Canada's New Prime Minister Takes Aim At Trump

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In Today’s Brief

• White House: Shooting incident

• Romania: Candidate booted

• Utah: Voting bill

• Virgin: Chunnel plans

• NFL: Big contracts

... and more

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Top Tips

1) A new foil

Mark Carney is Canada's Prime Minister-elect.

• The news: Carney won the Liberal Party's leadership contest last night and will replace outgoing PM Justin Trudeau. The economist has never held elected office, but he ran the Bank of Canada from 2008-13 and helmed the Bank of England from 2013-20, managing the Brexit process.

• The message: Carney took a hard line against President Donald Trump in his acceptance speech, who he accused of "attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses" with his trade policies and annexation taunts. Carney said Canada can no longer trust the U.S. and would maintain retaliatory tariffs until it is treated with respect. But he also vowed to secure Canada's borders, a potential olive branch to Trump.

• Murky future: The Conservative Party was on the road to a landslide election victory when Trudeau announced his resignation in January. And the Liberals were in danger of being surpassed by the left-wing New Democratic Party. ButTrump's actions have almost single-handedly revived the Liberals; some polls suggest they are virtually tied with the Tories now.

• Next steps: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will likely make another bid to force a snap election with a parliamentary non-confidence vote and push up the vote scheduled for this fall. But there is now also a chance Carney will call an election himself in an effort to capitalize on his party's stunning momentum.

2) Middle East upheaval

Syria's fledgling government faces a serious challenge.

• The news: Fatal clashes have broken out between security forces and loyalists of Bashar al-Assad, the country's ousted dictator. There was also a rash of revenge killings. A United Kingdom-based monitoring group said over 1K people have been killed, including over 700 civilians.

• The reports: Members of the Alawites -- the Muslim minority sect Assad belongs to -- have allegedly been targeted by Sunni Muslim gunmen and government forces. There were also claims of looting and homes being set on fire; Alawites have generally faced persecution since Assad fell.

• Big picture: Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa -- who led the rebel effort that toppled Assad -- called for peace and national unity. He also claimed the violence is "within the expected challenges." His ability to stop the bloodshed and punish those responsible will likely be critical to his push to gain Western support.

3) The tragic timeline

Gene Hackman's apparent cause of death was disclosed.

• Catch up: The Academy Award-winning actor, 95, and his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead at their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Feb. 26. A family dog was also found dead. Police said they did not suspect foul play,but considered the deaths to be suspicious.

• The news: Officials said they believe Hackman died around Feb. 18 after his wife died days earlier. Hackman died of natural causes; he had advanced Alzheimer's disease and heart disease. Cops believe Arakawa died around Feb. 11, so Hackman was alone for a week. Officials said he had not eaten at the time of death but was not dehydrated.

• More details: Police said Arakawa died from illness caused by hantavirus, which is spread by contract to rodent excrement. The virus can be fast-hitting and fatal. Police are still waiting on toxicology reports for the dog as well as data from the deceased's cell phones.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• An Indiana man was shot by the Secret Service near the White House yesterday after an armed confrontation. The incident occurred right after midnight; the suspect was reportedly suicidal and his condition was unknown (More)

• The State Department is reportedly trying to revoke the green card of a Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University's Gaza protests The man's attorney said he was arrested by ICE days after the Trump Administration canceled $400M in federal funding to the Ivy League school, citing alleged campus antisemitism (More)

• Florida police arrested a man who spent almost 40 years at large after a Puerto Rican prison break. Jorge Milla-Valdes was apprehended in Lee County after living under a different name; cops said he had a criminal record in the state after fleeing the U.S. territory (More)

World News

• Romania barred far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from its presidential election re-do. The populist won the first round of voting last year, but the NATO member's high court tossed the results due to alleged Russian meddling; the decision has sparked clashes between cops and protesters (More)

• Israel cut off electricity to Gaza after previously halting aid deliveries into the enclave. The move comes as the Israelis and U.S. work to pressure Hamas to release more hostages and extend a ceasefire deal (More)

• Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from prison. He still faces an insurrection trial over his failed martial law decree last year; he remains suspended from office but has not yet been formally removed (More)

Political News

• Utah may end its universal mail-in voting system. A bill requiring voters to opt in to mail ballots is on Gov. Spencer Cox's desk; the legislation would also establish voter ID regulations for in-person voting (More)

• Ex-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has a slight lead in early 2026 Michigan Senate polling. A recent survey gives him a 46-44 edge over former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers; the Democrat moved to the state in 2022 after serving as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana (More)

• New York City Mayor Eric Adams' corruption case should dismissed with prejudice, according to an attorney appointed by a federal judge. The recommendation said the Justice Department should not have the ability to re-charge Adams for myriad reasons; Judge Dale Ho could still refuse to accept the DOJ motion (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed higher on Friday. President Trump would not rule out a recession during an interview discussing his economic policies (Dow +0.52%, Nasdaq +0.71%, S&P 500 +0.56% | More).

• Virgin Group plans to launch train services crossing the English Channel. The firm is aiming to raise $900M to establish service from London to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris and establish a competitor to Eurostar (More)

• 7-Eleven's Japanese parent company named Stephen Dacus as its new CEO. Seven & i Holdings is in talks over a $47B takeover offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard, a Canadian firm that controls Circle-K; a tie-up of the convenience store chains would face significant regulatory hurdles (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• The Buffalo Bills signed reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen to a record-setting contract extension with a record $250M in guaranteed money. The Cleveland Browns gave pass rusher Myles Garrett the biggest non-QB deal in league history after he demanded a trade (More | More)

• Audacy laid off about 200 employees. The struggling radio and podcast company filed for bankruptcy last year; it is the nation's second-largest radio network and has over 230 stations in 47 states (More)

• Eddie George is Bowling Green's new head football coach. The College Football Hall of Famer won the Heisman Trophy for Ohio State in 1997 and starred for the NFL's Tennessee Titans; he coached Tennessee State for four years (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: A monkey saw a magic trick. His epic reaction is something you must see.

• Take Note: Spring is right around the corner, which means allergy season is already here in some parts of the country. There are many changes you can make right now to mitigate symptoms. 

• Go Deep: Many online scams emanate from brutal compounds in Southeast Asia. The people who perpetrate them are often also victims.

• Click Play: YouTube is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The video-sharing platform has changed a great dealabout how the world interacts.

• Life Hack: Everyone's earbuds get dirty. Here are some tips on how to clean out the gunk.

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Looking Ahead …

Wendy's has offered its popular Frosty ice cream treat the same way -- chocolate or vanilla -- for decades. The fast food chain will now spice things up later this year and allow customers to add various sauces and toppings.

Question of the Day

Last week’s results:

Trivia: Where is the last remaining open Blockbuster location?

It is located in Bend, Oregon.