Your World Tonight - Lindsey Vonn in hospital, British chief of staff resigns, Protests against Quebec's changes to permanent residency program, and more

Episode Date: February 8, 2026

A brutal and heartbreaking crash out for American skiier Lindsey Vonn. Vonn came out of retirement for one last shot at Olympic glory at Milano-Cortina. But those dreams were dashed in just 13 seconds, as she crashed during the downhill final. Also: The latest release of the Epstein files has prompted another resignation in Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accepted the departure of his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney - taking the blame for Starmer appointing an Epstein associate as the U.K.'s Ambassador to Washington. And: Hundreds of people joined protests in seven cities across Quebec this weekend. They're calling on the provincial government to reinstate a program that fast tracked a pathway to permanent residency for newcomers.  Plus: Japan's election, Canada's mens hockey team arrives at the Olympics, Sales of zero-proof drinks on the rise, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. Whether she would have won today or not, she's still the goat of downhill. A brutal and heartbreaking crash out for American skier Lindsay Vaughn. Her Olympic comeback ending with another trip to the hospital and another major injury. Meanwhile, Canada's men's hockey team arrives in Italy to reclaim gold, and this time the NHL players are back. This is your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris. Also on the podcast, a snap election pays off for Japan's first female leader.

Her conservative coalition re-elected in a landslide, voters and Donald Trump, praising her traditional values and hardline against China. Plus, I already feel integrated. I already feel like I want to leave here. Protests across Quebec oppose government changes to immigration policy, which could leave many newcomers in limbo. A helicopter touches down in Treviso, Italy. Paramedics transporting American skier, Lindsay Vaughn, to awaiting ambulance. Vaughn came out of retirement for one last shot at Olympic glory at Milano Cortina. But those dreams were dashed in just 13 seconds as she crashed during the downhill final. Sarah Levitt is in Italy and brings us this report.

Incredible Lindsay Vaughn. It was the most anticipated run of women's downhill. skiing. Lindsay Vaughn with an attempt at the most epic of comebacks at 41 years old, but it lasted less than 15 seconds. Her arm got caught on a gate in turn one and caused her to crash hard on her side. Her screams of pain audible. In the stands, a deafening silence, family friends and fans looked on with concern. The call was made for an emergency evacuation via helicopter.

Team doctor will meet her at the hospital. She's one supergyne downhill skiers of all time. Vaughn retired in 2019, saying her body couldn't take it anymore. But that athletic yearning for adrenaline and success came calling, and after a complete knee reconstruction, Vaughn was competing again in late 2024. This past December, she took home gold in the world. World Cup, the oldest skier to ever do so. Where is Vaughn? Where is Vaughn?

Oh, Von is in the netting! But just one week before the Olympics, a crash led to a ruptured ACL. It didn't stop Vaughn who vowed to compete in Cortina with eyes on meddling. It wasn't to be. Fellow American Breezy Johnson took home gold but was thinking of Vaughn. Sometimes because you love this course so much when you crash on it and it hurts you like that, it hurts that much worse. Yeah, my heart just goes out to her. She's a legend.

It wasn't just athletes in Vaughn's discipline, paying attention. Canadian mogul star Mikhail Kingsbury was at practice when he saw what happened. All the skiers, we were at the top watching on the phone to see her run. You know she's a legend when everyone wants to see her run. Kingsbury knows a thing or two about injuries. But he says the results of Vaughn's run Sunday doesn't diminish her contributions to downhill skiing. Whether she would have won today or not, she, she, she, She's still the goat of downhill.

Vaughan's sister, Karen Kildau, was watching from the bottom of the hill, worried, but says she's come to expect anything from the sport. She always goes 110%. There's never anything less, so I know she put her whole heart into it. According to the Treviso Hospital where Vaughn is being treated, she required surgery after fracturing her left leg the same leg with the torn ACL. Sarah Levitt's CBC News. Italy. Moving to Milan now and the Canadian men's hockey team has arrived at the Athletes Village.

For most of Team Canada's players, it'll be their first shot at Olympic Gold. That's because it's been 12 years since NHL players took part in the winter games. Breyer Stewart reports. At Milpenza Airport in Milan, extra security was brought in as Team Canada arrived and passed through the terminal, waiting in the crowd Mario Romano, who was wearing a Pittsburgh pen. Penguins jersey, hoping to catch sight of Sidney Crosby, who he just saw play in New York. I started playing hockey 20 years ago when I was a child, and at the time he was rising star of NHL, so Italian young players were watching his games.

That's why, I mean, he became a legend. Crosby is only one of two players on Team Canada to already have won Olympic gold. Defenseman Drew Doughty is the other one. But it was Crosby who today was appointed captain once again. What's the right to be here, Sydney? I'm excited to be here, definitely. Canada's team is stacked with 25 players from across the NHL. Most of the team arrived together,

but Connerick David of the Edmonton Oilers came earlier and was able to greet the rest of the players at the Athletes Village, where they were all a big draw and were asked to pose for photos. Just being here, seeing all the athletes come through, teams all together now. Yeah, it definitely feels more real. Especially when they hit the ice for evening practice. Many of the players have talked about

how competing at the games is a lifelong dream. Macklin Celebrini, a forward for the San Jose Sharks, is from Vancouver. He's the youngest player on the squad and is just 19 years old. Last time Canada won gold, you were, what, seven years old? Do you even remember that game? No. I don't. No, I don't. No, no.

Sidney Crosby takes off. Tosby with a breakaway. Scores! That was in 2014 in Sochi, the last time the NHL players participated in the games. A few days before leaving for Milan, Celebrini posted a photo of himself wearing a Canadian jersey. I mean, I posted that just because it was kind of full circle, cheering for Canada at the Olympics and being the biggest fan drew me of one day putting on this jersey and then getting to do it, it's really special.

For the next two weeks, he and the rest of his team won't be focused on their NHL clubs, but on Team Canada and trying to bring back the gold once again. Prior Stewart, CBC News, Milan. Still ahead, you've heard of dry January, but we seem to be moving into pretty dry February, too. Data from New Brunswick shows zero-proof alcohol sales have nearly doubled compared to this point last. year. You'll hear what's behind the drop in drinking coming up on your world tonight. The latest release of the Epstein files has prompted another resignation in Britain. Prime Minister Kier-Starmer has accepted the departure of Morgan McSweeney, his chief of staff,

taking the blame for Starrmer appointing an Epstein associate as British ambassador to Washington. Julia Chapman has the latest. He's been described as the prime minister's right-hand man. Now Kier-Starmer's Chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has taken the fall for him. The British government has been in crisis over the latest revelations from the Epstein files. They've shed new light on the depth of the friendship between Geoffrey Epstein and Peter Mandelson. In his resignation statement, McSweeney says he advised Starmour to appoint Mandelson, UK ambassador to Washington, trying to take the heat off his boss. But many MPs, including from his own party, continue to call for the Prime Minister to step

down. Labour Party advisor Sonia Soda says McSweeney's move may not bring the controversy to an end. The decision is made by the Prime Minister. Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenock says Starmor should take responsibility for his own terrible decisions. Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. Japanese voters have re-elected Prime Minister Sinai Takaiichi and her Conservative Coalition by a landslide. The country's first female leader called a snap election running. on tax cuts, increased military spending, and a hard line towards China. But as Philip Lee-Shenok reports, while her comments on Taiwan won her support in the West, analysts say it may be a difficult position to maintain. Cold and snowy weather was blamed for a low turnout in this historic election,

but 74-year-old Masanovo Inerashi brave blizzard conditions to make it to his local polling station. You can't skip out on voting because of the snow, he says. It's our duty as citizens. The Liberal Democratic Party voted Senai Takiichi, their leader and de facto prime minister in the fall. The first female leader in Japan's history called a snap election and her gamble paid off. Her party's coalition went a resounding 70% of 465 seats in Parliament's lower house. NHK World's political correspondent Kikuyuama Kengo says her coalition, went enough seats to overcome opposition in Parliament's upper house.

That significantly strengthened Takaiichi's hand. She campaigned on an agenda of increased military spending, affordability and tax cuts to stimulate growth. The 64-year-old conservative also talks tough on immigration, is against same-sex marriage and non-traditional practices, such as women keeping their maiden names. But the former heavy metal drummer has done well on the world's state. age and even play drums for the South Korean president. Takiichi has also taken a hard line against China, saying it sees an attack on Taiwan as a threat

to Japanese survival. The first female prime minister in the history of Japan. That position won her the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump on a visit in the fall. We're going to have a fantastic relationship. Thank you very much. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated Takiichi on her disson. decisive win, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson called it a big victory. And when Japan is strong, the U.S. is strong in Asia. She had an extremely successful visit with President Trump.

