World Report - February 16: Monday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: February 16, 2026

CBC News investigation reveals alleged Canadian drug kingpin Ryan Wedding was betrayed by his own right-hand man. Prime Minister Mark Carney names former diplomat Janice Charette as next Chief Trade Negotiator to the United States. US crime reports shows violent crime fell dramatically last year, but President Donald Trump may not be able to take credit. US television host Savannah Guthrie issues another appeal for help finding her missing mother. Dance may have the power to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, the world's fastest-growing neurological disorder. Former US President Barack Obama clarifies remarks on podcast, reassures public he has seen no evidence of aliens making contact with Earth. Canada's Courtney Sarault wins silver in short-track speedskating women's 1,000 metres at Olympic Winter Games. Canadian figure skating pair Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud in medal contention at the Olympic Winter Games. 

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N-E-T-H-R-I-S dot com. Nethris, much more than just a payroll software. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm Marcia Young. A CBC news investigation has found alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding was betrayed by his right-hand man.

Wedding is a former team Canada Olympic snowboarder who landed on the FBI's most wanted list. He was arrested last month in Mexico. After a decade on the run, Thomas Daigla has more on the informant who helped investigators crack the case. The organization was run by a former Olympic athlete. Months before the arrest of Ryan Wedding,

prosecutor Joe McNally boasted about the capture of another key figure in Wedding's alleged drug smuggling empire. His second-in-command, Andrew Clark, who was also Canadian, helped run the criminal enterprise and was ultimately responsible for the murders charged in the indictment. Now, court documents reviewed by CBC News suggest Clark has turned FBI informant, cooperating with investigators through much of 2025 and providing key evidence used to take down Weddings Network. Once considered Wedding's right-hand man, Clark pleaded not guilty last year

to charges including murder and drug trafficking. After he started working with authorities, U.S. prosecutors announced Clark would no longer face the death penalty. Typically, you would see a dramatically lower sentence for someone who was cooperated with the government. Former U.S. Richard Donahue says he expects Clark will testify against Wedding when their case goes to trial. Plus, the government can go to great, great lengths to keep people safe. And for Clark, protection may be key. Wedding allegedly placed a $5 million bounty on a previous FBI informant who was later shot dead. Thomas Daagl, CBC News, Toronto.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed his next chief trade negotiator to the United States. Janice Charette will be taking over the job from outgoing ambassador Christian Hillman. She will be responsible for advising the Prime Minister during the Kuzma Trade Review. And she's been tasked with strengthening the trade and investment relationship between Canada and the United States. Violet crime in the United States dropped dramatically last year. A 2025 report on crime in major city suggests the U.S. national murder rate is on track to be the lowest ever required. reported. U.S. President Donald Trump is taking credit. But as Mike Crawley reports, the evidence shows Trump's policies may not be driving this drop in crime. And we have the best crime numbers

we've ever had, and everywhere. Murder numbers, crime numbers of any kind. U.S. President Donald Trump has a reputation for exaggerating statistics, but this time he's not stretching the truth. A new report from police chiefs of the 60 largest U.S. cities shows the number of homicides in 2025 dropped a staggering 19% from the previous year to about 5,500. Robberies and aggravated assaults were also down by double-digit percentages. Trump claims it's the direct result of sending federal forces into Democrat-run cities and deporting undocumented immigrants. The data suggests otherwise.

So this is an everywhere story in the United States. Alex Picero is a criminologist at the University of Miami and former head of the U.S. Bureau of justice statistics. We're seeing in red states, blue states, red cities, blue cities, in cities that the National Guard wasn't in, is happening as well. Violent crime rates in the U.S. were on the wane since the early 1990s, spiked in the first two years of the pandemic, then started dropping steeply while Joe Biden was still president.

Thadius Johnson served in law enforcement in Memphis and now teaches criminology at Georgia State. He says the trend comes from a combination of smarter policing, targeted prevention and investments in cities. No one entity can claim credit. All parts have a part to play. Even with the nationwide reductions in violent crime, Johnson points out that the effects are still felt disproportionately in black communities.

