Another planetary boundary crossed, ostrich cull put off, Zelenskyy warning at UNGA, and more

Summary

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Your World Tonight — September 24, 2025

CBC News | Hosts: Susan Bonner, Stephanie Skenderis

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Episode Overview

This episode explores several of the day’s most significant global and Canadian news stories, providing nuanced analysis and firsthand reporting. Key stories include a new warning about ocean acidification and planetary boundaries, political clashes over Canada’s gun buyback program, Ukraine’s plea at the UN amid shifting US support, violence surrounding US immigration enforcement, the survival of BC’s ostriches amid avian flu controversy, concerns about middle school transitions, and a behind-the-scenes look at NASA’s Artemis II mission featuring a Canadian astronaut.

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Main Segments and Key Insights

1. Another Planetary Boundary Crossed: Oceans in Crisis

[01:15 – 05:15]

• Theme: New scientific warnings signal that Earth's oceans are at acute risk due to rising acidification from CO2 absorption—a key planetary boundary has been breached.
• Details:
  • Johan Rockstrom, Potsdam Institute: "We fail unless we safeguard the world's most powerful carbon sink and Planetary cooling system. A healthy planet." (03:05)
  • Oceans’ increasing acidity threatens marine life—corals, oysters, mussels, crabs—and undermines global seafood industries.
  • Chris Harley, UBC: “It makes it harder to build shell and you need to add shell if you want to grow bigger. Sort of like building a house and all of a sudden the building materials become more costly.” (03:26)
  • Cassima Porteous, U of T: Acidification affects Dungeness crab’s sense of smell, reducing their ability to find food and reproduce. (04:12)
  • Iria Jimenez, Hakai Institute: “We're predicting that the conditions in the ocean are still going to deteriorate for at least 50 years, if not more so. Absolutely. It's urgent that we drastically reduce our emissions.” (04:50)
• Notable Quote: “Ocean acidification is a global problem with local impacts.” – Iria Jimenez (04:37)

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2. Canadian Gun Buyback Program Under Fire

[05:16 – 08:03]

• Theme: Political tension surges as the opposition hammers the government over its controversial gun buyback plan following a leaked recording.
• Details:
  • Conservatives demand the resignation of Public Safety Minister Gary Ananda Sangari after he’s caught questioning compensation plans and enforcement in an undercover recording.
  • Pierre Poilievre (Opposition): Accuses PM Carney of “stunning incompetence” and faulty knowledge: “The Prime Minister's knowledge bank on this subject is now depleted, so we'll move on to something else.” (06:40)
  • PM Carney and the embattled minister defend the program as “efficient” and “voluntary,” reaffirming commitment to fair compensation.
  • Minister Ananda Sangari: “I was proud to launch the assault style firearm compensation program in Nova Scotia. We look forward to expanding it across Canada.” (07:33)

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3. Security Breach at the Royal Bank of Canada

[08:03 – 09:00]

• Theme: High-level data breach as an RBC employee allegedly accessed the accounts of multiple clients, including Prime Minister Mark Carney.
• Details: Suspect Ibrahim El Hakim faces charges of fraud, identity theft, and computer misuse. The breach, thought to be linked to organized crime, reportedly posed no danger to the PM’s safety.

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4. UN General Assembly: Zelenskyy Urges Action, US Signals Shift

[09:38 – 12:58]

• Theme: Ukraine's President Zelenskyy gives an urgent warning at the UN, highlighting global stakes as Trump suggests US support for Ukraine may be shifting.
• Details:
  • Zelenskyy appeals for stronger global action: “Don't stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on. Please join us in defending life and international law.” (10:34)
  • Trump posts that Ukraine could retake all territory with European support—a major rhetorical shift after previously advocating ceding territory.
  • Mixed reactions in Ukraine: “He's the kind of person who changes his mind every week... You can't take him seriously.” – Oleksandr, Ukrainian soldier (11:34)
  • Zelenskyy warns about the rapid evolution of warfare: “Every year that this war goes on, weapons become even more deadly and only Russia deserves to be blamed for.” (12:39)

