing. He says it's forcing his staff to comb through product more thoroughly than usual in search of the best quality that can survive being shipped around the world. But the Canadian brand, the Nova Scotia brand, our company brand are really important.

So we are keen to eliminate any lobster that we don't think will pass the scrutiny of our clients. Veteran lobster captain Tommy Amiro says it's not the worst quality he's ever seen. But when combined with Chinese tariffs, a weak U.S. market, increased all. operating costs and a wharf price that makes it difficult to cover bills. Some people are getting worried. We can handle one or two of these storms at once, and we've done it in the last few years here. We've dealt with, you know, some different issues. But right now, we're trying to weather four storms at once. Amiro says if the tariffs cannot come off, Ottawa should provide support the way it has for auto workers and farmers. Akiti Annapolis MP Chris Dantramont agrees. His riding is

in the epicenter of the lobster fishery. The whole system is under a challenge right now. So I think we need to be able to look at that as a whole system rather than just one group over another. All three are calling for broader talks focused on ensuring a sustainable future for a product vital to the region's economy. Nova Scotia produces more than $500 million worth of lobster a year. Michael Gorman, CBC News, Halifax.

And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. If you're enjoying the World Report podcast, and we hope you are. Please follow us and tell a friend. It helps to spread the word. I'm John Northcott. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with us here at CBC News. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.com.