Mike Crowley, CBC News, Washington. U.S. television host Savannah Guthrie is issuing another appeal for help finding her mother. We still have hope. And I wanted to say to whoever. has her or knows where she is, that it is never too late to do the right thing. Her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, has been missing for more than two weeks. The FBI says a black glove was found near the woman's Arizona home. It appears to match the gloves worn by the suspect in a doorbell camera footage,

and it is now being tested for DNA. Dancing may have the power to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. It is a connection science cannot explain yet, but as Jennifer Lagrasa tells us, a new initiative is encouraging patients to give dance therapy a try. I love the feeling that music invokes in me. When Barbara Salzburg-Matthews gets lost in the music, her body feels free. My range and fluidity of my movement just comes right back. Dancing has always been a part of her life, but since getting diagnosed with Parkinson's,

It's become her safe space. Parkinson's can't stop me from dancing. Growing evidence suggests dance can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, relieving symptoms of imbalance, muscle stiffness, and depression. Because it's really about re-inhabiting the body. Rebecca Barnes-Steaple is an assistant professor in theater at the University of Guelph in Ontario. She's been teaching dance to people with Parkinson's and is launching a website where Parkinson's patients across Canada can sign up for art classes,

including dance. Dancing works on balance. It works on weight shift. Experts still don't fully understand how dance impacts the brain. But say the music, specific movements, and social aspect all play a role. Doing dance is super complex. Joseph DeSuzza is an associate psychology professor at York University in Ontario. He's been studying dance and Parkinson's for years.

As soon as you get the disease, you should be prescribed exercise, dance, swimming, whatever you think is fun. With a smile on her face, Salzburg Matthews glides across the floor. I found my people. To move and connect, that's some of the strongest medicine she knows. Jennifer Lagrasa, CBC News, Windsor, Ontario. Okay, great. Former U.S. President Barack Obama is reassuring people.

There is no evidence. Aliens have made contact with Earth. He issued the statement shortly after this moment. on Brian Tyler Cohen's podcast. Are aliens real? They're real, but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in, what is it? Area 51.

There's no underground facility unless there's this enormous conspiracy, and they hit it from the President of the United States. Multiple U.S. media outlets picked up on the story. So Obama clarified what he meant on social media. He says, the universe is so vast, there is a good chance there is life out there. But he saw no evidence of extraterrestrials coming and making contact during his presidency.

Another silver medal for Canada's Courtney Sorow at the Olympic Winter Games, this time in the women's 1,000-meter short track speed skating final. Soros took control early in the race but was passed by a skater from the Netherlands. She says she wanted the win just a little too much. I got a little too excited, wanted it a little too bad, and sometimes when we're too intense, we miss little things. So I think that was my one error today. But with that said, I'm so proud of myself. This is Saro's third trip to the podium at Milano Cortina, 2026.

She won silver in the mixed relay and bronze in the 500 meters. And later today, a Canadian figure skating pair is in metal contention. Breyer Stewart is in Milan and brings us the latest from the. ice. Leah Pereira and Trent Mischot made their Olympic debut, earning their personal best score in the short program. By the end of the night, the current Canadian national champion sat in third, giving them a very good shot at a medal in the free skate.

When people say it takes a village, it takes a village. 29-year-old Mishot said he was getting emotional, thinking about the experience of competing at the Olympics. This whole process has really made me feel like Canada does stand behind all their athletes and it's really awesome. The second Canadian pair who will skate tonight, Deanna Stilado Doudoir, and her partner, Maxime de Champ. At 42, U.S.-born Stilado Doudet, previously retired from figure skating, only to come back to the sport after a 16-year break.

It was unclear if they would be able to compete as she suffered a head injury at the end of January, forcing them to pull out of the earlier team event. They eventually made it to Milan, but struggled. in their short program. Oh, no. She fell on the ice during the move, and they ended up in 14th. That was unexpected and unfortunate,

but I'm still happy to represent for the 40-year-olds. Just by making it here, she has become the oldest figure skater to compete in the Olympic Games in a century. Breyer-Stewart, CBC News, Milan. That is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm Marcia Young.

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