Your World Tonight - Trump issues ultimatum to Iran, Cuba plunged into darkness, ICE deployed to U.S. airports, and more

Episode Date: March 22, 2026

As fighting appears to intensify in the Middle East, so does the rhetoric. U.S. President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran - telling Tehran if it doesn't allow ships through the Strait of Hormuz, then the U.S. will attack Iranian power plants. Iran's military is now calling Trump's bluff, threating to strike back.Also: Power is slowly returning in Cuba after a nation-wide collapse of the grid left millions in the dark. It's the third blackout this month. Cuba is in the midst of an energy crisis brought on by a U.S. oil blockade. CBC News is on the ground in Havana, speaking to Cubans about how they are coping.And: In a controversial move, Donald Trump has ordered ICE officers to help workers at the nation's airports. It comes as a partial government shutdown drags into a fifth week, leaving TSA workers without pay, and creating massive lines for travellers. And with the Spring Break travel rush looming, Congress is scrambling to find a solution.Plus: Alberta closes two safe consumption sites, Gen Z picking up knitting, The Juno nominated music made from brain waves, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. An escalating war of words in the Middle East, Iran's military says if the U.S. attacks its power plants, then Iran will completely close the strait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world's crude passes through. This is Your World Tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris. Also on the podcast, Cuba is plunged into darkness again. CBC News is on the ground in Havana as the country experiences yet another nationwide blackout. And no strings, no keys, no problem.

I don't think I've ever heard of a contemporary classical avant-garde electrocoustic recording that's charting on radios and that kind of thing. So it's been really well-received and continues to be really well-received. A Canadian composer makes beautiful music with brainwaves. As fighting appears to intensify in the Middle East, so does the rhetoric. U.S. President Donald Trump issued Iran an ultimatum, telling Tehran, if it doesn't allow ships through the Strait of Hormuz, then the U.S. will attack Iranian power plants. Iran's military is now calling Trump's bluff, threatening to strike back against any U.S. aggression.

Katie Simpson reports from Doha. The president is not messing around. The Trump administration is ready to make good on its threat, says the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz. President Donald Trump issuing an ultimatum on social media, demanding Iran reopen the straight of her moves within 48 hours of his post, which was published around 8 p.m. Eastern Saturday. Or else, Trump says, the U.S. will obliterate Iran's various power plants, starting with the biggest one first. He stands by his red lines, and he's not going to allow this genocidal regime to hold

the world's energy supplies or economies hostage. Iran has been imposing a blockade on the strait since the war began, which has upended global markets and caused gas prices to soar. About 20% of the world's energy supplies used the shipping route. The threat does not appear to be deterring the Iranian regime. An IRGC spokesman says it will retaliate by striking back at energy sites, information technology hubs and water treatment facilities in the region, and that it would keep the strait closed until its energy facilities are rebuilt.

And I think we're going to continue to see Iran doing the kind of things that they've been doing, attacking the Gulf states and continuing to cause havoc in the streets. Retired Canadian Vice Admiral Mark Norman says from his perspective, Donald Trump's rhetoric is not particularly helpful. It sounds emotional. It sounds punitive. Attacking Iran's power supply, Norman says, would make every day life harder, for Iranians and would not necessarily give the U.S. any new leverage with the regime. They're just pummeling the hell out of Iran, to be honest, in the hope that at some point

the Mullahs and the rest of the regime are going to wake up and say, okay, this has to stop. That's not in their DNA. And I don't think that this is a viable strategy going forward. Entering the fourth week of this conflict, Iran continues with its intense barrage of attacks. Israeli air defenses failed to stop missiles aimed at the southern city of Dimona and the city of Arad. Both are relatively close to a nuclear facility. More than 160 people were injured in these attacks, which struck residential neighborhoods.

It's another reason why the regime must be toppled, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What more proof do you need that this regime that threatens the entire world has to be stopped. Civilians in Lebanon continue to suffer, caught in between the intense fighting by Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Lebanese authorities say more than a thousand people have been killed. A million are now displaced with new reports of power outages and destruction in the

country's south. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Doha. Power is slowly returning in Cuba after a nationwide collapse of the grid left millions in the dark. It is the third blackout this month. Cuba is in the midst of an energy crisis brought on by a U.S. oil blockade combined with aging infrastructure. But amid the darkness, Cubans are doing what they can and finding reasons to hope.

Jorge Barrera is in Havana. Singing in a time of crisis. Over 60 people are packed in the small evangelical church Sunday morning in the east side of Havana, Cuba. The power is still out in this part of the city after the National Grid collapsed Saturday evening the second time this week. Congregant's dance as light pours in

from a large open window and a battery-powered lamp on the ceiling. The pastor's message, don't give up, keep going. We are living hard times, as you know. Church member Damer Alfonso Monterey says this church is a refuge. It runs a weekly food delivery program. Today it serves a meal with sweet potatoes and shredded meat after the service. We provide food, we provide support, whatever people

need, he says. Cuba is now into its third month of a U.S. imposed oil embargo. Worry this could plunge the country into a humanitarian crisis has led to an international campaign to bring supplies by sea and air from Mexico, Miami, and Puerto Rico, which sent soon. case loads of medical aid this weekend. This donation is very important and it's wonderful for the attention of our patients. Dr. Julio Cesar Rodriguez-Cardona heads the health system in a municipality on the outskirts of Havana. The oil embargo has hit the health care system hard, impacting patient transport and the shipping of medicine to other parts of the country, he says.

By Sunday afternoon, power had returned to about 33. percent of Havana, Cuban authorities say, This is so common now that we've accepted it, says 37-year-old Lesandra Janice Barrios. It's a couple hours after the power grid collapse Saturday evening, and her one-bedroom apartment is lit by a battery-powered lamp and her cell phone. If there's no power, we don't get water, says Janice Barrios.

She has 55 liters left in two tanks and hopes to get power back before they run out. Janice Barrio says that in her opinion, things would be just as bad in the country even without the oil blockade. Life has been hard here for a long time, she says. Jorge Barrera, CBC News, Havana, Cuba. In Hawaii, evacuation orders for Oahu's North Shore have been lifted, but the storm that's been pounding the state with heavy rain is ongoing. Flood advisories are still in effect for Oahu and parts of Maui.

More than 125 centimeters of rain have fallen. and on parts of Hawaii over the past 10 days. Governor Josh Green says the flooding could cost over $1 billion in damages. Still ahead, trading in their smartphones for knitting needles. Some members of Gen Z are turning to a new old hobby, they say gives them some peace of mind in a chaotic world. More on that is coming up on your world tonight. In a controversial move, U.S. President Trump has ordered ICE officers

to help workers at the nation's airports. It comes as a partial government shutdown drags into a fifth week, leaving TSA workers without pay and creating massive lines for travelers. As Katie Nicholson reports with the spring break travel rush looming, Congress is scrambling to find a solution. The ever-growing line spilled outside the New Orleans airport into the parking garage. Two-and-three-hour lineups across the country infuriating travelers, trying to get through security.

It's chaos, it's insanity, and it needs to be resolved at the federal level. Roughly 400 TSA officers have quit, and sick calls have dramatically increased because workers haven't been paid in weeks, as the Homeland Security funding shutdown drags on. Now, U.S. President Donald Trump has called in reinforcements. Starting Monday, he said, Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers will help bolster TSA. You know, certainly a highly trained ice along first, an officer can cover an X.

Though Borders'ar Tom Holman admits they'll be limited in what they'll be able to do. I don't see an ice agent looking at an x-ray machine because you're not trained in that. There are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them in the specialized jobs to help move those lines. The plan drew predictable condemnation from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The last thing that the American people need are for untrained ice agents. to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances kill them.

We've already seen how ICE conducts itself. These are untrained individuals. ICE agents and their methods, the very reason Democrats pressed for this funding shutdown so they could force change. Lawmakers have been arguing about whether ICE should remove their masks and obtain judicial warrants. After weeks of negotiating, no agreement. So Democrats have tried to open.

the flow of money to different agencies under Homeland's umbrella. Why don't they just reopen TSA? Why don't we just reopen the Coast Guard and FEMA? Senator Chris Murphy's frustrated Republicans have repeatedly swatted those efforts away. They want to hold TSA hostage. Still, lawmakers have been grinding away in a rare weekend session to try and get a deal before spring break travelers further stress the system. And the last thing you want as you travel is, to deal with political fights at the airport.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pushing for a resolution. Let that stay in Congress, but don't extract pain out of me and my family as I'm trying to just go to Florida and get some sun on my bones during spring break with my kids. Duffy says if there isn't an agreement soon, more TSA agents will quit by week's end. We're all hurting. Literally checking accounts are wiped out. Robert Mack is the union rep for TSA workers in San Diego. He's aghast at the idea of ICE helping. That is just the most ridiculous thing I've heard yet out of this.

But if lawmakers can't strike a deal soon, Mack and other TSA agents will have to live with their new controversial co-workers. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. MPs returned to the House of Commons Monday after their spring break. Conservative leader Pierre Pollyev spent it on an American media tour with a new message on how he would handle Canada-U.S. Relations. J.P. Tasker unpacks that shift at a tough time for the party. I'm showing other parts of my persona that I've always been there. After largely ignoring U.S.

President Donald Trump and his trade war over the last year, conservative leader Pierre Paulyev is making a pivot. Sometimes in the job you have to be prosecutorial and aggressive and other times you have to be reflective and strategic. touting a new message in a series of interviews with American media to show the Prime Minister isn't the only one with a plan to deal with Trump's economic assault. It's not that I'm going to abandon the fight against inflation, the fight for affordable homes and safe streets, it's that I'm going to add to it. While Carney says there's been a rupture in the bilateral relationship,

This bargain no longer works. After a nearly week-long tour of the states, Pauliev told Bloomberg News, he wants Canada and the U.S. to draw even closer together. Our interests are intertwined with the United States of America. We have to get this relationship back on track. Polyev says the Americans should have preferential access to Canadian critical minerals. In exchange, he wants Trump to drop all his tariffs and those 50 first state taunts.

I just wish he'd knock that shit off. Telling podcaster Joe Rogan, Trump's takeover talk is a non-starter. Canada's not for sale. going to be the 51st state. Polly has newfound focus on the U.S. comes as polls suggest his party is trailing Carney's liberals, back 10 to 15 percentage points depending on the survey. Advocas data pollster David Coletto.

Mark Carney's government's approval rating has hit its highest level. His personal numbers are up. Even the optimism within the country has hit a level we have not seen since before the pandemic. A seat projection from the writ.ca shows the liberals could win a massive majority government if an election were held today. There are snapshots in time and they go up and they go down. Steve outhouse, Polyev's campaign manager says he's not worried about the polls. Taking on the American issue shows Polyev can be prime ministerial and that could help

him make up some lost ground, he says. Being a part of this shows maybe a side that people haven't seen before. Polyev can put that to the test in by-elections next month. Liberal victories in just two of the three would secure a majority government. Possibly leaving the conservatives on the opposition benches until 2029. J.P. Tasker, CBC News, Ottawa. Meanwhile, the federal new Democrats are in a rebuilding phase. The NDP will elect a new leader next Sunday at the party's convention in Winnipeg.

Five candidates are on the ballot, and whoever wins has a mammoth task ahead of them. David Thurton reports on that. For New Democrats, it's the last sprint in a seven-month-long leader. campaign. David McGrane, a professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan, says a lot is at stake for the NDP. You're fleeing with extinction, possibly, or at least falling off the radar when it comes to Canadian politics. The party is still reeling, nearly a year after its worst electoral result federally, winning only seven seats. And things have gotten worse for the NDP,

with its Nunavut MP crossing the floor to the liberals. Not to mention, their lone Quebec MP is considering leaving. The party is at a crossroads, and members must decide which direction to go. Is it better to go right or to the left? Is it better to be bold? It's better to be cautious. That's something that I think we've seen before. And once again, is a choice facing the members of the party when it comes to this leadership race. Five candidates are in the running for the NDP's top job.

To Neil Johnston, a social worker, wants to eradicate poverty. That's why we need a guaranteed livable basic income. Farmer, Tony McQuail, is pushing for electoral reform. Well, the first past the post electoral system is a great handicap. Three other candidates are also in the running. Rob Ashton, a Vancouver dock worker and labor leader, is in it to unite the working class. We had people coming up to us that we're telling us that they were conservative voters, but they signed up to the party so they could support our campaign.

So our messages are doing what we said it would do, is bring people back home who felt like they didn't see themselves in the party anymore. Another contender is sitting MP Heather McPherson. She is positioning herself as a pragmatic candidate with a record of winning. We can promise everything. But unless we get more new Democrats elected until there are more new Democrats in that House of Commons, we cannot deliver on those promises. Pushing for transformative policy proposals is Avi Lewis. He's calling for public grocery stores and an end to new fossil fuel expansion. There are better, cheaper, more stable ways to get our energy.

