None of the announcements on fracking, uranium mineral exploration or lithium mining development were included in the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia’s campaign platform during the past election.

The post Mi’kmaw Chiefs send stinging rebuke to N.S. Premier Tim Houston appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

A man is facing a laundry list of human trafficking offences in connection to an investigation that was launched nearly two years ago.

In July 2023, the Nova Scotia Human Trafficking Unit received a report from a victim of human trafficking who was a youth at the time the offences began. Officers later discovered there was a second victim.

According to RCMP, the crimes took place between 2017 and 2023, while the victims and the accused were in Nova Scotia.

Police said last month, officers from the HTU travelled the British Columbia and arrested 31-year-old Simon McNamee, who was living in Vancouver.

He was taken back to Nova Scotia where he was charged with a total of 17 offences, including receiving material benefit from sexual services, procuring – person under 18, advertising sexual services, and trafficking in persons.

“We are here to support victims of human trafficking, which often includes laying charges and making arrests, however, we will only proceed if victims are comfortable with charges being laid,” says Cpl. Brianna Taker. “We collaborate with many other support organizations in Nova Scotia who provide resources for victims, and the Nova Scotia Human Trafficking Unit can be reached at anytime on our Hotline – 902-449-2425. As always, call 911 if you’re in immediate danger.”

McNamee appeared in Halifax Provincial Court on February 26 and was released by the courts on conditions pending future court appearances.

U.S. tariffs would have the smallest impact on Nova Scotia out of all provinces in the country, according to a report from the Conference Board of Canada.

The research publication focusing on business says that the small but mighty province is the best set up to defend American tariffs because of its “broadly favourable industry mix.”

The Feb. 19 report notes that the province sent 68 per cent of its exports south of the border in 2024, the lowest among all provinces.

“But, more importantly, the province’s economy has limited dependence on international exports,” it reads. “The province’s GDP is made up by 81 per cent services, and international goods exports account for only 11 per cent of GDP, the smallest share of any province.”

This diversity bodes well for the Maritimes province as President Donald Trump ordered 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods, which started March 4. Despite the limited impacts comparatively speaking, the province will feel the impacts in some areas.

The report says that the most effected industries in Nova Scotia would be tire production, the province’s largest export, and fishing which depends on American processors.

“Overall, we expect Nova Scotia’s economy would be 0.7 per cent below baseline in the second quarter of 2025,” it reads.

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Paradise unveiled the draft design for a new and improved Paradise Park at a public information session led by Mills & Wright at the Double Ice Complex last week.

The fully upgraded park will boast an ice-skating loop, mountain bike trails, new dog park, skate park, sensory trail, additional parking, multi-sport court, additional playground equipment, a barbecue area, and more.

The skating loop, which Mills & Wright representatives said was the number one requested amenity, will be similar to the famous Bannerman Park Loop in St. John’s, but will actually be longer and wider.

“We had spoken to City of St. John’s staff about lessons learned from the Loop, and those were two suggestions, that they would make it a bit wider and a bit longer, because it can get a bit congested and crowded,” said Rachel Fitkowski of Mills & Wright. “So, we’ve taken those lessons learned and applied it to this design.”

Based on feedback, staff at Mills & Wright determined there were a number of things that could be improved in the park.

Folks complained the existing splash pad and playground caters to younger children and the park lacks basic amenities such as benches and greenery. More importantly, many residents expressed concern with the placement of the parking lot near the splash pad.

To that end, Fitkowski said the existing parking lot, which can accommodate upwards of about 50 vehicles, will be removed entirely, and parking delegated to the Double Ice Complex parking lot. The parking lot at the top of the sliding hill will also be expanded. Additionally, there will be some handicap parking spaces installed near the bandstand.

Furthermore, the plan recommends the use of ‘flexible infrastructure’ over single use infrastructure’ to provide more recreation opportunities. Fitkowski noted the temporary baseball fields erected during the summer as a good example of flexible infrastructure.

“Recreation trends and the desire of residents may change over time, and the design of Paradise Park needs to navigate this potential for change and consider how the space can be used as those desires change,” said Fitkowski.

Mills & Wright have proposed a five-phased approach to completing the upgrades, although Fitkowski noted the Town is free to develop it as it sees fit, especially as funding for certain projects is made available.

Phase one would include the dog park, skate park, multi-court and game place, sliding hill parking and plaza.

Phase two would include the sensory trail, mountain bike trails, playground, and picnic area.

Phase three would include the skating loop and ice maintenance building, a plaza, new drop-off zone and accessible parking spaces.

Phase four would include the sliding hill staircase, walkway upgrades and landscaping upgrades.

Phase five would include the Tely 10 Plaza marking the original Tely 10 start line just across McNamara Road and additional landscaping around the Double Ice Complex.

Fitkowski said the phased approach is strategic in that it puts some high-interest items, such as the dog park, upfront.

“Those are all things that don’t require a ton of planning and they’re not the most expensive thing on the page,” said Fitkowski. “It’s a bit strategic to build things at the start to get people invested, like the dog parks, the multicourt, the games area… Hopefully you get some support and buy-in from residents and that can help with prioritising and budgeting and funding.”

Safety considerations will be given to the intersection of the dog park trail and T ‘railway , including signage. A detailed design of the trail could be fleshed out at a later stage. Given the potential for increased traffic along the T’railway, Fitkowski said there could be consideration given to widening it, however the Town would need permission from the provincial government to do so.

Paradise Running Club President Mark Ivany, one of the half-dozen residents in attendance, said that while most ATV and dirt bike operators are considerate, some are not.

“Most people are considerate, but some people do just want to show off, so it’s a bit concerning if you’re having that in an area where there’s kids,” said Ivany, who frequently runs the T’railway, along with other members of the running club. “That could potentially be an issue.”

Fitkowski said an early idea to incorporate the T’railway into the park was scrapped for that very reason.

“I would like to hope that as these amenities are developed over time that, especially if it’s residents using the T’railway, that they’re really going to respect these amenities and respect other users,” added Fitkowski. “I do think there is enough separation between (the T’railway) and where, for example, the playground and skate park are. And there’s actually a ditch there, so there’s a pretty good separation between spaces.”

Matthew Mills added there are design strategies that can help curb safety concerns, and some of those strategies were implemented by Mills &Wright in the recent redesign of the boardwalk and festival grounds in Holyrood.

“What we’re seeing in Holyrood as well is that now that the Town has invested some money in updated public spaces, you are seeing a change in the behaviour of ATV riders,” said Mills. “They’re being a little bit more cautious and aware.”

Meanwhile, Mills & Wright determined early in the design stage that Paradise Park would not be a suitable place for a new swimming pool. The Town has budgeted money for a feasibility study for a swimming pool and hopes to complete the study this year.

Topsail-Paradise MHA Paul Dinn asked about making a marketplace along Sarah Davis Way. Fitkowski said a temporary farmers market is something that could be set up along the roadside or within the park.

Mark Didham, also of the Paradise Running Club, indicated support for what he was seeing. Didham helps organize the Paradise Backyard Ultra, an endurance marathon where participants run a set course once an hour every hour until they decide to drop out. Last year’s inaugural race, held at Paradise Park, saw 134 participants run a total of 8,213 kilometres. This year’s event will also be held at Paradise Park.

“The park is a prime centerpiece for the town, but admittedly, the way it is now, is very bland, and it’s very much a big grassy field surrounded by warehouses and industrial buildings, so I really, really, like what they showed at the session,” said Didham. “I love that their approach to make the area more sheltered was to try to add more trees. It should make the area look a little nicer and a little less industrial.”

Didham said additional trails and the multi-purpose courts will be a great benefit to the park, and his only concerns with the proposed design is that it may one day fall to the wayside.

“My biggest worry is that we have an election year coming up, so what will the new council envision?” said Didham. “So, if there is not a significant carry over of councillors who are involved in this plan, I do worry about the viability of the overall plan in the future. The new council could scrap it or bring it back to the drawing board.”

To that end, Mills said if money was no issue and shovels could go into the ground tomorrow, the project could be completed within a couple of years. However, due to the high cost of the project, the plan could actually take upwards of 15 years – or more— to complete.

“It really goes back to the will and want and drive of council to get this implemented, and to allocate money, and seek out funding,” said Mills. “If you have an invested council and an invested staff like you do here in Paradise, you can make things happen.”

Fitkowski said the plan will require “organised effort, dedicated champions, and further investment,” to come to fruition, and the plan is just that— a plan— and is subject to change.

Fitkowski allowed change isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I actually think, realistically, it’s great if these plans change a little bit over time, because it means the Town is using it,” said Fitkowski. “We never want one of our reports to be put on a shelf.”

The beach volleyball courts already commissioned by the Town ahead of the 2025 Canada Summer Games were taken into account by Mills& Wright when redesigning the park. The Town made headlines when it was reported that council had purchased $360,000 worth of sport grade sand for the volleyball courts. Council commissioned the actual construction of the court at $400,000.

The park currently boasts a playground, splash pad, volleyball court, bandstand, and dog park, while the adjacent hill proves a popular sledding hill during the winter months.

Following a review of public feedback, Mills & Wright will once again meet with council. Once council is satisfied with the report, it will be adopted in a public meeting.

The complete 80-page repot will be made available on the Town’s website.

The post Paradise unveils details of $11.4M park makeover appeared first on The Shoreline News.

The Associated Press is asking a federal judge for a second time to immediately restore its access to presidential events, arguing that the Trump White House has doubled down on retaliating against the news outlet for its refusal to follow the president’s executive order that renamed the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden last week refused AP’s request for an injunction to lift the ban against many of its reporters and photographers. But McFadden noted that case law weighed against the White House, and urged the administration to reconsider before a scheduled second hearing on March 20.

In an amended lawsuit filed late Monday, AP cited continued instances of journalists turned away — including a photographer not allowed on the West Palm Beach airport tarmac to document Air Force One’s arrival — and the White House’s decision to fully take control over membership of the pool that covers the president at smaller events.

“The net result is that the AP’s press credentials now provide its journalists less access to the White House than the same press credentials provide to all members of the White House press corps,” the amended lawsuit argues.

The Trump administration did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday morning.

White House’s move called a ‘targeted attack’

The AP filed its initial lawsuit on Feb. 21, naming three Trump officials – White House chief of staff Susan Wiles, deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich and press secretary Karoline Leavitt – as defendants. The agency, a not-for-profit news organization in operation since 1846, called the White House’s move a “targeted attack” that strikes at the freedom of the press and public to speak freely without the threat of government retaliation.

The administration has said that it is not blocking the AP from reporting the news — or even the White House grounds — but access to the president is something that it controls. In recent days, it has broadened the group of outlets that participate in the coverage pools to include some that are clearly sympathetic to Trump’s views.

Trump has dismissed the AP as an organization of “radical left lunatics” and said: “We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America.”

The AP’s call on this issue takes on added weight because the AP Stylebook, its guide to news standards, is widely used by other news organizations and communicators. Its guidance was to continue to use Gulf of Mexico because the name is widely recognizable to an international audience, while acknowledging Trump’s directive.

The White House ban “hinders the AP’s ability to produce reporting and publish photographs quickly — an essential attribute of a wire service — causing delays that harm the AP and, as a result, the thousands of news outlets and billions of readers that rely on its journalism,” the agency said in its lawsuit.

Larger White House events also are barring AP, agency says

In addition to cutting the AP out of coverage pools, which it has participated in while covering presidents for more than a century, the AP said its Washington reporters were turned away from larger events open to all journalists with White House credentials who reserve in advance. They include recent state appearances by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Oddly, however, AP journalists from France, England and Ukraine who paid to travel with the foreign leaders’ media contingents were permitted to cover those White House events, the AP said. An AP spokeswoman said the agency said it does not typically send its overseas journalists on such trips to the White House.

In the amended lawsuit, the AP says a source told its journalists that that the ban had been expanded from text journalists to photographers specifically to deprive the organization of revenue it earns from selling pictures.

Dozens of news organizations signed a letter urging the White House to reverse its policy. The signees included Trump-friendly outlets like Fox News Channel and Newsmax.

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David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social

David Bauder, The Associated Press

If it looks like a Russian asset, swims like a Russian asset, and quacks like a Russian asset, then it probably is a Russian asset.

The post Trump’s tariffs will hit Nova Scotia hard appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Officials say no one was injured after a fire broke out at a homeless encampment near the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge in Halifax on Tuesday morning.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has announced how his province will immediately respond to U.S. President Donald Trump instituting 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods.

A new report says the allocation of $1.9 billion in operating grants over the past five years is 'arbitrary and not supported.'

MARKHAM, Ont. — Pet Valu Holdings Ltd. reported a fourth-quarter profit of $28.9 million, up from $28.8 million a year ago.

The pet food retailer says the profit amounted to 40 cents per diluted share for the 13-week period ended Dec. 28, the same as a year earlier.

Revenue totalled $295.1 million, up from $286.9 million a year ago.

Same-store sales, a key metric for retailers, were down 0.2 per cent as same-store transactions fell 2.1 per cent, partially offset by a 2.0 per cent increase in same-store average spend per transaction.

On an adjusted basis, Pet Valu says it earned 45 cents per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 54 cents per diluted share a year earlier.

In its outlook for 2025, the retailer says it expects revenue between $1.17 billion and $1.20 billion, while its adjusted net income per diluted share for the year is expected between $1.60 and $1.66.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025.

Companies in this story: (TSX:PET)

The Canadian Press

Nova Scotia has announced a series of actions in response to the imposition of American tariffs on all Canadian goods entering the U.S. market.

Premier Tim Houston posted on social media Tuesday morning that Nova Scotia will immediately limit access to provincial procurement for American businesses. They will no longer be able to bid on provincial contracts. The province is also actively exploring options to cancel existing contracts and reject current bids.

Houston also announced that the province will double tolls at the Cobequid Pass for commercial vehicles from the United States, effective immediately.

In addition, Houston has directed the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation to once again remove all U.S.-made alcohol from their shelves, effective today. He said this was an effective response the last time and had a significant impact on American producers who rely on Canadian markets.

“I can tell you that we worked hard to avoid a repeat of Trump’s tax. We know tariffs are bad for people and businesses on both sides of the border,” Houston wrote on X. “Unfortunately, some people need to touch the hot stove to learn, and while we cannot control or predict their behavior, we can control how we respond.”

Houston called the measures significant, emphasizing the importance of Nova Scotians standing together, united, and strong.

Halifax Regional Police and Halifax RCMP release bi-annual crime statistics.

The post Crime rates in Halifax decreasing as cops want still more money appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency(HRFE) is on the scene of a fire near Barrington Street at the North Street ramp.

The fire is located at the encampment near the Angus L. MacDonald Bridge ramp.

