Your World Tonight - Maduro in court, CBC News in Colombia, Chrystia Freeland’s new job in Ukraine, and more

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

Following a dramatic 48 hours, deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife appear in a New York court on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism while the world waits, and watches for U.S. President Donald Trump’s next move in the escalating conflict.Also: The view from next door. CBC News touches down in Colombia, as the Venezuelan neighbour ramps up its military presence on the border amid Trump’s threats and Maduro’s weekend arrest.And: Ukraine taps Chrystia Freeland as an economic adviser, triggering questions about the Liberal MP’s future in the Carney Government.Plus: Pushback over Ontario’s back-to-work mandate, obesity treatment’s new chapter – in tablet form, the rise in homelessness among seniors, and more.

Things at the precinct haven't been the same. I know we've been understaffed since Ellis left, but maybe today things will turn around. But now, the most unlikely fare is back on the case. Hey, Max, you miss me? The dream team's back together. Yeah, I guess it is. And on each other's.

Are you going to be able to keep it together on this one? I am nothing if not professed. Wildcards. New season. Watch free on CBC Gem. This is a CBC podcast. The charges are our lies and they're actually cover for regime change. Nicola Maduro today is going to be brought to justice after more than 20 years of a ruthless dictatorship.

Protesters for and against the president turned prisoner. Venezuela's Nicolas Nicolas. Maduro pleads not guilty in a New York courtroom as the South American country appoints an interim leader. U.S. President Donald Trump is expanding his threats to neighboring countries and beyond. Welcome to your world tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Monday, January 5th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. It'd be very hard to get Venezuela oil into the Midwest. It's basically connected by pipe. What it means for Canada is it will be harder to compete for the golf course. refineries. The U.S. says Maduro was trafficking cocaine, but there is another valuable

commodity at play. The future of Venezuela's vast oil reserves and the risk for Canada's energy sector. Plus, do they consider what mental health? Do they consider how people with families have to readjust everything now? Ontario, public servants fighting to keep working from home as the province orders them back to the office. It was an extraordinary sight in Lower Manhattan today, deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife handcuffed in prison uniforms appearing in court two days after being captured by U.S. agents. The pair face serious charges while their country faces a crisis.

And it's still not clear who is in charge. Katie Simpson has the latest from Washington. A helicopter touches down not far from a New York City court. Nicholas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, are carefully unloaded, both in handcuffs and prison-issued winter coats. Maduro at times is seen limping as he was escorted by heavily armed police officers to a hearing that proved to be just as dramatic. Maduro declared he was kidnapped, speaking in Spanish. I am not guilty, he said. I am a decent man, the president of my country.

He was cut off by the judge since specifics are not addressed during this kind of routine first appearance. Though Maduro's lawyer did reveal he and his wife both sustained injuries Saturday. When U.S. military forces carried out their deadly mission in Caracas, seizing the now-deposed Venezuelan leader. Maduro and Flores will remain in custody

until their next appearance in mid-March. As the hearing ended, a man in the gallery shouted at Maduro, saying he would pay for his crimes. Maduro shot back, claiming he would win his freedom, calling himself a prisoner of war. The Trump administration doesn't see it that way. There is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., aggressively defending American actions during an emergency security council meeting. This is the Western Hemisphere.

This is where we live. And we're not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be used as a base of operation for our nation's adversaries and competitors and rivals of the United States. That message underscored on social media in an official post from the U.S. State Department showing a photo of President Donald Trump with the words, this is our hemisphere. Clearly emboldened Trump is considering additional interventions in Colombia, Greenland, and Mexico, all while insisting the U.S. will run Venezuela. Don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial. What does that mean? We're in charge.

