Budget day, China tourism in Canada, AI music hit, and more

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Your World Tonight (CBC)

Episode: Budget day, China tourism in Canada, AI music hit, and more
Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Susan Bonner, Stephanie Skenderis

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Main Theme

This episode dives into a momentous federal budget announcement in Canada, exploring its economic, social, and political ramifications. The show further examines the thaw in Canada-China tourism, the controversial legacy of former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney, changing American political landscapes, the Billboard debut of an AI musician, and creative twists in university teaching.

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Federal Budget 2025: Big Promises, Big Deficit

[00:58–12:13]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Budget Overview

  • The Marc Carney government announces a new economic blueprint emphasizing infrastructure, industry, housing, and defense, with a staggering $78 billion deficit.
  • Cuts to federal programs and workforce are part of a $60 billion savings plan, targeting a 10% reduction (40,000 jobs) in the public service by 2029.
  • Notable new spending on defense ($82 billion over 5 years) and infrastructure ($32 billion over 5 years); less focus on expanding social programs.

• Political and Public Reaction

  • Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne:

    “Today’s budget will make life more affordable, create new career opportunities, and ensure every generation can get ahead... The world is undergoing a series of fundamental shifts at a speed, scale and scope not seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall.” (03:36, 02:36)

  • Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre:

    “Canadians can no longer afford to eat, heat, or house themselves because of Liberal inflation. We Conservatives cannot support this costly Liberal budget.” (04:28)

  • Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet:

    “I hardly see how, after having met with our caucus tonight, we could vote in favor of this budget.” (04:44)

  • NDP interim leader Don Davies: undecided, pivotal in possible budget passage.

• Expert & Economic Analysis

  • Robert Aslan (CEO, U15):

    “[Staff cuts are] fairly reasonable, given that we're starting from a point where 7% growth was achieved every year of the public service for 10 years.” (05:28)

  • David Perry (Canadian Global Affairs Institute):

    “$82 billion almost on a five-year basis is a very, very big injection of money in the near term, one we haven’t really seen, I don’t think. Probably the biggest five-year commitment since the Korean War.” (06:22)

• Significant Policy Shifts

  • Immigration:
    • Permanent immigration targets remain, but significant cuts to temporary migrants (international students, foreign workers) nearly halve targets.
  • Climate:
    • Possible dropping of oil and gas emissions cap, with strengthened measures in industrial carbon pricing and carbon capture replacing Trudeau-era initiatives.
    • “A path here of walking away from one of the environmental measures that was part of the Trudeau government.” —Katherine Cullen (11:01)

• Budget Extras

  • $1.7B to attract foreign researchers
  • Scrapping 1% tax on vacant homes and luxury tax on high-end aircraft/boats
  • $150M extra for CBC/Radio-Canada
  • Exploring possible Canadian participation in Eurovision.

Memorable Political Moment (Floor Crossing)

• Nova Scotia MP Chris D’Entremont leaves the Conservatives to join the Liberals, potentially aiding budget passage.
  • “Earlier today he told news website Politico he was considering crossing the floor and supporting the budget.” —Katherine Cullen (08:55)

Analyst Perspective

• “Economists I've talked to about this budget, they're not convinced this is change for sure... But a lot of what's in this budget is not actually all that new.” —Katherine Cullen (09:50)

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China-Canada Tourism Relations Thaw

[12:44–15:40]

• Context & Significance
  • First time since the pandemic, China allows tourist groups to visit Canada again, potentially revitalizing tourist-dependent businesses.

    “Chinese tour groups accounted for 60% of their business basically after Meng Wanzhou, that Huawei CFO got arrested in Canada. Since then...there was a huge, huge drop.” —Amy Kwong, booking consultant (13:08)

  • 2019: >700,000 Chinese visitors; 2024: Visits still under 60% of pre-pandemic levels.
  • Development follows diplomatic meetings between PM Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Policy Analysis

• “Ottawa has little choice but to try and re establish ties with Beijing.” —Jia Wang, China Institute (15:08)

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Other Major Stories

New Yukon Government

[15:40–16:34]

• Curry Dixon's Yukon Party wins strong majority, ending a decade of Liberal rule. Dixon is first Yukon-born premier.

Dick Cheney’s Death and Complicated Legacy

[16:34–19:19]

• Cheney remembered as one of the most powerful and polarizing U.S. vice presidents, with deep marks on U.S. foreign and domestic policy.
  • “Cheney will be forever seen as promoting the most controversial US Policies of those years, including pushing the false notion Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, enhanced interrogations or torture, essentially the Patriot act or surveillance Also domestic spying on Americans.” —Garrett Martin (17:28)
• Memorable:
  • “If I had it to recommend all over again, I would recommend exactly the right same course of action.” —Dick Cheney, reflecting on Iraq (18:10)
  • Cheney campaigned against Trump in support of his daughter Liz (18:54)

Trump’s America: One Year Later

[19:19–22:33]

• Starr County, Texas—a border, predominantly Hispanic community—reflects Trump’s support and persistent polarization.

  • Mayor Jamie Escobar:

    “Since Donald Trump has become president, we haven’t seen the same type of situations. We don’t see illegal crossings.” (20:01)

  • “We’re families of immigrants... We also believe that we have to have law in order.” —Escobar (20:26)

  • Residents divided:

    • “He’s a piece of shit.” —Ludovina Garcia, Harris voter (20:57)
    • “I’m satisfied.” —Bedo Garza, Trump voter (21:27)

  • Economic tension, with small businesses struggling and cost of living remaining high.

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Typhoon Strikes Philippines

[22:33–23:20]

• Typhoon Cal Magee devastates the central Philippines: more than 40 dead, hundreds of thousands displaced.

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Toronto’s WNBA Debut

[23:20–24:12]

• Toronto Tempo, Canada’s only WNBA team, hires Sandy Brondello as inaugural head coach.
  • “This is the place I wanted to be and to build a team from the ground up, that really excited me. Just like the Raptors in the NBA, the Toronto Tempo is Canada’s only women’s NBA team.” —Brondello (23:57)

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AI Musician Hits Billboard Chart

[24:12–26:33]

• AI Artist Zaniyah Monet

  • First AI-generated artist on Billboard radio chart with “How Was I Supposed to Know?”
  • Radio personality Tristan Douglas (TRIZ):

    “There’s a ton of real artists here in the city, let alone across the world... Let’s put our time and effort into that.” (24:56)

  • Musicians and advocates express concern over fairness, push for legislation ensuring royalties only for human creators.

• Ethical Tension:

  • “Artists were already so mad that they're already seeing next to nothing from their work online and their work in digital music spaces, and they're saying this is another slap in the face,” —Joey Leneve DeFrancesco, United Musicians and Allied Workers (25:18)

• Human Element:

  • AI credited to poet Talisha Nicky Jones, but she hasn’t spoken publicly.

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Musical Science Lectures Go Viral

[26:33–28:13]

• Creative Teaching:
  • Derek McLaughlin, a biochemistry professor, rewrites pop songs (Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift) as science lessons.

    “Most students expect class to be pretty dry and boring and... anytime you can even throw a few jokes in there or even do something a little more up there than like this, it’s sort of, you know, the students appreciate the effort, I guess.” —McLaughlin (27:34)

  • TikTok video of his lecture racks up millions of views.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “[The budget] will make life more affordable, create new career opportunities, and ensure every generation can get ahead.” —Finance Minister Champagne (02:22)
• “$82 billion…probably the biggest five-year [defence] commitment since the Korean War.” —David Perry (06:22)
• “Economists…are not convinced this is change for sure...a lot of what's in this budget is not actually all that new.” —Katherine Cullen (09:50)
• “He’s a piece of shit.” —Ludovina Garcia, Texas voter on Trump (20:57)
• “There’s a ton of real artists here…Let’s put our time and effort into that.” —Tristan Douglas on AI musician (24:56)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• Budget Coverage: 00:58–12:13
• China Tourism in Canada: 12:44–15:40
• Yukon Election: 15:40–16:34
• Dick Cheney’s Legacy: 16:34–19:19
• Starr County in Trump’s America: 19:19–22:33
• Typhoon in Philippines: 22:33–23:20
• WNBA’s Toronto Tempo: 23:20–24:12
• AI Musician Charts: 24:12–26:33
• Musical Science Lectures: 26:33–28:13

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This "Your World Tonight" episode offers a deep look at high-stakes decisions shaping Canada’s future, snapshots of global and cultural change, and the tensions between tradition and innovation, all through a distinctly Canadian perspective.

