Your World Tonight - Trump pressures NATO, NDP retreat, Lillith Fair documentary, and more

Episode Date: September 13, 2025

The U.S. President has issued his latest ultimatum on the Russia-Ukraine war. But the demand is directed at NATO. Donald Trump says the U.S. will slap major sanctions on Russia only when NATO members agree to stop buying Russian oil. It's one of several conditions the President is demanding that could cause a snag for alliance members, including Canada.Also: Parliament resumes next week in Ottawa, and the federal NDP are returning to fewer seats and shakier prospects. The tiny group of 7 MPs face a piling campaign debt -- and no permanent leader at its helm. We'll take you inside the party retreat in Parksville, British Columbia, where they are looking to regroup and strategize.And: It was the groundbreaking all-female festival of the 90s. Now, a new documentary screening at TIFF goes behind the scenes of Lilith Fair. We'll take you to the red carpet to hear from festival founder Sarah McLachlan.Plus: building a liquified natural gas plant on the East Coast, Nepal swears in new interim Prime Minister, the volunteers feeding firefighters in Nova Scotia, and more.

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is to bring down the Russian economy to the point where it cannot sustain the Russian military advances. And U.S. President Donald Trump says that's what he's trying to do with new demands on NATO members. But his range of conditions may come at another cost. Also on the podcast, what's left of the federal NDP goes on a sole searching retreat on Vancouver Island. Plus, we just want them happy and we want their families to know when they come home. They have a warm bed, a full belly, and they're safe. Call it Eastern hospitality. Volunteers in Nova Scotia keep firefighters going after more than a month of battling a wildfire in the Annapolis Valley. The U.S. President has issued his latest ultimatum on the Russia-Ukraine war, but the demand is for neither country.

Instead, it's NATO on the receiving end. Donald Trump says the U.S. will slap major sanctions on Russia when NATO members agree to stop buying Russian oil. It's one of several conditions the president is demanding that could cause consequences. complications for alliance members, including Canada. Philip Lyshenok explains. Does your patience run out with Putin? Yeah, it's sort of running out and running out fast. On Friday's Fox and Friends panel, U.S. President Donald Trump hints at what his next move will be to fulfill his promise to end the war in Ukraine.

What is clamping down on Vladimir Putin? Well, it would be hitting very hard on with sanctions and having to do with oil and tariffs also. But before he does that, now he says he wants. all NATO allies to agree to stop buying Russian oil and implement 50 to 100 percent tariffs on China. And he questioned the alliance's commitment to winning the war, calling the purchase of Russian oil by some NATO members shocking. Michael Basserkew is a global affairs analyst for the Atlantic Council and is based in Odessa. Mr. Trump is pointing the finger at Europeans for their purchasing of Russian oil. Well, they don't have a choice right now. They have reduced their purchases.

But that isn't the case for some NATO members. Trump's demand isn't likely to go down smoothly for Turkey and Hungary, who are some of Russia's top buyers. Everyone recognizes, including Ukrainians, that they're being beaten. Andrew Rassoulis is with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He notes the timing of Trump's ultimatum, which comes just as Russian drones violated Polish airspace, a provocation against a NATO ally.

The only way that is left for, the Coalition of the Willing, the West, NATO, Ukraine, to stop the Russian military juggernaut is to bring down the Russian economy to the point where it cannot sustain the Russian military advances. And it's a race. But Europe will need to find a replacement for Russian oil, and that may open an opportunity for Canada. McGill University's Julian Karagestrian is a former international trade advisor to the Canadian government.

