Canada
‘We need new leadership’: Atlantic Liberal caucus calls for Trudeau’s resignation
The Atlantic Liberal caucus is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign as party leader in a letter expressing "deep concern" about the future of government.
LPC Atlantic Caucus letter to PM Trudeau
For openness and transparency I’m posting publicly a letter from our Atlantic Caucus written by our chair Kody Blois calling on the Prime Minister to resign.
LeBlanc and Joly offer little details about visit with Trump's team in Florida
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affair Minister Melanie Joly shared few details of their meetings in Palm Beach, simply saying in a statement the U.S. officials they met with took notes and agreed to relay messages to Trump.
Language watchdog fears a rise in intolerance
“Even if the support for sovereignty doesn’t change much, I think it’s a narrative that we heard in 1980 and 1995. That kind of thing, in my opinion, too often gives rise to intolerant discourse,” said Théberge, whose seven-year term ends on Jan. 28.
The Provinces
Kinew puts stamp on 2024
Premier Wab Kinew is entering 2025 — following his first full calendar year as the leader of Manitoba — with more ink, and his latest tattoo is a tribute to the electorate. Kinew recently had a had a black-and-white bison etched into his inner right forearm.
Quebec needs people to run for local office. The problem is they keep resigning.
s many as 800 municipal councillors — 10 per cent of the roughly 8,000 people elected to local office in 2021 — have quit before the end of their term, says Quebec's elections agency. They've left for a wide range of reasons, but some departures were influenced by the toxic behaviour of citizens.
Smith defends government consultations after results withheld, ignored
Following requests from Postmedia, the province has withheld survey results on an Alberta pension plan and renewable energy while appearing to ignore the results of engagements on municipal political parties and expanding alcohol sales to grocery and convenience stores
Elsewhere
Elon Musk causes uproar for backing Germany’s far-right party ahead of elections
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest.
Jimmy Carter, Peacemaking President Amid Crises, Is Dead at 100
Rising from Georgia farmland to the White House, he oversaw the historic Camp David peace accords, but his one-term presidency was waylaid by troubles at home and abroad. This NYT obit is co-authored and one of the authors pre-deceased Carter by 7 years. Don't often see that! (🎁 link)
Media
NPR and PBS stations brace for funding battle under Trump
Elon Musk is gunning for public media. In his new role advising President-elect Donald J. Trump, Mr. Musk has floated sweeping cuts to the federal government , including the elimination of of entire departments and the firing of agency leaders. One of the most concrete proposals on his list is eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual funding that the government funnels to PBS and NPR stations, home to cultural touchstones like Elmo, Big Bird and “Fresh Air.”
In Mozambique, journalists step up effort to combat false information
With the spread of false information on social media, journalists in Mozambique are on the front line in the fight against mis- and disinformation.
Reader Notes
A welcome and some thank yous!
A welcome to more than two dozen of you who have signed up for this newsletter this month. If you enjoy, please tell a friend!
A reminder to all that the headlines, excerpts, and photos here are generated by the publishers of the clipping. The publisher is at the bottom left of the clipping. If I've got a comment, you'll see that in italics within the excerpt. Occasionally, I'll write the whole excerpt and, in that case, you'll see me claiming authorship by finishing the excerpt like this: -DA
And a thank you to those subscribers who, in the last few days have sent me an e-mail expressing their appreciation for this newsletter and a bigger thank you to those who've made a financial donation to help defray the costs of publishing this every day.
You can help with a monthly pledge -- Just $5 would do it -- via Patreon or, if you want to make a one-time donation, send an e-transfer to jda@davidakin.com. -DA
Science and tech
Google CEO Pichai tells employees 'The stakes are high' for 2025
In a meeting with employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai set the stage for 2025, and the expected increase in competition, regulatory hurdles and AI advancements. “With the Gemini app, there is strong momentum, particularly over the last few months,” Pichai said. “But we have some work to do in 2025 to close the gap and establish a leadership position there as well. Scaling Gemini on the consumer side will be our biggest focus next year.”
