Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Fears, concerns after the death of Islamic State leader al-Baghdadi
In the wake of the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria, questions and concerns remain about what comes next in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump is saying the U.S. military has killed the person who likely would have succeeded him in leading the terrorist group. He didn’t name that person, but yesterday the U.S. confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, an Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the group.
Millions of refugees still fear returning to Syria despite al-Baghdadi’s death. The Globe’s senior international correspondent Mark MacKinnon talked to many in Turkey who told him that, yes, it’s good that the man who led a barbaric extremist group is dead. But with the regime of Bashar al-Assad regaining control of much of Syria, the Islamic State is no longer the reason they fear going home.
And for at least one of the thousands of women from the Yazidi minority religion in Iraq who were kidnapped and raped by Islamic State militants, his death does not bring justice: “I want the men who took me, who raped me, to stand trial. And I want to have my voice heard in court. … Without proper trials, his death has no meaning.”
Opinion: Globe critic John Doyle has low marks for Trump’s TV performance Sunday describing the scene at the raid: “It was both juvenile and barbaric. And this taunting rhetoric is aimed at a bloodthirsty terrorist organization that is still active. ... It is madness to use such language that could obligate revenge.”
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Boeing CEO accused of telling ‘half-truths’ in 737 Max hearing
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg faced intense grilling at a U.S. Senate hearing over what the company knew about its MCAS stall-prevention system linked to two deadly crashes of 737 Max planes, and about delays in turning over internal 2016 messages that described erratic behaviour of the software in a simulator.
Muilenburg acknowledged errors in failing to give pilots more information on MCAS before the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes that killed 346 people and led to the worldwide grounding of the 737 Max aircraft. Family members, holding photos of victims of the crash, were seated just three rows behind Muilenburg during his testimony.
(Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Reuters)SARAH SILBIGER/Reuters
“You have told me half-truths over and over again,” Senator Tammy Duckworth told Muilenburg, questioning why the manufacturer did not disclose more details about lack of safeguards with MCAS. “You have not told us the whole truth and these families are suffering because of it.”
Read more: Here are some key steps that need to happen before the 737 Max returns to the skies.
Trudeau turns to two political veterans for advice on forming government
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is turning to two political veterans with ties to two alienated areas of the country for advice on forming his minority government:
- Anne McLellan, a former deputy prime minister who was once the only federal Liberal voice from Alberta;
- Isabelle Hudon, Canada’s ambassador to France and a well-known business leader in Quebec.
Trudeau met with Governor-General Julie Payette this morning to formally confirm that he intends to form government.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Canada’s ambassador to China meet with Kovrig, Spavor: Dominic Barton, Canada’s new ambassador to China, has met separately with former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor. The two Canadians were detained almost a year ago in apparent retaliation for the arrest in Vancouver of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of U.S. authorities.
Transit strike notice in Vancouver: Transit operators in Metro Vancouver have served a 72-hour strike notice, potentially leaving area commuters without bus, SeaBus or community shuttle service as early as Friday.
Beyond Meat share price chopped: Shares of Beyond Meat plunged more than 20 per cent as investors rushed to lock in their profits after a restriction on selling stock lifted. Investor worries are also mounting about rising costs and increased competition at the popular plant-based meat producer.
Fire chiefs found to have worsened Grenfell Tower death toll: Decisions made by the London Fire Brigade chiefs added to the number of casualties during the Grenfell Tower blaze, which killed 71 people in 2017, a public inquiry has found.
NCAA to allow athlete compensation: The U.S.'s largest governing body for college athletics took the first step today toward allowing amateur athletes to cash in on their fame, with its board of governors voting unanimously to permit them to “benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.”
Canadian tennis news: Canada’s Denis Shapovalov advanced to the second round at the Paris Masters after his opponent retired after an injury. He joins Milos Raonic in second-round action tomorrow. Also tomorrow, Bianca Andreescu meets Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic at the WTA Finals in China. Check back at GlobeSports.com for scores and highlights.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index rose narrowly today, as bleak earnings reports from e-commerce company Shopify and cannabis producer Hexo weighed. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX Composite index closed up 30.61 points at 16,418.14.
The S&P 500 eased back from yesterday’s record high after word that China and the United States were continuing to work on an interim trade agreement but it may not be completed in time for the leaders of the two countries to sign in Chile next month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 19.26 points to 27,071.46, the S&P 500 lost 2.53 points to end at 3,036.89 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 49.14 points to 8,276.85.
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TALKING POINTS
Can a socially conservative party govern a liberal Canada?
“On the face of it, it would seem evident that if the Conservatives want to expand their base, they need to do it behind a leader whose views on sensitive social issues aren’t a liability.” - Gary Mason
How Donald Trump will escape impeachment’s clutches
“The impeachment proceeding, which will be formalized with a vote by lawmakers on Thursday, offers numerous escape valves for a President who claims, with his customary bludgeoning force, that it is just another witch hunt.” - Lawrence Martin
How can we ration health care, without discrimination?
“A history of alcohol use or misuse should not automatically make a patient ineligible for a liver transplant. Nor should we, a priori, refuse lung transplants to smokers.” - André Picard
LIVING BETTER
Balanced exchange-traded funds, also called asset allocation funds, bundle a diversified mix of underlying ETFs into a single product. The No. 1 question personal finance columnist Rob Carrick is asked about these ETFs is: Does the posted management expense ratio include the MERs for the underlying funds, or do those fees apply as well? The answer is that the posted MER includes the cost of the ETFs in the portfolio. In fact, securities regulations prohibit the duplication of MERs.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Should I force my son to take Saturday morning Chinese classes?
Growing up CBC – that’s Canadian-born Chinese – to parents who came from Hong Kong, I was quick to shed my ancestral identity in order to be accepted by my Canadian peers. Once when I was 12, I was admitted into Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and thought I was in heaven, eating hospital dinners of meatloaf, mac and cheese and chicken fingers instead of the steamed rice, bok choy and braised black bean spare ribs my mom would make at home.
Now I am a mother. And from this vantage point, it’s clear that I took those piano lessons and Chinese classes for granted. Not only did they teach me how to play the piano and communicate in Cantonese, but they also taught me discipline and the opposite of instant gratification since both skills take years to master.
It’s amazing how being a parent distills your life values when you’re responsible for raising another human being. In fact, I’m surprised at how strongly I’ve returned to my roots. The teenager in me, who all too readily traded what made her distinct for what made her common, would be shocked. Read Valerie Lam-Bentley full essay here.
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