Your World Tonight - American pope, U.S. - U.K. trade agreement, measles up again, and more

Episode Date: May 8, 2025

Cardinals choose the first-ever American Pope. Cheers erupted in St. Peter’s Square as white smoke billowed – indicating the selection of Pope Leo XIV. The former Cardinal Prevost was born in Chicago. He served two decades as a priest and bishop in Peru. He delivered his first speech as pope this afternoon from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. And: The U.S. and U.K. took a major step toward a trade agreement. The details are yet to be worked out, but even with concessions, the UK appears not to have escaped all U.S. tariffs. Canadian officials are watching – as they consider their own dealmaking with the U.S. president. Also: The story of a mom who lost her child to complications from measles. As case numbers go up, health officials in Canada are warning people – the disease is not as benign as some think. Plus: Quebec says doctors’ pay will be partly linked to performance, student data is not always safely stored, and more.

1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades, he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's personally, Toy Soldier. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. With the world watching, a new pope from a global superpower. For the first time, an American will lead the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, a surprise pick who will now guide the Church and its 1.4 billion followers.

Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Thursday, May 8th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern. USA! USA! I never thought I would have seen the day that there would be an American Pope. Especially now. Excitement in Washington and across the United States as an altar boy from Chicago's South Side

climbs the Catholic hierarchy and a country that already has so much military and economic influence now claims one of the most powerful spiritual leaders in the world. I know that he has had experience with Indigenous communities there. So there was a keen interest on his part to make sure that we as Brother Bishops were supporting what Pope Francis did here in Canada. The faithful and the hopeful Canadian Catholics are watching closely for how the Pope will embrace this country and recent attempts at Indigenous reconciliation.

We have full coverage tonight, the new Pope, his American roots and his global connections. We begin with the CBC's Senior International Correspondent Margaret Evans in Vatican City. This was the moment the white smoke emerged from the famed Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling a decision made by the Cardinals inside and sending a surge of people running towards St. Peter's Basilica, where they waited and speculated on the identity of the new pope. American Brett Keating was in Rome on his honeymoon. And so I'm just kind of here to enjoy the history of the moment and kind of take this in. Any chance you think it's an

American Pope? Oh I don't know I'm not gonna speak to that but you know maybe we're overdue one I don't know but. Little did he know. Scarlet curtains on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica have just moved and the cheers are spreading across the crowd. And then those famous words delivered in Latin. We have a pope. Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff. Chicago born, but with extensive missionary experience in Peru, where he served as a bishop.

Dutch reporter Hendro Munsterman was one of the few Vatican experts to call it. A colonel that is American from the United States but that worked a long time in Peru. So a Latin American pope with an American passport that lived, that worked here in the Vatican since a few years also. Colonel Prevost, Robert Francis Prevost. He could be a kind of a center candidate that is able to get all these wings together. America! America! The choice was a surprise to many in the crowds, and to some a worry, including this Catholic woman from Slovakia.

You're a little bit worried? Well, maybe yes, because actually at this point, the strongest man of the world is coming from the U.S. So we are thinking what that means for the world in general. That doesn't worry Gabriella, a Catholic from Poland. Does it worry you that he's an American? Well, as a human I would say yeah, but as a Christian, as a Catholic, I actually have a lot of hope in myself. And like right now I feel joy that we have a Pope again

and that he said so nice words about Francis. Actually I think I have more faith in me than fear. In his first words as Pope to the crowds gathered, Leo paid tribute to his predecessor, words appreciated by Father Thomas Garcia of Chile. He mentioned twice Francisco or more than twice, so also it's kind of a signal of continuity. So I think that he was very simple, he was very touching. He was very touching. It was Pope Francis who elevated Robert Prevost to Cardinal, a man many believed he himself would have chosen for his successor.

Margaret Evans, CBC News, Rome. The election of an American pope came as a surprise to many who believed the church would not hand its leadership to someone from a country that wields so much secular power. It also comes at a time of divisive politics in the United States. And some clues about where Leo stands on some controversial issues are already starting to emerge from his own social media. Paul Hunter has more from Washington. De la nostra morte, amen.

When word spread in St. Peter's Square that not only had a new pope being named, but that he was an American, the massive crowd erupted, any Americans on hand especially so. USA! USA! Reporters chased down any they could find. I think we're still processing. USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! slammed his policies for dividing people, aggressively deporting certain migrants, severing relationships with other countries, all seemingly in contrast with the preachings of the Catholic Church. We needed a clear signal. In sharp focus now, say some with Leo. It's a message to the world that we have an American hope to contrast what is going on in the United States right now. I was confused. I was like, did I just hear that right?