Transcript

[A]

Who was Elon Musk before he was so loved and so hated. He saved free speech. He created so many different great things. Before the billions, before the rockets, before the never ending headlines. I'm Jacob Silverman and my new podcast explores the prequel to the Elon Musk era. Let me tell you what you don't know about the world's most notorious billionaire understood the making of Musk. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. The world is undergoing a series of fundamental shifts at a speed, scale and scope not seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bold and swift action is what is needed.

[B]

With ambitions to build big, the Marc Carney government now has a blueprint, an economic plan focused on capital upgrades to infrastructure, industry, housing and defense, coming at a cost of $78 billion in deficit. With the political price still being calculated, we must get the size of our.

[A]

Public service back to a sustainable level that is keeping with best practices.

[B]

As Ottawa tries to accelerate major projects, it wants to pump the brakes on spending $60 billion in cuts, scaling back the federal workforce by tens of thousands of jobs in a budget balancing act happening on shaky economic ground. Welcome to youo World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner on Parliament Hill. It is Tuesday, November 4th, just before 6:00pm Eastern. Also on the podcast, powerful and polarizing. Former U.S. vice President Dick Cheney has, and for the first time since the start of the pandemic, China allows tourist groups to come to Canada. But we begin here in Ottawa with a federal budget that has big promises, a big deficit and some big unknowns. Karina Roman has our top story.

[A]

This is how we win. This is how we keep winning.

[C]

Mr. Finance Minister Francois Philippe Champagne says today's budget will make life more affordable, create new career opportunities, and ensure every generation can get ahead. Because he says, the budget meets the moment.

[A]

The world is undergoing a series of fundamental shifts at a speed, scale and scope not seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

[C]

Leading up to today, the government promoted the budget as transformational. It certainly is a shift from years of budgets that created or expanded social programs to one focused on building things.

[A]

We will build here at home. Stronger industries, nation building infrastructures, and millions of more homes.

[C]

For Canadians, the budget includes $141 billion over five years in new spending and a $78 billion deficit this year. The biggest chunk of new spending is on defense, almost 82 billion over five years, and on infrast, more than 32 billion over five years. There are new or amped up tax and investment incentives for businesses to buy machinery and equipment, to scale up, to export to new markets, the finance minister told reporters. In essence, it's to compete with the US in the industries being hardest hit by the trade war.

[A]

If you're a worker in Oshawa or in Windsor, or even in my own community of Le Softwood Lumber, or if you're a canola producer out west, you've been disproportionately impacted.

[C]

The budget also includes $60 billion over five years in savings, including cuts to the public service and government programs. Although existing social programs such as child care and dental care survive and pharmacare won't be expanded beyond the provinces that currently have deals, the industrial carbon price will not be nixed, but instead retooled. And if it and other climate measures work as hoped, the emissions would be eliminated. Conservative leader Pierre Poliev says none of this is what Canadians want.

[A]

And on behalf of all the Canadians.

[B]

Who can no longer afford to eat.

[A]

Heat or house themselves because of Liberal inflation, we Conservatives cannot support this costly Liberal budget.

[C]

Blocebecois leader Yves Francois Blochet is equally unimpressed.

[A]

I hardly see how, after having met with our caucus tonight, we could vote in favor of this budget.

[C]

But NDP interim leader Don Davies says his party has not yet decided. The government needs two MPs from other parties to either vote in favor or abstain in order for the budget to pass. Carina Roman, CBC News, Ottawa.

[B]

One of the government's main selling points for this budget was spend less and invest more. And it attempts to do that by making cuts to federal programs and jobs. But those reductions are far outweighed by major investments in housing, infrastructure and the military. Tom Perry breaks down the numbers.

[A]

I think overall there's a balance there between. At first glance, Robert Aslan thinks this new budget hits at least some of the right notes. Aslan is CEO of U15, the association of Canada's top 15 research universities. He's read through the budget and looked at some of the cuts the government plans on making to federal programs and the federal bureaucracy are fairly reasonable, given that we're starting from a point where 7% growth was achieved every year of the public service for 10 years. So you're not talking about something that is, in my view, over the board. You know, the budget projects a loss of 40,000 jobs in the federal civil service by 2029, a reduction of 10%. That will take the federal workforce down to roughly 330,000 members. The staff cuts are part of a plan to reduce federal spending by $60 billion over five years and slow in program spending from just over 8% a year to less than 1%. Some specific cuts laid out in the budget include reducing foreign aid to pre pandemic levels and winding down a program launched under the previous Liberal government that aimed to plant 2 billion trees. But while the government is looking to scrimp and save in some areas, in others it's taking the exact opposite approach. Canada's military being a case in point. So there's a lot of money. David Perry is president and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He says this budget, with its promise of nearly $82 billion over five years for the Canadian armed forces, far exceeds any military spending pledges in recent history. $82 billion almost on a five year basis is a very, very big injection of money in the near term, one we haven't really seen, I don't think. Probably the biggest five year commitment since the Korean War. According to the budget, this new spending will go toward recruiting pay raises for military members, defense infrastructure and training, and other priorities. Perry says he'd like more detail about how the money will be spent, but he sees this as a refocusing of government priorities with a much sharper focus on national security. The military isn't the only winner in this budget. The government is also boosting support for housing infrastructure and measures aimed at bolstering productivity and competitiveness, all of which it's been signaling for months in a budget the finance minister promised would contain no surprises. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa.

[B]

Some other items to note from the budget. The government plans to spend $1.7 billion over the next 13 years to attract more foreign researchers to Canada and get rid of a 1% tax on vacant or underused homes that has been in effect since 2022. It is also scrapping a luxury tax on high end aircraft and boats, saying it was too costly to administer. Another pledge, $150 million in extra funding for CBC Radio Canada in the next fiscal year. And the budget says the government will also explore the possibility of Canadian participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Well, with me here on Parliament Hill for our budget coverage, Katherine Cullen, the host of CBC Radio's the House. Catherine, there's already been big political drama over this budget. A conservative MP has left caucus. What happened?

[D]

It is Nova Scotia's Chris Dontremont. He has left the Conservatives. And Susan, he has joined the Liberals. Earlier today he told news website Politico he was considering crossing the floor and supporting the budget. Now the Liberals need three votes or three abstentions to get this Budget passed. It's possible. It looks like now Dantremont is going to be one. So they're only looking for two votes. But the question is the block. They say they don't want to vote for this budget. They don't expect to. The Conservatives say they won't support this budget. They are also irked, I think, by losing Dantremont to the Liberals, the ndp, that's still an option. Seven members there. But they have said they will take time to study this budget. So not clear whether they could step away some abstentions there or maybe even have one or two folks support it.

[B]

And it'll take a while to play out.

[D]

Indeed, this is something that we're likely to see play out over the course of the next couple weeks.

[B]

Catherine, the government promised a generational budget. Did it deliver?

[D]

Susan, Economists I've talked to about this budget, they're not convinced this is change for sure. On defence alone, one analyst said this is the largest amount of money provided to national defence in generations. There's a big shift to emphasis on industry, growing the economy, and there's a move away from the Trudeau era of new social programs and benefits. But at the same time, a lot of what's in this budget is not actually all that new. Many of the biggest pieces, so money for housing, defense, that had been announced in the previous few months. And the deficit, yes, it is big at $78 billion. It's on the lower range, actually, of what some economists were projecting the cuts to government, 40,000 positions, also less than some were expecting.

[B]

There are a couple of significant policy shifts. Let's start with immigration.

[D]

You might recall, Susan, that in there last year the Trudeau government dramatically cut back immigration targets. They were under political pressure to do that. And when it comes to permanent immigration, this government is keeping those targets in place. But temporary migrants, so international students, temporary foreign workers. There is a significant cut coming there on the government's targets from 675,000 this year to cut almost in half in the following years. And the environment, this budget sets the stage for Mark Carney dropping the oil and gas emissions cap in exchange for strengthening other measures on climate. There's a laundry list in the budget of things that need to be improved. So things like industrial carbon pricing, more effective carbon markets, better regulations around methane technology. Right. A greater deployment at scale of things like carbon capture and storage. But nonetheless, it is a path here of walking away from one of the environmental measures that was part of the Trudeau government. And you have to remember, Mark Carney too climate, a key part of his image, a question about where he truly stands now.

[B]

Thank you very much, Katherine. Good to work with you in person.

[D]

Thank you.

[B]

The host of CBC Radio's the House, Katherine Cullen, here with me on Parliament, Hillary. Coming right up, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, China will allow tourist groups to come to Canada. The polarizing legacy of one of the most powerful vice presidents in US History, Dick Cheney left his imprint on the country. And later we'll have this story.

[C]

How do American voters feel one year after Donald Trump's election win?

[A]

Since Donald Trump has become president, we haven't seen the same type of situations. We don't see illegal crossings.

[C]

I'm Katie Simpson in the border community of Starr County, Texas. And coming up on YOUR WORLD tonight, why the president's supporters in this largely Hispanic community are excited about some of the hardline immigration changes.

[B]

A different kind of economic goal to tell you about on this budget day. China has put Canada back on its list of places approved for group travel. It's been years since Beijing considered Canada a green light destination. And the change comes just days after both countries leaders met face to face in South Korea. Lisa Shin has more.

[C]

We are so excited to hear this news.

[D]

Amy Kwong has been a booking consultant with Aurora Dream Tours in Yellowknife for about a decade. She says the news that Chinese tour groups are allowed to travel to Canada again will make a big difference. Chinese tour groups accounted for 60% of.

[C]

Their business basically after Meng Wanzhou, that Huawei CFO got arrested in Canada since then. And there was a huge, huge drop.

[D]

Relations between China and Canada have been frosty since 2018 after tech giant Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wang Zhou, was arrested in Vancouver on a US Extradition warrant days after China detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spatrick on spying and other charges. Then when China loosened group travel restrictions imposed during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2023, Canada was left off the approved travel list. Before those restrictions, Canada saw more than 700,000 visitors from China in 2019. This year, visits are down to less than 60% of pre pandemic levels, according to the Tourism Industry association of Canada. But now signs of a thaw. China's Foreign Ministry announcing on Monday the government is allowing group tour operators to travel to Canada again, saying it will further people to people exchanges between the two countries. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand There has.

[B]

Been work over the last number of months and weeks to recalibrate the relationship, and that work is ongoing.

[D]

Anand recently traveled to China and in another effort to repair the relationship, Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea last week.

[A]

We agreed this meeting marked a turning point in our bilateral relationship.

[B]

I was actually expecting to see some kind of warming signs and, and I know the lower hanging fruit one of those is tourism.

[D]

Jia Wang, senior fellow at the China Institute at the University of Alberta, says as U.S. president Donald Trump continues to wage his global trade war, Ottawa has little choice but to try and re establish ties with Beijing.

[B]

It's a significant country, it has a large economy.

[C]

But incre is also helping to shape the international system.

[B]

So we have to engage, which means.

[D]

There could continue to be signs of warmer relations between the two countries. Lisa Shing, CBC News, Toronto.

[B]

UConn has a new government and a new premier.

[A]

Tonight, UConnors chose to move on from the status quo. UConnors chose a strong majority UConn party government.

[B]

Curry Dixon will be UConn's 12th premier and the first person born in the territory to win the job. Dixon's Yukon Party captured last night's election, ending nearly a decade of Liberal rule. The NDP won six seats to become the official opposition. The Liberals dropped to third with just one seat. They lose party status. He was controversial, influential, and arguably the most powerful vice president in modern US History. Dick Cheney died yesterday from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. He was 84 years old. Paul Hunter looks at how his legacy reverberates far beyond the United States.

[A]

So help me God. Congratulations. By the time he was sworn in as US vice president to George W. Bush in 2001, Dick Cheney had already been a long standing force in Washington. I picked him because he's strong, he's steady, and he gets the job done. A White House staffer under Richard Nixon, chief of staff to Gerald Ford, 10 years a lawmaker on Capitol Hill, and Secretary of defense to George H.W. bush. It was as vice president that Cheney became as divisive as he was consequential. The enemy has shown a capacity to inflict great damage on the United States and we have to assume there will be more attacks after 9 11. Cheney cemented the widely held view it was his hand that guided the Bush presidency. Dick Cheney's legacy is fundamentally complicated. Garrett Martin, professor at American University's School of International Service, says Cheney will be forever seen as promoting the most controversial US Policies of those years, including pushing the false notion Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, enhanced interrogations or torture, essentially the Patriot act or surveillance Also domestic spying on Americans. And of course his most hawkish line on the war in Iraq. And being largely unapologetic about it. What we did in Iraq was exactly the right thing to do. If I had it to recommend all over again, I would recommend exactly the right same course of action. Harshly criticized for all of that, in 2006, Cheney accidentally shot a friend while quail hunting, though another Cheney friend described it as a peppering. Late night comedians had a field day. Peppering is what you do to a Caesar salad. He shot that dude. George W. Bush today called Cheney a decent, honorable man. His death a loss to the nation. But the current president is a big time Cheney critic. As a Republican lawmaker, Cheney's daughter Liz supported Donald Trump's impeachment. Here's Trump in 2022. The Cheney's are die hard globalists and warmongers who have been plunging us into new conflicts for decades. Just last year, Dick Cheney took on Trump directly with a campaign ad for daughter Liz. There has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. Cheney, a lifelong Republican, said he'd vote for Democrat Kamala Harris today. Trump's White House lowered the flag to half mast for Cheney. Underlining US Law requires it to do so. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington.

[B]

It has been a year since American voters chose Donald Trump to be their president. And even though it's his second time around, in some places, 2024 was the first time voters took a chance on Trump. One example, a border community in Texas facing tough economic times. And that's where Katie Simpson traveled to ask people how they're feeling about that decision.

[C]

Border Patrol agents zoom along the Rio Grande river in an airboat. It's a quiet run, which is now typical, according to Jamie Escobar. He's the mayor of the small city of Roma, a border community with deep Hispanic roots located in Starr County, Texas.

[A]

Since Donald Trump has become president, we haven't seen the same type of situations. We don't see illegal crossings. They could be happening. They just don't happen here like we used to see them.

[C]

The number of people apprehended along the southern US border is at a 55 year low, according to Customs and Border Patrol. Escobar credits President Donald Trump's hardline immigration agenda, and it's part of the reason why he voted for Trump.

[A]

We're families of immigrants and we're proud to say that. But we also believe that we have to have law in order.

[C]

Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee to win Star county in 132 years. One year later later, we found Trump voters remained supportive of the president, though there is a lingering frustration about the high cost of living, while backers of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris have not warmed at all to Trump.

[A]

Can I say it in my own words?

[B]

He's a piece of shit.

[C]

Tell me why you feel like that. Because poor people are suffering.

[B]

Old people like me, I'm 80 years old, are suffering.

[C]

Ludovina Garcia voted for Harris. We met her at a family barbecue competition along the banks of the Rio Grande River.

[D]

Hope you like it.

[C]

Starr county is one of the poorest places in the U.S. the average median household income is around $38,000 a year. One year later, you know, what do you think about your vote?

[A]

I'm satisfied.

[C]

Did you make those ribs?

[A]

Yes, ma'.

[D]

Am.

[C]

The cookout is also where we met Bedo Garza, who remains a proud Trump voter with concerns about the cost of living.

[A]

Something about the economy. It could do something better.

[C]

Since Trump returned to office, some prices, including gas, have come down or stabilized, while others, for example groceries, are still unpredictable.

[A]

Oh, my God. The prices on things go up and.

[C]

Down, up and down every minute of the day. Becky Garza runs a small restaurant called the Texas Cafe. While she does not want to talk politics, she says life as a small business owner remains tough and that grocery prices are still too high.

[A]

Right now, we're looking at cutting hours again.

[B]

It's really.

[A]

It's been slow. The economy itself is just not helping us any at all.

[C]

We found it difficult to get people to talk about President Trump. He remains a polarizing figure in Starr County, a sign the tensions of the 2024 election remain raw. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Roma, Texas.

