Wednesday Night #2308

Lurking amongst the endless drip, drip, drip of alarming and/or depressing news, there are nonetheless glimmers of light.

One such is the changing of the guard as Her Excellency Governor General Mary Simon retires and is replaced by Louise Arbour. Even NDP leader Avi Lewis approves, although unable to resist a few snide remarks. The Globe & Mail’s Shannon Proudfoot gives a sympathetic account in Canada’s new Governor-General, Louise Arbour, is right to say perspective is everything

Armenia’s election results are a promising development for Europe and the EU, while representing a setback for Putin’s Russia.

As Opening Day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, we are enjoying the (less than) six degrees of separation feeling in the person of Luc de_Fougerolles whose father Jean grew up in Westmount, barely two blocks from our home. Jean is of the same vintage as Marc Nicholson and they were part of the same group of boys who have grown into impressive men whose influence radiates around the globe and whose offspring appear prepared to carry whatever torch.
Will Luc de Fougerolles be Canada’s breakout star of the 2026 World Cup?
Luc de Fougerolles already has 13 caps for Canada as a 20-year-old, but could be set for the biggest games of his career this month. With several key Canadian defenders injured — including Canada’s likely first-choice pairing when healthy Alfie Jones and Moïse Bombito — it is looking increasingly likely that de Fougerolles starts Canada’s opening match of the tournament against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday.

Americas Trade & Tariffs
Finally, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is slated to open on Friday. It appears that despite the threats emanating from the White House and the seriously nasty Maroun family, common sense and the political realities of trade and transportation have prevailed Canada Built a New Bridge From Ontario to Detroit. Trump Refuses to Open It. (see Long reads)

Local cause for rejoicing  (for Montrealers and Townshippers), Library straddling Quebec-Vermont border inaugurated new Canadian entrance today
The historic Haskell Free Library and Opera House officially inaugurated its new Canadian entrance Wednesday after U.S. authorities restricted Canadians from using the library’s main entrance on the Vermont side last October. The unique library, which straddles the Canada-U.S. border and has long symbolized cross-border friendship, has been using a temporary entrance while renovations were completed. The opening ceremony brought together residents and officials from both countries, with television host Jean-René Dufort emceeing the event, remarks from Quebec Minister Christopher Skeete, and a video message from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts
Judge Christopher R. Cooper of Federal District Court ruled the president’s effort to rebrand the Kennedy Center flew in the face of lawmakers’ original intent. He ordered that the 18 new letters added to the center’s white marble facade — “The Donald J. Trump and” — be removed. Progress is predictably slow, but we applaud the ruling which may result in Trump backing off from renovations to the Center and relinquishing control to Congress.

The 2026 G7 Leaders and guest nations India, Brazil, Kenya and the Republic of Korea meet at Évian-les-bains 15-17 June. Will Donald Trump show? The opening date of the meeting was changed initially to allow him to celebrate his 80th birthday at the White House on 14 June. Although his presence at the G7 Summit was confirmed recently, he might remain in the U.S. because of events in the Gulf. No doubt his absence would improve the proceedings greatly.

Gulf War III U.S. v Iran,
How many times have we heard Trump say that negotiations are proceeding brilliantly only to be disillusioned almost immediately? It’s happening yet again.
A Day After Predicting Peace, Trump Says U.S. Will Strike Iran Again
For weeks, the president has swung between predicting peace and threatening a return to full-scale war, leaving it unclear when or how the fight with Iran might end.
Early Wednesday evening (EDT) the U.S. Strikes Iran Again After Trump Says Talks Are Taking Too Long
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said just before the attack: “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we’ll negotiate with bombs.”

And what about the effect on U.S. – Israel, Israel-Hezbollah-Lebanon; West Bank settlers?? Mr Trump will be pretty busy winning the war with Iran and will no doubt lose interest in settling Israel’s quarrels with its Arab neighbours, just as he has lost interest in Putin’s war on Ukraine, especially now that Zelensky has cemented relations with a number of Middle East countries anxious to acquire Ukraine’s brilliant adoption and use of drone warfare. (Ukraine Is Not Losing. Russia Is Not Winning (See Long reads) – Ukrainian military technology has been evolving rapidly since the first years of the war. But only now are outsiders—in Europe, the United States, the Persian Gulf, and of course Russia—beginning to understand what that evolution means. Since 2022, many public arguments about the war, even in Europe and the U.S., have adopted the narrative put out by Russian propaganda, tacitly assuming that Ukraine, outmanned and outgunned, would eventually lose.

For months, news of Trump, his acolytes and MAGA has cast a shadow over all events, whether the destruction of relations with allies, war on immigrants by ICE, domestic lawlessness and corruption, and the undoing of all that the world believed the U.S. stood for. Most worrisome from the standpoint of weakening if not destruction of future generations  are Trump’s assaults on scientific research (See Long reads Putting American Science on a MAGA Leash)
A draft rule from US President Donald Trump’s White House Office of Management and Budget would subject all scientific research funding to the whims of political appointees, further undercutting a pillar of American power. The goal is to foreclose any future that is plural, contestable, and beyond the president’s control, which, coupled with the U.S. withdrawal from healthcare/medical components of international aid and development, guarantee diminished effectiveness and lack of progress of countless programs around the world.
Stopping Ebola Requires Multilateralism. America’s Retreat Is Making That Harder – We are now seeing the consequences of U.S. cuts to global health programs (See Long reads

Canada-U.S.
Chrystia Freeland publishing book about Canada-U.S. relations
The book, titled Unreliable Boyfriend An Insider’s View of Dealing with a Chaotic Superpower, Plutocrats, and Other Complicated People, will come out on Oct. 13 from Simon & Schuster Canada. “This is a book about power, democracy and the choices countries make when the old rules no longer seem to apply,” said Freeland in a press statement. How appropriate that this news should come as Trump threatens not to renew USMCA as Carney talks trade strategy with premiers

Politics in Canada and the U.S. is anything but ‘as usual’
(TALQ Summary) Andrew Caddell reflects on a recent conference at McGill University examining challenges to constitutional governance in Canada and the United States. Speakers, including former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, warned democratic institutions are increasingly vulnerable to extremism, disinformation, and the growing concentration of power in political leaders. Discussions focused on threats to the rule of law, declining trust in institutions, attacks on press freedom, and political decisions that sidestep constitutional principles. Caddell believes Western democracies have become susceptible to exploitation after years of complacency and says healthy democracies require open debate, respect for facts, and the courage to challenge political leaders when constitutional norms are threatened.
The conference to which Andrew refers was Not Politics as Usual: Challenges to Constitutional Governance in Canada and the United States hosted by the Max Bell School of Public Policy bringing leading scholars and practitioners in law and policy together for a full day of debate.
At a moment when constitutional democracy faces real strain on both sides of the border, the keynote and panels took up the questions that matter most, from the rule of law and judicial independence to free expression and the future of migration. We are grateful to everyone who shared their expertise, and to the audience who made it such a thoughtful day. Recordings of the sessions will be available next week.

Kyle Matthews has just returned from “an amazing week in Mongolia with a delegation from the Montreal Institute for Global Security (MIGS) that participated in the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Security and the Embassy of Canada’s conference on cybersecurity and democratic resilience.
Chris Neal and his wife Mayra are in Munich taking an intensive course in German at the city’s Goethe Institute. We are impressed! Chris writes “Having recently visited the Courtrooms in Nuremberg, where Nazi war criminals were tried and convicted, I was reminded that Louise Arbour carried on this legacy as chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda …”

We will leave AI  including the reactions to  AI for All, Canada’s new national AI strategy,  and the US primaries to next week, but are compelled to draw your attention to the contest in South Carolina where Fired Navy Admiral Advances to Democratic Runoff in South Carolina House Race Nancy Lacore would face a tough fall election in a district drawn in 2021 to be more Republican. She is seeking to replace Representative Nancy Mace, who ran unsuccessfully for governor instead of running for re-election. How we wish we could work for the Admiral (who was fired by Hegseth).

Long reads
Why Everyone Wants Jon Ossoff to Run for President
If Doug Sweet‘s dreams could come true:an Ossoff-Buttigieg ticket in some shape or form.
Atlanta-based Wednesday Nighter comments “As the article notes, he keeps a fairly low profile, and people seem to be more concerned right now about the Georgia gubernatorial race, in which two unsavory republicans are slinging all the mud they can in a primary runoff. That said, I have long thought that the Democrats would do well to elevate someone from behind the scenes. Although I haven’t been sure who that might be, he [Ossoff] would fit the bill. He certainly has an educational background geared toward public service (i.e., Georgetown and LSE), which is more than we can say for most these days. And even the high school he attended in Atlanta is noted for its out of the box approaches and emphasis on critical thinking. I had not been aware that he interned for John Lewis, who would have been a good mentor. It will be interesting to see this unfold.”

Ukraine Is Not Losing. Russia Is Not Winning.
-A momentum shift that changes everything

Canada Built a New Bridge From Ontario to Detroit. Trump Refuses to Open It.
Author Gabrielle Gurley argues that the Bridge opening is linked to the USMCA negotiations

Beyond the Carney Quote: How a Strong Canada Serves America’s Interests
When Prime Minister Mark Carney said in his speech to the Economic Club of New York on May 28th that “Canada Strong will help make America great again” it prompted a deluge of speculation about what he meant: Was it MAGA dog whistle? Was it an olive branch to Donald Trump ahead of intensified CUSMA negotiations? …the reality is that perhaps Mr. Carney meant exactly what he said: that, whoever is leading America, it will be in a much better position, geostrategically, next to a strong, resilient Canada.

Putting American Science on a MAGA Leash
A draft rule from US President Donald Trump’s White House Office of Management and Budget would subject all scientific research funding to the whims of political appointees, further undercutting a pillar of American power. The goal is to foreclose any future that is plural, contestable, and beyond the president’s control.
Trump’s Assaults on Scientific Research Just Got Worse
A new kind of institutional vandalism appeared last month in the form of a 412-page Trump administration regulatory proposal and a comment period. If the proposal passes, it will damage one of the most rigorous, productive and valuable scientific enterprises in the world.

The Ebola outbreak the world isn’t paying attention to (video)
A deadly Ebola outbreak in the DRC is spreading across borders, with no approved vaccine or treatment for this strain.