Your World Tonight - Iran crackdown, FIFA immigration scams, AI cheating in schools, and more

Episode Date: January 28, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump warns time is running out for Iran to negotiate a deal. Trump says another armada is heading towards Iran and is ready to strike. This as reports emerge from inside Iran about the death toll from weeks of protest that have tried to topple the regime.Also: The beautiful ‘scam.’ The warnings tonight surrounding upcoming FIFA World Cup games in Canada, and how fraudsters are using soccer’s biggest event to dupe migrants.And: Higher learning. The new data that shows how often students in Quebec are using artificial intelligence, and why. Spoiler alert – there is a lot of cheating.Plus: Premiers meet in Ottawa, Amazon slashes workforce, attack in Minneapolis, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. The protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future, because this regime, unless they are willing to change, have no way of addressing the legitimate and consistent complaints of the people of Iran who deserve better. The Trump administration is turning up the pressure on Iran and suddenly turning its attention from protests to the country's nuclear program. New demands with more American firepower in the region

and a president saying, He's willing to use it. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Wednesday, January 28th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. President Trump is taking direct aim at Canadian workers in every province and in every industry across Canada. The United States uniting the premiers. As leaders meet in Ottawa, provincial differences are being set aside.

And the common thread is the constant threat of more disruption. to Canada-U.S. trade. And if you pay me this, I can get you a job visa to go to Canada to work on the World Cup. That's false. That's a scam. Don't fall for it. FIFA fraud, how the World Cup is being used for immigration scams. For weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump warned and threatened Iran. His focus was the country's crackdown on anti-government protesters. Today, a new warning and an escalated threat. But the protests aren't even mentioned. The president's focus is shifting to a nuclear deal. As the U.S. continues a military buildup, Tehran remains defiant, and Iranians keep pushing for change. CBC's senior international correspondent Margaret Evans has more.

One more horrifying video making it out of Iran, people waiting through a sea of body bags looking for loved ones. Human rights groups and activists outside the country. country are slowly piecing fragments together as people managed to send video or call out during short reaches in an internet blackout now in its third week. Patterns of repression becoming clearer. Hospital staff reporting that the security forces have raided their hospital. Maesato is the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in Iran. Families going into these hospitals and their loved ones no longer. They're there. Doctors inside Iran are proving critical witnesses, contacting colleagues abroad when they can.

Dr. Saeed Zavara, a Vancouver surgeon, says colleagues in Iran have confirmed to him that security forces are actively looking for protesters in hospitals. He says that medics who help them are being targeted, including a nurse he knew in the city of Isfahan. Shot in his head because he did not follow order. that he's not allowed to help injured people. People on the ground say the regime is actively trying to cover its tracks. Over two days, at least 120 bodies were brought out of two hospitals, says this man, in a voice message, sent a few days ago. We're protecting his identity.

Many of the bodies were collected right there, he's saying, taken away and thrown into pits. The Iranian regime says there have been just over 3,000 deaths. They blame outside agitators from the U.S. and Israel. Last week, former war crimes prosecutor Payam Akavan, a Canadian, addressed the UN Committee on Human Rights in Geneva, citing a network of doctors inside Iran who believe more than 30,000 people may have been killed.

We must, at the very least, bear witness to what is how. happening to put the regime on notice that although they may be in power today, they may not be in power tomorrow. The United States has moved a naval strike force to the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. At a rally in Iowa yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump bragged that the fleet is larger than the one he sent to Venezuela. Floating beautifully toward Iran right now.

So we'll see. I hope they make a deal. That's a shift from his previous emphasis on the safety of Iranian protesters to a push for a deal limiting Iran's nuclear capabilities. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London. Iran's leadership says it doesn't believe the president wants peace. Talking with CNN, the Speaker of the regime's parliament warns of U.S. military casualties if Trump goes to war with Iran. Here's Mohamed Bagar, Ghalibaf, speaking through his. interpreter. Maybe Mr. Trump can start a war, but he doesn't have control over the end.

