Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
After a night of relative calm across the United States, President Donald Trump doubled down Wednesday on his “law and order” theme, saying the massive deployment of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers to Washington on Monday night offered a model to states on how to stop violent protests.
“You have to have a dominant force,” Trump told Fox News Radio on Wednesday. “We need law and order.”
He continued to deride state governors who didn’t fully deploy their National Guard forces, but didn’t repeat his threat to call in the regular army to patrol U.S. cities.
U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he is not in favour of using the the Insurrection Act, which would allow Trump to use active troops to for law enforcement.
Esper said active-duty troops deployed domestically should be used “only in the most urgent and dire of situations,” and added that “we are not in one of those situations now.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Minnesota are upgrading the charge against the Minneapolis police officer accused of pressing his knee against George Floyd’s neck to second-degree murder, and are also levelling charges against three other officers at the scene.
The state of Minnesota also said Wednesday it has launched a civil rights investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department in hopes of forcing widespread changes following Floyd’s death.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Ontario’s top court rules intoxication similar to automatism is a legitimate defence to acts of violence:
Extreme intoxication akin to automatism is a legitimate defence to acts of violence, including sexual assault and murder, Ontario’s top court ruled on Wednesday in declaring unconstitutional a federal law that nullifies the defence. The 3-0 ruling from the Ontario Court of Appeal came in two cases in which men with drug-induced psychosis stabbed family members, and is rooted in the one of the most controversial Supreme Court rulings of the Charter era. In 1994, the court allowed the extreme-drunkenness defence for a 73-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a 65-year-old woman in a wheelchair.
What happened when families were blocked from Canada’s long-term care homes: When visitors were banned from Canada’s nursing homes to protect residents from the coronavirus, they cut off an essential support system: Families. More than two months after restrictions were put in place, family members and seniors’ advocates say there have been preventable deaths from dehydration, and other residents are wasting away without the help of relatives and private caregivers they relied on at mealtimes.
Parliamentarians in Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand urge creation of UN special envoy for Hong Kong: Leading parliamentarians in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are urging the United Nations to establish a special human rights envoy to monitor the former British colony. Liberal MP Michael Levitt, who chairs the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, has asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to exert influence with the UN’s Human Rights Council to set up this mandate.
Ontario farms struggle to contain COVID-19 as migrant workers test positive: A growing number of migrant farm workers in Ontario are testing positive for COVID-19, turning agricultural workplaces into hot spots for outbreaks in a province that continues to see hundreds of new cases a day. The outbreaks highlight how living and working conditions are putting workers, many of whom come from Mexico, Guatemala and Jamaica, at risk, migrant rights groups say.
Meng Wanzhou case may not conclude until 2021: Legal arguments at the B.C. Supreme Court in the extradition case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou may stretch into next year, the court was told Wednesday. Lawyers for both sides will propose a new schedule later this month that would bring the hearings to a close in early 2021 at the latest, instead of this fall. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes dismissed the first phase of arguments last week by Meng’s lawyers, who claimed the case should be thrown out because the U.S. allegations against her wouldn’t be a crime in Canada.
Sweden’s top epidemiologist defends coronavirus strategy but says country ‘clearly’ could have done better: Not long ago, Anders Tegnell was widely praised for his coronavirus plan. But he now says Sweden could have done a much better job preparing for the pandemic.
Join André Picard on Thursday, June 4, for a live Q&A on masks, testing and social etiquette during a pandemic: The Globe and Mail’s health columnist will answer readers’ questions during an Instagram Live. Submit a question to audience@globeandmail.com.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index climbed Wednesday due to broad-based rally with only the materials sector falling. The S&P/TSX Composite index rose 1.44% to 15,616.59.
On Wall Street, U.S. stocks were boosted by gains in the financial, industrial and tech sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.06% to end at 26,272.27 points, while the S&P 500 gained 1.36% to 3,122.81, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.76% to 9,681.11.
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TALKING POINTS
Donald Trump just wants to watch the world burn
“And we have yet to see his worst. As the carnage mounts, as our senses dull, so grows Mr. Trump’s need to increase the dose, to stir up fresh outrage. Terrible as this past week has been, I fear darker days are to come.” – Andrew Coyne, columnist
Whistle-blower protection could have averted the deplorable conditions in long-term care
“Research consistently confirms that tips from insiders are the most effective way of exposing problems within organizations, whether it be the mistreatment of individuals, fraud or endangerment of public safety." - Peter Jacobsen, founding partner at Bersenas Jacobsen Chouest Thomson Blackburn LLP and a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University; James L. Turk, Director of the Centre for Free Expression and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Ryerson University
Canada’s cities need help. Ottawa, throw them a life preserver already
“Mr. Trudeau is of course right that cities are – turn to section 92 of your pocket BNA Act – creatures of the provinces. But the federal government has long given funds to cities; Monday’s non-announcement was about just such a payment. Federal gas tax revenues have for years been flowing to municipalities, to assist with things such as public transit. So the real question isn’t whether Ottawa is allowed to help cities, it’s whether it wants to.” – Globe editorial
It’s time for a massive reset of capitalism
“To achieve a better outcome, the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a “Great Reset” of capitalism.” - Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum
LIVING BETTER
How to choose a sunscreen that’s best for your health and the environment
As the weather warms up and more of us spend more time outdoors, deciding which sunscreen to use to protect our skin or whether to use sunscreen at all can be confusing. Here’s some advice on how to choose protection that’s best for you and environmentally responsible.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Bird fever: Adopting ducklings and chicks becomes a Canadian pandemic pastime
Farms across Canada have seen a huge spike in people fostering ducks and chicks this spring. The fluffy fowl have become a sort of “animal therapy” for people stuck at home during the lockdown, and parents are finding it’s great to get kids off screens and teach them responsibility at a time when they don’t have much to do.
Evening Update is written by Rob Gilroy and Omair Quadri. 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.