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5. Political Violence Fears After Dallas ICE Shooting

[12:58 – 15:59]

• Theme: Political and ideological violence flares in the US after a targeted shooting at a Dallas immigration center, raising alarms about the nation’s polarized climate.
• Details:
  • A sniper killed one detainee and injured two; the shooter left anti-ICE messages and was found dead by suicide.
  • Josh Johnson, ICE: “The rhetoric has to stop. It's just gotta stop. It's dangerous and people are losing their lives.” (14:44)
  • Political blame game ensues—VP J.D. Vance tells critics: “If your Political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement. You can go straight to hell and you have no place in the political conversation...” (15:31)
  • Incident follows high-profile assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk, compounding concerns.

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6. Typhoon Ragasa Hits China, Displaces Millions

[15:59 – 16:47]

• Theme: Asia reels as Typhoon Ragasa batters China’s south coast after deadly passage through the Philippines and Taiwan.
• Details: Nearly 2 million evacuated, at least 20 dead, major flooding and destruction.

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7. BC Ostrich Cull Paused by Supreme Court

[16:47 – 19:22]

• Theme: Legal and ethical controversy surrounds an order to cull 400 ostriches in BC due to avian flu; the Supreme Court temporarily stays the cull while appeals continue.
• Details:
  • CFIA aims to kill the birds for disease control; farmers and supporters resist, leading to arrests.
  • Katie Pasitney (ostrich farmer): “They are our animals. They're not the government's animals. They're our animals.” (16:47)
  • Protests escalate; RCMP intervenes due to local disruptions.
  • Nilo, protester: “You know, like, I just see this as incredibly unjust and I just felt compelled.” (18:22)
  • Kevin Smith, lawyer: “There's a serious issue to be adjudicated on appeal...it deserves to be considered.” (18:58)

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8. Debate Over Middle School Impact

[19:22 – 22:07]

• Theme: Ontario study links early transition (grade 6) to middle school with lower academic performance, igniting debate about the middle school model’s effectiveness.
• Details:
  • Study: “About four and a half percentage points fewer students would pass both the literacy and the mathematics test.” – David R. Johnson (20:40)
  • Concerns about developmental differences and academic disruption.
  • Kelly Gallagher MacKay, Laurier: “Middle schools can be a little disruptive.” (21:27)
  • Unclear if change is imminent, but larger systemic education reviews underway.

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9. Canadian Astronaut to Fly Artemis II Lunar Mission

[22:19 – 25:42]

• Theme: Canada set for history as astronaut Jeremy Hansen prepares to join NASA’s Artemis II—first lunar voyage with a Canadian on board.
• Details:
  • Suit and capsule preparations demonstrated; Artemis II will loop around the moon as precursor to a future lunar landing.
  • Jeremy Hansen: “You should also be extraordinarily proud that we are represented in the Artemis program and it wasn't a gift. You earned it.” (24:26)
  • Reid Wiseman, Artemis II Commander: “There is nothing that he doesn't just think about like, well, what if you did this?... those questions lead to a lot of discovery.” (24:55)
  • Hansen: “I think it's extraordinary that we're the second country in the world to send a human into deep space. And if we're doing this, imagine what we can do next.” (25:33)

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10. President Trump’s UNGA Speech: Mechanical Mishaps and Blame

[25:55 – 27:21]

• Theme: President Trump’s UN speech marked by complaints about broken escalators and teleprompters, igniting speculation and White House accusations of sabotage by UN staffers.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Trump: “All I got from the United nations was an escalator that on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the first lady wasn't in great shape, she would have fallen.” (26:12)
  • “The teleprompter is not working. I can only say that whoever's operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.” (26:38)
  • UN investigation reveals a White House videographer likely triggered the escalator stop and the teleprompter operator works for the White House.

