Welcome to the weekend and welcome to The Buzz.
There’s truth, of course, to that old saying that you only lose money in a market crash if you sell. That’s what the experts tell you, and probably your financial advisor, too. It’s advice you probably should take, except some of your friends are bailing out of stock left, right and centre and you start thinking that you should too. But others keep being told to tread water, don’t do anything rash, wait for the turnaround.
That’s all well and good except if you’re that couple who’d stashed everything away for your retirement. And then, suddenly, just as you were about to unload that stash of stocks you’d carefully put away for the right moment, the right moment comes and so does the crash. Sadly, that probably happened to more than a few in the last ten days.
I just hope those people weren’t watching the crash precipitator on Thursday afternoon. There he was, for hours, surrounded by his butt-kissing cabinet members, live on camera in the White House, listening to the gaggle of sycophants praise him endlessly, shamelessly, for everything from bombing Houthis, hammering the Chinese, throwing people in Salvadoran jails, building another few metres on his wall on the Mexican border, and propping up RFK Jr’s plan to, among other things, get fluoride out of the water. And through it all, there he sat with that “sh-t eating” grin on his face.
The so-called “cabinet meeting,” televised by networks who fear he’ll come after them if they don’t, was another optic success for the guy. He knows how to throw a shiny new ball out in front of the cameras when he wants an old, damaged ball pushed aside and ignored. Like a week of disastrous policy decisions around tariffs that had left his cabinet divided, his allies damaged and trillions of dollars lost …albeit on paper. And then when the wheels were truly coming off, he suddenly did a 180 and slapped a ninety-day pause on the whole thing.
So, what was that all about, really? Some Democrats want an investigation to see who, if anyone, made money in all the violent market twists and turns. Some Republicans quietly whispered that the whole thing might have been planned right down to the 90-day pause. That it was all a brilliant manoeuvre by the great man himself, to scare the hell out of everyone. So what, I guess, that some retirees got burned in the process?
By week’s end, the markets still weren’t sure which way was up. And it could be some time before they are.
So, how do you deal with this guy if you are a trading partner? Like a neighbouring trading partner? Like a country that’s in the midst of an election and a key issue is your relationship with that neighbour?
Well for starters, you want to be sure you trust your leader to make the right moves, and that’s what Canadians are trying to determine right now. Who is the best person to deal with the guy next door?
We’ve got a number of pieces exploring this angle, starting with Saba Aziz of Global News reporting how Mark Carney has turned his campaign hat in for his prime minister’s hat to show Canadians he thinks the office is the best place to deal with this issue, not a campaign plane:
Carney hits 3rd campaign pause, says Trump’s trade war raises ‘stakes’ Read >
Pierre Poilievre isn’t buying that.
He says the Carney strategy on Trump is all wrong. John Paul Tasker walks us through the Poilievre attack on the Liberal leader:
Poilievre takes aim at Carney's ability to handle Trump and his tariffs Read >
Rupert Murdoch owns the Wall Street Journal and, because of that, a lot of people assume the WSJ toadies up to Trump more often than not.
Not lately. Here’s another example as it relates to the tariff issue:
🔒 After Tariff Climbdown, World Asks: Is It Method or Madness? Read >
The Liberals are suggesting they are doing well in Alberta and could surprise in some Conservative strongholds.
Again this week, Mark Carney was in Alberta trying to make that happen, but he ruffled a few feathers in doing so. And Tasha Kheiriddin for one, took exception to what she saw, seeing it as a lack of respect:
Tasha Kheiriddin: Carney should show the West some respect Read >
I can’t remember a party leader who at one time or another hasn’t faced criticism from the media for not being open enough.
Not having enough news conferences, not answering enough questions. And a new one, this time for Pierre Poilievre, not allowing reporters on his plane.
Does anyone out there really care? Reporters hope so:
Conservatives are limiting media access to Poilievre. Is it helping or hurting him? Read >
When was the last campaign where the NDP was such a non-factor?
What’s the last report you remember about Jagmeet Singh? If you don’t recall one, then read this — it might give you an idea:
🔒 Opinion | There’s Only One Thing Left for Jagmeet Singh to Do Read >
Lots more on all this in our podcasts this week: Join Rob Russo, Chantal Hebert and me for Good Talk on YouTube available right here. Or a special Moore Butts Conversation on whether Canada needs a majority government also on YouTube right here.
So the world seems to be a mess these days, no matter where you look.
Right? No, wrong. Just ask butterflies:
Meet the Butterflies Thriving While the World Convulses Read >
Full moon tonight. A full pink moon.
Hope for a clear sky, and here’s why:
April's full 'Pink Moon' rises this weekend — here's how to see it, and why it's so special Read >