We could at least partially replace. some of the oil and gas that EU member countries import from Russia directly or indirectly. The problem facing us, though, is that we don't have enough transportation, pipeline, and port infrastructure. The downside, he says, is complying with the second part of Trump's ultimatum, putting tariffs on China between 50 and 100%. So maybe we'd benefit in energy markets, but I think we would lose more, much more, by cutting ourselves off from China. Already placing a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles in lockstep

with the United States has brought Chinese counter tariffs on Canadian canola, beef, and seafood. Philip Lishanak, CBC News, Toronto. Health officials in Gaza, say a barrage of Israeli air strikes on Saturday killed at least 32 people across Gaza City. Israel has told the nearly 1 million Palestinians in Gaza City to evacuate south, as its military prepares to take control. The IDF says its strikes targeted over 500 sites in the past week, destroying what it claims are Hamas sniper sites and weapons depots. Meanwhile, Israel's prime minister is blaming Hamas leadership in Qatar

for blocking ceasefire negotiations. In a post on X, Benjamin Netanyahu says killing those leaders would, quote, rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war. Still ahead, it was the groundbreaking all-female festival of the 90s. But today, you can go behind the scenes of Lilith Fair with a new documentary showing at TIF. We'll take you to the red carpet to hear from festival founder, Sarah McLaughlin. That's coming up on your world tonight. In Nepal.

Susilakarki is sworn in as the country's interim prime minister. The former chief justice takes on the role after violent anti-corruption protests force the former leader to resign. With the collapse of Nepal's old guard, the young people who took part in the protests are left asking, what happens now? Our South Asia correspondent Salima Shivji reports. The streets of Kathmandu still quiet,

with heavily armed soldiers monitoring traffic. It's been only a few days since violent protests abruptly toppled the government of this South Asian country and a fragile calm now reigns with the army on alert. During breaks in the days-long curfew lifted early this morning, young students who led what's being called the Gen Z protests swept the streets of the capital, gathering broken glass outside charred buildings.

I feel happy, I feel proud. 25-year-old Sajan Shrestha's joy that the protests succeeded in bringing down a government accused of corruption and nepotism in just 48 hours is only slightly mingled with regret. The current need is to clean what we have done wrong as in riot. Kathmandu's palace complex turned seat of government was left in ruins. So were many other ministry buildings, the Supreme Court, and homes of prominent politicians as the protests spiraled on Tuesday. The day after, police aggressively pushed back thousands of protesters.

They were furious over a social media ban and what they saw as a deeply entrenched culture of corruption in government. In all, more than 50 people were killed in the clashes, protesters and police officers, and more than 12,000 prisoners escaped from jails in all the chaos. For three generations of the Kudka family sitting in their lives, living room, there's a shared outrage against the ruling elite. They were corrupt, says the matriarch, 93-year-old man, Maya Kadka.

The youngsters had to rise up. But the army didn't handle the situation well, she says. They let buildings burn and convicts escape. Solders to control of the streets in an effort to restore calm late Tuesday night hours after the prime minister had resigned. But by then, there were thick billows of smoke and damage across much of Kathmandu. Manmaya's grandson, Sangan Khadka, just 25, is filled with hope. He says whatever the younger generation wants is possible.

But his father, 58-year-old Dal Khadka, is more cautious about what's next for their country. The chaos and violence came when the Gen Z movement was hijacked, he says, by people with their own interests. That could keep causing problems, Kadka says, and overshadow what's needed in Nepal, real change. Nepal is used to political instability, but the turmoil that broke out on Monday has pushed the army, which commands respect across the country, into an unusual role, says Asho Kmeta, a retired Indian general who has worked closely with the Nepalese military.

The army chief was absolutely zero experience in overseeing and nursing a peace process, in fact, rebuilding the governance system. Another major challenge, the Gen Z protests grew organically, fueled by anger, and there's no single leader. Disparate groups agreed to have former Supreme Court Justice Sushilakarki appointed as interim prime minister late Friday, and Nepal's parliament was dissolved. But many, like protester Bishu Yadav, are pushing for a more radical approach. I don't think she can run the country.

It needs to be a young person, he says. As Nepal lurches towards an uncertain future, struggling for reform. Salima Shivjee, CBC News, Mumbai. In Norway's far north, an election was held this week for members of the country's Sami parliament, the voice of the European Union's only recognized indigenous group. The result saw a surge in support for an unusual party, one that is opposed to many of the gains Norway has made toward indigenous rights over the past five decades.

On last reports. At a victory party in the Arctic town of Bjorkvik, Viveka Larson was ecstatic. We are cheering, she told Norway's state broadcaster. We feel we have a right to celebrate. Larson's party, the Nordcoloten Fulke, had just recorded its best-ever result. Nearly a third of votes in Norway's semi-parliament election

and the second-most seats in the indigenous assembly. The party is arriving with a new mandate behind it to disrupt indigenous politics. But in its 16 years at the Sami ballot box, it hasn't been without controversy. What we say is that all the Sami people, not only the reindeer herders, should be part of the decision-making. Torlbach and Kavan founded the Nord Kolotn Fulke in 2009. She says the party aims to broaden the definition of Sami identity, beyond an outdated idea that all Sami are nomadic herders. We have to lose this national romantic view of the Sami people and say that everyone, even

though you are a farmer, a fisher, you're still a part of the Sami society. But critics say their project goes beyond challenging stereotypes. Coven's party has objected to Sami land claims, resisting efforts to give the Sami parliament more say over controversial developments. Mines and wind farms, their rivals say, threatened Sami lands and livelihoods. And amid a growing scandal over so-called fake Sami, who falsely claim indigenous ancestry, they've strongly opposed efforts to more closely scrutinize voters' credentials. There are a lot of new voters that they have recruited into the role, and that, of course, changes

the dynamics. Anne Henrietta Niedut is a political advisor for the Norwegian Sami Association, the Nord-Kolet and Falka's main rival. She says the party has been successful at exploiting real divisions in Norway's Sami community, between coastal groups most affected by brutal policies of assimilation and inland Sami, who preserved more traditional aspects of their culture. And KF have managed to kind of set word to a feeling that a lot of Samis have this not being good enough. For now, the Nordkhalet and Foka will remain in opposition, with Nielut's party securing enough seats to elect the next Sami president.

But with their vote share nearly doubled since the last election, observers on both sides say it might not be for long. For CBC News, I'm John Last in Ottawa. You're listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. And if you want to make sure you 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. Parliament resumes next week in Ottawa, and the federal NDP is returning to fewer seats and shakier prospects. There's a lot to. figure out following one of the party's worst election defeats in history. The tiny group that

is left of seven MPs face a piling campaign debt and no permanent leader at the helm. They gathered this week in Parksville, British Columbia to regroup and strategize. Marina von Stackleberg gives us a look inside. On the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada's new Democratic Party came to do some soul searching. There's lots to talk about before MPs return to Ottawa next week. Don Davies is their interim leader. The NDP has to take a hard look at why our messages didn't resonate in the way that we wanted it to. It's been a rough few months.

After the party's worst election results in history, they went from 24 MPs down to just seven. And there's internal wounds to heal. In recent months, infighting became public when a letter written by three of the MPs slamming the party's decision-making was leaked. Enter the facilitator, armed with art supplies. Behind a closed boardroom door decorated with a cheerful orange sign. As part of the day-long session, the MPs hit the beach.

They paired off sitting on benches and large pieces of driftwood, talking it out as the tide rolled in. Leah Gazan is the MP for Winnipeg Center. You know, we're a good caucus and we get along and, you know, we're having fun in there. You hear it on the outside. We're laughing a lot and I think I feel very hopeful going forward. This is the federal NDP, mighty federal NDP caucus who made it through an incredibly difficult election. That night at a town hall, the room is full with nearly 100 supporters. At the back, a sign of up sheet to volunteer and donate. The new Democrats are down to a skeleton staff. They have to

