World Report - September 30: Tuesday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: September 30, 2025

A US government shutdown could just be hours away after Republicans and Democrats fail to reach deal over health care benefits.US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth slams "fat generals," says US military officers should resign if they don't support his agenda.US President Donald Trump gives Hamas "3 or 4 days" to respond to latest Middle East peace plan. Alberta teachers poised to walk off the job in province-wide strike next week. McGill teaches next generation of family doctors about "Joyce's Principle" to guarantee Indigenous people access to healthcare without discrimination. 

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This is World Report. Good morning. I'm Marcia Young. A U.S. government shutdown could be just hours away. Republicans and Democratic Party members have left a congressional meeting without reaching a deal. The main issue, health care benefits and reforms. The Democrats want them, but the Republicans say those negotiations should be separate from the shutdown fight. The CBC's Willie Lowry joins me now from Washington. And Willie, what can you tell us?

Well, the two sides appear no closer to a deal. Democrats led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with President Donald Trump in the White House for the first time since he took office. They were there to make their case. The Democrats are pushing for health care changes. they fear that health care costs for Americans will go up because of a spending bill passed in July. Schumer said the president appeared to hear their concerns. We have very large differences on health care and on their ability to undo whatever budget we agree to through rescissions. And I think for the first time the president heard our objections and heard why we needed a bipartisan bill.

Their bill has not one iota of Democratic. input. That is never how we've done this before. Shortly after the meeting, President Trump released an AI-generated video mocking the Democratic leaders and perhaps telegraphing that a deal was unreachable. There is a midnight deadline. What happens if there's no deal? Well, the government shuts down. Essential services like hospital care, law enforcement and air traffic control will continue, but a significant number of services will stop. Any government employee deemed non-essential will be put on unpaid leave.

Vice President J.D. Vance said at the moment, that's probably the most likely scenario. The fact that they refuse to do that shows how unreasonable their position is. I think we're headed to do a shutdown because the Democrats won't do the right thing. I hope they change their mind, but we're going to see. Republicans who hold 53 seats in the Senate need 60 votes to pass a funding extension that would keep the government running through October. If they don't find them, the government shuts down when the clock strikes midnight. Thank you, Willie.

My pleasure. The CBC's Willie Lowry in Washington. The United States Secretary of Defense is laying out new directives for his country's military. Hundreds of U.S. admirals and generals have gathered from all over the world for a rare meeting at Quantico today. And while Hegsseth spent much of the time building up his military ranks, he also vowed to cut the fat, literally. Frankly, it's tiring to look out at combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It's a bad look. It is bad and it's not who we are.

Pete Hegseth is laying out new physical fitness standards for all troops and military officials. Every member will also be required to take a physical training test every year. He also rolled out new grooming standards, including, quote, no more beardos and long hair. He adds that those who don't meet the new standards can find a new profession. U.S. President Donald Trump is giving Hamas a deadline to respond to the latest Middle East peace plan. He says the group has just three or four days to reply. All of the Arab countries are signed up.

The Muslim countries all signed up. Israel's all signed up. just waiting for Hamas. Prime Minister Mark Carney is also supporting the deal. He says Canada is standing by ready to support large-scale sustained humanitarian aid operations in Gaza.

But as Sasha Petrissik reports, it's not clear if any of that will be enough for Hamas to agree to this plan. As they opened their news in Jerusalem this morning, many liked what they saw. The main appeal? A promise of war ending

imminently after two stress years. Israel can live with that agreement. I was really happy. It's still tentative. Hamas has not yet agreed to the 20-point peace plan presented by U.S. President Donald Trump and endorsed by Arab leaders, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. And even now, there are details with different interpretations. For instance, the plan calls for a credible path to a Palestinian state in the future. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, absolutely not. Political observers like Ansel Pfeffer say Netanyahu had to be pressured to agree on a ceasefire. But what Trump did last night was he put a full stop which could possibly end the war in Gaza after two years.

And Netanyahu was forced to say, yes, this is a great idea. And we're going along with it. And that's the milestone. Even Israel's right wing is grudgingly accepting the plan, with a harle. line cabinet minister predicting it could end in tears for Israel. There are plenty of tears in Gaza. They want the war to end, but worry their interests are being set aside. Nahuahua doesn't think there are enough guarantees.

Palestinians will be allowed to stay. Sasha Petrissik, CBC News, Jerusalem. Alberta's teachers are poised to walk off the job. a province-wide strike could start as early as next week. 51,000 publicly funded educators voted on the province's latest offer, and it was rejected by the vast majority of the union members. As Liam Newbigging reports, that means class could be cancelled for more than 700,000 students in Alberta.

Teachers will be on strike on October 6th. Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers Association, says the deal failed to change teachers' minds. of more than 43,000 votes, nearly 90% said no. The government previously offered a wage increase of 12% over four years. New to this deal were commitments to hire more teachers and assistance. It's just not enough for what we're seeing in our classrooms. Shelling calls it a drop in the bucket, saying the job is complex.

Teachers have to deal with special needs students and others with health challenges. Janelle Melanchuk, a teacher from Red Deer, says after 21 years on the job, The strike feels necessary. It's last straw. Enough is enough. We can't keep going on this way. It's not fair to the kids. From kindergarten to grade 12, 700,000 students could be staying home from school. While Greta Gersner says she's been prepping her child for that outcome, she thinks teachers are in the right.

They are willing to stand up for our kids, right, and fight, even though it's going to hurt them financially. To me, that means a lot. On Monday, failing a settlement, the picket lines. will go up. Schilling says the ATA is still open to talks with the province. Alberta Premier Daniel Smith called the contract rejection a disappointment and that

she'll have more to say later today. Liam Newbigink, CBC News, Edmonton. On this national day for truth and reconciliation, the next generation of family doctors is thinking about its role in eliminating racism from the health care system. It is an especially contentious issue

in Quebec. That province is being urge to fully implement what's known as Joyce's principal. It aims to guarantee indigenous people can access health care without discrimination. But as Natalia Vikesl reports, only some schools are teaching it to medical students. The patient is the expert in the room. The community is the expert at the table. Alex McComor stands before a classroom at McGill University's Department of Family Medicine. As the assistant professor begins his lecture, he reminds his students about the importance of Joyce's

principle. Bottom line, it's about fair, equal, respectful treatment. Joyce Eshiquan was an itchemic mother of seven, who died in a Quebec hospital in 2020 as staff hurled racist comments at her. Her death led to the creation of Joyce's principle. It's a call to action for the Quebec government to address systemic racism while guaranteeing health and social services free of discrimination for indigenous people. So far, we have learned about the history and the background of the indigenous people. Amir Chalati has been enrolled in the class. since August. Chalotti wants to become a family doctor, and he says that learning about Joyce's principal will help him build better relationships with indigenous patients.

Actually, I encourage everyone to join these kinds of classes. McGill University adopted Joyce's principal into their teaching in 2023 and is one of only 47 institutions to do so in the province. Juliet Zbe is a spokesperson for the office of Joyce's principal. She says it's often adopted only through the commitment of a few individuals, something Zbe says isn't sustainable. will not be enough until the changes come from a systemic level. Zbébe says that five years on, the Quebec government still hasn't acknowledged systemic racism or fully adopted Joyce's principle.

Natalia Vikesell, CBC News, Montreal. That is the latest national and international news from World Report for News anytime, cbcnews.ca. And if you like the World Report podcast, please follow us and tell a friend. It helps spread the word. I'm Marcia Young.