Your World Tonight - Trump calls NATO “foolish”, Lebanon residents wait for ground invasion, Canadian home sales down, and more

Episode Date: March 17, 2026

Israel says it has killed Iran’s security chief and the head of a militia group. Iran is still attacking neighbouring countries, including via a drone sent to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Trump now insists the U.S. no longer needs or wants help from other countries to clear the Strait of Hormuz. But he blasted NATO allies for not stepping up.And: People in Southern Lebanon are anticipating a ground invasion by Israel at any time. Canada has joined France, Germany, Italy, and Britain in warning against a significant incursion, saying it could have devastating humanitarian consequences. Lebanon’s health ministry says more than 900 people have already been killed, and at least a million have been forced from their homes. Reporter Susan Ormiston goes to southern Lebanon to speak to local residents about what they think will happen next.Also: National homes sales edged down in February. We look at what that means for buyers, for sellers, and others trying to find a place to live.Plus: Blackout in Cuba, China responds to Trump’s decision to delay visit, Ontario Provincial Police say a new investigation clears three Toronto officers of perjury, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. I've long said that, you know, I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us. So this is a, this was a great test because we don't need them, but they should have been there. U.S. President Donald Trump blasting NATO nations for not helping in fighting the war or protecting oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. He says, even without help, U.S. attacks have knocked out Iran's defenses and Israel has killed two more Iranian leaders. And while Trump promises the war will be short, he wants NATO members to know his memory is long. Welcome to your world tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Tuesday, March 17th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. To be honest, I mean,

everything is unaffordable. Flipped. Canada's housing market is down. Prices are dropping, but people are not buying. Economists say the lack of sold signs is a sign of deeper problems within the Canadian economy. Three weeks into the war in the Middle East and the message about how it could end remains as muddled as ever. Even as he criticizes allies for not helping, U.S. President Donald Trump declares the U.S. has already won, all while the region remains engulfed in fighting and fears of escalation. Katie Nicholson reports. We helped them, and they didn't help us, and I think that's a very bad thing for NATO. After days of pressuring NATO nations for help securing the Strait of Hormuz,

U.S. President Donald Trump came up empty and frustrated, even musing once again about pulling out of the alliance. When they don't help us, I mean, it's certainly something that we should think about. Trump also took a hit from one of his own today. Joe Kent, the U.S.'s top counterterrorism. official and a Trump appointee. In a resignation letter he posted publicly, Kent wrote, quote, Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and that the U.S. started this war due to pressure

from Israel and its powerful lobby. Administration officials forcefully pushed back, labeling those assertions false and Kent as a leaker, while the president downplayed Kent's value. I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security. a good thing that he's out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat. Just how much of a threat Iran poses is still difficult to gauge. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today reporting the deaths of two notable Iranian

leaders. Ali Larijani, Tehran's top national security boss and Golan Reza Soleimani, head of the Basij, a hardline paramilitary volunteer force. There are many more surprises, Netanyahu said. We will not reveal all of the stratagems here, but I told you, they are many. But in Washington, Speaker Mike Johnson forecasted a quicker end to this war. I think this will wind down quickly, and it's going to be in the best interest of America going forward and of the whole world. As an amphibious U.S. warship believed to be carrying thousands of Marines, cuts through the water off Singapore,

headed for the Middle East. The Iranian regime has said if the U.S. puts boots on the ground, it would be another Vietnam. Trump today made clear he wasn't afraid of that. No, I'm not afraid of, I'm really not afraid of anything. But fear lingers that U.S. assets in the Middle East and around the world continue to be targets. The U.S. Embassy in Iraq open once again, after a second attack in as many days as missiles and drones zeroed in and exploded nearby. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. Residents of southern Lebanon are bracing as Israel expands its ground operations. Lebanon's health ministry says more than 900 people have already been killed

on a front that is proving to be one of the most brutal in the broadening regional conflict. Susan Ormiston reports from Beirut. Israeli air strikes, Pauan Khiam, in southern Lebanon, close to the Israeli border. Thousands of Israeli troops are operating in the border areas, according to Israeli media, and the IDF has confirmed it has launched limited ground operations inside Lebanon. Towns in the south are waiting for a ground invasion, says Al-Wan, Sheriff Edeen, the deputy mayor of Tyre. Yes, we expect something like this will happen. but I'm going to tell you it's not a promenade.

