Good morning! This is Hanna Lee.
We have an update on the Salvadoran family twice turned away by Canada.
Then, the details of Mark Carney's lunch with Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., and disaster at a romantasy convention.
| | | Turned away, then jailed, family makes 3rd attempt to enter Canada
| | | Aracely Sarrano, right, with her daughters Itzayana, 4, and Madelin, 14, cross north over the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, on their third try to enter Canada. (Ousama Farag/CBC)
| We've previously covered the story of Aracely Serrano and her family. Originally from El Salvador, they had been living undocumented in New Jersey when they decided to risk exposure and make an asylum claim in Canada to escape the Trump administration. Here's an update on their situation.
Some background: Serrano has a brother in Canada, an exception that allows them to claim asylum. But due to paperwork inconsistencies, they were sent back to the U.S., where they were held for two weeks; then back to Canada, only to be rejected and once more returned to the U.S. Serrano's husband, Marco Guardado, was sent to an immigration detention centre in Batavia, N.Y., where he awaits a deportation hearing, while she and their two daughters stayed at a Buffalo, N.Y., shelter.
What's new: Serrano's brother, Israel, found Heather Neufeld, an Ottawa-based immigration lawyer. She filed a challenge in the Federal Court to overturn the Canada Border Services Agency's rejection of their attempt to file an asylum claim. Serrano has since been allowed to enter Canada and make the claim. She says she's hopeful her third attempt will be successful. Neufeld will now work to bring Serrano's husband to Canada, so they can enter the process as a family.
| | | | | | | What Trump and Carney discussed over lunch in Washington, according to a senior official
| | | Mark Carney and Donald Trump discussed many international issues during their lunch, according to a senior official who spoke on condition that they not be named. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
| After their televised discussion on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump had a working lunch at the Roosevelt Room. We have details on what they discussed during their meal.
The main part: The two leaders got along well, a senior Canadian official told CBC News. Much of the chat focused on foreign policy; Carney stressed to Trump that Canada will never become a U.S. state, and that any new trade agreement will be contingent on tariffs being lifted. Trump, on the other hand, was interested in getting Carney's take on other global issues on his mind, like the Russia-Ukraine war, hostilities with China and the situation in Iran. | | | | The sentiment: The Canadian side feels the meeting was positive, and that the president's seeking of Carney's input shows respect for him. Trump really does think it'd be a good idea for Canada to join the U.S., the official said — that's been made eminently clear by now.
Meanwhile: Trump claimed on Tuesday that former prime minister Justin Trudeau led the effort to remove Russia from the G8. Just one thing — that decision was made more than a year before Trudeau came to power. And, former U.S. president Joe Biden slammed Trump's expansionist sentiment around Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal. "What president ever talks like that?" he said. | | | | | These authors were sold a romantasy convention. Instead, they got the Fyre Festival of the book world
| | | Footage taken from three TikTok videos filmed at the A Million Lives Book Festival, in Baltimore. (TikTok/@percijay_fantasyauthor/@caitlinwritesabook/@carmenseantelnarrator)
| Last week, authors and readers alike headed to the Baltimore Convention Center for the A Million Lives Book Festival. They were promised cosplay meetups, panels, a competition and — for those who shelled out for a $250 US ticket — even a fantasy ball. But they arrived to what's now being called the Fyre Festival of BookTok.
What happened: The event had issues from the start; just 30 people came through the vendor hall on the first day, which was VIP-only. But the second day wasn't much busier, at about 80 guests. Panels started late and some took place on the floor, as there were no chairs provided. Some authors were out thousands after carting books and merchandise all the way to the event. | | | | And the fantasy ball? This was perhaps the biggest disappointment, attendees said on TikTok. They found themselves in a massive, grey room that was barren save for a few long tables with fake rose petals scattered on top. Amenities included a cash bar, a small dessert table and a single Bluetooth speaker propped on a chair for music. One influencer had travelled from Spain to attend the event.
What the organizer said: Archer Management, which put on the event, acknowledged the CBC's request for comment but did not respond to further requests; it later posted a TikTok apologizing for the fiasco. The video was set to a remix of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit playing in the background.
| | | | And in today's good news of the day...
| | This game is like fantasy football, but for picking a pope
| | | Fantapapa is an online game that has people building fantasy conclave teams to predict the new pope. (CBC)
| Think you can predict the next pope? You might want to try playing Fantapapa, a new game created by Mauro Vanetti, an Italian developer. In it, you can build fantasy football-style teams of the cardinals. The captain represents your pick for pope.
It isn't meant to make light of people's religious beliefs, Vanetti says.
"The target, in a way, of the game is mostly the institution," he said. "And, at least in Italy, even people that are strong believers, they are very easily critical toward the human organization, which is the Catholic Church."
Even a few priests are playing, he says.
| | | | | | | Today in History: May 8
| | 1884: Harry S. Truman is born in Missouri. He later became the 33rd president of the United States.
1974: The Conservatives and the NDP defeat Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's minority Liberal government in a no-confidence motion. The Liberals won a majority in the subsequent election.
2005: The new Canadian War Museum officially opens in Ottawa.
| | (With files from The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters)
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