Margarita Estevez Abe is an associate professor of political science at Syracuse University. She says Takeichi's landslide win does give her foreign policy options. Her not apologizing to the Chinese, raising her sort of popularity. even further. Now she doesn't have to worry about any elections until 2008. She will have the political room to make amends with China. But tellingly, Takiichi's first foreign visit will be to see U.S. President Trump in Washington, D.C. next month. Philip Lyshanock, CBC News, Toronto. A big and disturbing case in the U.S. is still ongoing. Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of American journalist Savannah Guthrie, has.

has been missing for a week. Authorities believe she was taken against her will as they investigate multiple ransom notes. New details are emerging about apparent demands as the family is promising to pay for her return. Katie Simpson reports. Investigators returned yet again to the Arizona home of Nancy Guthrie.

Authority searched parts of her expansive property appearing to focus on a sewage drain Sunday morning. All as an urgent appeal. is made to her apparent captors. We received your message, and we understand. Nancy Guthrie's daughter, today show host, Savannah Guthrie, sat with her brother and sister holding hands in a new 20-second video posted to her Instagram account, the third video since their mother's disappearance.

We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us. And we will pay. Investigators are still trying to determine the authenticity of multiple ransom notes sent to several news outlets. One such note reportedly demands $6 million U.S. in Bitcoin by Monday at 5 p.m. local time, or else Nancy Guthrie will be harmed.

They did not give us anything to indicate proof of life. Jessica Bobula is the news director of K-O-L-D News in Tucson, which received two notes last week. In an interview with a reporter, she said there were vague threats about what may happen to Nancy if that deadline is not met. We don't know what to indicate or what to expect then either. Did they say? They did. Were they specific? No. But it makes you believe that it wouldn't end well or that she would be harmed in some way. Yes. Police say they have not identified any suspects, any persons of interest or any vehicles of interest. one week after the 84-year-old was forced from her home.

The search growing more desperate with every hour as she requires medication to survive. Every word of that statement was carefully... Former FBI director Andrew McCabe says the Guthrie family appears to be working very closely with authorities based on their latest video. It's a very different tone message. There's no direct communication attempted with Nancy. It's really a direct message to the kids. kidnab says with the family publicly agreeing to pay, it's an attempt to move this process forward. Even if they've made that decision, it leaves the issue of what next, how and where and under what circumstances do we get our mother back. Police say the investigation at this point is ongoing and that they have no plans to hold any public updates unless there are some significant developments.

Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. separatists have three months to gather enough signatures to trigger a referendum that could happen this year. The question put forward on the petition by the Alberta Prosperity Project is, do you agree the province of Alberta should cease to be a province of Canada to become an independent state? Now a former federal liberal leader and cabinet minister is urging the federal government to stake out its position more seriously. J.P. Tasker reports. The existence of our country on the table, it's a mistake to go towards separation. As separatists in Alberta threatened to tear the country apart,

the man who helped draft the Landmark Clarity Act has a warning for those pushing a referendum on independence. Former federal minister, Stefan Zion. It's a very demanding one because to trigger the breakup of a country is not something trivial. That legislation passed after the 1995 vote on Quebec, Liberation makes it difficult for any province to pull out of confederation. There needs to be a clear question on secession, approved by Parliament, and a slim majority won't cut it. Put your country before your party, please. That would be my reaction. I have no patience for separatist blackmail.

Dion says Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is playing with fire, making it easier to hold a referendum. She dropped the threshold of signatures needed to get the question before voters. he says Smith is not doing enough to stand up for Canada. It's a mess, and she needs to clarify what that means for Albertans and Canadians. The situation she has created herself. Smith, meanwhile, says she just wants a better deal from Ottawa, a sovereign Alberta in a United Canada. Because for 10 years, we saw a prime minister that did everything he could

to devastate the West and drive our investment and jobs out while implementing radical activist policies that ramped up disorder and chaos. Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to tamp down those feelings of alienation. He's dismantling past liberal laws widely seen as an attack on the oil and gas sector. The latest move, doing away with the electric vehicle mandate and replacing it with rebates. Industry Minister Melanie Jolie. It's a plant that is very pragmatic, very realistic. While speaking with former Prime Minister Jean-Cretchen last week,

week, another past PM, Stephen Harper took a stand against holding a referendum on the future of his adopted province. I don't know what that is going on in Alberta. I didn't sign the petition. Still, he says the feds must do more to keep Alberta independence at bay. And Canada needs to build critical infrastructure like another pipeline to the West Coast, not someday, but right now. That will show Albertans the country still works for them, Harper says.

