☕️ Canadian PM visits DC

It’s Wednesday.

Tensions continue to grow on the border between India and Pakistan, as the militaries of both countries have landed heavy blows. Air strikes by India killed 26, while strikes from Pakistan killed 16. We break it down for you in today’s one-minute read.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

In a majority decision, the Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender military personnel. The ban will be in effect while the rest of the case, centering on the validity of the exclusion, is argued. A group of trans personnel challenged the ban soon after it was first instituted by Trump in an executive order in February. The executive order argues that transgender troops cannot meet rigorous military standards.

More than 100 cardinals have entered the Sistine Chapel to begin the process of electing the next Pope, the head of the Catholic Church. Catholics believe the Pope is God’s representative on Earth, and that any official declarations by the Pope cannot be wrong because they come through him from God. Voting takes place in the Sistine Chapel until one cardinal secures a two-thirds majority of votes. At the end of each round of voting, if the cardinals have not elected a new pope, black smoke is sent into the sky from a chimney at St Peter’s Basilica. If they have chosen a pope, white smoke is sent up.

Germany’s Parliament, the Bundestag, has elected a new Chancellor (head of Government) after two rounds of voting. The first vote to elect Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, the biggest party in the current Bundestag, failed. It was the first time a leadership vote has failed since Germany became a democratic nation. The vote was secret, meaning Merz did not know who had voted against him. The CDU-led governing coalition has 328 members, but Merz only got 310, meaning 18 did not vote for him. A second vote was successful, and Merz will now lead Germany.

Today, Utah will become the first U.S. state to implement a ban on fluoride in drinking water. The natural mineral is commonly added to public water systems for its dental health benefits, but the state’s Governor signed a bill earlier this year banning its use, which is now coming into effect. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has previously called fluoride “industrial waste,” welcomed the move. Dentists have warned that the state’s residents will see a decline in oral health.

I’ve got 1 minute

President Trump and recently re-elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

The meeting follows months of increasing tension between Canada and the U.S., spurred by tariffs and President Trump's and his administration's calls for Canada to become the U.S.’s 51st state.

Background

Currently, the U.S. imposes a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports not covered by a Canadian-U.S.-Mexico treaty called the USMCA. Canada also imposes retaliatory 25% tariffs on certain U.S. imports.

Adding to the tension are repeated calls by the Trump administration to become part of the U.S. On the eve of the recent Canadian election, the President urged Canada to become “the cherished 51st state”.

Mark Carney

Carney rose to the leadership of the three-term Liberal Party at the beginning of 2025 and almost immediately called for an election.

The Liberal Party had been trailing their counterparts, the conservatives, by 25 points before Carney’s ascendency.

Carney recovered this deficit by promising to oppose Trump and distinguishing himself from past liberal party leadership.

After assuming the leadership, Carney pronounced the previous US-Canadian relationship “over”.

The meeting

During the meeting, President Trump stepped back from some of his stronger language when discussing Canada becoming the 51st state.

"I do feel it's much better for Canada, but we're not going to discuss that unless somebody wants to," said the President.

Carney reiterated that Canada was not for sale and told reporters he had privately asked President Trump to stop discussing a Canadian-US merge.

I’ve got 2 minutes

India has fired missiles at Pakistan, two weeks after militants killed 26 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Pakistani authorities say India’s attack killed at least eight people. They are considering it an act of war.

India described the attack as “measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory,” targeting “only known terror camps”.

Here’s what you need to know.

Context

The region of Kashmir borders India, Pakistan, and China.

When Britain relinquished control of the Indian peninsula in 1947, it split the region into two countries — India and Pakistan.

Kashmir became a flashpoint of conflict between the new nations, with both fighting for control.

After the UN intervened, the area was officially split into Pakistani control in the north and Indian control in the south.

More conflicts have followed, driven by religious tensions between the Muslim majority in Pakistan and the Hindu majority in India.

Militant groups opposed to Indian rule also operate in the region. India has accused Pakistan of supporting these groups.

In 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a military crackdown on India’s section of Kashmir, and began to govern it directly.

April attack

On 22 April, a group of militants opened fire at a tourist spot in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Modi called the killings a terrorist attack. His government has since said Pakistan supported the militant group.

Pakistan denied any involvement and offered to participate in an international investigation into the incident.

India has since withdrawn from a water-sharing treaty and ordered all Pakistanis to leave India. Pakistan responded in kind, cancelling Indian nationals’ visas and revoking treaties.

Today

International media has reported India fired missiles at Punjab and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, while Pakistan has said it shot down Indian Air Force planes.

India’s embassy in Washington released a statement defending its actions, saying it launched the attack after Pakistan failed to “take action” against the militants responsible for the earlier attack.

They maintained the missile strikes were “focused and precise,” and did not hit any “civilian, military or economic targets.”

In a statement, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sherif called the attacks “cowardly” and said “a resolute response is already underway.”

Schools and airports in parts of both countries have closed in the last few hours.

UN Secretary General António Guterres urged the countries to show restraint, saying: “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.”

Both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons.