Your World Tonight — September 24, 2025

CBC News | Hosts: Susan Bonner, Stephanie Skenderis

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.

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)

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)

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.

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)

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.

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.

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)

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.

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)

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.

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)

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

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.