World Report - February 24: Tuesday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: February 24, 2026

US President Donald Trump's new 10% global tariffs kick in today as he prepared for State of the Union address. Trump still threatening airstrikes ahead of talks aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program later this week. Hundreds of thousands of US customers still without power after record-breaking bomb cyclone hits several northeast states. Canadian airlines to resume flights to Mexico following widespread weekend violence. AI minister Evan Solomon demands answers from OpenAI executives over deadly Tumbler Ridge shooting. NDP's lone Quebec MP Alexandre Boulerice says he's considering jump to provincial politics and Québec Solidaire. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney announces new sanctions on Russia and $2 Billion in new support for Ukraine as it marks 4 years since Russia's full-scale invasion.

The Alto High Speed Rail Project is on track. Expected travel time from Toronto to Montreal, three hours. Next stop, public consultations in your community. Make your voice heard. Visit altotrain.ca for more information. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm Marcia Young. U.S. President Donald Trump will be making his State of the Union address tonight.

It is a chance for the president to update America. on the current condition of the country and where it's heading. Trump's speech is taking place on the same day. New U.S. tariffs of 10% come into effect. The administration is also increasing its pressure on Iran to make a nuclear deal. The CBC's Willie Lowry joins me now from Washington. Willie, what are we expecting tonight from U.S. President Donald Trump? This very well may be President Donald Trump's largest audience leading up to next fall's

midterm elections, and he's likely going to be defending. his administration's policies and trying to paint as positive a picture of the American economy as possible. The speech comes as Trump's poll numbers are plummeting. A recent Washington Post-ABC Ipsos poll suggests six in ten Americans disapprove of the president's performance thus far, with 64 percent disapproving of his use of tariffs, something he's recently doubled down on. And then there is the question of Iran. The U.S. appears to be on a war footing with the Islamic Republic. He may well address the status of the current negotiations, but one thing is certain. The speech will not be brief. It's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about. And after tonight's

speech, the runway begins to shorten ahead of the midterms. Willie, could there be some awkward moments when it comes to who might be front and center? Trump is delivering his address? That's for sure. The speech comes just days after the Supreme Court struck down the president's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify tariffs. A move Trump slammed, and he's been vocal in his disapproval of the justices who historically sit in the front road during the state of the Union.

Trump said the three conservative justices who voted to strike down his use of Aipa should be ashamed. calling them unpatriotic and disloyal. Thank you, Willie. My pleasure. The CBC's Willie Lowry in Washington. Talks to curb Iran's nuclear program are supposed to resume later this week. And there are calls for diplomats to focus on de-escalation.

The White House is still threatening airstrikes on Iran. And as Crystal Gomansing reports, there are concerns the region could be thrust into another brutal war. A regional flare-up would be absolutely devastating. Alexandra Seif is a policy lead with Save the Children International. She spoke to CBC from her office in Washington, D.C. We're maintaining and continue to warn that the protection of children across the region needs to be at the forefront. We cannot have another war. The U.S. is amassing the largest buildup of military assets in the region since the Iraq invasion in 2003.

Washington is pressuring Iran to give up uranium enrichment. The size of its ballistic missile stockpile has also been noted. Iran doesn't appear to be willing to give up all nuclear production. Officials have suggested they're willing to compromise for sanctions relief. A third round of mediated negotiations are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva. Yesterday in the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is facing complex and challenging days. He said the alliance with the U.S. has never been stronger. Israel attacked Iran last June, followed by American strikes on nuclear facilities.

The military action ended previous rounds of talks to get Iran to sign a nuclear agreement. In a social media post, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote that if a deal isn't reached, it'll be a very bad day for that country and, very sadly, its people. Crystal Gamansing, CBC News, Jerusalem. In New Jersey, people around the state are grabbing shovel. and firing up snowblowers. They are still trying to dig out after a storm hit several northeast states yesterday. The bomb cyclone brought winds

in more than 60 centimeters of snow to area stretching from Virginia to Maine. More than 330,000 customers are still without power. Canadian Airlines are resuming flights to Mexico following the weekend violence there. Mexican authorities say they have restored calm. The Hellasco cartel retaliated over the death of its leader. Thousands of Canadian tourists were trapped when the airlines cancelled flights into Mexico.

As Yasmina Janea reports, some Canadians could be returning home as early as today. There were plumes of smoke on two different sides. Canadian snowbird Kathleen Lucas says burnt out vehicles lined the street near her condo in Puerto Vallarda. In the evening, there was a strong smell of burning plastic or rubber. She and thousands of other Canadians ordered to stay inside. After the Mexican army killed the head of one of the country, most powerful cartels. It retaliated, setting buses, cars and businesses on fire. Vancouver right, Yogi Omar went to Puerto Vallarta for his birthday and says it's been hard to get food.

We're all starving, so we're just trying to find any crackers, anything that we can find. Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat say they will resume full operations to Puerto Vallarda today. And Air Canada says its operations from Toronto to Guadalajara will restart Wednesday. and the situation is stabilizing. Canada's ambassador to Mexico, Cameron McKay, says commercial airlines have more than enough capacity to get Canadians out, and at this point, there's no need for the government to airlift citizens. The airlines themselves will make the call as to when they're ready to start bringing Canadians back home,

but I'm feeling optimistic about that. Global Affairs says Canadians should check if there are any changes to their flights before heading to the airport. Yasmin Ganea, CBC News, Vancouver. AI Minister Evan Solomon has summoned Open AI safety heads to Ottawa today. He wants answers about the Tumblr-Rid shooter's use of the technology. The tech company banned her from ChatGPT months ago over her scenarios of gun violence, but it did not inform authorities.

Solomon says he wants an explanation about OpenAI safety protocols and the threshold for escalation to police. Alexander Boulogis is the federal NDPs only in. MP in Quebec and he says he's seriously considering a move to provincial politics. He told reporters on the Hill yesterday he may run for Quebec Solidair in this year's provincial election. Right now I have a mandate. I am a federal member of parliament. I'm going to do my job, but everything is open. I'm thinking about it seriously. If Boloris does resign from federal politics, a by-election would be called in his Montreal riding. Canada is offering more support.

to Ukraine. Prime Minister Mark Carney says that includes tougher sanctions on Russia. We are tightening sanctions, including on the shadow fleet, additional 100 vessels in Russia's shadow fleet. This is the fleet that effectively facilitates illegal exports of crude oil, in addition to $2 billion of additional aid, military aid for Ukraine over the course of the next year. Canada will also be supplying Ukraine with another 400 armored vehicles. The Pledge of Support comes as Ukraine marks four years since Russia's full-scale invasion. Since that day, millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes. Many of them came to Canada to start new lives.

Enrique Wilhelm has the story of two of those people who settled in Newfoundland, Labrador. All that memories, they just pop up in your mind. Memories of bombs and explosions irreversibly connected to February 24th for Alina Hobatenko. The Kiev native came to St. John's in October, 2022, leaving behind her parents and brother. Today, her thoughts are with them and all other Ukrainians trying to live normal lives. While I'm talking with them each time, they're trying to show me that everything's fine. And that's really, like, emotional, you know.

On Newfoundland's west coast, Katarina Sideronko is also apart from family. Originally from eastern Ukraine, she is one of roughly 250 Ukrainians, Sideronko says, who have become neighbors in the Cornerbrook, Reef. After all of this terrible experience that I faced when I was in Ukraine and feel all of this war stuff, I think it was so peaceful to stay here. Two lives of about 4,500 arriving in the province since 2022, according to Bruce Lilly, executive director of the Ukrainian National Federation's Avalon Branch. But more remarkable, he said, has been the retention rate of about 85%, far above the provincial average. Newfoundlanders have such an opening, welcoming, it's like part of their character, it's part of what they're known for, and this was welcomed by the Ukrainians.

And so, Khopetenko and Siderenko plan on staying and to continue speaking about the ongoing war against their country. After all, they say they're still fighting, still hoping. Henrique Wilhelm, CBC News, St. John's. For more on Carney's pledge of $2 billion for Ukraine, go to cbcnews.ca.com. It's on our main page. That is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm Rcia Young.