Police escort the suspect in the Florida shooting into the Broward Jail after checking him at the hospital in Parkland, Fla.WSVN.COM
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Florida shooting suspect may have had ties to white nationalist group
Nikolas Cruz, 19, was charged with murder Thursday in the deaths of 17 people who were fatally shot at a Florida high school. He legally purchased the rifle used in the attack. The leader of a white nationalist militia said Mr. Cruz was a member and participated in paramilitary drills. Addressing the country, U.S. President Donald Trump called for healing and described the attack as a "scene of terrible violence, hatred and evil." He mentioned tackling the issues of mental health, but made no mention of gun control. This is the deadliest school shooting in America since Sandy Hook in 2012.
Here is what we know so far.
Globe in South Africa: New South Africa President Ramaphosa faces tough task: Cleaning up after predecessor Zuma
President Cyril Ramaphosa promised to be a "servant" to the people with "humility, faithfulness and dignity" in a speech to Parliament after he was declared elected as the only candidate for president. The ruling party chose him as its leader in December and then forced the reluctant Jacob Zuma to leave office this week. He now faces a monumental task of cleaning up his government after nine years of misrule and corruption scandals under Mr. Zuma.
To understand the rise and fall of Jacob Zuma, begin with his middle name: Gedleyihlekisa. In the Zulu language, it can be roughly translated as: "The one who hurts you while smiling with you." Once an uneducated Zulu traditionalist living in poverty, the former South African leader was known for his smiling image during his time in power – but, as Geoffrey York reports from Johannesburg, behind the shiny surface lay a ruthless master tactician who demolished his foes. (for subscribers)
Olympics 2018
Canadian speed skater Ted-Jan Bloemen, who had previously competed internationally for the Netherlands, beat his former countryman to win gold in the men's 10,000m event. Bloemen moved to Canada four years ago and gained citizenship through his father, who was born in New Brunswick, a decision that jump-started his then-in-limbo career. He won a silver medal earlier in the Games.
One-tenth of a second kept Tristan Walker and Justin Snith off the podium in doubles luge in Sochi four years ago. This time around, the duo grabbed a silver medal by completing a clean anchor leg in the luge team relay alongside Alex Gough and Sam Edney. "We were so close in Sochi," said Snith, tears running down his cheeks. "You spend years that close, what could have been, not having that moment. To finally have that moment is ... priceless."
"We saved the best for last," Eric Radford said of his and Meagan Duhamel's bronze medal-winning performance. The duo had already won a gold in the team figure skating but followed it up with a third-place finish in the final competition of their careers. Their combined score of 230.15 was good for a bronze medal, four years after they finished a disappointing seventh in Sochi.
Cathal Kelly writes in a column that this men's hockey team may not be great, but they just might be good enough.
Medal Count (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Total)
- Germany: 9, 2, 4, 15
- Norway: 6, 7, 4, 17
- Canada: 4, 5, 4, 13
- Netherlands: 5, 5, 2, 12
- United States: 5, 1, 2, 8
COMING UP (all times Eastern)
- Figure skating (Men’s short program 8 p.m.)
- Alpine skiing (Women’s slalom 9 p.m.)
- Cross-country skiing (Men's 15-km individual 1 a.m.:)
Weston family's Choice Properties buying Canadian REIT for $3.9-billion
The Westons, through their Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, have a deal to acquire Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (CREIT) and its 206 industrial, office and retail properties across Canada for $3.9-billion. It would create the largest real estate investment trust in Canada with a total of 752 properties. The move would help insulate the Loblaw supermarket business from rapidly changing consumer shopping habits and would allow the Westons to expand into warehouse space, which has become the hottest type of commercial real estate as Amazon and other online retailers look for places to store their goods. (for subscribers)
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MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index ended modestly higher as gains in the financial sector and shares of TransCanada Corp. offset a decline in natural resource companies. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index unofficially closed up 79.39 points at 15,407.66. Wall Street surged to notch its fifth-straight session of gains, led by Apple and other technology stocks as investors shrugged off recent inflation worries that sent the market into a selloff at the start of the month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 307.36 points to 25,200.85, the S&P 500 gained 32.62 points to 2,731.25 and the Nasdaq Composite added 112.82 points to 7,256.43.
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WHAT'S TRENDING
The federal government has announced that five industry partnerships will receive $950-million under its flagship innovation funding initiative to create "superclusters" to drive economic growth in high-potential sectors, like manufacturing, agriculture, and artificial intelligence. The idea behind the program is to draw together broad-based industry groups that commit their own money and in-kind contributions alongside government funding to work collectively to advance high-potential areas of the economy and make Canada more competitive. You can read the list of winners here.
TALKING POINTS
How the death of Colten Boushie became recast as the story of a knight protecting his castle
"What should not be lost here is how castles (and now farms) have served as sites of capitalist accumulation and protectionism, as romanticized spaces wherein white knights protect against incursion from hostile outside forces. Like a modern-day Lancelot, the castle narrative draws on the need for a farmer not only to protect his kingdom, but also the need to save his "maiden" from the inevitable threat posed by racialized outsiders. " – Gina Starblanket and Dallas Hunt
Doug Ford is gambling Ontario parents are still concerned about sexual education
"Doug Ford, if he wins the Ontario Conservative leadership and the provincial election, plans to increase parental control over sexual education. This would be tragic. But it might be smart politics. Tragic, because such policies inevitably lead to an increase in pregnancies among teenage women. But smart, because it plays to several key elements of the conservative coalition." – John Ibbitson
More Rohingya lives will be lost if the world fails to act
"There is an urgency to the crisis that will not go away. Sustained, principled engagement is the order of the day, and there needs to be a fuller appreciation of the risks of failure to engage on the three fronts I described. More lives will be lost if we fail this challenge." – Bob Rae
LIVING BETTER
McDonald's announced Thursday it is removing cheeseburgers from U.S. Happy Meal menus and shrinking the French fry serving in one "Mighty Meal" as part of a new global plan to cut calories and makes its food for children more healthy. The changes come as the world's biggest fast-food chain established global limits for calories, sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in Happy Meals for the first time.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
How a North Korean defector became the mother of women's hockey in the South
Hwangbo Young had never laced up skates until coaches came to her middle school looking for talented athletes. They put her through tests and then at age 11 selected her to enter the harsh and rigorous training program. In addition to training that was wickedly tough and "ignorant," players split their own firewood for heat, showered without hot water and sewed their own underwear. Young's family fled in 1997, sneaking into China and 18 months later they were in South Korea. Over the next 11 years, Young would go on to play an instrumental role in building South Korea's team. Nathan VanderKlippe reports on what it was like for Young to watch the joint Korean team play.
How a new guard of Indigenous chefs is sharing its traditions
Despite Canadians taking pride in multiculturalism, we have a limited understanding of Indigenous dishes. Now, a new guard of Indigenous chefs is hoping to share their food traditions with a broader audience. Indigenous dishes are turning up on restaurants across the country, in classrooms and on cooking shows leading to a cultural resurgence. While some chefs stick to tradition with hunted, fished for foraged ingredients, as Julie Van Rosendall reports, some are embracing more current trends with bannock pizza and Indian tacos.
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley, Mayaz Alam, Kiran Rana and S.R. Slobodian. 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.