Your World Tonight - Trump and Zelenskyy trade barbs, politics of high-speed rail for Central Canada, Guillain-Barre syndrome in India, and more

Episode Date: February 19, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump calls Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator. Zelenskyy says Trump is living in a Russian-made disinformation space. The barbs are another sign of the deterioration of the relationship between them. Trump’s words and willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin are a dramatic reversal of U.S. foreign policy.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa has reached another stage in a plan to build high speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City. The next phase is expected to cost $3.9 billion. The project has been promised for decades and is still years away. Trudeau used the announcement as an opportunity to tout it as the largest infrastructure project in the country’s history, promising it will bring jobs, and use Canadian suppliers.The Indian city of Pune is facing an outbreak of Guillan-Barre Syndrome. It’s a rare disorder where the immune system attacks nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and paralysis. It could be a sign of infrastructure not keeping up with urbanization. Health officials say a contaminated well on the outskirts of the city is likely to blame.Plus: Runways still closed at Pearson, Danielle Smith on Alberta Health Services controversy, CAF recruiting, and more.

When a body is discovered 10 miles out to sea, it sparks a mind-blowing police investigation. There's a man living in this address in the name of a deceased. He's one of the most wanted men in the world. This isn't really happening. Officers are finding large sums of money. It's a tale of murder, skullduggery and international intrigue. So who really is he? I'm Sam Mullins and this is Sea of Lies from CBC's Uncovered, available now.

This is a CBC Podcast. We've already had our first siren tonight. I really fear what's going to come ahead. Because again, when someone like Mr. Putin, a war criminal, has no boundaries, we have to expect the worst. Wondering where to turn in Ukraine after an overnight attack from Russia and a social media shot from Donald Trump. With Moscow and Washington talking in private,

Ukraine's president is going public with a rare criticism of the U.S. president, as talks to end the conflict are bringing Russia and the U.S. closer together while pushing Ukraine and its most important ally further apart. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Wednesday, February 19th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. It'll span a thousand kilometers with a hundred percent electric trains that will reach speeds of 300 kilometers an hour. All aboard an express trip that Canadians have been on before,

plans to build a state-of-the-art high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City, an idea that for decades hasn't gone very far. Why, Justin Trudeau says this time is different, even as his time as prime minister is reaching the end of the line. Volodymyr Zelensky has watched his words carefully when it comes to Donald Trump, but after being trashed by Trump on social media, the Ukrainian president is carefully firing back, criticizing a key ally as the war grinds on. Krystal Gumansing reports.

Soldiers on the front lines in eastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region told to wait, to hold for the command to fire. Meanwhile, the American commander-in-chief is letting his thumbs fly, typing out a lengthy attack on his Truth Social page, including this line, a dictator without elections, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left. It follows comments he made Tuesday night in which he questioned Zelensky's legitimacy as the president. I mean, I hate to say it, but he's down at 4% approval rating. Zelensky says that line comes from Russia.

Unfortunately, he lives in this disinformation space. A poll by a large private Ukrainian research firm suggests Zelensky's approval rating is at 57 percent. I would like Trump's team to have more truth. All of this definitely doesn't have a positive impact on Ukraine. Zelensky's office said it was prepared to share polling data with the U.S.'s special envoy to Russia and Ukraine to prove Russian disinformation is seeping into the highest ranks of American society.

Keith Kellogg met with Zelensky's team, who offered to take him to the front line to speak with soldiers directly. Trump also accused Ukraine of starting the war, a hurtful falsehood for those enduring the largest war on European soil since the Second World War. I think this is the wrong policy and the wrong accusation of Ukraine, says Oksana Krylov. They are accusing the victims and he's taking our enemy's side.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin gave his first indications as to when there could be a possible negotiated settlement to the fighting, maybe six months. Putin also said he's surprised by the restraint of the newly elected U.S. president in dealing with his allies who are behaving in a boorish way. Mr. Putin is going to sleep well tonight. Michael Bocercu was with the Atlantic Council. He spoke to CBC from the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa. We've already had our first siren tonight.