There will be resistance. This is our land. We won't give it up. Traveling south from Beirut, Hezbollah and Lebanese forces flags flank the highway. You pass through three checkpoints. A main road in tyre cuts through a mountain of rubble now. There remains of a strike.

On a Hezbollah-linked financial institution and the radio station, owned by the deputy mayor, which collapsed with it. Most people have left tired joining a million Lebanese who are forced out of their homes under Israeli evacuation orders. We met Farah Ali Hijazi and her five children at a shelter. I'm not scared for myself. I'm only afraid for the kids.

At night, I sleep with my hands in theirs, very close to them. They haven't been. in school, the first year was corona, the second year was war, the third year was war. Their future is gone. The attacks by Hezbollah against Israel must stop. Canada, the UK and three European countries warn in a joint statement that a humanitarian crisis is enveloping the country, says Foreign Minister Anita Anand. There should be meaningful engagement between Lebanon and Israel to negotiate a sustainable, political solution. Canada declared Hezbollah a terrorist organization over 20 years ago. Much of Lebanon's southern communities see it as their protector. The Jabal Amel Hospital in Tyre has

received 115 dead and 350 injured since March 2nd. Dr. Weill Murei says his worst fear is a blockade encircling the south. So you worry that your supplies will be cut off? Of course. As much as I have supplies, the number of injured arriving here are consuming what we have, it's not quite enough. The IDF confirms its goal is to cripple Hezbollah's rocket-launching capabilities and widen a buffer zone between the countries. Many believe that would take an all-out ground war. Susan Ormiston, CBC News, Beirut. Coming right up, the Canadian real estate market is a. sluggish. Home sales are down. Prices falling. Economists say unlocking the reasons why could be key to understanding consumer confidence in this country. Also, a report from sick kids hospital paints

a sad picture. Youth in Canada are hurting themselves on purpose at increasing rates, especially young women. Later, we'll have this story. Millions of Cubans are without power again today as its infrastructure crumbles and the U.S. enforces a blockade of fuel to the island nation. Relatives here in Canada say change can't come soon enough. It's really, it's a dark reality right now. I can tell you, without any hesitation, my family is starving right now in Cuba. I'm Evan Dyer and later on your world tonight, Cuba's murky future. Home sales and house prices dipped again last month.

Figures for February show an average price drop of more than 4% from this time last year. The data also shows fewer people were ready to take advantage of the lower prices, and that could be a sign of nervousness about the economy. Anise Hadari has more. To be honest, I mean, everything is unaffordable. On the streets of downtown Toronto, commuters say the cost of a mortgage is tough these days. And I just think a lot of Canadians are probably feeling the effects of the economic slowdown overall.

And some don't want to sell the real estate they already. have. A few other properties, investment properties, and this is not the time for me to divest that. The latest numbers back up those vibes. Fewer homes were bought and sold in February according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. New listings, down almost 4% compared to the month before. So fewer listings, but as for prices, the national benchmark home price was a little more than $661,000, a drop of nearly 5% from last year, and the lowest it's been since mid-2020. Basically, the market always determines the price.

Len T. Wong is a real estate agent in Calgary. He says he's seeing a slowdown after a few years where demand and prices were higher. I think with that what we're seeing is that, you know, sellers have to be one realistic and realizing we don't have the same intensity and as we did before. And the buyers are very, you know, they're kind of tug-a-waring a little bit. They're seeing maybe things are settling. Days on market are definitely increased. And he says this comes after some intense years in real estate.

This year, it'll be probably a little bit, you know, uncertain until mid-year. And I think the latter part of the year will have some stability, depending on what the world does today. We've seen so far as at-home resales are still fairly sluggish. Principally in Ontario and BC. But we're starting to see some moderation in other parts of Canada as well, including Alberta. Robert Hogue is assistant chief economist at RBC in Toronto. He says one reason for the slowdown, Canadians don't feel confident, economically speaking,

after a year of tariffs and trade wars. Maybe latter stages of 2026, we're going to see the market strengthening a little bit, but that's based on some of the uncertainty lifting. A lot has to do with confidence that is lacking right now. It's been lacking over the last several months. These numbers are almost entirely from before a war began in the war. the Middle East, driving up oil costs, which could drive up inflation. And that's on top of unemployment numbers, which haven't been great in Canada. All that leads to a mixed bag, at best,

for more than just real estate in this country, but the economy as a whole. And he's Hedari. CBC News, Calgary. Toronto police say they have been exonerated in a case where one of their own died. A judge had accused the officers of lying under oath that the trial of a man charged with the murder of a detective. But as Thomas Dagla tells us, the investigation raises fresh questions about the high-profile case. This is the driver? Okay. He's under arrest right now. It was late one night in July 2021 when police caught up with Umar Zamir in a parking garage near Toronto City Hall. The officer's colleague, Detective Constable, Jeffrey Northrop, had just been run over. In the nearly five years

since that deadly encounter, there have been questions hanging over what really happened. Now, this. The allegations that were made are unsubstantiated. They've been vindicated. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkew says a new report from Ontario Provincial Police clears his officers of wrongdoing. And that's a substantial finding. When Zamir was charged with the detective's murder then acquitted, the trial judge accused three officers of colluding and lying under oath to implicate him. Now the new investigation finds those officers told the truth. Their reputation were questioned publicly and repeatedly. Their credibility was challenged.

And in the court of public opinion, some had convicted them. It was the city's police chief himself who requested the OPP investigation. Provincial police say they uncovered new evidence contradicting the findings of a Toronto police collision expert. The OPP say their own reconstructionist concluded Detective Northrop was standing in front of Zemir's BMW when it accelerated forward and struck him down, a version of events that was called into question at the trial two years ago.

Jeff is no longer with us as he stood in front of a car, a fact that has been confirmed today by the OPP. He was struck and killed by Umar Zamir. Clayton Campbell leads the union representing Toronto police officers. He's demanding an apology from Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Malloy, who described two officers as, neither truthful nor reliable. Today, I clearly say to Justice Malloy, you were wrong.

At the end of the trial, the judge apologized to Zemir. Now, his lawyer, Nader Hassan, describes the investigation as secretive and the conclusions disjointed from reality, saying the OPP didn't contact him or his client. We didn't have high expectations, and there's really not a good history, not a good record of one police agency investigating the context. of another police agency. As for Toronto's police chief, he declined to say whether the new findings suggest

Zemir got away with murder. Thomas Dagg, CBC News, Toronto. More Canadian children are hurting themselves deliberately, cutting or thinking of suicide and sometimes attempting it. The sad truth is found in an international study led by Toronto Sick Kids Hospital. The study found the numbers are worse for girls and young children. women. Health reporter Lauren Pelly has more. I think I was in eighth grade when I first started cutting. Jessica Polly used self-injury as a coping mechanism for more than a decade. At 26 years old,

the Windsor Ontario resident now uses medication to manage depression and anxiety. But she isn't surprised more girls are turning to self-injury like she once did. It's just a way to control the feelings that come New findings from a research team at Toronto's hospital for sick children show a grim global trend. Rates of self-injury are rising among kids and teens in many high-income countries, including Canada. So the rates of presentation more than doubled over this 25-year period. Dr. Natasha Saunders helped analyze more than 40 studies from a dozen countries on pediatric self-injury, a term meaning any deliberate act causing self-harm with or without suicidal intent. It says to us that our kids are not doing well.

And girls are bearing the brunt. When we broke this down by girls versus boys, the rates were increasing faster among young girls than they were among young boys. The big question is why. Some researchers point to social media. Self-harm and suicide-related content on social media is there in abundance. Dr. Rachel Mitchell is a child psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Hospital and an associate professor at the University of Toronto.

She says teens are vulnerable to social contagion. That doesn't mean that everybody is going to then start to self-harm. But the ones that are suffering are ready, if they see other people suffering, then they may be inclined to try that behavior. The influence of social media is a concern for many Canadian parents. They're scrolling. They're doing their thing. We have to try to limit that a little bit.

So we're very careful about making sure they were old enough before they got any kind of social media. But experts say there's no one factor explaining what's behind the global spike in self-injury among kids and teens or why it's rising more among girls. I didn't personally get a phone until I was 15, so it wasn't social media for me. 20-year-old Margaret Bolt says she used self-injury as a teen to feel in control while facing social pressure to fit in. Like, no matter who you are, if you're self-harming, there is a deeper reason behind it and it usually is a dark reason. For Bolt, it was tied to parental. neglect and abuse, not a social media trend.

Lauren Pelley, CBC News, Toronto. Cruise in Kabul sift through the rubble of a devastating Pakistani air strike. Afghanistan's government says more than 400 people are dead, scores more injured. The attack hit a drug repub center on the site of a former U.S. Army base. Pakistan denies it specifically targeted the facility or any civilian. targets. Mosharif Zahidi is the spokesperson for Pakistan's prime minister. We identify sites based on robust and rich intelligence that is verified, re-verified, counterverified, and then verified again. And then we strike terrorists and terrorist infrastructure.

That's what we did last night. That's what we've been doing for the last three weeks. Fighting between the two sides has ramped up since February. Islamabad calls Afghanistan a safe haven for militants who are launching attacks on Pakistan, Taliban officials say that's not true. In Cuba, millions of people are without power after another widespread blackout. Officials say the national electricity grid collapsed yesterday. Efforts are underway to restore power, but it is the latest in a string of major outages in the country, all made worse by a U.S. blockade.

Evan Dyer reports. The head of Cuba's electrical grid said today that some progress has been made in restoring power, although most of the island was bracing for another night in the dark. Vladis Valdez is 76 and says she has to climb 17 flights of stairs to her Havana apartment. When she gets there, there's no water. My family there, they don't have electricity right now for more than 24 hours, and they should be waiting for the service for 48 more. Cuban-Canadian Eloviera edits El-Tocke, an online publication covering Cuban affairs.

He says this blackout wasn't caused by fuel running out, but because Cuba is forced to rely on its own heavy, sour, crude. And it's oil with high levels of sulfur, and it creates problems with the power plants that also have 40, 50 years of exploitation. This past weekend saw protests in various towns, most notably in the city of Moron. A lot of people went out of the streets, went out to the streets, and they burned out one of the buildings that is owned or occupied by the Communist Party. The Cuban population knows what happens when you take to the street.

It's your life that is on the line. But they are too hungry. Kedenia Carbonell, a public servant in Ottawa, is struggling to communicate with her family in Olguyen, Cuba. Last time I spoke with them, they told us we have a little bit for tomorrow. We don't know what we have. have for the day after. They're surviving on rice and chickpeas, she says, cooked over a wood fire. I can tell you, without any hesitation, my family is starving right now in Cuba. Cuba is

disposed to a dialogue with the US-Scanel has said he's willing to negotiate with the Trump administration on any issue. Reports coming out of Washington say the White House wants to see Diazcanel removed as part of any deal. Today, U.S. Secretary of State, Cuban-American Marco Rubio, seem to confirm that. So they're in a lot of trouble. And the people in charge are, they don't know how to fix it. So they have to get new people in charge. Many Cubans fear Trump will settle for regime management, as he did in Venezuela, and not regime change. There are reports of a deal that would leave a member of the Castro family in charge. We hope, really, that we are not talking about a cosmetic change. But ordinary Cubans, both at home and in the diaspora, remain in the dark, as the future of the

country has decided between the Trump administration and the Cuban Communist Party. Evan Dyer, 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. U.S. President Donald Trump says he needs to postpone his highly anticipated trip to China because of the war in Iran.