Trump is demanding total cooperation so American companies can access Venezuela's oil industry. That must be done, he says, before elections are held. All of it alarming his critics, including Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. You're saying you're going to run Venezuela now when the American economy has got flashing red lights and smoke coming out of it, focus. Lawmakers are now getting classified briefings on Capitol Hill. Many have complained about the lack of oversight, accusing Trump of carrying out an illegal campaign that requires congressional approval. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. Columbia's president says he's prepared to take up arms if Donald Trump follows through on the state.

the threats to his country. With regional tensions rising, more than 30,000 Colombian troops have been deployed along the border with Venezuela, preparing for a potential surge in migrants or confrontation. Paul Hunter is on the border tonight. It is a street scene at once chaotic, sobering, hopeful, and uncertain. The roadway into Kukota, Colombia from Venezuela, the stretch across a short bridge that links the two countries with its usual stream of Venezuelans crossing into Colombia, some just for the day, as is often the case, others may be longer, all with a key question. What now for Venezuela? To Donald Trump, we're told by Herson Alvarado, a Venezuelan history teacher crossing into

Kukata for the day, the message is to treat us carefully. We are a peaceful country, he says. And he underlines his view, it was circumscient. in Venezuela that forced the U.S. into taking action against Maduro. Once anyone crosses into Colombia now, the first thing they see, military vehicles, armored personnel carriers and Colombian soldiers, guns in hand, dispatched to the border in case they're needed. So far they're not. But uncertainty is the word of the moment in this region. In Venezuela's capital, where parliamentary lawmakers today chanted,

go Nico for Nicholas Maduro. The former president's second-in-command, Delci Rodriguez, was officially sworn in to replace him. Even with reporting that she's softening her tone with the U.S. At the swearing-in today, she called the U.S. action on Maduro an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland, a kidnapping. Maduro's son also spoke at the swearing-in. And to you, Dad, he said, you made all of us in the family strong.

We will fulfill your duties until you return. Back at the border, we met with a Colombian woman crossing back and forth this morning, well aware that Donald Trump is also threatening to go after Colombia's president Gustavo Petra. On that, Paula Cortez told us, in effect, go for it. That would be great, she said, adding her view that Colombia's government treats criminals better than it treats regular Colombians. This, as Colombia's president, meanwhile, had his own message for Trump. If you now go after Colombia, as Petro put it, he himself will take up arms and fight back.

As the back and forth continued at that bridge, and as all on both sides considered next steps, whatever they are. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Cucotta, Colombia at the border with Venezuela. Stocks in Canadian oil companies fell today as investors try to grasp the implications of the situation in Venezuela. The country has the biggest oil reserves on the planet. So what could an American-led resurgence of Venezuelan oil exports mean for Canada's energy industry? The CBC senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong takes a look. Peter, what are you hearing?

Are Canadian oil companies worried? Well, oil executives get paid to worry. And you can be sure they're paying really close. attention to the unfolding situation in Venezuela, but the fact is it's going to take years. It's going to take tens of billions of dollars to get that country's oil sector back on track. And even if all of that happens, it's not entirely clear that it's Canadian oil that's at the highest risk of being displaced. But doesn't Canada produce the same kind of oil that comes from Venezuela?

You're entirely right. It does. But the question isn't just what it is, but where it goes. Let's say all that gets done, Venezuela is then shipping to the Gulf Coast. Heather Exner-Pierreau, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Loree Institute, says only a small amount of Canada's oils shipped to the Gulf. What it means for Canada is that it will be harder to compete for the Gulf Coast refineries. Most of Canadian oil that goes to the United States goes to the Midwest.

It'd be very hard to get Venezuela oil into the Midwest. It's basically connected by pipe straight from Canada. But it's those marginal barrels on the Gulf Coast where we'd probably have a harder time competing. Peter Donald Trump says the major oil companies are raring to go. They're ready to invest. Is that true? They're certainly ready to talk. Remember, Exxon, Conoco, Chevron, the big oil companies,

they all invested heavily in Venezuela only to see those investments seized by the government and get kicked out. Conoco is owed like $10 billion in compensation. The oil services companies, they're owed hundreds of millions of dollars. Getting them back in for the third time with all that risk, it's certainly not a slam dunk. Venezuela was shipping a lot of its oil to China. is that an opportunity for Canada, that breach? It is.