I really fear what's going to come ahead because again, when someone like Mr. Putin, a war criminal, has no boundaries, we have to expect the worst. Voskirke says Zelensky erred in publicly calling out Trump because he's bound to retaliate. A war of words erupting in the face of a war-weary nation. Crystal Gamansing, CBC News, London. The realignment taking place between the United States, Russia and Ukraine is forcing hard conversations in Washington as some U.S. Republicans rethink their stance on the conflict.

The CBC's Richard Madden is in Washington. Richard, Western allies are interpreting this abrupt reversal in tone from the U.S. President as a major shift in US policy towards Ukraine. How's this playing out within his own party? Yeah, it is a major shift from decades of US foreign policy towards Ukraine, which puts the US at odds with its allies who've made Russia the pariah. But President Trump is now blaming Ukraine for Russia's invasion, criticizing its president, Vladimir Zelensky, calling him a dictator,

even questioning his legitimacy by pushing for new elections. So this threatens to upend the united strategy by the US and Europe that punished Russia through sanctions and by strengthening NATO. But Trump appears to be unraveling that. US officials are meeting with the Russians. Europe and Ukraine are excluded. So this dramatic shift in policy may play well with some in Trump's mega base, but it's making several moderate Republicans uncomfortable.

Here's Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. I absolutely would not say that Zelensky started the war. It is quite clear who started the war. It was absolutely Russia, at Putin's directive. I don't think that there should be any confusion with that. So this is no longer the party of Reagan. And in a plot twist, it's Democrats who are now evoking that Reagan-esque diplomacy, urging Americans to stand with its allies instead of abandoning them. Here's Delaware Senator Chris Coons.

President Trump seems poised to betray Ukraine and abandon Europe. That would make him the biggest loser of the 21st century. He would be picking the team that includes Iran, North Korea, China and Russia over the team that is Ukraine and our trusted and loyal allies of 75 years. So the concern to many on Capitol Hill is that the White House appears to be bringing in Russia President Vladimir Putin from global isolation and showing no sympathy to Vladimir Zelensky. Now, President Trump has indicated that he and President Putin could meet within the

next few weeks. What's the latest on that meeting and what are the expectations around it? Yeah, according to the Kremlin, that could happen as early as next week, although delegations say a lot of planning needs to happen first. Now, it's being floated that the two could meet face-to-face in Saudi Arabia. That's neutral territory where Ukraine-Russia peace talks are being held. This would be their first in-person meeting since the start of the war, and it would be a reunion of sorts after they met seven years ago in Helsinki.

Thank you Richard. Thanks. The CBC's Richard Madden in Washington. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says nothing about what happens in Ukraine should be decided without Ukraine. He says Russia has chosen to violate international rules on borders when it invaded and that it is not only Ukraine's future that's in danger. It puts at risk all of our democracies, all of the rules that keep us safe and prosperous. That is why Canada and our allies are unequivocal on standing up against Vladimir Putin's illegal, immoral, unjust violations of the international order.

Trudeau took part in a virtual meeting with European leaders today to discuss Ukraine. Coming up on the podcast, The politics of high-speed rail, a perennial promise presented this time with a nationalistic pitch, plus ramping up recruitment efforts at the Canadian Armed Forces. Canada's plans for a high-speed rail project may finally be gaining momentum after decades of feasibility studies and false starts. Today Justin Trudeau unveiled his plans for the line linking Quebec City and Toronto. Sarah Levitt breaks down what it would take to finally get it done.

For Toronto? For Toronto? At Montreal's train station, passengers hand over their tickets to be scanned. Their trip to Toronto takes just over five hours. So news of a possible high-speed train that would take three hours instead is promising. I'm very excited by it. I can't wait. But with that excitement comes skepticism. I think it's an election coming up, right? Today, I'm announcing the launch of Alto,

the largest infrastructure project in Canadian history. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promises Canadians a high-speed rail line from Toronto to Quebec City will happen. And he says it'll boost the country's economy while using Canadian steel and aluminum to build it. It begins with the conception of a design and development plan. That plan, put together by a consortium, is expected to cost 3.9 billion dollars. This is real now for the first time in a long time and it's taken us, you know,

years as a government over the course of three different mandates to get to this point. The promise of high-speed trains in Canada isn't a new one. In 1981, the federal government tasked Via Rail with looking into whether or not high-speed or high-frequency trains in the Quebec-Toronto corridor were feasible. In the 40-plus years that have followed, dozens of reports have looked into the possibilities. In 2021, then Minister of Transport Omar Al Ghabra spoke to passengers of a Via Rail train over the loudspeakers. I'll be making an exciting announcement. The Trudeau government would move forward with a high-frequency train project, Al Gabra said.

More trains but not as fast. Instead, just three years later, the focus shifted to high speed instead. Conservative Shadow Transport Minister Philip Lawrence noted, quote, today's announcement is a lame duck statement from a lame duck government. Passengers are quite frustrated that there is no major progress. Terry Johnson is the president of Transport Action Canada, a public interest group representing passengers. He says he's developed a sense of caution over such announcements.

Still, It needs to happen. Canada really, really does need the infrastructure developed a sense of caution over such announcements, still. It needs to happen. Canada really, really does need the infrastructure to be a strong and independent nation in the 21st century. But it needs it now. It doesn't need it, you know, halfway through the 21st century. Many hurdles remain, including finding the estimated nearly $100 billion this rail line could cost. Not to mention the current political context with

the Prime Minister set to step down and an election highly probable in the spring. Sarah Levitt, CBC News, Montreal. The wreckage of Delta Flight 4819 is being cleared from the tarmac of Toronto's Pearson Airport. The plane crash landed Monday, skidding and rolling to a fiery halt with 80 people on board. As investigators search for answers some survivors are seeking their own resolution through legal action. Nicole Williams has this update. It was an experienced crew. In an interview with American Network CBS, airline CEO Ed Bastion defended the team on board

Delta Flight 4819 that crash landed at Toronto's Pearson Airport Monday with 80 people on board. All these pilots train for these conditions. They fly under all kinds of conditions at all the airports in which we operate. So there's nothing specific with respect to experience that I'd look to. Oh no the plane landing hard bursting into flames as it skidded along the snowy runway before flipping over. Questions about the crew

the weather and the equipment all swirling since the crash. Keith Mackey is a former airline captain and aviation expert. But as it approaches the runway, it never breaks its descent. It never flares out. And it's enough of a shock because they hit on the right gear. The right gear had enough moment and force to break the wing off. Everyone on board the flight from Minneapolis survived. Delta confirms 20 of the 21 passengers sent to hospital with injuries

have been released despite having to climb out of the plane after hanging upside down from their seat belts but some now considering legal action. We've been recently retained by two passengers. Toronto-based attorney Vincent Genova one of several who have been contacted by some of those on board. We are also speaking with some US attorneys who have been engaged and retained by some American passengers. Today, crews started moving what's left of the plane off the runway, using heavy machinery to lift pieces of the wreckage onto trucks to be towed away.

A relief for travelers with the crash leaving two of Pearson Airport's busiest runways out of commission. Officials say about five percent of arrivals and departures canceled today. Thousands of passengers like Grant Martins trying to get to Cuba left in travel limbo. Nobody to talk to and then didn't find out till yesterday afternoon what was happening. Others stranded in Cuba and elsewhere. Nobody to talk to and then didn't find out until yesterday afternoon what was happening. Others stranded in Cuba and elsewhere.

