Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Americans were grappling Tuesday with the implications of what may come to pass next month if the Supreme Court decides to strike down federal abortion rights, as a leaked draft decision published Monday night suggests.
While Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the document Tuesday and said he had launched an investigation into the source of the leak, President Joe Biden warned of the broad consequences of such a “radical” decision – which remains a draft and is subject to a final vote of judges in late June.
“If what is written is what remains, it goes far beyond the concern of whether or not there is the right to choose,” Biden said as protesters from both sides of the heated issue rallied outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. “It goes to other basic rights – the right to marriage, the right to determine a whole range of things.”
North of the border, the Conservative Party of Canada instructed its MPs to steer clear of the divisive issue. “Conservatives will not be commenting on draft rulings leaked from the Supreme Court of the United States,” reads an e-mail sent by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition to the Conservative caucus.
More coverage:
- Analysis: Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade signals new phase of fractious American politics
- What’s happening to Roe v. Wade and U.S. abortion rights? Latest on the Supreme Court leak and political reaction so far
- Abortion-pill obstacles: How doctors’ reluctance and long-distance travel stop many Canadians from getting Mifegymiso
Russia fires rockets at encircled steel works in Ukraine’s Mariupol, some evacuees reach safety
A steel plant in Ukraine’s southern port city of Mariupol was the target of Russian bombs Tuesday, even though civilian evacuations haven’t been completed and residents remained trapped. About a hundred evacuees made it to relative safety in Zaporizhzhia, telling stories of desperate circumstances.
Russia has also struck targets much further west in a drive to limit Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea, vital for its grain and metal exports, and also to disrupt supplies of Western military aid to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces.
Later Tuesday, there were also reports of shelling in Lviv.
Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur remembered as an inspiration for generations of Quebeckers at funeral in Montreal
The casket of Guy Lafleur is carried into Mary Queen of the World Cathedral during his national funeral in Montreal on Tuesday.BERNARD BRAULT/Reuters
Hockey legends, heads of government and grateful Habs fans gathered in Montreal on Tuesday to pay their respects to five-time Stanley Cup champion Guy Lafleur, who died last month at age 70 after a battle with lung cancer.
An iconic figure who stood out even among a generation of Montreal Canadiens superstars, Lafleur was remembered by the likes of Larry Robinson, Guy Carbonneau and Serge Savard as a humble team leader who wanted to make younger players feel welcome and lived life to the fullest, both on and off the ice.
“Thank you for all the values you passed on to us Dad, we love you,” said son Martin Lafleur.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Bank of Canada forced to defend itself: In a speech Tuesday in Toronto, Carolyn Rogers, senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, underlined the importance of the bank’s independence as critics (including Conservative Party politicians) suggest increased oversight is needed.
On the hustings in Ontario: Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor has accepted Premier Doug Ford’s advice to dissolve the provincial parliament and has formally named June 2 as election day. Campaigning officially begins Wednesday, though the major parties have been in election mode for weeks.
Mental health toolkit for new work realities: Battling employee burnout is a growing area of focus for managers, and with new research comes a toolkit of resources designed to help everyone navigate workplace challenges.
Intimidated, murdered, blamed: In Mexico, among the most deadly countries for journalists to work, the president plays the victim as criminals kill reporters without consequence.
MARKET WATCH
A day before the U.S. Federal Reserve was widely expected to increase interest rates by 50 basis points, most indexes on Wall Street ended higher despite a volatile trading day.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 67.29 points, or 0.2%, to 33,128.79, the S&P 500 gained 20.1 points, or 0.48%, to 4,175.48 and the Nasdaq Composite added 27.74 points, or 0.22%, to 12,563.76.
On Bay Street, the S&P/TSX composite index ended up 213.06 points, or 1%, at 20,905.28.
The Canadian dollar remained steady, trading at 77.87 cents US.
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TALKING POINTS
Now more than ever, owning a house is not a retirement plan
Rob Carrick: “Rising interest rates demand we take a fresh look at the role of houses in retirement. Higher rates make it harder for homeowners to find money to put away for retirement, and they add to the cost of putting the equity in a home to work to generate retirement income. Keep this in mind if your rationale for buying into an expensive housing market includes a secure retirement.”
Every Canadian should have a family doctor to help them through the health care system
André Picard: “Today, about 15 per cent of Canadians do not have a family doctor, the same percentage as in the late 1990s – and since. These patients end up in walk-in clinics and emergency rooms, with no continuity of care. The reality is that this festering problem is, fundamentally, a structural one.”
PODCAST
The Globe’s podcast about how to make our cities better, City Space, is back for another season. Join host Adrian Lee over the course of six episodes as he speaks with international experts and those close to home about what our cities are doing right and what can be improved. Coming up this season: the real purpose of a capital city, the future of our downtown cores and how a city can prepare for looming climate-change disasters. Listen to the trailer and catch up on Season 1 now.
LIVING BETTER
Come From Away to return, this time with federal funding
The record-breaking hit musical Come From Away is still charming Broadway and international audiences with its story set in Gander, N.L., in the week after Sept. 11, 2001. Now, it will be revived in Canada even after producer David Mirvish announced its permanent closure because of COVID-19 last December. Taxpayer money, part of a $12.1-million federal budget commitment to the National Arts Centre, will finance the relaunch, first in Ottawa and then in Toronto for what is hoped to be an open-ended run.
TODAY’S LONG READ
The building complex at 100 Sobieskiego St. in Warsaw includes two towers that were once luxury housing for Russian diplomats, but have been empty since the 1990s as Poland and Russia fought over ownership.Anna Liminowicz/The Globe and Mail
Poland seizes apartments built for Russian diplomats, plans to hand them to Ukrainian refugees
Thanks to a sudden intervention by the City of Warsaw, a set of apartment buildings built in the 1970s as luxury flats for Russian diplomats could soon once again serve as housing for hundreds of foreigners. But not Russians this time. Last month, city officials seized the tower blocks and pledged to turn them over to Ukrainian refugees.
“I am committed to ensuring that this building can serve our Ukrainian friends,” says Warsaw’s mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski.
But his announcement last month was more than a symbolic gesture of support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Housing for refugees is badly needed in Warsaw. The capital has taken in more than 300,000 Ukrainians since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, and many more are expected to arrive as the fighting continues.
Read the feature by Paul Waldie in Warsaw.
Evening Update is compiled and written weekdays by an editor in The Globe’s live news department. 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.
Mason Wright