There is simply no way to explain to people in my part of the country why a nationally beneficial project is singularly blocked by federal policy. Carney's Memorandum of Understanding with Alberta includes a commitment to build a pipeline to the Pacific, but separatist leaders aren't convinced he's serious. and that's why they say they're pushing ahead. Alberta separatist leader Jeff Rath tells CBC News the movement is collecting more than 12,500 signatures a week, and they will, in his words, crush the requirement to have more than 177,000 of them by May 2nd

to trigger a referendum. J.P. Tasker, CBC News, Ottawa. In seven cities across Quebec, hundreds have marched against the provincial government's scrapping of a program that for many years has offered newcomers a pathway to permanent residency. Immigrant groups, union leaders, and some opposition party members are calling for its reinstatement. The government's new policy is aimed at attracting skilled workers in specific sectors.

It leaves many newcomers who are already in Quebec in limbo. Kubino Odura was at the protest in Montreal. I already feel integrated. I already feel like I want to leave here. Protester Maria Kolesova moved to Quebec from Ukraine in 2023. She studied French for years and got a job in tourism. This fulfilled the criteria for the Quebec Experience Program, which was a fast track to permanent residency status. Then the Quebec government cancelled the program.

All my plans for the future, the point I wanted to mention that Ukrainians, many of us, we don't have a place to come back to. It's not that easy to change your life from the start again because we have done it already. For the past 15 years, temporary foreign workers and foreign students have come to Quebec through the Quebec Experience Program, also known as the PEC. Aram Musco, a student from France, was among them. With the PEC, it was, you know, a definite program. You had to fit certain criteria that, you know, were very stable.

Quebec's government ended the PEC in November. It replaced it with a program called the Skilled Workers' Selection Program. The new program will choose newcomers using a point-based system that prioritizes those who go live in regions outside Montreal and who work in certain sectors like health care and education. They will also be required to have a higher standard of the French language. The higher your score, the greater chance to get on the pathway to permanent residency. Musco says this makes things harder for him. It's quite hard to be able to anticipate what's next step.

Will I ever be selected? Will I not, you know, will it be in a few months? Will I not be? Do I have to maybe move? It's quite stressful on that level. Immigrant advocacy groups are calling for a grandfather clause for newcomers who are already in Quebec through the PEC system. Florant PGR, an advisor for French citizens living abroad, says, he's helping newcomers in Montreal coordinate a lawsuit against the Quebec government.

I see a lot of not only French people, but immigrants that contacts me because the families are breaking apart because they have to separate and go back to the country of origin. It was not the plan. It's what not that have been sold to them from the Quebec government. The Quebec government says the immigration numbers are too high in the province. It argues that the new system is better adapted to Quebec's economic needs. But it also has said, of those who applied through the PAC before the program was abolished will still be processed. There's a provincial election coming this fall, and a new government will have to decide on

whether or not to reinstate the PAC. Representatives from the Quebec Solidare, the Quebec Liberal Party, some unions, company owners, and several mayors attended the province-wide protests in support of reinstate in the PAC. But the party leading in the polls, the party Quebecua, is calling for stricter immigration laws. Aram Musco from France says that could be a lost opportunity. This idea that immigrants, you know, are here to take advantage. I mean, we work, we pay taxes, we buy services goods, we're contributing to the Quebec economy.

Protest organizers say more demonstrations could take place if the peck is not reinstated. Kibiro, CBC News, Montreal. It is Super Bowl Sunday, so you might be grabbing some chicken wings and ordering some pizzas. But before you pick up that case of beer, you might want to get a few non-alcoholic options as well. The data shows booze sales are down and sales of zero-proof drinks are way up. Hannah Rutterham and Fredericton spoke to some New Brunswickers about why they're choosing to drink less this year. It sounds like a beer, looks like a beer, and tastes like a beer. But it's missing one key element. Alcohol. According to New Brunswick liquor, zero-proof alcohol sales

have nearly doubled compared to this point in the last fiscal year. Growing interest in non-alcoholic alternatives doesn't surprise Sean Martin anymore. When I first started looking into this, realizing how big the non-alcoholic industry was getting, was certainly an eye-opener for me. Martin owns 0% bar service in Fredericton. He started the business after going to a restaurant with his wife in 2024 and noticing there was only one non-alcoholic beer on the menu. Now, he serves up high-quality cocktails using only zero-proofs.

spirits. Martin says having non-alcoholic alternatives can help people feel included when going out. I still love going out. It's really, really hard to find a good menu that has a mock tail on it. That doesn't feel like a Shirley Temple. Frederickton student Stephen Mercer did dry January last year and continued with it for a few months after. Mercer says social pressure to drink was a big hurdle. The biggest like inhibitor of people doing dry January is kind of. of social pressure, peer pressure. So a lot of people will ask you, you know, when you're out, oh, why aren't you drinking?

