Baltimore Ravens receiver Mike Wallace, left, former player Ray Lewis and inside linebacker C.J. Mosley lock arms and kneel during the U.S. anthem before an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London.Matt Dunham/The Associated Press
Good morning,
Professional athletes have long been told to "stick to sports." But it's getting more difficult for many of them to keep politics out of it. This weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump targeted football and basketball players for getting political. On Friday night at a rally in Alabama, Mr. Trump veered off of politics and went on a missive against NFL players who were protesting racial and social injustice during the national anthem, a movement started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last season. "That's a total disrespect of everything that we stand for," Trump said. He added, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you'd say, "Get [him] off the field right now. Out! He's fired.'" (Mr. Trump used rougher language.)
On Saturday, he turned his attention to basketball, tweeting that he was rescinding his invitation to the Golden State Warriors because their star point guard Stephen Curry was "hesitating" in his decision to go to the White House, as championship sports teams traditionally have done. The response to his comments has been loud from athletes in both leagues, as well as elsewhere. More than 100 NFL players protested the U.S. president and hundreds more, including coaches and owners, stood with linked arms. A week ago, just four players didn't stand and two raised their fists. In basketball, stars past and present rushed to Curry's defence. In baseball, Oakland A's catcher Bruce Maxwell became the first baseball player to protest during the national anthem. Before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, the Los Angeles Sparks left the floor while the Minnesota Lynx stood arm-in-arm. Protesting politics through sports is nothing new. What this weekend showed, however, is that the game is changing in a way we've never seen before.
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CANADIAN HEADLINES
Talks to renegotiate the North American free-trade agreement continue in Ottawa this week. So far the talks have been complicated by the lack of detail from U.S. negotiators. U.S. firms operating in Canada say they're worried about how changes to NAFTA will affect their businesses.
Jean Yip, whose husband Arnold Chan – a Liberal MP – died of cancer earlier this month, may run to replace him in the House of Commons.
Provinces, including B.C., Manitoba and Nova Scotia, say they are not happy about the Liberal government's proposed tax changes. We've written a breakdown (for subscribers) of the proposal and why the government thinks it's such a good idea.
It's common for politicians during an election campaign or leadership race to think that they won't lose. But Jagmeet Singh is bringing a different kind of swagger to the NDP leadership race. For a party that has traditionally focused on substance over style, Mr. Singh has promised a culture change that his three opponents do not. The Globe's Adam Radwanski profiled him as he aims to become the first person of colour to lead a major national party.
British Columbia is trying to shed its reputation as the "wild west" of political fundraising but anonymous and limitless political donations from third parties continue to be a problem for the province.
It looks like the World Anti-Doping Agency's headquarters have a good chance of remaining in Montreal after all, according to Transport Minister Marc Garneau, who was in Paris this past weekend to persuade the international body to continue to be based out of Quebec's largest city.
Canadian and Swedish authorities are continuing to work on a corruption probe into Bombardier's dealings in Azerbaijan.
And David Johnston is preparing for retirement after seven years as Governor-General. "I actually have more things to do than I can possibly do. My concern now is time," he said.
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on the Liberal tax changes: "As Finance Minister Bill Morneau tries to adjust his proposals to win political support, he'd be smart to think about the mechanic, the farmer and the female doctor. If it's clear those people aren't being unfairly clobbered, most Canadians will likely think they're fair."
Jonathan Kay (CBC) on the Liberal tax changes: "That's not to say that we shouldn't strive for a more fair and rational tax landscape. But changes have to be phased in over many years — a decade would not be unreasonable — to give taxpayers a chance to reorganize their assets and renegotiate contracts in a way that accords with new policies."
Barrie McKenna (The Globe and Mail) on Muskrat Falls: "Newfoundland is not alone in putting politics ahead of sound economics when it comes to energy megaprojects. Provincial monopolies, powerful entrenched bureaucracies and regional jealousies have created a balkanized energy system across Canada that too often serves the few at the expense of efficiency and the national interest." (for subscribers)
Andrew Coyne (National Post) on Bombardier and the Canadian government: "It is increasingly clear the federal government, at least, views itself and Bombardier as being one and the same."
INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES
German Chancellor Angela Merkel won her fourth straight election yesterday, as was widely predicted, and she'll continue to helm the continent's largest economy and remain as a symbol of stability in an otherwise chaotic political landscape. But there's trouble brewing for her and her coalition partners, whose vote shares were severely reduced. The anti-immigrant far-right AfD party won the third-most votes and estimates suggest that they were able to sway 1 million votes from Ms. Merkel's party.
What is it like to be on the front lines of horror on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border? The Globe's Nathan VanderKlippe travelled to the region where Rohingya Muslims are fleeing Buddhist extremists in droves to better understand how it came to this. Through more than two dozen interviews with Rohingya, local and international researchers, human-rights activists and political leaders, he assembled a detailed picture of what has taken place in the last month, and the long history of tensions and repression that preceded it.
The U.S. immigration ban now prohibits entry of citizens from North Korea, Chad, Lybia, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, Somalia and Iran. It'll go into effect on October 18.
Jared Kushner used a private email account for official White House business. And he's not the only person in the administration to have done so. If you remember, e-mail management and security was a key issue in the 2016 U.S. election campaign.
And in case you missed it, British Prime Minister Theresa May offered the European Union an olive branch as she addressed the potential pitfalls that remain in Brexit negotiations in a pivotal speech in Florence last week.
Claudia Chwalisz (The Globe and Mail) on Merkel's new coalition: "Ms. Merkel may end up as Germany's longest-serving chancellor, but surviving a fourth term with the high approval ratings she has had for the past 12 years will be no easy task."
Cathal Kelly (The Globe and Mail) on sports and politics: "Until recently, the NFL and NBA were stable institutions that promoted an idealized vision of American unity. Now fully emboldened, Mr. Trump has turned his rhetorical cannons on the last thing that bound Americans of all political stripes – sports. And you can already see everyone rethinking which team they're on."
Sarah Kendzior (The Globe and Mail) on patriotism: "By attacking these athletes, Mr. Trump is launching a referendum on patriotism, race, and what it means to be a good American in a nation led by a man who praises dictators and refuses to outright denounce white supremacists. America has wrestled with hypocrisy ever since it was birthed by slave-owning founders who wrote searing declarations of freedom. But never has the gulf between the hallowed position of the presidency and the hollowness of the person who inhabits it been as wide as it is today. And never has Mr. Trump faced a foe like Mr. Kaepernick, whose silent protests hit harder than any of the President's tirades because they force Americans to contend not only with complicity, but complacency."
Chris Hannay