An immigrant to Canada indirectly helps Donald Trump defend his mental state, Yemen pleads for $1 billion in aid to stop a deadly famine, and Liberal MPs float the idea of scrapping penalties for possession and consumption of all illicit drugs.
One of the big stories of the day was an announcement from the White House physician that, despite needing to lose 10 to 15 pounds, U.S. President Donald Trump is in “excellent” shape. Navy doctor Ronny Jackson said Trump did “exceedingly well” on cognitive screening and scored 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which tests for early signs of Alzheimer’s.
It was a big moment for Ziad Nasreddine, the Lebanese-Canadian neurologist who designed the test. But, as an immigrant, Nasreddine hopes his contribution might help change Trump’s stance on immigration.
The ongoing conflict in Yemen has hit a point of desperation. On Tuesday, the country’s prime minister called on allies from the Saudi-led coalition to provide $1 billion to save Yemen from “complete collapse.”
Yemen’s currency, the rial, has lost half its value since the war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels broke out in 2015. Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghir said saving the rial would mean “saving Yemenis from inevitable famine."
The situation in Yemen has been described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis by the United Nations.
3. Should Canada legalize all drugs?
In April, the federal Liberal party will meet in Halifax to consider a gamut of new policy ideas. In what’s bound to be one of the more contentious proposals, some MPs are lobbying the party to push to abolish criminal penalties for simple possession and consumption of all illicit drugs.
The resolution was inspired by a similar model in Portugal, where overdose deaths have plummeted.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has so far drawn the line at legalizing marijuana, which is set to hit dispensaries this summer.