Trump was supposed to visit later this month. China and the United States have the two largest economies on the planet. They've been engaged in a heated trade dispute and differences over the war in Iran. The meeting is seen as an attempt to stabilize the relationship. Chris Brown reports on the reaction in Beijing. The war Donald Trump launched against Iran is now diverting him from other major foreign policy matters, notably China and trade. A spokesman for China's foreign ministry

confirmed its government is considering Trump's request to push back his highly anticipated end of March visit. Initially, it sounded like Trump was angry that China refused his demand to send its navy to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been essentially blocked by Iran, China's ally. But Trump says that's not his motivation. So we've requested that we delay it a month or so.

And I'm looking forward to being with them. We have a very good relationship, but because of the war, there's no tricks to it either. It's just, it's not like, oh, gee, I'm waiting. It's very simple. We've got a war going on. As soon as Donald Trump returned to the presidency, the U.S. and China began hitting each other with escalating tariffs that triggered a market meltdown. Stabilizing the relationship between the world's two largest economies has been,

being a key Chinese priority. Observers in Beijing say there were already concerns about the U.S. President's apparent lack of attention to his visit, and this delay won't help. President Trump changes his mind rather frequently, so he now says he wants to, you know, delay it by a month. But who knows what will happen in the month? Zucheng Wang is with the Center for China in Globalization. Two weeks into the war, he's in a very, you know, weak position. He's under a lot of pressure. domestically, internationally, including from its allies. So, yes, I do think he would come at a disadvantage if it can't.

In a Beijing park that has a monument dedicated to harmony between the U.S. and China, we ask people what they thought of Trump's delay and his decision to go to war. He's kind of reckless, says this man. He meddles here and meddles there. It'd be better if he just focused on America's own affairs. There were times when there was talk of. of cutting off diplomatic ties. Now, it's not that kind of situation.

I think it's okay. Decades ago, Chinese and American leaders turned to so-called roast duck diplomacy when they were in need of inspiration. President Richard Nixon and the Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, for example, repeatedly dined at a famous Beijing restaurant with China's leaders.

Back then, the meal seemed to be the secret ingredient for peace. Now the question here is, Will President Trump even get to the table? Chris Brown, CBC News, Beijing. Before we say goodbye, let's pay a visit to the Sugar Shack. The smell of boiling sap, warm golden liquid, poured gently over soft snow, then rolled onto a stick like taffy. It's a springtime tradition in Quebec,

but this sugar shack is a little different. It's in the middle of one of the most diverse parts of Montreal, the St. Eaubert Market. Mike Parente is the director of the market. We have the Latin community. We have the Middle Eastern community at large, the European community. And, you know, it's a question of bringing everybody together to trying something that, you know, they've adopted Montreal. They've adopted Quebec and Canada. And this is something very Quebec way. Parente says it's all free and it doesn't just cross cultures but generations.

The age range is incredible from little babies that you see them. trying not to get on their fingers and next thing you know it's a big mess and it's fun to watch and beautiful to see. And then you see the older generations just enjoying it as if they were still kids. David Lassard stands behind the counter making the syrup and pouring it over the snow. Lassard grew up in the country, tapping trees with his father and making syrup with his mother. He says it's wonderful to bring that rural tradition to the city. It's a pleasure for me. It's a pleasure. Some people, they haven't ever taste that.

So just to see their eyes. It's awesome. And for the people gathered around the urban sugar shack, it's an unexpected treat on a chilly day. Delicious. Exactly as I remember. Very richissimo. I'm really happy that we can eat maple syrup here.

This is a sweet surprise. We love it. I mean, yeah, vive le Quebec. Vive le Cereau. Thank you for joining us. On this edition of Your World tonight, for Tuesday, March 17th, I'm Susan Bonner.

Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca.