Invading Your Privacy 🫣

Where news meets rational thinking

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, June 18th. In today’s news, Ottawa grants political parties a free pass to invade your privacy, US officials release reports that claim China interfered in the 2020 presidential election, Canada promises another $4.3 billion to Ukraine, Trump calls for Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender,’ and much more.

First time reading the daily blend? Sign up here.

Ottawa Grants Political Parties a Free Pass to Invade Your Privacy

While Canadians were distracted by headlines about affordability, the federal government quietly launched one of the most egregious assaults on privacy rights in recent memory. Buried deep in Bill C-4—an "affordability measures" bill—the government inserted provisions that exempt political parties from virtually all privacy laws. Even more disturbing: the exemption is retroactive to May 31, 2000.

This means political parties—unlike private businesses—can now collect, use, store, sell, and dispose of your personal information with no meaningful oversight, no obligation to notify you of breaches, and no requirement to correct inaccuracies. Not only are federal privacy laws like PIPEDA sidestepped, but Bill C-4 explicitly states that no provincial privacy laws will apply either. Political parties, candidates, and even volunteers are granted a carte blanche to exploit personal data, all under the guise of “party policy.”

The excuse for this legislative sleight-of-hand? A court case in British Columbia that applied provincial privacy law to federal political parties. Instead of allowing the judicial process to play out, the federal government decided to rewrite the rules entirely—retroactively—making decades of potential privacy violations legally untouchable.

This isn’t the first attempt to sneak in protections for political parties. A previous effort in Bill C-65 failed in Parliament, but at least it was part of the Elections Act and included some data breach notifications and restrictions on the sale of personal data. Bill C-4 does neither.

Now, political parties are only required to publish a basic privacy policy, name a privacy officer, and list the types of personal data they collect. That’s it. No restrictions. No consequences. No accountability.

This sets a dangerous precedent. In an era where data is power, political parties are being granted immunity from the very rules meant to protect democratic integrity. Canadians already distrust how political parties target voters through data mining. This will only deepen that distrust.

If the government was truly committed to transparency, it would remove these provisions, allow the B.C. case to proceed, and apply the same privacy standards to itself that it demands of every other sector. Instead, it has chosen self-interest over citizens’ rights—again. Source.

---

---

Chinese Interference in the 2020 US Election—Suppressed Intelligence, Political Pressure, and Declassified Allegations

Multiple senior US intelligence officials, including then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, have asserted that China interfered in the 2020 US federal election—but say that evidence of that interference was suppressed inside the intelligence community for political reasons.

According to a 2021 letter to Congress, Ratcliffe assessed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “sought to influence” the 2020 election. However, a report from the Intelligence Community's analytic ombudsman, Barry Zulauf, revealed a troubling internal bias: analysts were reportedly pressured not to label China’s actions as interference, partly because they disagreed with President Trump’s policies and feared their findings would be used to support his administration.

Zulauf’s report cited a clear double standard—while Russia’s actions were readily defined as election interference, analysts hesitated to apply the same standard to China. Zulauf concluded this was not just about partisan bias, but the result of a hyper-politicized environment that caused intelligence to be filtered or delayed if it didn’t align with prevailing political narratives.

Adding to the gravity of these claims, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on June 16, 2025, that the Bureau has declassified documents detailing “alarming allegations” of Chinese interference in the 2020 election. The documents were handed over to Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has previously demanded full disclosure of FBI records regarding Biden family ties to CCP-linked entities.

While the exact contents of these newly declassified records have not yet been made public, the pattern is clear: US officials at the highest levels have warned of a coordinated CCP influence campaign—one that may have extended beyond just political interference into economic and familial entanglements involving President Biden’s relatives.

This emerging story paints a disturbing picture of foreign meddling, politicized intelligence, and institutional cover-up, raising serious questions about the security of US elections, the transparency of intelligence agencies, and the growing reach of the Chinese Communist Party in Western affairs.

---

$4.3 Billion More to Ukraine—And Canada Calls It ‘Defence Spending’

At the G7 summit in Alberta, Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged another $4.3 billion to Ukraine—$2 billion in military aid and $2.3 billion in loans for infrastructure rebuilding. He also announced that Canada will count this military support toward its NATO defence spending target, a convenient way to pad numbers without actually investing in our own national security.

This brings Canada’s total contribution since the war began to a jaw-dropping $24.3 billion. That includes over $6.5 billion in military assistance, more than $12 billion in financial aid, and hundreds of millions in humanitarian and development spending. All this while Canadians face a collapsing healthcare system, a housing crisis, and record-level debt.

But here’s the part nobody in Ottawa wants to talk about: only around 30% of Western military aid initially reached the Ukrainian front lines. That stat comes from Jonas Ohman, head of a Lithuanian organization that’s been moving weapons and supplies into Ukraine since the early days of the war. “All of this stuff goes across the border, and then something happens—kind of like 30% of it reaches its final destination,” he said in a CBS documentary.

Now, to be fair, since the CBS documentary “Arming Ukraine” was filmed in April 2022, delivery logistics have reportedly improved. Jonas Ohman himself acknowledged that things have gotten better. In August 2022, the U.S. also deployed Brigadier General Garrick M. Harmon to Kyiv to oversee arms control and improve monitoring. But even with those changes, the fact that such a massive gap existed in the first place should raise alarms, especially when billions more are being funnelled in without meaningful public oversight.

It’s one thing to stand in solidarity with Ukraine. It’s another to throw billions into a system where supply chains were so broken that the majority of aid never reached its intended destination. And it’s something else entirely to call this “defence spending” while Canadian soldiers, veterans, and taxpayers are left behind.

If the government wants to play global power broker, it should at least be honest about the cost and who’s really benefiting.