Thousands of American soldiers who are being deployed several thousands of kilometers from home are definitely going to be harmed, which is not a good thing. The Iranian nation throughout history has shown that it would never submit to foreigners. Ghalibaf also reaffirmed his government's stance on the protests in Iran, claiming they were plotted by outside forces to start a coup. Here at home, Canada's premiers are projecting unity as they gather in Ottawa this week. The provincial and territorial leaders are meeting today and tomorrow with Prime Minister Mark Carney. As Tom Perry reports, the focus so far is on something the premiers say they all have in common. Well, it's a pleasure to have this opportunity to sit down, Premier Smith, Premier Evie.

There was a time when a meeting between Ottawa, the provinces and territories was something of a show to, down, one that usually involved the premiers claiming they'd been shortchanged and demanding more cash from the feds. There are still differences between these levels of government, but these days, they have one thing in common. You know, President Trump is taking direct aim at Canadian workers in every province and in every industry across Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford today urged a united front in the face of U.S. tariffs and a U.S. president who in just the past few days threatened Canada with a 100% levy on its exports if it dared get too close to China. There's nothing that we recognize in our neighbors right now with the leadership that they have.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says she agrees with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said yesterday Washington has changed that there's almost nothing normal now in the U.S. Other premiers like Newfoundland and Labrador's Tony Wakeham praised Carney for his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week, in which he warned of a collapse in the rules-based global order. You know, we talk about Canada, true and strong and free.

Let us not allow other people to dictate to us how we govern. And I think the Prime Minister did an excellent job. For all this coming together against a shared external threat, there are matters within the Federation that need to be addressed at this meeting.

Alberta and BC don't see eye to eye on a new pipeline to move Alberta crew to West Coast ports, BC Premier David Eby says he and Alberta Premier Daniel Smith did talk today. So they are at a very early stage in this project. They've committed to keep us updated as we move forward and I certainly expect that. There's also the matter of potential votes on separation in both Alberta and Quebec and lingering concerns in Ontario about the Prime Minister's deal with Beijing

to allow tens of thousands of Chinese electric vehicles into Canada in exchange for China lowering its tariffs on Canadian agricultural products and seafood. Underlying all of it, though, are questions about the U.S., its ever-un predictable president and what it means for Canada's free trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico, with the Prime Minister expected to offer the premiers his view of where things stand. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. Coming right up, tackling scams ahead of the World Cup,

International fans warned about online offers for tickets to games and visas to enter Canada and shipping out more layoff notices. Amazon announces another round of big job cuts. Later, we'll have this story. I'm not going to name any names, but it's obvious everybody uses AI. Maybe not everybody, but a new Radio Canada Commission poll says Quebec students are using AI more and more, with many admitting they use it to cheat. We're lagging behind in how to use these tools, but also how to teach students how to use these tools properly.

I'm Sarah Levin in Montreal. Later on Your World Tonight, the growing use of AI in schools and the struggle to deal with it. It's one of the biggest sporting events in the world co-hosted by Canada. The 26 FIFA World Cup will take place this June. And with tens of thousands of visitors trying to get into the games and into the country, Immigration scams are trying to capitalize on the excitement. Lisa Singh has the details. Videos posted to Instagram and TikTok like this one in Urdu show a man in a jacket with English text underneath reading FIFA 2026.

He tells people they can get a special visa for the World Cup. For about 2,000 Canadian dollars, applicants can get a package that includes tickets, consultancy and embassy fees. This one in Hindi shows a young man promising Canada isn't going to refuse any visitor visas, urging people to submit applications for family members too. Similar promises, all of them, scams, says immigration consultant Mandip Leder. If you see any advertisement for a guaranteed FIFA visa, there's no special FIFA visa. Litter says anyone coming for the games has to go through normal checks and balances.

They look at your ties, your finances, whether you're... You can visit Canada and return to your home country. That's one of the main factors. Analysis from the CBC's visual investigations team revealed the social media accounts connected to these posts are based in multiple countries, including India, Pakistan and Canada. At least one post was deleted within minutes of us reaching out. Another account blocked us. Another one with a Canadian passport graphic and good.

green checkmark claims travelers can work, even settle in Canada. When Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup, hundreds of migrant workers were hired to build the stadiums, but Canada's venues in Vancouver and Toronto already exist. A message the federal government is trying to get out across the world, including the High Commissioner of Canada for Kenya, Joshua Tabah. His team recently held a press conference in Nairobi to warn the public. So someone's saying, if you pay me this, I can get you a job visa to go to Canada to work on the World Cup, that's false. That's a scam. Don't fall for it. Immigration and citizenship Canada tells CBC News having World Cup tickets doesn't guarantee a visa application will be approved.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center says it's receiving reports of FIFA-related fraud and this kind of activity increases around major global events, warning Canadians to also be on the lookout for other types of fraud, including ticket scams. Lisa Hing, CBC News, Toronto. Interest rates are staying put at 2.25%. The Bank of Canada says the decision is linked to the ongoing U.S. trade war and upcoming Kuzma negotiations. Here's Governor Tiff Macklam. Uncertainty around our forecast is heightened. The range of possible outcomes is wider than usual. U.S. trade policy remains unpredictable

and geopolitical risks are elevated. Macklems says there's also uncertainty over the health of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Its chair, Jerome Powell, is being investigated by the Trump administration. The criminal probe is widely seen as the result of a grudge. Powell has rebuffed Trump's demands to slash the Fed's key lending rate. He held firm again today, leaving the U.S. rate unchanged. For the second time in four months, Amazon is announcing major job cuts. about 16,000 positions are being slashed.

After a hiring boom during the pandemic, the online retailer is now scaling back its workforce and investing heavily in AI. Nora Young reports. Amazon's announcements stress that the cuts, which are being made to its corporate sector, are part of a move to streamline the organization. Company executive Beth Galetti said in a corporate blog post

that the company has been reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy. She framed today's cuts as a continuation of October's layoffs of 14,000 people. Albert Squires is a Seattle-based recruiter specializing in IT. He sees this playing out more broadly. The word of the year seems to be efficiency gains. I'm sure there's a component of bureaucracy that the leadership there is trying to diminish. But I'm hearing a lot about figuring out how we can use AI in every department, in every role, to improve efficiency.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stressed that need for efficiency in the company's last earnings call in October. We are committed to operating like the world's largest startup. And that means removing layers. Artificial intelligence wasn't mentioned in today's notice. But in October's layoff announcement, Amazon linked the need for a leaner organization to advancements in AI, with senior VP Galletti calling it the most transformative technology we've seen since the Internet. Ian Lee is Associate Professor at Carlton's Sprott School of Business. They've demonstrated a willingness to always invest in the latest technologies.

I have no doubt if I could get the books that Amazon is investing massively in artificial intelligence because they understand this is the next major or giant investment that's going to have an impact in their company. Amazon invested heavily in AI infrastructure in 2025 and is indicated it expects to spend more in 2026. The combined layoffs of 30,000 employees amounts to about 9% of its corporate. corporate workforce. Amazon as a whole has more than 1.5 million people working for it. The company has not said which country's operations will be affected. There have been other recent layoffs in big tech. Today, Dutch company ASML announced its cutting 1,700 jobs amid record profits, noting that some aspects of the company had become less agile. On Tuesday's social media

company, Pinterest, announced plans to lay off up to 15% of its workforce while it focuses on AI. Nora Young, CBC News, Toronto. Criminal charges are expected after a man sprayed a liquid at U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The attack happened during a town hall meeting last night in Minneapolis. The city is on edge after weeks of immigration raids and the fatal shootings of two residents. Katie Simpson is in Minneapolis and has the latest. I've survived war, and I'm definitely going to survive intimidation.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar steadied herself and continued on with a town hall meeting after the alarming incident. As she delivered a speech about her opposition to immigration enforcement operations in her home district of Minneapolis, a man in the crowd lunged at her. Oh, my God, he sprayed something on her. I need a napkin to know nothing. He used a syringe to spray Omar with an unknown liquid. The suspect, a 55-year-old man, was quickly detained. While little is confirmed about why this happened, it's sparking condemnation for members of the Minneapolis-Somali community.

