Your World Tonight - Iran’s protest clampdown, Canada’s Olympic qualifier controversy, Ottawa’s gun buyback program under fire, and more

Episode Date: January 12, 2026

Iran is pushing to control the public message, following weeks of deadly protests. The regime today, held pro-government rallies, while continuing a country-wide internet blackout in an attempt to limit the information getting out. Critics say the death toll continues to rise.Also: Canada’s skeleton team is pushing back on accusations it sabotaged the Olympic hopes of an American sledder. The U.S. athlete claims Canada’s coach intentionally pulled four of his athletes from a weekend race, depriving her of the points needed to qualify for the upcoming games.And: Is the gun buyback program working? Canada’s public safety minister is defending the government’s controversial buyback program after a test run of the policy — set to be launched in the coming weeks — produced minimal results.Plus: Canada’s tanker ban misinformation, U.S. Fed Chair under investigation, Grok’s deepfake concerns, and more.

Hey there, I'm Gavin Crawford, and if you're the type of person who would have enjoyed the band on the Titanic, well, you're going to love the Because News podcast. Each week, I quiz comedians about the headlines, and they try to get the answers, mostly wrong. This week is Jennifer Whalen from the TV show Small Achievable Goals, along with Andrew Fung and Griesland Kung. Why are we listening to the Imperial March from Star Wars? What was the new category added to the Golden Globes? And when is a good time to get your toilet to call your family? That's related to a news story, I swear. You can get all the answers from this week's episode simply by following the Because News podcast. This is a CBC podcast.

The president has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran. With the United States watching and weighing its options, Iran's leaders say they are willing to negotiate but ready for war. After two weeks of protest and a deadly government crackdown, the regime tries to assert control as the casualties and the stakes keep rising. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner.

It is Monday, January 12th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. Canada chose to remove athletes to intentionally manipulate the outcome of the races. It goes against the integrity of sport, and that is not how the game is supposed to be played. With the Winter Olympics weeks away, Team Canada is sliding headfirst into controversy, after an American athlete accused Canada's skeleton team of sabotaging her chance to compete at the games. It's hard to know exactly what's going on in Iran right now since the internet and phone lines are still cut off.

As anti-government protests continue, a group relying on information from supporters inside estimates some 600 people have been killed and more than 10,000 detained. Now the Iranian regime is trying to signal to the world, everything is under control. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans reports. The streets of Tehran today, crowded with people waving Iranian flags and pictures of the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Hamanai. Broadcast on state television, these are the images the Iranian regime wants the world to see.

a leadership cornered and despised by its own people, but one back in control and still able to get its base out onto the streets. The country's woes and anti-government demonstrations blamed on outside enemies. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Arakchi, accusing what he called agitators of shooting people during demonstrations in a bid to draw U.S. President Donald Trump into the fray. At present, our security forces have full control in all the cities across the country, he says. There is also complete intelligence dominance. And with a nationwide internet blackout continuing,

these are the sites the regime is doing everything it can to stop the world from seeing. Video of a makeshift morgue in Tehran. People searching for missing demonstrations. and finding them in body bags. The work of Iran's security forces say rights groups. There seem to be dozens of bodies piled in the hallway and there are... Arena Miradi is with the Hangao Organization for Human Rights, a Kurdish NGO headquartered in Norway.

Its researchers work to verify videos like those of the morgue. She says her fear is also for the living. hundreds of protesters detained by security forces. She points to an increase in the number of executions ordered by the state during and after previous waves of protests. Unfair and fast judicial process were going on against so many detainees. The number of executions has rise after the Women's Life Freedom Movement, it has rise. The demonstrations against the regime are now interested.

their third week. An illustration say analysts of the Islamic Republic's weakened state, but not necessarily weak enough for the regime to collapse, they say. Sanam Vakil heads the Middle East program at the Chatham House think tank here in London. You need sustained resistance from inside the country. You need organizational capacity, and the Islamic Republic is constantly trying to break that. And it clearly still has, and it clearly still has ended. is using one of the strongest weapons in its arsenal. Fear. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London.