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Notable Quotes

• “We fail unless we safeguard the world's most powerful carbon sink and Planetary cooling system. A healthy planet.”
  — Johan Rockstrom, Potsdam Institute (03:05)
• “It makes it harder to build shell...like building a house and all of a sudden the building materials become more costly.”
  — Chris Harley, UBC (03:26)
• “Don't stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on. Please join us in defending life and international law.”
  — Volodymyr Zelenskyy, UNGA (10:34)
• “The rhetoric has to stop. It's just gotta stop. It's dangerous and people are losing their lives.”
  — Josh Johnson, ICE (14:44)
• “You should also be extraordinarily proud that we are represented in the Artemis program and it wasn't a gift. You earned it.”
  — Jeremy Hansen, Canadian astronaut (24:26)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:15 – Oceans cross new acidification boundary; planetary crisis explained
• 05:16 – Government grilled on gun buyback after secret minister recording
• 08:03 – RBC employee charged for unauthorized access to PM's account
• 09:38 – Zelenskyy at UN; Trump’s Ukraine statements analyzed
• 12:58 – Dallas ICE shooting increases fears of political violence
• 15:59 – Typhoon Ragasa’s devastating landfall in China
• 16:47 – BC ostrich farm cull put on hold amid legal battle
• 19:22 – Study: Early middle school transitions harm Ontario student outcomes
• 22:19 – Artemis II: Canadian astronaut’s moon mission preparations
• 25:55 – Trump’s UN speech fraught with technical gaffes, blame game

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Conclusion

This exceptionally news-packed episode weaves scientific alarms, political drama, public safety, education, rare animal welfare, and milestone space exploration into a tight Canadian and global newscast—delivering real context and personal perspectives behind the headlines.

Transcript

[Darina]

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[Paul Hunter]

This is a CBC podcast.

[Darina]

We're predicting that the conditions in the ocean are still going to deteriorate for at least 50 years. Absolutely. It's urgent that we drastically reduce our.

[Susan Bonner]

Emissions degree by degree. The climate keeps crossing dangerous new lines. And the latest could be an existential threat to the world's oceans, with a new report suggesting they are overloaded with carbon dioxide, getting more acidic and less hospitable to marine life that also supports humankind. Welcome to youo World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Wednesday, September 24, just before 6pm Eastern. Also on the podcast, will the prime.

[Tom Perry]

Minister stop wasting money banning gopher guns? Read his briefing notes so that he knows what he's talking about and fire that incompetent minister.

[Susan Bonner]

In question. Period. More pushback to the federal government's gun buyback. The opposition wants it scrapped and they want the minister responsible to step down after a secret recording. The public fight over a controversial program intensifies. The planet's oceans provide a frontline defense against climate change. They absorb massive amounts of carbon emissions from human activities. But a new warning says they're reaching a breaking point that will affect the food we eat and how we live. Anand Ram explains it's the greatest con.

[Tom Perry]

Job ever perpetrated on the world.

[Anand Ram]

Less than a day after US President Donald Trump delivered this opinion on climate.

[Tom Perry]

Change, then they said global warming will kill the world. All of these predictions were wrong. They were made by stupid people.

[Anand Ram]

Some of those informed and experienced scientists were also at the UN warning against imbalances on our planet now getting more dangerous. Johan Rockstrom is the director of the Potsdam Institute.

[Tom Perry]

We fail unless we safeguard the world's most powerful carbon sink and Planetary cooling system. A healthy planet.

[Anand Ram]

The latest health stressor in that Potsdam Report, how acidic our oceans have become because they've been absorbing the carbon humans have been burning.

[Tom Perry]

Just like when we add carbon dioxide.

[Anand Ram]

To coke, that makes the soft drink more acidic. Chris Harley teaches ocean science and climate change at the University of British Columbia. He says the latest report shows the soaking up of that carbon. It's changing the chemistry of the ocean, leaving fewer building blocks for corals, oysters, mussels and crabs. It makes it harder to build shell and you need to add shell if you want to grow bigger. Sort of like building a house and all of a sudden the building materials become more costly. You're either gon smaller, homes are not as many. And when you bring in boatloads of seafood, size matters. Consider BC's Dungeness crab industry, estimated to be worth $250 million annually. Cassima Porteous at the University of Toronto has studied those crabs.

[Darina]

These kinds of levels of ocean acidification were affecting their sense of smell, reducing their ability to find food. So we potentially could see smaller animals. They could produce fewer eggs and offspring.

[Anand Ram]

Not only affecting the food we eat, but the food our food eats. And keep in mind, the oceans protect us by absorbing all that CO2. But too much and that ability to absorb weakens.

[Darina]

Ocean acidification is a global problem with local impacts.

[Anand Ram]

Iria Jimenez studies acidification's impact with the Hakai Institute in British Columbia. With oceans covering 70% of our planet, there's only one solution.

[Darina]

We're predicting that the conditions in the ocean are still going to deteriorate for at least 50 years, if not more so. Absolutely. It's urgent that we drastically reduce our emissions.

[Tom Perry]

The carbon footprint is a hoax.

[Anand Ram]

But as the ocean grows more acidic, it seems the toxicity in climate discourse might stand in the way of the progress needed to save it. Anand Ram, CBC News, Toronto.

[Susan Bonner]

In Ottawa, the Prime Minister faced tough questions about the government's gun buyback program. And the man in charge of it, Mark Carney, is defending his public safety minister after he was caught on tape questioning the plan to compensate gun owners. As Tom Perry reports, Conservatives want the minister and the program gone.

[Tom Perry]

Oral questions question the Honourable leader of the Opposition. For Mark Carneys, still fairly new to the job of Prime Minister, this was a fresh challenge. Standing in the House of Commons, fending off calls to fire one of his ministers, Mr. Speaker, the public safety Minister has admitted that going after farmers and hunters hunt rifles is not going to fight crime. Opposition leader Pierre Paliev targeting Public safety Minister Gary Ananda Sangari, who, in a secretly recorded conversation released by a gun rights group, is heard talking about Ottawa's plan to buy back guns declared illegal by the government. In the recording, the minister is heard questioning how strenuously police will pursue gun owners who don't turn in their weapons, while explaining the plan is a big deal for voters in Quebec who supported the Liberals in the last election. Will the prime minister stop the politics, fire the minister and leave Grandpa Joe's handy rifle? The prime minister shot back. What the government is doing with the gun registry is putting in place a much more efficient way, an efficient way for Canadians to voluntarily return prohibited firearms. Voluntarily return prohibited firearms for fair compensation. This government is going to do it right? Poliev countered, accusing Carney of not even knowing what guns he was banning. Carney, he said, should read his briefing books. Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's knowledge bank on this subject is now depleted, so we'll move on to something else. Poliev eventually switched topics, though his MPs kept up the pressure on the public safety minister. This is stunning incompetence. Why hasn't he been fired? Why won't he fire this minister? Because not doing so calls into question.

[Paul Hunter]

The Prime Minister's judgment.

[Tom Perry]

This public safety minister has failed miserably. How does the Prime Minister still have.

[Paul Hunter]

Confidence, confidence in this minister?

[Tom Perry]

Why won't he fire him? By that point, the Prime Minister remained fixed in his seat, the Public safety minister forced to defend himself. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to launch the assault style firearm compensation program in Nova Scotia. We look forward to expanding it across Canada. This is part of Ananda Sangari taking the hits, trying his best to fight back a minister under sustained opposition attack who gets to keep his job, at least for now. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa.

