Your World Tonight - New York state takes over Cornell 7 investigation

Episode Date: October 2, 2026

New York’s Attorney General Letitia James will now lead an investigation into allegations of gang rape at Cornell University.Also: Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, G7 nations agree to open up their oil reserves, but will it bring down fuel prices?And: Canada’s top civilian honour for actor and activist Michael J. Fox.Plus: A separatist party could form the next government in Quebec – which would create a new challenge for Ottawa, India’s protest Cockroach Janta party takes aim at the country’s top election official, and soccer giant Manchester City is pushing back against accusations of large-scale financial rule-breaking.

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This is a CBC podcast. If someone is too intoxicated to consent, it should not matter whether they chose to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang rape, period. New York's governor vows to close what she calls a loophole in the law. Kathy Hockel also appointing the state's attorney general to probe why an investigation was dropped after a former Cornell University's student accused seven fraternity members of gang rape. The case has sparked outrage, putting the actions of police, local prosecutors and the Ivy League school under scrutiny.

This is your world tonight. I'm Salima Shivji. It's Friday, October 2nd, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast, G7 nations agree to release millions of barrels of oil and diesel from their reserves under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. And... We have to find the people. we have to find the manufacturing, we have to find the other factories that produce everything that you need in order to produce the rail.

How the government's by Canadian push is fueling this country's train manufacturing and adding some challenges to meeting the fresh demand. New York's Cornell University has become the center of a firestorm since a former student filed a lawsuit, alleging she was gangraped at a campus frat house two years ago. How the university and local authorities handled the case when she first reported it has sparked anger across the globe. Now New York State is taking over the investigation and appointing a special prosecutor. Katie Nicholson reports. New York Governor Kathy Hochel was blunt.

I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug. Next to her, Attorney General Leticia James, now appointed as a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of a a frat-house gang rape at Cornell University and how officials handled it. We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and if warranted, pursue prosecutions. In a civil suit filed last month, a woman known only as Jane Doe alleges in October of 2024, she was plied with alcohol and drugs at a fraternity house and was sexually assaulted. The suit names seven men and includes a screenshot of a group.

group chat in which one member using crude language appears to invite others to a room where there is, quote, free pussy. While another writes, like you can walk in and whip it out. If you're not angry, you should be. These boys should be in jail. I don't think the case is particularly strong from a criminal standpoint. The case is blown up on social media as people vent outrage and skepticism. I think it's wildly unfair that Jane Doe gets to remain anonymous. You should be able to go out, drink party, have a good ass time in college, and not get raped. Doe did originally report that incident to campus police, but the DA's office opted not to pursue it.

Now it has reopened the case and says it never received a transcript in which Doe told campus police, quote, I can say with 100% confidence I was raped. She could not have been clearer that she was 100% confident that she had been raped. But Governor Hockel acknowledges there is another issue. a state law that makes a distinction between sexual assault victims who are drugged and those who become intoxicated voluntarily. This case has also exposed another problem we need to address, a gap in state law.

Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang rape, period. Thomas Chufra is Jane Doe's attorney. She dropped out of Cornell shortly after reporting the incident two years ago, And he says the media firestorm around the case has been hard for her. She's not doing well. She's under siege on social media where people are trying to identify her. But he says he's also received between three and 500 emails of support for his client. I've gotten emails from people in South America.

I've gotten emails from people in Europe have really helped to know that she's not alone. Because throughout this process, she felt like she was alone. As for the seven men named in the case, several of them have now denied the allegations in the claim through their lawyers. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. Around the world, months of high fuel prices are taking a financial toll on consumers. Today, G7 nations agreed to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from their reserves. That comes following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump as diesel prices hit record high. Let's bring in our senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong for more on this.

So, Peter, 100 million barrels. Will this make a difference? If we're being honest, there are more things we don't know about this than things we do know. So we really can't say yet. Like, for example, how much of the reserves being released are going to be diesel, how much of them will be crude? How much of the crude releases are simply making good on previous promises that a lot of these countries made months ago? So what's your read of this? What do they actually agree to do here?

So at its core, this is less the decision to release these reserves than it is a move to prevent Donald Trump from following through on a threat to impose an export ban on diesel products, which he had been threatening because he's desperate to do something, anything, really, to bring down those record high prices for both gasoline, but especially for diesel. Yeah, Trump was under intense pressure to impose such a ban ahead of next month's midterm elections. So does this mean that's off the table now? I mean, there's a legitimate question here as to whether it was ever really. in consideration or was it maybe just a threat? Trump said earlier today that the release is going to do the job and will bring down the price of oil and of gasoline and of diesel and that an export ban was never really in consideration. The deal also front loads the release of the reserves over the next 20 days. So how will that work?

Again, we got no details. So we're kind of making this up. And frankly, who knows. But here's what we do know. Oil prices fell today. You can expect to see diesel prices fall as well. And the key thing that you mentioned there is that 20 days, skip ahead 20 days and you're smack dab in the middle of the eve of the midterm elections you talked about. The Republicans famously struggling to stay in that fight and rising prices.

And especially the rising prices of gasoline and of diesel, those have turned into a major issue in the United States. So the timing is key. And those 20 days take us to a point where he can say, I did something and hopefully has brought down those prices of it. Right. Very much about timing. So you've touched on the fears after that threat of a diesel. export ban, whether it was going to happen, whether it was just a threat, remind us of why an export ban would be so disruptive. So think about a barrel of oil arriving at a refinery. It's going to get

turned into a bunch of things, right? Gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, petrochemical stuff. You can't just stop producing one of those things. And this system, especially in the United States, isn't really built to store massive amounts of diesel. American producers make vast amounts of product, but a lot of it's destined for exports. So the storage would fill up really fast. And then what? Do you curtail all of that production? That hurts everything else.

And I feel like everything we've learned, whether it's from COVID or the straight-ohor moves, comes back to that fragility of supply chains and how interventions might help in the short term, but they cause even more trouble down the road. And many, both inside the U.S. and around the world, have warned an export ban would have all kinds of unintended consequences. Okay.

The CBC's Peter Armstrong. Thanks for this. You bet. Coming up, Quebec's heading into the last weekend of campaigning in its provincial election, with polls suggesting the Peltiquepecois is headed for a majority. Plus, it's one of the world's most popular soccer teams. Now, Manchester City may face major sanctions. After a report finds the team violated the Premier League's financial rules,

and later we'll have this story. An actor, an author, an outspoken advocate. I'm Philip Lyshanock in Toronto. Today, the Governor General awarded Canadian icon Michael J. Fox with this country's highest civilian honor. He's leveraged his fame. He's leveraged his humor to showcase the everyday living of Parkinson's and that there is still laughter. There's still a lot to live for. I'll have that story coming up on your world tonight. Quebec could see its first separatist leader in years after Monday's provincial election. Polls show the Perci-Khebecois is on track to form government.

and has a shot at a majority. That could create another challenge for Mark Carney. The Prime Minister has already been busy trying to appease voters in Alberta before that province's referendum on separation later this month. Ashley Burke has more. This opportunity is unlocked by Canada as a whole. This week, the Prime Minister focused on announcements in Western Canada, including fast-tracking and oil pipeline, and sent a message directly to Albertans voting on separation later this month. I think the demonstration of today's announcement is Canada is working.

But before that vote in Alberta, Carney is facing another political test. On Monday, Quebecers could elect their first separatist leader in more than a decade. We'll act in good faith, but always in accordance to whether or not it's in the best interest of Quebecers. Polling suggests party Quebecois leader Paul St. Pierre Plamondon could win. He's pushing for a majority government. And we want to convince people who are still not sure, so we'll go giving 100%.

Polling analysts Eric Grenier with the writ.ca says even though support to separate from Canada is at an all-time low in Quebec, there are five competitive parties in the race splitting up the vote, which is rare. The PQ has been on the decline for the last, really for the last generation, for the last 20 years. And this will be the first time that they are in a position to win an election with a majority and on the promise of holding a referendum. Plymondeau committed to a referendum, but when support dropped in the face of Donald Trump's threats, said he'd wait until after Trump leaves office.

Jean-François-Lise is the former PQ leader. PSPB will be a tough client for Carney, that's for sure. Plamondon has promised to significantly scale back immigration, cut ties with the monarchy, and replace the Intergovernmental Affairs Minister with the Minister of Independence to make gains for Quebec. Very well-schooled, very intelligent fellow, but very intense in his belief in independence of Quebec, sometimes seen as too intense. He says Carney could try and win over the PQ leader like he did with Alberta's Premier by checking off Quebec's list of demands. But he might not have to. Right now, polling shows the Prime Minister is the most popular politician in Quebec.

Ashley Burke, CBC News, Ottawa. The federal government's push to buy Canadian is breathing new life into train manufacturing in this country. Via rail's newest long-distance train cars will be built in Canada for the first time in decades, and that will support hundreds of jobs in two provinces. Alexander Silberman visited a factory in Quebec to see how Canadian transit projects are helping to revive the industry. In the small rural Quebec town of La Pocatiaire, the ringing, sound of steel, cut into parts, sanded, welded, and turned into freshly painted rail cars, brings a buzz of optimism to the factory floor.

Train for Canada, Bay Canadian people. Frederic Plattour is site manager for the plant operated by Alstam, a French company with headquarters for the Americas south of Montreal. He says the Buy Canadian push from all levels of government is helping to sustain operations at a factory that previously struggled. New projects include metro cars for Vancouver and Toronto, light rail for Quebec City, and soon a massive $4.7 billion contract for via rail.

It's a real challenge such project because he will push us to rethink all the layout. Claude Mischot, President of the Union, has worked here for 34 years. There were difficult times, Micho says. We'd go to the plant for a few months, and then we'd be out of work for several more. Now, it'll be the first time Via Rail's long-distance cars are built in Canada in four decades, creating or sustaining 670 jobs in La Pocatiar and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Olivier Marciel is Elstom's vice president of Public Affairs for Canada. He says strict, American content,

requirements for trains drove many manufacturers south, and a bi-Canadian policy will slowly help reverse that trend and maintain expertise. United States were asking a lot from manufacturer to build local, right? While Canada was not asking anything. But there are challenges to restoring manufacturing. Dan Bresnitz is a professor at the University of Toronto who studies how innovation and public policy impact industries. He says Canada needs to be strategic and realistic about which sectors the government should invest in. We have to find the people, we have to find the manufacturing, we have to find the other factories that produce everything that you need in order to produce the rail.

In La Pocaut-Ajar, where the factory drives the local economy, Michaud says there's renewed hope. There's pride in building trains for people here in Canada, he says. It's a positive change. The trains rolling off the line, a small part. in a more resilient Canadian economy. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, La Pocaetatia, Quebec. LNG Canada will use Chinese steel for phase two of its pipeline network

from Dawson Creek to Kittam at BC. The proposal is one of the major projects supported by the federal government, part of the bi-Canadian push. The goal is to double exports of liquefied natural gas. The Chinese steel will be used for certain parts of the plant, but other types of steel could be sourced from Canadian. suppliers. LNG Canada is a private, foreign-owned company, and it is not subject to any rules that require it to buy Canadian. RCP in British Columbia have arrested five foreign nationals for extortion

targeting the South Asian community. The investigation began with reports of extortion and violence at a car dealership in Langley last year, but Superintendent Haram Desange says the crimes affected many other businesses. I want to thank the victims and community that stepped up. Numerous times we sat with the victims and we heard the same message. We came here, our life's work, we've worked hard, now people are trying to take that away from us. It was the community taking a collective stance. We are not going to tolerate this type of behavior is the reason why we are here today. Four of the men are residents of Canada and one is an Indian resident who was arrested as he arrived in the country at Toronto's Pearson Airport.

They face numerous charges related to extortion, shootings, and arson. DeSange says Langley, R-CMP, also found evidence of other suspects involved in extortion and violence in B.C. and Alberta. Young protesters across India are demanding the resignation of the country's chief election commissioner.

Gen Z supporters of the Cockroch-Junta Party say changes to voter eligibility favor the party of Prime Minister Nore. Rendra Modi. This is the same group of protesters that succeeded in bringing down India's education minister just a few months ago. Susan Ormiston reports. The Cockrooge Janta Party is back, attracting thousands to a protest in Mumbai, agitating to topple the head of India's Independent Election Commission over allegations of political interference in voter rolls.

It's very important because right to vote is the most important thing for any country. Purva Katani wants accountability. You can bring any change in actual reality only when you can change the leadership. Ghanish Kumar is in charge of a special revision of voter roles. The first in nearly 25 years, 130 million names have already been removed as ineligible. Critics say the election chief is under the influence of the government. governing party BJP. The Election Commission denies it. Seymar Singh at the rally sees it differently. There has been a systematic kind of agenda of deleting voters from different states and very specific

kind of voters who vote for certain parties or belong to certain religious communities. Opposition political parties have stepped up rolling protests after an investigative report in Indian Express stated there were complaints inside the commission. Police have used water cannons to push back protesters. In Delhi today, hundreds were detained. The CJP has jumped on the moment. Serbi Shavasta is a follower. I think cockroach party rocks.

It's the voice of the entire youth. Yeah, I think there was an environment of fear and, you know, suppression in India. Everybody used to think that no change is possible and CJP has come with that. It has given a voice and kind of a strength to the nation. In July, the Cockroach Party helped force the resignation of the education minister. It's emboldened their movement, says political commentator Sohit Mishra. They are talking the language which the new generation understands. You know, via reels, via social media, in less words and making them understand what they want to do.

which these old school politicians weren't able to do it. But so far, the man at the top of elections in India is not budging, resisting the pressure, even as more protests are planned for next week. Susan Ormiston, CBC News, Mumbai. Student protests across France show no signs of slowing down. Police use tear gas to disperse students outside a high school in Paris. Demonstrations against poor classroom conditions and cuts to education funding erupted, week. They've since spread across the country. The country's prime minister says protests have now

morphed into urban violence. Dozens of people have been injured, including students, teachers, and police officers. More than 5,000 people have been arrested and trade unions are calling for a teacher strike next week. One of soccer's most dominant clubs is appealing a ruling that could bring it down from its pedestal. An investigation has found Manchester City broke financial rules and inflated its revenue by more than a billion dollars, all in an effort to give itself a competitive edge. It's being called one of soccer's biggest scandals. Crystal Gumansing has the details. In a victorious nine-year period, Manchester City won three Premier League titles and a slew of other championships. But all of this success is now in question after an explosive

investigation. It's potentially the biggest fraud in professional sport. The Premier League Independent Commission found that the team breach financial rules using what was described as sham sponsorship contracts worth $1.5 billion Canadian. The money linked back to owner Sheikh Mansour essentially helped the team buy some of the best players and climb the rankings. Kieran McGuire is a professor of football finance at the University of Liverpool. The 10 years before Manchester City were acquired by Abu Dhabi, their average position in the Premier League was 13th, 10 years after, the average position was second. The owner of rival Team Hull City going as far as to call this financial doping.

The club maintains its innocence. In a statement, Manchester City laid out the grounds for appeal, writing, The Opinion contains clear material errors and irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions. Manchester City says the money isn't from Mansour, who acquired the team in 2008, but from the United Arab Emirates government. Mansour is also the vice president of the UAE and Emirati royalty. The guilty findings released this week were the result of a four-year-long investigation, but fans seem unbothered.

