TikTok’s algorithm to be licensed to US joint venture led by Oracle and Silver Lake

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tech giant Oracle will spearhead U.S. oversight of the algorithm and security underlying TikTok's popular video platform under the terms of a deal laid out this week by President Donald Trump's administration.

All the final details still need to be nailed down among several joint venture partners that will include Oracle, investment firm Silver Lake Partners and possibly two billionaires — media mogul Rupert Murdoch and personal computer pioneer Michael Dell. The U.S. administration would not have a stake in the joint venture nor be part of its board, according to a senior White House official.

President Trump is expected to issue an executive order later this week that declares that the terms of the deal meet the security concerns laid out by the law, the senior White House official said. China still needs to sign off on the framework proposal, and any final deal would still require regulatory approval.

The proposal is aimed at resolving a long-running effort to wrest TikTok's U.S. operations from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, because of national security concerns. TikTok has become a high-profile topic during conversations between Trump and China President Xi Jinping as they continue to spar in a trade war that's roiled the global economy for much of the year.

Bail reform as an approach to crime reduction

For the last several months, a conversation about modifying our bail system in unspecified ways, with the express goal of increasing public safety, has taken hold. Usually, a specific case of an accused person allegedly committing a new offence while on bail is at the centre of the argument.

Canadians have enjoyed the rights guaranteed to them by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms since 1982. Included in the charter are rights related to freedom of expression, freedom of movement and several legal rights. The legal rights that are engaged in the conversation about bail reform are the right to be presumed innocent and the right to reasonable bail. These rights are intertwined.

Typically, we do not punish individuals who have not been found guilty of a crime. Accused people should have their day in court prior to having their freedom taken away. Release pending trial is the rule, detention is the exception.

Detention is warranted when detention is necessary on one or more of three grounds: to ensure the accused attends court, where the detention is necessary for the safety of the public, and/or where the detention is necessary to maintain confidence in the administration of justice.

Read and research, before engaging your rage

It looked like Liberal arrogance of the first degree, deliberately blowing off a meeting of a major Parliamentary committee.

Conservative MP Larry Brock on X: “UNBELIEVABLE. Parliament is back, but Liberal members of the Justice Committee are MISSING IN ACTION. Crime is out of control, Canadians are terrified, but Conservatives are ready to restore safety to our streets.”

Ditto, Conservative MP Roman Babar: “It’s 3:30 pm on a Tuesday. The Standing Committee on Justice is supposed to be meeting right now. Crime is out of control and justice reform is desperately needed. The Committee’s Conservative members are ready to work, but Liberal members refuse to show up. Unbelievable!”

You get the point. Problem is, there was no meeting. No staff. No translators. Just four Conservative MPs.

Donald Trump and his Venezuelan gambit

Whatever this is, it is not a replay of Operation Just Cause — otherwise known as the December 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.

It’s hard to know for sure what U.S. President Donald Trump is up to with respect to his current naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea. Perhaps it is about looking tough against the illegal drug trade. He also wants to send a pointed signal to left-leaning Venezuela and any other country that gets on the wrong side of the Trump White House.

But I’m not convinced that official Washington is plotting to invade Venezuela over issues and allegations swirling around narco-trafficking, gangs and terrorist activities. Remember, Trump came close to pulling the trigger on the Nicolás Maduro government in April 2019 and then had second thoughts — much to the chagrin of then-national security adviser John Bolton.

It is true that the Trump administration is putting on a pretty good show for those who are paying attention. Deploying a flotilla of naval ships (and one nuclear submarine) of various capabilities is not an insignificant display of military prowess — not to mention some 4,500 armed military types (including 2,200 U.S. Marines). But, as I said, this is largely for show.

Winnipeg vigil for Kirk draws 2,000 mourners

About 2,000 people held a vigil Tuesday evening to remember American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death last week as he spoke to university students in Utah.

They gathered at the steps of the Manitoba legislature, holding lit candles and posters bearing Kirk’s name and photo. Several attendees wore T-shirts with the slogan “We are all Charlie Kirk now.”

Several speakers discussed Kirk and his imprint on U.S. politics; some recited Bible verses, including Collin Watson, who opened the night with a prayer and referred to Kirk as a martyr.

“We should all use Charlie as an example as how to discuss things with people we disagree with,” he told the crowd.

Kinew’s tolerance for Fontaine’s antics could set dangerous precedent for others in cabinet

What exactly does someone have to do to get fired from Premier Wab Kinew’s cabinet?

That question was left hanging in the air following the latest missteps by Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, who drew a rebuke from Kinew and public criticism for sharing a social media post criticizing far-right activist Charlie Kirk following his assassination in Utah last week.

Kinew said he spoke directly with Fontaine and asked her to apologize. For now, she will remain in cabinet.

“It would be too easy to show her the door,” Kinew said. “It is a much harder task to say we’re going to work through this together and I am going to try to help you understand why we need to bring people together and not divide people at this time.”

New St. B ER great, but where are all the doctors to staff it?