[Susan Bonner]

The RCMP has charged an Ottawa Royal bank of Canada employee after he allegedly accessed multiple customer profiles, including Prime Minister Mark Carneys. Ibrahim El Hakim's charges include suspected fraud, identity theft and unauthorized use of a computer. Police were made aware of the security breach in June and believed the plot was linked to organized crime. The but say there was no risk to the Prime Minister's safety or to national security. The 23 year old bank employee is expected to appear in court next week. Coming up, a day after Donald Trump called Russia a paper tiger, Ukraine's president tells the UN Moscow is a real threat and no one should feel safe. And more fear about political violence in the US After a deadly shooting at an immigration facility. Later, we'll have this story.

[Darina]

This spacesuit has been designed for the astronauts to pretty much survive any anomaly.

[Paul Hunter]

I'm Paul Hunter at the Johnson Space center in Houston, where NASA has brought together all things space ahead of the now looming Artemis 2 mission around the moon and home again.

[Tom Perry]

I'm proud to wear the flag on this mission. I'm proud that Canada's Here we sit.

[Paul Hunter]

Down with Canada's Jeremy Hansen, who along with three US Astronauts, is set to go further from the Earth than any human has ever traveled. A mission update later on youn World tonight.

[Susan Bonner]

At the UN General assembly today, a dire warning from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky urged global leaders to do more to end Russia's war or risk it getting much worse. His comments follow a surprise tone shift from US President Donald Trump, raising new questions about America's role in the effort to end the war. Margaret Evans reports. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly.

[Margaret Evans]

A big week in New York for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. His address to the gathered nations an appeal to save Ukraine. And with it, he said, for faith in the international community.

[Paul Hunter]

Peace depends on all of us, on the United Nations. So don't stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on. Please join us in defending life and international law.

[Margaret Evans]

His address followed some unexpected cheerleading Donald Trump posting on social media that Ukraine could be in a position to to regain all its territory from Russia with European help. Reporters asked Zelensky about it afterwards.

[Susan Bonner]

This post of Trump It's a big shift.

[Margaret Evans]

It was just over a month ago that Trump hosted Vladimir Putin on US Soil, handing the Russian president what critics called a PR coup. And in the past, Trump has insisted Ukraine will have to cede territory to Russia in in exchange for peace, meaning his latest remarks are being taken with a grain of salt in some quarters. After all, it's become a common maxim amongst world diplomats trying to decipher Donald Trump's real intentions, that he's often swayed by whoever he speaks to last. That's why the Kremlin's response to Trump's remarks has been relatively subdued, according to Mikhail Sinelikov Orishak, a Russian analyst specializing in U.S. relations in Moscow. They understand that no matter what Trump says at one moment, there is still time to shift the situation in their favor, he says. In Ukraine, the verdict was much the same from people enduring ongoing Russian attacks. He's the kind of person who changes his mind every week, says Oleksandr, a soldier. You can't take him seriously. At least he wasn't accusing Ukraine of anything, says Irina Harkening back to April, when Trump accused Zelensky of starting the war with Russia. President of Ukraine in New York, Zelensky said changes in warfare, including drones and the development of artificial intelligence, risked unleashing a new arms race.

[Paul Hunter]

And every year that this war goes on, weapons become even more deadly and only Russia deserves to be blamed for.

[Margaret Evans]

This, a position he will be hoping Donald Trump is indeed coming around to and that he will stick with it. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London.

[Susan Bonner]

Police in Dallas, Texas say a deadly shooting at a U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement facility was a targeted attack. A sniper opened fire, killing one detainee and injuring two more. Authorities say the gunman was motivated by hatred for immigration enforcement officials. And two weeks after the killing of Charlie Kirk, it's creating new fears about politically charged violence. Katie Simpson reports.

[Katie Simpson]

Police arrived just before 7am Called to an immigration processing center in Dallas. Authorities say a sniper had positioned himself on a nearby roof and started firing indiscriminately at the building, hitting a secluded entrance area where ICE agents loaded passengers in and out of vans.

[Tom Perry]

I can confirm at this time that the FBI is investigating this incident as an act of targeted violence.

