Wednesday Night #2262

MUCH happier days
Heather Cox Richardson celebrates Apollo 11
On July 20, 1969, U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped from Lunar Module Eagle to the surface of the Moon.

Follow-up to Peter Frise‘s visit to the Orkneys: Long-lived and lucky’ ship wrecked off Orkney was at siege of Quebec, experts find
Archaeologists and volunteers identify Sanday timbers as from 18th-century Royal Navy frigate turned whaler
The ship, naval records show, served off the coast of Jamaica in the 1750s and took part in the sieges of Louisbourg (1758) and Quebec (1759), when the British defeated French forces in Canada during the seven years war. It was among the British fleet in the American revolutionary war of the 1770s and then served for a decade as a training ship in the Irish Sea, before it was decommissioned and sold off to become a 500-tonne whaling ship in the Arctic Circle.

Expanding our vocabulary- rescission(s)
Recission is the cancellation of a contract. A rescission may be unilateral, as when a party rightfully cancels a contract because of another party’s material breach. Rescission can also be mutual, as when the contracting parties agree to discharge all remaining obligations. Finally, courts can use rescission as a synonym for voiding a contract, as for reasons of public policy.
What are rescissions – and why does Trump want Congress to push them through?
The president is pushing for cuts in spending that Congress needs to approve to take effect – but what exactly are they?
The Sharpest U.S. Retreat from UN Funding in Decades
At the heart of this so-called “rescissions package” is a targeted strike against U.S. contributions to the United Nations and the broader multilateral system. American funding for cornerstone UN agencies like UNICEF and the UN Development Program isn’t just being reduced — it’s being eliminated. Zeroed out.
And no part of the UN system is left untouched.
Trump administration withdraws from UNESCO again, only 2 years after US rejoined

A busy time for Trump’s tariffs
No breakthrough for the EU, which is preparing €100bn no-deal plan to match Trump’s threat of 30% tariffs unless
EU and US nearing trade deal that would put 15% tariffs on imports from bloc –Rate would apply to most goods but bloc still hardening retaliatory measures in case Trump does not agree deal;
while PM Carney says Canada prepared to hold out for best deal in U.S. trade talks,
Andrew Caddell writes Why we must defend supply management
If supply management were sacrificed to satisfy Donald Trump, life in rural Canada would be turned upside down.
… Trump writes, “Canada charges extraordinary Tariffs to our Dairy Farmers—up to 400%—and that is even assuming our Dairy Farmers have access to sell their products to the people of Canada. The Trade Deficit is a major threat to our Economy, and, indeed, our National Security.”
Of course, all that is nonsense. First, our dairy producers are not creating a trade deficit in the U.S. Second, American farmers already have access to the Canadian market under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). It amounts to 3.6 per cent of Canada’s dairy market, with a 50,000 metric ton quota for fluid milk.
Only after this massive quota is reached do tariffs kick in, but the quota has never been exceeded. In addition, the quota increases each year for 13 years for cheese, cream, skim milk powder, and butter/cream powder from the U.S. As a result, American exports of dairy products have climbed by 67 per cent—US$525-million in 2021 to US$877-million in 2024….

Meantime deals have been announced for Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines… and there has been a significant shift in US–China relations with Donald Trump’s decision to ease key technology restrictions on Beijing in an effort to secure access to critical minerals.

Canada continues to plot a new course of non-reliance on the US. Notably, Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says aerospace and shipbuilding are areas where Canada can excel as the government prepares its Defence Industrial Strategy, which aims to transform the country’s status as a laggard to a leader in the sector. The strategy, which Ms. Joly said should be finalized in the coming months, will be key in shaping the future of Canada’s defence industry, through items such as job creation in manufacturing, strengthened ties with Europe and a renewed relationship with the private sector. Shipbuilding, aerospace to be priorities in federal strategy to transform defence sector, Joly says
However, Unified on Trump and Tariffs, Canada’s Premiers Differ on Next Steps
A three-day meeting in response to President Trump’s looming tariff threat underscored differences between the leaders of Canada’s provinces and territories.
(NYT) The leaders of Canada’s provinces and territories spoke as one during a three-day meeting when it came to condemning President Trump’s annexation threats and trade war against the country. But when it came to how Canada should respond and deal with the resulting economic turmoil, their patriotic unity swiftly dissipated into the regional rifts that have long divided the country.
PM Carney’s earlier meeting with First Nations representatives did not go smoothly. Some in attendance bristled at the way the leaders were treated and considered walking out. Government officials maintained a tight grip on access to the summit, booting media from the room and then the building itself after Carney spoke.
Chiefs were asked to submit questions in advance, and when they arrived there was a list of questions on the tables for them to comment on. Some felt they were being talked at, not listened to. (First Nations leaders say Carney’s C-5 summit sparks more concerns, questions)

Israel/Gaza dominates Middle East  news
The past few days have even brought an unusually firm trickle of criticism of Israel from the Trump administration and its allies. (see Is MAGA bailing on Bibi? in Long reads below)
As the death toll mounts, more and more nations react to the obscene policy of deliberate starvation of the Gazans, even normally timid Canada,has joined 24 other nations urging Israel to end the war in Gaza, and condemning ‘drip feeding of aid’

Media – Not a good week
Congress rolls back $9 billion in public media funding and foreign aid
The House has approved a Trump administration plan to rescind $9 billion in previously allocated funds, including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — a move that cuts all federal support for NPR, PBS and their member stations.
Public broadcasters say GOP funding cuts could be ‘devastating’ to local media and make Americans less safe
Media advocates say the cuts could have an especially harmful impact on rural Americans.

Colbert jokes about ‘cancel culture’ and has a very pointed message for Trump
CBS and parent Paramount Global said the decision to end the “Late Show” next May was purely financial. It hasn’t gone unnoticed — and was mentioned by Colbert Monday night — that the announcement came days after the comic had sharply criticized Paramount’s $16 million settlement of Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview.
Colbert, known for his sharp comic takedowns of the Republican president, said that “over the weekend, it sunk in that they killed off our show. But they made one mistake. They left me alive.”
Now, he said, “I can say what I really think of Donald Trump, starting right now.” As his audience cheered him on, Colbert said, “I don’t care for him. Doesn’t seem to have the skill set to be president.”
Stephen Colbert’s friends Jon Stewart, Fallon support him on ‘Late Show’
With Colbert exit, Canada will lose the talk show host most attuned to our whims and politics
While there were plenty of predictable moose and poutine jokes, show reflected the U.S.-Canada temperature

Appeals court won’t reinstate AP access to presidential events
The U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday denied an appeal by The Associated Press for a hearing on its efforts to restore full access to cover presidential events, not ending its case but allowing the White House to continue its control over access to President Donald Trump.
The news outlet wanted the court to overturn a three-judge panel’s June 6 ruling not to let AP back into the events until merits of the news organization’s lawsuit against Trump was decided. But the court on Tuesday declined to hear that appeal.

Varia
Paris is honoring the legacy of French American entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker with a new mural. The mural of Baker, meant to symbolize freedom and resistance, is among several painted in recent days in the neighborhood and organized by the Paris Colors Ourq association. Fifty years after her death, Baker now gazes out over a neighborhood of northeast Paris, thanks to urban artist FKDL and a street art festival aimed at promoting community spirit. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Baker became a megastar in the 1930s, particularly in France, where she relocated in 1925 to escape racism and segregation in the US. Baker is best-known for espionage on the Nazis for the French Resistance and marching alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., in Washington. She died in Paris in 1975.

House GOP moves to rename Kennedy Center Opera House after Melania Trump

Long reads
Quality of scientific papers questioned as academics ‘overwhelmed’ by the millions published
… The consequential nature of journals, and potential threats to the quality and reliability of the work they publish, have prompted leading scientists to sound the alarm. Many argue that scientific publishing is broken, unsustainable and churning out too many papers that border on worthless.
The warning from Nobel laureates and other academics comes as the Royal Society prepares to release a major review of scientific publishing at the end of the summer. It will focus on the “disruptions” the industry faces in the next 15 years. …

Is MAGA bailing on Bibi?
Senior White House officials are reportedly unhappy about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct in Syria, where Israel has launched a wave of airstrikes on behalf of the Druze minority there. One source even told a reporter that the Israeli leader had “acted like a madman.” This came after Israel’s shelling of a church in Gaza last week drew criticism from the right as well. And US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, normally a staunch Israel supporter, called for “harsh consequences” after Israeli settlers launched a deadly attack on a Christian Palestinian village.

Robert Reich recently re-posted Trump’s election is a crisis like no other, not only for the U.S. but the world, Andrew Coyne’s deadly accurate prediction -published on 6 November 2024- of what the Trump election would mean for the US and the world.

This Is the Presidency John Roberts Has Built
The country is witnessing the creation of an all-powerful institution, and one man is responsible.

Presidential Pettiness
Donald Trump seems to have no theory of governance beyond personal gain and retribution.