And I think it's an opportunity in a couple of ways, right? China was buying, say, 800,000 barrels of oil a day. They're going to have to make that up somewhere. We have the TMX pipeline, an extra capacity coming online. But just about everybody we spoke with says the Venezuela story is just one more reminder of how and why Canada needs to diversify its shipments. Here's Rory Johnson from commodity context. The longer-term strategy here, the only surefire way to secure ourselves,

or increase our resilience against this type of threat in the future. Same as last year's threats of tariffs against Canadian oil exports is optionality. And the only way to get that is with pipelines to the West Coast that kind of front run around the U.S. market. And as if on cue, Susan, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith just tweeted out saying, quote, recent events surrounding Nicholas Majuro emphasized the importance that we expedite the development of pipelines to diversify our oil export markets.

You can assume that that is going to be a big part of the conversation in the days, weeks, and months to come. Thank you, Peter. You bet. CBC senior correspondent Peter Armstrong here in Toronto. And after days of an unprecedented uprising, Iran is telling foreign nations to back off. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Bagai, speaking in Tehran, he accuses American and Israeli, officials of inciting violence and terrorism in his country. Monday is the ninth day of protests across Iran. People are angry over their crumbling economy. Security forces are accused of responding with

deadly force. Human rights groups say at least 20 people have been killed. President Trump has warned of U.S. intervention if the violence continues. Coming right up, former Deputy Prime Minister, Sheafreeland announces her plan after accepting a new position overseas. Plus, social distancing and curbside pickup may be long gone. Why, some Ontario workers want this pandemic routine to keep going. Later, we'll have this story. Seniors homelessness is bad now, and it's about to get much worse. Advocates warn more elderly people nationwide are finding themselves without a home.

We visit a BC homeless shelter that's having to adapt to an aging demographic. It actually becomes more difficult to be able to serve people because we're not actually a senior care facility. We're meant to be an emergency stopgap. I'm Tanya Fletcher in Vancouver. I'll have that story coming up on your world tonight. Christia Freeland says she's quitting Parliament in a matter of weeks. The prominent and long-time Liberal MP is taking on a new role

as economic advisor to the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelensky made the announcement on the same day Prime Minister Mark Carney landed in Europe for a special meeting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Tom Perry has more. Cleaning up after yet another Russian attack, this time on a medical clinic in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. We had 26 patients here, says Maharita Maljavana, and the most horrible thing is the fact one person died. A young man. He was just 30 years old. Ukraine's military continues to push back against Russian invaders, while Ukraine's government is keeping up its drive for foreign support and foreign capital. Ukraine's president, Volodemir Zelensky, today announced Canada's former finance minister

and deputy prime minister, Christia Freeland, will serve as an economic advisor to his government. Freeland, he says, is highly skilled, with extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformation. Both subjects, Freeland has spoken about at length since she was named Ottawa's representative on Ukrainian Reconstruction in September. As we move from fighting the war to fighting the peace, I think we really have to see this as an opportunity

for an economic renaissance. Freeland's new appointment working with Zelensky is unpaid, but nonetheless had the opposition raised questions. Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong posted a message on social media saying Freeland cannot continue to serve as an MP while at the same time advising a foreign government. Late today, Freeland posted a message of her own, saying she would step down as Ottawa's representative on Ukrainian reconstruction and give up her seat in parliament in the coming weeks. Ehor Michael Chishin, head of the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress, says he's not sure about the politics,

just hopes Freeland can help Ukraine. We know that the Ukrainian economy has taken a massive hit as a result of continued almost four years of Russian aggression. So everything that can be done to help Ukraine build its economic capacity and military capacity is good. Prime Minister Mark Carney has thanked Freeland for her work and Kalser uniquely qualified for her new role. Karnie is in Paris for a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, countries backing Ukraine in its fight against Russia to map out a possible path. to a ceasefire that would guarantee Ukraine's security and allow it to focus on reconstruction,

a path Russia has so far shown little interest in pursuing. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. Calgary's mayor says people in the city are still using too much water. Residents have been told to cut consumption after a major water main rupture last week. Jeremy Farkas says the current rate of usage could affect emergency response, adding the ongoing repairs may not be enough. The pipe is failing because it is breaking down from the inside. That damage cannot be fixed.

It will never be fixed. This pipe cannot be made safe with patches. It has reached the end of its life. And until it is fairly replaced, it can fail again without warning. The water main is being patched after a second break in as many years. construction on a new pipe is slated to start this spring and last until 2028. For many Canadians, today was back to work and school after a holiday break.

