 Good morning; this is Hanna Lee.
Today, we're looking at the internal party pressure on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to oust his campaign manager Jenni Byrne. We'll also get into an incident in Jenin, where the Israeli army shot at a diplomatic delegation that included several Canadians.
But first, breaking news from overnight: | | | | | |  | An ambulance and police vehicles line a street where two Israeli Embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night, in a still image from video. (WJLA/Reuters) | Two Israeli Embassy staffers, a young couple about to be engaged, were killed by a lone gunman as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, and a suspect is in custody, officials said.
The two were shot and killed in the area of 3rd and F streets in Northwest, a part of central Washington that is about two kilometres from the White House. | | | | | | | Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said a man shot at a group of four people with a handgun, hitting both the victims. He was seen pacing outside the museum before the shooting.
The single suspect, tentatively identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, chanted "Free Palestine, Free Palestine," in custody, she said.
Follow our live page for developments on this story throughout the day. | | | | | | | Pressure mounting on Poilievre to fire Jenni Byrne: sources | | |  | Many Conservatives are directly blaming Jenni Byrne, the architect of the Conservative campaign, for the party's federal election loss. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) | If you ask some Conservatives, there's only one person to blame for the party's election defeat last month: Jenni Byrne.
"If Jenni Byrne stays, we won't be able to support Pierre," one source said of Poilievre's national campaign manager.
"After a loss, heads have to roll," another said.
The pressure is mounting on Poilievre to oust his longtime campaign manager — though he's shown no sign of wanting to do so.
What's happening: Some complained of what they called Byrne's toxic and angry behaviour at campaign headquarters, while others deplored her lack of field communication and inability to adjust Poilievre's messaging in the face of U.S. tariff threats. For many, there's exhaustion, after three leadership races and four general elections in 10 years. Critics mention Byrne ran the campaign that Stephen Harper lost to Justin Trudeau in 2015. She brought out Harper's bad side, one source said: "Everything is a war for her."
Looking ahead: The Conservative convention is scheduled for next spring in Ottawa, but there's been recent news it may take place as early as this fall. Party MPs voted earlier this month in favour of the Reform Act, which allows them to hold a no-confidence vote in the leader at any time. By putting the vote out sooner, Poilievre may be trying to settle the question of his leadership as soon as possible and bypass any detracting efforts. | | | | | | | | | | | | | 'Totally unacceptable' that IDF fired shots near Canadians, Carney says |  | Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with reporters on Wednesday in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) | Members of the Israel Defence Forces fired in the vicinity of a diplomatic delegation in the West Bank city of Jenin of which four Canadians were a part, Ottawa confirmed Wednesday. Two of them were local staff.
Canada's reaction: Prime Minister Mark Carney called the incident "totally unacceptable," and said Canada expects a full investigation and explanation of what happened. "It's some of many things that are totally unacceptable that's going on in the region," he said. Foreign Minister Anita Anand said she will be summoning the Israeli ambassador to relay Canada's concerns.
Israel's statement: The IDF said the tour group "deviated" from the approved route, and soldiers fired warning shots to get them to move. The army "regrets the inconvenience," it said.
The context: Earlier this week, Canada, the U.K. and France issued a joint statement threatening to sanction Israel in response to its "denial of essential humanitarian assistance" in Gaza. They also opposed attempts to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the statement. | | | | | | | | | | | The U.S. plans to cut Energy Star. Could that raise costs for Canadians? | | |  | Energy Star is a popular program that highlights energy efficient appliances from furnaces to dishwashers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has told employees that it is slated to be cut, U.S. media have reported. (Paul Sakuma/The Associated Press) | Energy Star is reportedly on the chopping block in the U.S. The popular program is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and highlights energy-efficient appliances, from furnaces to dishwashers. How will that affect Canadians?
The domestic situation: Energy Star Canada is technically administered by Natural Resources Canada, it's unclear how it will operate without the American program. Products must be registered with the U.S. agency to get certified and are tested in EPA-certified labs. Just a few product categories are independent of the U.S. program, as well as the certification for new homes.
Why it matters: The program is a simple and essential way of understanding different products' efficiency. While similar labels exist, they tend to be more complicated. In the short run, without the U.S. program, there's a possibility Canada could continue running it here without the EPA, if the agency allows it to use its trademarked name and symbol. In the longer run, it's a matter of capacity for Canada; just nine of the energy efficiency testing labs are in this country, while 60 are in the U.S. | | | | | | | | | And, how one woman is honouring her cat's memory... | | | Guelph, Ont., woman to honour memory of beloved cat by helping other cats in need | | |  | Denise MacDonald and her late cat, Remmy. (Submitted by Denise MacDonald) | Denise MacDonald's beloved tabby cat Remmy died about a year ago.
"I wanted to do something meaningful to honour Remmy when he died," she said. "I've always just believed the best way to honour an animal is by helping another one."
So she created the Remmy Project, where she makes and sells handmade toys and donates the funds to local cat shelters. She says people can show support by donating items such as bed pillows and craft supplies such as pipe cleaners and pom poms. She'll use those to make more toys and other items.
"He was just that one pet of a lifetime. That one that you just love ... more than all the rest combined." | | | | | | | | | | | Today in History: May 22 | | | 1859: Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He's best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes.
1960: The strongest earthquake recorded strikes southern Chile. The magnitude 9.5 quake claimed 1,655 lives, left two million homeless and triggered a tsunami responsible for over 230 additional deaths in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines.
2017: A suicide bomber strikes outside an arena in Manchester, England, as fans were exiting a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande. Twenty-two were killed and over 100 injured. | | | (With files from The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters)
Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.
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