We don't have to shut anything down tomorrow. We've never said that. What we've said is we need to start this transition instead of kicking the can down the road. Whomever wins next week will signal a new chapter for the federal NDP and inherit the monumental task of rebuilding the party from the ground up. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa. Washington Capitol superstar Alex Ovechkin is now the second NHL player ever with 1,000 career goals, joining Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin reached the milestone Sunday in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche.

Last April, the Russian hockey great surpassed Gretzky's record for the most regular season goals in league history. Alberta and Ontario are pulling funding for supervised consumption sites. provinces made the announcements this past week. Alberta's decision is part of a move away from harm reduction and to focus its efforts on recovery. Critics say the changes will only bring more danger and death. Sam Samson reports. Helping them inject drugs is not helping people. That's putting poison into their arms. Alberta's mental health and addictions minister, Rick Wilson, makes his government's stance on addictions clear. Harm reduction hurts, recovery heals. That's why it's closing supervised consumption sites in Lethbridge and Calgary. Instead, funding treatment and detox centers.

Alberta's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, says this will also help those who say these sites bring social disorder. For the people within the community that have a right to walk down the street and not inhale secondhand crystal meth smoke. The province recently closed other sites, including one in red deer a year ago. It feels like we're going back in time. Carolyn Corrigal is with Turning Point Society, a team working with people who, used drugs in the central Alberta city, she stresses the need for options. There's more investment into recovery beds. That's great too. But it shouldn't come at the cost of the services that are the entryway into that programming either. I think we need the full

spectrum. What should people in Lethbridge and Calgary be prepared for now that these sites are closing? I think they should definitely be prepared for increased public drug use, increase level of emergencies happening in spaces such as downtown businesses and other agencies, anywhere that offers a public washroom, for instance. They should definitely be geared up for that. And to make sure the community is ready for that with the right resources of where to refer people to. A Crown Corporation study, published in a peer-reviewed journal, suggests there's been no increase in opioid-related deaths since Red Deere's site closed.

Though the study itself notes these results are in connection. I actually think the provincial government is misrepresenting this study as an excuse to support a predetermined policy agenda. Though the province stands by the study's findings, Elaine Hishka is not convinced. She's a Canada Research Chair in Health Systems Innovation at the University of Alberta. We have one study that is standing in contrast to a large body of research that shows that these sites are helpful. And I don't think it's ever wise to make policy decisions of this magnitude based on a single study. Ontario is also moving away from supervised consumption sites by recently cutting funding. Without staff to test drugs, critics like Calgary-based Addictions Medicine Doctor, Montegoche,

warn there may be consequences. The drug supply keeps changing. They can change in Ontario at a blink of an eye. And you might see spike in overdoses. So again, having these sites is very helpful and crucial. Alberta's changes leave the province with three supervised consumption sites, one in Grand Prairie and two in Edmonton. These sites, the province says, are all under review.

Sam Sampson, CBC News, Edmonton. Young Canadians are turning to an old hobby to disconnect from the modern world, replacing this, the tap-tap of a smartphone, with this, the click-click of knitting needles. Unlike older generations, Gen Z knitters are harnessing the power of social media to learn and share their love for the craft. Michelle's song spins a yarn for us tonight. So the first step is inserting it into the loop. Knitting takes focus and time.

You did the hard step, great. Okay, and then you're going to take this part off. There you go. You did one. Oh, yay. Yay. Okay. But once you get it, it can be very rewarding. And that's the feeling Nick Cafe owner, Kristen Leggett, says young people are chasing.

It's like actually seeing something physically happen in your hands. It's hard to put into words why that that's important, but it really does give a person like a really strong sense of satisfaction. Legit says her yarn store has seen a shift in demographics since the pandemic, with more teens and those in their 20s expressing interest in knitting or crocheting. They're just seeing it a lot in their feeds, and then they get excited about it. And then they see even more, the more excited they get. The more they're looking, the more they see.

It's called the petaline top. And it's kind of the piece that gave me a bit more traction online and helped me. 22-year-old Dana Kampen posts her crochet designs on Instagram and TikTok. She's gained almost 25,000 followers in the past year. I think I was just looking for a hobby that would get me off my phone. And because it was a pandemic, I was okay with something that took a lot of time for me to kind of see results from it. Campin picked up a needle and some yarn and learned one stitch at a time by watching YouTube videos. Now she shares her love for it with her friends and followers.

