Transport Canada reduced to on-call Arctic surveillance this summer, documents show

.Transport Canada scaled back its summertime surveillance of the Arctic this year for pollution, endangered whale protection and marine safety, adopting a "reactive posture" that only deploys aircraft when there's an operational necessity. The decision comes despite increased geopolitical concerns about Chinese and Russian activity in the region and five years after the department promised to deploy surveillance drones. The reduction was attributed to pilot overtime restrictions, delays in acquiring planned drone technology, and the breakdown of an older Dash 7 aircraft that had been conducting regular Arctic patrols for the past 20 years. Arctic experts criticized the timing, noting increased maritime traffic and the strategic importance of the region for Canadian sovereignty.

 

Canada should be ready for 'generational investment,' Champagne says ahead of budget

. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says Canada should prepare for a "generational investment" as the federal government prepares its next budget, set to be presented in early November. Champagne compared the moment to 1945, arguing that Canada needs to reinvent itself and make investments to become less dependent on the United States, which still maintains tariffs on Canadian goods. The budget is expected to be costly and will require support from other parties in the minority Parliament, with Champagne emphasizing the need for parliamentarians to work together. Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer indicated his party will evaluate the budget carefully before deciding whether to support it, holding the Carney government to its previous deficit commitments.

 

Canada recognizes State of Palestine, offers help to build peaceful future with Israel

. Canada officially recognized the State of Palestine on Sunday, joining Australia and the United Kingdom in taking this step to preserve the prospect of a two-state solution. Prime Minister Mark Carney's office stated that the possibility of a negotiated two-state settlement has been "steadily and gravely eroded" by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, Israeli parliament resolutions supporting West Bank annexation, and restrictions on humanitarian aid. The recognition is conditional on commitments from the Palestinian Authority, including governance reforms, general elections in 2026 where Hamas cannot participate, and demilitarization of the Palestinian state. The announcement came as Carney prepared to meet with world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, with Canada offering its partnership in building a peaceful future for both Palestine and Israel.

 

Law Society of Ontario failed to spot Toronto firm's years-long, $7M fraud

. The Law Society of Ontario failed to identify red flags during a 2022 financial audit of Cartel & Bui LLP, a Toronto law firm at the center of a $7-million embezzlement case involving client trust funds. Bank statements from the audit showed nearly $140,000 in client money withdrawn in one month for American Express payments and child-care expenses, which should have raised concerns about misuse of trust account funds. The firm's managing partner, Singa Bui, admitted to stealing client money as early as 2014 to fund luxurious vacations, fine dining, and expensive purchases, while her husband Nicholas Cartel denies involvement and blames his wife. Legal experts criticize the Law Society's spot audit system as inadequate for catching fraud, arguing it presumes honesty and focuses on documentation rather than detecting embezzlement that affects millions of dollars in real estate transactions.

 

United States:

Trump ramps up retribution campaign with push for Bondi to pursue cases against his foes

. President Donald Trump publicly pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi this weekend to move forward with investigations against his political opponents, including former FBI Director James Comey, Senator Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a now-deleted social media post where he criticized her for "all talk, no action." Trump later praised Bondi in a follow-up post, calling her work "careful" and "smart," while announcing his intention to appoint former defense attorney Lindsey Halligan to replace a U.S. attorney he forced out for declining to pursue charges against his opponents. The public directive represents eight months into Trump's second term of escalating his retribution campaign against those he perceives as political enemies, raising debates over free speech, media censorship, and political prosecutions. Republican Senator Rand Paul criticized the approach, saying "it is not right for the Trump administration to do the same thing" as the previous administration's investigations into Trump.

 

California bans masks meant to hide law enforcement officers' identities

. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law banning law enforcement from wearing masks on duty except for specific circumstances like riot gear, medical masks, and undercover work, calling it the first bill of its type in the country. The legislation, dubbed the "No Secret Police Act," comes in response to increased immigration enforcement featuring masked federal agents detaining people without badges or agency identification, which Newsom described as "a new construct conceived to terrorize our diverse communities." The law's impact on federal law enforcement remains unclear since state lawmakers' authority to regulate federal agents is uncertain, though it does apply to California police and sheriffs' offices who must issue mask policies by July 2026. Several California law enforcement organizations opposed the bill, calling it reckless and dangerous to officers and their families, while ICE officials have said agents wear masks to prevent identification in videos that could result in threats.

