Global National: May 23, 2026 | US “getting a lot closer” to Iran deal, Trump says

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:03]On this Saturday night, FIFA's sluggish sales. The World Cup kicks off in weeks, but ticket and hotel reservations are falling short.

[00:00:12]>> There doesn't seem to be excitement in the city.

[00:00:14]>> What's behind the lackluster bookings?

[00:00:17]The crisis at a California chemical plant.

[00:00:19]>> Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable to us.

[00:00:23]>> Tens of thousands flee their homes with a toxic tank at risk of erupting.

[00:00:28]Breaking news. President Trump announces a breakthrough in peace talks to end the war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Plus, a lesson in digital literacy.

[00:00:38]>> It becomes overwhelming, especially if they have very little prior knowledge.

[00:00:41]>> The new program teaching kids to debunk disinformation >> Global National reporting tonight, Jeff Simple.

[00:00:53]>> Good evening and thank you for joining us. We begin with a flurry of breaking news tonight. First to Washington where Secret Service agents are responding right now to reports of shots fired near the White House grounds. Journalists who were reporting from the White House were interrupted by the sound of gunfire.

[00:01:10]>> Close only for the two sides to remain far apart.

[00:01:16]>> This ABC News reporter and her team took cover. She posted on social media that she heard dozens of gunshots. Her team and others were then told to shelter inside the press briefing room.

[00:01:27]Unconfirmed US media reports say two people were shot and wounded in an encounter with Secret Service who responded to a report of a suspect firing a weapon. DC's police department has only confirmed that it's responding to an incident just steps from the White House and the Oval Office. The president was inside the White House at the time.

[00:01:46]We will bring you any new information on this as soon as we can. And turning to other breaking news now, the negotiations to end the war with Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz. Late today, US President Trump posted that an agreement has been largely negotiated.

[00:02:01]Final aspects and details are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly and the Straight of Hormuz will be opened. Now, Thrron has yet to respond, and Iran's state controlled media appears to be downplaying the progress, calling Trump's post propaganda and claiming that Thrron has made no commitment on its nuclear program. For weeks now, the two sides have been sending mixed and at times very different messages on the negotiations. Pakistani mediators also said that the talks have been highly productive and that there's been encouraging progress. And earlier today, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed those comments.

[00:02:37]There is a chance that whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say, but this issue needs to be solved. As the president has said one way or the other, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.

[00:02:47]The straits need to be open without tolls.

[00:02:50]Rubio is visiting India where he held talks with the country's prime minister.

[00:02:54]Officials say energy was a big part of their agenda. With India's crude oil imports interrupted by the blockades in the straight of Hormuz, the US is looking to sell more of its energy to New Delhi. And turning to news here at home now where anticipation is building from soccer fans with the FIFA World Cup set to kick off in less than three weeks across North America. But Canadian business owners worry that they're not cashing in on that excitement. Hotel bookings and ticket sales are falling short. A recent survey of hotel owners in American host cities found 80% reported bookings below expectations for the event. Cities such as Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle are actually seeing hotel reservations falling below normal levels for this time of year. And it's a similar story here in Canada. As Sha O'Shea reports, it appears high prices tied to the tournament are to blame. It's an event that will capture the attention of two Canadian cities.

[00:03:49]When the FIFA World Cup kicks off next month, thousands will travel to Vancouver and Toronto to watch games in person. And then there are others who change their minds. There's a whole bunch of tourists that decided, you know what, I think I'd rather watch it from the comfort of my couch.

[00:04:01]>> Recently, FIFA released its bookings for thousands of hotel rooms in the two cities.

[00:04:06]>> When they held the rooms that long, it's going to be hard for those to backfill those rooms, especially at a aggressive rate.

[00:04:13]>> In Toronto, hotels usually run at about 80% of capacity through June and July.

[00:04:18]It's expected that number will hold steady and not go up. Experts say many travelers are staying home as ticket prices are the highest in World Cup history and still available in resale markets. For many, it's all too much.

[00:04:30]>> In the process of booking, they drove hotel prices up. It's supply and demand.

[00:04:36]>> And those high hotel prices may keep visitors from attending other summer events like Toronto's Pride Festival and Major League Baseball.

[00:04:43]>> You have to worry about what's called displacement where people who normally would have came for Pride, normally would have came for the Yankees, look at the hotel prices and say, "No, I'm not going to do that. So, it's kind of a double whammy. In this case, >> politicians have made big promises about the legacy effects of the World Cup.

[00:04:58]>> In the 5 years following, we're expecting more than a million people uh to come and visit from out of province inspired by the event.

[00:05:05]>> For the moment, >> there doesn't seem to be excitement in the city. Like when you're downtown, you you don't feel like this is about to happen, right?

[00:05:13]>> Yes.

[00:05:14]>> In Vancouver, World Cup related road closures have started and will last until the end of July.

[00:05:20]As for hotel prices, >> the two and three stars, I think, are going to have to write their prices.

[00:05:24]>> With the first World Cup game in Canada less than 3 weeks away. Shauna O'Shea, Global News Toronto.

[00:05:30]The FIFA soccer team representing the Democratic Republic of the Congo says it has no plans to adjust its preparations for the World Cup despite a US demand for the team to isolate because of the country's Ebola outbreak. The White House says the Congalles delegation needs to maintain a bubble and isolate for 21 days or risk being denied entry to the US. The team is currently training in Belgium. They are scheduled to play their opening match on June 17th in Houston. A team spokesperson says they have no plans to cancel friendly matches scheduled against Denmark and Chile prior to the World Cup. And Uganda has just confirmed three new Ebola cases, bringing their total number of confirmed infections in that country to five. The outbreak is centered in the neighboring DRC, where 750 suspected cases and more than 170 deaths have been recorded so far. The World Health Organization warns the true numbers are likely much higher and expected to rise.

[00:06:29]This untreatable strain of Ebola carries a fatality rate of around 40%.

[00:06:36]Crews in California are scrambling tonight to contain a toxic chemical plant that's at risk of exploding. The governor has now declared a state of emergency and more than 40,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes in Orange County. A tank inside an aerospace plastic factory overheated and was first reported on Thursday.

[00:06:56]Officials fear it could rupture at any moment, potentially sending toxic vapors into the air, triggering a massive chemical spill or even an explosion. Our Candace Cole reports.

[00:07:07]>> I'm real worried.

[00:07:08]>> Yeah, it's been chaos. Nobody can really give us any details.

[00:07:13]>> Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes due to the risk of a massive chemical leak or explosion at the GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove, California, about 50 kilometers south of Los Angeles. Fire officials ordered an evacuation Friday after the chemical tank began failing Thursday. We're literally working 24/7 on this all night long. Members, we're putting members in harm's way to go to try to mitigate this.

[00:07:41]>> The failing tank contains a chemical called methylmethylacryate, which could potentially send highly toxic vapors into the air. First responders are worried the tank could explode if it becomes overpressurized due to increasing internal heat or it could leak 26,000 L of the chemical into the street. I'm hoping that it would be contained, uh, not cause any damage, not cause any environmental damage.

[00:08:06]>> That's exactly what Orange County Fire Commander Craig Kovi says they're trying to prevent.

[00:08:12]>> Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable to us. Our goal is to find something and not allow that happen, not let it damage our community, not let it damage our environment.

[00:08:24]>> Kobe says the temperature inside the tank has risen about a degree an hour.

[00:08:28]They're working to cool the internal temperature of the chemical to allow it to cure in hopes of reducing the pressure buildup in case there is a leak. He says they're looking for ways to keep it from entering into the storm drains and waterways. He also empathizes with residents who have no idea when they'll be able to return home.

[00:08:48]>> I know you're out of your houses. I know there's a lot of anxiety over this. I just need you to understand we are not giving up. Officials have established a safe zone that extends more than 2 kilometers in every direction. At least three evacuation shelters have been set up for residents in Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Cyprus. Candace Cole, Global News, Washington.

[00:09:11]>> It was just a sound. It's like a big shock wave.

[00:09:15]>> One person is dead and dozens more were injured after a fiery explosion at a New York City shipyard. The incident started with a fire on Friday afternoon in Staten Island with reports that workers were trapped. About an hour later, an explosion was heard as crews were fighting the flames. At least 30 first responders and firefighters were hurt.

[00:09:34]The cause of that fire is now under investigation.

[00:09:37]The Kremlin says a Ukrainian drone strike hit a college dormatory in a Russian controlled area of Ukraine.

[00:09:44]Russia claims the strike hit the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, killing at least 18 people. The Ukrainian military is fighting to recapture that region.

[00:09:53]Keev denies the accusation, saying it targeted a military facility. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack and vowed retaliation.

[00:10:03]In northern China, at least 90 people are dead following a gas explosion at a coal mine, marking the country's worst mining disaster in nearly 20 years.

[00:10:12]According to state media, the blast happened Friday evening with nearly 250 workers on site. More than 120 people were sent to hospital, many of them exposed to poisonous gas. At least nine others remain unaccounted for as search and rescue efforts continue. The cause of that blast is being investigated, but authorities have reportedly detained the mines's management team.

