Your World Tonight - Protests In Iran Minneapolis Ice Fallout Canadians Peeved Over Pitch Of Airline Seats And More

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

Protests across Iran continue for the 12th straight day. Demonstrators are angry over the state of the country’s crumbling economy. Clashes have been reported with Iranian security forces and President Trump has issued a warning.Plus: CBC News is on the ground in Minneapolis, Minnesota as protests erupt in the wake of the deadly shooting of a 37-year-old woman following her interaction with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.And: We look at the increasing squeeze on airline passengers caused by decreasing seat space, and why there are calls for Ottawa to step in.Also: The state of Venezuela’s political prisoners, ICE recruitment and training tactics, the plan to wean teens off screens, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. She was trying to ram this guy with her car. He shot back. He defended himself. People in positions of power from the president to the vice president have stood and told you things that are verifiably false. Crossfire in America. Anger and accusations from politicians and the public with Minneapolis on edge after a fatal shooting involving immigration. agents. Protesters are demanding justice for the victim, but the White House is blaming her while promising immunity for the agent who pulled the trigger. Welcome to your world tonight.

I'm Susan Bonner. It is Thursday, January 8th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast, anti-government protests grip Iran. The streets of Tehran and other cities clogged with demonstrators fed up with an economic crisis and fighting through a government crackdown and an internet blackout. It is rare in the tightly controlled regime, but Iran is the scene of sweeping public protests. For 12 nights in a row, protesters have poured into the streets angry over a crippling economic crisis. Now, the government has cut internet access with Canada among the foreign nations expressing concern about violent repression. The U.S. is warning it will step in if more protesters are killed. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans has more.

Pain and frustration over Iran's failing economy have been spilling out onto the streets for nearly two weeks now and spreading. This is the sound of a demonstration in Tehran, images published on social media tonight showing large crowds walking through darkened streets. The protests began in Tehran at the Grand Bazaar. Shop owners crippled by a currency in freefall. Security forces inevitably trying to shut the protests down. Dozens have been killed so far. But the numbers demonstrating right across the country

will rattle Iran's ruling clerics, especially in the wake of Washington's moves on Venezuela. Regional expert Fawaz Gets, Iran now is in the eye of the storm. The big lesson out of the fall of the Venezuelan regime is not Colombia, is not Greenland, is Iran, Iran, Iran. The Iranians know that Iran is the next target. U.S. President Donald Trump has delivered warnings to Tehran about the protests. This one aboard Air Force One several days ago. killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States.

That could embolden protesters who've long hoped for an end to Iran's brutal theocracy, even if many don't believe Donald Trump has their best interests at heart. Iran has endured decades of U.S.-led sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear program, and more saber-rattling from Israel, which last year launched 12 days of what it called a preemptive strikes against Iran, culminating with the U.S. strike on the country's nuclear facilities, has piled extra pressure on the regime. The Islamic Republic has few cards to play. It's cornered by both the Trump administration and Israel.

Sanam Vakil heads the Middle East program at Chatham House here in London. There are no easy off-ramps for the leadership in Iran. They're under distinct political pressure for president. within the economic policy changes that they need to make are not really possible without coming to an accommodation with the U.S. administration. Today, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi chose his words carefully. We do not seek war, he's saying, but we're prepared for it. We are also prepared for negotiations if they're based on mutual respect.

But Iran's negotiating position is clearly. even weaker than it was a year ago. Less clear is how that will impact an increasingly cornered regime, one that has withstood calls for its demise in the past through brutal repression. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London. Protesters also took to the streets of Minneapolis again today after a 37-year-old woman was fatally shot in her car by an ICE agent on Wednesday. Ice go. There were tense scenes, arrests, and tear gas fired as hundreds of demonstrators clashed with federal officers.

Show your face! Show your face! The CBC's Katie Nicholson is in Minneapolis. Katie, describe what you've been seeing and hearing on the streets. It's a lot calmer than it was this morning, those scenes coming out of the Whipple building, that area where ice works out of, where there were clashes early this morning, where I am right now. is near sort of

34th, East 34th in Portland. That's that intersection where Renee Nicole Good was shot by that ice agent yesterday. It's just a growing vigil. There've been hundreds of people passing through here from the community. Some just getting down on their knees

and praying, others holding one another. And a lot of people here holding signs as well. I ran into a guy, Mark McKeevey, he's holding a sign that simply said, she is good. I asked him why he chose that sign. The reason why I chose it was because our president and his Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Chrissy Nome, have said this was a domestic terrorist.

This was a mother of a six-year-old child. She was driving the SUV away from the danger. She was not a domestic terrorist. She was good. This is an eclectic neighborhood. There are artists, there are immigrants, all coming together here. There are fires burning. People are handing out food trying to really offer one another solace in the face of this.

