Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Last weekend’s abortive rebellion in Russia is being studied with a mixture of optimism and fear by the region’s other would-be revolutionaries.
The fact that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenaries got within 300 kilometres of Moscow – with the Russian capital looking ill-prepared to resist – has pointed toward the possibility that a future uprising could topple President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Many see these most recent events as reasons for hope. Ukrainians used the distraction in Moscow to make advances in their counteroffensive, while pro-democracy leaders in Belarus were “inspired” and “activated” by the uprising, hopeful that perhaps change is coming.
But Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny warned that even the collapse of Putin’s regime would be dangerous, creating a threat of civil war.
U.S. Supreme Court rules certain businesses have right to refuse services for same-sex weddings
The justices ruled 6-3 along ideological lines in favour of Denver-area web designer Lorie Smith, who cited her Christian beliefs against gay marriage in challenging a Colorado anti-discrimination law, and withholding her services from same-sex weddings.
According to the ruling, Colorado’s law would force Smith to create speech that she does not believe, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented, calling the decision a “license to discriminate.” Laws targeting the rights of transgender and other LGBT people are being pursued by Republican legislators in numerous conservative-leaning states.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that since the ruling was decided on free speech grounds, rather than religious rights, it could cause a ripple effect of discrimination because a service provider could similarly withhold services from an interracial couple on that same basis of free speech.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri, actor Dan Levy among 85 new Order of Canada appointees
Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri and Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy have been appointed to the Order of Canada, along with a long list of advocates, academics and artists.
Ujiri has been invested as an officer of the order for his work on the basketball court and efforts to increase access to the sport in Africa, while Levy has been named a member of the order for advancing Canadian television and advocating for 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
Other inductees come from a range of fields, including physical and mental-health research, art, music and literature, advocacy, philanthropy and academia. The Order of Canada has three levels of recognition, with companion at the top, followed by officer and then member.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Wildfires leading to smog warnings, poor air quality in Ontario, Quebec: Poor air quality persists across the country’s two largest provinces even as most evacuation orders lift. As of 1 p.m., Toronto and Montreal ranked third and fourth for the worst air quality among major world cities, with only Jakarta, Indonesia, and New York City faring worse.
U.S. Supreme Court blocks Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan: The court blocked Biden’s plan to cancel $430-billion in student loan debt, dealing a blow to the 26 million U.S. borrowers who applied for relief after Biden announced the plan in August, 2022.
Eight months on, a family battles to find out how their son died at Royal Military College: Nazli Aizaz and Aizaz Chaudhry dropped their son off at the Royal Military College of Canada, thinking he was attending a privileged university. After he died by suicide in his dorm room last November, they’re taking the Canadian Forces to court in hopes to find answers.
France braces for more violence after riots over police shooting: France’s interior minister said the coming hours would be decisive as he sent 45,000 police onto the streets after three nights of riots since an officer shot dead a teenager at a traffic stop in a working class suburb of Paris.
The 23 best Canadian comedies ever made: The Globe’s Film Editor Barry Hertz compiled the definitive list of Canada’s best comedies for your viewing pleasure this Canada Day.
MARKET WATCH
Stocks rally as U.S. inflation cools; best week for TSX since early 2021
Major North American stock indexes closed sharply higher on Friday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq posting its biggest first-half gain in 40 years as inflation showed signs of cooling while Apple returned to a $3 trillion market valuation.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 285.18 points, or 0.84%, to 34,407.6; the S&P 500 gained 53.94 points, or 1.23%, at 4,450.38; and the Nasdaq Composite added 196.59 points, or 1.45%, at 13,787.92.
The Canadian dollar traded for 75.53 cents US compared with 75.44 cents US on Thursday.
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TALKING POINTS
Canada is sorry – a lot. We shouldn’t apologize for that
”I’m not a historian, but I believe Canada is a world leader in issuing apologies – at least in quantitative terms. Other countries have undergone deep reckonings around particular periods of violence, oppression or genocide, such as apartheid and the Holocaust. But when it comes to national apologies for multiple harms against multiple groups, Canada may well be the most prolific.” - Michael Adams
When can Chinese Canadians stop being foreigners in our home?
“The current public discourse about foreign interference by China has added a layer of complexity to the already precarious discussion around anti-Asian racism. We know that negative views about China can contribute to more racism against Chinese Canadians, especially because of the perpetual foreigner stereotype, where our loyalty to Canada may be questioned.” - Amy Go and Garry Yee
LIVING BETTER
Salmon is packed with nutrition. Six ounces of grilled sockeye salmon serves up 44 grams of protein, three day’s worth of vitamin B12 (7.6 mcg), a full day’s worth of selenium (60 mcg) and 1040 IU of vitamin D, along with plenty of potassium and choline, a nutrient that regulates memory and mood.DAVID MALOSH/The New York Times News Service
10 nutritious, homegrown foods to eat this Canada Day
Each region in Canada is known for its own nutritious and locally grown food – from sockeye salmon off the West Coast to PEI potato salad.
Leslie Beck provides a snapshot of the country’s best food, from coast to coast, to put on your Canada Day weekend menus.
TODAY’S LONG READ
What are you afraid of, America?
After this week’s flurry of Supreme Court decisions, and ahead of Independence Day, David Shribman takes a look at what defines American life today: fear.
Across the political spectrum, Americans are afraid. They’re afraid of people who don’t look like them, gay and trans people, conservatives, immigrants, the police, Donald Trump, and of course, guns. Fear runs through American history, but only in a handful of time periods has fear been as defining as it is today. Since the 1960s, fear has become a staple in American politics and life.
In recent decades, extreme polarization has set in and exacerbated that fear, especially the fear the opposing political parties have for each other.
Shribman explores how the United States, which was once was a country where everyone looked ahead, has turned into a country where Americans look behind their backs.
Evening Update is written by Anna Stafford. 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.