The Montreal stop was an emotional one and allowed me the opportunity for our first read this weekend. 

Monday night marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. A dwindling number of survivors still bear witness to what happened in that horrible killing camp the Nazis created to liquidate, among others, Jews, political enemies and homosexuals. So, in the Montreal Holocaust Museum, to a full house, I was honoured to interview George Reinitz. George, who was 12 at the time, managed to survive for almost a year before Russian troops arrived to set him free. He had arrived in May of 1944 with his father, mother and sister. George was the only family member still alive by the liberation – his mother and sister had been ordered to the gas chambers literally moments after getting off the cattle car that had brought them from Hungary. His father was shot in the head and left to die by the side of the road during one of the Nazi death marches in January 1945. George, now 92, told his story to a deeply hushed room - you could literally hear a pin drop. In an age where surveys show Holocaust knowledge is slipping for the young, it was good to see a hall where many of the 600 or so were sitting horrified behind youthful faces. We must remember. We must never forget. 

Part of remembering is seeing and hearing what happened, not in the Hollywood depiction, but in historical documentation. That’s what The Conversation did this week by publishing newly discovered photos of Nazi deportations, the ones that led to the camps, showing victims as they were last seen alive. Here’s their piece:

Newly discovered photos of Nazi deportations show Jewish victims as they were last seen alive Read >

As no doubt you have noticed, there is more discussion these days about the disturbing and rising level of antisemitism in the world, especially so in parts of Europe. 

A lot of the finger-pointing going on being directed at Elon Musk. The Guardian did a special look at that this week:

Fears for ‘security of Jews worldwide’ in wake of Elon Musk AfD speech Read >

Alright, time to bring The Buzz home to Canadian political matters and the headliners again this week are the trade war and the Liberal leadership race.

Let’s start with the trade issue and the Trump tariffs which are supposedly (assuming Trump keeps his promise) coming sometime today. This is a good piece, in the Walrus by Vass Bednar, and will help you prep for the news to come:

How Trump’s Tariffs Put Canada on a Collision Course Read >

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A number of my listeners over the last few weeks have written to me to ask about trade barriers, but not from other countries: instead, from provinces to each other. 

It’s not only a good question, but a really important one and it’s the subject of an opinion piece from trade minister Anita Anand in the Toronto Star this week:

🔒 Anita Anand: Canada needs to remove internal trade barriers Read >

The US election campaign wasn’t that long ago so you probably remember that, at almost every stop, Donald Trump complained about inflation and high food prices, especially his pet high prices: eggs.  

Well, guess what? Three weeks of Trump and egg prices are still going up. A lot:

Expect record-high egg prices for most of the year Read >

Remember when Trump first won in 2016, some Americans said they couldn’t stand the thought of him as President and they were moving to Canada?

Not many actually did, but some did. So, what happened when they did move? How did that work out for them? The Wall Street Journal decided it was worth trying to find the answer:

🔒 Democrats Joke About Moving to Canada Post-Trump. These People Actually Did It. Read >

I’ll admit it. I’ve spent some time in the last year in coffee shops that let you set up house and work on your laptop. 

I’ve written a few episodes of The Buzz that way. Well, times must be tough for some of those shops, like some certain Starbucks, where they’re giving freeloaders like me the hook: 

Starbucks staff given ‘panic button’ for laptop lurkers who won’t leave Read >

I never know whether to believe these stories – you know, the ones where somebody buys an AY Jackson for five bucks in a garage sale.  

All I know for sure is I’ve never found one. So, what to think about this – a van Gogh in a yard sale?

Painting found at garage sale is a Van Gogh, experts say Read >