[Katie Simpson]

Joe Rothrock, the FBI special agent in charge, says the suspect was found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound. Multiple US news agencies have identified him as 29 year old Joshua John, a Texas man with a prior arrest on a marijuana charge. No ICE Age agents were hurt in the attack, but authorities believe they were the target.

[Tom Perry]

Early evidence that we've seen from rounds that were found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti ICE in nature.

[Katie Simpson]

A photo posted on social media by FBI Director Cash Patel shows shell casings that he says were recovered near the shooter with the words ANTI ICE written on one of the rounds. The work done by ICE agents carrying out the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda is a source of intense division across.

[Tom Perry]

The U.S. the rhetoric has to stop. It's just gotta stop. It's dangerous and people are losing their lives.

[Katie Simpson]

Josh Johnson, the acting director of the Dallas ICE office, says a factor in this case is the volatile political climate.

[Tom Perry]

Let them breathe, Let them stay.

[Katie Simpson]

Let them ICE raids targeting migrants, sparking major protests, some of the largest in Los Angeles this past summer. And the Department of Homeland Security says violent attacks against ICE agents are significantly on the rise.

[Tom Perry]

Oh my God.

[Katie Simpson]

This attack comes two weeks after right wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated and commit violence. Vice President J.D. vance blaming the unrest in this moment broadly on Democrats and the media.

[Tom Perry]

But if your Political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement. You can go straight to hell and you have no place in the political conversation of the United States of America.

[Katie Simpson]

While the Trump administration has called for political temperatures to be lowered, they've also ratcheted up their own attacks against their perceived opponents, deepening the tensions at an already strained time. Katie Simpson, CBC news, Washington.

[Susan Bonner]

Dubbed 2025's most powerful storm, Typhoon Ragasa has crashed into China's south coast. The storm roared ashore with fierce winds and a downpour of rain. Officials evacuated nearly 2 million people from the heavily populated region, warning of storm surges and widespread flooding. Ragasa is already blamed for at least 20 deaths in the Philippines and Taiwan. Dozens more are either injured or missing. 400 ostriches on a British Columbia farm have been given at least another week to live. The Supreme Court of Canada has granted a temporary stay on plans to cull the birds following an avian flu outbreak last year. Georgie Smyth has details.

[Darina]

They are our animals. They're not the government's animals. They're our animals.

[Georgie Smyth]

Fresh out of police custody, Katie Pasitney is back at her mother's ostrich farm in the West Kootenays. The pair was arrested yesterday for obstructing agents from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, also called the CFIA from performing their duties, says the rcmp.

[Darina]

We got released yesterday, came back to the farm. We have to stay on this side of the property. We're not allowed to be near the birds.

[Georgie Smyth]

The CFIA is on the farm to kill 400 ostriches. It's how the agency is trying to contain an outbreak of avian flu there, specifically an infection of H5N1, which was confirmed on the property by lab tests late last year. That outbreak killed 69 of the farm's birds, but the rest of the herd is healthy, says Pasitney.

[Darina]

Test one animal, 253 days healthy today. They're going to lose their. Their life.

[Georgie Smyth]

The CFIA says they have to be killed to make sure the virus doesn't spread or mutate. There are no plans to test more of the birds because the priority is containment. But that explanation hasn't stopped dozens of farm supporters from congregating on the rural property, leading to increased tensions in the area. The RCMP says it's received complaints of local businesses being threatened and harassed for their perceived involvement in the cull. Protesters are not allowed to be on the farm anymore. They stand on the other side of the fenced paddock, covered in police tape. Now, where the wandering ostriches can be heard vocalizing from the other side.

[Tom Perry]

You know, like, I just see this as incredibly unjust and I just felt compelled. You could say I'm a straight Daniel.