pay off campaign debt and they won't have a new leader until March. Edmonton MP Heather McPherson hasn't ruled out running for the job. We're very excited about, you know, having good conversations about what the future of the NDP looks like. Part of that is figuring out how to get back the voters they lost. Progressive voters, working class voters. Voters like the ones here on Vancouver Island. This was once NDP territory, with the party holding six of seven ridings. Now there's just one new Democrat MP left, Gore Jans. This is a moment. This is a moment where Canadians need the New Democratic Party. They need us more than ever. And the seven of us are going to get everything we've got. As Mark Carney moves the liberal government further to the

political right, the new Democrats say they see a growing space for their progressive voice. on issues like climate, indigenous rights, and labor. But in a House of Commons with 343 MPs, the question is whether these seven will be heard. Marina von Stackleberg, CBC News, Parksville, British Columbia. A British company is hoping to build Canada's first liquefied natural gas plant on the East Coast. But as Peter Cowan tells us from Fremuse, Newfoundland,

there are a lot of hurdles before the project can become a real. reality. The harbor in Fremuse is quiet with just a few fishing boats at the wharf, but Swap and Kataria has a big vision for this small town. The only reason we are trying to do LNG is because we are at the right place at the right time to try and do it now. The CEO of Fremuse Energy wants to build a liquefied natural gas plant in the town of just 266 people, about an hour and a half from St. John's.

The supply of gas would come from Newfoundland's offshore oil projects. Right now, they inject natural gas. back into the wells. Fremuse Energy would build a 300-kilometer pipeline to bring it to Newfoundland, liquefy it, and send it to Europe and beyond. I think it is important for Canada to stand up for itself. And there are markets which are demanding that product.

So somebody is going to fill that gap, right? And if Canada keeps the share of that pie, what's wrong with that? Originally, Kataria was just going to build a marine base in the community to service the offshore. But he says a shift in leadership and tone from the federal government made him more confident a gas project would get the green light. If we did not feel that there was political stability and we did not feel there was a sense of direction

from the federal government and the provincial government being synced on growth and jobs and energy security, I think we would not have tried to do it now. Newfoundland has a lot of natural gas, but until now no projects to use it. Steve Crocker is the province's energy minister. This is an industry that we've been long waiting to develop and build a Newfoundland Labrador, and this is great to see this company take a move here.

So what are we going to be looking at? A pile of pipeline and everything else? No. No, don't want it. Virginia Pennell lives in the cove where Vermeux Energy wants to build its floating plant. She doesn't think the promise of jobs will benefit her town, or even the fish plant has to bring in workers because it can't find people locally. I mean, we do not want to see that out here in our harbor. It's going to take over the whole harbor. One expert is also questioning whether Europe will want the gas long term. Sarah Hastings-Simon is a professor at the University of Calgary. I think there is a lot of uncertainty and a lot of reason to be concerned about the mid-to-long-term demand for LNG. And so, you know, the extent to which there is a business case without any

support for it, I think there's a big question mark there. She says Europe is investing heavily in solar and wind to reduce the long-term need for natural gas. Kataria is confident he'll have customers. He's already building off-take facilities in Scotland and India, but he still needs to find the investors who agree willing to put in the $15 billion needed to make it more than a pipe dream. Peter Cowan, CBC News for Muse Newfoundland. It has been a month since Nova Scotia's Long Lake Wildfire started. It's thankfully now under control, but crews are still working around the clock to put it out completely. All the while, a group of volunteers is also putting in countless hours

to keep those firefighters well-fed and well-rested. Jane Sponicle has that story. Firefighters, back from a 12-hour shift, dirty, bleary-eyed and hungry, finally getting to sit down to a hot meal. It's thanks to the 45 volunteers who have been feeding and caring for the nearly 200 firefighters staying at the former naval base.

It's the smiles on their face. To see someone that exhausted, Cheryl Pistorius has to be exhausted too. She's been here since day three and putting in long hours on top of her day job. I just want some delight in their life. This is a tough job. I can't imagine doing this day in, day out, in that heat. They're in the bogs. They're soaking wet. They're being sunburned, the ticks, the bugs. But they're going out there and they're doing it every day. It's nothing for me to come down here and help. Nothing.

Here wasn't much until the property company that now owns the buildings on the base got the call to help. Barrick rooms were cleaned and repaired with hours' notice. Volunteers stayed up all night scrubbing the commercial kitchen that hadn't been used in four years so it could be ready for that first breakfast. The kitchen is now buzzing for 17 hours a day, making all of the meals, including 100 sandwiches for bagged lunches. Peter Rowan is on sandwich duty. He's a retired firefighter originally from Ontario. I know the morale of the firefighters would be high because of the community support here.

Nova Scotia support overall, too. So it all helps with the mental health and everything and hard work. Getting full belly helps. There's been a rotation of chefs. Bonnie Buckler was the first cook of this operation and is still on hand. Buckler grew up in West Delhousie, the community at the center of the fire, and has family members who've had to leave their homes. Being here was the only option for her.

that's something Nova Scotians just do. When there's a crisis, they just get in that kitchen and they start cooking. And that's exactly what's happened here. It's amazing. Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources has paid for the firefighters' accommodations and food. But it's the volunteers who are trying to make it feel like home. On the menu this night, a Nova Scotia boiled dinner.

Ham, cabbage, potatoes, turnip, and carrots. And for dessert, pie, and lots of it. Pistorius has earned the nickname The Pie Pusher She says some firefighters won't make eye contact with her So she doesn't make them eat more But she doesn't want anyone to leave hungry

We just want them happy And we want their families to know When they come home They have a warm bed, a full belly And they're safe Because that's all parents want They just want their children to be safe So I'm glad I get the opportunity to do that

It's like it's humbling for me So I feel really blessed that I got that chance to do that Pistorius wants the fire to end, but says she'll miss the firefighters when they're gone. Jane Sponagull, CBC News, Cornwalls Park, Nova Scotia. The Toronto Argonauts, honored actor and comedian John Candy with a tribute game, at Bimo Field in Toronto against the Edmonton Elks. Candy was a long-time CFL fan and co-owned the Argos from 1991 to 1994, overseeing the team's Grey Cup win in 91.

His son, Chris Candy, spoke to CBC News about today's game. It's a perfect cherry on top of a very long week of getting to reintroduce my dad to the world. And it's an honor, you know, he loved football, he loved Canada. and I think it's interesting. I even feel like a kindred spirit to how he was really rooting for the CFL, but he really loved the team and he loved all the people he worked with.

So I think it was great for him to do that in his lifetime. John Candy died of a heart attack in 1994 at the age of 43. He's the subject of the new documentary, John Candy, I Like Me, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival last week. TIF is now coming to a close. One of the final premieres, a documentary on a pioneering moment in pop culture history.

Promoters said, you can't put two women on the same bill. People won't come. And it put a huge fire under my butt to prove them wrong. And prove them wrong, she did. That was Sarah McLaughlin from a new doc called Lilith Fair, building a mystery about the 90s-era music festival she founded. Macda Gebris Lassa spoke to us from the red carpet. Macda, Lilith Fair only existed for a brief few years, but it was a banner moment for women in music back in the 90s.

What can people expect from this documentary on that time? Well, this documentary really looks at, you know, why this music festival came together, why Sarah McLaughlin decided to do something that many people told her could not be done. having all of these women artists together on the lineup at this festival. You know, at the time, you had people like Joan Osborne and Paula Cole, Tracy Chapman, Jewel, Indigo Girls, Erica Badoo. They were all part of this music festival, and it was, it was, you know, pushing back at a time when, you know, they were told that you couldn't play women artists back to back on the radio, and you couldn't have a concert where two female artists were on the ticket. And so Sarah McLaughlin was out to prove so many people wrong