What are you drinking? Why are you drinking water? Whatever. I've been using alcohol as a crutch for social situations. 25-year-old Sydney Foster of Riverview New Brunswick can relate. She hasn't had a drink in over 150 days and even joined a support group. Though she said she still enjoys a non-alcoholic corona every now and then. So getting sober kind of showed me that I can do those things without alcohol.

So that's been, it was tough, but it was definitely, it's been rewarding as well. Foster says alcohol wasn't good for her mental health or wallet. And she isn't alone in thinking that. Statistics Canada recorded a 3.8% drop in alcohol sales by volume in the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year. That's the largest decline since Statscan began tracking alcohol sales in 1949. Hannah Rutterham, CBC News, Fredericton. Before telephones, text messages or social media, communities in West Africa developed an extraordinary way to communicate across distance with drums. Freelands reporter Kuhnlae Babs has the story of an instrument that doesn't just play. It speaks.

The talking drum, known as Gorgon among the Yoruba people of Nigeria, is shaped like an hourglass. It carved from hard wood, covered on both ends with animal skin. and held together by leather chords running down its sides. But this isn't just music, its language. The talking drum is used to communicate, says master drummer Adeboi Sobukola. The words come from the drummer, he says, but the drum carries the tone and delivers the message. music chords, a skilled drummer changes the tension of the drum heads, producing sounds that mimic the tones and inflection of human speech.

You see, before the advent of modern technology, the talking drum served as a career of news. Bestor Mop Sine is a theatre art practitioner and cultural researcher who studies traditional performance and communication systems. It was used to announce ceremonies, to praise kings, summon communities and even one of danger. Today, the talking drum is no longer confined to traditional spaces. From festivals and concert halls to modern recordings, it has evolved into a global musical force.

Its influence can now be heard across high-life, half-robeat and hip-hop. That's thanks in part to people like Grammy Award-winning drummer Sikiru Adegu on projects like the Grammy-winning global drum project, Adejou blend. the talking drum with jazz and rock, pushing it to new musical spaces. The talking drum sits between language and music. It doesn't just keep time, it speaks. That's why it fits so naturally into Afro beats and global music in general. Music executive Ayodhiji Gabriel says the drum's power goes beyond rhythm.

He says even when audiences don't understand the language, they still understand the feeling. You may not understand the words, but the emotions comes through. That's what makes the talking drum universe. What began as a tool of communication has now become a shared musical language. Kunlibabs for

CBC News, Abuja, Nigeria. One of the most anticipated moments of any Super Bowl is the halftime show. That's especially true of this Super Bowl. With Bad Bunny, the most streamed artist in the world

headlining. He is proudly Puerto Rican and pretty much always performs in Spanish, something he's also doing on the Super Bowl stage. Now that isn't totally new. When Jennifer Lopez and Shakira co-headlined in 2020, Bad Bunny dropped in, and some of their

imagery was seen as critical of President Donald Trump's immigration policies. J-Lo wore a cape with both the U.S. and Puerto Rican flags. But Bad Bunny goes further. He's explicitly spoken out against the immigration crackdown and arrests by ICE federal agents in U.S. cities like Minneapolis. Even at last week's Grammys, where he took home three awards, including the first ever album of the year for a record sung entirely in Spanish, Bat Bunny used one of his acceptance speeches to deliver a protest message wrapped in love.

Before I say, thanks to God, I'm going to say, ice out. We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans. The hate get more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. That message that Puerto Ricans are Americans is a pointed one, with some right-wing commentators saying he's not, and even Trump calling his selection absolutely. ridiculous. In the face of those ICE arrests, some experts say performing in Spanish is a political

act even before any overt statement is made. He hasn't backed down, though, even his main Super Bowl sign language interpreter is making history by using LSPR, aka Puerto Rican sign language. It includes cultural nuance and pacing specific to Puerto Rico, meaning the more than 100 million people expected to watch the Super Bowl will see Bad Bunny's songs exactly as he intended. We'll leave you with more Bad Bunny, of course. This is Nueva Yo on Your World Tonight. I'm Stephanie Skendaris.

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