Halifax Regional Police have traffic on Barrington Street has been reduced to one lane in each direction, and the ramp to the MacDonald Bridge is closed to all traffic.

Recent emails from the premier and his top deputy minister to members of the public service, coupled with legislation being debated at Province House, have some bureaucrats wondering about job security.

These tiny homes are being built to help fill a need for affordable housing. But they're also providing hands-on work experience for people in a Nova Scotia housing construction industry that is in desperate need of skilled labour. The CBC's Molly MacNaughton reports.

New regulations that came into effect on March 1st are designed to strengthen the elver fishery in Nova Scotia.

According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the new rules require elver fishing and possession licence holders to submit reports to help manage the movement of elvers within the export supply chain. These regulations apply to both domestic and foreign-caught elvers.

“The Government of Canada is delivering on its promise to have an orderly and sustainable elver fishery this year. The new regulations that we introduced have enabled this lucrative fishery to be open this season to licenced harvesters, and give our fishery officers new tools to reduce unlawful harvesting,” said the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

The total allowable catch for the 2025 season is set at 9,960 kilograms, the same as in 2022 and 2023. In a move to support rights-based fishing for a moderate livelihood, 50% of the TAC has been redistributed to First Nations, based on population size. DFO is consulting with licence holders to finalize the opening date for the season in the coming weeks.

The elver fishery primarily takes place in Southwest New Brunswick, the Upper Bay of Fundy, Southwest Nova Scotia, the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, and portions of Cape Breton Island.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis rested early Tuesday after he suffered further setbacks in his fight against double pneumonia: two new acute respiratory crises that required him to resume using noninvasive mechanical ventilation to breathe.

In its early Tuesday update, the Vatican said: “The pope slept through the night, now rest continues.”

Francis suffered the two crises Monday. Doctors extracted “copious” amounts of mucus that had accumulated in his lungs, the Vatican said in a late update. They performed two bronchoscopies, in which a camera-tipped tube was sent into his airways with a sucker at the tip to suction out fluid.

The 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was put back on noninvasive mechanical ventilation: a mask that covers his nose and mouth and pumps oxygen into the lungs.

Francis remained alert, oriented and cooperated with medical personnel, the Vatican said. The prognosis remained guarded, meaning he was not out of danger. Doctors didn’t say if he remained in stable condition, though they referred to the crises in the past tense, suggesting they were over.

The crises were a new setback in what has become a more than two-week battle by the frail pope to overcome a complex respiratory infection.

The Vatican said the mucus that had accumulated in Francis’ lungs was his body’s reaction to the original pneumonia infection and not a new infection, given laboratory tests don’t indicate any new bacteria.

Dr. John Coleman, a pulmonary critical care doctor at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said the episodes were more concerning than the l ast one on Friday, in which Francis had a coughing fit, inhaled some vomit that needed to be extracted and then was put on the noninvasive mechanical ventilation for a day and then didn’t need it anymore.

The use of bronchoscopies reflects a worrying level of mucus and phlegm in the lungs, Coleman said. “The fact that they had to go in there and remove it manually is concerning, because it means that he is not clearing the secretions on his own,” he said.

“He’s taking little steps forward and then steps back,” said Coleman, who is not involved in Francis’ care.

Francis, who is not physically active, uses a wheelchair and is overweight, had been undergoing respiratory physiotherapy to try to improve his lung function. But the accumulation of the secretions in his lungs was a sign that he doesn’t have the muscle tone to cough vigorously enough to expel the fluid.

Doctors often use noninvasive ventilation to stave off an intubation, or the use of invasive mechanical ventilation. Francis has not been intubated during this hospitalization. It’s not clear if he has provided any advance directives about the limits of his care if he declines or loses consciousness.

Catholic teaching holds that life must be defended from conception until natural death. It insists that chronically ill patients, including those in vegetative states, must receive “ordinary” care such as hydration and nutrition, but “extraordinary” or disproportionate care can be suspended if it is no longer beneficial or is only prolonging a precarious and painful life.

Francis articulated that in a 2017 speech to a meeting of the Vatican’s bioethics think tank, the Pontifical Academy for Life. He said there was “no obligation to have recourse in all circumstances to every possible remedy.” He added: “It thus makes possible a decision that is morally qualified as withdrawal of ‘overzealous treatment.’”

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who heads the academy which helps articulate the Catholic Church’s position on end-of-life care, said Francis is like any other Catholic and would follow church teaching if it came to that.

“Today the pope is giving us an extraordinary teaching on fragility,” he told reporters Monday. “Today the pope, not through words but with his body, is reminding all of us, we elderly people to begin with, that we are all fragile and therefore we need to take care of each other.”

Francis’ hospitalization, which hits 18 nights Tuesday, is by no means reaching the papal record that was set during St. John Paul II’s numerous lengthy hospitalizations over a quarter century. The longest single hospitalization occurred in 1981, when John Paul spent 55 days in Gemelli for a minor operation and then to be treated for a serious infection that followed.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will stand before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday to give an accounting of his turbulent first weeks in office as a divided nation struggles to keep pace, with some Americans fearing for the country’s future while others are cheering him on.

It will be the latest milestone in Trump’s total takeover of the nation’s capital where the Republican-led House and Senate have done little to restrain the president as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world. With a tight grip on his party, Trump has been emboldened to take sweeping actions after overcoming impeachments and criminal prosecutions.

The White House said Trump’s theme would be the “renewal of the American dream,” and he was expected to lay out his achievements since returning to the White House, as well as appeal to Congress to provide more money to finance his aggressive immigration crackdown.

“It’s an opportunity for President Trump, as only he can, to lay out the last month of record-setting, record-breaking, unprecedented achievements and accomplishments,” said senior adviser Stephen Miller.

Democrats, many of whom stayed away from Trump’s inauguration in January, were largely brushing aside calls for boycotts as they struggle to come up with an effective counter to the president.

Instead, they chose to highlight the impact of Trump’s actions by inviting fired federal workers as guests, including a disabled veteran from Arizona, a health worker from Maryland and a forestry employee who worked on wildfire prevention in California. They also invited guests who would be harmed by steep federal budget cuts to Medicaid and other programs.

“Rather than focusing on American families and kitchen table issues, President Trump’s first month in office has focused on tax cuts for billionaires, paid for by the very people he promised to help,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

Trump also planned to use his speech to address his proposals for fostering peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the policies of the Biden administration in a matter of just weeks. On Monday, Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, ending years of staunch American support for the country in fending off Russia’s invasion.

Trump was tightening the screws after his explosive Oval Office meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the U.S. leader tries to pressure the erstwhile American ally to embrace peace talks with its invader.

In the Middle East, negotiations to extend a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled, with Trump floating the permanent displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and a U.S. “takeover” of the territory, straining partnerships with countries in the region and undoing longtime American support for a two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The backdrop of Trump’s speech will also be new economic uncertainty unleashed after the president opened the day by placing stiff tariffs on imports from the country’s neighbors and closest trading partners. A 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect just after midnight Tuesday — ostensibly to secure greater cooperation to tackle illicit fentanyl trafficking — triggering immediate retaliation and sparking fears of a wider trade war. Trump also raised tariffs on goods from China to 20%.

The whole scene for Trump’s speech was a marked contrast to his final State of the Union address in his first term. Five years ago, Trump delivered his annual address just after the Senate had acquitted him during his first impeachment trial and before the COVID-19 pandemic had taken root across society. Tuesday’s address is not referred to as a State of the Union because he is still in the first year of his new term.

The president planned to use his high-profile moment to press his efforts to reshape the country’s approach to social issues, as he looks to continue to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the country and to roll back some public accommodations for transgender individuals.

Watching from the gallery will be first lady Melania Trump, who only Monday held her first solo public event since her husband returned to power. She pushed for passage of a bill to prevent revenge porn, and her guests in the chamber will include 15-year-old Elliston Berry, the victim of an explicit deepfake image sent to classmates.

The Democrats’ guests also include at least one government watchdog dismissed by Trump in his bid to emplace loyalists across positions of influence.

Republicans lawmakers, too, are trying to make a point with their invited guests.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said she would host Scott Root, father of the late Sarah Root, who died on the night of her 2016 college graduation in a vehicle crash involving an immigrant who was in the country without legal authority.

Outside Washington, the latest round of public protest against Trump and his administration also was unfolding Tuesday. Loosely coordinated groups planned demonstrations in all 50 states and the District of Colombia timed to Trump’s address.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Darlene Superville in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Zeke Miller, The Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Anitta has become a pop music sensation in her native Brazil and abroad, but Monday she will have her first shot to prove herself on the country’s biggest stage: the Sambadrome.

This year, the 31-year-old took on the new challenge of joining some of Brazil’s most traditional samba artists as a songwriter for a Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro.

Anitta is a songwriter for the Unidos da Tijuca samba school, the first to enter the Sambadrome avenue on Monday, the second of three nights of parades.

Every samba school must have a song that is repeatedly played for up to 80 minutes to support the theme behind its costumes and floats.

Unidos da Tijuca’s theme is Logun Edé, the star’s orisha — a deity in Afro-Brazilian religions that represents a force of nature. Last year, the singer lost thousands of followers on Instagram after she made a video to pay tribute to the Afro-Brazilian religion she practices, Candomble.

Logun Edé is a young warrior respected by elders for promoting knowledge about their culture. Some of the song’s lyrics go:

“With intense brightness/ I challenge the consensus/ restless and intense/ I am Logun-Edé.”

The artists on Monday night paraded with the Unidos da Tijuca samba school, many of them dressed in the samba school’s yellow and blue colors, with costumes representing not only the deity, but also the Borel Hill, a community in Rio’s north side where the samba school is based. It is often caught in the crossfire between criminals and police.

Samba writer Diego Nicolau, a member of the Unidos da Tijuca songwriting team, said they had several online meetings with Anitta as the star traveled between concerts in New York and Europe. He added the singer set up a small studio in her hotel room to record vocals for the version that won the contest to be the school’s 2025 samba.

Anitta’s own Carnival festivities began Friday in Salvador, where she and other singers led tens of thousands of fans atop behemoth sound trucks, known as electric trios — a Brazilian innovation that amplifies music and effectively does away with front-row seats, to make Carnival more accessible.

The next day, she drew about 550,000 people to a street party in the city of Sao Luis in northeastern Brazil.

When Unidos da Tijuca entered the Sambadrome, Anitta was leaving an event in metropolis Sao Paulo and published videos of herself in a van, singing and dancing to her own samba. Many of her fans said on social media they were frustrated with the star’s absence.

“Where’s Anitta?” several of them asked as Unidos da Tijuca started its parade. “I only wanted to watch this because of her,” another fan of the singer said on the social platform X.

The results of Rio’s Carnival will be announced Wednesday, with each of the 12 top schools hoping for victory.

If Tijuca wins, Anitta will join a small group of top Brazilian music writers who have made it with the demanding fanatics of one of the country’s most popular genres. Even if the school merely cracks the top six, Anitta will have another chance to parade with it on Saturday, at the so-called “Parade of Champions.”

Hours earlier, she will host a post-Carnival street party, where more than 100,000 people are expected to turn out.

“These concerts during Carnival, we close the deals long before. I won the Tijuca samba contest in September, but I already had these scheduled concerts. There wasn’t much I could do,” Anitta told journalists on Feb. 26. “We will make history regardless, I am confident.”

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Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Gabriela Sá Pessoa And Mauricio Savarese, The Associated Press

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A baby seal found stranded on a street near Connecticut’s Yale University last month has died from severe digestive issues, a local aquarium announced Monday.

Mystic Aquarium said “Chappy,” a nod to Chapel Street in New Haven where he was rescued, died while recovering at its Animal Rescue Clinic.

“The Mystic Aquarium staff are proud that they were able to give Chappy the best chance possible and are devastated by this outcome,” the aquarium wrote on Facebook. “The reality of working with stranded animals can be tough sometimes, but Chappy was surrounded by love until the very end.”

The underweight gray seal pup was brought to the clinic on Feb. 16 after being spotted by a passerby, who reported to police that the animal was potentially injured.

The seal, which was believed to be about 5 to 6 weeks old, was more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) from the nearest river.

The aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut, said Chappy had been responding well to treatment for dehydration, malnutrition and a mild pneumonia but began having digestive difficulties as he transitioned to eating whole fish.

A necropsy found Chappy suffered from “mesenteric torsion,” a challenging condition in which his intestines were “twisted around the mesentery, cutting off blood supply to a large portion of the gastrointestinal tract,” according to the aquarium.

“Unfortunately, despite all the efforts, his gastrointestinal issues were too severe to treat, and he succumbed to his disease,” the aquarium said.

Gray seals are found in coastal waters across the North Atlantic Ocean and typically feast on fish, crustaceans, squid, octopuses, and sometimes seabirds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Associated Press

EDMONTON — The Alberta government says it has hired Raymond Wyant, the former chief judge of the provincial court of Manitoba, to investigate allegations of irregularities in government health procurement contracts.

More coming.

The Canadian Press

The only daily TV news package to focus on Nova Scotians and their stories

EDMONTON — For the second time in under a week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is facing pushback from within her own United Conservative caucus.

This time it’s over her proposed 2025 budget.

Backbencher Scott Sinclair, in a weekend statement on social media, said he won’t support the budget, citing its projected multibillion-dollar deficits and money for big cities while the rural areas are left wanting.

Sinclair, who represents the rural constituency of Lesser Slave Lake, wrote Saturday, “I don’t know who (the budget is) meant to serve, but it certainly isn’t for me, my family, my friends or my constituents.”

He couldn’t be immediately reached for an interview.

Last week, Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie quit Smith’s cabinet to sit on the back bench, citing concerns with government-wide contracting processes amid an ongoing scandal involving high-level political pressure in overpriced multimillion-dollar private surgery contracts.

The proposed budget tabled by Finance Minister Nate Horner last week forecasts a $5.2-billion deficit this year and multibillion-dollar deficits expected for at least the two years after that.

Key services like education and health care are seeing funding increases but less than the rate of population growth and inflation.

Sinclair wrote that he finds years of potential deficits tough to stomach.

He said he’s “furious” at the amount of money pledged for Alberta’s two major cities, including more than $100 million to fund a new event space near the Edmonton Oilers’ downtown arena and to demolish the team’s old facility.

“If the government insists on running multiple deficits (which I strongly oppose), then I would expect to see real investments in one-time infrastructure projects for northern Alberta — fixing our roads, bridges, building new schools, and upgrading regional airports,” he wrote.

“Health care in northern Alberta has hit rock bottom, and while I hear about positive changes happening elsewhere, they aren’t happening here.”

Smith, in a statement, said they are investing in rural areas and in the north, adding, “We will continue working with all our MLAs, including MLA Scott Sinclair, to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all Albertans.”

Political scientist Lisa Young says it’s hard to know if Smith is facing a growing caucus revolt or whether Sinclair and Guthrie are outliers given they are pushing back over different issues.

The stakes are high in budget votes.

Under parliamentary convention, the budget is considered a confidence motion. If a government cannot pass it, it’s expected to resign or seek a dissolution of the house.

Many more United Conservative members would have to threaten to vote against the budget to put Smith’s majority government at risk, as the UCP holds a 12-seat majority in the 87-seat house.

Young, with the University of Calgary, said she doubts Smith would let it come to that. “She would backtrack … and come back with a budget that was acceptable to her caucus,” Young said.

Francesca Ward, the mayor of Slave Lake in Sinclair’s riding, says she and the rest of town council echo his concerns.

“I fail to see the logic between having a provincial budget that is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to tear down an arena when we can’t have a highway maintained, and we can’t keep our (emergency room) open,” she said in an interview.

Ward said Highway 88 connecting her town to the hamlet of Fort Vermilion to the north is not just a case of maintenance but of fundamental safety.

“Not to be dramatic, but it (the highway) is costing lives now,” she said. “It needs more than asphalt being topped on the surface. It needs passing lanes (and) it needs shoulder widening.”

Ward also backed up Sinclair’s concerns about rural health care, saying the emergency room at the Slave Lake hospital was closed at least twice in the past year due to low staffing levels.

“We’re asking for basic rights that Albertans in cities get to experience,” she said.

The government’s budget does pledge some capital spending over the next three years to address rural health care in the north, such as $189 million to replace the Beaverlodge Health Centre and $80 million for the community health centre in La Crete. Both facilities are 350 kilometres away from the town of Slave Lake.

Christina Gray, who leads the Official NDP Opposition in the house, said Sinclair’s comments suggest a bigger problem for Smith.

“It’s unprecedented for a government MLA to criticize the budget their own colleagues have tabled,” wrote Gray.

“What the budget does seem to provide is division within the UCP caucus and even more UCP MLAs standing up to the premier.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2025.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press

Nova Scotia's newest apartments are nearly twice as expensive as the oldest rental housing. The province is losing the affordable apartments it does have at the same time. The CBC'S Andrew Lam explains the latest data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

U.S. President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs on Canadian goods are scheduled to be imposed Tuesday. Nicola Seguin has been gauging the potential impact on the seafood industry that's critical to many livelihoods here in Nova Scotia.

Doctors with Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) say cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease all risks of uranium mining, fracking.

The post NDP wants pause on lifting of uranium, fracking bans as doctors warn of health risks appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Two Nova Scotians have been sentenced to a seven-year animal ownership ban after being charged for mistreating their dog.

The SPCA says Lorraine Bain, 69, and Herb Bain, 73, both from Plymouth, were charged in August of 2024 for allowing an animal to be in distress.

Those charges were laid after a member of the public found a dog in need of medical care on the side of the road in June and alerted the SPCA, which found the dog displayed evidence of distress from “several medical conditions”.

“Despite considerable care and treatment by the SPCA, the dog, named Rocky, succumbed to issues related to his long-standing poor health,” read a release from the SPCA.

The SPCA says the Bains must also surrender any animals currently in their care and send a letter of apology to the Yarmouth SPCA for treatment of staff during the investigation.

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

Bridgewater police have a man in custody after a woman was found dead following an “intimate partner homicide" inside a home on Sunday morning.

The post Police investigating death of Bridgewater woman as case of intimate partner violence appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Alternative lender Goeasy Ltd. says it has named former Scotiabank executive Dan Rees as CEO.

Rees comes on board as the lender aims to grow its loan portfolio from $4.6 billion at the end of 2024 to between $7 billion and $8 billion by the end of 2027.

Goeasy has already increased its loan portfolio from around $1.2 billion in early 2020.

Rees, the first external CEO appointment for Goeasy, served as group head of Canadian banking at Scotiabank between 2019 and 2024 and previously had several other executive positions at the bank.

Goeasy offers loans under the easyfinancial brand geared toward those with lower credit scores.

In February, Goeasy reported record volume of credit applications in the fourth quarter along with revenue of $405 million and a net income of $74 million.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2025.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSY)

The Canadian Press

U.S. President Donald Trump slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday for suggesting that the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine is still likely “very, very far away.”

The U.S. president responded on Truth Social, saying it was “the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!”

The long, complicated relationship between the leaders has reached a nadir following a disastrous White House meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance excoriated Zelenskyy for not being sufficiently thankful for U.S. support for Ukraine.

Here’s the latest:

Trump expected to announce chip company investment

He is expected to announce Monday that chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plans to invest $100 billion in the United States, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly.

TSMC, the world’s biggest semiconductor manufacturer, had already announced plans to invest more than $65 billion in the U.S., including three plants in Arizona after the Biden administration offered billions in subsidies. It was not immediately clear if the $100 billion includes the $65 billion that was already announced.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the planned announcement Monday.

— Michelle L. Price

Mexico’s president is waiting to see if Trump makes good on tariff threat

Claudia Sheinbaum’s Cabinet secretaries for security and trade among others have been in constant communication with their U.S. counterparts.

She said there was still the possibility she and Trump would speak Monday about his threat to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican imports.

Trump had threatened to impose tariffs in February before suspending them at the last minute, when Mexico sent 10,000 National Guard troops to their shared border to crack down on drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

“It’s a decision that depends on the United States government, on the United States president,” Sheinbaum said. “So whatever his decision is, we will make our decisions and there is a plan and there is unity in Mexico.”

CIA to deliver talk on creative problem solving at SXSW

The typically tight-lipped CIA is headed to the South By Southwest festival to share tips on finding innovative solutions to complex challenges.

America’s preeminent spy agency will deliver a presentation Sunday during the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, the CIA announced Monday. A CIA historian and one of the agency’s public affairs officers will deliver the talk, entitled “Mission Possible: The Spies’ Guide to Creative Problem Solving.”

The agency said its tips on creative problem solving are designed to be helpful to anyone, even if their particular challenges don’t include running covert surveillance, organizing clandestine meetups or sniffing out double agents.

Ex-US diplomats express alarm at USAID job cuts

The warning about the cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development came in a statement from the American Academy of Diplomacy, which is led by former secretaries of State and other senior former diplomats.

The group stressed the importance of foreign aid to U.S. policy aims, and expressed concern that even popular farmer-backed programs donating food abroad would no longer have enough skilled people left to run them. “America First need not mean America the Callous,” the diplomatic group said.

The warning comes after the Trump administration has pulled thousands of USAID workers off the job and begun widescale firings.

Rock star Peter Wolf is latest performer to call off planned appearance at Kennedy Center

“I have cancelled my upcoming book event at The Kennedy Center due to the egregious firing of staff by the new administration,” the singer posted on social media over the weekend.

Wolf was to have discussed his memoir, “Waiting on the Moon,” at an event later this month for the center’s “Impactful Words” series.

Actor Issa Rae and author Louise Penny are among others who’ve canceled events since Trump forced out the center’s leadership last month and was elected chair of the board’s trustees. Trump wrote on social media that he opposed Kennedy Center officials who “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”

Trump sends greetings for holy month of Ramadan

In a presidential message released Monday, Trump says Ramadan is a time to “draw hope, courage and inspiration to lead lives of holiness and virtue.”

Trump says his administration “recommits to upholding religious liberty that is such an integral part of the American way of life. Above all, we renew our resolve to building a future of peace, and to recognizing the dignity imprinted on every human soul.”