[Georgie Smyth]

Nilo traveled from the Valley over to protest the cull order. He says people should be able to just say no to orders from the government. Today, supporters had another legal delay to celebrate with the Supreme Court of Canada granting a temporary stay on their application to stop the cull. The order reads. The CFIA will retain custody of the ostriches for now. Lawyer Kevin Smith says it's a minor setback for the cfia, and so what.

[Tom Perry]

The Supreme Court of Canada, in issuing a stay, has found is that there's a serious issue to be adjudicated on appeal. That doesn't mean that they agree, but they just say this is a serious issue and it deserves to be considered.

[Georgie Smyth]

The court order states the CFIA has until next Friday to respond. Georgie Smyth, CBC News, Vancouver A new.

[Susan Bonner]

Study in Ontario suggests transitioning to middle school in grade six can have a negative impact on student success. The study found standardized test scores for middle school students were lower than for students who stayed in A K to 8 school, and it has some asking should middle schools be phased out? Deanna Sumanak Johnson reports.

[Darina]

It's going great. I love it.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

Grade 7 student Cleo Treisanar has spent three weeks at her new middle school and so far gives it thumbs up.

[Darina]

I like my teachers and I like how you have to do a certain subject at a certain time, Mom Emily.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

Agrees, but says it was the right time for her to move on to middle school. She thinks starting it in grade six would not have gone as smoothly. Her son, Cleo's brother, is now in grade five.

[Tom Perry]

I think even from a puberty standpoint, you have kids at really different points in time on that continuum.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

A new study suggests if and when kids go to middle school can have academic impact. Specifically, the study found that kids who transitioned to middle school at the beginning of grade 6 had poorer outcomes on EQAO Ontario standardized tests than kids who got to do the test in the school they've attended since kindergarten.

[Tom Perry]

About four and a half percentage points fewer students would pass both the literacy and the mathematics test.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

The study, done by retired economics professor David R. Johnson for the C.D. howe Institute, mined EQAO math and literacy results across different school boards. Only 8% of Ontario students attend standalone middle schools that start in grade six. Professor Johnson seeds the sample is small, but says it still reveals something notable.

[Paul Hunter]

The biggest concern is that we are.

[Tom Perry]

Introducing an unnecessary transition which clearly does harm and we have very little evidence.

[Darina]

That it does any good.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

Kelly Gallagher MacKay is an associate professor of law and society at Wilfrid Laurier University and says the study has some interesting findings.

[Darina]

There is research from elsewhere, from B.C. in particular, that suggests that middle schools can be a little disruptive.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

All this comes as the Ontario government is doing a large scale rethink of how schools and school boards function. The province has taken over the supervision of four large school boards. Could middle schools be on the chopping block next? Gallagher Mackay doesn't think it's imminent, but.

[Darina]

Middle school was designed to be protective. But with all things education, it's worth asking, is it working as we intended?

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

Still, for the Trisonar family, middle school starting in grade seven is a sweet spot.

[Darina]

I can bring my book to school and just read it at lunch as.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

The debate goes on about how to provide the best educational solution for tweens and early teens. Deanna Sumanak Johnson, CBC News, Toronto.

[Susan Bonner]

This is yous 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. NASA is gearing up for a historic mission around the moon next year, the first of its kind in half a century. It will also mark a first for this country with a Canadian astronaut on the journey. Paul Hunter is at the Johnson Space center in Houston with a behind the scene look at the preparations for liftoff.

[Darina]

This is the Orion Crew Survival System spacesuit. So this spacesuit has been designed for the astronauts to pretty much survive any anomaly.

[Paul Hunter]

Jammed with space experts and space stuff. At the Johnson Space center in Houston, it's media day. One last chance for NASA to talk up and show off its long awaited historic historic mission sending astronauts around the moon and back to Earth for the first time in more than 50 years.

[Tom Perry]

Look at all the data.

[Paul Hunter]

We have the Artemis 2 mission set for early next year.

[Darina]

So some cool things about these shoes on display.

