Good morning. Prime Minister Mark Carney is again diverging from his predecessor and appointing some members to the Senate with highly partisan pasts. We'll get into that below, as well as how liquid biopsies could revolutionize cancer monitoring and Canada's role in heading to the moon for good.
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(Filip Singer/The Associated Press)
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Trump says interim deal with Iran is over after both sides exchange fire
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the interim peace deal with Iran was "over."
What's happening: Speaking at the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said the memorandum of understanding — reached last month in an effort to permanently end the war — was "over," and that it was a "waste of time" dealing with Tehran. This followed a flare-up of hostilities that saw both sides exchange fire, and blame, around the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters: The fresh round of attacks pushed oil prices to a two-week high and Trump's comments marked his latest change in tone about Iran. The U.S. president said last month the new Iranian leaders are "far less radicalized" than their predecessors, and that the new Iranian supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has "a very good reputation" in "some circles."
– This section compiled by Sean Davidson |
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FEATURED STORIES
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(Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
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Carney starts to leave his mark on the Senate
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More than a decade ago, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau set out to form a more independent Senate. Now, Prime Minister Mark Carney is putting his own stamp on it.
What's happening: Carney's recent appointments raise at least the spectre of a return to the partisan Senate of the past. Two of his first four appointees have notably partisan backgrounds; one is an influential Liberal strategist (and, incidentally, childhood friend of Trudeau), while the other was a Conservative MP — at least until the Tuesday morning of his appointment. Nonetheless, both will sit as Independents for now.
What else: The Carney government is also removing the criterion set up by Trudeau for senators to be nonpartisan. But it's unclear what that will look like in practice. Trudeau himself never fully banned anyone who had ever participated in partisan politics, for example. The Senate is meant to act as a check on the government, and making it more partisan again risks its reputation (if it has indeed improved over the last decade). But much depends on what Carney does next.
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How Canadian researchers are using 'liquid biopsies' to find traces of tumours left after cancer treatment
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Researchers are using a new method to find out whether a person's cancer has been cured: the liquid biopsy, which uses simple blood tests to find tumour DNA traces that can't be found with traditional scans.
What's happening: A team at the University Health Network in Toronto is launching a massive clinical trial to figure out how to use the technology in routine patient care. More than 7,000 patients — those who have already undergone traditional treatments for cancer — will be given liquid biopsies for five years.
Why it matters: Liquid biopsies could revolutionize how clinicians monitor cancers, potentially sparing cancer survivors from having to undergo costly, invasive treatments. But few Canadians have access to them, as they are largely confined to clinical trials or pricey private clinics. Still, the tests aren't perfect — they can produce false results, while some researchers worry the method may take an emotional toll on some patients.
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