Vacation airline Sunwing says it's halting its flights out of Pearson Wednesday to prioritize getting people home. Some who have been stuck since last Thursday when snow storms across eastern Canada caused delays and cancellations. Nicole Williams, CBC News, Toronto. Alberta's premier is pushing back on corruption claims involving her province's health care system. Daniel Smith addressed the issue today alongside her health minister. Terry Reath is in Edmonton with details of that newser. Terry, what stood out? Well, Susan, this is the first time Alberta

reporters have been able to directly question the Premier on this story since it broke about two weeks ago and what she is saying is these are serious allegations and that they will be investigated. So let's go into a bit of a bit of background here Susan as it is a very complicated story. So at the heart of it are allegations that the former CEO of Alberta Health Services has raised about procurement at AHS. That's the authority that runs hospitals in Alberta. She first raised concerns about spending on chartered surgical facilities. These are private businesses where some types of surgery are done then paid for through public funds.

She also raised concerns about a $70 million purchase of children's Tylenol in 2022. Very little of that could actually be used. Now the former CEO says she was abruptly fired in January, two days before meeting with the auditor general. Then the entire board of Alberta Health Services was let go later that month, just before an internal investigation was supposed to be delivered. So on the allegations, Premier Smith again, just saying that they will be investigated. I was not involved in these procurement decisions. I had nothing to do with the process decisions or the implementation. My actions were straightforward. The

government made a policy decision to expand surgical facilities to tackle the critical issues of wait times. Terry why does the Premier believe there are these issues arising around these private surgical facilities? Well, she is pointing the finger directly at Alberta Health Services. She says it was dragging its heels in approving contracts for the chartered surgical facilities. She says AHS wants all surgeries done in hospitals, not private facilities. Here's what else she said. Alberta Health Services is in a conflict of interest, being a service provider and also drafting the contracts

for those who are their competitors. Now, one thing that we did not see today that some people had been calling for is the firing of Alberta's Health Minister. Danielle Smith says she is firmly behind her minister. There was just one personnel change at the deputy minister level so that the person heading

government, the government department of health isn't the same person who replaced the CEO and the entire board. Susan. Thank you, Terry. The CBC's Terry Reath in Edmonton. A key organizer of the 2022 convoy protest in Ottawa has been given a three-month conditional sentence after credit for time served.

Pat King was convicted of five charges in November, including mischief and disobeying a court order. The Crown had been asking for a 10-year sentence. The protests against COVID-19 mandates were polarizing across the country. Outside court, King's lawyer, Natasha Calvino, said that shouldn't all be blamed on King. We're not saying that things didn't happen over the course of the Freedom Convoy

that was beyond our purview and that was not intended by leadership, even peripheral leadership by Mr. King. But you cannot sentence one person for the actions of others. King will serve his house arrest at home in Alberta. Canada is buying half a million doses of vaccine to protect people against avian influenza. Since last April, H5 bird flu has infected nearly 70 people in the US. One person has died. Canada

has had one domestically acquired human case in a teenager in BC. Variants of the bird flu have killed millions of birds around the world and have spread to dairy cattle and cats. Canada's public health agency says the risk to the public is low but those with highlevel exposure to infected animals should take appropriate precautions. Canada's top military commander has delivered a keep calm and carry on message. Despite Donald Trump's annexation threats and insults, General Jenny Carignan says the relationship between the Canadian and American militaries has not shown signs of the current

political strain. Her message of reassurance comes as the Canadian military struggles to fill the ranks with recruits. Murray Brewster reports. Look, what I'd like to see Canada become our 51st state, we give them protection. A message we hear from Donald Trump on a regular basis. Politically charged rhetoric that must make it uncomfortable for members of the Canadian military who often work very closely with American forces. The relationship that we have with our American military colleagues is very stable and very strong.

General Jenny Carinan is Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff who, like the rest of us, has heard the annexation threats and the complaints from Trump that Canada is not spending enough on defense. Carinan says annexation is not something that has entered the conversation at her level. Military were not there at all. Canadians have not taken kindly to Trump's threats and insults. Booing the U.S US national anthem at hockey games. Just one manifestation.