For Ontario public servants, it was also back to the office full time. The province is ending work from home for all staff, but it's not happening without a fight. Michelle Song explains. Work like balance. Work like balance. In front of their office building in Mississauga, Ontario, just west of Toronto, some Ontario public servants protest against the province's mandate to now bring them back to the office five days a week. During COVID, we worked from home and we were very efficient.

Rita Petunius is an administrator with Ontario Health at home. She and her colleagues have worked remotely since the pandemic. Later, transitioning to a hybrid model, something she wants to maintain. Because guess what? Mental health is important nowadays. Do they consider what mental health? Do they consider how people with families have to readjust everything now? Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said today's change will increase productivity. And it comes after many private businesses also implemented a full-time return to office. And all we're saying is just come back to the office like everyone else. It is also about reducing commute times. But the president of the union representing about half of Ontario, Terrio's public service says the transition doesn't make sense, potentially increasing traffic.

J.P. Hornick is the president of Opsu. They say there's also a lack of adequate office space, given the number of buildings that have been sold mid-renovation or unused. We've seen photos of offices that are suffering from water damage, rodent infestation. But the province says it's reviewed all government offices and found majority of them do have enough room. Hornick says, says more than 10,000 employees have applied for alternative work arrangements. The ability to sort of collaborate and learning in person, deepening relationships, all of that is done in person. Kula Vasselopoulos is with the Employment Agency Robert Haff.

Vasselopoulos says there are benefits to full-time in-office work, like improving camaraderie, but says flexibility can still exist. There are specific things that can help. entice and provide value and provide ways to create the sort of flexibility within a return-to-office framework like flexible start times, arrival or end and departure times, to really accommodate school schedules, rust hours. Some provinces still allow remote or hybrid work for public servants, including BC, Manitoba, and New Brunswick. But next month, Alberta's public service is also returning to the office full time. And the Prime Minister has hinted an in-person work plan is coming soon for federal workers.

Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. This is Your World Tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, follow us. On Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts, just find the follow button and lock us in. Rapid advancement of groundbreaking weight loss drugs took another big step today. For the first time, a pill version of the popular treatment, Wagovi, became available in the United States. It's not yet approved for use in Canada. But as Jennifer Lagrasa reports, cheaper generic options are expected to arrive later this year. It is common for people as the calendar year changes to look ahead and to make plans and set new goals.

Every new year, weight loss is top of mind for many. And this year isn't different, says Dr. Sanjeev Soca Lingam, scientific director of Obesity Canada. I think there's been, unfortunately, a tradition in our culture to look towards kind of diet and weight specific goals. These days, those resolutions are even easier to keep with the introduction of weight loss drugs or GLP-1s. 2026 is expected to be a big one for semi-glutide medication.

known by brand names Ozempic and Wagovi, as they make the leap from injections to pills and as manufacturers look to create generic versions. I think that's going to really transform our clinical care as we have different ways in which people can access medications. Manufacturer Novo Nordisk released a Wagovi pill today in the United States. It's cheaper than the injection. The company has also applied to sell it in Canada, but it's not yet approved. We know that the entry point is now open.

Mina Tadros is a pharmacy professor at the University of Toronto. According to Health Canada, there are nine submissions for generic injectable versions under review. Experts predict the earliest one could hit Canadian shelves this summer. So this is just another step in the direction for getting more patients, more options. More options, he says, will likely increase access and decrease price. We're looking at probably about $100 to $125, $150 a month. which is way lower than what he is right now. Depending on the dosage, Canadians on GLP-1s for weight loss

pay anywhere from $200 to $400 a month. And that's usually out of pocket, as many insurance companies in Canada don't cover the drugs for obesity. I was morbidly obese at the time. Arlene Wernich lives in Brantford, Ontario. She's been using Ozempic since March to manage her weight and has lost 50 pounds. The medications currently cost her $240 a month.