[Paul Hunter]

Space boots with special clamps to keep feet in place during liftoff.

[Darina]

This actually locks into their seat so when they're getting in their seat there's a mechanism.

[Paul Hunter]

Can we see that?

[Tom Perry]

So you click it off.

[Margaret Evans]

Yeah.

[Paul Hunter]

So there's a mock up of the space capsule simulators in action and biological test kits that'll go up, aimed at testing the effects of radiation for a crew going further from Earth than any human has ever gone before. Off to the side, a big TV screen showing the kind of thing. Mission control will see through all of it.

[Darina]

So as they do the lunar flyby operation, they're going to be taking photos out the windows. They have a little guide as to all the different features that they're going to look for on the moon.

[Paul Hunter]

But the real focus is the four astronauts who'll make the trip, including of course, the first Canadian who will ever leave Earth's orbit, Jeremy Hansen.

[Tom Perry]

And to my fellow Canadians, you should also be extraordinarily proud that we are represented in the Artemis program and it wasn't a gift. You earned it.

[Paul Hunter]

At a news conference today, Hansen gave a shout out to NASA and the Canadian Space Agency and his three American fellow astronauts, who in turn credited Hansen for his hard work, sense of humor. He's funny and constant creative thinking. Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman.

[Tom Perry]

There is nothing that he doesn't just think about like, well, what if you did this? What if you did that? What if you did this? Why does it work this way? How could it work a different way? And those questions, when you're flying a spacecraft for the very first time, those questions, questions lead to a lot of discovery.

[Paul Hunter]

The mission itself is a testing ground for Artemis 3, aimed at landing up there. For Hanson and crew, looping around the moon and then home safely is a giant leap toward that. Are you having fun?

[Tom Perry]

I'm having a great time. I really am. I love this, I love this stuff.

[Paul Hunter]

When we sat down with him, Hansen underlined the lesson for those at home while he goes beyond the far side of the moon.

[Tom Perry]

I think it's extraordinary that we're the second country in the world to send a human into deep space. And if we're doing this, imagine what we can do next. So it's very powerful for me.

[Paul Hunter]

With the launch now set as soon as February, the training for Hanssen and others intensifies as the moon awaits. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Houston.

[Susan Bonner]

Finally, in his nearly hour long speech at the United nations yesterday, US President Donald Trump had a lot to say about things he believes are not working, from the organization itself to European immigration policy, even the escalator at the UN Headquarters.

[Tom Perry]

I ended seven wars. All I got from the United nations was an escalator that on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the first lady wasn't in great shape, she would have fallen.

[Susan Bonner]

Trump, during his speech, recalling the moment earlier in the day when the escalator abruptly, abruptly stopped, forcing the President and First lady to walk the remaining steps. And it wasn't the only mechanical problem.

[Tom Perry]

The teleprompter is not working. I can only say that whoever's operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.

[Susan Bonner]

The finger wagging in Trump's speech was soon followed by finger pointing from the White House. On Fox News, Press Secretary Caroline Levitt blamed UN Staffers for the mishaps, even accusing them of doing it deliberately.

[Tom Perry]

All right, Caroline, it does appear to be sabotage.

[Darina]

Well, Jesse, that's definitely what it appears.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

To be to me, purposefully trying to trip up, literally trip up the president.

[Susan Bonner]

And I know that we have people.

[Deanna Sumanak Johnson]

Including the United States Secret Service, who are looking into this to try to get to the bottom of it.

[Susan Bonner]

The Secret Service wasn't the only agency looking into it. The United nations did its own quite thorough investigation that included a readout of the escalator's central processing unit. 9:50am was the exact time it stopped, according to the UN halted after the machine's emergency stop was likely triggered by a White House videographer. And as for the teleprompter, the Associated Press is reported the operator, that person Trump said is in big trouble, also works for the White House. Thank you for joining us. This has been YOUR WORLD Tonight for Wednesday, September 24th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.

[Paul Hunter]

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