Good morning. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the two sides are in the process of finalizing the text of a tentative deal, but negotiations continue. More on that below, along with a marathon mishap and the fastest star in the galaxy.
TOP STORIES
Latest on the trade tiff
Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked premiers to restock American alcohol and end procurement policies that exclude American companies, as Canadian and U.S. negotiators continue to haggle over the level of tariffs that will remain in place on key industries.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had reached a tentative trade deal with Ottawa and postponed the implementation of punishing new tariffs on Canadian goods for three days.
But on Wednesday, negotiators were still bargaining over the level of tariff relief key Canadian industries would receive as part of a trade deal, according to premiers Scott Moe of Saskatchewan and Tim Houston of Nova Scotia, who were briefed on the talks by Mr. Carney Wednesday afternoon.
Divide: The gulf between Trump’s description of the deal and what Canadians have been talking about seems large, Campbell Clark writes.
Doubt: Despite Trump’s musings about Keystone XL, analysts were skeptical that the cross-border pipeline could be resurrected in its previous form.
Unity: Trump thinks tariffs will tear Canada apart. The evidence proves him wrong, according to Carlo Dade and Sean Willett.
The long view: If an interim deal is inches from the goal line, that still leaves a whole trade relationship in the balance – because the President has years left in his term, Tony Keller writes.
The Globe’s view: Canadians ought to keep calm and carry on, with the knowledge that they are on solid ground regardless of the outcome of talks, the editorial board writes.
Zelensky confronts latest crisis
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky fired a senior aide yesterday as investigators probed corruption in his political orbit. Zelensky released a decree ousting Iryna Mudra as deputy head of the Office of the President. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said a person with that job was among the suspects in a multimillion-dollar money-laundering case.
The probe: Corruption investigators allege a group of people laundered 150-million hryvnias, or about $4.6-million, to pay bail for a defendant in a 2025 graft case. The fallout of that case prompted numerous officials, including Ukraine’s energy and justice ministers, to resign.
The stakes: The ongoing probe doesn’t implicate Zelensky, but it promises to test the durability of Ukraine’s wartime leader, whose presidential term ended two years ago. Mykhailo Fedorov, the defence minister Zelensky dropped from cabinet last month as part of a reshuffling, has pressed him to call an election even as the Russian invasion continues. Ukrainian martial law prohibits wartime elections.
Quoted: “We must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged war,” Fedorov said in an address published on YouTube this week.
Course snafu mars marathon
Contestants in Sunday’s Edmonton Marathon unwittingly ran farther than expected because of a measurement error, frustrating those who aspired to qualify for larger events, such as next year’s Boston Marathon. Race director Tom Keogh acknowledged that the marathon and half marathon routes both eclipsed regulation length, forcing runners in both races to cover an additional 647.7 metres.
The background: At 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometres) long, a marathon is a gruelling endeavour. The Edmonton event takes place late in the racing season and offers runners a last-ditch attempt to meet the qualifying time for Boston, whose organizers told The Globe they could not consider adjusted results if a course exceeds the standard distance.
Ouch: The mishap inconvenienced Jadyn Keeler, the 23-year-old winner of the women’s half marathon. Keeler’s time of one hour, 12 minutes and 12 seconds was about 150 seconds shy of Andrea Seccafien’s national record. Suspecting the course was too long, the Barrie, Ont. runner said she took her foot off the gas Sunday in the final kilometre.
The Take
Justice Huscroft huffs that cyclists don’t have to use the roads that put them at risk. That’s not the point. The point is that in going about a lawful activity, people should not have their lives needlessly imperilled by the government.
— Andrew Coyne
No one ever said bike lanes are a constitutional right. But governments and courts must respect the Charter, writes Andrew Coyne.
The Shot
Urban beaches offer respite from stifling heat, a product of the global climate emergency. In Warsaw, locals flock to the Vistula riverbank in search of sand, shade, exercise and a link to nature.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: The RCMP informed two Canadian Sikh activists that their lives are under threat because of their advocacy for a proposed independent Sikh state in India.
Abroad: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly plan to relocate with their children back to Britain this month, six years after they stepped down from their royal duties and moved to the U.S.
Court: A former Meta engineer who is a vocal critic of the social media giant alleged in testimony that Mark Zuckerberg fostered a culture that prioritized user growth over child safety.
Health: Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine lowered the risk of recurrence and spread of melanoma in a late-stage trial, a breakthrough that supercharged the drugmaker’s stock price.
Tech: The ex-CEO of ApplyBoard, a Canadian educational application startup founded by three brothers, secured a partnership that puts his new venture in competition with the rest of the family.
Running: Nate Erskine-Smith, the former federal housing minister and vanquished Ontario Liberal leadership hopeful, has pivoted to pursuing a Toronto city council seat.
Speeding: Scientists observed the fastest-known star, named S301, zooming faster than the speed of light as it circles our galaxy’s massive central black hole.
Scoring: Canada forward Promise David, who played in four FIFA World Cup matches and found the net against Switzerland, is joining Brighton, a team in the venerable Premier League.