26 billion: As Canada, like many other nations, rekindles its interest in nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels, a big question looms: Where to bury the waste? The federal government is taking offers from several municipalities for a CA$26 billion project to bury the used nuclear material 500 meters below the Earth’s surface. Ottawa will pick the “winner” by the end of this year.
1: Canada’s carbon emissions in 2023 fell by just 1%, according to new data which also showed that emissions from the oil and gas industry specifically have ticked up due to a recent production boom. Canada has pledged by 2030 to reduce total emissions by 40-45% compared to 2005 levels – currently, they are down just 8%.
9: A US bill that would expand federal protections and support for fertility treatments fell nine votes short of passing this week after most Republicans voted against it. Many conservatives oppose fertility treatments such as IVF because they believe that the embryos used – and often discarded – in the process are children, a position taken by the Alabama Supreme Court earlier this year. It was a rare instance of the GOP bucking the views of party boss Donald Trump, who has expressed support for IVF treatments.
700,000: The roughly 700,000 Polish-Americans who live in Pennsylvania have emerged as a key focus for both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris as the two candidates jockey for advantage in the key swing state. Poles in the Keystone State account for 5% of registered voters. Harris appealed to them directly during last week’s debate, arguing that stopping Russia in Ukraine is necessary to prevent Vladimir Putin from invading Poland next. Trump is now courting this bloc himself – arranging an appearance in Pennsylvania next week with former Polish President Andrzej Duda.
3: Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested this week on three felony charges alleging that he illegally trafficked, drugged, and coerced people into participating in wild sex parties known as “freak offs” for years. Combs, the billionaire best known for producing hip-hop legend Biggie Smalls, has pleaded not guilty but faces the prospect of life in prison in a trial that will likely be a lightning rod for debate about race, class, and sexual assault in the music industry.
