Your World Tonight - Mass shooting at Catholic school in U.S., cell phone searches on the rise at U.S. borders, new twist in Trump’s Greenland dreams, the risks of caffeine pouches, and more

Episode Date: August 27, 2025

More Canadians are getting caught up in U.S. President Donald Trump’s border security crackdown. New data shows American agents are searching more mobile phones than ever before, even though trips south of the 49th parallel continue to plummet.And: Denmark has summoned the head of the U.S. Embassy over claims three Americans linked to Trump are running an influence campaign in Greenland. The trio is suspected of promoting the territory’s split from Denmark to the U.S.Also: The rising popularity of caffeine pouches. Teens like them for their energy rush, but medical experts warn the products may pack a bigger punch than users bargained for.Plus: Deadly Catholic school shooting in Minnesota, the struggle to control a legionnaires’ outbreak in Ontario, A Cree community’s push to become a new First Nation, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. In a place of worship, a parent's worst nightmare. As America starts the school year with a deadly mass shooting, the young victims sitting in pews, the bullets piercing the stained glass.

windows of their Catholic Church. A community shattered and a country once again looking for answers. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm John Northcott. It's Wednesday, August 27th, coming up at 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. They held me there for three hours. I missed my flight. The document that he gave me said that they reserved the right

to copy all the contents of your phone and to distribute them to every American military and intelligence agency. The level of scrutiny Canadians are facing at the U.S. may be crossing into new territory. Even as fewer of them visit, more Canadian travelers are having their phones and computers searched. It's always been legal,

just not always customary, with experts pinning the change on Donald Trump's crackdown on borders and immigration. At least two children are dead, and several others are in critical condition after a school shooting in Minnesota that officials are treating as an act of domestic

terrorism and a hate crime. It happened at a Minneapolis Catholic school. Police say students were attending mass when the suspect opened fire. Ashley Burke now, with what we know about the incident, the alleged shooter, and the investigation. Parents seen running towards a Catholic school in Minneapolis, searching for their children after a shooter opened fire. We live nearby, so he just took off on foot. Emily Fess says her husband, a firefighter, race to see if their niece and nephew are okay. Thankfully, we heard about 15 minutes ago that they're safe, but it's so awful and it's so scary. Outside parents lifting multiple children into their arms, hugging them tightly, Suzanne Garcia, describing the moment she saw her daughter.

I just saw all the kids exiting, so it's almost like a little parade of kids. I'm like just yelling out my daughter's name, Clarissa, Clarissa, where are you? Where are you? And one of her classmates said she's here, and so I was able to find her. Clarissa, who's in fifth grade, says she was inside the church when the gunfire started ringing out. And I heard something like really loud. Like I thought it was fireworks in the church. And then I saw the shooting. And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so scared.

Another fifth grader, Weston Halsey, says he was right there near the window where the shots were coming in. And I was like, what is that? I thought it was just something. Then when I heard it again, I just ran under the pew. And then I covered my head. My friend Victor, like, saved me. because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.

He's really brave, and I hope he's good in the hospital. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. The mayor, Jacob Fry, says the children were at mass to mark the first week back to school. This was only day three. There are no words that can capture the horror and the evil of this unspeakable act. Children are dead.

Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara says the shooter was wearing all black and had multiple weapons, all legally purchased. The shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. This was a deliberate act of violence. He says one of the doors of the church appeared to be barricaded by a two by four, and alleges the shooter approached the side of the church and shot dozens of rounds of ammunition through the window, then died of a self-inflicted gunshot. Two young children, ages 8 and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews. Officials say at least 17 others were injured.

Many were between 6 to 14 years old. Dr. Tom Wyatt is the chair of emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center. We are dealing with gunshot wound injuries from apparently a high-velocity weapon. And, you know, gunshot wounds can be very problematic. The shooter identified in American media as 23-year-old Robin Westman. Police say Westman did not have a known criminal history, acted alone, and posted a manifesto on YouTube that's now been taken down. The FBI says it's investigating it as an act of domestic terrorism

and hate crime targeting Catholics. Ashley Burke, CBC News, Washington. If you're planning to travel to the U.S. anytime soon, be aware your phone could be subject to a search. New data shows U.S. border officials are looking through more devices than ever before. And as Thomas Dagler reports, experts warn they have the power to do it, along with the power to turn you away if you don't comply. They held me there for three hours. I miss my flight. As sociologist Nathan Coleman Lamb traveled from Fredericton to a conference in South Carolina earlier this year,

he says he was required to hand over his mobile phone to a U.S. border officer. He claimed it was just going to be a very cursory search. But then the document that he gave me said that they reserved the right to copy all. all the contents of your phone and to distribute them to every American military and intelligence agency. Indeed, a growing number of travelers heading stateside are having their electronic devices searched. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows while the number of Canadians crossing the border continues to plummet, phone searches are soaring. From April to June, officers looked through nearly 15,000 devices. That's almost 25% more than during the same period last

year. The discretion that these officers have is absolutely 100% legal. Toronto-based lawyer Heather Siegel points out all of it comes amid the Trump administration's high-profile crackdown on immigration. And she says U.S. border officers have broad powers to search belongings and electronics at their own discretion. Not a lot of the rules have changed in terms of entering the United States. And so what we're seeing is an exercise of discretion that's much stricter than ever before. Officially, U.S. authorities say the searches are meant to look for a wide range of material related to everything from child exploitation to terrorism.

Guidance from the Canadian government says to comply and be forthcoming in all interactions with border authorities. After all, refusing to hand over an unlocked phone can be part of the reason a traveler is denied entry. A lot of people believe that hiding apps, deleting messages will essentially protect you and that information would not be retrievable. That is false in many cases. Cyber security expert Ritesh Kotak says he's often asked how travelers can protect their data at the border. The answer can be complicated. Yes, you can use a burner phone, but at the end of the day, the lack of information on the device itself would be a red flag. U.S. authorities insist only a tiny percentage of those entering the country will have their electronics searched. Still, it's just one reason

For now, many Canadians are staying on this side of the border. Thomas Dagg, CBC News, Toronto. Canadian officials were in Washington today to discuss border security between the two countries. The high-level talks included Canada's justice and public safety ministers and the U.S. Attorney General. They were reportedly focused on criminal justice reform. It's the latest round of meetings meant to kickstart trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S. after the Prime Minister said he would drop retaliatory tariffs on most American goods by September 1st. The Prime Minister closed out his trip to Europe with a visit to Canadian troops in Latvia.

The soldiers are leading a NATO mission to counter Russian aggression in the region. If we're going to defend and advance our values of freedom, of democracy and peace, Canada must do so from a position of strength. The women and men behind me and those that they represent, it's their service. and sacrifice that makes Canada strong. Mark Carney also confirmed Ottawa's commitment to the military and to boost defense spending

to meet NATO's target. Canada has two bases in Latvia. Roughly 2,500 troops are stationed there. The Prime Minister extended their mission another four years to 29. His overseas tour also took him to Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. Coming right

up, American citizens are being accused of foreign interference in Greenland, and Denmark wants answers from U.S. diplomats. Also, another deadly outbreak of Legionaire's disease in London, Ontario, how hot weather can turn up the risk. It's another twist in the drama between Denmark and Donald Trump. Top U.S. diplomats in the country have been summoned after accusations of a covert influence operation in Greenland.

The official reprimand is rare. between NATO allies, and it comes months after the U.S. President mused about taking over the Danish-controlled territory. Chris Brown has the latest. Denmark's foreign minister has accused the United States one of its closest allies of acting more like an adversary by conducting covert operations in Greenland. This is inherently completely unacceptable, said Lars Loke-Rasmussen. Influence campaigns, he said, are a violation of all international laws. We need Greenland.

Donald Trump has talked a lot about acquiring Greenland. He even refused to rule out taking it by force in order to get out the immense mineral resources buried under its ice cap. In March, Vice President J.D. Vance dropped by for what was billed as a private visit and to emphasize the already formidable U.S. military presence near the Capitol Nook and far beyond. A report on Denmark's public broadcaster suggests that unnamed people close to Trump have been trying to stoke divisions on Greenland. Without saying who they are or whether they work directly for the U.S. administration,

the report claims at least three Americans have been trying to recruit sympathetic Greenlanders to set up a pro-U.S. political movement on the island. It's no secret that the American administration is calling for spies to come to Greenland. Greenland author Nair Linga says the U.S. efforts have not gone unnoticed in the capital Nook, and people are on edge. I get sort of the feeling that, you know, when the Stasis were working in East Germany, everyone was like looking over the shoulder. And it's that kind of feeling that worries me so much because the population is so small.

If Trump is serious about annexing Greenland, he may be following Vladimir Putin's playbook on how to do it. In Ukraine, more than a decade ago, Putin's spies first recruited sympathetic Ukrainians and then moved his military units out of their bases to take over nearby Ukrainian territories. Europeans are clearly concerned about Trump's persistence. Earlier the summer, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Greenland, and underscored a key point. Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken. In the recent election, most Greenlanders voted for parties

that favored severing links with Denmark, but few expressed much interest in having Donald Trump rule them instead. Chris Brown, CBC News, London. A Montreal man is facing arson and hate-related charges tonight. The 39-year-old is accused of burning an Israeli flag twice over just a few days. The flag was raised by the municipality. of Hampstead, which has a large

Jewish population and flown outside of its city hall. For a second year in a row, there's been a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires disease in London, Ontario. Four people have died. 95 have fallen ill. While the source of the outbreak has been identified, people

in the community are asking questions and experts are warning that without action it could happen again. Colin Butler reports. Up on the roof of Safina Foods, a meat processing plant in London, London, Ontario, workers are dismantling the cooling tower to scrub it down. Public Health now says it was the source of this summer's Legionella outbreak and likely last years as well.

This summer is when one of the city's hottest in recent memory, prime conditions for Legionella to spread on the summer breeze. Evidence has shown that Legionella can, does not always, but can travel in the air up to six kilometers. So when a cooling tower, especially if it's working hard and it's a humid day, it sprays out. these droplets of water that have the Legionella bacteria in it. Dr. Joanne Kieran is the city's associate medical officer of health. She says Legionella's airborne nature makes it harder to track, and people often don't know they've been exposed until they're dangerously ill. The only way people are going to be tested for Legionella is if they already are so sick

enough that they are seeking medical attention. For those living nearby, that warning hits hard. Sherry Hackert says she came down with pneumonia earlier this summer. Now she wonders if there's a connection. I've never been so sick. I wonder if that's what I had. That's why experts say clean up isn't enough. In Ontario, there is no specific law per se.

There are federal guidelines that do indicate how to use best practices, but there's no binding legislation. Vincent Brown is a technical specialist in Quebec. He says Ontario lags far behind Quebec, where every tower must be registered, and inspected. Suffice to say there's significant room for improvement. And he says solutions are straightforward.

So with a good maintenance program for cleaning, annual disinfections, and a good chemical program in place, you can reduce the risk significantly. The Ontario government wouldn't answer questions about whether it would bring in similar rules saying only that local public health is responsible for local outbreaks. In London, health authorities say the food from Safina is safe to eat.

In a statement to CBC News, As the company says it's focusing on remediation of the towers, as recommended by public health, the cooling tower will stay offline until the risk is eliminated. In the meantime, it's been two summers, two outbreaks, six lives lost. Experts warn without stronger oversight, it could happen again. Colin Butler, CBC News, London, Ontario. Conservative leader Pierre Polyev wants Ottawa to drop its clean fuel standards. The measure was brought in to lower Canada's carbon emissions.

Pollyov says it's too much for people already struggling to pay the bills. Mark Carney is bringing back the carbon tax. He calls it the clean fuel standard. According to the parliamentary budget officer, it will add 17 cents a liter to your gas. What did the last carbon tax add to your gas? 17 cents a liter. A recent report by the parliamentary budget officer estimated gas in Newfoundland and Labrador would rise 17 cents a liter by the end of the decade.

Some environmentalists have criticized the findings saying the PBO did not account for the costs of climate change. Canada's solar industry is surging, but as more Canadians consider investing in renewable energy for their homes, a warning. Complaints of high-pressure sales and unfair pricing are also on the rise. Aaron Collins on how people shopping for solar panels can avoid getting burned. Well, this is the meter they had changed, back to a bi-directional meter. Jay Hector shows off part of the new solar system on his Calgary home. This is the inverter. Hector's solar system installed after a salesperson knocked on his door.

His sales pitch was, it made sense with the projections. I'm going to be paying very low or even getting money back from going through solar. Well, soon after that pitch, Hector agreed to pay Northern Power nearly $50,000 for the small 5-kilawatt system. Hector admits he didn't do much research on solar power before. signing, but says he's since learned he paid more than most. I feel betrayed. I'm now learning that people are getting a raise larger than mine for half the price. But as more Canadians install solar panels, the industry says complaints from consumers are on the rise. Solar Alberta says it's received a record number of complaints this year. The industry

organization says some of those were lodged against Northern Power, which has been expelled from the group. Phil McKay is with the Canadian Renewable Energy Association. McKay says most solar companies are legitimate, but ads bad actors do exist. We're seeing things like false advertising, high pressure sales tactics at the doorstep. These are the kinds of things that we try to protect against with our members. It's a trend that concerns Alberta's government. Dale Nalley is the Minister of Service Alberta, which operates the consumer protection arm of the province. We have had some complaints. I can tell you that Director's order was issued in September of last year against the Door to Door Solar Company.

Well, the company in question, Northern Power, ordered, among other things, to not mislead or deceive consumers. But just weeks after the order was issued, Northern Power sold Jay Hector his panels. A deal some experts say Hector could have gotten out of. Jim Swafield is a marketing professor at Athabasca University. When somebody is sold a product on their doorstep, they have a cooling off period where they can change their mind. Too late now for Jay Hector, who has some advice for anyone else considering going solar. Shop around. Definitely shop around. Don't be fooled like I was with somebody who's dressed very smart, very friendly.

For their part, Northern Power declined a request for an interview. but after being contacted by CBC, the company has called J. Hector, offering him six more solar panels at no extra cost. A gesture, Hector says he's still waiting to get in writing. Aaron Collins, CBC News, Calgary. Air Canada's flight attendants are now voting on their new contract. Their union reached a tentative agreement with the airline last week following a three-day strike. The disruption, grounded planes, and affected hundreds of thousands of passengers. The deal includes a wage increase and compensation for unpaid work while planes are idle.

Voting ends September 6th. A century after it was forced to merge with a larger First Nation, the Cree community in Saskatchewan is taking its first steps towards independence. the Peter Chapman band is trying to break away and re-establish its identity after a decades-long fight. Alexander Silverman has more. This was just the canola field a year half ago. In the heart of central Saskatchewan, Adam Whitehead walks between dozens of quickly rising buildings in his busy First Nation community. A new neighborhood is taking shape next to fields of wheat.

Yeah, come on in. This is one of our houses that I'm. There's a deep sense of pride over the plans for 28 multi-generational homes, each with six bedrooms and built to last. Just the start of a long-awaited future for Peter Chapman First Nation. So is the government that we are serious. Whitehead, a band counselor, says the construction boom is part of a renewed push to become an independent First Nation band. The federal government forced it to merge with two others in the early 19,

and still considers Peter Chapman part of James Smith Creenation. Peter Chapman is spending funds from a recent settlement with Ottawa to build a new community. It received $50 million for broken treaty promises. The next step for us would be to get that band recognition from Canada. Chief Robert Head says his ancestors began living in the area in the late 1800s, After founding leader Peter Chapman moved there with Cree families from northeast Saskatchewan. They should have allowed us to evolve as our own first nation, but all that was taken away from us. The community lost parts of its reserve and its status as a band under the merger.

Nearby Tecestepasin lost its land entirely, also becoming part of James Smith. We were stripped from our own community. Chief Calvin Sanderson says each nation continued to make. maintain their own identities. He says becoming an independent band would allow each community to secure direct funding and control how it's spent. It could mean new agreements with Ottawa for housing, health care and education. Light at the end of the tunnel is coming and hopefully we can light that channel then once and for all. The federal government says it's currently engaged in a process with the three communities to consider the split. It's uplifting. In Peter Chapman,

First Nation, Elder Phyllis Head says watching the community grow gives her hope. For many, many years, this issue has been worked on and it's going to become a reality, you know. A reality, the three communities say, will help right a historical wrong. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Peter Chapman, First Nation. Canadians are getting a jolt from medical experts tonight about a new and increasingly popular caffeine product. Their tiny packets placed under the lip and directly on the gums. Companies claim they deliver a quick hit, but doctors are warning about potential harms.

