Your World Tonight - Rising rhetoric in the Mideast, G7 fizzles without Trump, colorectal cancer screening and more

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

The rhetoric and violence are both escalating on all sides in the Iran-Israel war. U.S. President Donald Trump is now demanding Iran’s unconditional surrender, while appearing to threaten the country’s supreme leader. Iran and Israel are firing missiles at each other. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hints at regime change – in Iran.Also: Mark Carney is trying to make the most of what's left of the G7 in Alberta. The leaders kept their meetings going without the most consequential member: Trump. The U.S. president left last night – one day ahead of schedule. Even without him, leaders are focused on delivering more help to Ukraine and putting more pressure on Russia.And: New warnings about colorectal cancer. More young people are being diagnosed with it – and advocacy groups are calling for screening at a younger age.Plus: Indigenous groups protest the One Canadian Economy bill, 23andme fails to protect privacy, and more.

1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades, he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's Personally, Toy Soldier. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. Remember, Iran cannot have any nuclear weapons. Very simple. We've lost a lot of people. They should have done the deal. I told them, do the deal. So I don't know. I'm not too much in a mood to negotiate now.

After leaving the G7 summit, U.S. President Donald Trump may be heading straight to the brink of war, calling for Iran's unconditional surrender, threatening the country's supreme leader, all while U.S. warships and planes mobilize in the Middle East. As Israel and Iran trade deadly strikes and millions seek safety from Tehran to Tel Aviv and beyond, the world waits for the next move from Washington. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Tuesday, June 17th, coming up on 6pm Eastern, also on the podcast. This underscores the importance of standing in total solidarity with Ukraine, with the Ukrainian people. Another explosive conflict taking centre stage as world leaders gather in Alberta and rally around Ukraine, promising more money, more weapons, more sanctions on Russia, adding support at the G7 minus

the United States. Coming up on the podcast, what the G7 hopes to accomplish without Donald Trump, how real is the 30-day timeline to get a Canada-U.S. trade and security deal, plus the pushback against the Carney government's biggest parliamentary bill so far? The signals keep coming. Statements and social media posts from Donald Trump that suggest the United States is considering entering the Israel-Iran war. The U.S. president spent the afternoon with top defense and security staff with the potential

for a wider war in the Middle East hanging in the balance. Paul Hunter begins our coverage from Washington. One thing for sure I can tell you is that the Pentagon is getting ready to give the president options. As the world wonders what steps U.S. President Trump may or may not take next in Israel's war on Iran, James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, sees clues in Trump's words so far. I would say President Trump is signaling the very real possibility that the US would become more involved in this conflict.

Remember, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple. You don't have to go too deep into it. They just can't have a nuclear weapon. Overnight on Air Force One, traveling back to Washington after leaving the G7 summit in Alberta a day early, Trump underlined Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Then in multiple posts on his Truth Social platform today, he was more forceful. Unconditional surrender, he wrote in all caps. Also posting, he knows where Iran's supreme leader is hiding.

And he wrote, we are not going to take him out, kill, at least not for now, adding, our patience is wearing thin. And in another post, Trump wrote, we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Trump using the word we without explaining why that word in a war to date involving only Israel and Iran. Meanwhile, word more U.S. fighter jets are moving into the region, as well as refueling aircraft, a naval destroyer, an aircraft carrier, and other military ships, though at least

some of that is said to have been part of a deployment planned earlier. The unanswered question, as Trump met with security officials in the Situation Room, indeed, will the U.S. enter the fighting, or is it simply flexing muscle to bring Iran to the negotiating table? But force may be the only option, and I've said it as clearly as I can say. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday, among those in Trump's Republican Party who support U.S. involvement, but many do not. Here's Republican Senator Rand Paul, for example. I'm hoping the president will not get involved with the war. And fellow Republican Jim Risch.

This is not our war. This is Iran's war. But on what next for the U.S., which unlike Israel, has the firepower to eliminate Iran's main nuclear site, the question, what is Trump looking for? An end. A real end, not a ceasefire. An end. An end, he said on Air Force One. A real end, not a ceasefire. An end. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. As the U.S. decides where it goes next, people in Iran and Israel are trying to stay safe. Explosions have disrupted life in both countries for a fifth straight day. Downtown Tehran is emptied out, shops closed and highways packed with people fleeing.

And people in Israel are in and out of shelters multiple times a day. The CBC senior international correspondent Margaret Evans has more from Jerusalem. Israel's war with Iran is no longer hidden in the shadows that once contained it, but out in the open, powerful enough to empty out Tel Aviv's beaches while the threat of Iranian missiles remains. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the decision to launch what he calls a pre-emptive strike against Iran will ensure Israel's future. Michael Danilov, one of the few out at the beach across the street from a bomb shelter,

believes him. If it's the right thing to do, many of us hope it's the right thing to do. Many of us hope the government has the people of Israel at the first priority. Israel's military says the aim is to knock out Iran's nuclear capability once and for all. But government ministers here continue to hint at regime change. At a press conference, Defense Minister Israel Katz taunted Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with the ghost of Saddam Hussein. Remember what happened to the dictator in Iraq, he's saying, who took this path against

Israel. Most Israelis consider Iran an existential threat committed to destroying the Jewish state but not everyone favors the government's method. Yair Golan is an opposition leader out viewing damage left by an Iranian missile strike on Monday. We have a very clear mission to diminish the nuclear military capability of Iran. This is the most important issue concerning the existence of Israel. Is it a distraction then that the prime minister keeps mentioning regime? I think it's totally unnecessary, but as you know, I do not support this government.

I think that this government is very problematic. Analysts say Israel shouldn't count on the Iranian people to rise up and topple their own regime, no matter how much they might loathe its repression. Iraqis were bombed in 2003 and 10, 15 years later ISIS showed up. So it's not necessarily a better future that bombs produce. Rened Mansour's with the London-based think tank Chatham House. When you have a missile directed at you and your family, do you say, yes please, bomb us if this means democracy and a better life? Israel's evacuation orders to residents in Tehran have sparked widespread panic, heightened

by an echo from US President Donald Trump, Israel's strongest ally, and the one with the power to shape what remains an uncertain horizon, not just for Israel, but the whole of the Middle East. Margaret Evans, CBC News, Jerusalem. More than 50 Palestinians have been killed and more than 200 wounded while waiting for aid in Khan Yunis. The Gaza Health Ministry says they were crowded around trucks carrying food. Witnesses told journalists Israeli forces opened fire on people gathered nearby. The Israeli military says soldiers did shoot on an approaching

crowd and there were casualties. The IDF says it is investigating. The injured were taken to a local hospital. A WHO trauma surgeon working at the hospital says attacks and repeated mass casualty events have pushed services to the brink. We are walking the fine gray line between operational capacity and poor disaster every day. These means that services are barely available and these means that health workers, supplies, fuel, all these assets that are very necessary for a health system to be fully operational and be able to support the needs of the most vulnerable ones, now is underperforming.

Israel has lifted a month's long aid blockade, but the trickle of supplies like fuel and medications is slow. Coming up on the podcast, what the G7 hopes to accomplish without Donald Trump, plus the pushback against the Carney government's biggest parliamentary bill so far. Mark Carney is trying to make the most of the G7 in Alberta after the summit's agenda was thrown off by Donald Trump's early exit on Monday. The Prime Minister says work for the remaining leaders must go on, and today that work focused heavily on delivering more help to Ukraine.

Murray Brewster has details. From the sound of missile strikes in Kiev to the quiet of Kananaskis. It was a long night for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on his way to the G7. I was on direct connection during the flight with all the ministers and and of course with the chief of air defense and really it was a big attack on civilian infrastructure, on people, just people. The overnight missile and drone strikes killed more than a dozen people in Ukraine.

This is Zelensky's third in-person appearance at the G7 since the full Russian invasion. Russia uses the same playbook every time. Zelensky attends the summit with stepped-up attacks and the slaughter Russian invasion. Russia uses the same playbook every time. Zelensky attends the summit with stepped-up attacks and the slaughter of civilians. Zelensky's message for the allies, Russia needs to be forced to the negotiating table. We are ready for the peace negotiations, unconditional ceasefire.

I think it's very important, but for this we need pressure. Canada answered that plea today with stepped-up sanctions, including those targeting Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers that help evade sanctions. There's $2 billion more in military assistance, and over $2 billion for infrastructure repair in the form of a loan utilizing frozen Russian assets. Prime Minister Mark Carney says even before Zelensky arrived, G7 leaders talked about Ukraine over dinner last night. We underscored the importance of using maximum pressure against Russia, who has refused to come to the table.

The president has led, unconditionally, to come to the table in search of peace. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who is in Canaskis, speaking on CBC's power and politics, expressing confidence that despite the absence and the seeming reluctance of US President Donald Trump, the allies will rally around Ukraine. We have seen President Trump breaking the deadlock with President Putin by starting these direct talks. I commend him for this. And obviously we all want this to go faster but this always takes time. But Trump has blown hot and cold on further sanctions, hinting while he was here at the

G7 that the US would not impose any further penalties. As the summit closed, there was no separate joint statement from the leaders on Ukraine. Instead, Prime Minister Mark Carney referenced Ukraine in his chairman's remarks. Canadian officials speaking on background say the United States objected because any criticism of Russia would endanger Trump's peace initiative. Marie Brewster, CBC News, Banff, Alberta. There is new information tonight about Monday's meeting between Carney and Trump and the comments the Prime Minister made about a one-month deadline for a new trade and security deal.

The CBC's Katie Simpson is at the G7 Summit. Katie, what are you learning? Canada is making a concerted effort to pressure the Americans into reaching a trade and security agreement. And that's why we saw the announcement yesterday from Prime Minister Mark Carney when he posted on social media that both countries are trying to sign a deal within 30 days. According to two senior Canadian government sources speaking to CBC News as well as Radio Canada, Canada wants to push the Americans to cross those T's, dot those I's, and put added pressure on the talks. At the same time, one source tells me that Carney would not have released the timeline

in public in writing if he didn't think it was actually achievable. Canada and the US have been trying to hammer out a broad economic and security cooperation agreement ever since Carney first visited US President Donald Trump in the White House last month. And of course, this was all prompted by Trump imposing a wide swath of tariffs on Canada while complaining about the Canada-US relationship. One source tells Radio Canada that Canada has continually made detailed proposals in these ongoing negotiations and that typically they are received positively by the Americans.

But the source says the Americans have not responded in kind. They've not presented their own detailed positions and that this timeline aims to force them to actually have some development, some proposals and some movement here. Now Donald Trump spoke to reporters on his way back to Washington on his plane last night. He talked about Canada. What can we learn from those comments? Yeah, on board Air Force One, he was asked about his meeting with Mark Carney and more broadly about Canada becoming the 51st state.

Trump said he thinks it would be better for Canada to be a state, but ultimately it's a decision for Canadians. Now that's not necessarily new, but Trump's annexation talk not just about Canada, but also about Greenland and the Panama Canal, it has alarmed world leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Greenland in a show of support in the days leading up to the G7 because that's how concerned he is. Speaking in French, she told reporters today, I'm not going to tell you that things are going in the right direction, whether it's Canada or Greenland. We need respect, he said.

McCrone says annexation talk did not come up directly during those G7 talks, but it's still unsettling. Canadian officials would not say directly whether Trump brought it up during their private meeting yesterday, but they insist it's a non-starter. Thank you, Katie. Thanks. The CBC's Katie Simpson in Banff, Alberta. As the Prime Minister hosts leaders from around the world in Alberta, Mark Carney's plans

for this country are meeting some resistance in Ottawa. Inside and outside the House of Commons today, there were calls to slow down ambitious legislation to boost domestic trade and build infrastructure, with the government racing to pass the bill before the summer break. Olivia Stefanowicz reports. The federal government keeps pushing for these

economic opportunities, but they keep promising us and where have we benefited? Janelle Cornelius boarded a bus at 3.30 in the morning to be here, rallying with dozens of other First Nations members in front of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, a protest organized against the federal government's major projects bill. Sorry, it's very emotional for me as an environmentalist to know that this damage is going to be left to our children. Cornelius is from Oneida Nation of the Thames in southwestern Ontario.

She's concerned the omnibus Bill C-5 will override environmental assessments and treaty rights. We always look seven generations ahead and it could be detrimental not just to First Nations but also all Canadian citizens. The first part of the legislation aims to eliminate all remaining federal barriers to internal trade. But it's the second part of the bill that's causing controversy. It would grant the government sweeping powers to speed up projects deemed in the national interest, such as new mines, ports and pipelines. The challenge with the bill is straightforward. The legislation and the speed at which the government is trying to get it passed is causing Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith to speak out.

I agree with cutting unnecessary red tape to get things done more quickly, but we should be thoughtful and we shouldn't give unchecked power. Members understand that Canada is at a critical moment. Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland says the bill is needed to fight back against US President Donald Trump's tariffs. It is a generational opportunity for Canadians. The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations is calling for the bill to be separated. Cindy Woodhouse-Nipinac says the major projects section needs to be studied more carefully.

First Nations are united. You know, they want prosperity. But they don't want it at the expense of our rights. needs to be studied more carefully. First Nations are united. You know, they want prosperity. But they don't want it at the expense of our rights. Regional Chief Scott McLeod from the Anishinaabeg Nation in Ontario is vowing more action. What we're going to see from today on in is a grassroots movement that they can't ignore.

And First Nations have the ability to shut down the economy not only in Ontario but in all of Canada. Bill C-5 is likely to pass with the support of the Conservatives. Given the growing criticism of the legislation that could be the easy part. Olivia Stefanovic, CBC News, Ottawa. Alberta Conservative Damian Couric has officially resigned as an MP. Couric promised to vacate his seat in the Battle River crowfoot riding shortly after April's election to allow Conservative leader Pierre Poliev to run

in a by-election and regain his place in the House of Commons. Pierre Poliev lost the Ottawa seat of Carleton to his Liberal opponent. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that he will call a by-election in the riding as soon as possible. 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. There are new warnings tonight about a leading killer in Canada and the risk for younger patients. A prominent advocacy group says more people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer

at a younger age and a shift in screening could save lives and money. Alison Northcott explains. So in November of 2014 I started to have some pain in my abdomen. Catherine White was only 43 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer 10 years ago. I felt disconcerted of losing control of my health. I felt like I didn't understand what was happening. So it was a sense of loss of control and also urgency to get a diagnosis

because we knew that something was wrong. Colorectal Cancer Canada says colon cancer in younger adults between the ages of 25 and 49 is on the rise, but right now they aren't eligible for routine screening. We are advocating that it be lowered to start the screening at 45 years old. Barry Stein was diagnosed with colon cancer at 40 in 1995. Now head of colorectal cancer Canada, he says the United States and Australia

both now start screening at 45 and he wants Canada to do the same. We have the data actually from Canada as well right now and what they determined is that it's not only cost effective to do it but we can save thousands of lives by doing it. Screening early can help identify polyps before they progress to cancer or catch cancers earlier when they're easier to treat, says Dr. Charlene Gill, a professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia and a medical oncologist. She says the potential issue around lowering the screening age

is whether the health care system can handle it. The issue would be, well, you know, what would that look like and how do you adopt it in a way that still preserves the capacity that's needed to treat the current population that's eligible for screening that's over age 50. Stein says it's worth the investment to grow the health care system's capacity. He points to a recent study suggesting health care costs of the added screening would be around $300 million over 40 years, but the savings from avoided late stage diagnoses

and the treatment that comes with that would be more than 700 million. It's no excuse to say that we don't have the capacity. We said the same thing when we were talking about implementing the program in the first place. Make the investment, let's save some lives. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Healthcare, an independent group of experts that produces guidelines

for clinicians and policy makers, said it would consider lowering the age based on a thorough review of the latest evidence with experts in colorectal cancer. Alison Northcott, CBC News, Montreal. Millions of people went looking for clues about the past. They wound up worried about the future of their personal information. Now the genetic testing company at the centre of a massive data breach is being fined after an investigation found 23andMe failed to protect customer privacy. Ithal Musa has more. The breach at 23andMe impacted almost 7 million people worldwide, including nearly 320,000 people in Canada.

It happened in 2023 over a period of five months. Hackers gained access to the private genetic information of customers who submitted saliva samples in the mail to 23andMe in hopes of learning about their ancestry. A report released today by Canadian and UK officials found the California-based company failed to adequately monitor, detect, and respond to cyber threats.

The breach serves as a cautionary tale for all organizations about the importance of data protection. Philippe Dufresne is Canada's privacy commissioner. He says some of 23andMe's stolen info was later sold online. You always wonder, you know, who does make you who you are. Founded in 2006, 23andMe was one of the first companies to offer DNA testing directly to consumers. But the breach has hit the company's reputation and bottom line hard, leading to a filing of bankruptcy in March. UK information commissioner

John Edwards says 23andMe failed to take basic steps to protect people's information. The warning signs were there and the company was slow to respond. The UK has now slapped 23andMe with a $4.2 million fine over the data breach. Philippe Dufresne says Canada's privacy laws do not allow him to impose that kind of penalty, but a proposed class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of affected Canadians. Sajjana Motelahi is with KND Complex Litigation. We have, I think, over 15,000 Canadians who have signed up with our law firm in order to receive updates. In a recent plot, TWIST, a company called TTAM, led by 23andMe's former CEO and co-founder,

won a bid to acquire the ailing company for $305 million. 23andMe says TTAM will allow people to delete their accounts at any time, opt out of research, and it will notify them of any breaches. Tech expert Carmi Levy says having the company's old leader back at the helm is somewhat reassuring. The company will not lose control of that data and they promise to continue to protect it as a not-for-profit. So there's some good news here. Levy suggests people carefully reflect on the risks associated with providing companies with such sensitive data.

Ido Moussa, CBC News, Toronto. Finally, you can find lighthouses all over the Canadian coastline helping ships navigate the waters. But this one made its own cross-country voyage and guided the woman who found it back to its family history. It's about a foot tall it's a red and white lighthouse it has Nova Scotia painted on the front and it has like a little light bulb inside of it that that makes it look like a lighthouse. That's Julia Gersini from Maple Ridge,

BC talking about the lighthouse-shaped lamp she found at a local thrift shop. Gersini could tell right away it was no mass-produced tourist trinket, definitely handcrafted, and on the bottom a message built and painted by John and Sheila Jordan in Brighton, Nova Scotia. That sent Gersini to the internet to find out more. She learned the Jordans died several years ago, but after posting a photo of the lamp on a Nova Scotia Facebook group, the replies started pouring in. I have the exact same little lighthouse that she has with their name inscribed on the bottom

in the year that they gave it to me. It was actually in 1999. It blew my mind that one of these lighthouses was over there, yeah. Amanda Farnsworth-Tibodeau is a great niece of the Jordans. She saw the post about the lighthouse. Turns out making them was a retirement hobby for the couple. John was colorblind and after he finished the woodwork, Sheila would paint a color scheme that John could make out. They sold the lamps at the end of their driveway in Brighton, gave some away to family and friends and at least one made it all the way across the country. Thank you for joining us. This has been Your World Tonight for Tuesday, June 17th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.

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