- NewsThe Canadian Press
AP Interview: Maduro reveals secret meetings with US envoy
A month into Venezuela's high-stakes political crisis, President Nicolas Maduro revealed in an Associated Press interview that his government has held secret talks with the Trump administration. While harshly criticizing President Donald Trump's confrontational stance toward his socialist government, Maduro said Thursday that he holds out hope of meeting the U.S. president soon to resolve a crisis triggered by America's recognition of his opponent, Juan Guaido, as Venezuela's rightful leader.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Amazon decision a win for Democrats' rising left wing
WASHINGTON — What is happening to the Democrats?Captivated by a handful of liberal superstars, they are venturing where the party has long feared to tread: Steep taxes on the rich. Abolishing an immigration enforcement agency. Proposing "economic transformation" to combat climate change. Gleefully waving goodbye to a big business — and its jobs.On Thursday, newly-elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led a chorus of cheers as Amazon announced it was abandoning plans to build a sought-after headquarters in New York City. Activists berated the online giant for a $3 billion package of tax breaks she said the city could better invest in hiring teachers or fixing the subway.This is not the Democratic Party of yesteryear. Or even last year."The Amazon New York fight is an illustration of how power is moving to the left," said Ben Wikler, of the liberal group MoveOn. "One of the world's most powerful organizations doesn't want to pick a fight with progressive activists."As the liberal flank celebrates its sudden ascendance in the party, energized by the new House freshmen pushing the party toward bold policy solutions, others wonder if the Democrats are veering so far left they're about to fall off a cliff.Matt Bennett, vice-president of Third Way, a centre-left think-tank , says, the leftward drift "could be trouble" if Democrats aren't offering a vision of the country that speaks to ordinary voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election."Bashing Amazon will get you cheers in precincts in the left and online, but that seems bananas to most people who think it would be good to work at a job that pays well," Bennett said. "The risk is that the eventual nominee goes too far during this primary process and becomes hard to support for a lot of people who might be interested in getting rid of (President Donald) Trump."It's a valid debate ahead of a presidential primary season with an unusually robust roster of contenders trying to wrest the White House from Trump. The race comes at a time of shifting party loyalties and eroding confidence in traditional corridors of power, a dynamic that has recast the policy prescriptions of both parties.The big questions for 2020: Will Democrats move beyond the centre-left policies that have dominated the party since Bill Clinton's presidency? And if so, will they find the electorate is repelled, as Republicans claim, or will they discover that a country long described as "centre-right" is receptive to a return to liberalism?Democratic pollster John Anzalone said the leftward lurch that's playing out in the Amazon fight wouldn't necessarily hurt the party heading into 2020 and could resonate with voters."When you're doing corporate giveaways, whether for a big company or a sports team, it's not as cut-and-dry as most people think," Anzalone said. "The fact is there tends to be a belief that these big corporations have a lot of money and use their power to get deals they don't need."As if to highlight the churn within the party, the 2020 class was mixed in their reactions.A spokesman for former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg didn't respond to a request for comment. Howard Schultz, another business-minded former Democrat who's now weighing an independent bid for president, also declined to comment.Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who have long railed against the influence of corporations, weighed in, as did New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand."The people of New York and America are increasingly concerned about the power of large multinational corporations and the billions in corporate welfare they receive," Sanders said in a statement. "Our job is to end the race to the bottom where taxpayers in one city or state are forced to bid against each other for desperately needed jobs. This is what the rigged economy is all about."Warren tweeted: "One of the wealthiest companies on the planet - just walked away from billions in taxpayer bribes, all because some elected officials in New York aren't sucking up to them enough. How long will we allow giant corporations to hold our democracy hostage?"And Gillibrand said, "Walking away so quickly shows that Amazon was interested in the taxpayer assistance and not being a good neighbour in Queens hiring the greatest workers in the world."As liberal activists across the country welcomed Amazon's decision as a fresh demonstration of the increasing power of the Democratic Party's far-left wing, Republicans highlighted the same thing, using the situation to cast the modern-day Democratic Party as extreme. Following Trump's lead, they pepper their speeches with claims that Democrats are veering toward socialism."Now, thousands of New Yorkers will be deprived of good paying jobs at amazon because of socialists like @AOC - and unfortunately the promise of a greenjob won't pay the bills," former Trump aide Sean Spicer said on Twitter.In New York, Democratic Sen. Todd Kaminsky of Long Island issued a formal "invitation" to the company to relocate to Nassau County.Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, a member of Republican leadership, said, "It is so interesting to watch this very hard left turn that the Democrat party has taken. To me, this is just so extreme. It's way out of the mainstream."On Capitol Hill, it's hard not to compare the arrival of Ocasio-Cortez and the emerging Democratic divide to the tea party class of 2010 that took control of the House and pushed the Republican agenda rightward, ultimately helping give rise to the politics of Trump.It's not just Ocasio-Cortez. She and House colleagues — Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts — jointly announced their opposition to the bipartisan border security deal. They want to cut the Department of Homeland Security's budget over the administration's deportation policies, including those that separated families at the border.The four lawmakers were urged on by activists outside the Capitol, protesting what's seen as ICE's unnecessarily harsh deportations and raids against immigrants here illegally.Omar, who is Muslim-American, pushed the party further into conflict this week with comments about Israel that were widely seen as anti-Semitic. She apologized. But the questions she and others are raising about the longstanding U.S. ally reflect a growing unease among some Democrats with Israel's treatment of Palestinians.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the Democratic Party's diversity in the House is its strength, as evidenced by the way her caucus held unified against Trump's demand for money from Congress to build the wall on the border with Mexico."Welcome to the Democratic Party," Pelosi said Thursday. "We are not a monolith, never have been. And who would want to lead a party that would be described that way?"While some high-profile newcomers are capturing media attention, the House majority was also won with new lawmakers who are more measured in their approach to governing even as they battle Trump. All but 19 Democrats approved the bipartisan border package late Thursday.But other Democrats marvel at how quickly the party has shifted even since the 2016 election.This week, when the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, announced an upcoming vote on the Green New Deal climate change plan as a way to force Democrats into an awkward vote, the Democrats responded, "Bring it on." They say Americans want answers on climate change, and Republicans have none.Ocasio-Cortez, who stunned Washington when she knocked off an incumbent party leader during a primary last year, recently suggested a 70 per cent marginal tax rate on top earners."Anything is possible," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday, "today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbours defeated Amazon's corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world."___Associated Press writer David Klepper in Albany, New York, contributed to this report.Lisa Mascaro And Steve Peoples, The Associated Press
NewsReutersNvidia forecasts demand rebound, Wall Street not so sure
The chip designer on Thursday forecast full-year revenue to be "flat or down slightly" from 2018, but Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said he expects China, gaming and self-driving vehicles to drive demand for its chips. Rival chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc had also forecast full-year revenue ahead of analysts' expectations. AMD, like Nvidia, is banking on its newest graphics and data center chips to bolster growth for the year.
NewsCBCFamily Day: What's open and what's not in Calgary
With Family Day on Monday, some city facilities and services will be operating on adjusted hours.
- NewsCBC
Average Canadian house price fell 5.5% in the past year, Realtor group says
The average price of a Canadian home has fallen by 5.5 per cent to $455,000 over the past 12 months, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Friday. The group that represents 125,000 Realtors across the country says sales were higher in January than in December, but they were still below the level seen in January 2018 — a month that CREA at the time said was historically bad for the housing market because of new stress-test rules that had just been implemented. The rules, aimed at making it harder to get a mortgage, poured cold water on the housing market, CREA says, causing a sales slump that persists.