And there's another late development in the U.S. response to the situation. In a social media post, Donald Trump says any country doing business with Iran will have to pay a tariff of 25% on all trade with the United States. A Canadian Olympic team is being accused of not playing fairly. after an American athlete missed a shot to qualify for the games next month in Italy. She says Canada's skeleton coach purposely tried to keep her out of the Olympics. As Julia Wong reports, the Canadians say they did nothing wrong. I've been competing for 23 years and I have never seen this happen in this way.

Five-time Olympian and former world champion Katie Eulander of the U.S. is crying foul. After she says a decision by the Canadian team denied her. her a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. And in this situation, unfortunately, Canada chose to remove athletes to intentionally manipulate the outcome of the races. At last weekend's North American Cup, Canada withdrew four athletes from competition. Fewer athletes meant fewer points available to those who did compete to qualify for the Olympics, such as Ulander who won the race.

Without the full points, my Olympic dream is likely crushed. And that's why it hurts so badly. She says the Canadian coach, Joe Chakini, has been a friend for 20 years and delivered the news to her personally. He said that it was not his responsibility to uplift other nations and help them, and that it was his duty to ensure his athletes would qualify by any means necessary, to paraphrase. Ulander argues what Canada did goes against the Code of Ethics. It goes against the integrity of sport, and that is not how the game is supposed to be played. The U.S. isn't the only country upset.

Denmark bobsley and skeleton says it believes Canada's conduct violates the Olympic spirit and is the opposite of fair play. The International bobsley and Skeleton Federation is now investigating. Former CBC Olympic commentator Mark Connolly says it would have been unique for Ulander to go to her sixth Olympics. She would not have been competitive. She would have not have been a metal threat. She would have been a participant. He said what Chikini did wasn't illegal.

From the Canadian's point of view, I think they did the right thing to protect. their athlete from not being bumped out of an Olympic qualifying position. And this is exactly, I think, the words that were used by the Canadian coach. Why would we uplift another country? Why would we do something to make sure they can qualify? They have no obligation to do that. As for whether it was unsportsmanlike. In the long history of Olympics and seeing how, you know, teams manipulate things and put different, you know, strength of teams in there sometimes to try to qualify more. This is just the way the game is played. Bob's Lake Canada says it has been very careful. on who it races and withdrew its athletes because it wasn't in their best interests or the program's

best interests. The organization says it remains confident its actions were appropriate, transparent, and aligned with the integrity of the sport. Julia Wong, CBC News, Edmonton. Coming right up, water hazards. With a tanker ban and other regulations on BC's coast, the Prime Minister gets set to meet with local leaders. And the federal government defending its gun buyback program after a test run that wasn't very popular. Later we'll have this story. We missed the sun in Toronto. It's a major downside to her dark Canadian winters. Vitamin D levels can drop dramatically. It's a vitamin that has a lot of roles in many mechanisms in the body. Researchers say millions of Canadians aren't getting enough vitamin D. Now Health Canada is trying to address that with milk. I'm

Jennifer Yun and I'll have that story later on your role tonight. Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to the north coast of British Columbia. He'll stop in Prince Rupert tomorrow before leaving for China. The Prime Minister is expected to meet First Nations leaders to discuss environmental concerns surrounding one of the government's biggest priorities. Major infrastructure projects, including a new oil pipeline. But in BC's coastal waters, there's a lot standing in the way. Lindsay Duncombe reports.

The current government continues to have a tank. ban that blocks shipping Canadian oil off the northwest coast of BC while allowing American tankers to move oil between Alaska and the U.S. West Coast. That's conservative opposition leader Pierre Paulyette, speaking in the House of Commons. So apparently it's safe when the Americans transport oil through those same waters, but not when Canadians do it. What he's saying isn't quite true. Part of a pattern of misinformation on both sides of the tanker ban debate that Marine

lawyer Joe Spears says he's getting in the way of a substantive analysis about whether or not it can ever be safe to move oil from BC's north coast. Well, we've got a lot of people talking about marine risk that have no background of marine risk. Here's the deal with those American tankers moving oil from Alaska to refineries in the U.S. They stay well west of the BC coast, 100 kilometers from Haiduguay, and have for decades, not because of the tanker ban, but because of a voluntary agreement reached between Canada and the U.S. all the way back in 1985. So that if a tanker's broken down and is drifting, there's enough time to get some tugs out to stop it. What the Trudeau government's 2019 moratorium bans is oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil from docking and loading along the North Coast.