This woman with a U.S. flag draped over her shoulders had come to the Vatican from Arlington, Virginia. How do you think the world is feeling about America this morning? I think unsure but hopeful. Hopefully that's how I'm feeling about having an American pope. And from Illinois, John Boling. It was a coming together of the world. And boy if we ever needed that, now seems to be the time.

And I think that says something about an American pope. America right now has just kind of been a divisive force in a way. And this may be a counterbalance to that. Indeed, just last month as Cardinal, Leo had reposted comments critical of Trump's actions against undocumented migrants. And back in Trump's first term, he reposted a tweet slamming Trump for banning Syrian refugees in the US.

What greater honor could there be? Trump himself welcomed the news of Leo, highlighting there are already plans to meet. The Vatican, he said, has already called. To have the Pope from the United States of America, that's a great honor. That's a great honor. I'm watching him, and they said he's from America. I said, that's great.

At the National Basilica in Washington, yellow and white papal bunting was quickly hung on its facade, welcoming the new pope, the fellow American from afar, with that ever vital mandate of unity and caring for all. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. Of the billion-plus Catholics around the world, some 10 million are in this country. Prime Minister Mark Carney offered his best wishes to Pope Leo XIV saying, may his pontificate carry forward a mission of solidarity, compassion and dignity for all. Yasmine Renea now on how Canadians across the country are reacting to the new pope. I hope he fixed it, Trump.

Outside of a Toronto church, news of an American pope certainly had people talking. Amid Canada-U.S. tensions prompted by President Donald Trump's tariffs and 51st state rhetoric. I'm joking. I think nobody can fix Trump. But other Canadian Catholics are celebrating that a new pontiff has been chosen. It is a joyful thing and a joyous moment. Some hope Pope Leo XIV continues the progressive legacy of Pope Francis. Hopefully he will be able to unite the people, you know, that's all what we want, right?

And well, we're living in the end times, so we just need a lot of praise. Canada is home to more than 10 million Catholics. prayers. Canada is home to more than 10 million Catholics. In Quebec City, nuns sang and eagerly waited to see who would come out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. Meanwhile in Vancouver, I started reading Bible and I feel like I have some faith. Nisha Bhatia attended mass today but doesn't call herself a Catholic as she's still learning about the religion. I felt like, you know, this place was calling me

and I started coming here. She says she hopes the new pope will work to bring new people into the church. Today's generation, I think somewhere they are getting away from the track of Christianity. William McGrattan is the Bishop of Calgary and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. He says he's met the Pope multiple times. I found him to be very sensitive. I would say it a person who listens first before speaking.

There's got to be a plan, there's got to be a revision of how people can trust the church again. David Chartrand, President of the Manitoba Metis Federation, wants the new pope to continue reconciling with Indigenous peoples. In 2022, Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church's role in residential schools. Chartrand says there is still more work to do. How do we break that negativity that now lingers in the clouds? Others hoping the Pope can act as a peacemaker and steady hand in an uncertain world. That he will bring the world together rather than dividing it. A mountain of expectations for the 276th leader of the Catholic Church.

Yasmine Ranea, CBC News, Vancouver. Coming up on the podcast, is one battle in the global trade war coming to an end? The U.S. and the U.K. announce a framework for a trade agreement. Quebec's controversial plan to manage doctors and the spread of measles widens. The US and UK are taking a big step towards a new trade agreement. Leaders of both countries talked it up today from both sides of the Atlantic. The CBC's Katie Simpson has more on the announcement and what it could mean for Canada. President Donald Trump billed this as a big and exciting day that he admits came together after a last-minute push. The leaders of the US and the UK were not even in the same room

for the joint announcement. Trump bringing Prime Minister Keir Starmer into the Oval Office by speakerphone. I'd like to introduce him now to say a few words. Mr. Prime Minister, please take it away. Thank you, Mr. President. Donald... While both leaders called it a trade deal, in reality, neither country has signed off on an agreement.

The announcement was a broad roadmap. The U.S. plans to drop 25% tariffs on UK steel and aluminum, and it will lower tariffs on some British auto exports. But the separate 10% baseline tariff on most goods remains in place. The UK says it will allow more American goods into its market, up to $5 billion worth of products, including beef and other agricultural items. The final details are being written up in the coming weeks. We'll have it all very conclusive, but the actual deal is a very conclusive one.