It was coming, you know, the way the president and his guys are talking about her. You have those crazy people, you know, and if you give them a message from the president, you know, the crazy person will do it. This man agreed to talk only if we did not identify him. He's a father of two young children and fears retribution for speaking out. He points to President Donald Trump's attacks on Omar and the Somali community she represents in Congress. We're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country. Elon Omar is garbage.

She's garbage. Her friends are garbage. Between Trump's rhetoric, the ongoing immigration raids and the killing of two Americans by federal agents, this is a city on edge. I'm worried. I've never seen anything like this before in my entire life. Kagan Rekker is part of an informal patrol group scouring the city for ICE agents. Hey, dispatch. We just rolled by 40th in Portland and don't see anything. Is there any more specifics we should be looking for?

Volunteers share information over group chats. They make noise when they spot suspicious activity and record the actions of federal officers. Vowing to remain vigilant, Rekker is skeptical of Trump's pledge to pull back and deescalate. I don't believe them. I don't see them. I don't see that. I mean, today has been an absolutely chaotic day. I think it's just lip surface. The federal government is again shifting its narrative about the fatal shooting of Alex Prettie. A summary from the Department of Homeland Security now says two officers fired shots. And while a gun was pulled from Preddy's body, at no point does the report say he brandished a weapon. Senior Trump officials had originally labeled Prattie a domestic terror. and a would-be assassin, claiming he brandished a gun, despite video evidence contradicting those claims. The officers involved have now been put on leave. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Minneapolis. There are just hours remaining until a crucial deadline for the federal NDP. It's the party's last chance to sign up new members ahead of a leadership vote. And with two months to go, the race

appears to be narrowing. David Thurton walks us through the frontrunners and what's at for the struggling party. Avi Lewis addresses a crowd of hundreds in Toronto. Is there something happening in Canadian politics right now? Right now it's happening under the surface. People aren't seeing it. The NDP leadership candidate's populist message is attracting big audiences. At least when he's in a big city.

His campaign resembles Zoran Mamdani's bid for New York City's mayor, with similar policies like government-backed grocery stores. This is a leadership race for a party that's supposed to be on life support. And we have been turning out hundreds and hundreds of people in city after city across this country. April's federal election nearly wiped New Democrats off the map. Most of its MPs lost their seats, even former leader Jh M.S. Five candidates are vying to replace him. And it's the last day to sign up to vote at the end of March.

But I would say at this point, there are three main front runners. Jordan Leibniz, a former NDP strategist, says this race is a three-way battle between Lewis, Heather McPherson and Rob Ashton. And it's too early to tell who will take it. Yeah, I think the race is still wide open. Still a couple months to go. I think anything could happen. McPherson, a sitting Edmonton MP,

is running on her ability to win. She also wants to broaden the NDP's appeal to not just so-called progressives, but liberals and conservatives. I have talked a lot about how I want to build our party, how I want to make sure that this is a bigger table that more Canadians feel welcome within. But there's a dark whole.

force in the race. I'm running because I'm sick and tired of watching working people get screwed. Ashton is a little-known labor leader from British Columbia. He's earned a huge endorsement from the United Steelworkers. North America's largest private sector union is lending its organizing muscle to fundraise and sign up members. Working people built this country. And now it's time we run it.

Two underdog candidates are still in the race. Daniel Johnston and Tony McQuill. But a couple months in, according to polls to David Collido, these five campaigns have not excited Canadians. This race matters. I think paying attention to the NDP is important for a number of reasons. One, it's always better to have more choice in your political leadership than less. I think the NDP historically has proven to be very important to helping influence and push forward.

Many of the national programs that Canadians hold dear, Medicare, pensions, and now even recently, you know, the dental program. With two months to go, there's still time for candidates to prove the NDP is still relevant and worth your attention. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa. 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. You'd be hard-pressed to find a student these days who isn't using artificial intelligence for help with schoolwork. Our colleagues at Radio Canada wanted to know just how deep AI is sinking its roots into school life in Quebec. While some students say they use it to boost their knowledge, many admit they've used it to cheat. Sarah Levitt has more. I'm not going to name any names, but it's obvious everybody uses AI. Outside Montreal's Dawson College, students weigh in on how they use our use. artificial intelligence in school.

Abby Scholar says she tries not to use it too much. But I don't know if I'm doing an assignment for my homework and I don't understand it, then I'll just search it up. Kenyon Hay, on the other hand, says he uses it often. If I ever read a text for an English assignment of some sort and I want to get some feedback from it, you know, I load it up in the chat, GBT, and I ask it for some criticism. Those students are like many others. A Radio Canada commissioned survey polled 600 high school seniors,

college and university students in Quebec. 76% said they use AI for class. A third said they use it to cheat. Benoit La Corseigneur is the president of one of Quebec's teachers' unions. He says one of the problems the teachers are encountering is proving AI was used to help a student in their homework. Cheating has never been so easy. Some may use a bot to write their entire essay

or provide them with answers, others to help inform. their own work. But it's not just that. Encared the intelligence artificial. La Corseille wants to see the provincial government step in. Quebec's Minister of Higher Education Martin Birrand says they've done just that through two sets of guidelines.

We produce these guidelines and they're there. And I think that we are in evolution towards AI and there's going to be more guidelines. Many say guidelines are not enough. Across Canada governments and education and institutions have put in place policies or guides on AI use.

But the poll found about half of the students say those aren't clear. Some teachers acknowledge AI is here to stay, so they need to learn how to use it as a pedagogical tool. We do them a disservice if we don't leverage that tool that they're going to have at their fingertips. Jamie Mitchell is a high school teacher in Ontario. I think the job of a teacher just is reinforced in that I am modeling to my students what it looks like to use AI appropriately. We all know they're using it. Martin Peters is the director of the Canadian-based partnership on university plagiarism prevention. She agrees with Mitchell, but worries some students are using AI too much for help.

If they do the work a lot with AI, they do what we call cognitive offloading. They give it to AI to do the heavy work. Well, they're not building a solid foundation. Peters says schools are already lagging with AI technology. development severely outpacing them. Sarah Levitt, CBC News, Montreal. We end tonight by looking back on history that shares some close parallels with today, but also illustrates how some things have drifted apart. The National with Norton Nash. Good evening. Canada has secretly helped six American diplomats escape from Iran.

The Americans have been hidden in Canada's embassy in Tehran for three months. January 28th, 1980 is when the world learned of what would become known as the Canadian caper, the secret rescue of American diplomats. In November, Islamic revolutionary protesters stormed and occupied the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Staff were held hostage and the incident launched a diplomatic crisis that dragged on for more than 400 days. But in the early moments, six Americans were able to slip away. and when they reached out for help, Canada was there.

Canada decided on a course of action to help innocent diplomats whose life were in jeopardy. I think it was a time when Canadian values came forth. Ken Taylor speaking with CBC in 2010, he was the Canadian ambassador to Iran. Taylor, who died in 2015, sheltered the diplomats. But the assistance didn't end there, despite the extreme, risk involved in harboring and helping the Americans, Taylor got the approval of then Prime Minister Joe Clark and began a top secret plan to get them out of the country.

You're going to take a miracle to get them out. Where are they? The Canadian ambassador's house. The legendary effort was the inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Argo. Canadian officials worked with CIA agents to secure fake passports, set up a dummy production company, and disguised the Americans as a Canadian. and film crew. On January 27th, the diplomats slipped past Iranian authorities on a commercial flight. La Prés, the newspaper, broke the story the next day. The rest is history. At a time when Iran

faced turmoil and Canada and the United States cooperated as close neighbors and allies. Thank you for joining us on this edition of Your World Tonight for Wednesday, January 28th. I'm Susan Bonner. talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca slash podcasts.