I think everything is so quick and there's such an emphasis on hustle culture. And I think it's really rare to find a hobby like crocheting or knitting that tells you to slow down and focus and enjoy the process. It's really relaxing for your nervous system. Therapist Cassandra Dominic says these types of hobbies can really be a positive tool for mental health, especially for young people. I also think that younger generations compare to older women. are more comfortable with stepping out of that hustle culture in a different way. And so knitting is an activity that really helps people do that as well. And for Campin, it's not only a productive and therapeutic hobby. And it just led to me discovering this whole community of other people

that crochet or knit. And it brings so much inspiration to my projects. And with social media, that community is continuing to grow. Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. At next week's Juno Awards, a unique album is in the running for classical composition of the year. Andrew Staniland did not compose his music on a piano or a cello, say. He used an instrument he helped invent that turns brainwaves into sound. Madison Taylor in St. John's tried it out and brings us this report. Should pick up your signals in a second. Hear that? That's the sound of my brain.

to you loud and clear, thanks to the jade, a digital instrument created by Juno-nominated composer, Andrew Sandeland, and his team. It makes music, not using keys or strings, but by using brainwaves to produce sounds. So now we're hearing your brainwaves as a harp sound, which is, again, different already, right? Just choosing the sound of the harp is an artistic decision all by itself. The jade doesn't look like any old instrument. There's a circular white hub and a headperson. band called The Muse that reads brainwaves, which is connected to Statenland's laptop and phone.

Once it's up and running, it produces sounds like this. But it takes the work of a composer to turn that into music like this. This song is dancer portrait number four from Statenland's junior-nominated album, The Laws of Nature. He created it by using jade on dancers with the kiddie wake ballet in St. John's, who were able to react to the sounds coming from their own brainwaves in real time. And the album is making ways with audiences, beyond the classical music world. And it's really, it's really seems to be resonating. I don't think I've ever heard of a contemporary classical avant-garde electrocoustic recording

that's charting on radios and that kind of thing. So it's been really well received and it continues to be really well received. There's also touch mode, which works by hovering your hand over the instrument, much like a theorem. So how does the Jade actually work? One of Statenland's collaborators, Rebecca Barnstapel says, that Jade is like a translation device, interpreting the frequencies in our brains into something we can understand. Barnstable is an assistant professor at the University of Guelph

and her research is on the impacts of the arts on the body and the mind. So normally it's not something that we can hear, but what Andrew is doing is sonifying those signals. Barnstable says the instrument isn't exactly a mind reader. Really all you can tell from what you can tell from what you can, can see on that readout and what you could hear is that there is activity happening in your brain in many different frequencies. Stanelin says his album comes at a disruptive time for the music world with the rise of AI-generated

content. But he appreciates the humanity required to use the jade. Through tech, sort of re-embracing the humanness of music and, you know, I think that's what's wonderful about it. The composer is also curious about the future of the jade as an adaptive use instrument, allowing people with limited dexterity to make music. Or as part of mindfulness practice in music therapy. So I think that's the next chapter for Jade.

While Statenland contemplates what's next for the Jade, the Junos took ever closer. But whether he wins or loses, Statenland said he's proud of what he's created and the tools he used to get there. Madison Taylor, CBC News, St. John's. The music in this last story is not going to be winning any Junos. But as far as quirky news goes, it may take the cake, the lemon pound cake.

Let me explain. It starts here. A song that was actually up for a Grammy in 2002 and a big hit for Afro-Man, who became somewhat well known for comedic rap. In 2022, he got some new material from an unlikely place, a police raid. on his house in Adams County, Ohio. The warrant was for drug trafficking and kidnapping. Rifle-wielding deputies broke down Afro-Man's door and searched the house.

His shoes, his suit pockets, his CDs. No charges were laid, but the search was captured on home security footage. And then the songs started. Will you help me repair my gay? Will you help me. In a series of low-budget online videos that quickly went viral, Afro-Man sang about the raid and mocked the officers by name, in particular one who appeared to linger over a cake on his counter. They found no kidnapping victims, just some lemon pound cake.

The officers sued for defamation, seeking nearly 4 million U.S. dollars in damages. Afro-man wearing an American flag. suit with matching aviator sunglasses argued back that he had a First Amendment right to make fun of the raid, which also damaged his home and traumatized his kids. It worked. We did it. Freedom of speech. Right on. God bless America. Yeah. Power to the people. And now the Lemon Pound Cake video has been seen more than six million times. You've been listening to your world tonight, and it's been a slice. I'm Stephanie Scandaris. Good time. night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.