U.S. President Joe Biden lands in Canada for a 27-hour visit, opposition MPs vote to affirm calls for a public inquiry into allegations of election interference and five boys are rescued after getting lost in a New York City storm drain tunnel. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
1. Biden is here: U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Ottawa Thursday evening for a whirlwind 27-hour visit expected to focus on both the friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada-U.S. relationship, including protectionism and migration on both sides of the border.
2. Calls for inquiry: Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.
3. ‘Scream as loud as you can’: Five mischievous boys had to be rescued after they crawled through a storm drain tunnel in New York City and got lost, authorities said. In audio released by the fire department, 911 dispatchers work to pinpoint the boys' exact location and then tell them to scream once rescuers are close enough to hear.
4. Rising tax: Canada's restaurant industry is bracing for the biggest jump in the country's alcohol excise duty in more than 40 years, spurring warnings the tax hike could force some bars and restaurants out of business.
5. Parental approval: Children and teens in Utah would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok if they don't have parental consent and face other restrictions under a first-in-the-U.S. law designed to shield young people from the addictive platforms.
One more thing…
Closer than the moon: An asteroid will hurtle past Earth this weekend
