Morning Update: Donald Trump criminally indicted in Georgia for efforts to overturn 2020 election

Good morning,

Donald Trump was hit with criminal charges by a grand jury in Georgia last night for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in that state, the fourth set of charges he has faced in as many months and the second related to his attempt to illegally cling to power.

The 41-count indictment also names 18 other associates of Trump’s, including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Trump and his associates are accused of putting pressure on Republican officials in the state to “find” additional votes to reverse the election result; pushing legislators to throw out the Democrats’ victory in the state; and putting together a list of fake electoral college members.

• David Shribman: Trump’s fourth indictment is perhaps the greatest challenge to America’s 236-year-old Constitution

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Cabinet ministers given Oct. 2 deadline to cut $15-billion from spending plans

New Treasury Board President Anita Anand has given federal cabinet ministers an Oct. 2 deadline to cut spending in an effort to save $15-billion, according to a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail.

The October deadline means many ministers in new roles only have a few weeks to find cuts that were promised in the 2023 budget.

The March 28 budget announced a goal of saving $7.1-billion over five years through a 15-per-cent cut to discretionary spending on consulting, professional services and travel over five years. It also announced a planned phase-in of a 3-per-cent spending cut by departments and agencies by 2026-27, with a goal of saving $7-billion over four years.

A decade before fatal blaze, City of Montreal asked that fire safety charges against building’s owner be dropped

A decade before a fire killed seven people in an Old Montreal building in March, the city asked a judge to withdraw charges against the building’s owner.

The city’s decision in 2013 to drop the case is significant because, in later years, it stopped investigating infractions involving evacuation routes and alarm systems on the grounds that bylaw officers could not provide sufficient evidence to enforce safety rules, according to the fire chief.

But audio recordings of the March 26, 2013, court proceedings obtained by The Globe and Mail reveal the city did not even try to test its evidence against Emile Benamor, the building’s owner.

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Also on our radar

Many Afghans who helped Canada’s military wait for help: As he waits for help from Canada, an Afghan interpreter is growing frustrated and confused as to why the country he risked his life for has left him and his family in limbo in a Pakistani hotel. Western governments offered resettlement to people like the interpreter, who had worked for those countries’ diplomatic and military missions in Afghanistan. But, two years later, many Afghans who qualify for Canada’s programs are still waiting.

Scores more could be found dead in Maui wildfires: Hawaii’s Governor warned yesterday that many more people could be found dead following the wildfires in Maui as search crews go through neighbourhoods that were engulfed by flames and firefighters struggle to contain the inferno.

• Insurers face up to $3-billion in claims from Maui wildfire, RBC estimates
• Northwest Territories issues new wildfire evacuation warnings

Energy firms seek answers on renewables moratorium: Companies working on renewable energy projects in Alberta are seeking clarity from the provincial government after it imposed a seven-month halt on application approvals for new developments. Premier Danielle Smith said the moratorium is necessary to review land use policies when it comes to wind and solar farms.

Canada to send warships to Indo-Pacific: Canada is deploying two warships to the Indo-Pacific in keeping with a commitment to strengthen the country’s presence in the region. The warships will first stop near the Aleutian Islands, off the coast of Alaska, to participate in U.S. military exercises. Two weeks ago, a combined patrol of Chinese and Russian military naval vessels were detected in the same area.

Hong Kong government, elite battle over golf course: A plan by Hong Kong to develop 32 hectares of a premier golf course for housing has pitted the city’s elite against the pro-Beijing government. Housing affordability is a major issue in the city, but business groups say the golf course is a prime venue for making major deals and carving out a large chunk of it will hurt Hong Kong’s standing as a global business hub.

Morning markets

World stocks struggle: Global stocks were stuck near five-week lows on Tuesday as rising government bond yields unnerved investors, while rate cuts from China and disappointing data underscored the economic malaise gripping the world’s second biggest economy. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 1.16 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 slid 0.76 per cent and 0.90 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.56 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.03 per cent. New York futures were in the red. The Canadian dollar was lower at 74.15 US cents.

What everyone’s talking about

Campbell Clark: “The biggest, loudest, most obvious political issue in Canada is the high cost of housing. Yet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have been slow to see it build. And they still haven’t matched the public’s angst with governing ambition.”

André Picard: “COVID-19 is here to stay, so we can’t be on high alert all the time. But we can’t afford to be indifferent either, especially since we don’t yet understand what the impact of long COVID will be over time. But we can and should be prudent, acknowledging that while the pandemic is not over yet, we can be simultaneously vigilant and calmly cautious.”

Today’s editorial cartoon

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Living better

In Jordan, travellers learn just how small they are

The Himalayas or the Grand Canyon might put into perspective how small you are in the world. But in the ancient city of Petra and at other historical sites in Jordan, you learn how small you are in time, Wency Leung writes.

Moment in time: Aug. 15, 2013

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New totem pole is erected in Gwaii Haanas

In the final days of October, 1985, a more than decades-long conflict between members of the Haida Nation and B.C.’s logging industry came to a head. The industry was booming with few restrictions at the time, and much of the forest blanketing the archipelago now known as Haida Gwaii had already been decimated. Refusing to lose any more of the ancient trees, dozens of Haida gathered along a logging road on Lyell Island and took a stand. The blockade would last for three months, through B.C.’s rain-soaked winter, result in the arrest of 72 Haida, and inspire countless similar protests for decades to come. The true victory, however, was the resulting creation of a 1,470-square-kilometre national park and heritage site in 1988. Five years later, the park was named Gwaii Haanas and came under the cooperative management of the Haida Nation and federal government. On this day in 2013, dozens of Haida again gathered on Lyell Island, this time to raise a 13-metre totem pole in remembrance of the logging standoff and for the protection of the land. Carved by a team of Haida craftsmen led by artist Jaalen Edenshaw, it was the first totem pole raised in the region in more than 130 years. Jane Skrypnek

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