Alison Northcott reports. If you do, put that little pouch up in between your gum and your cheek. It absorbed straight into your system. Promoted by influencers. I got six flavors for 30 bucks. Peach, sweet tea, mango crush. Pink lemonade. And athletes like Mike Tyson.

And your pouch is a pack of punch. Caffein pouches are little packets small enough to fit under the top lip directly on the gums. Or in class, struggling to stay awake. Same. That's why I use grinds caffeine pouch. Each pouch can contain between 25 and more than 200 milligrams of caffeine. Compare that to a small coffee which has about 100 milligrams or a can of cola with about 35 to 45. So this is one of the packages.

You've seen these before? I have. So we can see one of the pouches. They're small. They can be placed directly on the gum. They may be small, but Dr. Nicholas Chattie, a pediatrician, who specializes in adolescent and addiction medicine at St. Justine Hospital in Montreal

says the pouches could still cause serious harm in young people if they're overused or mixed with other caffeine sources. The body that's naive to caffeine or smaller may actually respond very strongly to that with some risks as severe as heart complications, heart arrest, or even overdose. So it's certainly something to be taken seriously. With coffee, chocolate and energy drinks, there are a lot of caffeinated options on the market. At this Montreal skate park, some are intrigued by this latest one.

Honestly, it's kind of cool. For the coffee feel, like if there's not time to have a coffee, it's like a good way to have that caffeinated feel. But sleep medicine specialist Dr. Michael Mack at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto says young people especially should be careful. And it's best that young people actually not use these caffeine pouches. If you have to take a stimulant to keep yourself awake at school,

or work, then it begs the question, do you have a sleep problem at night that's causing you to feel so fatigued? The companies we spoke with say their pouches aren't meant for or marketed to kids and say their products are an alternative to nicotine pouches or energy drinks. Still, Chattie says the products need more scrutiny and oversight from Health Canada, while some of the products do specify, therefore adults on the label, not all of them do. There is a need for education around these products and appropriate health warnings, which aren't always there.

Health Canada told us in a statement that the department is investigating several cases to see if some products are breaking federal rules. Alison Northcott, CBC News, Montreal. And we end tonight with an unlikely feline canine tail. The search for a stowaway cat who went missing at sea until its owner landed some help from another four-legged friend. Somehow Luigi managed to squeeze out the back window of the truck and got out onto the car deck.

Neela Herbert, describing the moment her cat, Luigi, slipped out of her truck on board a B.C. ferry while they were heading home from a camping trip on Vancouver Island. When the ferry reached to Wasson, Luigi was nowhere to be found. Herbert even returned a few days later with the full sweep of the boat. Still nothing. Two weeks passed, but as Hope started to fade,

a determined dog stepped in. Did it have? Good girl. Did you find that kitty? Yes, you did. You did. Well, that is video, the sound of video from a big break in the search. Halo the rescue dog joined the effort when her owner saw media coverage of the missing cat. After a possible sighting at the Tuasun Ferry Terminal, Halo was sent in and was able to sniff out Luigi's exact location under a loading dock.

Go ahead over for him. Oh my God, we've got you. I know. Everything came together, the public support, the B.C. fairies and the crew, everybody has searched for Luigi, and in 15 days, I got my kitty back. Herbert has no idea how Luigi spent those 15 days, whether he got off the ferry right away or took a few more rides back and forth. All she knows is that when Luigi got home, the feline was famished. And if we could read his inscrutable kitty mind, Luigi just might be rethinking. thinking and giving some pause to cats age-old animosity towards their canine cousins.

Well, thanks for being with us. This has been in your world tonight for Wednesday, August 27th. I'm John Northcott. For more CBC podcasts, go to CBC.combe. Podcasts.