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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
A dramatic afternoon as U.S. Senate panel approves Kavanaugh but Flake, a Republican, asks for FBI investigation
A Republican-led committee approved President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday but in a dramatic development Republican Senator Jeff Flake called for an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against the judge before a final Senate vote.
The intervention of Mr. Flake, a moderate, put Senate confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh, a conservative federal appeals court judge nominated for a lifetime job on the top U.S. court, in further doubt. It means a final Senate vote on the nomination could be delayed for up to a week so a possible FBI investigation can be completed, if Republican Senate leaders agree to Mr. Flake’s demand.
Democrats, who have opposed Justice Kavanaugh’s nomination from the outset, had called for an FBI probe, but Republicans and Trump had opposed the move.
Globe and Mail columnists were swift to weigh in on yesterday’s emotional testimonies by Prof. Christine Blasey Ford and Justice Kavanaugh.
- If someone was lying it was Brett Kavanaugh, argues Lawrence Martin.
- Fatima Goss Graves writes she is grateful for the opportunity to witness Prof. Blasey Ford’s raw, powerful testimony first hand from a Senate hearing room in Washington.
- Elizabeth Renzetti says that with Prof. Blasey Ford’s testimony, the dam of female rage has burst.
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50 million Facebook accounts affected by security breach
Facebook Inc. has discovered a security flaw affecting about 50 million user accounts which could have allowed attackers to take over those accounts, the social networking company said on Friday. Facebook, which has more than two billion monthly active users, has since fixed the vulnerability and informed law enforcement, it said.
Attackers stole Facebook access tokens through its “view as” feature, which they could then use to take over people’s accounts. “View as” allows users to see what their own profile looks like to someone else.
“We do not currently have any evidence that suggests these accounts have been compromised,” chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.
Facebook shares fell more than 3 per cent in afternoon trading, weighing on major Wall Street stock indexes.
Solid Canadian economic growth seen bolstering case for October rate hike
Statistics Canada reported that real gross domestic product grew 0.2 per cent month over month in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, up from a flat reading in June.
The overall result was a touch stronger than economists’ consensus estimate of 0.1 per cent, writes David Parkinson, fueling optimism that for the third quarter as a whole, the Canadian economy might have been stronger than forecasters had thought.
“The ducks are in a row for an October rate hike, barring a shock on the NAFTA [trade negotiations] front,” Bank of Montreal chief economist Douglas Porter said.
Documents reveal new details about the Toronto police investigation of Gay Village murders
Newly released documents show that when Toronto police started five years ago to probe the disappearance of three gay men, investigators checked on a dating website that alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur also used and two bars that he patronized. The heavily redacted court papers give no indication that Mr. McArthur was in the sights of detectives until he became a suspect last year.
Instead, Tu Thanh Ha reports, the documents outline how investigators dedicated much efforts into a tip that didn’t pan out about a suspected cannibal in Peterborough, Ont.
The documents, which are affidavits that were unsealed at the request of media, offer a glimpse into how the police eventually came to link a number of murders, indicating for the first time that they may be dealing with a serial killer. Mr. McArthur was arrested last January. He has now been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder.
MARKET WATCH
Energy and financial stocks led Canada’s main stock index lower on Friday.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX fell 131.48 points, or 0.81 per cent, to 16,073.14. The energy sector dipped 1.1 per cent, led by a 2.5-per-cent drop by Suncor Energy Inc. and a 2-per-cent decline by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. Wall Street ended flat on Friday as gains led by Intel, real estate companies and utilities were offset by Facebook after the social network disclosed a security breach.
Oil prices rose more than 1 per cent on Friday, with Brent climbing to a four-year high, as U.S. sanctions on Tehran squeezed Iranian crude exports, tightening supply even as other key exporters increased production.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
The new Aventador SVJ makes the Lamborghini supercar even more extreme
Watch thrilling video of Lamborghini’s new flagship car. So loud, so bright, so much. And that’s precisely the appeal for the people willing to pay roughly $600,000 to add it to their collection
TALKING POINTS
Should women be angry? Discuss
Discuss is a Globe Opinion feature in which two people – from politicians to journalists, academics to authors – engage in a conversation that flows out of a single question. Today’s topic: Rage. Rebecca Traister, a writer-at-large for New York magazine and contributing editor at Elle, and Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning writer, activist and director of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project held their discussion over e-mail in September. — Rebecca Traister and Soraya Chemaly
Doug Ford and why more women don’t run for office
“I’ve been told a woman is asked seven times before she runs for office. Making that decision isn’t easy, as running for office involves things that most of us would rather not do. Knocking on strangers’ doors, talking to people about their political views, asking dear friends and family for money. And that’s just the entry point. I know this because I was, until last week, running for Toronto City Council – until Doug Ford slashed city council in half, two-thirds of the way into the citywide election.” — Jennifer Hollett
Beyond its Brexit mess, Britain faces a Corbyn-sized problem
“Leader Jeremy Corbyn’s very left-wing economic policies were actually the least worrisome thing on display during his upbeat speech. Many of them (labour rights, stronger welfare) would be useful correctives, and some, like more state ownership, would be fiscally regressive but are hardly new in Britain. The larger problem is that Labour seems determined to become a nationalist, populist fringe party bent on isolating its country from the world.” — Doug Saunders
LIVING BETTER
Fall arts guide: What to read, watch and listen to this season
Our critics have rounded up the best of the season from their beats to help you plan your fall in culture. Read about the shows our television critic John Doyle thinks you should make room for in your calendar. Get caught up on the movies our film editor Barry Hertz says will be getting buzz in the coming months. Peruse the performances coming to stages soon as recommended by theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck, dance critic Martha Schabas and music critic Brad Wheeler. And browse a selection of books for every taste rounded up by critics Becky Toyne, Sarah Laing and Margaret Cannon.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
How to hack-proof your employees
It’s estimated that between 80 to 90 per cent of data breaches are caused by human error. It’s just a matter of time before your company suffers a data breach (if it hasn’t already). Here’s how to lock down your network—and your employees. (for subscribers)
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