Carney warns U.S. trying to 'break' Canada

Plus: A secret ingredient to a happier life  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

T. Michelle Murphy | October 18, 2026     Hello there. Canada is facing a fraught question from within its borders: Could Alberta leave? On Monday, voters in the province will decide whether to take a first step toward independence. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s message ahead of the vote: Stick together. We’re also sharing a clip showing the destruction of a 19th-century town hall during protests in France. IN TODAY’S BRIEF Ukraine-U.S. tensions rise Carney’s plea to Alberta Zest for life France burns         READ THIS FIRST What Trump’s waiver of new Russia sanctions means for Ukraine Mike Stewart—AP President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that waives many of the sanctions in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, named for the late senator, which cleared Congress on Sept. 16.  The measures, which would have gone into effect Oct. 18, included tariffs of up to 100% on goods brought into the U.S. from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or natural gas. They were meant to deter countries from buying Russian energy, in turn reducing financial support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. The waiver, which comes as European allies continue tightening sanctions on Russia, drew criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the decision “definitely helps only the Russians.” His response underscores fraying relations between the U.S. and Ukraine, amid repeated calls from Trump for Ukraine to stop firing on Russian energy infrastructure and, earlier this month, for the removal of Zelensky from office. The waiver allows Russian oil to continue flowing to importers like China and India, potentially limiting further market volatility and helping to reduce the cost of fuel for American consumers. But experts question whether the deal would actually have any material impact in the U.S. —Rebecca Schneid Read the full story here.         SPONSORED REVERB Live concerts bring millions of fans together through music. Behind the scenes, REVERB channels that energy into environmental action. See how REVERB has helped eliminate 4.6 million single-use bottles and is driving an entire industry to make sustainability part of every show. Watch the episode         IN THE NEWS Carney warns U.S. is trying to ‘break’ Canada Jeff McIntosh—The Canadian Press via AP Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has warned that the United States is trying to sow discord as he urged Albertans not to vote for separation in a referendum.  “The stakes are high. This referendum comes at the worst possible time. The world has become more dangerous and divided,” Carney said at a rally in Calgary ahead of Monday’s vote, which will see residents decide whether the oil-rich province should take a step toward secession. “There are some outside our borders who are working to break us, so they can own us.” Carney's statement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump revisited his ambitions to annex Canada, telling the crowd at a rally in Arizona that the country will “end up being the 51st state, because it's the only way it works.”  Carney, who was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, framed the vote as an opportunity for Canadians to “recognize that we're all responsible for each other.” —Callum Sutherland Read the full story here.         SPONSORED SEABOUND Nearly 90% of the world’s goods travel by ship. From the food on our shelves to the packages at our doors, shipping touches nearly every part of our lives, and so does its carbon footprint. Seabound is betting on an unexpected solution: a box of rocks. By turning limestone into a sponge that captures CO₂ emissions, the company is proving that small innovations can help change the course of global shipping. Watch the episode         HEALTH CHECK Zest is a key ingredient to good living Malte Mueller—Getty Images Zest can be purposefully developed to assist us in managing daily stressors as well as creating meaningful lives, writes Joan M. Cook, a trauma psychologist and a professor in the Psychiatry Department at the Yale School of Medicine. Psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman pioneered the field of positive psychology, the scientific study of human flourishing. In 2004, they published Character Strengths and Virtues, a groundbreaking text on the 24 universal character strengths—one of which is zest. In an analysis of data from 130 studies involving more than 275,000 people around the globe, most character strengths were associated with greater mental health. But zest was one of just two strengths (the other is hope) that had the strongest relationship to mental well-being across countries and age groups.  “Acquiring zest is a worthwhile investment and may help us not only through challenging times, but also help us to see beauty and soar in our lives and workplaces,” Cook writes. Read the full story here.         SPONSORED AMINI Across the Global South, Amini is working to ensure nations are not left out of their digital future. From climate intelligence to sovereign AI, Amini is building the infrastructure countries need to own their data, strengthen public services and create economic opportunity on their own terms. Watch the episode         A VIRAL MOMENT A town hall ablaze Protests in France over school conditions and the cost of living escalated over the weekend, with violent riots breaking out across the country. This footage shows the historic 19th-century town hall in the city of Limoges burning to the ground. The neo-Renaissance building was a listed monument that opened in 1883.        Linked In this addictive word-association game, find the steps that will unite two seemingly unrelated words in just four moves. PLAY NOW     More Newsletters from Click to sign up. FUTURE PROOF +HEALTH MATTERS +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Subscribe to TIME Email us: thebrief@time.com Received this from a friend? Sign up here Connect with TIME   PRIVACY POLICY     © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe