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U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oval Office at the White House on October 11, 2017 in Washington, DC.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Good evening,

This is the daily Evening Update newsletter, a roundup of the important stories of the day and what everyone is talking about that will be delivered to your inbox every weekday around 5 p.m. ET. If you're reading this online, or if someone forwarded this e-mail to you, you can sign up for Evening Update and all Globe newsletters here. As we continue to grow the newsletter over the coming months we'd love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Trudeau meets Trump in Washington to talk trade

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Washington today to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Mr. Trump hinted at a bilateral trade deal between the Canada and U.S. during his meeting with Mr. Trudeau and also raised the possibility of terminating NAFTA. Renegotiations for the trilateral trade deal have largely been stalled so far but one powerful Republican suggested that more could be achieved in the talks if the U.S. received more access to Canada's supply-managed dairy industry. The fourth round of trilateral talks between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico began today and will last until next Tuesday. We've built a guide on Mr. Trudeau's visit to the U.S. if you're looking to get caught up on everything that happened. (for subscribers)

Quebec Premier seeks to bolster anglophone support in cabinet shuffle

Philippe Couillard has shuffled his cabinet in preparation for Quebec's next provincial election. More than a dozen potfolios were reassigned in an attempt to reach out to anglophone Quebeckers and freshen up the image of the Quebec Liberal Party, which has largely held power over the past 14 years. Five new positions were added to the cabinet and the number of ministers under the age of 45 was doubled. In a speech after he announced the changes, Mr. Couillard promised to boost spending on services and cut taxes in next year's budget.

The truth about tax changes: Will Trudeau's proposals really affect only the wealthy?

The federal government says its proposed small business tax changes are meant to make wealthy Canadians pay their fair share and only target people making more than $150,000. Critics say the proposals are bound to have a negative impact on middle-class business owners. Who's right? Read The Globe and Mail's in-depth analysis of four fictitious families and how the tax reforms will affect them.

Number of obese children and teens grows here and abroad

The prevalence of childhood obesity is skyrocketing worldwide, according to a new study by the Imperial College London and the World Health Organization. Canada was mentioned among the countries that had the highest incidence of childhood obesity. If the trend continues around the world there will be more obese children than underweight ones by 2022. Around 15 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls in Canada are obese, compared to 8 and 5.5 per cent, respectively, worldwide.

MARKET WATCH

Canada's main stock index rose on Wednesday, boosted by higher marijuana stocks. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was up 30.04 points to 15,800.40. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks climbed to record closing highs as investors leaned on so-called defensive stocks and shrugged off news from the most recent Federal Reserve minutes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.18 per cent to 22,872.89, the S&P 500 gained 0.18 per cent to 2,555.24 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.25 per cent to 6,603.55.

This money-saving mortgage is on sale right now, but you should take a pass

"Today's interest-rate forecast calls for steady to rising rates – that's one reason to be cautious with variable-rate mortgages. Another is that the pricing advantage they offer over fixed-rate mortgages is comparatively weak. So while variable-rate mortgages are on sale today, they're not very attractive. You're probably better off with a fixed-rate mortgage." — Rob Carrick

WHAT'S TRENDING

The Toronto District School Board is removing the word "chief" from its job titles out of respect for Indigenous people. Instead, the jobs will be replaced with terms like "manager" and "executive officer."

TALKING POINTS

It's never just one bad dude: Systemic abuses of male power are everywhere

"It's tempting to look at the appalling and possibly criminal behaviour of high-profile men accused of sexual harassment as a kind of reverse great-man theory of history – the disgraceful-man theory of predation. When accusations of assault or harassment cases make headlines, it's often because there's a powerful man at the centre – Roger Ailes, Bill Cosby, Bill O'Reilly, and now Harvey Weinstein. But looking at this strictly as a problem perpetrated by individuals does not acknowledge that workplace harassment of women is a failure of culture and power structures, and it's ongoing. You can pull one weed and the whole garden will still be rank." — Elizabeth Renzetti

As Spain twists, Europe trembles

"History is made up of strange coincidences. One of these consists of the fact that both Carles Puigdemont and Mariano Rajoy bear facial scars incurred in life-threatening car accidents. Mr. Puigdemont, the Catalonian separatist leader, covers his forehead scar with long bangs. His nemesis, the Spanish Prime Minister, has worn a beard since his own accident made shaving an ordeal. The challenge now facing these two men, who have starkly similar personalities despite their visceral political differences, is to avoid causing deeper scars among the Spanish people that would make reconciliation between the central government and its breakaway territory even harder than it has already become. If they fail, all of Europe could come crashing down." — Konrad Yakabuski

Why Sears failed: Lessons from Winston Churchill

"It is closing down for the same reason that any organization fails, be it a company, non-profit or even occasionally a state. Because they lack one or more of the following critical ingredients for success: The right ideas, individuals and aligned interests." — Mark Milke

LIVING BETTER

Winter may be coming but doing prep work now may ensure your garden's success next spring. From pruning trees to preparing soil, there are a few tasks that you can do now to to help your to help your garden grow later.

LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE

A decade after the financial crisis began, have investors learned?

As the 10th anniversary of the start of the 2007-08 meltdown approaches, today's markets show some similarities – and differences. In many ways 2017 is beginning to feel like 2007. "I'm just as concerned now as I was back then," one market strategist says while giving the bull market another year. (for subscribers)

Newtown, Orlando, Las Vegas: How a Globe reporter covered an American tragedy in three acts

"As I stand in the terminal waiting for my flight to Las Vegas, my gaze keeps returning to the television screens. The words that flash across the bottom are both awful and familiar. Once I board the plane, a sense of numbness takes over. I know what is coming," The Globe's U.S. Correspondent Joanna Slater writes. Having covered three mass shootings in five years, she asks what it will take for the cycle of death, grief and inaction to change.

Evening Update is written by Mayaz Alam and Omair Quadri. If you'd like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.

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