But has that surge in patriotism translated into a recruiting boom for the military? So far we're not tracking anyone who's coming in saying that that's the reason that they're joined. Commodore Pascal Balhimar is in charge of the military's branch overseeing recruiting. We do have surveys, prospect surveys, so in time we will have better statistics because it's still early days on whether or not there's been a shift of people wanting to join. Defence Minister Bill Blair says there's no doubt Trump's comments have awakened a new sense of purpose in Canadians. Whether that means they're going to be beating a path to the recruiting office

remains to be seen. And I'm hoping that that will encourage Canadians in every part of the country to consider serving their country in the Canadian Armed Forces. My job is to make sure that we can bring them in in a timely way. And that is the challenge. The military says it has reformed the way it recruits people, making it easier for permanent residents to join, a streamlined online application process, and an expanded basic training system. Even still, the military remains more than 6,500 troops short and won't reach its goal of full strength of 71,500 regular and 30,000 reserve troops until 2029.

Marie Brewster, CBC News, Ottawa. 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. It was a mystery for weeks in Western India, a rare disorder causing life-altering symptoms, even death. Now there's evidence it came from an essential resource in a country where the infrastructure isn't keeping up with India's fast-growing cities.

Our South Asia correspondent Salima Shivji reports. The frying pan sizzles as Avanti Naik and her mother cook an afternoon paratha. The 40-year-old used to handle this task herself but now she needs her mother's help. Naik is still struggling with creeping paralysis which has hit her and more than 200 others in her neighborhood in Pune, in India's western Maharashtra state. There was a swelling here. She was diagnosed last month with Guillain-Barre syndrome, or GBS,

a rare disorder where a body's immune system attacks its nerves. This jaw became heavy and I was not able to speak. So that time I was very much worried. And then we ran to the hospital. Naik spent nearly two weeks in intensive care, seeing double and unable to speak or swallow. All she could think about was how she would ever recover the use of her facial muscles. I don't want to live like this. I don't want to live with double vision.

Naik was one of the first confirmed patients of the autoimmune disease in Pune. The start of a worrying outbreak of GBS, a disorder that has no cure. Nine people have died out of more than 200 cases. In January, when patients from the same area of the city first started showing up at hospitals with severe diarrhea, there was confusion. It's an atmosphere of fear, this man says. Everyone knows two or three people who are sick. Authorities quickly set up dedicated hospital beds and started to trace the source.

They found in each patient's bodily fluids a pathogen that's known to cause GBS. Officials believe it came from contaminated water in a well. The outbreak points to a larger national problem, not just in Pune, one of India's fastest growing cities, when proper facilities like water purification plants are not catching up to the pace of urbanization. For Dr. Amit Dravid, an infectious disease specialist

who treated several of the patients, this outbreak could have been avoided. He says while the mortality rate from GBS is quite low and 97% of the patients have recovered, treatment is very expensive and the long-term effects of the disorder are hard to predict. People still having residual weakness or still having symptoms like tingling numbness of both limbs is still substantial. That is the real cost of this war which we have fought in the last one month. A war that's not yet over.

The rate of confirmed cases has slowed in Pune but the numbers are still rising with several dozen patients still in intensive care. Salima Shivji, CBC News, Pune. Finally tonight he's composed more than 500 songs, jigs, waltzes and reels. Saskatchewan's John Arcand is known as the master of Métis fiddle. He's a member of the Order of Canada, and at age 82, having left his mark on Canadian folk music, Arcand is working on his other craft, and now he has his masterpiece.

My goal was to build a hundred fiddles. Yeah, to leave kind of a legacy. There's probably 50 or 60 fiddle makers in the country but nobody ever thought of that. The master of Métis fiddle is also a master fiddle maker and for his project of building a hundred of the instruments Arcand wanted to make the last one shine. A year-long effort and a special design, the fiddle has custom details and inscriptions made of pure gold. Arcand's initials, a fleur de lis, and a pattern Arcand says came to him in a dream.

I dreamt this, how to make this whole pattern here. And when I got up I drew it out on paper. Yeah, and it worked out. Arcand was worried the gold would weigh down the fiddle, but he says it sounds pretty good, and he hopes it will be a precious legacy, part of the long tradition of Metis music that will inspire generations to come. Thank you for joining us.

This has been Your World Tonight for Wednesday, February 19th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.