 

Ted Cruz claims without evidence that China is funding U.S. climate lawsuits

. Senator Ted Cruz has claimed without providing evidence that China is funding U.S. climate lawsuits against fossil fuel companies, alleging this is part of Beijing's strategy to weaken American energy producers and strengthen China's position in global energy markets. Cruz's office provided NPR with a ChatGPT response acknowledging that "what's not publicly demonstrated (so far) is a direct, documented grant-to-lawsuit pipeline," undermining his own allegations about Chinese funding. The claims center around Energy Foundation China, which has funded environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council, but these organizations state their Chinese funding exclusively supports pollution reduction efforts within China, not U.S. litigation. Environmental advocates say Cruz's unsubstantiated allegations are designed to create political cover for Congress to give fossil fuel companies legal immunity from climate lawsuits, similar to protections provided to gun manufacturers.

 

Pentagon places further restrictions on journalists' access

. The Pentagon announced Friday that journalists covering the agency can only access the building if they agree not to publish certain information, requiring reporters to sign a pledge restricting their movements and preventing them from accessing unauthorized materials or risk having their press passes revoked. The 17-page directive states that "information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified," giving the Pentagon wide latitude to label journalists as security threats. This unprecedented move represents the strongest action yet in restricting coverage of the country's largest federal agency under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, following previous decisions to remove workspaces from major news organizations and bring in mostly conservative outlets. Press freedom advocates condemned the restrictions as "a direct assault on independent journalism" and potentially violating First Amendment protections, with critics arguing it represents prior restraint and government censorship.

 

Trump touts major autism breakthrough at Charlie Kirk memorial

. President Donald Trump announced at Charlie Kirk's memorial service that his administration will reveal what he called one of the "biggest announcements" in American history regarding autism on September 22, claiming "I think we found an answer to autism." According to The Washington Post, citing administration sources, officials are expected to tie autism to acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and promote leucovorin as a potential treatment, involving top health officials including FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. Trump said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz will join him in the Oval Office for the announcement, characterizing it as one of the most important of his presidency and stating they would reveal how autism "happens, so we won't let it happen anymore." Kennedy has made autism a central focus of his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, promising in April that "by September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic," as part of what he called a massive testing and research effort involving hundreds of scientists worldwide.

 

White House bullish after a long string of Supreme Court victories

. The White House has won 18 times at the Supreme Court since Trump took office and is currently on a 15-case winning streak, with their last loss occurring in May, due to careful case selection aimed at securing backing from the conservative majority. Trump administration officials have asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on an emergency basis 28 times and have lost only two cases, indicating they have been strategic about avoiding issues where even conservative justices might push back on aggressive executive power assertions. The administration's success includes victories on major policy priorities such as downsizing federal agencies, removing immigrant protections, and barring transgender people from the military, with Solicitor General D. John Sauer successfully arguing many of these cases. White House officials credit their wins to having litigators and former Supreme Court law clerks heavily involved in crafting executive orders they can legally defend, while being "very careful" about dotting i's and crossing t's in their legal strategy.

 

Ted Cruz urges Trump to back older retirement age for pilots

. Senator Ted Cruz, the Republican chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, urged President Trump to support international efforts to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age from 65 to 67, arguing that current policy is "forcing thousands of highly qualified and experienced pilots into early retirement every year." The International Civil Aviation Organization will consider an airline trade group's proposal to raise the retirement age globally when delegates gather for its triennial assembly, with the International Air Transport Association claiming the change can be made without impacting aviation safety. The proposal has won support from Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, while Congress rejected a similar push in 2024 after the FAA called for scientific and safety analysis before making the decision. The Air Line Pilots Association opposes the change, citing studies showing greater health risks and declining cognitive skills with age, and arguing that the U.S. should maintain its global leadership in aviation safety by preserving current regulatory frameworks.

 

Trump says the Murdochs will most likely have a role in the U.S. TikTok deal

. President Trump revealed on Fox News that media moguls Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, who lead News Corp. and Fox Corp., are involved in the deal for U.S. control of TikTok, along with Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell. The deal would see the U.S. control TikTok's algorithm with majority American ownership, including seven board seats controlling the app in the United States, with six of those seats held by Americans, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. A source familiar with developments told NBC News that Lachlan Murdoch would not be involved individually but that Fox Corp. would serve a role, as Lachlan recently took control of the Murdoch media empire including Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. The arrangement comes despite Trump's ongoing legal dispute with the Murdoch empire, as he sued Fox Corp. and Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion in damages over a Wall Street Journal article about Jeffrey Epstein that Trump disputes.