The president sought during his first term to ban travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States.

2 members of Congress urge governors to ban a prominent AI app on state government devices

The warning came in a letter from Illinois Republican Rep. Darin LaHood and New Jersey Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer concerning about the use of DeepSeek. The app recently gained popularity in the U.S. after displaying capabilities comparable to U.S. made AI models such as ChatGPT.

The members of Congress cited “serious concerns regarding data privacy” as reason for a ban.

The two introduced a bill in Congress to ban the use of DeepSeek on federal government devices in February. Similar bans have been enacted at the state and federal level for other Chinese apps, including the social media platform TikTok.

Trump criticizes Zelenskyy for saying end of the war ‘is still very, very far away’

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Zelenskyy late Sunday said he believed the war would go on for some time, while trying to offer a positive take about the U.S.-Ukraine relationship in the aftermath of his contentious White House meeting Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

“I think our relationship (with the U.S.) will continue, because it’s more than an occasional relationship,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Washington’s support for the past three years of war.

But Trump seemed further irritated by Zelenskyy’s latest comments suggesting it will take time for the three-year conflict to come to a close.

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. — Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia,” Trump added in his post. “What are they thinking?”

Rubio calls British counterpart to assure him Trump administration committed to peace in Ukraine

Monday’s call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy came after Britain hosted a leaders’ crisis summit over the weekend on Ukraine following a contentious White House meeting Friday between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The State Department said Rubio had “thanked Foreign Secretary Lammy for the UK’s role in encouraging Europe to provide for its own defense and push for peace in Ukraine.”

It also said Rubio “confirmed the United States is ready to negotiate to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict and will continue working with the UK towards peace in Ukraine.”

RFK Jr.’s agency spokesman abruptly resigns

The top spokesman for the U.S. Health and Human Services agency abruptly resigned on Friday, just two weeks after being sworn in to lead communications for the agency overseen by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Tom Corry said on LinkedIn that he resigned from the job on Friday. His resignation comes as Kennedy has struggled with his public response to the measles outbreak in West Texas, first calling it “not unusual,” then on Sunday describing it as a “call to action.”

Corry previously oversaw communications for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services agency during the first Trump administration.

CEO of Taiwanese semiconductor company TSMC will be in the White House on Monday

TSMC has committed to investing $65 billion to build factories in Arizona to make advanced chips. Last month, the company held its board meeting for the first time in the United States but did not make any announcement for expanded investment, as speculated.

President Trump has accused Taiwan of taking away the semiconductor industry from the United States and has threatened to impose high tariffs on imported chips. Trump also has said companies like TSMC don’t need federal tax incentives.

First lady Melania Trump goes to Capitol Hill

She’s participating in a roundtable discussion with members of Congress on the “Take It Down Act.” The bill is designed to speed the removal of non-consensual intimate imagery, including videos that imitate real people, also known as “deepfakes.”

The Senate passed the bill last month. Melania Trump is making a public show of support for the bill Monday to help get it through the House and to the president’s desk to become law.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a sponsor of the bill, is among lawmakers joining the first lady.

Haitians and Venezuelans sue Trump administration to save immigration protections

The group of three immigrant advocacy organizations and four immigrants filed the lawsuit over temporary protections that have shielded hundreds of thousands of immigrants from being deported.

The lawsuit seeks to block the termination of temporary protected status, a legal status that for decades has allowed people already in the United States to stay and work legally if their homelands are deemed unsafe.

In February the Trump administration announced the end of TPS for 500,000 Haitians and roughly 350,000 Venezuelans whose status is slated to expire in August and April. That is about half of the approximately 600,000 Venezuelans who have the protection. The remaining protections are set to expire at the end of September.

The plaintiffs are Haitians Americans United, Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, UndocuBlack Network and four immigrants who are not identified because of their fears for being deported.

Waltz commends UK Prime Minister Starmer, French President Macron for stepping up on Ukraine

“We welcome the Europeans taking a lead in European security,” National security adviser Mike Waltz told reporters at the White House. “I mean that’s been an underpinning. They have to invest in the capability to do that. They’re certainly showing a will.”

Waltz’s comments come after Starmer gathered his European counterparts in London on Sunday for talks and called on them to shore up their borders and throw their full weight behind Ukraine as he announced outlines of a plan to end Russia’s war.

Both Starmer and Macron have said they would send troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping mission once a truce in the fighting between Ukraine and Russia is achieved.

‘There’s initial signs’ of effect on the budget, Congressional Budget Office director says of DOGE cuts

Phillip Swagel, director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, said Monday that cuts enacted by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, are slowing government spending but added that it’s “too early” to make any broader judgement about DOGE’s impact on spending or deficits.

“There’s initial signs that there has been a budgetary impact,” Swagel said in remarks at the National Association for Business Economics. He noted that government spending in some agencies has come in below what was projected before the Trump administration took office. But he said the cuts won’t show up as official budgetary savings unless Congress rescinds the money through legislation later this year. Some of DOGE’s spending cuts could be reversed by the courts, he said. He also noted that the majority of government spending is in the form of mandatory benefit programs and hasn’t been affected.

RFK Jr. lays out benefits of measles vaccines, but stops short of calling for people to get a dose

The nation’s top health official wrote Sunday that the measles vaccine has benefits but he stopped short of calling on parents to inoculate their children from the deadly disease.

In an opinion piece for Fox News, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged parents to consult with “healthcare providers” on whether their children should get the vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.

“Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons,” Kennedy wrote in the piece, published Sunday.

Kennedy has previously criticized the vaccines, although research and real-world use has proven that they are safe and effective.

Waltz adds to doubt about whether White House willing to deal with Zelenskyy going forward

National security adviser Mike Waltz also on Monday said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s posture during Friday’s Oval Office “put up in the air” whether he’s someone the U.S. administration will be able to deal with going forward.

“Is he ready? Personally, politically, to move his country towards an end to the fighting?” Waltz said on Fox News on Monday. “And can he and will he make the compromises necessary?”

Waltz added another layer of doubt about U.S. support in the aftermath of Friday’s contentious meeting with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz calls Oval Office blowup a ‘truly ridiculous and unacceptable session’

He was speaking on Fox News on Monday morning.

The meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which was meant to result in the signing of a minerals deal between the two nations was abruptly ended after an extraordinary blowup between the Ukrainian and American leaders.

“He’s not ready to talk peace at all,” Waltz said. “This wasn’t an ambush,” he said. “Zelenskyy did his country a disservice.”

Unlike some Republican lawmakers who over the weekend called for Zelenskyy’s resignation — Waltz did not call on the Ukrainian leader to step down, but after asked whether Zelenskyy is fit to lead Ukraine, Waltz said: “what happened Friday really put that up in the air.”

Senate will vote on confirming Linda McMahon to lead an education agency Trump has vowed to close

The Senate will be voting Monday.

McMahon would face the competing tasks of winding down the Education Department while also escalating efforts to achieve Trump’s agenda. Already the Republican president has signed sweeping orders to rid America’s schools of diversity programs and accommodations for transgender students while also calling for expanded school choice programs.

At the same time, Trump has promised to shut down the department and said he wants McMahon “to put herself out of a job.”

A billionaire and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, McMahon, 76, is an unconventional pick for the role. She spent a year on Connecticut’s state board of education and is a longtime trustee at Sacred Heart University but otherwise has little traditional education leadership.

Read more about Linda McMahon

Trump’s next first speech to Congress is bound to have little resemblance to his last first one

The nation will hear a new president sing a far different tune in his prime-time address before Congress on Tuesday night. Some Americans will lustily sing along. Others will plug their ears.

The old tune is out — the one where a president declares “we strongly support NATO,” “I believe strongly in free trade” and Washington must do more to promote clean air, clean water, women’s health and civil rights.

That was Donald Trump in 2017.

That was back when gestures of bipartisanship and appeals to national unity were still in the mix on the night the president comes before Congress to hold forth on the state of the union. Trump, then new at the job, was just getting his footing in the halls of power and not ready to stomp on everything.

It would be three more years before Americans would see Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, then the House speaker and his State of the Union host in the chamber, performatively rip up a copy of Trump’s speech in disgust over its contents.

Read more about what to expect from Trump’s address to congress

The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that government spending could be separated from gross domestic product reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn.

“You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.”

Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits and regulations by the government can impact the path of overall growth. GDP reports already include extensive details on government spending, offering a level of transparency for economists.

Read more about government spending and the GDP

Trudeau is expected to bring up Trump’s threat to annex Canada when he meets King Charles

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with King Charles III, the country’s head of state, on Monday where he will discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to make Canada the 51st state.

The king has come under criticism in Canada for being silent about Trump’s threats to annex Canada.

Trudeau said in London on Sunday he will discuss matters of importance to Canadians with Charles and said “nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation.”

Read more about Trudeau’s meeting with King Charles III

What to watch when Trump gives his big speech to Congress

Trump loves a good spectacle, and it’s hard to top a speech to a joint session of Congress. The House chamber is packed with lawmakers, and the president’s arrival is announced in a booming voice by the sergeant-at-arms, triggering cacophonous applause.

Trump’s speech on Tuesday evening isn’t technically considered a State of the Union address — that comes next year, after he’s been on the job for longer — but there’s no distinguishable difference for anyone watching at home.

Almost no detail is left to chance in these situations. Here’s some ideas of what to look and listen for:

1. Is Elon Musk in attendance?

2. What does Trump say about Ukraine?

3. How do lawmakers behave?

4. Does Trump spell out a legislative plan?

5. Which version of Trump shows up?

Read more on what to watch for in Trump’s big speech

UK’s Starmer says Europe is at ‘crossroads in history’ as leaders agree to steps to Ukraine peace

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rallied his European counterparts Sunday to shore up their borders and throw their full weight behind Ukraine as he announced outlines of a plan to end Russia’s war.

“Every nation must contribute to that in the best way that it can, bringing different capabilities and support to the table, but all taking responsibility to act, all stepping up their own share of the burden,” he said.

Starmer’s exhortation to 18 fellow leaders that they need to do the heavy lifting for their own security comes two days after U.S. backing of Ukraine appeared in jeopardy when Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy.

Starmer said he had worked with France and Ukraine on a plan to end the war and that the group of leaders — mostly from Europe — had agreed on four things. The steps toward peace would:

6. keep aid flowing to Kyiv

7. maintain economic pressure on Russia to strengthen Ukraine’s hand

8. make sure Ukraine is at the bargaining table and any peace deal must ensure its sovereignty and security

9. continue to arm Ukraine to deter future invasion

Read more about Starmer’s meeting with European leaders

Following Trump’s lead, his allies lash out at Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and suggest he may need to resign

President Donald Trump’s senior aides and allies lashed out at Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Washington as he attended a European summit Sunday in London to rally international support for his military’s fight against the Russian invasion.

Following Trump’s lead, White House officials and Republicans in Congress used news show appearances to demand that Zelenskyy display more gratitude for U.S. support and an openness to potential war-ending concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some suggested Zelenskyy should consider resigning even as Ukrainians rally around him.

But they offered little clarity as to what Zelenskyy and Ukraine could do after Friday’s Oval Office meeting in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated him before canceling the signature of an economic agreement between Washington and Kyiv.

The dispute leaves the future of that relationship in question, as well as the prospects for ending a conflict that began when the Kremlin invaded in February 2022.

Read more about the European summit on Ukraine

The Associated Press

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is considering Buy Ontario legislation in the face of threatened tariffs from the United States.

President Donald Trump has said Tuesday would be the day he puts tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian goods into effect, with a lower 10 per cent levy on energy.

Speaking to a mining conference in Toronto just days after winning a third majority government, Ford said he is prepared to follow through with previously announced measures to respond to tariffs, including removing American alcohol from Liquor Control Board of Ontario shelves and ripping up a $100-million deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX for Starlink internet in remote areas.

Today he also says he is urging consumers, retailers and municipalities to source goods from Ontario, and from elsewhere in Canada if they can’t be found in the province.

He says he is “asking politely” before he implements legislation.

Energy Minister Stephen Lecce also says Ontario is looking at a surcharge on every megawatt of energy the Americans buy from the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2025.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

Statistics from the RCMP are showing there was a 150 per cent increase in the number of homicide investigations last year.

According to the semi-annual crime data from the Halifax Regional Detachment of the RCMP, last year officers investigated five homicides. In both 2023 and 2022, there were two homicide cases for the detachment.

Halifax Regional Police (HRP) noted that between July and December last year, officers investigated one homicide. During that time, police also investigated six attempted murder cases, double the cases from 2023.

Attempted murder investigation came down from five in 2022 to four in 2024, for the RCMP. Assaults rose slightly by 5.27 per cent between 2023 and 2024.

Across both policing agencies, the data show an increase in theft investigations.

HRP said that thefts both under and over $5,000 have increased year-over-year. Police said that there has been a 39.19 per cent increase in theft over $5,000 from July to December 2024 compared to the same time in 2023.

Theft under $5,000 had a jump of 28.58 per cent over that period.

RCMP are reporting that theft over $5,000 decreased 18.18 per cent in 2024, but theft under $5,000 increased 21.27 per cent.

HRP are reporting an increase in traffic collisions with an increase of 156 crashes more between July and December in 2024 compared to 2022. During this period, two people died as a result and 241 were injured.

RCMP’s Halifax detachment said there were 2,063 collisions last year, a 6.95 per cent increase. However, eight people died, double the number of vehicle-related fatalities in 2023, and 342 suffered injuries.

Cryptocurrency prices jumped after President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement he wants the U.S. government to purchase and hold a variety of digital assets in a strategic reserve fund, an announcement that highlights Trump’s growing attempts to use volatile cryptocurrency prices as a barometer of his public support.

Trump said on social media Sunday that his administration is working toward creating a “Crypto Strategic Reserve” that will include lesser-known cryptocurrencies XRP, solana, and cardano. He later followed up with another post saying his planned reserve would also include bitcoin and ether, the two most popular cryptocurrencies.

The announcement helped crypto prices rebound, at least temporarily, after recent sell-offs. Bitcoin was trading around $90,000 Monday morning after dipping below $80,000 last week. XRP, solana and cardano saw massive spikes in their prices after Trump’s announcement Sunday followed by a more gradual decline through Monday morning.

On the campaign trail, Trump pledged support for a “strategic national bitcoin” stockpile, which would include bitcoin the U.S. government has previously seized in law enforcement actions. Sunday’s announcement was the first time he advocated for the government to hold other types of cryptocurrencies.

The White House did not immediately provide additional details, including how much of each type of cryptocurrency Trump wanted the U.S. to hold, and how the government would acquire them, and whether he favored including other types of cryptocurrencies as well.

Eric Trump, the president’s son, said the price increases validated the recent advice he’s made on social media to stock up on crypto assets. “Hopefully, I made someone’s life just a little bit better,” he posted on social media.

The president has cast himself as hero to the crypto industry, which he said in his announcement had been the target of “years of corrupt attacks by the Biden administration.” The crypto industry felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration and spent heavily to help Trump win election. The first several weeks of his administration have seen several moves to boost crypto, including ending or pausing high-profile enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Crypto prices soared after Trump’s victory last year, and when the price of bitcoin first crossed $100,000 in early December, Trump took credit and posted “YOU’RE WELCOME!!!” on social media.

But prices have fallen since Trump’s inauguration and Trump has faced criticism, including from allies within the crypto industry, for helping launch a personal meme coin just before he took office that has since collapsed in value. The crash of meme coins linked to First Lady Melania Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei, along with a massive hack of a major cryptocurrency exchange that the FBI has said was done by North Korea, have also dimmed enthusiasm for crypto.

“Why is crypto in the toilet if Trump is crypto king?” Dave Portnoy, an influencer and crypto enthusiast, said on social media last week.

The inclusion of cryptocurrencies other than bitcoin is likely to face sustained pushback among some corners of the heavily divided cryptocurrency industry. Bitcoin is the oldest and by far most popular cryptocurrency, and accounts for more than half of the world’s global crypto market cap.

Advocates for the government holding a crypto reserve said would help diversify government holdings and hedge against financial risks. Critics say the volatility of cryptocurrencies makes them a poor choice as a reserve asset.

In addition to his announcement Sunday, Trump has also recently announced he will speak at and host industry leaders on Friday at a White House “Crypto Summit.”

Alan Suderman, The Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — A power outage at Baltimore-Washington International Airport was causing significant flight delays and other interruptions to air travel Monday morning.

Airport officials said the outage was impacting areas of the main terminal and an adjacent parking garage.

More than 100 flights were delayed and a handful were canceled as of mid-morning, according to a flight tracking website.

The outage was reported around 7:40 a.m. and caused by a downed power line near the airport, said Stephanie Weaver, a spokesperson for Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. She said crews are on the scene working to restore power.

Airport officials advised passengers to check with their airlines about flight status. They also said some inbound flights were being diverted.

In a social media post shortly before 10 a.m., officials said power was slowly being restored throughout the main terminal. They said some airlines were using air stairs to deplane passengers.

The Associated Press

Police in Bridgewater, N.S., say they are investigating what they believe is a case of intimate partner violence that has resulted in the death of a woman and the arrest of her partner.

The Lazlo Toths are running the show.

The post Fifty years ago, comedian Don Novello created a super-patriot character with ridiculous ideas: Now, he’d be unremarkable appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her administration is waiting to see if U.S. President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican imports.

Her Cabinet secretaries for security and trade among others have been in constant communication with their U.S. counterparts and she said there was still the possibility she and Trump would speak Monday.

Trump had threatened to impose tariffs in February before suspending them at the last minute, when Mexico sent 10,000 National Guard troops to their shared border to crack down on drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

“It’s a decision that depends on the United States government, on the United States president,” Sheinbaum said. “So whatever his decision is, we will make our decisions and there is a plan and there is unity in Mexico.”

Mexico believes it has made a strong case.

The number of migrants arriving at the U.S. border is the lowest it has been in years.

Last week, Mexico sent 29 drug cartel figures, including the man involved in the 1985 killing of a DEA agent, to the United States.

Security forces have dismantled more than 100 synthetic drug labs in Sinaloa, and systematically weakened the two main factions of the cartel by the same name.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that Mexico had offered to match the tariffs the U.S. will impose on China.

“It’s very important that the people know that we have made a very important effort of coordination, of collaboration, but it depends on the United States,” Sheinbaum said. “We have to respond to this decision.”

The Associated Press

About 20 people gathered in front of the Amherst RCMP detachment to call for accountability after snowmobiler Blake Nicholson was struck and killed by a fire truck last week in Collingwood Corner, N.S. 

SEIU Local 2 alleges new contractor for Alderney Gate is not complying with municipality's living wage policy.

The post Custodian union suing Halifax, cleaning company over contract for Alderney Gate appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Designed to showcase Nova Scotia’s marine life and the challenges it faces, the centre is set to open this fall.

The post ‘First-of-its-kind’ marine display centre will showcase Nova Scotia’s biodiversity appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday night will deliver the first joint congressional address of his second presidency.

It’s not officially called the State of the Union, a title reserved for a president’s annual address to Congress during other years of an administration. But it is an opportunity for Trump to lay out his priorities for the year.

Here’s information on how to tune in to Trump’s joint address on Tuesday:

What time is the joint address?

Trump’s remarks to Congress are slated to begin Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

What channel will carry the address?

A number of networks have said they plan to air the Republican president’s address across their broadcast and streaming platforms, with special programming before and afterward. The Associated Press will air a livestream of the address online at apnews.com and on its YouTube channel.

Where does the address happen?

Trump’s speech will take place in the U.S. House chamber. Larger than the Senate chamber, it can accommodate both House and Senate lawmakers as well as other officials who are typically invited to such events.

Who else will be there?

Members of the U.S. Supreme Court and Trump’s Cabinet will attend.

There’s always one Cabinet member missing, though. Called the “designated survivor,” that person — who by position is in the presidential line of succession — is intentionally left out of such events to ensure that someone could assume the office of the president in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.

The president typically invites guests who join the event from the balcony above the House floor and are seated with the first lady. Sometimes, there are personal connections, and other times the guests have an association with an issue the president intends to highlight in his remarks.

In his first joint address after taking office in 2017, Trump invited the widow of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as well as the widows of two California police officers killed by a man living in the country illegally.

What happens afterward?

As there is a post-State of the Union address, the opposing party — in this case, the Democrats — will offer a message in response to the joint congressional address.

This year, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who previously served in the House, will give the Democrats’ response, which is also televised. Democratic leaders have said that in her message, Slotkin will likely focus on economic issues.

The party has also tapped Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, chair of the Hispanic Caucus, to give a Spanish-language response. On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, a measure that allows government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in languages other than English.

Why isn’t this called the State of the Union?

By tradition, a State of the Union address is intended as a look back on the prior year. Trump just took office — albeit for a second time — on Jan. 20, so he’s only been in office this go-round for just over a month.

Instead, newly inaugurated presidents typically use their first joint congressional addresses to look forward, setting a tone for their legislative agenda. According to the Congressional Research Service, the average number of policy requests in a first-year address is 42.

___

Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.

Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press

4o mini

Halifax Regional Police is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing 13-year-old girl from Dartmouth.

Emma Jackson was reported missing to the police yesterday and was last seen on March 1 at approximately 11:30 a.m. in Dartmouth.

Emma is described as a Black female, approximately 4’11” tall, weighing 95 lbs, with brown eyes, shoulder-length brown hair, and pierced ears.

There is no information suggesting that Emma has encountered foul play, but police are concerned for her well-being.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the police or Crime Stoppers.

Some of Nova Scotia's most affordable rental housing is quickly becoming less so, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data analyzed by CBC News. At the same time, the newest rental housing may be too expensive for many people.

The advocacy group for Nova Scotia municipalities has asked for changes to a bill that would allow the province to charge towns and regions for new transportation infrastructure, a power that is "tremendously concerning" to their members.

The B.C. company has signed a one-year untendered contract to bring in diagnostic imaging techs under a model similar to the use of travel nurses to address nursing shortages.