Today's News: From All Over

Reconciliation visit: 

The final stop for Pope Francis in Canada was a visit to Iqaluit. The Globe and Mail reports: 

On Friday, [Pope Francis] met with several school survivors In Iqaluit before an outdoor performance that included traditional throat singing and drum dancing. 

His speech before hundreds began with another apology for the “evil perpetuated” on Indigenous people by church members. Speaking in his native Spanish, Francis’s speech was translated into English and Inuktitut. 

He told them he was sorry in Inuktitut, a meaningful gesture to many in the audience. “I thank you for having had the courage to tell your stories and to share your great suffering that I could not imagine,” he said in Spanish. 

“This only renewed in me the indignation and shame that I have felt for months.” 

The pontiff’s tour has fostered healing for some school survivors and anger in others. 

 ...Early on Friday, before his flight to Iqaluit, Pope Francis held a private meeting with an Indigenous delegation at the residence of Quebec Archbishop, Cardinal Gérald Lacroix. After the meeting, Ghislain Picard, Assembly of First Nations regional chief for Quebec/Labrador, said it will be up to each person to decide if the Pope’s trip met their expectations. “It’s really up to them to take the measure of all this, whether it’s going to provide that kind of way for their healing,” 

Mr. Picard said after the meeting. “It’s going to take time.” 

 

The Pope still has not committed to saying the words that critics of his apology are demanding to hear — that it was the Catholic Church as an institution that was responsible for the residential school abuses and that those included physical, psychological and sexual abuses.

— Jaro Giesbrecht 🇨🇦🇸🇰 (@JaroGiesbrecht) July 29, 2022

Saskatchewan: 

For some reason that nobody has yet explained, Saskatchewan has asked the feds for the authority to determine which immigrants will be allowed to settle here, and also they want the feds to give us all the money.

pic.twitter.com/jGuHv0UBeA

— Robbert Glennjamin (@BobbGlenn) July 28, 2022

It ain't gonna happen, of course, but maybe the Sask Party thinks they can gin up another grievance against the Trudeau Liberals?

Today's News: Updates

Papal reconciliation visit:

An apology from Pope Francis.

This was the best part after the apology that is.#PopeFrancus crowned with Indigenous headress, While crowd erupts with approval.
👏👏👏 #PapalVisit2022 pic.twitter.com/14cYlrTWfo

— Jaro Giesbrecht 🇨🇦🇸🇰 (@JaroGiesbrecht) July 25, 2022

Giving the Pope a headdress is not being well received online, however - I am seeing some negative tweets on this tonight.

The pope got a warbonnet meanwhile many Indigenous people (myself included) are structurally denied access to our homelands, cultural patrimony, and ceremonies.

Hurts, man.

— Dr. Kali Simmons 🦬👖 (@SimmonsKali) July 25, 2022

The apology was generally welcomed, with some comment also that the Discovery doctrine has not yet been revoked.

"This apology, offered today by Pope Francis, will lend itself to the healing we all need so that we can find ways to confront the charge of genocide and the legacy of residential schools in Canada." - Chief Robert Joseph.

Click here to read: https://t.co/PC4tGAg1t1 pic.twitter.com/gqeDt0kbCu

— Reconciliation Canada (@Rec_Can) July 25, 2022

I’m troubled

Pope’s apology neither about Church nor Papacy over last centuries, only individual bad Christians who “cooperated with”assimilation moves “promoted by govts of the time”

By omitting #DoctrineOfDiscovery, he ducks complicity in instigating such schools@RussDiabo https://t.co/CuNyX5Ju0g

— Brian E Noble #ArticulateBeings (@ArticulateDinos) July 25, 2022

Put together a video of one of @Pontifex meeting the Chief’s of the Four Nations of Maskwacis & visiting former Ermineskin Indian Residential School site where children died & many who got out alive still carry the pain. I was only a few feet away. Was like a funeral procession. pic.twitter.com/2WjPH8uSVv

— Brandi Morin (@Songstress28) July 26, 2022

Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors felt a mix of emotions towards the Pope’s apology. @CreesonCTV reports. https://t.co/bP2P6PpBfJ pic.twitter.com/lzxWNLJlLW

— CTV News (@CTVNews) July 26, 2022

A useful reference:

Anticipating more residential school denialism last year, Daniel Heath Justice and I created a primer on how to identify and confront it. We hope this continues to be a helpful resource, this week and moving forward: https://t.co/jpfQCef4KI

— Sean Carleton (@SeanCarleton) July 22, 2022

On a side note, an update on the "boil water" advisories - the Trudeau government has made a huge difference.