[00:10:35]A naval submarine from South Korea is in BC this weekend as the country tries to secure a procurement deal with the federal government. The submarine arrived at a Canadian forces base near Victoria today. It will be taking part in anti-ubmarine warfare exercises with the Royal Canadian Navy over the next 10 days. The vessel is in the same class that South Korea is pitching to Canada, which is looking to replace its aging fleet of Victoria class submarines.

[00:11:02]>> Canada and the Republic of Korea have an important shared history right from the Korean War. But we also share an important future and our navies are going to work together to ensure freedom, stability, and prosperity in the Pacific.

[00:11:17]South Korea is competing with Germany for the multi-billion dollar contract to supply Canada with 12 new subs. The federal government is expected to award that contract by 2028 at the latest.

[00:11:29]Canada's indigenous services minister is standing by the Matei National Council amid its dispute with other Matei organizations. Mandy Gnasti says she won't give in to calls to defund the group, at least for now. For more on what's driving this dispute, we're joined by Melissa Ridgen in Winnipeg.

[00:11:46]Melissa, >> Jeff, Manitoba Matei Federation President David Chartrand is one of the former leaders who the council tried to sue for misusing funds. He's asked Ottawa to cut off their cash flow after a judge threw out the case last fall, saying the defendants acted honestly and in the best interest of the Matei and the National Council and this month ordered the group to pay the defendants $12 million in legal costs on top of the millions they spent on their own. The Matei National Council in its heyday was the national voice of the Matei. But in recent years, Manitoba, BC, and Saskatchewan all left, leaving only Ontario and Alberta. Chartran says it no longer speaks for Matei, but indigenous services minister Mandy Galmasti says the Matei themselves need to decide the fate of the National Council, not the federal government.

[00:12:34]>> I really want to support everybody who's coming to ISK for programs and services.

[00:12:38]Uh this aspect of, you know, discussions that they have amongst one another is really within their own political domain.

[00:12:46]>> Most of the Matei National Council's $20 million budget is from Ottawa. Despite only having support in Alberta and Ontario, they still say that they represent Matei across Canada. Jeff >> Melissa Rigid in Winnipeg. Thanks, Melissa. A forever Canadian rally was held in Edmonton this afternoon. The grassroots movement promotes national unity after Premier Daniel Smith announced plans to hold a fall referendum on the issue of Alberta independence.

[00:13:12]>> There we go.

[00:13:14]>> Team Canada.

[00:13:15]>> Team Canada.

[00:13:15]>> Team Canada. This is wonderful. Oh my god. Energized. I feel so good about this.

[00:13:20]>> I'm so thrilled. And I was actually inside a little while earlier and someone um started got the crowd to start singing O Canada. And it was such an incredible moment.

[00:13:29]>> I get so frustrated by these people that are trying to tear us apart and we we are better than that. And I think this is a prime example of this.

[00:13:40]>> The group's national unity petition amassed more than 400,000 signatures late last year. The cost of hosting the king. Coming up, government documents reveal how much Canadians paid for last year's throne speech. Plus, prepare to launch the highstakes trial run for SpaceX's most powerful rocket.

[00:14:05]Well, last year, King Charles arrived here in Canada at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney to deliver his throne speech to open Parliament. A rare event that's only happened two other times in Canadian history. Though the visit didn't come cheap. New internal documents obtained by Global News show the visit cost nearly $1 million. David Aken breaks down the bill.

[00:14:27]>> The anthem reminds us the true north is indeed strong and free.

[00:14:37]pomp, pageantry, and a monarch in the Canadian Senate for just the third time in Canada's history to read the speech from the throne that opens every new session of parliament.

[00:14:48]>> This is an historic honor which matches the weight of our times.

[00:14:53]>> The prime minister and the president of the >> But a king speech is not a free speech.

[00:14:59]Far from it. Global News has learned the cost to Canadian taxpayers to have King Charles in Ottawa to read the throne speech was close to $900,000.

[00:15:08]That's according to documents provided to Global News by Access to Information researcher Ken Rubin and a Global News estimate of air travel costs.

[00:15:19]First, there was an advanced visit from May 7th to the 9th by six members of the King's Royal Household who arrived to scout out locations like Ottawa's Landown Park. Flights, hotels, meals for 2 days for the advanced team was nearly $24,000.

[00:15:38]Then it was time for the main event, the king's visit for May 26th to the 27th.

[00:15:43]This time it was 24 members of the royal household arriving. Some came by commercial flights. Some arrived with the king and queen themselves on the Royal Canadian Air Force plane that was dispatched to England to pick them up and would take them home.

[00:16:00]While the Department of National Defense could not provide a specific cost for the royal couple's Canadian Air Force flights, a Global News analysis estimates the cost would be north of $410,000.

[00:16:14]And then there's the cost to close roads, to feed and house the royal household of the Shadow Laurier, to pay the RCMP for their horses and the ceremonial squad. All of that was an extra $437,19.

[00:16:29]50. So the cost to have the king in Ottawa for two days last spring might have been nearly $900,000. But the value to Prime Minister Carney at least of using the royals to send a strong message to Americans and others about Canada's sovereignty and royal traditions. Well, that was priceless.

[00:16:50]Jeff David Aken in Ottawa. Thank you, David.

[00:16:55]Caught on camera. Still ahead, a rare sighting of a one-of-a-kind panda.

[00:17:05]>> SpaceX just held a high stakes trial run for the company's largest and most powerful rocket.

[00:17:12]>> Ignition.

[00:17:17]The uncrrewed test flight of the Starship V3 took off from Texas, carrying satellites to scan the spacecraft's heat shield and transmit data back to its operators. It later achieved a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean before erupting in a spectacular explosion. Nonetheless, the test was viewed as largely successful.

[00:17:40]China has just unveiled the astronauts for its latest space mission and for the first time one of them is from Hong Kong. Lie Caying is a former Hong Kong police inspector. Their spacecraft is expected to launch to China's space station on Sunday with one of the astronauts scheduled to stay for a full year. China is studying long duration space flight ahead of a planned moon landing in the next few years.

[00:18:05]And in southwest China, take a look at this. A rare sighting of the world's only known white giant panda. It was captured on wildlife cameras. The rare albino panda appears healthy and strong.

[00:18:18]It was first spotted in 2019 and has been seen previously interacting normally with other wild pandas.

[00:18:26]Up next, human foosballs. Ahead of the World Cup, hundreds brave the rain in Toronto to set a new and peculiar world record.

[00:18:40]Welcome back. Ahead of the World Cup, a group of human foosball players scored a new Guinness World Record in Toronto today.

[00:18:48]>> 3 2 1.

[00:18:53]>> 254 people braved rainy conditions to take part in the largest game of human foosball in a customuilt life-size arena. Players had to hold on to the bar in front of them while trying to score on their opponents. A Guinness judge confirmed the new record, which required at least 251 players. Congratulations. I think with the rise of artificial intelligence and misinformation, separating fact from fiction can be difficult even for adults and for children, it's even tougher. To help, researchers at McGill University have created a new digital literacy program.

[00:19:27]And as Felicia Pillo reports, it's teaching kids how to debunk disinformation.

[00:19:33]>> Talk with this.

[00:19:33]>> From books in the classroom to information online, researchers say learning how to think critically about what we read is becoming increasingly important for students.

[00:19:44]>> I'd say I spend around maybe 10 minutes a day on my computer for class um searching up things for my presentations. That's why researchers at McGill University created a digital literacy program aimed at helping elementary students evaluate sources, question information, and recognize misinformation.

[00:20:08]>> Students as young as 9 years of age search for information on the internet on a daily basis. And it's a skill that they need to develop right from the beginning.

[00:20:17]>> 200 Quebec students in grades four through six took part in the program.

[00:20:22]Researchers say the lessons became more challenging over time. encouraging students to think more critically about the information they come across online.

[00:20:31]>> For students, it becomes overwhelming, especially if they have very little prior knowledge to be able to identify what is accurate. Um, so it's it's an important skill for them to develop.

[00:20:41]>> At Maric Clar Academy on the West Island, students who weren't part of the study say figuring out what's true online can sometimes be difficult, especially with so much information and false content constantly being shared.

[00:20:54]If it's on YouTube, I usually go and see the channel. If it's verified, and I usually check how many followers it has.

[00:21:01]So, like, if it has, I don't know, 10 followers, that means that it's probably fake.

[00:21:06]>> Researchers say students need skills to be able to decipher information, especially at a time when AI generated content is becoming harder to identify.

[00:21:16]Kids our age need to know the the dangers of being online and what happens when you see fake information and how to check if it's true and reliable.

[00:21:28]>> And as students spend more time of their lives on their devices, experts say teaching kids how to question what they see may become just as important as learning the information itself.

[00:21:41]>> Felicia Pill, Global News, Montreal.

[00:21:44]And that is Global National for this Saturday. I'm Jeff Smple. Tonight's your Canada is Peterborough, Ontario. We love seeing your Canada, so please email it to Global Nationalnews.ca.

[00:21:54]Thanks for watching. Hope to see you tomorrow. Have a great night.