|
Written by Hanna Lee Copy Editor, Digital News
|
|
|
|
Good morning. Based on early polling, the U.S. midterms are not looking good for the Republicans — we'll get into that below, as well as how NATO is preparing for a possible Russian attack, and what's behind the student protests roiling France.
But first, a Canadian poet and writer has scored a major prize.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
|
|
Canada's Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in Literature
|
|
|
Canadian poet and writer Anne Carson has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy in Stockholm said this morning.
Carson, 76, was recognized for "her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature," the award-giving body said.
Carson's work often blends verse, prose, dialogue and translation in a genre-defying mix. She is widely known for her translations of classical Greek literature, an influence that runs through her work, which ranges from opera libretti to literary criticism and verse novels, such as 1998's Autobiography of Red.
The academy said it had made contact with the Toronto-born Carson, who is in Iceland presently, and that she was surprised by the honour.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FEATURED STORIES
|
|
|
|
(Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
|
|
|
The Democrats are surging. Here's the data that has Trump's Republicans spooked
|
|
|
If early polling is to be believed, the upcoming U.S. midterms could be something of a bloodbath for President Donald Trump's Republicans.
What's happening: The Democrats are poised to make major gains among voters who only two years ago would have never given the party a chance, according to multiple polls. Many voters appear to be souring on Trump, who returned to office on the promises of lower prices and no more foreign wars — but has thus far failed to deliver on either pledge, with tariffs and the ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine driving up prices.
Why it matters: Not all is lost for Trump, who is still hugely popular among his MAGA base. But the Republicans must urgently address what one strategist called the "enthusiasm gap," where Democratic voters are much more motivated this year to turn out in the polls than their Republican counterparts. Still, the Republicans have a massive fundraising advantage, with Trump alone sitting on a $400-million US campaign war chest that he can deploy in the campaign's closing weeks. And he's defied the odds before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How NATO is prepping in the Baltic skies for a possible confrontation with Russia
|
|
|
To prove its readiness for a potential Russian attack, NATO recently invited a small group of media, including CBC News, to witness the air shield over the Baltic states.
What's happening: Journalists were shown a dizzying, close-up view of Italian Eurofighters, Spanish F-18s and Turkish fighter jets flying wing to wing. Such tight formations are a visual manifestation of a deeper, more profound shift in how the alliance secures its eastern flank — moving from an air policing mission to an air defence mission, explained the officer who commands the air operations.
Why it matters: Many NATO military planners don't believe Russia will deliberately start a war with the Western alliance. But if something like that were to happen, the Baltic states could be vulnerable — and the group is preparing. So, too, are those nations; Latvia, for example, is constructing a "drone wall" along its heavily forested eastern border, meant to detect and intercept hostile drones. Building a flawless shield is mathematically impossible, NATO planners admit. But the threat of Russian drones is "being taken care of," said Airis Rikveilis, with the Latvian Defence Ministry.
|
|
|
|
| | | |
