Police turn to an AI tool to investigate Sherman murders + cops back in schools spark mixed reactions

Good morning. This is the Wednesday, June 11 edition of First Up, the Star's daily morning digest. Sign up to get it earlier each day, in your inbox.
Good morning. Did you notice a reddish hue to the moon last night? No you weren't imagining things (promise), that was June's strawberry moon making an appearance, a phenomenon that won't be seen again until 2043. Here's what makes it so special.
And here's the latest on police adding a resource to help with the investigation into the Sherman murders, a proposed legislation that could put police back in schools and how more visible minorities in the GTA are leaning blue.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
DON'T MISS
Police have turned to an AI tool to investigate the Sherman murders
Here's how Microsoft Power BI is helping investigators with the case.
Toronto police skipped 'Homicide 101' and never sought alibis from family and friends of murdered billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman
Barry and Honey Sherman: how the second autopsy revealed it was a double murder
Doug Ford's plan for putting cops in schools is getting mixed reactions
Officers could be back in the hallways next year. Here's why some are concerned.
Doug Ford accused of 'Trump-style politics' with legislation that allows sweeping new powers over the education sector
Ford government's changes to children's aid societies miss what actually needs fixing, critics charge
Conservative support increased for visible minorities in the GTA
Here's how Conservatives attracted the group, which shifted 20 percentage points rightward in some ridings.
'The most honest reflection of the country': Inside the 905 — the ridings that helped deny Mark Carney a majority
WHAT ELSE
Canada's supply management system protects Canadian farmers by limiting the amount of dairy, eggs and poultry that can be imported into Canada duty-free.
Lance McMillan/ Toronto Star file photo
With U.S. trade aggression heating up, the protection of Canada's dairy, poultry and eggs intensifies.
Mark Carney's government plans to balance AI regulation against the promise to unlock its potential. Here's how.
Here's what life is like right now for a community taking shelter from wildfires in hotels near Pearson airport.
Heather Mallick: Smoke drifting into Toronto has me choking on past lives in the north.
Canada Post's workers union accused the company of trying to dictate a new contract. Here's the latest.
The defence in the Hockey Canada trial said the complainant lied under oath. Catch up on the trial here.
The Bathurst bus lane battle continues. See the local councillors' latest offer to her constituents.
The 2025 Polaris Prize nominees are here. This is who made the list for Canada's top music award.
This Toronto couple had creative wedding gifts. Thirty years later, students are still benefiting.
From rib festivals to car shows, here are a few ways to celebrate Father's Day in Toronto.
Dave Feschuk: The secret to winning the NBA Finals is hidden in lowlight reels.
Gregor Chisholm: The surging Blue Jays are getting value from someone new almost every night.
POV
Inviting Narenda Modi to the G7 summit was the right move for Mark Carney.
CLOSE UP
Striking employees of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board march around its head office as the strike enters its third week.
Steve Russell/ Toronto Star
TORONTO: Some 3,600 employees of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) march around its head office as their strike enters its third week. The Ontario Compensation Employees Union blasted the government agency yesterday for using automation to handle a backlog of claims during the strike.
Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. I will see you back here tomorrow.
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Winnipeg Free Press

