Big Headlines: Air Canada CEO to resign and the federal NDP have a new leader

0:00Frequency podcast network, stories that matter, podcasts that resonate. Big headlines is proudly supported by Canadian blood services. The president and CEO of Air Canada is planning to retire later this year as calls grow louder for his resignation. Hi, I'm Vergesche Dave, this is Big Headlines, everything you need to know to be in the know in just five minutes. Air Canada's president and CEO is planning to retire this year. It comes after Michael Russo faced growing pressure to resign for his English-only condolence video after the death of two pilots. Senior business editor Mike Apple has more from the head of Canada's largest airline. Russo saying he's going to retire at the end of the third quarter of this year, allowing Air Canada to find a replacement and one of the job qualifications that Air Canada pointed out in their press release related to Russo's retirement announcement is that the new CEO,

1:00one of the qualifications they will be looking for is someone who can speak French. The four-minute video posted online included only two French words, bonjour, and merci. Prime Minister Mark Carney called Russo's decision to release the video message, a lack of judgment and compassion. The federal NDP have named Avi Lewis as their new leader, tasking the former filmmaker with rebuilding the left-of-center party ahead of the next election. In his victory speech, Lewis took a clear stance on the economy, saying he wants to Trump-proof the country. Lewis now has two major tasks ahead as the new NDP leader. One is to rebuild and get the federal party ready for an election, and the second is to manage opposition from the Alberta and Saskatchewan NDPs. The leaders of those provincial parties have already distanced themselves from Lewis over

2:01as opposition to new pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals. It may be a challenge for Avi Lewis to accomplish his goals, the NDP only has six seats after a dismal showing in last year's election. Former Hamilton Center NDP MP Matthew Green tells host Karen Cielin on the big story, one of the party's biggest challenges is communicating its goals with voters. Do you worry that Lewis risks taking the party too far to the left and surrendering some of that center? Does that at all endanger provincial parties? I think provincial parties are responsible for their own campaigns. I don't think that the impact that they see we have on them actually exists in the way in which they claim, and they have to take responsibility and accountability for how they operate and govern their own elections. I think we've moved too far to the center, and I don't think we can offer a liberal light that's going to out-liberal liberals. If people want to vote for liberalism, they have a party to vote for.

3:04And before we form government, we have to form an opposition in waiting, a government in waiting, one that demonstrates it has competency, depth in the caucus to form cabinet, and captures the imaginations, the hearts and minds of Canadians. You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. Also making big headlines, the US-Israel war in Iran is now into its fifth week, with a possible escalation coming in the conflict, with, word, the US is preparing for a ground invasion, and President Trump considers seizing Iran's main oil terminal. Iran is warning the US its forces are ready for any ground invasion, and will respond by quote, raining fire on American troops. In a post on Truth Social, Trump says the US is in serious talks with Iran's new regime, and great progress has been made. In Board Air Force One, Trump suggested Iran was offering gifts.

4:12Trump also said Sunday, Iran agreed to allow 20 more oil cargo ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's foreign minister says no new negotiations are being held on the proposed US ceasefire plan. Adding the demands the US has are unreasonable and unrealistic. The US has mobilized 3,500 Marines and sailors in the region, as Trump muses about American forces seizing carved island Iran's main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf. In the US, TSA agents may start to see money in their bank accounts for the first time in weeks after President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to start cutting checks. As ABC's Jim Ryan reports, the prospect of getting paid again may have convinced some agents to return to work. On what is normally its busiest day of the week, Sunday, TSA lines at the World's Busiest Airport, Hartstfield, Jackson, Atlanta, International were virtually non-existent

5:16yesterday, as traveler Marianne Ferraro learned. And I come up here in a thick of ghost town. I'm thrilled. It might only have been a fluke as the my TSA abshows security lines that Atlanta stretching to about an hour this morning. About 61,000 TSA agents have been working without pay since the middle of February. Trump signed a promised executive action on Friday that'll pay TSA employees, as House Republicans rejected a Senate passed bill to fund more of the US Department of Homeland Security, which risks delaying a resolution. NASA mission experts say they're ready to go for this week's Artemis rocket launch that will take four astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen arrived in Florida on Friday, along with three American astronauts. Program manager Sean Quinn says NASA will make the first launch attempt as early as Wednesday night. We can safely say the crew is ready, the rockets ready, the spaceships ready, ground systems

6:18are ready, and we only need to have the weather to cooperate. The launch window will remain open until April 6th. The mission will not attempt a moon landing, but will test the spacecraft's life support systems, navigation, communications, and heat shield performance. Now you're in the know, thanks for listening. Big headlines is proudly supported by Canadian blood services. Experience what you get when you give. You can make an appointment by visiting blood.ca, the give blood app, or call 1-882-DONATE to book a donation appointment. Make sure you follow, share, and review big headlines, and Rika Emmett-Turo is our lead producer, I'm Vergesht Dave, we'll talk to you tomorrow.