- NewsCBC
Sask. government review says vendor-sponsored travel did not violate rules
The Saskatchewan government says a review of vendor-sponsored trips for government employees found no rules violations. Cam Swan, the deputy minister to the premier, performed the review. It's a good reminder," Swan said.
NewsReutersIndia's PM Modi warns Pakistan of strong response to Kashmir attack
The car bomb attack on a security convoy on Thursday was the worst in decades of insurgency in the disputed region. India said it had "incontrovertible evidence" of Pakistani involvement, a statement quickly rejected by Islamabad. The attack comes months before national elections in India.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
'Small Island' author Andrea Levy dies of cancer aged 62
Andrea Levy, a prize-winning novelist who chronicled the hopes and horrors experienced by the post-World War II generation of Jamaican immigrants in Britain, has died. One of the first black British authors to achieve both critical and commercial success, Levy was best known for her novel "Small Island," which tells the story of two couples, one English and one Jamaican, whose lives intertwine in London after World War II. Levy, who grew up in public housing in a working-class north London neighbourhood , started writing fiction in her 30s when she enrolled in a creative writing course in London.
- NewsCBC
Kingston, Ont., man charged with 3 cold-case homicides, Toronto bombing
Police have charged a Kingston, Ont., man with three cold-case homicides between 1995 and 2001, as well as a bombing in Toronto in 2000.Michael Wentworth, also known as Michael Verney, was arrested without incident in Kingston on Thursday after being under observation for "some time," according to police.He is charged in the following cases: * The death of 92-year-old Henrietta Knight, who was seriously injured in a break and enter in Kingston on June 2, 1995, and died that November. * The death of 30-year-old Richard Kimball, who was reported missing in the mid-90s and is presumed dead. * The death of Stephen St-Denis, 47, who died in a suspicious fire in Kingston on Oct. 21, 2001. * A bombing in Toronto on July 19, 2000, which caused heavy damage to homes and vehicles, but no injuries. * An armed robbery at a bank in Kingston Township, now part of the city of Kingston.He's accused of three counts of first-degree murder, as well as one count each of armed robbery, wearing a disguise with intent, hostage taking using a firearm, possession of an explosive device, endangering life by planting an explosive device and intentional and reckless cause of damage by explosion.His ex-spouse, Sandra Carr, 52, has been charged with obstructing justice and being a party to first-degree murder."A tremendous amount of work has gone into this, not just in the last year," said OPP Insp. Brad Collins during a news conference.He said 50 to 60 officers had been involved in the case over the past year.OPP Insp. Jim Gorry, who was involved in the original investigation of the bank robbery, said investigators got new information in the last year that caused them to focus on the two accused.He said Kingston Police Chief Antje McNeely also worked on the Henrietta Knight homicide case back in 1995.Both Wentworth and Carr are expected to appear in court today.Police said the investigation is still open and more charges and arrests could still be made.
- Rumble
Tropical storms cause Hawaiian ocean to turn completely brown
The recent tropical storms have caused Oahu’s North Shores waters to turn completely brown. Hawaii is known for its beautiful waters but the tropical storms have flooded the beaches and the entire ocean is brown as far as the eye can see.
- NewsCBC
Valentine's Day a fiery reminder for Saskatoon school bus driver
Two years ago, on Valentine's Day, the bus Mareschal was driving went up in flames. On the day of the fire, Mareschal was nearing the end of his route, dropping off kids in the south end of the city. "I thought that was weird," Mareschal recalled.
- NewsReuters
Enbridge 'not surprised' by Minnesota governor's pipeline appeal: CEO
The pipeline passes through Minnesota as it runs from Alberta to Wisconsin. Replacement would allow Enbridge to restore its flow to 760,000 barrels per day. Canadian oil producers say the project is critical to expanding their congested transport options, but some groups in Minnesota say it would harm the environment and indigenous areas.