Because if 70% of our support once vanished in transit, and our leaders called that success, what exactly are we funding today?

Trump Calls for Iran’s ‘Unconditional Surrender’

President Donald Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” in the ongoing Israel–Iran war and warned Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei against launching missile strikes, saying the US knows his exact location and could eliminate him, “but not for now.” Trump claimed the US has “complete control” of Iranian airspace and warned that American patience is running thin.

Trump’s remarks align with Israeli claims that they’ve achieved air superiority over Iran, having destroyed over 70 air defence batteries. Despite striking multiple nuclear sites, Israel has yet to eliminate Iran’s deeply buried Fordo facility, which likely requires US bunker-busting bombs and bombers.

Experts say airpower alone may be insufficient, and special forces may be needed to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu hinted at a possible regime change, saying the war could give Iranians a chance to overthrow their authoritarian leaders. More

---

Conservatives Vote With Government to Fast-Track Bill C-5 Through House

The Liberals and Conservatives have teamed up to fast-track Bill C-5, which aims to speed up major project approvals and reduce interprovincial trade barriers. In a June 16 vote, 305 MPs from both parties voted to limit debate, giving MPs just three days to amend and pass the bill through committee before third reading. Only 31 MPs—including the Bloc, NDP, Greens, and one Liberal—opposed the rushed timeline.

Bill C-5 would streamline permitting for large national-interest projects and ease trade by recognizing comparable provincial rules. While the Liberals say it fulfills an election promise, critics—including the Bloc, NDP, and some Conservatives—warn it erodes democratic debate, threatens environmental protections, and intrudes on provincial and Indigenous rights. More

---

Trump Raises the Price for Canada’s Inclusion in the Golden Dome Defence System By Ten Billion Dollars—From $61 Billion to $71 Billion - More

---

Elon Musk's X Sues New York to Block Social Media Hate Speech Law - X Corp is challenging the constitutionality of a state law requiring social media companies to disclose how they monitor hate speech, extremism, disinformation, harassment and foreign political interference. More

---

FDA to Offer Faster Drug Reviews to Companies Promoting ‘The Health Interests of Americans,’ Under a New Initiative - “The ultimate goal is to bring more cures and meaningful treatments to the American public.” More

---

US-Canada Trade War Update: Trump and Carney Agree to Reach Deal Within 30 Days - More

---

Air India Plane Crash: US Expert Flags Ram Air Turbine Deployment, Points to ‘Dual Engine Failure’ in Disaster - More

OpenAI Weighs “Nuclear Option” of Antitrust Complaint Against Microsoft—Its Largest Investor

Tensions between OpenAI and Microsoft have escalated, with OpenAI reportedly considering filing an antitrust complaint against Microsoft—its largest investor—over alleged abuse of market power in cloud services. The friction centers on OpenAI's attempt to restructure into a public benefit corporation, which requires Microsoft’s approval. Disagreements over equity, profit rights, and cloud exclusivity have stalled talks. While the partnership remains intact publicly, OpenAI is now working with Google Cloud and joining a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative. Regulatory scrutiny over the Microsoft-OpenAI alliance continues amid growing industry criticism and legal challenges. More

---

DHL Express Canada to Suspend Operations Nationwide on Friday - More

---

Elon Musk’s xAI Aims to Raise $4.3B in New Equity Funding - More

---

Walgreens’ Lost Decade: M&A Mania and Retail Neglect Shrunk a $100 Billion Giant to a $10 Billion Private Equity Gamble - More

Nature Journal to Publish Files on Peer Review to Open Up ‘Black Box’ of Science

Starting immediately, the prestigious journal Nature will release the full peer review history of every published manuscript, editors announced on June 16th. The move aims to pull back the curtain on what’s often seen as science’s “black box,” making reviewer feedback and author responses available to the public.

The peer review files—once optional to publish—will now accompany every article. Reviewer names will remain anonymous unless they choose to go public. Editors say the change is meant to foster transparency, build trust, and help early-career researchers understand the scientific process.

The shift comes amid growing calls for openness in science. A 2017 Nature survey found most reviewers wanted more transparency, and recent criticism from figures like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya has targeted the opaque nature of traditional journals.

With this change, Nature joins a broader push to make science more accountable and accessible, especially as the US government moves toward launching new journals focused on replication and open peer review. More

---

There’s Suddenly a 40% Chance ‘Planet Nine’ Exists - More

NHL Stanley Cup Final: Panthers Crush Oilers in Game 6 to Claim Back-to-Back Titles

The Florida Panthers clinched their second straight Stanley Cup title with a dominant 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 Tuesday night. Powered by Sam Reinhart’s historic four-goal performance—the first in a Game 6 Final since 1973—the Panthers closed out the series 4-2.

Florida became the first team since Tampa Bay (2020–2021) to win back-to-back Cups. The Oilers' loss extended Canada’s Stanley Cup drought, which stretches all the way back to 1993. More

---

Olympic Champion Noah Lyles Pulls Out of Race With NFL Star Tyreek Hill for Personal Reasons - It’s interesting to note that Hill ran 100 metres in 10.15 seconds last year. More

---

Ohtani Throws 1 Inning in 1st Start with Dodgers - The superstar gave up one run on two hits while throwing 28 pitches (16 strikes). Ohtani topped out the radar gun with a 100.2-mph fastball to Luis Arraez. More

---

R. Kelly Rushed to Hospital After Overdose as Lawyer Doubles Down on Prison Murder-for-Hire Plot - More

Gold Coin Collection Discovered Behind a Wall After Owner’s Death Sells for Nearly $4 Million

Bride Sparks Dinner Debate After Charging No-show Wedding Guests for Their Missed Meals

On This Day in 1812, the War of 1812 began as the US declared war against Britain

---