World Report - February 20: Friday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: February 20, 2026

The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down President Trump’s global tariffs in a major blow to his trade agenda.Alberta premier Danielle Smith announces October referendum on immigration and constitutional questions.Connor McDavid takes the captaincy as Canada faces Finland in the Olympic semifinals without Sidney Crosby.Second New Brunswick youth put on peace bond for alleged activity with 764 terrorist group. Former Vizsla Silver Corp workers in Mexico say their security concerns were ignored prior to killings and kidnappings.British police continue to search home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as former prince remains under investigation.Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane dies at 53 after a courageous battle with ALS.Donald Trump orders the release of federal "alien files" while accusing Barack Obama of leaking classified secrets.

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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 John Northcott. We begin with breaking news out of Washington. The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the Trump administration's sweeping global tariffs. In a 6-3 decision, the justices ruled that the president overstepped his authority

by using a 1977 emergency powers law to levy duties on nearly every country in the world. The court found that the law did not justify. a unilateral reach for power that belongs to Congress. While the decision is a major blow to Donald Trump's economic agenda, it does not stop him from seeking to impose duties through other legal avenues. Premier Daniel Smith is looking to a provincial referendum to help solve Alberta's financial woes.

In a televised address last night, Smith laid out a case for why Alberta can no longer afford its current rate of growth. She blamed what she called federal open border policy, for putting a massive strain on the provincial treasury. Adding 600,000 people in five years is like adding half the city of Calgary or Edmonton in five years. Although sustainable immigration has always been an important part of our provincial growth model, throwing the doors wide open to anyone and everyone across the globe has flooded our classrooms,

emergency rooms, and social support systems with far too many people, far too quickly. Gaining provincial control over immigration is just one of the nine questions. The Premier wants to put to voters on October 19th. The proposed referendum also includes asking Albertans if they support restricting provincial benefits for newcomers and even abolishing the Canadian Senate. The move comes as the government prepares to table a budget next Thursday that is expected to reveal a multi-billion dollar deficit.

While critics call it a political distraction, Smith says she needs a clear mandate to push back against Ottawa. All eyes are on the ice in Milan today. as Canada's men's hockey team faces the defending champions from Finland in the Olympic semi-finals. The team has confirmed a major lineup change Captain Sidney Crosby will not play this morning

as he continues to recover from that lower body injury. In his place, Connor McDavid will wear the sea leading a star-studded roster that includes Nathan McKinnon and Cail McCarb as alternates. A win today guarantees Canada a spot in Sunday's gold medal final. You can watch our live coverage from Italy in just minutes away on CBC Radio and the CBC Listen app.

Counterterrorism experts are urging parents to be more vigilant about what their children are doing in digital spaces. The warning follows news that a second youth in New Brunswick has been placed on a terrorism peace bond in just a few weeks. The RCMP say the case involves a decentralized extremist group called the 764 Network. Savannah Odd reports. Police are alleging a New Brunswick youth was involved.

in online terrorism activity related to 764. They say the young person's aim was to gain notoriety for the group and alleged they extorted victims to self-harm and threaten schools, both in the province and in the United States. It's extremely disturbing what they're doing. David Hoffman is the Director of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of New Brunswick. He says 764 is a nihilistic violent extremism group,

known to target children and seek out blackmail material. They'll then use this blackmail to force the victim to engage in something like harming their pets, harming small animals and videotaping them doing that, harming their siblings or harming themselves, just for the sake of it. Matthew Criner, executive director at the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism, says it's critical that parents talk to their kids about their online activity. and to scare folks and say like, oh, this is running rampant throughout your communities, but rather to sort of raise the awareness.

The young person in this case is under strict conditions, but police don't specify what those are. Earlier this month, another New Brunswick youth was placed on a peace bond for terrorism activity, then a first in the province. Police say the cases are not connected. Savannah Odd, CBC News, Fredericton. Former workers from an exploration project run by a Canadian mining company say their concerns about security were ignored. Five of its employees were kidnapped and killed. Five others are still missing.

CBC's Jorge Berrera spoke to the former Vesla Silver Corp workers and has this report from Mexico City. The region where we worked was a war zone, says this former employee of Vizla Silver Corp, a Vancouver-based mining company operating in a northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. Ten of its workers were kidnapped late last month by a suspected faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Five have been confirmed dead. This employee and two former contractors spoke to CBC News on condition we didn't reveal their names for security reasons.

CBC News also distorted their voices. They alleged the area where the company worked was under the control of organized armed groups who were in constant conflict. We saw drones, armored trucks, checkpoints run by armed men, says one former contractor. But on site, company management dismissed worker concerns, they allege. They mocked our concerns, says the former employee. They minimized and ignored our concerns, says the second contractor. Bisla Silver told CBC News it flatly denies the allegations from the former workers.

In an emailed statement, the company says, The security of its people is always a top priority. Jorge Barrera, CBC News, Mexico City. British police are searching a royal property for a second day as a criminal investigation into Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor intensifies. The arrest of the former prince on suspicion of misconduct in public office has left the UK in disbelief. While he's been released from custody,

investigators remain focused on his former residence at Windsor. Anna Cunningham reports from London. Splashed across the British Papers Friday, an image of Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor, that is far removed from his royal life. The impact of his arrest for the royal family is immense. The idea of never complain and never explain is a mantra that has now firmly been consigned to history.

Says Julian Payne, a former, Communications Secretary to the King when he was Prince of Wales. He believes King Charles recognises the need for transparency. Andrew's time as a British trade envoy is under the spotlight, with recent allegations emerging in the Epstein files, alleging he shared sensitive government information with the sex offender. I think something has changed. Says Royal Nicker, Royal Editor at the Sunday Times.

I think the public's attitude towards the monarchy will probably reflect what has happened. Andrew's arrest Thursday is separate to allegations of sex abuse made against him by the late Virginia Dufray. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. Why is he suturing his own face? To turn me on? Because he's Mark Sloan. It's like the go-to plastic surgeon. The actor who play the iconic Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy has died.

Eric Dane was just 53 years old. He rose to fame playing the charming surgeon, but more recently earned critical acclaim for his work on the HBO hit Euphoria. Last April, Dane announced a diagnosis of Luke Garrig's disease. He spent his final year as a leading voice for the ALS community, pushing for more federal research and support. And finally, Donald Trump says he's ready to pull back the curtain on the government's most secret of files.

In a social media post, the president announced he is ordering the release of all records related to extraterrestrial life and UFOs. Trump says the move is a response to tremendous public interest. For more on this, the CBC's Willie Lowry joins us from our Washington Bureau. So, Willie, what can you tell us about this new directive from the president? The directive is pretty clear. In a brief post on social media, U.S. President Donald Trump instructing Secretary of Defense Pete Higseff and other relevant agencies to begin the

disclosure process. He said he'll be releasing all information on aliens, unidentified aerial phenomena and unidentified flying objects out of an abundance of public interest. That decision comes shortly after he told reporters that he didn't know if aliens were real. I don't have an opinion on it. I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe in. So, Willie, all of this prompted by comments made by former President Barack Obama about the possibility of alien life. That is right. So this all started last week when former president Barack Obama went on Brian Tyler Cohen's podcast and said this. They're real, but I haven't seen them and they're not being kept in, what is it? Area 51.

Area 51, of course, is a classified U.S. Air Force facility in Nevada and has long been the subject of conspiracy theories about just what might be hidden in it. Obama later clarified on Instagram that he was actually trying to stay in the speech. of the interview, adding that statistically the universe is so vast that the odds are good, there's life out there. Now, Trump says, Obama disclosed classified information. Well, I don't know if they're real or not. I can tell you he gave classified information.

He's not supposed to be doing that. He made a big mistake. A mistake that just may have inspired Trump to shed light on one of humanity's biggest questions. CBC's Willie Lowry in Washington. Thanks, Willie. My pleasure. And before we go, recapping our top story, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down Donald Trump's global tariffs

ruling six to three that the president overstepped his authority. The court found that the law did not justify a unilateral reach for power that belongs to Congress. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. For news anytime, go to our website, cBCnews.ca. I'm John Northcott. This is CBC News. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.