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Welcome to your Weekend Posted. As some, ahem, food for thought, U.S. President Joe Biden has once again claimed his uncle, 2nd Lt. Ambrose J. Finnegan Jr., was eaten by cannibals in New Guinea. “And he got shot down in New Guinea and they never found the body because there used to be, there are a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of New Guinea,” Biden said. Official military files make no mention of this, stating that Finnegan was killed in a plane crash after the aircraft went down in the ocean.
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The growth in the proportion of young people concluding that they are transgender — particularly girls — has led some researchers to endorse the idea that there is a “social contagion” at work. In other words, forming friendships with other transgender or non-binary youth or viewing social media content about gender dysphoria could be leading some youth to conclude they’re transgender. Last week, the Cass Review, a sweeping analysis of transgender health care for minors in the United Kingdom considered the theory — but did not come down conclusively in favour or against it. The Cass Review also found that the growth in the number of youth identifying as transgender coincides with a major increase in youth mental-health struggles, particularly among adolescent girls. There’s the potential that gender dysphoria could be a symptom of that trend. Read more from National Post health reporter Sharon Kirkey about the growth in youth identifying as transgender and some potential explanations behind the trend.
RCMP ARREST THE WRONG MAN
Daegun Chun spent three years behind bars after the RCMP alleged he was the kingpin of a human-smuggling operation. Except, it wasn’t true. Police said that Chun was behind an operation that had smuggled 500 Asian women into Canada, forced them into the sex trade and forced them to live in “unspeakable living conditions.” The RCMP built its case and Chun was kept behind bars, where he spoke little French and struggled to communicate with his guards and fellow inmates. Eventually, he was pressured to take a plea deal, over a falsified teaching certificate. Chun refused. After 32 months, he was released on bail and in 2018, returned to Montreal from Toronto to face trial. The charges had been stayed. By 2019, they were permanently stayed. But his life had been ruined. His Northern Lights College had collapsed. His name had been tarnished. He had physical and mental injuries from his arrest and treatment. And no apology from the police. Read more about Daegun Chun, his fight for accountability from the police and government and how he’s rebuilding his life, nine years after it crashed down in an RCMP raid.
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DEAR DIARY
In the weekly satirical feature Dear Diary, the National Post re-imagines a week in the life of a newsmaker. This week, Tristin Hopper takes an imagined journey into the thoughts of Tim Hortons pizza: And now they’ve created me. Pizza. Pizza in a Tim Hortons. Within our national temple to corn sugar and legal stimulants, it’s hard not to feel like an interloper.
ET CETERA
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- National Post has launched Heroes Among Us, a project that aims to get valorous Canadian soldiers recognized with the Canadian Victoria Cross. Jess Larochelle had manned a machine-gun post in Afghanistan, firing on Taliban fighters over the course of a 40-minute battle, after ambushers struck his post and three armoured vehicles. Larochelle won the Stars of Military Valour for his actions that day. It turned out the initial assault on his position had broken his neck, but still he manned the gun overnight. Larochelle was sent home to recover. Last summer, Larochelle, 40, was found dead in his shop. Now, supporters are pushing for him to be awarded the Canadian Victoria Cross — Canada’s top military honour. Read more about Larochelle and explore the series here.
- When carbon tax rebates first began landing in bank accounts in 2022, they were identified perhaps as a “federal payment” or “EFT Canada,” for example. It means that those receiving the Liberals’ carbon-tax rebate didn’t necessarily know what it was. But new rules in the federal budget will force banks to use the rebate’s actual name, so recipients know what’s going on. Read more about the change and why Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault thinks it was causing confusion about carbon pricing.
- The Ontario legislature has banned legislators from wearing keffiyehs, the scarfs often used to represent solidarity with the Palestinian people. Ted Arnott, the Speaker in the legislature, said members are banned from wearing clothing that makes an overt political statement. Read more about how the Ontario NDP attempted to fight the Speaker’s ruling.
- Outside the Manhattan courthouse where former U.S. president Donald Trump is standing trial, a person was set on fire and then taken away in an ambulance. The person was doused with a fire extinguisher before being rushed away. Read more about what’s known — and what is not — about this shocking incident.
SNAPSHOT
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