Good morning,
These are the top stories:
Donald Trump is pulling the U.S. out of the Iran deal. Here’s what could come next
Trump said the nuclear agreement is “defective at its core” and pledged to reimpose the “highest level” of sanctions against Iran (those will be phased back over the next 180 days). Iran responded by threatening to restart its nuclear program unless it gets further guarantees from other Western countries that are signatories to the deal.
What it means for North Korea
The decision to back out comes just as Trump prepares to sit down with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un to seek the rogue state’s denuclearization. That could raise concerns about whether the U.S. would stick to any future Korea deal.
International security expert Simon Palamar writes that Trump’s move could lead Kim’s government to come to the following conclusion: “Develop plans to deceive the U.S. today, and don’t bother bargaining in good faith, since you’re negotiating with an unreliable partner.”
What it means for the Middle East
Trump backed out despite the International Atomic Energy Agency saying Iran was in compliance with the deal. Experts say the move can be better understood as retaliation for Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.
Here’s Doug Saunders’s take: “Iran’s hard-liners have nothing restraining them from trying to seize control of Iraq, intensify the Syrian conflict, wreak worse havoc on Yemen and fight a more or less direct conflict with Israel in Syria. Any last vestige of control and stability in the region had held on by a slender thread. That thread, until Tuesday, was known as the Iran deal.”
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How Doug Ford wants to change Ontario’s education system
Sex-ed: If elected, the Progressive Conservative Leader is vowing to scrap the current sex-education curriculum and replace it with something more “age-appropriate.”
Math: Ford is pledging to scrap the problem-solving oriented “discovery” math system in favour of a return to back-to-basics skills such as repetition and drills. He also wants to reform standardized testing.
Free speech: Ford says he would cut funding to postsecondary institutions that don’t allow controversial speakers to hold talks on campus.
A carjacking suspect died after a police-involved shooting at a B.C. ferry terminal
RCMP officers were called to a ferry terminal in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, to arrest a man over allegations of a “violent” carjacking in mainland B.C. In a statement, the RCMP said shots were fired after the suspect got out of the vehicle with what was believed to be a gun. B.C.’s police watchdog is now conducting an investigation to determine whether the suspect was armed and if there was an exchange of gunfire.
Montreal news outlet La Presse is turning itself into a non-profit
The billionaire Desmarais family is putting their faith into the federal government’s willingness to grant media companies charitable status (for subscribers). The family, which bought La Presse 50 years ago, is planning to relinquish ownership while also making a $50-million contribution to the news outlet via their company Power Corp. La Presse estimates it could get $3-million in donations a year; it’s also hoping to receive government funding.
Konrad Yakabuski writes that for the Desmarais sons, La Presse had become a distraction: “While constituting only a tiny part of Power’s operations, the investments in La Presse had become irritants among investors as the stock price stagnated and the company seemed to lose the strategic foresight that was its calling card under Paul Sr.” (for subscribers)
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna has been charged with assault
The 23-year-old pitcher has been placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball as it investigates the charges under its domestic violence policy. League rules allow for a player to be disciplined for an alleged domestic violence incident regardless of whether a trial takes place. Osuna is set to appear in court in Toronto on June 18.
MORNING MARKETS
Oil jumps on Trump move
Oil prices jumped back to 3-1/2-year highs on Wednesday after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of an international nuclear deal with Iran, while the greenback continued its tireless ascent and global stocks held steady. Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.4 per cent, and the Shanghai composite just shy of 0.1 per cent, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng up 0.4 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were up by between 0.1 and 0.6 per cent by about 5:30 a.m. ET. New York futures were also up. The Canadian dollar is just shy of 77.5 U.S. cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
B.C., where access to a wait-list is considered access to health care
“In Canada, unlike virtually any country in the world, including several run by communist regimes, you can’t get treated, at your own cost, for a medical problem that is causing you enormous pain and discomfort. You are forced to wait until your number comes up on a public wait-list. (Unless you live in Quebec, that is, where private clinics are legal, thanks to the Supreme Court of Canada.) Recently, there were more than 80,000 adults in B.C. waiting for scheduled, non-emergency surgery. That is an all-time high. But wait you will if this NDP government has its way.” – Gary Mason
What on earth is the responsible Ontario voter to do?
“Canada’s most populous province used to raise an eyebrow at the colourful politics of British Columbia or Quebec. Then the Rob Ford show came to Toronto. Then the Progressive Conservatives had a headline-grabbing leadership crisis over allegations of sexual misconduct. Now Rob Ford’s brother is poised to become premier. Ontario voters can no longer choose between reasonably sensible parties of centre-left and centre-right. Neither is on offer in this election. Instead, they must choose between a right-wing populist in the mould of Donald Trump and a left-wing Liberal who has out-NDPed the NDP, leaving the NDP itself to carve out territory even farther to the left. The political centre has vanished like a puddle in the sun.” – Marcus Gee
The American media are trapped in Trump’s cauldron
“The unemployment rate in the United States fell to a paltry 3.9 per cent last month. That’s big news. To find an American rate lower than today’s, you have to go back half a century to the late 1960s. … The slight attention paid to the employment numbers is an illustration of how the country’s image is being excessively Trump-framed. We in the media are consumed by his every utterance. No president has sucked the oxygen out of every room like this one. He has the news cycle by the throat. Big domestic stories are lost in the daily anarchy, the shattering of the norms, the circus never leaving town.” – Lawrence Martin
LIVING BETTER
Tips to get your garden ready for spring
Now that the weather is improving, it may be time to take your indoor plants outside. The process, called hardening off, gives plants a chance to adapt to different conditions. There are also ways to tailor your garden to attract butterflies: Milkweed is an ideal plant for early arrivals, while purple coneflower is great for autumn. Subscribers: Go here for a complete guide on everything you need to know for spring gardening season.
MOMENT IN TIME
First Mother’s Day holiday declared in U.S.
May 9, 1914: Anna Jarvis’s mother – an American woman who had spent much of her life advocating for women and working to improve sanitation in her West Virginia community – died on the second Sunday in May, 1905. In 1907, Jarvis held a memorial service for her mother on the same day. White carnations were given out to the guests at the service. One year later, a second memorial followed. That service was considered one of the first Mother’s Day events. By 1912, Jarvis had formed the Mother’s Day International Association to promote the day, although as it gained popularity she began to resent how it was being commodified. On May 9, 1914, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson officially established Mother’s Day as a holiday to be held on the second Sunday in May. Canada, Australia and many other countries now celebrate mothers on the same day. Jarvis, on the other hand, spent the rest of her life disillusioned by what it had become: She didn’t like that it had spiralled into a massive commercial holiday. She trademarked the phrase “mother’s day” and threatened to sue organizations that used the words in their events in an effort to turn the occasion away from cards and candy, and bring it back to its roots. – Heather Norman
Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.
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