[B]

Typhoon Cal McGee has slammed into the central Philippines. The powerful storm lashed the region with high winds and dumped a month's worth of rain. In just 24 hours. Entire towns are flooded. More than 40 people are dead. Hundreds of thousands more are displaced. Cal Magee is expected to reach Vietnam in the coming days. 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. Toronto's new WNBA franchise has chosen its first head coach, Sandy Brondello. She's a former All Star player herself. In 2024, she led the New York Liberty to win the championship, and she's represented Australia at the Olympics as both a player and a coach. Today, the Tempo welcomed Brondello to Toront. This is the place I wanted to be and to build a team from the ground up, that really excited me. It really, truly is a great honor for me. Just like the Raptors in the NBA, the Toronto Tempo is Canada's only women's NBA team. Tip off for their inaugural season is next May. It looks like a Human sings like one and has garnered enough radio play to make a Billboard chart, a first for what Billboard is calling an AI artist. Magda Gebrselasse explains what's behind the music and the ethical questions being raised.

[C]

How was I supposed to know? Well, if you didn't know, this is Zaniyah Monet. Hi you guys, it's AI generated has a record deal reportedly worth up to $3 million and has made headlines for popping up on social media, streaming services and music charts. Now Monat is the first of its kind to land on a Billboard radio chart for this song. How was I supposed to know?

[A]

How was I supposed it sounds like a great Southern R and B artist.

[C]

But radio personality Tristan Douglas, or TRIZ on Flow 98.7 in Toronto says no way is Monet gonna get any play from him at his station.

[A]

There's a ton of real artists here in the city, let alone across the world that are just waiting to be discovered and heard. So, you know, let's put our time and effort into that.

[C]

Monet has real musicians fired up, too. Joey Leneve DeFrancesco is with United Musicians and Allied Workers, an advocacy group in.

[A]

The US Artists were already so mad that they're already seeing next to nothing from their work online and their work in digital music spaces, and they're saying this is another slap in the face, he says.

[C]

Currently there's hardly anything when it comes to AI protections for musicians.

[A]

My organization is in fact pushing a piece of legislation in the US Called the Living Wage for Musicians act that would create a new type of streaming royalty payment, and it would specifically only go to human creators.

[C]

But reportedly there's a human behind monetized. According to Billboard, a poet named Talisha Nicky Jones created the AI using software and her own lyrics.

[A]

So she turned her poetry to song.

[C]

But Jones hasn't done any interviews. Romel Murphy in Chicago, who says he's Monet's manager, spoke to cnn. He says it's not their goal to have AI replace artists.

[A]

Music is the great connector and we were able to use that to reach the world.

[C]

But it's clear not everyone is willing to to tune in to what this AI is putting out Mokta Gebra Solassa, CBC News, Toronto.

[B]

And finally, come on now what you.

[A]

Need Come come on now Follow my lead when your glycogen is all through Cause you need your proteins too it.

[B]

Might sound like open mic night, but this is what a university lecture is like if you take a class with Derek McLaughlin. McLaughlin is a biochemistry professor at Ontario's Western University. He turned Ed Sheeran's Shape of youf into a lesson about ketone bodies. McLaughlin says he was inspired years ago by a colleague who wrote a song about DNA set to the Flintstones theme song. He performed it himself for a number of years before he realized the music was too out of date, so he decided to write a few himself, set to more recent tunes, including a Taylor Swift parody about the molecule ATP. McLaughlin says the music keeps students engaged while they're learning complex concepts.

[A]

Most students expect class to be pretty dry and boring and. And anytime you can even throw a few jokes in there or even do something a little more up there than like this, it's sort of, you know, the students appreciate the effort, I guess.

[B]

They seem to. Students gave them a round of applause at the end and one posted a video of the musical lecture to TikTok. It racked up millions of views in a few days.

[A]

You don't really expect it to attract as much attention as this video has, and so that was something of a surprise. You like to see that people are enjoying something you've done.

[B]

No word on whether Sheeran or Swift have heard his work, although, and maybe whether they might want to do a duet with him the next time they're in town. Thank you for joining us. This has been youn World Tonight for Tuesday, November 4th. From Ottawa, I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.

[A]

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