David Akin's Roundup: Security threat. Carney sidelined. Not Justin.
WED JUN 24
Canada
Ottawa student flagged as security threat over research helpful to Iran’s weapons program
Classified intelligence reports obtained by Global News allege that [a Carleton University doctoral student] works for an Iranian company that has been sanctioned due to its role in weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He is also associated with an Iranian academic whose research focuses on ballistic missiles and other military technology, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service wrote. | Globalnews.ca
Carney sidelined from at least 17 project because of conflicts
Prime Minister Mark Carney‘s corporate past has prevented him from participating in at least 17 “situations” involving his own government, including discussions of a payout of up to $3.1 billion to support housing loans, the possible export of electricity to the United States, and the creation of this week’s new nuclear energy plan. | TorStar (🎁 link)
Less Canadians see U.S. as ‘reliable’ as confidence falls under Trump: poll
The poll found only 33 per cent of Canadians viewed the United States favourably — a drop from 34 per cent in 2025 and steep decline from the 54 per cent recorded in 2024. Only 35 per cent of Canadians said the U.S. is a reliable partner, compared to 83 per cent in 2022. | Globalnews.ca
New N.W.T. highway set to be Carney government’s 1st national interest project: sources
Multiple sources confirm Ottawa will begin the process of designating the Mackenzie Valley Highway the status outlined in the controversial Building Canada Act. This would be the first project Ottawa officially lists as in the national interest. It would allow the federal government to fast-track environmental reviews and federal permitting. | CBC via Yahoo
Carney taps new adviser to lead response to Alberta separatism
Prime Minister Mark Carney has tapped Morgan Breitkreutz, a veteran Liberal organizer, to quarterback his government’s response to the Alberta separatist referendum vote scheduled for October. Mr. Breitkreutz was added to the Prime Minister’s Office to serve as a strong western voice at the senior staff table, and to ensure that the government has a Prairie lens applied to the work it is doing, one senior government source and two senior Liberals said. | The Globe and Mail 🔐
The Provinces
“I’m no Justin Trudeau”: Ford hits back at journalist over question on declining popularity
Ford faced gruelling questions over his sinking popularity, as suggested by the Angus Reid Institute’s quarterly cross-country temperature check of premiers’ approval ratings that revealed Ford had dropped to 21 per cent support; making him the least popular provincial leader in the country. Ford also said, “I’m sure the heck not Justin Trudeau,” since, he claimed, “I’m sorry in eight years Justin Trudeau wasn’t sitting out 41 per cent (in polls). So we’ll see if these (poll) numbers will carry on for three weeks and with all due respect to the other premiers, I’m Doug Ford.” | Global News
FN leaders call on Alberta Premier’s executive director to resign
[Executive director] Bruce McAllister, a former MLA and TV broadcaster, was responding to the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs (AOTC) unanimously passing a resolution on June 16 asking the RCMP and auditor general to investigate the premier for treason. [In response, McAllister wrote] “People are sick and tired of hearing unrealistic demands from [FN chiefs],” he added. “It might be tolerable if their communities were beacons of prosperity, safety, strong families and real accountability, but sadly, they’re anything but.” | Alberta Native News
Elsewhere
U.S. Senate votes to block military action against Iran for 1st time
The U.S. Senate for the first time approved a war powers resolution Tuesday seeking to block U.S. military action against Iran, as lawmakers warily watch President Donald Trump’s efforts to resolve a conflict that the administration launched on its own and now needs Congress to fund. | Globalnews.ca
How Mark Rutte of NATO Manages an Unpredictable Trump
Mr. Rutte, who has been called the “Trump whisperer,” walks a delicate line. NATO needs him to have a close relationship with Mr. Trump. But that coziness has sometimes angered the very European leaders who expect him to placate and modulate Mr. Trump to preserve the alliance. Mr. Rutte will meet with Mr. Trump on Wednesday at a time of high tensions. Mr. Trump has been especially unpredictable of late and has lambasted NATO for not supporting his war in Iran. The United States plans to pull a third of the fighter jets it provides to NATO in an emergency. And last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe. | NYT (🎁 link)
Priorities USA Will Spend $30 Million to Define Prospective 2028 Republican Candidates
One of the leading Democratic super PACs is pledging to spend $30 million defining potential Republican presidential candidates during the 2028 primary season. The Priorities USA effort, described first to NOTUS, is aimed at younger, disengaged voters living in seven battleground states. Priorities USA is training its attacks on Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. | NOTUS
In Texas, AI-generated political ads are blurring the line between real and fake
The ads present a lifelike Talarico, but the events were not real. They were generated with artificial intelligence. It’s part of a changing scene in political advertising, and experts worry about an inundated public trying to make sense of what’s real. These Talarico ads were among six Citizens for Sanity posted over several days with AI-generated content mocking the candidate. The group didn’t respond to our questions for this story, but its ads follow a series of videos in other races across the country that have contained AI, including a few from the Texas primaries, where Democrats and Republicans alike were using the technology. | Poynter
Media
Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan - On “Regime Change” & Inside The Trump Presidency
While there is some discussion here about what is in the Haberman/Swan book, there’s also quite a bit of discussion about “craft” — how did the two get their information? Who are their sources? How does the media go about covering Donald Trump. - DA | The Daily Show
Science and Technology
Groups tied to OpenAI and Anthropic are spending big on the [US] midterms
Around the country, groups associated with AI and tech are trying to influence elections from Senate races to local offices, even as Americans register increasing discomfort with the technology’s ramifications for jobs, energy bills and society. AI-focused super PACs have already spent $43.3 million on congressional races this cycle, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign spending. | NPR
LineShine Debuts at No. 1 as the TOP500 Enters a New Global Exascale Era
LineShine, a previously unlisted system installed in China, debuts at No. 1, displacing El Capitan as the world’s most powerful supercomputer as measured by the High Performance Linpack (HPL) benchmark. The new list also reflects continued depth in U.S. and European exascale capability, a new entrant in Italy’s HPC fleet, and unchanged leadership atop the Green500 energy-efficiency ranking. The top Canadian supercomputer is owned by Telus and clocked in at 95th on this list. Typically, the biggest/fastest Canadian supercomputers are in the top 100 but not this year — the Canadian government’s best is down at 157. | Top500
The Calendar
1000 ET : Campbellton, NB - LPC MP Guillaume Deschènes-Thériault makes a funding announcement
1000 ET : Yellowknife - Government House Leader Min Steven MacKinnon, Natural Resources Min Tim Hodgson and Crown-Indigenous Relations Min Rebecca Alty make an announcement.
1015 ET : London, ON - Justice Min Sean Fraser and LPC MPs Peter Fragiskatos and Arielle Kayabaga speak about C-14.
1100 ET : Edmonton - PRAIRIESCan Min Eleanor Olszewski speaks about the National Food Security Strategy.
1130 ET : St John’s - Fisheries Min Joanne Thompson makes a funding announcement
1200 ET : Vancouver - LPC MP Wade Grant makes a funding announcement
1200 ET : Winnipeg - Women and Gender Equality Min Rechie Valdez makes a funding announcement
1430 ET : Yellowknife - Government House Leader Min Steven MacKinnon makes a funding announcement
1500 ET : Vancouver - PM Carney attends the 2026 FIFA World Cup Canada-Switzerland men’s soccer match
Issued this day …
… in 1997. Sc 1649 John Cabot. Design Susan Warr.