When governments announce a major hospital expansion, it’s usually billed as a silver bullet solution to long wait times and overcrowding.

The latest example is St. Boniface Hospital’s newly expanded and renovated emergency department, expected to open officially on Oct. 2. (It was supposed to open next week, but there’s been a delay).

On paper, it looks impressive: more treatment spaces, updated facilities, a modern design intended to improve patient experience.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the facelift won’t do much — if anything — to cut ER wait times. If history is any guide, the experience for patients at St. Boniface will look remarkably similar to what it’s been for years — hours-long waits, gurneys lined up in hallways and admitted patients languishing in the emergency department because there’s no staffed hospital bed to move them into.

Letting the Millennium Library be what it can be

After yet another underwhelming response to a tragic incident, it’s fair to ask whether the City of Winnipeg wants to keep the Millennium Library open.

One man killed himself by jumping over the railing of the fourth floor of the Millennium Library — a railing that overlooks a spectacular glass wall and atrium that runs all the way to the main level — and another attempted a similar act of self harm. The city responded by installing foreboding metal construction fencing near the railings.

The city says the fencing is only a temporary measure until a more permanent safety solution can be found.

However, based on the fact the city has failed miserably to deliver meaningful safety upgrades at Millennium, one has to wonder whether that solution will ever come.

Manitoba cabinet briefing on landfill search for murder victims not being released

WINNIPEG - A report that could shed more light on why Manitoba's former Progressive Conservative government rejected calls to search a landfill for the remains of two murder victims is being withheld under the province's freedom of information law.

Records obtained by The Canadian Press show senior bureaucrats assembled a presentation for cabinet ministers on a potential search in the weeks before the government decided not to proceed with the idea in 2023.

The contents of that presentation — a 13-page digital slide deck that would reveal for the first time what civil servants told politicians — are not being released under Manitoba's freedom of information law, which one expert says is among the most secretive in the country.

Families of the victims and Indigenous leaders had called on the government of the time to search the Prairie Green landfill, a private operation north of Winnipeg, for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.

Premier, chiefs question lack of Manitoba First Nation voice on major project council

Premier Wab Kinew and chiefs across the province have raised concerns that no Manitoba First Nation representative was appointed to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Indigenous advisory council for major projects.

“I think it is a missed opportunity,” Kinew said after the list of advisers was announced Thursday.

“The First Nations have to be given that opportunity to engage,” the premier said.

On Thursday, Carney unveiled the first five major projects of national importance that his government plans to fast-track through the approvals process, as well as the Indigenous council he appointed to offer advice.

Neighbours complain of crime, drugs, trash near supportive housing units

Residents and business owners say they’re concerned supportive housing complexes for the homeless are bringing further crime and drug use to their neighbourhoods.

Main Street Project, which operates a pair of supportive housing buildings in the West End, has initiated an “action plan” after receiving repeated complaints about drug use, reckless behaviour and litter near the buildings.

Two housing units at 777 Sargent Ave. and 583 Furby St., which are run by Main Street Project under the province’s Your Way Home strategy, are guided by plans that aim to “promote safety for residents, staff and neighbours.”

Executive director Jamil Mahmood said he received complaints from Coun. Cindy Gilroy and several residents and businesses that prompted the acceleration of the strategy.

Kinew stands by cabinet minister dogged by controversy

Premier Wab Kinew says he won’t remove a cabinet minister over a social-media post she shared that slammed American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk following his assassination on a university campus Wednesday.

Nahanni Fontaine, who recently had to apologize over her criticism that an ASL interpreter had shared a stage with her and blocked her view of the audience, will remain families minister, the premier said Friday.

“It would be too easy to show her the door,” Kinew said, adding he doesn’t believe in cancel culture. “People need to be brought along and shown… we need to be showing empathy and compassion to people even when we don’t agree with them.”

Kinew said he spoke to Fontaine earlier in the day and asked her to apologize after she shared another person’s post on Instagram one day earlier that said: “Charlie Kirk was a racist, xenophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, sexist, white nationalist mouthpiece who made millions of dollars inciting hatred in this country.”

Mayor to launch weekly bulletin on bail offenders

Mayor Scott Gillingham has announced he will launch a weekly “repeat offender bulletin” to pressure the federal government to reform laws that govern the bail system.

“This is about the safety of Winnipeg. It’s about Winnipeggers who are tired and fed up with all the crime going on committed by repeat offenders,” he said.

The bulletin will “highlight local examples of habitual offenders and their impact on safety in Winnipeg” without naming them, the mayor said.

“We can talk about calls for bail reform… but by giving real examples of real individuals, it shows where the system, in my mind, is broken and needs to be changed.”

Mom of inmate who died from overdose files lawsuit

The mother of a Stony Mountain inmate who overdosed has filed a lawsuit that alleges his death was caused by the deterioration of his mental health after he was placed in isolation following a deadly riot weeks earlier.

Ricardo Pereira, 23, was serving an eight-year sentence for break-and-enter and aggravated assault, among other offences, when he overdosed on methadone in the federal prison north of Winnipeg on Sept. 5, 2023.

Dawna La Rose filed a lawsuit this month on behalf of her son’s estate in which she names the Correctional Services of Canada and the federal attorney general as defendants. Neither defendant has responded in court.

“In the time leading up to Ricardo’s death and ongoing to the present, (Stony Mountain) had been in the throes of a long period of violence, contraband and several inmate deaths,” the lawsuit says.

Federal government says emails, phone numbers accessed in cyberattack

OTTAWA - The federal government says individuals' email addresses and phone numbers associated with Canada Revenue Agency, Employment and Social Development Canada and Canada Border Services Agency accounts were accessed in a cyberattack.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat says the government was alerted to the cyber incident on Aug. 17 by 2Keys Corporation, the provider of a multi-factor authentication application used for the accounts.

The government says 2Keys Corporation discovered the incident, promptly informed the government and launched an investigation, which is being conducted with external cybersecurity experts.

Treasury Board says a routine software update caused a "vulnerability" that allowed a malicious actor to access phone numbers associated with CRA and ESDC accounts, and email addresses associated with CBSA accounts, linked to people who used the authentication service between Aug. 3 and Aug. 15.

Impact of cyberattack on Nova Scotia Power could be bigger than first thought

HALIFAX - Nova Scotia’s largest electric utility says the impact of a sophisticated cyberattack in March could be much broader than first thought.

Nova Scotia Power said in May that about half of its customers — 277,000 ratepayers — may have had personal information stolen by hackers. But the privately owned utility is now saying all of its customers may be affected in some way.

The new information comes from a Nova Scotia Power report submitted last week to the independent Nova Scotia Energy Board, which is investigating the cybersecurity breach.

“This investigation is ongoing and has been complex given the severe nature of the cyberattack," the report says. "It remains possible that all of the company’s customers may have been impacted by the cyberattack."

Protests against Nepal’s social-media ban grow more violent as demonstrators set buildings on fire

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Protests against Nepal’s short-lived ban on social media grew increasingly violent Tuesday as demonstrators set government buildings and politicians’ homes on fire and attacked some leaders. The prime minister resigned amid widening criticism of the country’s political elite.

The resignation appeared to have little effect on the unrest. Tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets late in the day, blocking roads and storming government facilities. Army helicopters ferried some ministers to safe places.

A day earlier, demonstrations led by young people angry about the blocking of several social media sites gripped the capital, and police opened fire on the crowds, killing 19 people.

The ban was lifted Tuesday, but the protests continued, fueled by rage over the deaths and accusations of political corruption in the nation wedged between China and India.

Trump celebrates West Point alumni group canceling award ceremony to honor Tom Hanks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump celebrated news on Monday that an alumni group from West Point canceled an award ceremony set to honor Tom Hanks, with the president calling the famous actor “destructive” and “WOKE.”

Hanks was scheduled to receive the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award on Sept. 25, but the U.S. Military Academy's alumni association canceled the ceremony last week, according to news reports.

“Important move!” Trump said in a post on his social media network Monday. “We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice.”

West Point, its alumni association and a representative for Hanks did not immediately respond to messages and calls seeking comment Monday.

Province gives businesses loan guarantees amid tariffs

Manitoba’s response to the U.S. waging economic war on Canada includes tens of millions of dollars in loan guarantees to companies to protect and create jobs in the province.

Last month, the provincial cabinet ordered a $15-million loan guarantee requested by Lexington Real Estate Holdings Ltd., which owns Palliser Furniture, but didn't put out a news release to announce it. A spokesperson said it wasn’t announced because of a communication blackout during the Spruce Woods byelection.

“We know that the tariffs that Donald Trump has put on have hurt Canadian companies right across the country,” said Jamie Moses, minister responsible for trade and job creation.

“Here in Manitoba, we work with businesses to make sure that we can support workers and support having good jobs here.”

Great potential in Churchill port project — but…

Prime Minister Mark Carney, seeking to bolster Canadian economic power at a time when its closest ally and trading partner is becoming increasingly hostile, wants to get started on some nation-building projects. Among them, he has indicated, is one to make some serious upgrades to Churchill’s port, funding for which is expected to be announced soon.

‘We’re here for you’, agriculture minister tells farmers

The federal agriculture minister and his Manitoba counterpart tried to offer comfort Sunday to canola producers and other farmers roiled by massive tariffs from China and other economic uncertainty.

Liberal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said in Winnipeg on Sunday a new $370-million in support meant to ease the pain in the canola industry, which was announced Friday by Prime Minister Mark Carney, is “just a start.”

“I know you’re stressed, you need to make business decisions, this is your livelihood and what you’re hoping to pass on to the next generation… when the time comes,” said MacDonald. “We’re here for you.”

MacDonald made the comments ahead of an annual meeting of federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers, which runs through Tuesday in Winnipeg, where trade uncertainty is expected to largely top the agenda.