Certainly any kind of financial relief that I can get in my life, I will certainly welcome it. But I know that there are a lot of people who don't even want to go on the gLP one because they cannot afford it. Despite how accessible these drugs will likely become, experts caution that they shouldn't be used for crash dieting and people should talk to their doctor before using them. Jennifer Lagrasa, CBC News, Toronto. A French court has found 10 people guilty of cyber harassment of the country's first lady. The group spread false claims online about Brigitte Macron, wife of President Emmanuel Macron, including that she was born male. Eight men and two women were handed sentences ranging from jail time to social media bans and fines.

The Macron's are also suing a right-wing U.S. podcaster over similar accusations. There is a troubling trend among Canadian seniors. More and more are finding themselves without a home. One shelter in Vancouver is seeing an unprecedented need. The CBC's Tanya Fletcher takes us inside to look at why and what advocates are urging Ottawa to do about it. If you stay the night before, you will guarantee the bed. Oh, okay.

And you can stay here indefinitely. Mohinder Kunkun shows us around the place he calls home these days, a shelter on Vancouver's downtown east side. And every day we get new sheets, a new blanket if we need them. He's 68 years old and wound up on the streets after health issues left him behind on rent. He was evicted, now left with his pension and little else. I can easily get a piece of $11, $1,200 somewhere.

I wouldn't have to live on $400 a month. He says many seniors are struggling to make ends meet on a fixed income, outpaced by the cost of living. The price out of everything, even renting an apartment. Every time they go to the store, every month, every two months, the price of something going up to 10 cents. So about a third of our shelter users are what we would consider elderly. Since the pandemic, Nicole Mucci with the Union Gospel Mission says they've noticed a steady increase in seniors staying at the shelter. And as they age, she says their needs become more complex.

If you're in your early 60s or maybe even early 70s and you have hip issues, you maybe have had a knee replaced. Staying on a mat on the floor and in the emergency weather response. shelter that we're in right now isn't actually possible. In November, for the first time ever, home care support workers started coming to the shelter to help seniors with basic tasks like taking a shower. When more and more people have more and more accommodations that are required, it actually becomes more difficult to be able to serve people because we're not actually a senior care facility. We're meant to be an emergency stopgap. Seniors homelessness is bad now and it's about to get much worse. And it's not just in Vancouver, says Laura Tamplin wants, with National Seniors Advocacy

Group Can Age. Across the country, we're seeing seniors' homelessness on the rise, and that goes from the Atlantic provinces right out to the West Coast. Canadian data shows the number of seniors relying on shelters rose by roughly 47 percent from 2021 to 2024. This is actually also older people who own their own houses or who have had stable rentals who now are finding that they can't keep up with the costs, or they have additional health needs and where their living doesn't suit, but they can't find appropriate accommodation either. She says the federal government needs to prioritize a more robust housing policy for the aging population. In the meantime, shelters like the one Mohinder-Kun-Kun calls home will continue serving more seniors despite being stretched nearly

beyond their ability. Tanya Fletcher, CBC News, Vancouver. We close tonight with an epic tale of perseverance, determination, a few cups of tea, lots of water, and some bathroom breaks. I'm very fond of you, and you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all. Thank goodness, said Bilbo, laughing and handing with tobacco jar. Thank you for that. I started that one o'clock. I don't know what time is. That's Alan Bearns reading the final page of J.R. Tolkien's classic adventure novel, The Hobbit.

On stage at Aaron's pub in St. John's Newfoundland, Bearns owns the bar and wanted to use his platform to give back to the community in his own admittedly weird way. As a fundraiser for a local homeless shelter, Bearns read The Hobbit, cover to cover, an 11-hour marathon that raised about $1,300. All Tolkien's books are about camaraderie and the best things in humanity and, you know, putting people in normal everyday people

who might even consider himself nobody's into these fantastical positions of like doing good. And, you know, Bilbo never wanted to leave his home. He never wanted to go on high adventure. And, you know, he went all the way to Arabour and, you know, help slay the dragon. You know, like, that's it. Bearns selected the Hobbit based on his love of the fantasy world. His choice to help a homeless shelter came from real life experience. Bearns was homeless himself at one point.

He now owns a successful business. and he wanted to do what he could to help others going through a rough patch in life get a chance to find a happy ending. Thanks for joining us on your world tonight for Monday, January 5th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. podcasts, go to cBC.ca slash podcasts.