I heard 'boil water advisories' mentioned on @CBCNews. While no-one should have to go w/o clean water in Cda, it's important to note (IMHO) that nothing done before fed Libs formed govt Nov 2015, and so far: 82% lifted, plus 8% complete pending lifting, plus 7% under construction pic.twitter.com/stcrkndTSk

— Kathryn Mathias (@KathrynMathias1) July 25, 2022

3/
To be clear, it was briefly mentioned by various guests. I'm not criticizing CBC. The guests were making broad, sweeping statements about there being water issues, then changing the topic, so I thought details about what progess had been made would be helpful.

— Kathryn Mathias (@KathrynMathias1) July 26, 2022

Plus, many were added after the original list was created. The original list had 105 advisories; this government has lifted 135. More progress than I have seen in my lifetime. https://t.co/hLCVV625uc

— Adrian Wilson (@AdrianW123) July 26, 2022

CPC leadership campaign:

So this morning Angus Reid released a poll showing that the Conservatives would have a better chance of winning government with Charest rather than Poilievre. 

And then within a couple of hours, former PM Stephen Harper took the wind out of Charest's sails by releasing his endorsement of Poilievre. 

So, just another day in Canadian politics, I guess.

pic.twitter.com/bxotv7QpL1

— Angus Reid (@AngusReid) July 25, 2022

This is the first "bad" poll for Poilievre. It shows Charest would win Atlantic Canada, would be competitive in Quebec, would do better than Poilievre in Ontario... all at the expense of losing some Prairie and Alberta votes (which the CPC could afford). pic.twitter.com/zkCscjShPT

— Philippe J. Fournier (@338Canada) July 25, 2022

Here’s Stephen Harper’s endorsement video for Poilievre https://t.co/fS4GeNctm4

— Harrison Lowman (@harrisonlowman) July 26, 2022

Jean Charest reacts to Stephen Harper's endorsement of Pierre Poilievre. https://t.co/8wwUeECIfb

— Stephen Taylor (@stephen_taylor) July 26, 2022

There is bad blood between Harper and Charest, in part because when Charest was premier, he sold Harper on the so-called “fiscal imbalance” Quebec suffered. When Harper tried to buy peace and give Charest the money, Charest turned it into a tax cut. Harper was furious. https://t.co/8soQtlMWBa

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) July 26, 2022

Today's News: Ukraine update

Lots of news from Ukraine lately: 

First, a new deal was announced today to move Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea:

New: A deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea has been signed in Istanbul, the UN SecGen says. The agreement will include three Ukrainian ports, including Odesa, and will involve a Joint Coordination Center established in Istanbul. via @TimListerCNN

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) July 22, 2022

“There is to be no large-scale demining of Ukraine’s ports, a process that was considered too time consuming. Ukrainian pilots will guide commercial vessels from the ports. Minesweepers will be used as needed”https://t.co/2psD1VWgGz

— Dmitri Alperovitch (@DAlperovitch) July 22, 2022

Gee, what a coincidence that the grain deal was signed today. https://t.co/HfPI9Lr2ZE

— John Aravosis 🇺🇸🇬🇷🏳️‍🌈 (@aravosis) July 23, 2022

The Lithuania foreign affairs minister:

The agreement to unblock Odesa would have been impossible without HIMARS. It's now very clear that the war will end earlier if we arm Ukraine faster.

