Tory’s Baber renews pitch and airport testing is back: In The News for July 20, 2022

Baber, who was bounced from Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s caucus over opposing COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2021, has broadened his fight against such health measures and vaccine mandates and is now pointing to pledges such as cancelling agricultural supply management and federal equalization payments to the provinces as “material differences” between himself and the two candidates he may find himself trailing on the ballot.

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As Ottawa relaunches its mandatory COVID-19 testing program at airports, infectious disease experts are asking how valuable it is to randomly test travellers arriving in Canada.

The government put a pause on random testing at airports in June but relaunched the program on Tuesday at four major airports: Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam has called the tests an “early warning system” for new variants, but infectious disease physician Dr. Zain Chagla says there are more efficient ways to do that, such as testing the wastewater at the airport.

Earlier testing was being blamed for long delays at customs.

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Also this …

Statistics Canada will release its latest reading on inflation this morning and expectations are for it to climb even higher.

Economists expect the consumer price index for June climbed to at least eight per cent as food and energy prices soared and the economy continued to reopen.

In May, the rate of inflation reached a 39-year-high of 7.7 per cent.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

A far-right Maryland legislator endorsed by former U-S President Donald Trump has won the Republican primary for Maryland governor. Dan Cox defeated a moderate rival backed by outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan.

Cox will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the November general election. A bestselling author backed by Oprah Winfrey, Wes Moore, had an early lead Tuesday night, with the focus starting to turn to mail ballots that won’t be counted until later in the week.

Despite being a win for Trump, Cox’s victory over former Hogan Cabinet member Kelly Schulz could be a blow to Republican chances to hold on to the seat in November.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

Sri Lankan lawmakers have chosen six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as president to succeed the ousted leader who fled the country in a vote that risks reigniting political turmoil in the troubled South Asian island nation.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May, hoping to bring stability to a country engulfed in its worst economic crisis in memory.

Wickremesinghe became acting president after Rajapaksa fled the country last week and resigned by email.

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On this day in 1944 …

A bombing attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, known popularly as Operation Valkyrie, failed as the last remnants of the German opposition sought to overthrow the Nazis.

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In entertainment …

The little ol’band from Texas returns to the fray with a new album — recorded at an old venue.

ZZ Top’s new live album “Raw” was recorded at Gruene Hall, which calls itself “the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas,” as part of the band’s wildly popular and critically lauded 2019 Netflix documentary “That little ol’band from Texas.”

The performance was done in the pre-pandemic era, 2019 to be exact, and features the band’s original lineup, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and the now-deceased Dusty Hill. The band says the album is dedicated “in righteous memory of Dusty Hill.”

The album is out on July 22, 2022.

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In sports…

Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton homered back-to-back in the fourth inning to rally the American League over the National League 3-2 in the All-Star Game.

Toronto Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah dominated on the mound, pitching a scoreless second inning for the A.L. side in L.A. He provided plenty of entertainment as he struck out three hitters and hit one.

It was the ninth straight win for the American League in a game that also featured Blue Jays Alejandro Kirk, Santiago Espinal, Vladimir Guerrero Junior and Jordan Romano.

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Did you see this?

Retired general Rick Hillier says he fears Canada’s decision to return Nord Stream 1 pipeline turbines to Germany will weaken global sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Hillier, who heads a new advisory council of retired military commanders formed by the Ukrainian World Congress, worries the decision could prove to be the first break in that united economic front. However, retired American generals David Petraeus and Welsey Clark are less critical, calling the decision a difficult one that was in the best interests of all involved.

The federal government agreed earlier this month to grant a temporary exemption to the sanctions in order to return six turbines repaired in Montreal for use in the Russian state-owned pipeline.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2022

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Tory’s Baber renews pitch and airport testing is back: In The News for July 20, 2022

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