Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Joe Biden has received plenty of criticism lately for keeping a low profile and not attacking President Donald Trump as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the United States.
On Tuesday, however, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee surfaced in Philadelphia to deliver a blistering attack on Trump’s handling of the protests roiling the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Biden said the President’s “narcissism has become more important than the nation that he leads.”
He added that “the moment has come” to deal with systemic racism and deeply ingrained economic inequality – and said the country can’t wait until November’s general election and its outcome.
“I call on the Congress to act this month,” Biden said, urging lawmakers to start “with real police reform” and citing proposed legislation outlawing choke holds.
The most widespread protests since the civil-rights movement in the 1960s continued to grow on Monday despite unprecedented measures to shut them down, spreading to more than 140 cities. Mr. Floyd, an African-American Minneapolis man, died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck. An independent autopsy showed that he had been asphyxiated.
Trump, meanwhile, turned up the pressure on U.S. state governors to end the violence, telling New York to call up the National Guard to stop the “lowlifes and losers.” After a seventh consecutive day of both peaceful demonstrations and vandalism and attacks on police, the President amplified his hard-line calls of a day earlier, in which he threatened to send in the military to restore order if governors didn’t do it.
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In coronavirus news:
A fall semester without students threatens economies in Maple League university towns: For a handful of Canada’s oldest liberal arts colleges, known as the Maple League, the pandemic-induced pressure to shift to online education threatens to undermine the personal contact that is their selling point. COVID-19 represents a serious challenge, not only for these universities, but also for the local communities that rely on them as economic engines.
Chinese officials delayed releasing coronavirus information, frustrating WHO: Throughout January, the World Health Organization publicly praised China for its handling of the novel coronavirus, even going as far as thanking Beijing for sharing the genetic map of the virus “immediately.” But in fact, Chinese officials sat on releasing the genetic map, or genome, of the deadly virus for over a week after multiple government labs had fully decoded it, not sharing details key to designing tests, drugs and vaccines.
Global airport group says pandemic safety measures will add to pre-departure wait times: You’re going to be spending more time in airports in the near future, according to Airports Council International (ACI). New global guidelines featuring physical distancing to restart aviation safely during the coronavirus pandemic could add up to two hours of pre-departure time for passengers at some airports during peak hours.
Montreal municipality makes masks mandatory in stores, public buildings: Cote St-Luc, a municipality on the Island of Montreal, is boasting that it has become the first jurisdiction in Canada to make wearing a mask mandatory for anyone entering a business or a city-owned building.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Ottawa tables $87-billion in spending estimates to cover pandemic expenses: The federal government is seeking Parliament’s approval for $87-billion in spending, most of which is related to the coronavirus pandemic. Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos tabled the government’s latest spending plans – officially called Supplementary Estimates A – Tuesday afternoon.
Trudeau expresses concerns over Israeli and Chinese policies: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waded into the foreign policies of Israel and China on Tuesday, expressing concerns over separate but controversial positions that he says undermine peace in both places. Mr. Trudeau said he expressed Canada’s concern and disagreement over the proposed annexation of the occupied West Bank directly to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, the country’s “alternate” prime minister. He also called on China to engage constructively with the people of Hong Kong after Beijing imposed a new national-security law that has fuelled wide-scale protests.
Trudeau won’t say whether Canada will apologize for history of slavery or pay reparations for systemic discrimination: More than two years after the UN pointed its finger at Canada for systemic anti-black racism and the country’s history of slavery, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau still won’t say whether he will accept key recommendations from the international organization’s report.
BCE, Telus tap Ericsson as 5G networks supplier: Two of Canada’s biggest wireless carriers announced they’re turning to European suppliers to build their 5G wireless networks in a move that appears to marginalize the role for China’s Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. The news comes as Ottawa considers whether the Chinese telecommunications giant should be barred from supplying equipment for Canada’s next-generation wireless networks.
B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office recommends charges against RCMP in death of Indigenous man: British Columbia’s Independent Investigations Office (IIO), which looks into deaths that involve police, has recommended the Crown charge five Prince George RCMP officers in connection with the death of 35-year-old Dale Culver. Mr. Culver died in 2017, after police responded to allegations he was casing parked vehicles.
Live Q&A Wednesday 8 p.m. (ET): Political scientist Ian Bremmer discusses how COVID-19 helped set the stage for U.S. protests.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index climbed on Tuesday boosted by gains in energy stocks as the price of crude oil increased by more than US$1 a barrel on optimism that major producers will agree to extend output cuts. The S&P/TSX Composite Index climbed 0.88 per cent to 15,370.81.
On Wall Street, U.S. stocks posted gains as investors ignored concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and protests that have turned violent in some cities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.05 per cent to end at 25,742.17 points, while the S&P 500 gained 0.82 per cent to 3,080.79 and the the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.59% to 9,608.59.
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TALKING POINTS
There’s more than one public health crisis: The confluence of massive anti-racism protests and a once-in-a-century pandemic presents a unique challenge to public health and political leaders, and there are growing fears the massive gathering could ignite the spread of coronavirus. While those concerns are legitimate we need to keep them in perspective. - Andre Picard, health columnist
This time, the mayhem and chaos in the U.S. feels different
“I might have viewed this as another tragic milestone in the troubled timeline of race relations in the U.S., one that will sadly be forgotten until the next incident rolls around. But there is a big difference this time: Donald Trump. There couldn’t be a scarier person inhabiting the White House at this very moment.” – Gary Mason, national affairs columnist
Presidents must know their history
“The instruction manual for Mr. Trump’s current crises – China and COVID-19, racial violence and presidential rage – consists of elementary knowledge of American history. But ignoring even the basics – and there is every indication they are being ignored – there are shortcuts available. The President need only rely less on his instincts than on the texts of presidential statements past. There he could learn, as University of New Hampshire historian Ellen Fitzpatrick told me, that historically, ‘presidents try to de-escalate rather than to escalate.’’” – David Shribman, former executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of U.S. politics
What Muslim Canadians can teach Asian communities about the discrimination that sadly lies ahead
“Finally, the coming period will be another crucible for the continuing project of forging our Canadian identity. Post-9/11, Canadian Muslims asked themselves what it meant to be Muslim and Canadian. Without hesitation, we denounced terrorism repeatedly, along with the ghastly practice of “honour killing.” We became more involved in the fabric of Canadian society. We shared our personal stories with the wider public. We developed resilience along the way and gained strength from the loving support of wider society. Our journey is not over, but we extend a hand to our fellow Canadians who are of Asian heritage: we are with you, on yours.” – Sheema Khan, author of Of Hockey and Hijab: Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman
LIVING BETTER
Summer grilling ideas to make meal planning a little easier
As summer nears, more and more of us are getting out of the kitchen and firing up those grills. Whether from the grill itself or the number of different sauces, marinades, rubs and bastes you can make or buy, grilling is all about flavor. Food columnist Lucy Waverman offers a few recipes to inspire your summer cooking and a few tips for making your own sauces and marinades.
TODAY’S LONG READ
In Guelph, Canada’s other epidemic flares up
The city of Guelph, Ontario is battling two epidemics at the same time. While millions are in lockdown across the country due to COVID-19, the pandemic is having a fatal effect on drug users by isolating them and making it harder for them to get help. Six people have died of suspected drug overdoses in just six weeks in April and May – a big jump for a city that saw only seven overdose deaths all of last year.
Evening Update is written by Rob Gilroy and Omair Quadri. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.