— Gabrielius Landsbergis (@GLandsbergis) July 22, 2022

However, some caution is warranted:

💯Russia created global food, energy crises:💯

Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau says he has no confidence in Russia to uphold its end of a deal to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports. #PutinFlation pic.twitter.com/Hq8870r56m

— Jaro Giesbrecht 🇨🇦🇸🇰 (@JaroGiesbrecht) July 22, 2022

In other news:

UK MOD- In the last 48 hours, heavy fighting has been taking place as Ukrainian forces have continued their offensive against Russian forces in Kherson Oblast... Russia is likely attempting to slow the Ukrainian attack using artillery fire along the Inhulets River pic.twitter.com/QZhhb9Lpnl

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 23, 2022

I wonder if this can this be true?

⚡️Official: US may supply fighter jets to Ukraine.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said that the Pentagon had already started evaluating the possibility of such a move.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 22, 2022

BREAKING: The U.S. is considering giving Ukraine A-10 Warthog ground-attack planes. 🇺🇦 🇺🇸

— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) July 22, 2022

All of the old arguments about the risk of starting World War 3 still apply, I think, but if Ukrainian pilots can be trained quickly enough this improvement in airpower might make a difference. 

Some great stuff

 

I had never seen this before, its absolutely hilarious. 

Here's another great Twitter story:

Frank Slade was helping his Aunt Ethel run her gas station in Goldsboro, North Carolina, when there was a knock on the door.

Two men told him he had a choice between joining the U.S. Army for the Korean War orTrum returning to Canada.

What did he do? pic.twitter.com/8lAStYsa2R

— Canadian Forces in 🇺🇸 (@CAFinUS) July 20, 2022

Moving on, one of the bizarre things I noticed about the Trump administration is that things were ALWAYS worse than they first appeared to be. No matter how bad something looked when first reported or exposed - from the Muslim Ban to the Helsinki meeting to the child separation policy to Jan 6 insurrection etc etc - it always turned out to be even more senseless, cruel, abusive, greedy or criminal than it first looked. 

And Trump is still doing this, from beyond the grave, so to speak - it is now clear that misplaced loyalty and. I assume, the promotion of too many incompetents, has compromised the US Secret Service.

Here's the end of a long thread from Rick Wilson plus links that is worth reading - he also talks about Trump's ability to inspire the worst in everyone near him. 

It was Wilson who in 2016 coined the hashtag #ETTD - Everything Trump Touches Dies:

12/ I'll wrap this by noting that oversight by the Executive and Legislative in this matter is more than a little urgent.

Trump's shitbird superpower has always been to call out the worst versions of the people working for him.

The Service is gambling its reputation on HIM?

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) July 20, 2022

And what a grievance-hoarder Trump is:

Trump's claims that the 2020 election was rigged are best understood in the context of his repeated claims that the Emmy's were rigged as an explanation for his failure to win one for The Apprentice.

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 20, 2022

Today's News: Updates from all over

Uvalde Massacre update: 

The Uvalde preliminary report is out and it is damning.

pic.twitter.com/1pIjB5hVwX

— mrs.LHS 🇺🇦🍀🌻☮️ (@ABPC84) July 18, 2022

We’ve gutted education financing to fund police departments just so nearly 400 Uvalde cops in full military gear could stand around while 19 children and 2 teachers were killed and Texas police chiefs are still blaming the school for not having a better fence and locked doors. pic.twitter.com/JjhG1rm8jI

— Andrew Wortman 🏳️‍🌈🇺🇸 (@AmoneyResists) July 17, 2022

They're talking about the Interim Report 2022 on the Uvalde massacre in May. 

In spite of all the talk in the report about school fences and unlocked doors, Lawrence O'Donnell at MSNBC pinpoints the key sentences, on page 73: 

There was no legal impediment to the attacker buying two AR-15-style rifles, 60 magazines, and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition when he turned 18. The ATF was not required to notify the local sheriff of the multiple purchases. 

As O'Donnell noted in his commentary, it was fear of this armament that prevented almost 400 police from trying to stop the mayhem sooner.

Nothing says ban assault rifles like 5 school officers, 8 federal DEA officers, 13 U.S. Marshals, 16 sheriff’s deputies, 25 Uvalde officers, 69 officers of nearby law enforcement, 91 state police officers plus 149 U.S. Border Patrol agents being scared of 1 shooter with an AR-15.

— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) July 18, 2022

We also had news about this self-serving BS.

A document prepared by Uvalde officials and labeled “narrative” was obtained by @nytimes after a FOIA request. It lays out a desired telling of events after the mass shooting that praised officers for rushing toward gunfire and saving hundreds of children.https://t.co/2BVWeFe9sm

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 17, 2022

And now even more stuff is coming out:

Days after Texas Public Safety Director Steve McCraw criticized the way law enforcement handled the Robb Elementary shooting, officials sought a more positive portrayal of the police response, according to a memo obtained by ABC News. @ABCMireya reports. https://t.co/6cN1DC7Ycp pic.twitter.com/X7khJdnuhx

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) July 19, 2022

On a side note, this just may result in more realistic views of police:

In private, many police officers are told “No matter what, the goal is to get yourself home.” Anything that’s a threat to that is either to be eliminated or avoided. It also elevates what they might see as a threat, hence why the first move for many is to shoot. /3

— Marcelius Braxton (@Marcelius_B) July 18, 2022

Years ago, I read of a sociologist who studied police. He wrote a paper saying that police mostly stopped cars full of young men & figured out something to charge them with.
The sociologist was shocked when his police buddies got mad about this observation.

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) July 19, 2022

The people of Uvalde are strong, and getting stronger:

The saddest display of books in a public library is in Uvalde, Texas. pic.twitter.com/C7aRaImsMs

— nancypjohnson (@nancypjohnson) July 18, 2022

The Uvalde community really finding their voices tonight.Speaking out tonight at the school board meeting. Demanding the school board clean house.Demanding Pete Arredondo be fired by noon tomorrow. They say they are prepared to keep their kids out of school until changes are made

— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) July 18, 2022

The failure in Uvalde took many forms. We still need a lot more answers. But let’s be clear. It began with a culture that accepts gun violence as just a part of modern life.

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) July 18, 2022

Today's News: Ukraine update

Here is some recent news from Ukraine:

While the famine is growing around the world, harvests in occupied by Russia Kherson region are burning all the time. Reported by the media and the local residents pic.twitter.com/95UnIDaZOt

— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) July 9, 2022

Farmers across Ukraine are increasingly feeling the financial strain of Russia’s Black Sea blockade, and the sector’s economic collapse is affecting food security across the world.

Ukraine accounted for 10 percent of global wheat exports in 2021. https://t.co/5Uu98KGoWl

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 8, 2022

Here is a significant update from Phillips O'Brien about Ukraine troop strength and the intention to take back the south.

The most important point is that the Ukrainian defence minister @oleksiireznikov isn making it very clear that the Ukrainians actually have many 100,000s of soldiers that they can deploy into the fight than the Russians. Says a million here... pic.twitter.com/nQ61jvhnDK

— Phillips P. OBrien (@PhillipsPOBrien) July 11, 2022

Now, we have the Ukr changing tone, preparing the population for the army to go on the offensive in the south (Zelensky yesterday), and saying that the army is very large and getting better equipped and trained. https://t.co/oRf28qiepN

— Phillips P. OBrien (@PhillipsPOBrien) July 11, 2022

Worth noting that Ukrainian armed forces are prominently tweeting this story. https://t.co/CmGF3GEWGh

— Phillips P. OBrien (@PhillipsPOBrien) July 11, 2022

Also, this:

Ukrainians being very open telling civilians to get out of the Kherson area. https://t.co/HYpdDXXqvz

— Phillips P. OBrien (@PhillipsPOBrien) July 9, 2022

I am amazed at this courage:

#Lithuania has expanded restrictions on the transit of goods through its territory to #Kaliningrad, Reuters reports.