And part of that reason is there are fears about tensions sort of boiling over as well. We've heard the governor say a couple of times to really urge people not to give the federal government any sort of invitation to bring boots on the ground here. So that's also an element at play here in this, in the news. neighborhood. And there's been some tension in the city, as you have reported on, for weeks, with this surge of ICE agents sent into Minneapolis. How is that affecting what's happening now? Well, right now, I mean, there's more sorrow here than there was before, but that tension is still very much sort of foreign center. People were worried. They were scared back in December that

something like this would happen. And they said, you know, this is going to maybe go into a bit of a lull over Christmas, and they were worried of a big surge happening in January. Sure enough, that's what's happened. And there were fears that they were going to see something like this, a tragedy happened, because they had been observing the ice agents. And our own cameras actually captured some of those ice agents and what appeared to be portraying, dropping weapons in the middle of conflicts, that sort of thing. These types of things that observers have been worried about showing that perhaps these officers may not be trained in de-escalation tactics. Katie, thank you.

You're welcome. The CBC's Katie Nicholson reporting from Minneapolis. The finger-pointing goes all the way from Minnesota to Washington, D.C. Renee Good's death is sparking more political division in a country that seems to be pulling further and further apart. Katie Simpson has more. The president stands with ice. I stand with ice. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance aggressively defended the actions of the ICE agent who fired the fatal shots in Minnesota.

And even though an investigation is barely underway, he made it explicitly clear. The Trump administration already views the officer's actions as justified. She was trying to ram this guy with her car. He shot back. He defended himself. This narrative has been widely disputed by state and local officials and by many, in the public based on videos capturing the moments Renee Good was shot. But in a remarkable news conference, Vance appeared defiant, blaming Good for her own killing. I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it's a tragedy of her own making. He also claimed Good was part of some vast conspiracy made up of his political opponents,

presenting no credible evidence to back up his statements. That woman is part of a broader left-wing network to attack, to docs, assault and to make it impossible for our ICE officers to do their job. And he attacked journalists who question the Trump administration's perspective. You should be ashamed of yourselves, every single one of you. The White House has a history of using this kind of rhetoric as a way to assign blame and also seek a political advantage in difficult moments. Minnesota Governor Tim Walls appeared emotional and frustrated with the messaging from the White House.

I told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate. They have determined the character of a 37-year-old mom that they didn't even know, don't know. Good's ex-husband told a reporter that she had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school and was driving home at the time of the shooting and that he'd never known her to attend a protest. Walls remains concerned about the investigation, fearing federal authorities have already reached a conclusion with the FBI leading the case and pushing state authorities aside. Now that Minnesota has been taken out of the investigation, it feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome.

But the head of Homeland Security, Christy Noem, says local authorities were never supposed to lead this case. They have not been cut out. They don't have any jurisdiction in this investigation. She, too, appeared defiant. At a combative news conference, she denounced politicians who have criticized the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement operations. That kind of language and that kind of provocative talk inciting people. to take action and perpetuate violence in some cases is unacceptable and especially of elected leaders. In this volatile moment, there are no signs the rhetoric will ease with concerns it could lead to more violence. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. Coming right up, a new high-profile campaign aimed at getting kids off screens

from a company that depends on people staying online. And hope for Venezuela's political prisoners under pressure to release them, the country's leaders say some are being set free. Later, we'll have this story. This viral video taking flight. Dad, can you just straighten out your legs there? Impossible. A Westjet passenger in a tight squeeze.

Can't recline, you can't move. He's jammed in there like a sardine. The video viewed more than a million times raising questions about the state of air travel. The next thing you're going to know, there's going to be a coin machine at the washer. I'm Aaron Collins in Calgary. I'll cram all the details into my story later on Your World Tonight.

Rogers Communications has launched a national program to curb screen time among teens and tweens, calling on famous athletes to help spread the word. Many welcome the effort, but others say the issue requires sweeping legislation to make a real difference. Deanna Suminac Johnson reports. I mean, I would say you need to challenge yourself. Go home and hand your phone over to mom and dad. That's Toronto Blue J star George Springer, talking to kids about limiting screen time. Part of a $50 million investment over five years by Rogers Telecommunications,

which includes grants for organizations that encourage youth to get active, commissioning annual studies on youth screen time, and bringing professional athletes into schools to talk about healthy screen use. We'll take any resources we can get as a society that's still grappling with this problem. Technology expert and journalist Carmi Levy says Rogers, is a good thing, but adds skepticism about the company's motivations is warranted. It's almost like would you trust the fox guarding the henhouse. And certainly this is a company that has spent the better part of the last 20 years of the smartphone and social media and

wireless era pushing technologies, products and services. Still, he says Rogers is entering the conversation about online harms to teens and tweez at a crucial time. Just weeks ago, Australia became the first country to ban social media for kids under 16. In Canada, parent groups have been calling on the federal government to introduce similar legislation, with provincial government in Quebec floating that idea too. The train has left the station. This technology exists. People are using it. Children's psychologist, Dr. Nicole Racine, works as a researcher at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and says it doesn't matter that the money is coming from a telecommunications company. There's an emphasis on collaborating with schools, like going into schools and providing information directly to youth.

I think that's actually, that's excellent, because so often parents are struggling to help their kids manage green time. Andrea Chrysanthu also welcomes the Rogers initiative. She's an advocate for Children First Canada and mom of 12-year-old Nathaniel, and she says families can't do it on their own. This is not on them. They can't do it by themselves. And so it's a lot on parents to have to, on top of everything else, to monitor this new thing. Our parents didn't have to deal with this. Analysts add that $50 million spread out over five years is actually not very much money.

They hope Rogers' initiative inspires other tech giants to also open up their wallets and help tackle their crisis they in part contributed to. Deanna Suminac Johnson, CBC News, Toronto. Venezuela's government says it has begun to release political prisoners. calling the move a gesture of peace. The country has been under pressure to free hundreds of people imprisoned by then-president Nicolas Maduro's administration. But after his capture by U.S. forces, there is now hope for families watching and waiting

to see if their loved ones are released. Evan Dyer has that story. The three of us were all in the same torture center, says Sorbaiparia, with her son, Oswaldo and daughter Diana. Eight years ago, the family's father, a colonel in Venezuela's National Guard, was accused of conspiring against the Maduro regime. Fifty men came into our house, all black, heavily armed. It was the beginning of days of beatings, electric shocks,

and threats of rape against Deanna and the other women. We're going to go one by one. We're going to do the same to your mother, to your two cousins. Locked in a tiny closet in the torture house, Osvaldo heard his girlfriend, Diana, now his wife, being tortured with a bag held over her. her head. I could hear how she was like trying to catch the air because she couldn't breathe. Today most of the Garcia Paloma family is safe in Montreal. But father Oswaldo Sr. remains in

Venezuela with a 30-year sentence. There's been no contact for two years. Letters go unanswered. We still feel we're being tortured, says his wife soar by. As long as he's not here and we don't know what's happening to him. And this is handsome Juan Pablo in high school. In Calgary, Lu Surodaneta is thinking of her childhood friend, Juan Pablo Juanipa. A prominent opposition leader, Juanipa was seized last year. He has high blood pressure, he has diabetes. We haven't seen him. We have no contact with him. We don't know where he is.

Like many Venezuelans, Lu Surodaneta assumed that following the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the first order of business would be to liberate prisoners like Juanipa. The Trump administration has repeatedly said it calls the shots in Caracas. Their decisions are going to continue to be dictated by the United States of America. But prisoners don't seem to be a U.S. priority. Are you going to demand that Delsierod Regas free any political prisoners? We haven't gotten to that yet. Right now, what we want to do is fix up the oil, fix up the country.

On Thursday, the regime said it would release some prisoners as a goodwill gesture, but didn't say when, who, or how many. What are we waiting for? Why do we keep those people suffering for no risk? do this without waiting for others see to happen. This is just opening the door. Meanwhile, Venezuela's socialist regime continues to make new arrests.

We don't have Maduro, but we have the same things happening, same people that have torture and murder in power. So what is the change? It's just a different name president? No, we need things to happen

so we can see the Venezuelans and believe that we'll end up with a democratic and free country. That's what we all Venezuelans want. Evan Dyer, CBC News, Ottawa. We return now to the situation in Minneapolis and the fallout of that fatal shooting involving ICE agents. For months, many Americans have been questioning the tactics immigration officers are using and the amount of training they get. Jamie Strasson looks at how the

controversial law enforcement team is being built. Join ICE and help us catch us. the worst of the worst. The recruitment is being intense, the rapid expansion of immigration and customs enforcement or ICE unprecedented. President Trump came into office with his keystone issue being a massive interior enforcement operation. And congressional Republicans responded to that by funding it.

They gave the Department of Homeland Security a historic amount, $170 billion. Sarah Pierce, director of the third-way think tank in Washington, says in the course of a few short months, the agency has grown from 10,000 agents to more than 22,000. We don't have a lot of transparency around who they're hiring. In the wake of Wednesday's fatal shooting in Minneapolis, there is increased scrutiny around the level of training these new agents have received, says author Garrett Graf, who was written about ICE. Even before last year's hiring surge began, ICE officers were among the least trained and least educated in federal law enforcement. And in fact, DHS has substantially cut the training and education

standards to help better align the agency with hiring this vast number of new officers. At its main Georgia training facility, new recruits now receive about eight weeks of training, down from 13. Spanish language training is also no longer provided. Scott Schuart was an assistant director at ICE during the Biden administration. Things that used to get more emphasis are bound to be getting less, whether what they're putting less emphasis on are technical legal issues in immigration law or whether they're putting less emphasis on safety and use of force and things like that. I don't know. The reduced training, SchuCart says, is being exacerbated by the way ICE agents are currently

being deployed. He says previously most encounters involve people already detained or focused on high-value targets. Now, ICE agents are simply forced. flooding cities. They are getting people who are not dangerous, have no criminal history, who they were not attempting to find as fugitives before, and they are just doing these sort of stops on the streets. These interactions carried out in many cases by new recruits a recipe for violence, says Juliet Kayem, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. This is a agency that has basically been given the energy to do these kinds of enforcement efforts in civilian society where there is no, there's no law enforcement purpose for this.

The result, she says, unnecessary violence and death. Jamie Strassion, 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. Travelers know it's usually a tight squeeze when you're flying commercial airlines. Now a viral video recorded over the holidays has people worried the space crunch, maybe getting even worse.

It shows a man struggling to fit into a seat on a west jet flight. Aaron Collins reports. This video, flying out your legs there. This video flying around the internet. A family struggling to squeeze into their seats on a wall. West jet flight. Yeah, you have to pay for the other leg. Manfred Schmidt and his family on their way to the Dominican Republic when his daughter shot the video. Can't recline, you can't move. You're jammed in there like a sardine. The six foot three Schmidt bought an ultra basic ticket, but was caught off guard by the

cramped accommodations. I was surprised at the seat. I mean, I fly west jet a lot. I could not get into the seat. I mean, I tried to get my knees in front of me. The video of Schmidt's flight viewed more than a million times online, resonating on the ground at Edmonton's airport, too. I was just like, oh, that's not very good. Like, obviously they were completely under, like the guy couldn't even put his leg up. It's terrible, really. It's reached a situation. If you want any sort of reasonable travel, you have to pay extra.

Westjet announced it would be cutting back on legroom for some seats in the fall. The recent backlash, no surprise to industry-wise. This was inevitable that there would have to be some type of day of reckoning, as I call it. John Graddock is an aviation expert at McGill University. I think this is the lowest pitch that we have for economy seats across any North American carrier. But it matches the pitch of European low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, EasyJet and Whiz. Graddock says there are no regulations for passenger legroom in Canada, provided the seat is safe. And for its part, Westjet says it made the changes to keep prices down.

The airline later posted on social media that it's monitoring its customers' concerns, admitting that less leg room isn't ideal for all. But Graddock says it could be time for regulators to weigh in. How far do you let the airline industry do these wild and crazy things? And when does the government step in to kind of say, enough is enough. As for Manfred Schmidt, he says he'd welcome more rules to protect passengers. I mean, the next thing you're going to know, there's going to be a coin machine at the washer for you to try to go and use the washroom on a flight. For its part, Transport Canada says issues related to passenger comfort, customer experience, or the airline business's decisions don't fall within its mandate.

Aaron Collins, CBC News, Calgary. And we closed tonight, marking the loss of a legendary goaltender and one of hockey's great ironmen. Leon up over the Chicago line, trying to break through, he did, he took a shot, and that was stopped by Glenn Hall. Glenn Hall was a Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also played for Detroit and St. Louis, a pioneer of modern goaltending techniques and a Hall of Famer. but Hall is best known for what's considered one of the most untouchable records in professional sports. You played 502 consecutive games in the NHL. Isn't that ridiculous, hey, like you worry about your job?

I certainly wasn't going to let those kids come in and take my job. I stayed in there. That's Glenn Hall speaking with the CBC's Peter Zoski in 1977. Hall started in 502 straight NHL games between, 1955 and 1962, the next longest streak is 257. It's unimaginable consistency by today's standards when goalies rarely play in back-to-back games because it's too physically demanding. And he did it all while taking pucks to the face. Years before goalie masks became widespread. Speaking in 2018, Hall said he preferred a heavy

workload. I knew after a few years that I played a lot of games in a row and I was proud of it. This deal of switching you play today and so-and-so plays tomorrow. I hated that. Play me if I'm playing well. Hall was born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He died Wednesday in Stony Plain, Alberta, where he lived for decades and where the local hockey arena bears his name. Glenn Hall, was 94. Thank you for joining us. This has been your world tonight for Thursday, January 8th. I'm Susan Boner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.