Your World Tonight - Toronto festival shooting, Lindsey Graham dead at 71, 'Little House on the Prairie' reboot, and more.

Episode Date: July 12, 2026

A celebration of Latin music, dancing and food quickly turned into chaos Saturday night in Toronto. Two men are dead and four other people are wounded after a shooting at a popular street festival. Witnesses say as the sound of gunfire pierced the air - panic took hold, sending thousands of festivalgoers fleeing to safety. Police say a complex investigation is now underway. Also: U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has died unexpectedly at the age of 71. He's being remembered as one of the most influential and controversial figures within the modern U.S. Senate. A one time Trump critic turned ally, he used his power to advance the President's agenda. You'll hear how his legacy is being remembered very differently by his friends and his critics. And: After more than 40 years, the Ingalls family is moving back in to their Little House on the Prairie. The rebooted version of the TV show has the same basic premise. The creators say they're trying to be faithful to the beloved book series, while also revamping the material for new audiences.Plus: U.S. and Iran trade more strikes, Flooding in Manitoba, Iceland's referendum on joining the European Union, and more.

With the help of Google AI, CropMind is giving farmers early and accurate insights on crop health, helping them protect their harvests and increase yields. Innovation is Canada's story. Let's tell it together. Find out more at g.co slash Canadian innovation. This is a CBC podcast. We heard the shots.

We looked behind us and we just saw all these people running. This is just, it was really scary, shocking moment for all of us. Shear terror at a Toronto festival as shots ring out and two people are killed. Now event organizers across the country are looking for ways to be safer. This is your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris. Also on the podcast, Shock in Washington with the sudden death of Senator Lindsay Graham, how his controversial legacy is being remembered.

Plus, Obviously it's very important this year with the looming referendum. Because we're not going to have a chance to have this conversation again. Politicians hit the Calgary stampede to shake hands and talk up national unity. A celebration of Latin music, dancing, and food quickly turned into chaos Saturday night. Two men are dead after a shooting at a popular street festival in Toronto. Four people are hurt. Witnesses say as the sound of gunfire pierced the air, panic took hold,

sending thousands fleeing to safety. As Philip Lichenock reports, police say a complex. investigation is now underway. I've seen people part like the Red Sea. Igosa I Jinwa didn't hear the shots bring out. He just saw people start running. And then as I turn my head, everything starts unraveling. I see some dude get, people are like carrying them like a stretcher.

They didn't have a stretch on them, so they just did it themselves. Julia Vasconcellus was also in a crowd of people when she heard someone yelling that there'd been a shooting and saw someone on the ground. He just heard a lot of people screaming like, oh my God, he got shot at his face. And then we go to rush to see what happened. And then all we saw was like a whole bunch of like paramedics and police. Just like trying to give him CPR. Witnesses described a chaotic scene as festival goers. Some with children ran for cover and took shelter inside nearby businesses.

I just heard the gunshots and we all ducked. Harsh Chala, owner of a nearby Indian restaurant, says he brought people inside to make sure they were safe. We brought as many people as we could. It was scary. It was a scary experience. Paramedics treated victims at the scene before transporting several people to hospital. Toronto police say six people in total were shot. Two men were killed.

One at the scene. One died later in hospital. Deputy Chief Frank Barado says two guns were recovered and officers are investigating three separate crime scenes. No arrests have been made. This seemed to be an exchange of gunfire between individuals targeting each other. Obviously, indiscriminately putting

vast numbers of people in great danger. Police say they don't know what precipitated the gunfight and have not said if the two shooters are among the deceased. Local city councillor Josh Matlow, who attends the festival every year, says the details of the investigation are crucial. Because we need to understand exactly what happened. And any evidence-based steps that we can take to ensure that our festivals are safer, we should be taking.

Bernard Arsisternus, who lives in the area, says it makes him think twice about attending the many sites. summer festivals in the city. There was already police around. So you go, okay, but more needs to happen to feel safe. And you realize nothing can make you feel safe because it doesn't take much. It takes one, two people to ruin it all.

Police say there's no ongoing threat to the public, but investigators are still in the area and are gathering what they say is an extensive amount of video evidence. Event organizer Salson, Toronto, says the last day of the festival has been canceled. Phil Bchnock, CBC News, Toronto. The violence in Toronto highlights a problem facing event organizers across Canada. How to keep large crowds safe.