As of today, cement, timber, alcohol and alcohol-based industrial chemicals are banned, a #Lithuanian customs official said. pic.twitter.com/DcS5dP5ve2

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 11, 2022

Today's News: Looking for their soul

First up, some comment about what has happened to the soul of the Conservative party in Canada:

The leadership of the CPC is still theoretically up for grabs, but the battle for its soul is over -- and the anti-vaxxers have won. #cdnpoli https://t.co/Txl0pNSu46

— Max Fawcett 🇨🇦 (@maxfawcett) July 7, 2022

Ottawa journalist Rachel Gilmore had a major article on Global News today - How close is too close to the far-right? Why some experts are worried about Canada’s MPs. 

She is writing about Conservative support for the Convoy, particularly from Poilievre, and how this can legitimize the far-right in Canada. As we see the United States careening toward a fascist white supremacy ditch, it gives me hope to see Canadian media stepping up and taking seriously the risk of white supremacy in Canadian politics.

Gilmore says: 

It’s unclear why Poilievre “felt that he needed to” meet with Topp, said Stephanie Carvin, a former CSIS analyst who now teaches at Carleton University.

“But it definitely was a choice with consequences,” she said — including, potentially, emboldening and legitimizing the more extreme views among the convoy’s supporters. 

...experts are starting to worry about the influence politicians could have in legitimizing extreme ideas.

 “They seem to be playing this culture war knowingly,” said Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, in an interview with Global News. 

For Balgord, what Poilievre chose to do on June 30 “wasn’t a surprise.” 

“He was positioning himself to earn the support of the far-right in his leadership race.” 

Gilmore has been doing an extraordinary job in covering Canada's far right - for example, this tweet:

I was looking over videos I took during the Canada Day convoy protest and came across this one.

The man I spoke to very politely told me that he’s not sure Trudeau was democratically elected.

There is zero evidence to back up this claim. pic.twitter.com/N8x4lKvugg

— Rachel Gilmore (@atRachelGilmore) July 6, 2022

Finally we see a journalist used the definite description --"zero evidence" -- instead of mealy-mouthed bafflegab. 

She is hitting a nerve, too -- here's Poilievre's hysterical reaction to her article:

Poilievre's team sent this to me on Tuesday in response to my request for comment.

It read like a press release then.

I guess it *was* a press release.

Here are the questions I asked, which - instead of answering - he replied to by calling me "unprofessional."

1/5 https://t.co/ZjVsgKH5Y9

— Rachel Gilmore (@atRachelGilmore) July 7, 2022

Scrimshaw notes how incredibly stupid and thin-skinned it was for Poilievre to issue this press release:

But why this press release matters is that the Poilievre team just tipped their hands about a very important point – they can get blown off message incredibly easily. 

A TV interview with Evan Solomon got Poilievre to confirm he’d fire the Governor of the Bank Of Canada, and now an article about Convoy ties to the far right has Poilievre invoking Trudeau’s Blackface (I’ll leave it to your imagination how those two things happened). 

It’s genuinely thin-skinned bullshit, but even more than it being thin-skinned, it’s just not a good trait in a political leader to have the political equivalent of Tourette’s Syndrome, to quote the post-Sorkin West Wing. 

Swinging at every pitch in politics is a disaster, because sometimes the right move is to avoid the trap, and this pattern of behaviour from Poilievre and his team is evidence that he doesn’t have that tool in his arsenal. 

He is as addicted to the news cycle and the Twitter likes and the Facebook views that he has to pump out this shit daily, but the problem is, sometimes you don’t have to make news. Sometimes, it’s better to sit one out, and just leave an unfriendly article alone. 

How many more people do you think saw the Global article at the core of this fight after his press release? Giving oxygen to this story is an insane idea if you’re Poilievre.

Nevertheless, she persisted. Here is a follow-up story tonight:

Um, this is...massive?

James Topp's arrival in Ottawa -- which Pierre Poilievre joined him for -- appears to have been, at least in part, organized by someone affiliated with Diagolon.

Yikes.

Yikes. Yikes. Yikes. https://t.co/3X5phqRNX0

— Rachel Gilmore (@atRachelGilmore) July 7, 2022

Undoubtedly, there is additional stuff to come on this story.

Today's News: Weekend updates

Conservative leadership update:

Maybe Poilievre has hired a new PR firm not staffed by 12-year-olds. 

He released a video today that conservatives actually liked.  As for me, it worried me -- it doubles down on the Conservative "freedom" meme which actually means "be as prejudiced as you want, we won't stop you". 

Some see through it:

Take Back your Freedom. "Reclaim what has always been yours." It's Cdn #MAGA - Pining for the Canada of the "good old days" when the wood in the video was used to build barns. Brace yourself for more messaging that rubs the tummies of "old stock Canadians" - making others cringe. https://t.co/ASNbMmwSVt

— Charles Adler (@charlesadler) July 4, 2022

Some do not:

This message of "freedom" is a powerful one, even though what it actually means is letting Canadians be racist and sexist, underpay workers, operate unsafe factories, fire teachers, & dismantle any other "state interference" that actually gives us all real freedom.

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) July 3, 2022

Basically, its all just more Poilievre BS:

Pierre Poilievre is a dendrophiliac.

— Dean from Winnipeg (@Dean_Winnipeg) July 4, 2022

And his little stroll with the the so called “convoy” boys yesterday fell pretty flat & he cancelled some speech he was due to give.

— Janice D🇨🇦🐾 (@janbear105) July 3, 2022

Can we make sure that meme includes the white nationalist he was having a chat with while on a stroll? I don’t want anyone to forget about that. https://t.co/c9f1Mx7qpR

— Lisa Kirbie (@lisakirbie) July 4, 2022

Meanwhile, Trudeau-bashing continues apace, especially from Jean Charest's campaign manager who has a book to shill and gets a National Post column to do it:

“Woke”. I find it remarkable that the power brokers and wordsmen have successfully convinced millions of stupid people that being aware, knowledgeable, educated and fair is shameful and evil and that ignorance is godly. Genesis. Same old story.

— Rogue Chimp (@roguechimp99) July 3, 2022

Today's News: Remember remember....

It doesn't quite scan like "Remember remember the 5th of November", but remembering Jan 6 2021 is now a cottage industry in the United States and the Jan 6 Committee hearings are getting more fascinating with every passing day. 

Today we found out how Trump kept himself surrounded by third-raters who would promote his fantasy that the election had been stolen. And who still promote it. 

But Vice President Mike Pence knew in December that Biden had won the election and he also knew that the Vice President did not have the authority to reject or change the American election results after states reported them. (Why he didn't announce this in December is a question asked by MSNBC tonight too.) 

We also found out that during the Jan 6 insurrection, Pence and his family and staff were within 40 feet of the protestors who wanted to "hang Mike Pence".

Everyone else (frightened): They were so close
Elected Republicans (pissed): We were so close

— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) June 16, 2022

Judge Luttig kills the Eastman plan/Greenbay sweep dead. Testifies there is "no support in either the Constitution or the laws of the US..to count alternative slates of electors."

— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) June 16, 2022

Luttig closes with this: "I have written that today, almost two years after that fateful day in January of 2021, that still, Donald Trump and his law allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy." pic.twitter.com/tBxqRrCvlO

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 16, 2022

Judge Luttig correctly sees the coup-plotters of January 6 as revolutionaries against American democracy.

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) June 16, 2022

Luttig was the conservative judge that W thought about nominating to the Supreme Court but then he picked Alito instead. What a loss that was to America!

I know this is bad for democracy and all, but "Third, I've decided I should be on the pardon list, if that's still in the works" is objectively the funniest thing that's been said by an attorney for the president since Four Seasons Landscaping.

— Susan Simpson (@TheViewFromLL2) June 16, 2022

So then Tom Nichols decided to start a meme:

I've decided I should be on the pardon list. If that's still in the works. pic.twitter.com/a75xqO44NS

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 17, 2022

And there are now hundreds of tweets in the series.