The U.S. and the U.K. have spent years trying to negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement. Prime Minister Starmer framing the announcement as a win for now. This is just the start with the deal we've done today. We can say jobs saved, jobs won, not job done, because we're more ambitious for what the UK and the US can do together. Trump made it clear that from his perspective, this is a good deal, better than what most other countries will get. The global baseline 10% tariff, it's not expected to ever come off. The template of 10 is probably

the lowest and therefore they you know made that deal. But generally the announcement is seen as positive according to Laura Dawson with the Future Borders Coalition, an organization that promotes trade. Good for the UK, good for Mr. Starmor. He's got a handshake across the ocean. Dawson says this sends a signal to America's trading partners that agreements are within reach and thinks it will be welcomed in Ottawa. If I'm the government of Canada I'm not worried that somehow the UK is getting something that Canada is not. It's mostly a demonstration of friendship and good faith.

Dawson cautions. Until an actual agreement is signed and the text of the deal is released, no one knows for sure what will change. And of course, Trump has a history of changing his mind. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. The United States is leading global efforts to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan. It's the second day of major clashes between the nuclear armed neighbors, each country accusing the other of aggression. Pakistan's saying it shot down 25 drones from India while India says its air defenses had

stopped Pakistani drone and missile attacks on military targets. Khawaja Mohammed Asif is Pakistan's defence minister. Indian incursion this morning has definitely created a situation where this conflict is entering a blind alley. There is hardly any space left for both the countries to de-escalate. World powers, including Russia and China, have called for calm in the region. Earlier this week, India hit what it called terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan. It says the strikes were in retaliation for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month. Pakistan denies involvement in that attack.

There are new questions about cyber security tonight after a major school data breach which left the personal information of millions of families exposed. As Jamie Strashan tells us, the full scope of the theft is still unclear. Toronto parent Jack Amendolia is always wary of how much personal information the Toronto District School Board required. I don't know how this data can be used and that's the part I think that scares me. His worst fears were realized after the TDSB was part of a massive data breach that exposed

nearly 40 years of student data, including home addresses and health card numbers. Hackers stole millions of student and staff files from PowerSchool, a data storage platform used by the TDSB and many other school boards across Canada and the United States. The company told school boards that the data accessed had been deleted. This information was then passed on to parents. If any of the customers, again in this case the school boards, believe that this could be true, it's problematic. Adi Mashatan is a cyber security professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and also

has a child in one of the affected school boards. She calls the initial assurances to parents misleading. Everyone knows in cyber security that this can't be true, that you can never trust a hacker to delete the data that has been breached. It turns out that even though Power School paid a ransom, nothing was deleted. In fact, this week individual school boards were contacted with new ransom requests. The beginning, Mashatan says, of what could be never-ending demands. Next, we could see individual schools. Next, we can see individual teachers or staff or parents.

Be extorted. The unknown nature of how this data could be used, the exact scope of what's out there, has rattled parents like Amandolia. It's difficult nowadays to help your child navigate social media and any kind of online exposure. This just adds a whole other layer of fear and complexity, I think. Mashatan stresses none of this ever should have happened.

In this case, the breach happened after a rudimentary username and password breach. She says that Power School employed basic protection like multi-factor authentication, a process many used to access their email, it might have stopped this. With that knowledge that they're not doing the basics in cybersecurity, school boards would have gone to a different vendor. So what this could have been prevented if they had done this standardized cybersecurity due diligence before getting into this contract. In a statement late today, Ontario's privacy commissioner said that the province's school boards remain responsible for the security of personal information they collect, even when they contract out services.

Jamie Strash in CBC News, Toronto. This is your World Tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. The Quebec government is trying to change the way doctors in that province are paid. It's tabled new legislation that would make their salaries performance-based. As Vanessa Lee reports, the goal is to get family physicians and specialists to take on more patients.

