Canada
Foreign interference: Liberals, Conservatives remain tight-lipped on alleged collusion
A lack of clarity and answers remain since the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) accused unnamed MPs of colluding with hostile foreign states. More confusion erupted after Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh gave different opinions on the unredacted report’s findings. Mackenzie Gray reports on how Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is walking back a commitment to look into foreign meddling, and how Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is staying tight-lipped about NSICOP's allegations
Bloc MPs will 'pay the price' for any involvement in foreign meddling, Blanchet says
He stressed he will not follow the path of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and speak publicly once he sees the report.
RCMP has 'multiple investigations' into ArriveCan, but few details
So far, two senior public servants have been suspended as part of the investigation and GC Strategies has been suspended from bidding on other government contracts
Tories, NDP at odds over forcing committees to sit over summer
Conservatives insist that some committees should keep sitting to continue investigating ethical concerns concerning the Liberal government.
Minister accuses Conservatives of trying to sabotage federal dental program
The Canadian Dental Association and provincial associations have raised concerns, saying patients don't always know they will have to pay out of pocket for some services that aren't fully covered by the government program.
2023-2024 Annual Report
"After investigating more than 30,000 complaints, I am reminded every day of the ways in which the Act and the system it supports continue to fail Canadians. July of 2023 saw the 40th anniversary of the Access to Information Act come and go with little indication that amendments to this antiquated law are on the horizon." - Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard.
The Provinces
NDP makes history, wins Tuxedo for first time
Political rookie Carla Compton will be the first non-Progressive Conservative MLA to represent the constituency since its inception in 1981. The seat has been held by two former premiers, Gary Filmon and Heather Stefanson, whose resignation May 6 put it in play.
Secretive group target B.C. NDP rivals with attack ads
The ads are made by a seemingly new group called Project for a Strong B.C. The group’s website and social-media accounts on Facebook and Instagram were set up in April and May. It describes its members as “a group of concerned and engaged British Columbians.”
Scott Moe addresses conspiracies, house services committee decision
The premier was also asked a question that insinuated the Saskatchewan Health Authority was complicit in the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitating a “delivery system” for bioweapons from China. “I said I disagree with that,” Moe noted on Tuesday. But during the town hall, Moe agreed to read a document relating to the claim provided by the person who posed the question.
PQ leader tells Legault to drop his 'unhealthy defeatism' on independence
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says the premier needs to "get a grip" and accuses him of contaminating the political climate with his pessimism.
Ne pas tenir un 3e référendum sur l’indépendance reviendrait à le perdre, réplique PSPP
“À ce stade-ci de notre histoire, ne pas tenir un troisième référendum et ne pas réussir l'indépendance du Québec [reviendrait à] le perdre, parce que notre déclin, il est planifié et il est déjà en cours, a plaidé M. St-Pierre Plamondon devant les journalistes.
Former N.B. Progressive Conservative MLA to seek Liberal nomination for fall election
Bruce Northrup says he will seek the Liberal nomination for the riding of Sussex Three Rivers, currently held by Tourism Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace.
Elsewhere
Blinken Says China's Support For Russia's War In Ukraine 'Has To Stop'
China's support for Russia's defense industry is prolonging the Ukraine war and "has to stop," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on June 18 at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin arrives in North Korea amid anti-west rhetoric
Russian President Vladimir Putin, looking for diplomatic and military support, signed a ‘comprehensive’ agreement with Kim Jong Un during a rare visit to Pyongyang.
Globally, Biden Gets Higher Ratings Than Trump
Across 34 nations polled, a 43% median have confidence in Biden's handling of world affairs, while a 28% median have confidence in Trump. More than half of Canadians -- 52% -- told Pew they had confidence in Biden vs 30% of Cdns had confidence in Trump.
Rasmussen Reports promotes vaccine resistance
Michael Hiltzik: Rasmussen's polls used to be known for their pro-GOP bias. It has now moved on to pushing anti-vaccine nonsense.
Media
Funding Democracy: Public Media and Democratic Health in 33 Countries
We find five models of public media systems around the world, ranging from “state-administered” systems with low levels of independence (Botswana and Tunisia) to systems aligning with Hallin and Mancini's “Democratic Corporatist” model, with strong and secure (multiyear) funding, large audience shares, and strong regulatory protection for their independence. In between, we identify three mixed models: a “Liberal-Pluralist” model, a “Direct Funding” model, and a “Commercial–Public” model. Correlations and cluster analyses show that high levels of secure funding for public media systems and strong structural protections for the political and economic independence of those systems are consistently and positively correlated with healthy democracies.
The professional backstaging of diversity in journalism
This study examines how diverse US-based journalists—both Black, Indigenous, and people of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer [or sometimes questioning] and others—perform their diversity within newsrooms.
Reader Notes
This newsletter is curated by David Akin, chief political correspondent at Global News. The headlines, excerpts, and photos 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.
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Science and tech
When did humans start social knowledge accumulation?
It's pretty obvious that a lot of our technology builds on past efforts. If you're reading this on a mobile platform, then you're benefitting from the fact that smartphones were derived from personal computers and that software required working hardware to happen. But for millions of years, human technology lacked the sort of clear building blocks that would help us identify when an archeological artifact is derived from earlier work. So, how do you go about studying the origin of cumulative culture?
Proton is transitioning towards a non-profit structure
“ I, as Proton’s founder, joined together by Jason Stockman (Proton’s co-founder) and Dingchao Lu (Proton’s first employee), have jointly endowed the non-profit Proton Foundation through a donation of Proton shares. These transfers and commitments from the foundation founders make the Proton Foundation the primary shareholder of Proton and make irrevocable our wish that Proton remains in perpetuity an organization that places people ahead of profits.”
Select Multiple Items Faster With This Simple iPhone Gesture
Your iPhone has multiple touch and gesture capabilities that can enhance how you interact with apps. Some, like pinch and zoom, are well known enough to be considered second nature, but others are less obvious, like the one we're about to explain.