that, in fact, it could be done, that it would be a success, that you could sell tickets, putting a festival like this on. And in order to do that, she ended up, you know, coming across a lot of pushback. Here's a clip from her on the red carpet talking about that. Every day at the press conference, I had to defend every piece of it. from one side or another, you're too feminist, you're not feminist enough, you're not diverse enough, why do you hate men? That was a real common sentiment. But whenever you try and push back against industry norms, against social norms, there's always going to be pushback. And the festival,

you know, it ran from 97 to 99 was a huge success. But, you know, since then, there have been so many artists of today that have been influenced by those women of that time and their music and what they went through to put on Lilith Fair, and you get a bit of that conversation as well with artists like Olivia Rodriguez participating in this documentary. And to her point, I mean, it wasn't only something that was important to women. One of the producers on this is Dan Levy. What did he tell you about what Lilith Fair meant to him?

Yeah, you know, there's a part in the documentary where he talks about, you know, he was going through a tough time when he was closeted, he was being bullied, And he felt like when he went to Lilith Fair, it's one of his earliest memories of feeling safe. And I talked to him about that on the red carpet. Here's a bit from him. You know, as like a closeted kid going and seeing so many different types of people living so joyfully and outwardly,

it really was a celebration of inclusivity across the board. And that is my big takeaway. And here he is now, obviously, that festival made a huge impact on his life. And now he gets to participate in this festival and be a producer on this documentary that meant so much to him. We're coming to the end of the festival now,

the end of TIF. What are some of your reflections on this year's festival as it wraps up? You've clearly had some amazing conversations with people on those red carpets. Yeah, you know, it's been a busy, busy Tiff. And there were so many actors that came out for this festival this year.

I'm losing count of all the red carpets I covered and it really did feel I'm comparing this year's TIF to last year's TIF I felt like TIF is really back this year you know since the pandemic it's really changed and it didn't feel quite the same you didn't have as many people showing up for it you didn't have as many you know people here coming to the the movies but this year oh you had people coming out to the show it really the energy just felt like TIF is really back. Oh, yeah. Even from where we sit in the CBC building, which is right near the festival, it's been so buzzy. Magda, thank you so much. Thank you. That was Magda Gabris Lassa from the Red Carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival. And if you want to watch Lilith Fair

building a mystery, it'll be streaming on CBC Gem starting September 17th. For a whole lot of people, those are the sounds of a Saturday morning. in the living room, fighting with your siblings over who gets control of the Nintendo controller so you can jump down pipes, headbut those question mark blocks, and rescue the princess. The theme song for Super Mario Brothers is still as iconic as it was when the game first came out on this day 40 years ago. Yes, it's been four decades since those brothers from Brooklyn got sent to the Mushroom

kingdom and became the world's most famous plumbers. It wasn't actually Mario's first game appearance. That was in 1981's Donkey Kong, though back then he was known as Jump Man. Then there was the single screen game Mario Brothers before Nintendo released Super Mario in Japan. It's me, Mario. It had a bunch of spin-offs and became the best-selling video game series of all time, more than 890 million copies, as well as a 1989 TV show With the Mario brothers And plummings are game

We're not like the others Who get all the fame If you're sick is in trouble You can call us on the double We're faster than the others You'll be hooked on the brothers And a 2023 movie That is not only the most successful

Video Game adaptation ever But the fifth highest grossing animated film ever Mario Mario All right That's a call Nintendo's going to try to level up that success with another movie.

The Super Mario Galaxy movie is coming out next April, starring Chris Pratt as Mario, and it sends our hero to space. But for now, we'll sign off from The World, Your World, Tonight. I'm Stephanie Skanderas. Thank you for listening. Yo, you're in for a treat, so hang on to you see. Get ready for adventure and remark. For me, Coopers and Troopers, the princess and the others, hanging with the plumbers,

you'll be hooked on the brothers to the brids. For more CBC podcasts, go to CBC.ca.com.