But supporters of that law are getting their facts wrong too. Take Green Party leader Elizabeth May talking about the Hecett Strait. Not just the most dangerous body of water in Canada, the fourth most dangerous body of water on the planet. The only reference we could find to that was in a 1999 Environment Canada Marine Hazards Manual. It reads, it has been said, the Hecett Strait is the fourth most dangerous body of water in the world. We asked Environment Canada for the source. It directed us to transport Canada, and officials there, don't know where the quote came from.

The reality is, large vessels navigate those waters all the time. Some of those ships carry dangerous cargo, including liquefied natural gas and even fuel shipped on barges for remote communities. Speer says it may be possible to move crude oil safely too. The reality is there's marine activity happening. Let's look at the risk of all of that marine activity and then look at tankers. But for some, including coastal nations, moving crude oil will always be too risky, says environmental lawyer Eugene Kung.

The impacts of a spill would be devastating and long-lasting. A heated and important debate that's tough to have in a sea of soundbites. Lindsay Duncombe, CBC News, Vancouver. Two liberal MPs are cutting short a trip to Taiwan ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China. Elena Jazzik and Marie-France Lalonde were part of a parliamentary delegation that was sponsored by Taiwan. The delegation is staying, but the two liberals say they're returning early to avoid confusion with Canada's foreign policy given the Prime Minister's high-stakes trip. He will be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a bid to recalibrate Canada-China relations.

The federal government is ready to step up its gun buy-back program. The Trudeau era program was given a soft launch in Nova Scotia, and the returns were far less unexpected. But the minister responsible says he's not worried. All while opponents of the program say the lackluster launch shows Canadians aren't interested. Catherine Tunney has more. It is critical that we do move forward on this program. Public safety minister, Gary Nand Sanjuri,

defended his government's deeply divisive firearm buyback program this morning. Since 2020, Ottawa has banned some 2,500 types of firearms and has promised to buy them back as a way to fairly compensate owners. The national rollout of that buyback is expected in the coming weeks, with the amnesty period coming to a close in October. But critics say a test run shows a project just isn't worth the expense. Ottawa had said at the outset it had hoped to collect 200 firearms during a pilot in Nova Scotia last fall. Instead, just 25 were surrendered from 16 people. raising questions how the more than $700 million program will work when it's rolled out coast to coast. It's a complete dismal failure.

Tracy Wilson is VP of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights. The country's outspoken gun lobby has long argued this program punishes law abiding gun owners instead of going after criminals. I think the minister needs to take a good, hard look at this, hit the pause button and just see, is there not some other way that he can ensure the safety of Canadians? That should be his number one priority. Anandis Angry had a very different review of the pilot. As an overall pilot, I believe it is successful. At a news conference Monday, he shrugged off criticism,

arguing the point of the pilot was to test for gaps. We were able to correct a number of issues that people had identified, both on the online portal and in other means. And I believe we're well poised to be able to launch the program in the coming weeks. Uptake isn't the only issue facing the program. Anandis Angry's commitment to the program has been called into question. after a lead conversation with his tenant made headlines in September. In the audio recording of the conversation, the minister appeared to question the effectiveness of the program he now leads.

Few jurisdictions and police forces have signed on in places like Alberta, Saskatchewan and Yukon are vowing to resist. The government's ability to actually get this program out the door will be closely watched by Heidi Rastrian. She's with the Gun Control Advocacy Group, Policisies Vivant, which has grown increasingly frustrated with Ottawa's ability to follow through on its promises. Obviously, it's a controversial file, but it's necessary if we don't want to go down the road of the United States in terms of gun violence and especially daily mass shootings. But with a political fight brewing with the premiers and uptake uncertain liberals' ability to successfully fulfill their marquee promise on gun control is in question. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Ottawa. For months, Donald Trump has been publicly criticizing and insulting the chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve. And for months, Jerome Powell has continued on with his work trying to keep the American economy on track.

Now, Powell is under criminal investigation, and he's not holding back about why he believes he's being targeted. Katie Simpson reports. Public service sometimes requires standing firm in the face of threats. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, making an unprecedented appeal, posting a short video on social media to denounce the allegations against him while accusing the Trump administration of launching a politically motivated investigation. The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president. The U.S. Department of Justice

is looking into whether Powell lied to Congress when testifying about cost overruns on a multi-billion dollar renovation to the Federal Reserve's headquarters in Washington. But it also comes after Donald Trump spent months berating and threatening Powell. The president angry that the Fed, an independent institution that sets U.S. monetary policy, did not lower interest rates to his liking. I call him too late. He's too late all the time. He should have lowered interest rates many times. This guy is a numbskull.

He keeps the rates too high. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said Trump did not direct the department to act. The president's made it quite clear. is Jerome Powell is bad at his job. This is a significant escalation in the already difficult tensions between the Fed and the Trump administration. It is a really big deal and it is unsurprising. Peter Lodge, a professor at George Washington University, says the Fed is isolated from politics

in order to make decisions based on data to serve the economy long term. Intervening with the Fed means the president wants to intervene in the U.S. economy and in ways that are partisan in ways that are, you know, not based on data, but based on his own political gains. That's unprecedented. The investigation also sparking bipartisan backlash. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren accusing Trump of seeking control for his own personal advantage. So that he can make political decisions that he thinks will help him rolling into the 2026 election,

even if it has disastrous long term, consequences for our economy. While Republican Senator Tom Tillis says, says he'll oppose any of Trump's nominees that need confirmation until this legal matter is ended. Powell was originally nominated by Trump in 2017 with his term ending later this year. He is expected to be replaced by a Trump loyalist, which could cast even more doubt on the ability of this institution to remain independent. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. They are fake, sexually explicit images created almost instantly through a simple prompt to an online chatbot called GROC.

Many are celebrities, some are children, and they're ending up on social media. Today the UK announced an investigation into the practice. Erin Collins reports. No woman or child should live in fear of having their image sexually manipulated by technology. Britain's science and technology minister outraged with Elon Musk's new AI chatbot, GROC. Liz Kendall announcing a new law today that will make AI tools that can generate sexual deepfakes illegal. That move, a response to Grok being used to flood the social media platform X with degrading and sexualized images of people, including children.

The Internet Watch Foundation reports criminal imagery of children as young as 11, including girls, sexualized and topless. This is child sexual abuse. A new notification tool for GROC was launched last year. Since then, the AI tool has been used to create thousands of non-consensual, explicit images of people around the world. And backlash has been swift. In addition to the new UK law, Malaysia and Indonesia blocked access to the GROC chatbot over the weekend. The thing that we've all been afraid about when it comes to AI images and video is here.

It's happening. and not only is it happening, it's actually trending. Katrina German is the CEO of Ethical Digital. The organization based in Saskatchewan is focused on decreasing the harm caused by the internet. The German says that these deep fakes hurt real people. This is really affecting people's lives and not just famous influencers and people online who maybe have the ability to understand and deflect. It's happening to average people.

and not just women, it's also happening to children. The explosion of images produced by Grok has German and other industry watchers calling for tougher regulations and fines. In a statement, Canada's Department of AI and Digital Innovation wrote that using AI to create or share non-consensual sexual images, especially involving children, is harmful and illegal, and that Canada already has laws that apply to this conduct. A Richard Lachman is a professor of digital media,

at Toronto Metropolitan University. Right now, it does not seem like the Canadian government is going the way of some other countries. We're not seeing a ban of X. We're not seeing, you know, the Canadian government refusing to make posts on X itself. We may see some strongly worded statements. For its part, X has posted that anyone who posts illegal content on the platform could have their account suspended and face criminal charges. The company has also restricted access to the news.

notification function of GROC to its paid subscribers. Aaron Collins, CBC News, Calgary. 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. It doesn't taste any different and looks the same. But as of this year, Canadian milk will have

more vitamin D. It's part of a new requirement by Health Canada. Jennifer Eune explains why, and what else is getting a boost? Milk in Canada has changed since the new year. Producers are now required to add more of what's often called the sunshine vitamin. We miss the sun in Toronto most of the year. Our bodies make vitamin D when exposed to direct sunlight, but as frigid Canadian winters shorten the daylight, millions of Canadians aren't getting enough of it, even though vitamin D keeps our bones strong and has been associated with all kinds of positive health benefits. Producers have legally been required to add vitamin D to milk for decades because it's widely consumed,

but recent studies suggest one in five Canadians still aren't getting enough. So in 2022, Health Canada passed new regulations, doubling the amount of vitamin D added to milk and margarine, changes that had to be implemented as of this year. Health Canada has also allowed producers to add vitamin D to yogurt and plant-based drinks. And it's a great idea. More vitamin D could have several health benefits, says Dr. Despina Manosaki at the University deMoreal. She studies how vitamin D deficiency affects other conditions like type 1 diabetes.

It's a vitamin that has a lot of roles in many mechanisms in the body, not only in autoimmunity, but also in cardiometabolic disease. Those at risk of certain diseases like multiple sclerosis are already recommended to take vitamin D. And many Canadians already take vitamin D supplements. I take vitamin D every day. Like Yudam Mason, who takes the supplement for bone health. But mandating producers to fortify milk and margarine with the vitamin is an equitable approach, says Mary Labay, an expert in public health nutrition policy at the University of Toronto. If you required everyone to go out and buy nutrition supplements, that's an expensive approach.

the likely the people that would have the poorest diets would need it the most, would likely not have access or the financial means to do so. Oat milk and almond milk can also contain just as much vitamin D depending on the producer. It is important if they're not consuming dairy products to ensure that the plant-based products that they purchase and drink actually is a fortified version with vitamin D. So how much vitamin D is enough? Manusaki says it would take four to five serving. of dairy per day, 30 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen, or a vitamin D supplement, especially during the winter months.

Jonathan. Jonathan. We end tonight with NFL football, words of encouragement, and the line between impartiality and humanity. Yeah, just a tough way to end the season, obviously. Ended up throwing an interception, so it was just tough ending. That's Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Cohen. Emotional after a heartbreaking playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills yesterday, the Jaguars were favored and coming off one of their best seasons ever.

It meant Cohen took some tough questions from reporters. But when Lynn Jones Turpin got her turn, her focus was not the upset loss, but the upset coach. How you doing today? Lynn Jones, Jacksonville, Free Press News. I just want to tell you congratulations on your success. young man. You hold your head up, all right? You guys have had a most magnificent season. Thank you. You did a great job out there today. So you just hold your head up, okay?

Appreciate it. Take care. Much continued success to you and the entire team. Thank you, ma'am. Reaction to that exchange spread quickly online, much of it positive, but there was also criticism from some who said it broke a basic rule of journalism. And that serious sports reporting, much like political coverage, should be neutral. Speaking with a local news station today, Jones Turpin said she has no regrets. I don't take no offense to it. Listen, I've been in this business more than 25 years. I've interviewed from Barack Obama to Terry Bradshaw to what's my guy named Tiger Woods. So he can say whatever you want about fake news.

I am a member of the black press. He can call me fake all you want to, honey. I've been doing this a long time. Let me tell you something, too. People know me. Jones Turpin said she gets the criticism and knows sports fans rely on journalists for the answers they want and need. But she said in that moment, a little compassion and positivity was needed more. Thank you for joining us on your world tonight for Monday,

January 12th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca.com.