 

International:

Kremlin Says Putin Will Make 'Important Statements' at Key Security Meeting

. Russian President Vladimir Putin will make "a number of important statements" at an unscheduled Security Council meeting on Monday, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, amid heightened tensions between Moscow and NATO over alleged Russian airspace violations. The meeting comes after Estonia and Poland both requested NATO Article 4 consultations over what they said were major violations of their airspace by Russia, with Poland shooting down Russian drones and NATO allies sending jets to intercept Russian fighter jets that Estonia said lingered in its airspace for 12 minutes. Putin's statements coincide with the start of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold meetings with President Trump and other allies to discuss the ongoing war. The developments occur as NATO and Russia edge closer to direct conflict, with the Kremlin describing NATO as "at war with Russia" despite no formal declaration of war by either side, while Trump has warned of "big trouble" regarding Russian aircraft entering Estonian airspace.

 

Dominican Republic says it seized cocaine that was on speedboat destroyed by U.S. Navy

. Authorities in the Dominican Republic announced Sunday they confiscated 377 packages of cocaine from a speedboat that was allegedly carrying 1,000 kilograms of the drug and was destroyed by the U.S. Navy about 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata during a joint anti-narcotics operation. The operation marks "the first time in history that the United States and the Dominican Republic carry out a joint operation against narco terrorism in the Caribbean," according to the Dominican Republic's National Directorate for Drug Control. The incident is part of the Trump administration's controversial anti-narcotics mission in the southern Caribbean, where the U.S. has deployed eight warships and a submarine, with the White House saying the flotilla has destroyed three speedboats carrying drugs and killed more than a dozen people aboard the vessels. Human rights groups have criticized the strikes as extrajudicial killings, while two Democratic senators introduced a resolution in Congress to block further strikes, and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has described the naval buildup as an attack on his country.

 

Israeli drone strikes kill five, including children, in southern Lebanon

. An Israeli drone strike killed five people, including three children, in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil on Sunday, with Lebanon's health ministry confirming the casualties and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stating that a father and his three children were among the dead. The strike occurred despite a U.S.-brokered truce between Lebanon and Israel that took effect in November following more than a year of conflict, with the Lebanese state news agency reporting the strike hit a motorbike and vehicle, wounding two others. The Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah member in the strike but acknowledged that "several uninvolved civilians were killed," expressing regret for harm to civilians and stating that the incident is under review. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the attack as "a blatant crime against civilians and a message of intimidation aimed at our people returning to their villages in the south," while tensions remain high over Lebanon's pressure to disarm Hezbollah.

 

Dozens arrested and hurt in clashes with police near Philippine presidential palace

. Philippine police arrested 49 people Sunday after violent clashes erupted near the presidential palace, where about 100 people allegedly hurled rocks, bottles, and fire bombs at officers while blocking roads and bridges during a peaceful anti-corruption rally involving more than 33,000 protesters in Manila. The violence wounded about 70 Manila law enforcement officers and led to school cancellations, with attackers carrying black flags with skull and crossbones, spraying graffiti, and ransacking a budget inn before dispersing at night. The protests were sparked by outrage over a corruption scandal involving lawmakers and officials who allegedly pocketed huge kickbacks from 9,855 flood-control projects worth more than $9.5 billion that were supposed to have been undertaken since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in mid-2022. Public anger intensified when a wealthy couple who won lucrative flood-control contracts flaunted dozens of luxury cars during media interviews, including a British luxury car costing $737,000 that they said they bought because it came with a free umbrella.

 

Cyberattack disrupts major European airports, including Heathrow, Brussels

. A cyberattack on Collins Aerospace's check-in and boarding systems disrupted operations at several major European airports including London's Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin on Saturday, causing flight delays, cancellations, and forcing airports to rely on manual check-in procedures. Brussels Airport was hit hardest, canceling at least 35 departures and 25 arrivals on Saturday, and asking airlines to cancel half of Monday's scheduled departing flights as the system provider has yet to deliver a secure updated version of the software necessary to restore full functionality. RTX, Collins Aerospace's parent company, confirmed awareness of a "cyber-related disruption" to its software at selected airports, stating the impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop operations that can be mitigated with manual procedures. The aviation sector has seen a 600 percent increase in cyberattacks from 2024 to 2025 according to French aerospace company Thales, with cybersecurity experts noting that aviation is particularly vulnerable due to its reliance on shared digital systems across multiple airlines and airports.