Alexander Silberman reports on that. It was really scary, shocking moment for all of us. Angela Maza is still rattled after gunfire last night turned a celebration outside her Toronto family butcher shop into a frantic scramble to get to safety. The business took in people off the street as a safe haven amidstance. the violence. We love Sal San Sinclair, except for like this moment kind of just crushed it for us. It's the

latest incident at a large outdoor gathering, raising questions about public safety. We just don't feel protected. It's impossible to stop everything. Kevin Kennedy is a former police officer and owner of Kennedy crowd safety solutions.

He says measures like bag checks on a public street help deter, but don't eliminate all threats and says attendees need to be vigilant. We can't make it the type of event where we have made people feel so safe that they are not aware of their surroundings. Festival organizers across Canada are significantly increasing spending on security measures. Last year's deadly car ramming at Vancouver's Lapu-Lapu-Day celebration prompted many events to add protective barriers. But security companies say planning for

outdoor public events is challenging. The presence of cameras and security guards are no longer like effective deterrence. Matisse Shaw is president of Toronto-based Empire security. More brazen attacks like this were happening in broad daylight. Shaw's firm offers solutions like metal detectors, wands, bag searches, and screening to prevent weapons from entering events. But he acknowledges a large security presence can change the feel of a community gathering. Want everyone to feel welcome.

When you put in hard closures like bag checks and access control and tickets, it kind of reduces the amount of people that may attend. In Toronto, yellow police tape hangs near Maza's shop, a site that leaves the business owner questioning the festival's future. I don't know if we should have it. Next year, to tell you the truth. You just don't feel safe. A local city councilor told the Toronto Star

the festival's location should be reconsidered because of safety concerns. But amid the fear, police are trying to reassure the public. Frank Barreto is deputy chief of the Toronto Police Service. Toronto is one of the safest cities in the world, but we are 3 million people, and unfortunately we are not completely immune to some of the things that happen globally, quite frankly. A reality, leaving event organizers and law enforcement on high alert with the joy of a street festival left shattered by violence. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Montreal. Tensions continue to build in the Middle East after strikes in the region from both the United States and Iran. issue, disagreement over passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Julia Wong tells us more from

Washington. A stream of missiles launched by U.S. forces lights up the night sky, in video posted by U.S. Central Command. It says the barrage of attacks hit roughly 140 Iranian military targets. Later, fresh attacks on other targets on Hesh Island. This forceful response, after an Iranian strike on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump. We hit them very hard last night. We had to deal with them yesterday. They were giving up everything.

And then all of a sudden, they hit a ship with a drone. In retaliation, video aired by Iranian state media shows what it claims are strikes aimed at U.S. military targets in the region, such as Kuwait and Bahrain. The U.S. needs to abide to the Memorandum of Understanding, aimed at ending hostilities. and reached last month between the two countries, says an Iranian army spokesperson. Last night, the Americans intervened for the umpteenth time, he says, and I say our presence gave a firm and overwhelming response. That MOU also reopened the strait, an important energy corridor.

But that is on shaky ground. Iran insists ships use a specific route close to its shores. The U.S. disagrees. Former State Department Middle East analyst and negotiator, Aaron David Miller, says the Iranians have weaponized geography. They have found a weapon that is much safer and more effective than the development of a nuclear weapon. And that is to turn the Straits of Hormuz into literally an ATM machine, but also to use it as a way to gain increased leverage with Kegov states. The two sides are also far apart on whether the strait is even open, right now. While American interventions continue in the region, Iran's Revolutionary Guards say

the strait is closed until further notice. U.S. Central Command on social media pushed back, saying it is open and adds American forces are ready to help with safe passage. Miller says a sizable U.S. military operation could keep the straight open, but that may not be something the Trump administration wants to commit to. This could be the new normal, although I suspect that's not sustainable? Trump has suggested the interim deal with Iran is over, but mediators continue to work behind the scenes to shore up a permanent deal and de-escalate tensions on all sides. Julia Wong, CBC News, Washington. Lindsay Graham is being remembered as one of the most influential and controversial figures within the modern U.S. Senate. He died Saturday unexpectedly at the age of 71.

A one-time Trump adversary turned ally, he used his power to advance the president's agenda. As we hear from Katie Simpson, his legacy is viewed very differently by his friends and his critics. Lindsay Graham had a big smile on his face as he enthusiastically shook Volodemir Zelensky's hand. All seemed perfectly well on Friday during his meeting with the Ukrainian president. It's partly why the senator's death seemed so shocking. It would be his last public appearance. Graham returned to Washington on Saturday, and by the evening, paramedics were dispatched to his home.

The senator was pronounced dead in hospital. His office says he suffered a brief and sudden illness. He was like a member of the family to me. It's very tough, actually. President Donald Trump says he spoke to Graham on the phone in his final hours and did not suspect anything was wrong. He sounded a little tired, but perfect, but a little bit tired. I had a right to be.

And he was a worker. Graham was first elected to the Senate representing South Carolina in 2002. A socially conservative Republican, he aggressively advocated for U.S. military intervention abroad. He backed the war in Iraq. He organized support for Ukraine and Israel, repeatedly comparing the war in Gaza to the Second World War. Well, why is it okay? Can I say this? Why is it okay for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagas?

to end their existential threat war. Why was it okay for us to do that? I thought it was okay. To Israel do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Graham worked to advance President Trump's agenda, even though their personal relationship was fraught at times. I think he's a kook. I think he's crazy.

I think he's unfit for office. Graham attacked Trump during the 2016 election, but after many rounds of golf together, he became a loyal ally. He helped Trump make the Supreme, Court more conservative, defending then nominee Brett Kavanaugh as he faced sexual assault allegations. This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics.

Republican Senator Tim Scott is remembering Graham as a dedicated lawmaker. He spent his life in public service because he loved America. Democrat Adam Schiff says Graham was a larger-than-life figure. You have folks in political life who can disagree and not be disagreeable about it. But on social media, conspiracy theorists have seized on the sudden nature of Graham's passing, and countless videos have emerged mocking his death. And I don't care of you're pissed off that I'm celebrating. Lucy Grimm's terrible person. The reaction illustrates the deep partisan divide gripping American politics in the Trump era, an era that Graham helped shape.

Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. In Bangkok, at least 27 people are dead after a five in a pub. Rescuers say it broke out around midnight local time Monday. Video on social media shows people running into the street as flames engulf the building. City officials say at least 63 others were injured with 22 of them in critical condition. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Still ahead, Little House on the Prairie returns to the small screen. It's missing Michael Landon, but it does have updated content for a contemporary audience. Hear all about the reboot. Coming up on your world tonight. Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Calgary this weekend at the stampede, like other Canadian

leaders before him, but there's a different element to this year's rodeo, Alberta's looming separation referendum. Politicians of all stripes have come from Ottawa to the greatest outdoor show on earth to try to convince Alberta to stay. Rafi Bougiuchanan reports. Flipping pancakes, the easy part for Prime Minister. Mark Carney. Preaching to the converted at a community breakfast in Calgary. Edmontonian stick together, you know. Kara Olenek got right up next to Carney for a selfie.

We're a great country together, so I'm glad that federal politics can be here and show their support for our province. Jared Stang took his daughter to meet the Prime Minister. Our province, we're dealing with a separatist question, and for him to be here showing the support that Canada has. like the way that Canada needs Alberta and Alberta needs Canada, and I think that's a really important thing. In just over three months,

Albertans will weigh in on a referendum that asks them to decide whether their province should stay in Canada or have another eventual vote on secession. Momentum is real, and you are real. Telling the hundreds who showed up to a pro-separation breakfast, they should stay may be the challenge for Carney. Keith Wilson is a spokesperson. for the Let Alberta Decide Movement.

The lawyer has previously represented the so-called freedom convoy that blockaded Ottawa for weeks in 2022 over COVID-19-related health mandates. We're focused on increasing the number of people who are prepared to think about Alberta's relationship in Canada and whether or not Alberta can do better. So our real focus is not on those who've already decided. One of Carney's plans to mitigate separatist sentiment, a new pipeline to the the West Coast that's in the last stages of approval before consultations and construction.

He jokes about the work with a liberal-friendly blacksmith among the vendors at the Calgary Stampede. But even Mark Nickerson thinks the chances of the project's completion are slim. Not in my lifetime. I think he's under pressure from the Alberta government. and I think he is trying to, you know, he's definitely trying to work with them. Alberta has also seen some attention from the official opposition, conservative leader Pierre Pellev, showing up at the stampede and making his unity pitch.

We will unite our people and our country around our common values, common history, common bonds, and common sense. We will fight for the country, we'll fight for Canada, including in the upcoming referendum, to win back Albertans, to win back Albertans through hope, not by wagging our fingers or lecturing them. Support for separation remains around 30% by the count of most pollsters. The race now will be about mobilizing and getting the vote out for both sides

as October 19th looms ahead. Rafi Bji Kahn. On CBC News, Calgary. Manitoba's second largest city continues to prepare for flooding. About 4,000 people are on evacuation alert, with peak river levels expected in the next 24 hours. Karen Pauls is there and has this. report. And you want to treat? Oh, you want to treat?

