Your World Tonight - ChatGPT broke laws, hantavirus spreads, U.S. touts Iran plan, and more

Episode Date: May 6, 2026

Canada’s privacy czar says OpenAI did not respect privacy laws when it trained its immensely popular ChatGPT tool. And that left adults and children dangerously exposed.And: Medical officials have identified another suspected case of hantavirus on a cruise ship. Three people have already died since the ship set sail a month ago. More than a hundred people are still onboard, and the ship is on the way to Spain’s Canary Islands.Also: Operation Epic Fury is over, but Iran is still firing missiles. Project Freedom is paused, but the U.S. shot at an Iranian-flagged tanker. President Donald Trump says great progress has been made in talks with Iran, but bombing could resume at any time. The fog of war has taken on new meaning in the U.S./Israel/Iran war.Plus: Drone defense, Air Asia buys 150 Airbus aircraft, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick questioned over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and more.

Look, you may have noticed that it wasn't just the outfits that people were talking about when it comes to this year's Met Gala, but the politics surrounding fashion's biggest event. I'm Alameh Mammu, and this week on my podcast commotion, we're talking about billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, co-chairing this year's Met Gala, which managed to upset activists and fashion insiders. Check out the conversation that I had with fashion critics about how billionaire involvement changed the Met Gala. You can find and follow commotion on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. OpenAI scraped vast amounts of personal information from publicly accessible websites. This was widespread and indiscriminate. Social media, discussion forums, blog posts, news outlets, and more, whether from a child or an adult.

From data scraping to a lack of consent, federal and provincial privacy commissioners say OpenAI failed to protect Canadians while gathering data for chat GPT. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm DeAnne Sumanak Johnson. It is Wednesday, May 6th, coming up to 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. The risk to the rest of the world is low. We have already now some medics who join the ship. The number of suspected hantavirus cases from that cruise ship in the Atlantic now stands at 8. After being refused entry to a port, the ship is now on the move this time to Spain.

Canada's privacy czar is calling out Chad GPT for being anything but private. The federal watchdog says the company behind the popular chatbot skipped key steps to protect the personal information of Canadians, leaving adults and children dangerously exposed. Olivia Stefanovic has more on the findings and the warnings about our outdated laws. We identified several concerns. After a three-year investigation, Canada's Privacy Commissioner, says Open AI, in fact, wasn't open with Canadians about how chat GPT would go on to use and store their data. In particular, we found that OpenAI's collection and use of information to train its models was overly broad,

resulting in the collection and use of sensitive personal information. Philip Dufrain says OpenAI broke privacy laws when it launched the popular chatbot. Now he and several of his provincial counterparts are calling for stronger protections. that we are trying to close the barn door after the horse is already bolted. There is a grain of truth to that. Diane McLeod is Alberta's information and privacy commissioner. She says technology is moving so quickly, it may never be possible for governments to get ahead of it. However, there is always an opportunity to erect a fence or corral around the barn.

Conservative leader Pierre Pollyev says privacy laws should be updated. These tech giants need to follow our laws and respect the privacy of the Canadian people. Minister Evan Solomon says that will happen soon. That's one of the reasons we will be updating our privacy legislation to make sure the Canadians' data and privacy are safe. The joint probe by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Alberta, Quebec and British Columbia, predates February's mass shooting in Tumblr Ridge, BC. Seven lawsuits have since been launched in the U.S. against Open AI and its co-founder Sam Altman. Families of the victims pursuing landmark damage award.

after they say a dozen open AI employees implored the company to notify Canadian law enforcement about the shooter's plans, but nothing was done. We can't just trust that these companies are going to strive to have the best interests of Canadians in mind and deliver on that promise at the end. Francis Sims is an associate dean at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto. He says Ottawa should establish AI guardrails, but not go as far as the European Union. It has fines reaching up to 7% of a tech company's annual turnover. Good for protection, Sims says, but not innovation.

So that balance is incredibly complicated, and the government needs to be responsive. For its part, Open AI disagreed with the findings of privacy regulators, but still made changes to address their concerns. As the federal government works on regulations, Sims says Canadians shouldn't provide any personal information to artis artificial intelligence platforms, especially when they're interacting with chatbots like chat GPT. Olivia Estefanovich, CBC News, Ottawa. A Canadian is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for asking Google for information about him.

The complainant has filed as John Doe to protect his identity. The suit claims the U.S. government is going after him because of social media posts critical of Donald Trump's administration. He says he had not applied to go to the U.S. but was informed by Google that DHS was looking for information on him. The suit was brought with the American Civil Liberties Union. After not being granted permission to dock in Cape Verde, their cruise ship dealing with a deadly Hantavirus outbreak, is now heading towards the Canary Islands. Three people are dead and the World Health Organization says in total there are eight cases,

including three people evacuated off the ship today. Tashana Reid has the latest. One of our passengers suddenly passed away last night. A new video recording shows the captain of the M.V. Hondias cruise ship making this announcement. At the time, the cause of death was unclear. But the passenger would be the first of three on board to die from Hanta virus. A total of eight cases have been recorded, and health authorities say at least five. have been confirmed through lab testing.

Since then, the cruise ship carrying more than 140 passengers plus crew, has been on an ill-fated journey. Today, three passengers, including the ship's doctor, were medically evacuated to waiting planes bound for the Netherlands. Two were in serious condition. It was a bit of a sleepless night because we have been preparing for this evacuation. Tedros, Adonam, Gabriasis, head of the World Health Organization. says authorities identified it as the Andi strain of Hanta virus,

which although extremely rare, can be transmitted person to person. The only documented cases are in Argentina, where the crew started. I've already now some medics who join the ship, and we will continue to monitor and support the people in the ship. The WHO says the risk to the rest of the world is low. David Saffronitz is the chief of special pathogens with the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg. Andy's virus, hantiviruses in general, have an extremely long incubation period or have the potential, I should say. It may take a few more weeks before we know if any others are actually infected.

He says this particular strain is well researched and has been known since the 90s. Hantaviruses are carried by rodents and people can be infected through contact with infected urine, droppings or saliva. The virus can lead to a severe respiratory illness, which has a case fatality rate of up to 50%. But Saffronet says in this particular case, the public shouldn't be too worried. I think the likelihood of this going beyond the limited scope of this cruise ship, I think it's unlikely with proper monitoring of the passengers after they disembark. The risk to the general public is extremely low. The cruise ship is scheduled to arrive at the Canary Islands on Saturday.

The Public Health Agency of Canada told CBC News, so far the four Canadian passengers on board are asymptomatic and have not been identified as close contacts of affected individuals. Tashana Reid, CBC News, Toronto. Coming right up, Donald Trump once again claims Iran wants a peace deal, but a sticking point is still the Strait of Hormuz. And Canada's military has quietly built up a drone force to counter potential attacks at critical. sensitive sites, but enemy forces are far from the only source of trouble for the fledgling program. And later, we'll have this story. I'm Katie De Rosa in Victoria. Prisoners facing trial in BC are increasingly being transported by private plane to and from courts in rural communities of the province at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. That's a staggering amount of money

that could go towards other things like hiring more sheriffs, hiring community corrections, workers hiring additional prosecutors that we say are desperately needed. I'll explain why and the potential consequences later on your world tonight. Another day and another possible deal to end the U.S. Iran War. A new 14-point plan seems to be getting some support, but as Sasha Petrasek reports, competing demands could still derail the path to an agreement. As official Washington continued with ceremonies, speculations, speculation swirled about a deal to end the war with Iran.

They want to make a deal, they want to negotiate. U.S. President Donald Trump declaring victory, suggesting negotiations with Iranian leaders are succeeding. We're dealing with people that want to make a deal very much, and we'll see whether or not they can make a deal that's satisfactory to us. We have it very much under control. The U.S. did give up some control by suspending its mission to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz to help them avoid being attacked.

But for now, it continues its blockade of Iranian ports, firing at and disabling one empty Iranian tanker trying to dock today. For its part, Iran moved to formalize new fees and rules for ships to seek its permission before using the strait. Pakistani mediators sound hopeful a deal is close, confirming that a single-page 14-point memorandum of understanding is on the table. It would formally end the war, leaving the reopening of the strait to future talks. Negotiations would also continue on lifting economic sanctions on Iran,

as well as the key issue of Iran's nuclear program. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won't, and they've agreed to that, among other things. Iranian news agencies say Tehran's leaders are considering the 14-point deal, with Foreign Minister Abbasarachi vaguely promising a new era of cooperation with other countries after meeting Chinese officials in Beijing. But even if Iran agrees to this deal, there are many uncertainties. Will ships risk passing through the strait? Retired Vice Admiral Robert Murat says they have the final word.

It's really a business decision by the shipping companies and we're over their insurance companies. And then there's U.S. ally, Israel, which has been eager to resume attacks on Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's ordered his military to be ready for all scenarios. Sasha Petrosic, CBC News, Toronto. Israel has struck Beirut today for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire last month. Israel says it was targeting a commander of Hezbollah. Throughout the ceasefire, Israeli troops have remained in southern Lebanon and have been conducting strikes there.

Lebanon's health ministry says more than 100 people have been killed in the past week. Hezbollah has been firing and launching armed drones towards the Israeli soldiers. The use of drones has fundamentally altered modern warfare. We've seen them used in the Iran conflict and Russia-Ukraine war, and Canada's military has taken note, confirming to CBC that it has been quietly deploying counter-dron defenses at ports and airbases as it navigates the legal and operational challenges of keeping the skies over Canada safe. Marie Brewster has more.

From Ukraine to the Persian Gulf, the buzz of drones, and their lethal aftermath. A new concept of warfare the Canadian military is scrambling to keep up with. We have some capability already to take things out of this guy. Vice Admiral Angus Topshi, commander of the Canadian Navy. The military has started to deploy counter-dron systems to protect naval and airbases at home, guarding against surprise attacks or attempts at terrorism. Much of it, driven by Ukraine's successful use of drones to take out Russian warships in port,

and Moscow's prized strategic bombers in a spectacular Operation Spider-Web attack last year. Defending against drones is tough, a combination of jamming and shooting at them. Easy to do in war, not so easy in a bustling Canadian port city where everyone has a cell phone. There are some challenges there in the regulatory environment, right? Because a lot of the things that we would want to use disrupt the electromagnetic spectrum. You know, the people of Halifax are not going to be very excited about kinetic musicians being fired off to shoot down a drone in downtown Halifax. Knowing the difference between hostile intent and ordinary life

is something military planners, such as Commander Philip Drand, are wrestling with. So when we're coming into Halifax Harbor, for example, is very hard to distinguish between a threatening drone coming off Point Pleasant Park or someone who's just curious about the very cool warship that's coming into harbor. And so that made it from a domestic laws perspective something that we had to figure out. Protecting frigates and submarines and Arctic patrol ships in harbor has meant new agreements between the Navy and the RCMP, and the military is now working with Transport Canada to secure important policy changes.

Terrorism and drone expert Mubbin Sheikh says it's been slow going. The biggest challenge is going to be change in policy slash legislation with Transport Canada in terms of interfering with operation of these unmanned vehicles right now. and this is the same problem the U.S. is also facing. Europe is also discussing the exact same thing because of the laws around interfering in aircraft. It's a big, big deal. In March, the federal government did strengthen its authority to interject unauthorized drones that pose security risks.

But Cheikh says it's only a first step, and there needs to be more coordination between the military and civilian agencies if Canadians are to be kept safe. Marie Brewster, CBC News, Ottawa. A mixed date. for Canadian trade. Ottawa's trade diversification strategy getting a boost with a sale of 150 airbus aircraft to Air Asia. Oversshadowed by a report that Honda is putting a hard stop to its plans to build an electric vehicle plant in Ontario. Rafi Bucci Canyon has more.

Canada is once again building big at home. Prime Minister Mark Carney touting the sale of 150 airbus planes to be built in Quebec. The buyer, Malaysia's Air Asia. You're choosing the best at exactly the right time. And thank you, above all, to the workers and builders at Airbus that are now making it happen. The transaction comes as Carney is pushing for more diverse trade partners, but also facing a potential headwind on that front in another sector. Japanese business publication Nikai reporting Honda is indefinitely postponing plans to open

a $15 billion electric vehicle plant in Ontario. They're a great partner in the auto sector. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, finance minister Francois Filippe-Champin pumping the brakes on any panic. Canada is not immune to what you see around the world. You've seen a number of these projects being delayed. Federal support for the plant was linked to production and sales, Champagne says. So the decision has no direct impact on public money so far.

But Flavio Volpe says there could still be consequential. It's a sad moment for the potential on electrification being centered here in this country. Volpe is the head of the automotive parts manufacturers association. He says it's unlikely this delay could lead to job losses at Honda, but it means the automaker could put a freeze on hiring up to 10,000 more workers, and leaves the Canadian market more open to electric vehicles from China instead of cars manufactured here. We've got one less defender on the line. In a statement, Honda itself says it is nothing new to say today and referred back to a year ago when it had already disclosed

that intended to hit pause on its plants for a plant for two years due to EV market conditions. Our market is stabilizing. David Wolfe teaches political science at the University of Toronto. He says it's small surprise to him the government is dealing with bad news on the auto front, saying demand in North America for electric vehicles is not keeping up at all with Asia and Europe.

As for Carney's attempts at overall trade diversification, Wolf says he wants to see the government's timeline. Are you talking about a six-month time frame? Are you talking about an electoral time frame between now and 2029? The government has identified much shorter timeframes for some of its efforts, still hoping to close a free trade deal with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations sometime this year.

Rafi Bji Kahn, you on CBC News, Ottawa. The BC government is facing backlash tonight over the growing issue of hiring private jets for prisoners. New charter flights are to get inmates to court dates in rural parts of the province and taxpayers are footing the bill. Katie DeRosa is in Victoria with the details. That's a staggering amount of money. Camloops Crown Prosecutor Andrew Duncan reacting to figures provided to CBC News from the province's Attorney General Minutes. that show BC has spent nearly $300,000 since December to fly inmates to court from rural parts of the province. And if we spend a million dollars on con-air kind of flights in a year, I mean, that's four plus prosecutors we could hire.

The AG says it started tracking the cost of these charter flights late last year after the sheriff's service began using this mode of transportation more often at a cost of about a third. thousand dollars per flight. That's because the RCMP said last year they can no longer hold prisoners in the community where the trial is being held. In northern and interior BC, there are only two correctional centers, one in Kamloops and one in Prince George. The RCMP policy change meant that the accused might have to travel hundreds of kilometers between those two communities and small courthouses in places like Williams Lake, Terrace or Fort St. John. Paul Finch is the head of the BC General Employees Union, which represents sheriffs and correctional officers. He says there are two sheriffs on each flight accompanying each prisoner.

It's incredibly onerous to not have access to these RCMP holding facilities. BC RCMP spokesperson Staff Sergeant Chris Clark says it was becoming common practice for the RCMP to hold prisoners during their trial. He says this places significant liability on the RCMP and can no longer. be supported except in rare circumstances. BC Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes warns that because of these transportation issues, some criminal trials in 11 rural BC communities could be delayed. Or suspects who were denied bail initially

will have to be released from custody. Vancouver-based criminal lawyer, Kyla Lee, says that's concerning. These are serious Supreme Court trials with typically, you know, murder, sexual assault. The ones of the public has the great, greatest interest in seeing prosecuted. Lee says short of building more detention centers, which is expensive, the province could think outside the box, like holding inmates in hotel rooms or rental homes under sheriff's

supervision. BC Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger says the province is working to find solutions, such as relying on virtual bail hearings. To ensure that prisoners are not, inmates are not released and that there are no delays. Until that happens, the charter flights for inmates will continue. Katie DeRosa, CBC News, Victoria. Media mogul, Ted Turner, has died. Turner is known for founding CNN,

launching the world's first 24-hour television news network. When the channel began broadcasting on June 1, 1980, Turner's was the first voice to be heard. It's impossible to thank everyone that is responsible for this achievement, which is about to begin. The concept of a 24-hour news cycle came at a time before the internet and social media were widespread.

CNN's chief international anchor Christiana Amampur credits Turner with transforming the news industry. There's the amazing American success story, the businessman, the visionary, the revolutionary, who created really a media revolution. And you know, every single thing that followed him, anything in the 24-7 genre started with Ted Turner. Turner's legacy went well beyond news. His media empire included channels from movies and cartoons, the Turner Broadcasting System. He was also a philanthropist founding the United Nations Foundation

and donating large sums to the UN. He also cared deeply about conservation efforts and played a crucial role, reintroducing Bison to the American West. Turner was married three times, including to actress Jane Fonda, for 10 years. In 2018, Turner announced he had been diagnosed with a brain disorder, Louis Body dementia. He died this morning, leaving behind five kids and 15 grand.

kids. Turner was 87. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik is facing lawmakers behind closed doors today. He's being questioned over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lutnik says he cut contact in 2005, but records suggest otherwise. Paul Hunter reports from Washington. Secretary Lutnik, why did you say that your last interaction with Epstein? In the seemingly never-ending quest to get all the answers to all the sorted questions about the late billionaire sexist offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Were you trying to mislead the American people? Today, the U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik facing shouted questions from reporters on his way into a hearing room on Capitol Hill to testify behind closed doors for U.S. lawmakers investigating Epstein. Come in voluntarily. Here's the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer. We haven't talked to too many people that have admitted they've been on the island. so it's my understanding he wasn't on the island very long and he was there with his wife and kids,

but we'll see what he says. Indeed, when a photo was released by the Department of Justice earlier this year, showing Lutnik visiting Epstein's infamous Caribbean island in late 2012, a place some now dubbed pedophile island, it ran counter to earlier statements by Lutnik, who had once been Epstein's neighbor in Manhattan, that he never associated with the men after Epstein's sex crimes came to light in 2008. And then he like gets like weirdly close to me.

And he says, and the right kind of massage. That's Lutnik on a podcast last year, describing a visit to Epstein's New York House in 2005, which creeped him out so much, he says. He then vowed to cut ties with him. My wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again. But then came that photo of a little. a Lutnik family visit to Epstein's island seven years later, by which time Epstein was a known sex offender. It emerged as Democrats pushed for deeper investigations into any ties Epstein

may have had with the man now Lutnik's boss, U.S. President Donald Trump. Howard Lutnik should resign. He was evasive, nervous, he was dishonest. Outside the hearing room, Democrats Suhas Subrana. We asked him over and over again, why did you go to the island? He says he doesn't remember that was inexplicable, and he simply didn't know how to answer the question at that point. Republicans downplayed the contradiction and suggested Lutnik, rightly, had little else to offer. There's only so many questions you can ask. A man that had three interactions with Epstein over his entire life.

The next high-profile witness for lawmakers' Trump's former Attorney General Pam Bondi scheduled to appear later this month. Paul Hunter's CBC News, Washington. Finally tonight. We're very proud of them. They show great courage, great resolve in a very stressful situation. The City of Ottawa's emergency services have presented bravery awards to a small group of children, kids who called 911 to help save family members.

One girl, Kaylee, also got to meet the emergency operator who took her call when her grandfather collapsed. He was cooking food and then out of the corner of my eye, I saw him fall and hit his head. I managed to find her for a moment to, hey, by the way, I'm the one who took her call. And it was really cool for both of us, I hope. Even though it's a scary situation, like, she was very brave. Naturally, there was plenty of grateful applause for the quick-thinking kids, but a girl named Riem, who called 911 to save her sister from an asthma attack, wanted to express her gratitude as well.

I just want to say thank you for the 911 and the ambulance. And to your hospital, like, thank you so much. much for them, like without them, like my still won't be alive. Well-deserved awards for some very brave kids. Thank you for being with us. This has been Your World Tonight for Wednesday, May 6th. I'm Deanna Suminac-Johnson. Have a good night.

For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.