NAFTA Talks Are Going Off The Rails: Here’s What We’re Reading

The Daily 5 is Sharp’s essential reading list for what’s happening in the world today. Make sure to follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the Sharp Insider newsletter to stay up to date.

Here’s what we’re reading today.

1. Trudeau, Trump governments slam each other publicly for first time as NAFTA talks go off rails

“In the clearest public indication that talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement are going poorly, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland blasted the U.S. for the first time on Tuesday while U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer blasted Canada and Mexico.

“They were standing beside each other at an awkward joint appearance in Washington to mark the end of the fourth round of negotiations over the U.S.-initiated effort to revamp the 23-year-old continental free trade pact.”

Toronto Star

2. Bill Morneau asks to meet with ethics watchdog as controversy swirls

“Finance Minister Bill Morneau has asked for a meeting with the conflict of interest commissioner in the wake of an escalating controversy about whether his personal wealth is being ethically managed given his cabinet role.

“CBC News first reported that for two years Morneau failed to disclose to the federal ethics commissioner that he and his wife are partners in the private company that owns a family villa. Then the Globe and Mail reported that Morneau hasn’t put his assets into a blind trust.

“In a letter to Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson dated Tuesday, Morneau wrote that he has followed her recommendations ‘diligently,’ but ‘these recommendations have recently been the subject of increased public scrutiny.'”

CBC News

3. US-backed forces declare victory in Raqqa, capital of ISIS

“American-backed forces said on Tuesday that they had seized the northern Syrian city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, a major blow to the militant group, which had long used the city as the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate.”

New York Times

4. I tried to work all day in a VR headset and it was horrible

“I persuaded my editor to let me give it a go, doing a day’s work living in a virtual world created by the Oculus Rift. I thought I’d come out the other side being able to answer questions like ‘is this the future?’.

“Take my advice: do not do what I did.”

The Guardian

5. Autumn is boring, and that is good

“It took more than a week of breathing in crisp autumn air before I realized that I was free. No more pressure to get out into the world and do Snapchat worthy, sun-drenched activities. No more stifling heat holding me hostage. My liberation came in the form of a fleece sweatshirt, slippers, and a hot mug of coffee. Kids trickled past my front step on their walks to school with their parents, who then headed back alone,got in their cars and went to work. Autumn was back, and bringing with it a return to a universal state of averageness”

The Outline