I'm at the point where you back your club until the death, and I genuinely believe that my heart dropped initially, but it's my club. I'm going to have to stick with them until there's concrete evidence. But in a statement, England's football. Association says the Independent Commission's decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game. Some aspects of the club's appeal have already been rejected by the Commission. If the guilty verdict is upheld, a sanctions hearing would follow, and Manchester City could be

deducted points, fined, or expelled from the Premier League. Crystal Gamansing, CBC News, London. One of Canada's most well-known actors was honoured today with a country. country's highest award. Michael J. Fox was previously an officer of the Order of Canada. Today, the Governor General upgraded him to a companion. As Philip Lee Schanak reports, it was Fox's spirit and activism that earned him the recognition. If he's standing, the rest of us should as well. Steadied by Canada's Governor General Louise Arbor, Michael J. Fox rose to applause and a standing ovation in Rito Hall as a newly promoted companion of the Order of Canada. One of this

his country's highest honors. Our Boer commended Fox for tirelessly advocating for people living with Parkinson's and pushing for a cure. Progress requires that we move forward. After all, back to the future has always been a much better idea than forward to the past. Fox is best known for his work on the Back to the Future film trilogy, but he got his big break on the sitcom Family Ties. I am willing to supplement your income by 25 cents a week in exchange for a service. Alex, I don't want to clean your room. Movie and television critic Jim Slotech recalled interviewing Fox in the 1990s. He was supposed to be a supporting player and became the breakout star.

The world was at his feet. He says at the time he was almost constantly working on television and movie projects. If he was dealing with that and Parkinson's at the same time, he must have been exhausted. Fox was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's disease in 1991 when he was just 29. At the Emmy's last month, when he accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, he said initially he kept his diagnosis a secret, worried that it would hurt his career. I understood that accepting Parkinson's didn't mean I had to surrender to it. It just meant doing what I could for everyone living with this disease.

So I said to advocate for patient's needs and raise money. and to compel us towards a cure. Karen Lee, head of Parkinson's Canada, says 65-year-old Fox, has become the face of hope. He didn't hide it. He's leveraged his fame. He's leveraged his humor to showcase the everyday living of Parkinson's and that there is still laughter.

There's still a lot to live for. No need to thank me. It's all part of the job. Lee says that speaking candidly about his physical challenges as the disease progresses is as important, as the funding he's helped raise towards finding a cure. Folt Lyshanock, CBC News, Toronto. And finally, a tale of survival from New Brunswick

and a reminder that sometimes it pays to listen to your mom. My mother used to tell me, don't go in the woods alone, because the bear's going to hate you. That's Serge Gittard, a professional trapper who lives in Prentveld, New Brunswick. At 75, he might be forgiven for ignoring his mother's advice, and he actually frequently goes into the woods, alone. Recently it was to pick blueberries, only this time he wasn't alone. Gital barely had time to

register a black bear nearby before the animal was on him. When he charged me at first, he was doing that funny noise all the time, all the time, he never stopped. And when he started to hit me and hit me, I squeezed my head very tight on his chest, not hitting me again on my face, protecting my face, you know. As the battle went on, Gitao was soon cut and bleeding. Here he is, with why. what happened next. And then he was hitting me with his mouth and teeth and tearing everything in my back and my head. At one moment I said to myself, oh, jeepers, I got a knife. So I just did that and I squeezed a knife into his chest.

And then it was the big silence. Nothing. Just silence. And then it disappeared. No word yet on the bear, but Guitard is recovering well at home with some major lacerations to his scalp. He says he feels lucky to be alive, and while the attack won't stop him from wandering in the woods, he does plan to carry bear spray in the future. He also says he might apply for a bear hunting license next season. Thanks for being with us. This has been your will tonight for Friday, October 2nd.

I'm Salima Shivji. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.