- Some reports allege that Donald Trump wanted to use nuclear weapons in Iran and was blocked from doing so by a general, Dan Caine. Fact checkers have not confirmed this; the folks at Snopes are calling the story "false", but it's worth noting the basis for this rating:
We found no evidence from reputable news outlets or official sources supporting the claim, which appeared to stem from a dubious source. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also told Snopes via email that the claim was "totally false." We have also reached out to the Pentagon for a response to the claim and await a reply.
Given the above, we've rated this claim false.
I'd be inclined to rate it as "unconfirmed" rather than "false"; the White House's denials (or any other statement from there) are hardly something that can be taken at face value. That said, the original source of this story is a blogger who has been caught up in falsehoods before; hopefully this is another one, but given everything we do know about Trump I wouldn't put it past him.
- US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is threatening retaliatory action against Canada if the provinces that have refused to stock American liquor don't lift the bans. Mark Carney retorted that the bans could end quickly if the US lifts tariffs on such things as steel, aluminum, and vehicles. Certainly neither BC nor Ontario has any plans to reverse their policies.
- The International Criminal Court is proceeding with charges against former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte. A panel found that the evidence suggests that Duterte was responsible for dozens of murders, as a result of a policy during his reign of "neutralizing" alleged criminals.
- Only 25% of American 16 year olds had a driver's license in 2022, compared to nearly 50% in 1983. On the face of it this might seem to be good news, however biking and walking rates are down as well; the implication seems to be that they just aren't going out at all.
- The Kinsmen Sherbrook Pool in inner-city Winnipeg has installed buzzers for pool users to request admittance to the facility, following a series of concerning incidents including theft, threats, and assaults against staff and patrons. Unfortunately this is causing collateral damage for some users; the automatic opener previously used by people with disabilities was itself disabled in the course of the change. On the face of it I don't see why this is necessary; it shouldn't be difficult to set it up so that the person inside who responds to the buzzer could activate the opener from inside. If this isn't possible for some reason, then this might be a necessary evil, assuming that it excludes fewer people than would be excluded due to fear if such measures weren't in place (or by reduced hours if it becomes hard to staff the pool due to employee concerns). But this should be looked at before settling on the current situation.
- An intoxicated man who showed up at the Grace Hospital in Winnipeg was found to be in possession of a smoke grenade. How he obtained it has yet to be determined.
- French authorities are investigating after someone allegedly made a bet on the temperature in Paris on the online betting site Polymarket, then used a hair drier to warm the sensor so that the recorded temperature would be in line with the bet.
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