NewsReutersTelecoms industry calls for Europe-wide network testing regime
The initiative by the GSMA, which represents 800 operators worldwide, comes as the United States steps up pressure on its allies to ban China's Huawei Technologies on national security grounds. "Such significant consequences, intended or not, are entirely avoidable," the GSMA said in a statement issued just over two weeks before it hosts its annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The industry fest, to be attended by more than 100,000 visitors, is also expected to feature a closed-doors discussion of telecoms CEOs of the risks to the industry that would arise if governments boycott Huawei, sources have said.
- NewsCBC
Explore the branches of your family tree at The Rooms
If you always wanted to research your family history, but didn't know where to start, The Rooms wants to help. Last summer, the St. John's museum, art gallery and provincial archives set up a genealogy research kiosk that will help with some basic search functions. "It's been really popular and a lot of our visitors to The Rooms are actually coming to do research," says Melanie Tucker, a reference and access archivist.
- NewsCBC
Missing and murdered Indigenous women march draws 200 on frigid Calgary night
About 200 people braved the cold Thursday night for the annual march to honour missing and murdered women. Chantal Chagnon says that when she organized the march last year, she had hoped the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women would lead to concrete actions on the issue.
- NewsCBC
Rapper 21 Savage says he was 'targeted' in ICE arrest
Rapper 21 Savage says he was "definitely targeted" in his arrest Feb. 3 by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "I was just driving, and I just seen guns and blue lights. And then I was in the back of a car, and I was gone," he said in an interview aired Friday on Good Morning America.The Atlanta-based rapper was giving his first interview since being released on $100,000 bond on Wednesday.He also said that amid the chaos, no one told him why he was being arrested."They didn't say nothing," he said. "They just said, 'We got Savage.'"ICE officials say 21 Savage, whose given name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, is a British national who has overstayed his visa.Came to U.S. as a childHe was brought to the U.S. legally by his mother as a child, but his visa expired in 2006, ICE said."I didn't even know what a visa was," Abraham-Joseph, now 26, said of his arrival at age seven.He said he knew he was born in Britain, but didn't talk about it because he didn't want to get deported. Most fans considered him an Atlanta native.Now he said he's concerned that he might be deported to Britain. He has two children born in the U.S.Watch: 21 Savage interview with Good Morning AmericaHe may also face a 10-year ban from re-entering the U.S. — which could affect the career of the Grammy-nominated artist.His arrest came days after the release of the music video for his song A Lot, which includes lyrics critical of America's immigration policy under President Donald Trump. His lawyers have suggested his arrest was linked to those lyrics. Attorney Alex Spiro said he believes Abraham-Joseph was targeted "because he's both a celebrity and they can use this as a way to send a message and also, perhaps, because of his music."His lawyers have said he applied for a new visa in 2017, and his case remains pending. One of his lawyers, Charles Kuck, said earlier this week that if the case follows the normal trajectory, it could take two to three years.Abraham-Joseph said he believes the way immigration policy is enforced is broken, that he doesn't think people "should be arrested and put in a place where a murderer would be for just being in the country for too long."Savage 21 had thoughts for the people still at the detention centre where he was held. "I feel your pain, and I'm going to do everything in my power to try to bring awareness to your pain," he told Good Morning America.A Black Lives Matter petition requesting that he stay in the U.S. has been signed by close to half a million people.
NewsReutersBritish investigators identify third man in Russian spy poisoning: sources
The sources confirmed a report by the investigative website Bellingcat which on Thursday identified Denis Sergeev, a high-ranking GRU officer and a graduate of Russia’s Military Diplomatic Academy, as the suspect. Skripal, a former officer in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of spies to MI6, and his daughter Yulia, were found slumped unconscious on a bench in the southern city of Salisbury in March 2018 after being poisoned with the Novichok military-grade nerve agent. Last September, British prosecutors charged two Russians - known by the aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov - with attempted murder in their absence.
- NewsCBC
Stuck between a curb and a road, St. John's resident has garbage pickup woes
Patricia Andrews doesn't think she could possibly get her garbage any closer to the curb to get it picked up.
- NewsCBC
Vancouver Coastal Health confirms 'several' cases of measles at Vancouver schools
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has confirmed multiple cases of measles at two French schools in the city of Vancouver. The health authority said there are two lab-confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease at École Secondaire Jules-Verne and another at École Anne-Hébert. Students and staff at the latter school may have been exposed to measles on Jan. 25.
- NewsCBC
Central Alberta girl, 11, recovering after vicious dog attack
Animal services officers for the Town of Sylvan Lake have seized a dog after a brutal attack on an 11-year-old girl. Londyn, who also spoke with CBC News, said she thought she was going to die. Richardson credits two men for saving her daughter after they heard her screaming and subdued the dog.
- NewsCBC
P.E.I. aerospace boosted by government-assisted expansion
The governments of Canada and P.E.I. are helping to fund the creation of new testing equipment for airplane engines for the aerospace industry in Slemon Park, just outside of Summerside. The two levels of government are each providing an equal share in $1 million worth of loans to Slemon Park Corporation to upgrade test cells in its commercial leasing space. "The test cell upgrade we are doing will allow our anchor tenant, StandardAero Summerside, to service and test a new turbo-prop engine series, the PT6A-68," said Slemon Park Corporation President Shawn McCarvill in a news release.
- NewsCBC
School bus tips over on icy road in Inverness County
RCMP say no one was hurt when a school bus carrying more than a dozen students lost control and tipped over an embankment in Inverness County, Cape Breton, on Thursday.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Tirico chosen to host NBC's inaugural Indy 500 coverage
NBC Sports announced Friday that Mike Tirico will anchor the network's inaugural Indianapolis 500 coverage on May 26, giving him his first glimpse at the largest single-day crowd to attend a sporting event anywhere in the world. "I am thrilled to join our team as we cover one of America's iconic sporting events," Tirico said in a statement released by the company. ABC televised the previous 54 races, but this season NBC and NBC Sports Network became the exclusive broadcast partner of the IndyCar Series.
- BBC News
Trump: 'I've signed - now we'll be sued'
President Trump declares a national emergency over the border wall, then acknowledges his order could face legal challenges.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
'Trudeau is just the worst:' Manitoba teacher investigated for insulting P.M.
MIAMI, Man. — A rural Manitoba school division says it is investigating after a gym teacher posted a photo to Facebook showing him holding a sign insulting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.The photo was taken after an event attended by Conservative MP Candice Bergen at the kindergarten to Grade 12 school in Miami, Man.In an interview with CTV Winnipeg, physical education teacher Brent Unrau says he asked for a photo with Bergen and in it, the two hold signs that together read: "Trudeau is just the worst."Unrau says in hindsight he should not have posted the photo and he removed it from social media three hours later.He says he doesn't consider himself political and he was not trying to push a political agenda on any students.The Prairie Rose School Division says it is investigating the posting."This interaction occurred after the planned events and was an unscheduled meeting/interaction," reads a statement from the division. "The posting does not reflect the views of the division and the division does not condone this type of political partisanship."Bergen also posted the photo to her Instagram and detailed what happened.In the post, the MP says a "constituent" asked her to hold a sign with his feelings about Trudeau and that she agreed because "a lot of people feel the same way you do Brent!”Bergen's Instagram post has since been deleted.Area residents are split on the matter.Tina Waldner, whose children all go to Miami School, says that while the post surprised her, she found it funny."I kind of chuckled at first. I mean a lot of us maybe carry the same opinion. It was just pretty bold," Waldner says.But Kerri Wiebe, who attended Miami School growing up, reached out to the school division after seeing the post. She says a teacher should be non-partisan and should not endorse any political candidate on school grounds."As an MP she should be setting an example for children, and doing this childish name calling in a school — she should have known better," Wiebe says.Miami is about 115 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg. (CTV Winnipeg) The Canadian Press
