Evening Update: O.J. Simpson, former NFL player acquitted of ex-wife’s murder in infamous trial, dead at 76

Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:

O.J. Simpson, former NFL star and actor who was acquitted in a dramatic trial in 1995 for the murder of his former wife, has died at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer.

While he was acquitted of the murder, Simpson was found responsible for his ex-wife’s death in a civil lawsuit in 1997. He later served nine years in a Nevada prison after being convicted in 2008 on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel. Before his time in court, Simpson had a record-setting career in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

• Cathal Kelly writes: “Before Simpson, celebrities also fell, but most of them were allowed to do it in private. You’d hear later that so-and-so had a drinking problem or beat her kids or was broke and desperate for years before the end came. Simpson helped create a new media idea – charting the fall with just as much breathless attention as the rise.”

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Ottawa expands first-timer buyers’ maximum mortgage amortizations to 30 years for newly built homes

First-time buyers will now be able to take out a 30-year mortgage for newly built homes, as opposed to the current maximum 25-year period for insured mortgages.

The extended amortization period will be available to homebuyers who require mortgage insurance because their down payment is less than 20 per cent of the purchase price.

Ottawa also announced today that it would allow first-time homebuyers to withdraw up to $60,000 from their RRSPs without tax penalties to purchase a home. The limit was previously $35,000.

• Canada needs to build 1.3 million additional homes by 2030 to close housing gap, budget watchdog says
• Entry to Canadian housing market feels out of reach for 76% of non-owners, poll suggests

Alzheimer’s trial brings at-risk patients hope for the future, but new doubts in the present

The AHEAD 3-45 study is one of two major clinical trials for the prevention of Alzheimer’s dementia that experts are watching with renewed optimism after two decades in which nearly every experimental drug for the disease failed.

It’s the first trial to try prevention of cognitive decline with an FDA-approved, disease-modifying drug that has succeeded - though modestly - in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s in patients in early stages of the disease.

The idea behind the latest efforts is if the drug, a monoclonal antibody called lecanemab, helped a little in those whose minds are already slipping, it might help a lot in younger people on firmer cognitive footing. Donanemab, a similar medication, which showed promise in early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease in a study but has yet to be approved, is also being tested as prevention. They’re a part of a new class of treatments that could mark a turning point for Alzheimer’s drug research.

• Explainer: What is Alzheimer’s disease, and what are the symptoms and treatments for the condition?

Situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine continues to deteriorate

Ukrainian officials say the security situation near Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is increasingly getting worse.

They’re reiterating calls for the international community to pressure Russian troops to leave the station.

Ukraine and Russia have often blamed each other for shelling around the plant but there have been more accusations than usual this week. On Tuesday, Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the plant with drones, but Ukrainian authorities denied involvement and said any attacks were staged by Moscow.

Meanwhile, in Chornobyl, it’s been 38 years since a Soviet nuclear catastrophe made part of modern-day Ukraine uninhabitable. For elderly locals and workers in the ruined power plant’s 30-kilometre exclusion zone, the war with Russia added another chapter to the stories they tell.

• Russian strikes destroy major power plant near Kyiv: Russian missiles and drones destroyed a large electricity plant near Kyiv and hit power facilities in several regions of Ukraine today, officials said, ramping up pressure on the embattled energy system as Kyiv runs low on air defences.

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

More on foreign interference: French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said today that foreign meddling attempts are a “huge challenge” that require countries to keep their citizens informed. Attal made the comments during an official visit to Ottawa and a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified at Canada’s public inquiry into foreign interference. In his testimony yesterday, Trudeau discounted the effectiveness of Chinese election interference in Canada and questioned the reliability of intelligence by CSIS, the national spy agency.

Navalny memoir coming this year: A memoir Alexey Navalny began working on in 2020 will be published this fall. Patriot, which publisher Alfred A. Knopf is calling the late Russian opposition leader’s “final letter to the world,” will come out Oct. 22.

Supreme Court won’t hear families’ case over Paul Bernardo documents: The court says it won’t hear arguments about the release of prison and parole documents concerning serial killer Bernardo. The decision marks the end of a years-long battle to expose confidential information used to decide his prospects for parole.

Canada is in top three on Spotify: Canadian artists generated more than $400-million in royalties from listeners outside Canada on Spotify in 2023, and were top exporters of music on the platform behind the United States and Britain. But the music streaming platform is warning that some of the most successful songs exported from Canada may not qualify as officially Canadian under Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission rules.

Ohtani interpreter charged with bank fraud: The former long-time interpreter for the Los Angeles Dodgers star is being charged with federal bank fraud for crimes involving gambling debts and theft of more than US$16-million from the Japanese sensation, federal authorities said today.

MARKET WATCH

U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday, with tech-related momentum stocks leading the charge, as fresh economic data rekindled hopes that inflation remains in a cooling trend. The Canadian benchmark index, however, ended in the red due to a pullback in the energy sector.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 2.43 points or 0.01 per cent at 38,459.08. The S&P 500 index was up 38.42 points or 0.74 per cent at 5,199.06, while the Nasdaq composite was up 271.84 points or 1.68 per cent at 16,442.20.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 89.02 points or 0.4 per cent at 22,110.11.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.04 cents US compared with 73.15 cents US on Wednesday.

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TALKING POINTS

Conservative MPs display statesmanlike behaviour – not!

“Politicians elected to represent Canadians should operate with grace, class and statesmanship – maturity, at the very least. Whatever you want to call it, Mr. Poilievre and Ms. Kusie (a former diplomat) have displayed the polar opposite – whatever you want to call that.” – Marsha Lederman

The curious case of the incurious Prime Minister

“One can’t say for certain that Mr. Trudeau is leaning on “national security” to spare his government embarrassment on this matter. But what is fairly certain is that nearly everything Canadians have learned over the past couple of years about China’s alleged efforts to meddle in our elections would not be public knowledge had there not been leaks, media reports, and eventually, this public inquiry.” – Robyn Urback

The Masters returns, offering a dependable respite from our chaotic world

“Between the ceremonial tee shot and the final putt, golf’s living history is linked in an unbroken chain. The rituals in between are as settled as anything in religion.” – Cathal Kelly

LIVING BETTER

What to watch this weekend

Ready to kick your feet up and watch some quality content? We have you covered with our best bets for weekend streaming. This week includes some heavy hitters. Firstly, limited series The Sympathizer is on Crave. Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning spy thriller, it features a Vietnamese-centred look at the Vietnam War and stars Academy Award-winner Robert Downey Jr., who manages to play half a dozen supporting roles. Another recommendation is Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest, now available on Prime Video. It was named best international feature film at the Oscars and “the best and most important film of 2023″ by Globe and Mail film critic Barry Hertz. Read more suggestions (including a comedy special if you’re looking for something lighter!) here.

TODAY’S LONG READ

McNally Robinson is an indie bookstore that figured it out: Focus on books

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Layout, design and inventory. Prairies-based McNally Robinson’s focus on those main elements in its three locations – alongside a commitment to keep books as the nucleus of its operations – has quietly allowed it to become Canada’s largest independent English-language bookstore company.

None of the company’s three locations are the same, breaking corporate branding and retail rules. Some hold events, have bistro-style restaurants and community classrooms while others don’t. Each has decided what works best for it through the help of its customers’ habits. Clearly, whatever they’re doing is working. The company made $20.4-million in total sales in the 2023 fiscal year, according to figures shared with The Globe and Mail. Read the full story.

Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. 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.