The access will be improved. Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé says Bill 106 is all about making sure all Quebecers have access to health care. For the person in good health that is not a family doctor right now, the good news is we will assign all Quebecers to a clinic under law exchange, you will receive a notice that you've been assigned to a place. To do that, the province wants to link up to 25% of family doctors' salaries to what it calls performance indicators with the goal of having

them treat more patients. It's not clear what those performance indicators will be or how they will work. This notion seems unfair. Dr. Laura Tseng works in the Laurentians north of Montreal. She says doctors are angry and feel like they're being set up to be paid less. I have a very vulnerable, older practice, people that require a lot of time that are regularly in my walk-in appointments. I have 530-something patients to my name. So depending on how strict those targets are, I might not be able to meet them even though

I am doing everything within my power and stretching myself thin. Dr. Tseng says the legislation doesn't acknowledge the struggles they face. It seems like it's a disincentive to continue working in this province. We're already working with a limited number of resources, staggering wait times, a lack of support. Quebec has been negotiating with Doctors' Federations for months to change how they are paid. This legislation came before a deal was reached. Dr. Vincent Oliva is with the Federation

of Medical Specialists of Quebec. He says getting a health care provider for every Quebecer will be difficult unless other problems are addressed. They want to impose objectives and we don't have the tools, resources, personnel, ORs, nurses, secretaries. The Health Minister is promising every Quebecer will have access to a care environment such

as a family medicine group by next summer. But with a shortage of as many as 2,000 family doctors, that could prove to be difficult. Vanessa Lee, CBC News, Montreal. Ontario and Alberta are both reporting another surge in measles cases, a total of more than 300 new infections in just the past week. Health officials are blaming low vaccination rates in some communities and worry some residents aren't taking the disease seriously. Now one mother is trying to change that perception with her story of loss. Jennifer Yoon reports.

She was always smiling. Rebecca Archer lovingly places a pair of small glasses on a shelf filled with memorabilia. Pictures, trinkets and photos of her daughter, Renee, who died because of a measles infection. I didn't realize at the time how serious measles was. Renee was infected as a baby. There was an outbreak in Manchester, UK, where the family lives. She was just five months old, too young to be vaccinated. She recovered initially, but the measles virus stayed dormant in her brain for years.

When it woke up, ten years later, it caused seizures, before robbing her of her ability to speak, eat, even stay conscious. They said we had to make a decision whether to then turn the lives apart because our brain function would be zero. Rene had a rare complication of measles called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. With measles cases continuing to rise across Canada, mostly among children, there are fears of deaths here too. Some kids can die from measles, one to two per 1,000 cases.

Dr. Upton-Allen heads the infectious diseases division at Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital. He says measles can cause fatal complications in healthy children like pneumonia or swelling of the brain. Those who are immunocompromised are at even higher risk. For example, organ transplant patients, cancer patients, patients with leukemias, children who are born with severe immunodeficiencies. Almost every Canadian province has reported measles cases this year. There's been a sharp increase in Alberta in the past few weeks,

but Ontario remains the heart of the spread, now with more than 1,400 cases so far this year, and more than 100 hospitalizations, mostly among people who weren't fully immunized against the virus. Alberta is launching a new ad campaign emphasizing the importance of vaccination. Still, both provinces are facing criticism to do more. I don't want to instill fear. Dr. Kieran Moore, the Chief Medical Officer of Health in Ontario, is on the defensive,

emphasizing the spread is mostly in rural farming communities with religious objections to the vaccination. These beliefs are deeply embedded. This is the reality. When you have pockets of unvaccinated people, it will spread in those communities. Moore says he's working with community leaders to convince unvaccinated people to get the jab, a plea being echoed by Rebecca, whose grief is tinged with rage. That injection could save your child's life. I kick it off with my child. Jennifer Yoon, CBC News, Toronto. We close tonight with a very old songbook, or at least a few pages of it, unearthed by

a Canadian university. We see prop ter, these are called punctum, then we have daaaaa, and then tem at the end here. Western University musicologist Kate Helsen going through the ancient pages recently found by university archivists in what's called manuscript waste, discarded sheets used to make medieval book bindings. Librarians noticed the Latin text on the pages had squiggly lines and other markings, and Helsen confirmed it was music from about 800 years ago. Notations known as neumes that predate sheet music and the five-line staff by hundreds

of years. The neume means a gesture. So a note would be A, and a neum can be a cleavis, which is like an upside down U, which goes da-dum, or maybe da-dum, or maybe da-dum. We don't know because we don't know how far apart those two notes are, but we know that it's a gesture that goes down. Helson says the study of ancient neoms allow for a better understanding of early music and they've been used to find links between Eastern and Western cultures. So what does it sound like? Scholars compare the ancient music to other artifacts from the time, painting and architecture

that give us an idea what the world looked like centuries ago. Now we know a bit more about what it sounded like. Thanks for joining us. This has been Your World Tonight for Thursday, May 8th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.