Lana Carnegie lives just two blocks away from the Assiniboine River in Brandon, Manitoba, with her border collie Austin and her cat, Haley. Where's your ball? We have to pack a ball. Carnegie started to worry Sunday morning when she saw how high the water is. She's one of about 4,000 residents who have received an evacuation alert. After we came back from the walk, I got the pet stuff already by the back door, the kennels and the food and their favorite tour. and things like that just in case we go. The river is about two and a half meters higher than normal,

swollen after heavy rainfall in the last month. Monitoring, monitoring, monitoring. Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett says he is confidence in the prep work already done and in the improvements to bridges, roads and dikes since a major flood in 2011. It could be way worse. As we were speaking, Fawcett got noticed the water was starting to leak through super sandbag dikes,

over a major thoroughfare. City crews setting up pumps to clear it out. Western Manitoba has been hit with a series of storms and record rainfall. Roads, bridges and train tracks have been washed out. The regional hospital is expected to be closed for months because of flood damage. We want to make sure that we get through this so that the province and others can continue to focus on our neighbors. So we just don't have enough capacity. On Friday, Premier Wab Canoe praised Brandon for its efforts.

are doing a good job of trying to anticipate and prepare. Canoe announced a new assistance program to help people without insurance. The province is also matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross, an initial $15 million. Christine Stevens, director of Manitoba's Emergency Management Organization, said the goal is for people and communities to build back better. Broads built to a higher standard. Homes will be able to install sewer backup valves or sun pumps. there will be resilience built in for Manitobans and for communities who access the DFA program.

And that's the first time that we'll be able to provide that to claimants under this program. Back in one of Brandon's Riverside Parks, Brian Martin and his wife came to see just how high the river is getting. They've done a lot of work. It seems to be working. He's keeping a close eye on the water levels, hoping he and his neighbors won't need any of that provincial disaster assistance in the upcoming days. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Brandon, Manitoba. A community in eastern Alberta is cleaning up after a tornado passed through on Saturday evening. It happened in the hamlet of Tullaby Lake, about 60 kilometers northwest of Lloydminster. Local officials say the tornado damaged several structures along with some agricultural and oil sites.

No injuries have been reported. It's already a highly active tornado season in the prairies fueled by higher temperatures and heavy rains. Environment Canada says there have been 48 tornadoes across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba so far this year. Spain's former Prime Minister is being lambasted for a remark about France's national soccer team. In a column, Mariano Rehoi wrote about the French squad, saying they don't have any French players. Pedro Sanchez, the current Spanish Prime Minister, called the comment xenophobic and shameful. In France, several politicians say Rehoi's words are, unacceptable, insulting, and blatantly racist.

France and Spain face each other in the FIFA World Cup semifinals on Tuesday. Security, money and fish are all weighing on the minds of people in Iceland as it gears up for a referendum next month. Voters will decide if their country should enter into talks with Brussels about joining the European Union. Freelance reporter John Last explains the key issues. As a place of work, it's hard to beat. A boat gently rocking, the sun setting over an Icelandic fjord, and fish practically jumping into the net.

It's not like this every day for Iceland's small-scale fisheries. In fact, most of the time they feel they're in a desperate fight for survival. What unifies us is our shared anxieties. Kirtan Svanson is chairman of the National Association of Small Boat Owners. They represent the small fisheries that wants... sustained dozens of fishing villages, but increasingly they're the minnows of Iceland's fishing economy. It's getting more consolidated every year. The basis for existence in these fishing villages is just swept away. That's one reason, Svenson says, that some of his members are feeling

hopeful about a referendum this summer over joining the European Union. Iceland abandoned EU session talks in 2013, but after elections in 2024 brought a pro-European coalition to power, those plans were rekindled. Now, polling suggests that the country is sharply divided. Maximilian Conrad is a professor of political science at the University of Iceland. 30% of the population is quite interested in the EU. 30% is very much against. What we're talking about is basically the big 40% in the middle. One of the wedge issues is fisheries policy, fears that EU membership might open Icelandic waters to European competition. This is very often construed as, you know, this is a natural,

resource that belongs to the Icelanders when in fact, you know, in the 1980s, was actually sold to private interests. Unusually, Europe has signaled some willingness to make exceptions to its common fisheries policy. And some advocates hope it might finally present an opportunity to break the stranglehold of Iceland's so-called fishing quota kings. Tortervalder Gilfison is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Iceland. Iceland has proved itself to be unable to deal with its class of oligarchs, and this would be easy if Iceland were a full member of the European Union. Gilfusson says emotional issues like fisheries and the future of Iceland's currency are being used

to stoke fears that EU membership will lead to a loss of sovereignty. But the real deciding factor may be neither Icelandic fishermen nor European bankers, but the U.S. president. Donald Trump's interest in Greenland and disinterest in NATO has many Icelanders nervous about security. The U.S. ambassador even joked that Iceland could become a 52nd state. Without the changing geopolitical situation, this wouldn't have happened. That means one way or another, sovereignty will be on the ballot when Icelanders head to the polls. The referendum vote is scheduled for August 29th. For CBC News, I'm John Last in Ottawa. After more than 40 years, the Ingalls family is back to their little house on the prairie. With a new streaming reboot, the creators say they're trying to be faithful to the

beloved books, while also updating the material for new audiences. Christine Pagelion reports. Once upon a time, Ma and Pa and Mary and Laura left the big woods of Wisconsin and moved to the prairie. Though set in 19th century Kansas, the reboot was filmed entirely in Manitoba. The creative team chased that wide open, untouched prairie look, but Mother Nature did not always cooperate, says showrunner Rebecca Sonnonshine. The crew faced cold snaps, snow, flooding, tornadoes, lightning, high winds, and plenty of ticks. So we really feel like we're going through it a little bit. We get a little taste of what it was like on the prairie, although, of course,

we have lots of modern conveniences. The new series is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's third little house novel. Sonninshine says that Wilder's writing has been part of her life for years. Well, I was a huge fan of the books. I read them a million times. It's a kid. I love them. The adaptation is set in the 1860s as the Ingalls settle on Osage land, only to learn the U.S. government is still negotiating a land treaty. The book series has long-faced criticism for its stereotypical portrayals of black and indigenous characters. Unlike the original series, which ran from 1974 to 1983, the Little House reboot aims to

address those criticisms by making Osage characters central to the main story. not pushed off the sideline. We're actually in the circle. Ojibway actor Mi Gwan Fairbrother plays William Mitchell, described as a mixed blood-o-sage farmer. He says unlike past depictions of indigenous characters, the Mitchells are wealthy, well-educated, and speak

several languages. We're well-off. It's really interesting to see First Nations depicted like that during, like a historical time. Ojibwe actor Ran Joaquinam Gautz plays the Mitchell's daughter, Good Eagle. I feel like in the old series, it was

a bit misrepresented of Native Americans and that when we can start a new like this, that we feel better about representing the Osage cultures. To make the portrayals, costumes, and sets as accurate as possible, the creative team worked with Osage cultural and language consultants, as well as Osage artists whenever possible. The first season is streaming now on Netflix, and the second season is currently shooting in Manitoba. Christine Pagulay on CBC News, Toronto.

By-elections don't normally make international news, but one in the UK is intergalactic. Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain's populist reform party, is running for re-election as MP in Clacton after he resigned from the post. He didn't have to do that, but he faces questions over how he gets his political funding, in particular gifts worth millions. Farage faced a second parliamentary investigation but decided a by-election would symbolize the people versus the establishment.

Other UK leaders call it fake, a hissy fit, a desperate stunt. Well, there's another candidate who doesn't mind a stunt. My job is to demonstrate that British democracy is wonderful and unique in the entire cosmos. Meet Count Binface, a 5,000-year-old. old space alien from planet Sigma 9, aka comedian John Harvey in a silver cape with a trash bin on his head. It's not his first kick at the political can. Count Binface has challenged five UK prime ministers unsuccessfully. I was actually looking forward to a bit of putting my space boots up.

But when I heard Nigel throwing his toys out of the pram, I couldn't resist it. The Count has been doing the media rounds, including CBC's as it happens, and the BBC, where he outlined his platform. I will tailor my manifesto to the local area, as always. But most of my national policies will remain, building at least one affordable house, nationalizing Adele, and, of course, moving the hand dryer in the Jen's Toilet, in the Crown and Treaty Pub, Uxbridge, to a more sensible position,

because, as you know, it's a national issue. Whether his pledge resonates with the people of Clacton is unlikely. He's never been. And in his last challenge against Andy Burnham, the man poised to be the next PM, BinFace won 95 votes. But he tells the BBC he is one big thing going for him. What is your appeal going to be to the people of Clacton?

I'm not Nigel Farage. The Clacton by-election will be held in a month. This has been your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Scandaris. Thank you for listening. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.