Debate and classroom discussion topics

Please review each article prior to use: grade-level applicability and curricular alignment might not be obvious from the headline alone.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel addresses Cuban Communist Party delegates in 2022 after his installation as party leader and national president.

Canada being side-swiped by Trump’s Cuba policy

Peter McKenna 5 minute read Preview

Canada being side-swiped by Trump’s Cuba policy

Peter McKenna 5 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Canada’s decades-long relationship with revolutionary Cuba has always been a three-country affair — with the United States frequently settling for the spurned third-wheel.

Since the early 1960s, successive U.S. governments have strenuously objected to Canadian trade and commercial engagement with the island. Officials in Washington have always believed that the Canadians were trying to make a “quick buck” at America’s expense, while simultaneously seeking to undermine the U.S. blockade of Cuba.

For almost 70 years now, Canada has had to negotiate the thorny issue of the U.S. trade embargo. Added to that was the anti-Cuba Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 and the still active 1996 Helms-Burton Law. Complicating matters further for Ottawa have been the various additions and subtractions to the unrelenting U.S. efforts to strangle the Cuban economy — particularly during the presidency of Barack Obama.

In January, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a near-ironclad (some Russian oil is getting through), illegal fuel embargo against Cuba, using American naval vessels and U.S. Coast Guard ships. Additionally, he signed an executive order in early May to expand U.S. economic warfare, or what some call “secondary sanctions,” against those materially assisting the Cuban government.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026
President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's policy conference at the Washington Hilton, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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A Trump commission urges ‘bridges’ between church and state in sweeping draft report

Peter Smith, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview
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A Trump commission urges ‘bridges’ between church and state in sweeping draft report

Peter Smith, The Associated Press 7 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

A new report by a Trump administration commission suggests replacing the idea of separating church and state with the idea of building bridges between them.

The assertion — challenging a longstanding concept in American law — comes amid a raft of recommendations in a draft report of the Religious Liberty Commission, released Friday afternoon.

The advisory body was created by President Donald Trump last year and filled almost entirely by conservative Christians. The 224-page draft report — part policy document, part philosophical argument — echoes members' support for a stronger role for religion and religious expression in government, schools and the public square.

The report applauds recent Supreme Court decisions expanding rights to religious expression in public settings, such as creating opt-outs for religious objections to school lessons.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026
FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cellphone with an image on a computer monitor generated by ChatGPT's Dall-E text-to-image model, Dec. 8, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

OpenAI and Anthropic limit new AI models to Trump-approved customers during cybersecurity review

Matt O'brien, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

OpenAI and Anthropic limit new AI models to Trump-approved customers during cybersecurity review

Matt O'brien, The Associated Press 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said Friday it is restricting the release of its new artificial intelligence model at the request of President Donald Trump’s administration, the latest in an unprecedented government vetting of AI products for cybersecurity risks.

Its chief rival, Anthropic, announced hours later that the Trump administration has approved a limited release of its strongest cybersecurity model, two weeks after the U.S. Commerce Department effectively banned it.

Both companies said their newest models would be available to small groups of trusted partners. OpenAI said its new AI product, called GPT-5.6 Sol, would be accessible only to customers approved by the Trump administration.

“We don’t believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default,” OpenAI said in a statement. The company said it viewed the testing period as a temporary step on the “path to broader availability in the coming weeks.”

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026
The city’s cost estimate for the youth transit program includes $12.6 million in lost fare revenue and extra operating costs. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)

Transit says it’s short $6.5M to provide free rides for youth year round

Joyanne Pursaga 6 minute read Preview

Transit says it’s short $6.5M to provide free rides for youth year round

Joyanne Pursaga 6 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

Winnipeg Transit has proposed to let youth ride buses for free for only seven months, stating the $10 million the provincial government provided for a year of that service won’t cover the entire cost.

In a new report, Transit says the program, which is meant to offer no-cost rides to youth aged 11 to 17 and high school students aged 18 to 21, would cost at least $16.5 million to implement for 12 months.

The program stems from the pledge in the province’s 2026-27 budget to invest “in free transit for kids and youth.”

Instead of exceeding the amount of government funding, Transit proposes to offer the free rides from September to March 2027, pending city council approval.

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Friday, Jun. 26, 2026
Young people use their phones to view social media in Sydney, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
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Most Canadian teens have seen violence, gore online: survey

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview
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Most Canadian teens have seen violence, gore online: survey

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2026

As Canada edges toward legislation meant to protect youths online, a new survey suggests most teens in the country have encountered real violence or gore on the internet.

Eighty-five per cent of the 1,007 teens who participated in an online survey in January commissioned by scholarly organization DIY: Digital Safety and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, reported seeing either form of brutality online.

More than 70 per cent had seen videos of physical fights, 65 per cent had viewed police violence, and 52 per cent watched someone being injured or killed in a war. Ten per cent reported seeing child sexual abuse material.

Half of respondents said they had watched footage of late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk being assassinated on stage at Utah Valley University last September, while 33 per cent had viewed mass or school shooting videos.

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Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2026
FILE - Three boys use their phones while sitting outside a school in Sydney, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)

Australia plans to strengthen laws banning children from social media

Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Australia plans to strengthen laws banning children from social media

Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government plans to strengthen laws that ban children younger than 16 from social media platforms, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Observers said on Friday the government was responding to evidence that the ban on young children holding accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube had failed since it came into force on Dec. 10 last year. Australia was the first country in the world to pass legislation keeping youth off social media, but others have since followed.

Albanese told Parliament on Thursday this government was considering options to strengthen the ban.

“We’re working on that as a priority because this is something that other generations didn’t have to deal with, which is why it’s complex,” Albanese told Parliament.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Manitoba misses mark in creating inclusive classrooms

Sherry Gott 4 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

THE United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes that all children have the right to an education that helps them reach their full potential. It should develop their personalities, talents and mental and physical abilities. Actualizing these rights in the classroom, however, is not as easy in practice.

Every classroom includes learners with different strengths, challenges, identities and experiences. Some students are especially gifted while others have medical needs, require accommodations or manage complex issues that require additional, individualized support.

Under Manitoba’s appropriate educational programming legislation, students are entitled to educational programming that meaningfully supports both their academic and social lives. However, the number of students in Manitoba who require complex support in the classroom surpasses the number of resources teachers currently have available.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society recently surveyed 3,400 Manitoba teachers about these gaps. Seventy-eight per cent said students are not getting needed support and 63 per cent reported fewer educational assistants. Eighty-one per cent identified class size, complexity and lack of support as top issues — citing an increase in students with complex needs within the last five years. Today, nearly half of teachers have six or more students with complex needs, a sharp rise from previous years.

A worker drinks water as he sets up a stage for the upcoming Ironman triathlon, Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Europe’s extreme heat would be impossible without climate change, scientists say

Alexa St. John, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Europe’s extreme heat would be impossible without climate change, scientists say

Alexa St. John, The Associated Press 5 minute read Sunday, Jun. 28, 2026

The record-breaking heat that's scorching Europe day and night this month would not have been possible without climate change, according to a new study.

The World Weather Attribution rapid study released Friday found that the heat would have been virtually impossible just five decades ago, and is 200 times more likely today than it would have been 20 years ago.

Millions in France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe are experiencing extreme temperatures and humidity this week associated with a heat dome. Daytime temperatures have topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in many places, while high nighttime temperatures have also made it harder to cool down and recover.

The scientists estimated that a heat wave with similar characteristics occurring in the climate of June 1976 would have been about 3.5 degrees Celsius (6.3 Fahrenheit) cooler during the day and about 2 degrees Celsius cooler (3.6 Fahrenheit) in 2003. The nighttime temperatures would have been about 2.4 degrees Celsius (4.3 Fahrenheit) cooler in June 1976 and about 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) cooler in 2003.

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Sunday, Jun. 28, 2026
A Bible and Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy sit on the desk of State Board of Education member LJ Francis during a meeting on proposed social studies standards at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
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Bible stories are approved as required reading in Texas public schools

Jamie Stengle And John Hanna, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview
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Bible stories are approved as required reading in Texas public schools

Jamie Stengle And John Hanna, The Associated Press 5 minute read Monday, Jun. 29, 2026

DALLAS (AP) — Texas' education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible stories, widening conservative efforts to bring Christian teachings into U.S. classrooms.

The state-mandated list of assigned reading — which includes Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” and excerpts from the New Testament — appeared to be among the first of its kind of the nation and will take effect starting in 2030.

The State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list on a 9-5 vote following weeks of contentious debate that again put Texas at the center of wrangling over the role of religion in public schools. Last year, Texas became the largest state to require teachers to hang the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

The board this week was also considering new social studies curriculum that draws lines between Bible stories and American history.

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Monday, Jun. 29, 2026
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS West Kildonan Collegiate student vapes in Winnipeg, Monday, September 26, 2022. The school has sent out letters to students saying they will be disciplined if found vaping. Re: macintosh
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Growing number of Manitoba youths are addicted to vaping

Zoe Pierce 11 minute read Preview
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Growing number of Manitoba youths are addicted to vaping

Zoe Pierce 11 minute read Thursday, Jun. 25, 2026

A few minutes after the final classes of the day end at Grant Park High School on a recent afternoon, students stream out of the building, headed in myriad directions.

At the railing outside the front doors, several teens stop to vape.

Classmates and teachers walk past without a second glance. Behaviour that once might have raised eyebrows now barely registers.

For many Manitoba teens, vaping — using a battery-powered device to heat flavoured “juice,” most often containing highly addictive nicotine, into an inhalable vapour — is a habit deeply woven into their daily lives.

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Thursday, Jun. 25, 2026