17 minutes ago

• Winnipeg Free Press

Senate parliamentarian deals blow to GOP plan to gut consumer bureau in tax bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have suffered a sizable setback on one key aspect of President Donald Trump's big bill after their plans to gut the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and other provisions from the Senate Banking Committee ran into procedural violations with the Senate parliamentarian. Republicans in the Senate proposed zeroing-out funding for the CFPB, the landmark agency set up in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, to save $6.4 billion. The bureau had been designed as a way to better protect Americans from financial fraud, but has been opposed by many GOP lawmakers since its inception. The Trump administration has targeted the CFPB as an example of government over-regulation and overreach. The findings by the Senate parliamentarian's office, which is working overtime scrubbing Trump's overall bill to ensure it aligns with the chamber's strict 'Byrd Rule' processes, signal a tough road ahead. The most daunting questions are still to come, as GOP leadership rushes to muscle Trump's signature package to floor for votes by his Fourth of July deadline. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the chairman of the Banking Committee that drafted the provisions in question, said in a statement, 'My colleagues and I remain committed to cutting wasteful spending at the CFPB and will continue working with the Senate parliamentarian on the Committee's provisions.' For Democrats, who have been fighting Trump's 1,000-page package at every step, the parliamentarian's advisory amounted to a significant win. 'Democrats fought back, and we will keep fighting back against this ugly bill,' said Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, who engineered the creation of the CFPB before she was elected to Congress. Warren said that GOP proposals 'are a reckless, dangerous attack on consumers and would lead to more Americans being tricked and trapped by giant financial institutions and put the stability of our entire financial system at risk–all to hand out tax breaks to billionaires.' The parliamentarian's rulings, while advisory, are rarely, if ever ignored. With the majority in Congress, Republicans have been drafting a sweeping package that extends some $4.5 trillion tax cuts Trump approved during his first term, in 2017, that otherwise expire at the end of the year. It adds $350 billion to national security, including billions for Trump's mass deportation agenda. And it slashes some $1 trillion from Medicaid, food stamps and other government programs. All told, the package is estimated to add at least $2.4 trillion to the nation's deficits over the decade, and leave 10.9 million more people without health care coverage, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's review of the House-passed package, which is now undergoing revisions in the Senate. The parliamentarian's office is responsible for determining if the package adheres to the Byrd Rule, named after the late Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who was considered one of the masters of Senate procedure. The rule essentially bars policy matters from being addressed in the budget reconciliation process. Senate GOP leaders are using the budget reconciliation process, which is increasingly how big bills move through the Congress, because it allows passage on a simple majority vote, rather than face a filibuster with the higher 60-vote threshold. But if any of the bill's provisions violate the Byrd Rule, that means they can be challenged at the tougher 60-vote threshold, which is a tall order in the 53-47 Senate. Leaders are often forced to strip those proposals from the package, even though doing so risks losing support from lawmakers who championed those provisions. One of the biggest questions ahead for the parliamentarian will be over the Senate GOP's proposal to use 'current policy' as opposed to 'current law' to determine the baseline budget and whether the overall package adds significantly to deficits. Already the Senate parliamentarian's office has waded through several titles of Trump's big bill, including those from the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Energy & Public Works Committee. The Banking panel offered a modest bill, just eight pages, and much of it was deemed out of compliance. The parliamentarian found that in addition to gutting the CFPB, other provisions aimed at rolling back entities put in place after the 2008 financial crisis would violate the Byrd Rule. Those include a GOP provision to limit the Financial Research Fund, which was set up to conduct analysis, saving nearly $300 million; and another to shift the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which conducts oversight of accounting firms, to the Securities and Exchange Commission and terminate positions, saving $773 million. The GOP plan to change the pay schedule for employees at the Federal Reserve, saving $1.4 billion, was also determined to be in violation of the Byrd Rule. The parliamentarian's office also raised Byrd Rule violations over GOP proposals to repeal certain aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act, including on emission standards for some model year 2027 light-duty and medium-duty vehicles. __ Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

Global News

19 minutes ago

• Global News

Mahmoud Khalil to be released from custody, orders federal judge

A federal judge says he'll order Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil released from immigration detention. Judge Michael Farbiarz made the ruling from the bench in federal court in New Jersey on Friday. Lawyers for the Columbia graduate had asked a federal judge to immediately release him on bail from a Louisiana jail, or else transfer him to New Jersey, where he can be closer to his wife and newborn son. Khalil was the first arrest under U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against the conflict in Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Khalil must be expelled from the country because his continued presence could harm American foreign policy. The same judge had ruled earlier that the government can continue to detain the legal U.S. resident based on allegations that he lied on his green card application. Khalil disputes the accusations that he wasn't forthcoming on the application. Story continues below advertisement The judge previously determined that Khalil couldn't continue being held based on the U.S. secretary of state's determination that he could harm American foreign policy. Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. His lawyers say the Trump administration is simply trying to crack down on free speech. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Within a day, he was flown across the country and taken to an immigration detention centre in Jena, thousands of miles from his lawyers and wife, a U.S. citizen who was due to give birth soon. Khalil isn't accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists. He wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. Story continues below advertisement The government, however, has said noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country for expressing views that the administration considers to be antisemitic and 'pro-Hamas,' referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. His lawyers have challenged the legality of his detention, saying the Trump administration is trying to crack down on free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country as it considers their views antisemitic. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited a rarely used statute to justify Khalil's deportation, which gives him power to deport those who pose 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.' At a hearing in April, Khalil's lawyer Van Der Hout told the judge that the government's submissions to the court prove the attempt to deport his client 'has nothing to do with foreign policy' and said the government is trying to deport him for activity that is protected by the First Amendment. Story continues below advertisement They said an immigration judge could determine if Khalil is subject to deportation and then conduct a bail hearing afterward if it is found that he is not. — With files from The Associated Press' Sarah Cline and Kate Brumback

Toronto Star

22 minutes ago

• Toronto Star

Judge orders Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil freed from detention

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Friday ordered the U.S. government to free former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil from the immigration detention center where he has been held since early March while the Trump administration sought to deport him over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz announced the decision from the bench in New Jersey, responding to a request from Khalil's lawyers to free him on bail or, at the very least, move him from a Louisiana jail to New Jersey so he can be closer to his wife and newborn son.