Andrew Hall

Journalist, videographer, aspirational storyteller, amateur historian, grandfather

[Phillips P. OBrien @PhillipsPOBrien]

I'm not sure the Irish understand the damage the recent story of their pumping economic support into Putin's war machine is doing to their reputation in Central/East Europe. The idea of Ireland standing on the side of the oppressed against imperialists is gone, probably forever.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

@acoyne I think another way is to say that Carney actually "engages" with his caucus. He expects MPs to engage in real conversations and not performative politics, MPs had better be in touch with their voters and understand how to sell them on the Government's policies.

[Amelia 🇺🇸 @amelia_tweetz]

Imagine if a woman president crashed the economy and started a war with no end in sight, and her biggest, seemingly ONLY concern was building a ballroom and redecorating the White House.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

I was just thinking the same thing myself....

[The Shallow State @OurShallowState]

Trump has been having a hypomanic episode the past 24 hours. Post after post after post. All his trademark pathologies: Narcissism. Sociopathy. Paranoia. Sadism. All his trademark themes: Malice. Grievance. Division. Entitlement.
His gut is a simmering stew of agitation, rage, and desperation. His disordered brain is filled with paranoid fantasies of revenge alongside fantastical visions of regaining his grandiosity.
He hates being told his name needs to come off a building. He hates that musical artists are canceling from his show. He hates being trapped and stuck in Iran. He hates that Epstein won't go away. And he especially hates his own mortality.
Neither you nor I can EVER feel the kind of frenzied fear and fanaticism that Trump feels now. This is a man who knows he's in his final chapter.
He's confounded that he, all that he is, all that he ever said he was, his lifetime of secrets and lies and false constructs - is vulnerable to exposure.
How can he possibly sleep?
This is a malignant narcissist in decline. They always get worse, it's always messy, and they never want to go down alone.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

Agree, the Cuban people are suffering. Send fuel so they can have electricity and public transit restored.

[Avi Lewis @avilewis]

Cuba is out of fuel, strangled by the US fuel chokehold.

People are dying, systems are breaking down.

This is collective punishment against a people who have done absolutely nothing except live their lives under hard conditions imposed by the US blockade for decades.

It’s a blatant violation of international law, a crime in progress.

Canadians are connected to Cuba: we’ve been welcomed, had great holidays, heard incredible music, done business and made friends.

We need to help Cuba right now, even if it bothers Trump: Canada should send immediate humanitarian fuel aid, in as much quantity as we can quickly assemble.

And we should be speaking out loudly on the international stage: US military action against Cuba is absolutely unacceptable!

It’s time for the countries of the world to rally and stop this impunity before it takes another sovereign country into chaos.

We have to come to Cuba's aid. What's happening is too cruel, too horrible.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

The economic numbers are certainly weak but people needn't be spooked by the "recession" word. Quarterly numbers get revised all the time. Six months from now, there will a much clearer picture of what was happening in the recent January to March period.

[Bloomberg @business]

The Canadian economy edged into a technical recession as weak business and government spending drove a slight contraction in the first quarter https://t.co/AheLTZOkjV

[James E. Thorne @DrJStrategy]

For the record.

Mark Carney’s address to the Economic Club of New York was a disciplined, strategically framed intervention that should resonate with business leaders on both sides of the border.

In tone and content, it was exactly the kind of message markets look for from a G7 head of government: pro‑growth, geopolitically literate, and grounded in concrete avenues for investment and partnership.

Carney’s central assertion – that a strong Canada can “help make America great again” – recasts the Canada–U.S. relationship in explicitly pragmatic terms.

Rather than positioning Canada as a counterweight to U.S. economic nationalism, he presented it as a force multiplier for the United States’ own strategic objectives in energy security, supply chains, AI infrastructure, and re‑industrialization.

That framing is shrewd. It acknowledges the realities of a more assertive U.S. trade and industrial policy while offering a collaborative model that can lower costs, reduce risk, and accelerate execution for American firms and investors.

The speech was also notable for its business‑ready specificity. By highlighting Canada’s role as a reliable provider of energy, critical minerals, food, advanced manufacturing, and clean power, Carney translated geopolitical themes into investable opportunities.

His emphasis on rule‑of‑law institutions, regulatory predictability, and a growing network of trade and investment partnerships positioned Canada as an attractive platform for capital seeking both exposure to North American growth and insulation from global volatility.

Equally important was the tone: confident but not complacent, aligned with U.S. strategic priorities without being deferential. Carney managed to speak fluently to Trump’s “America First” agenda while articulating Canada’s own interests with clarity and self‑respect. For corporate leaders, financiers, and policymakers, the result was a reassuring message: Ottawa understands the new landscape, is prepared to work within it, and is focused on building a North American framework that can support durable growth, competitiveness, and security over the coming decade.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

@_scottreid I disagree. Carney wants to attract attention in NYC. With the international stuff going really badly for the Americans, their media will love a guy who says a strong win for the U.S. is possible... and Canada is key to making that happen.

[Clinton Desveaux @ClintonDesveaux]

Only the USA could launch a trade war against Canada, and try to annex us, then play the victim.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

Trump has truly lost his shit. Telling the Saudis to suck up to Israel???

[Open Source Intel @Osint613]

Trump to PBS: Saudi Arabia should join the Abraham Accords.

[Open Source Intel @Osint613]

Trump to PBS: Saudi Arabia should join the Abraham Accords.

[Rosemary Kelanic @RKelanic]

A new Brookings analysis finds the Strait of Hormuz closure will *really* bite within 1-2 months:
-by mid-July, temporary price buffers will be exhausted
-once markets figure out buffers are gone, prices could reach $150/barrel

Have to hand it to @robin_j_brooks, a proponent of Trump's blockade, for doing crucial analysis on the timeline for costs hitting the US.

I would add that as the costs of the Hormuz standoff become more apparent and severe, Trump's bargaining leverage vis-a-vis Iran will decrease accordingly.

Better to reach a deal TODAY, when oil prices are still moderate, than try again in 1-2 months when prices -- and Trump's leverage -- will be worse.

https://t.co/IfyW2rktRa

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

@RKelanic @robin_j_brooks Very depressing scenario, especially taking account of Fran Leibowitz's 2018 description of Donald Trump " the scarier thing about him is that he is stupid. You do not know anyone as stupid as Donald Trump. You just don’t.”

[Anthony Scaramucci @Scaramucci]

The world’s largest military budget has produced an industrial base that cannot sustain a serious war.

How is that possible? Because the system is not designed to produce military capability. It is designed to produce contracts. The five largest defense contractors employ roughly a thousand lobbyists in Washington. They distribute their suppliers across forty-five states deliberately, so no senator can ever vote to cancel a program without firing his own constituents.

And here we are. The current leadership will keep fiddling on this as they see our apathy as permission.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

RT @Honickman: Howard is correct. I say this as someone who's long been an advocate of provincial autonomy and who sympathizes with Alberta…

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

"Some frustration"... imagine how Canada feels, Pete.

[Scott Robertson @sarobertson_]

US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says there's some "frustration and disappointment" from the Trump administration on trade negotiations with Canada.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

Talk about what is likely or not likely after Alberta separates is pointless. The different fantasies will first need to deal with the massive uncertainties just trying to make separation happen. Alberta, including its borders, was created by the Dominion of Canada in 1905. Why assume these are automatic presumptions? If the population of Calgary and Edmonton, a significant part of Alberta, do want to remain part of Canada, why wouldn't their democratic expression be as valid as those in Red Deer or Lethbridge?

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

My understanding is that other media gave a fuller explanation of the story which basically means they reported that no actual unmarked graves had yet been found at the Kamloops First Nation. The process by the Kamloops FN to actually dig at the supposed grave site is still dragging on, as Kay acknowledges.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

@BestStephenD A sense of grievance unites all Canadians, and disdain for Toronto and the Leafs.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewHallCan]

The bottom line, everybody hates Donald Trump, especially his wife.

[Anthony Scaramucci @Scaramucci]

Nobody really likes Donald Trump. That’s just the truth.

He’s powerful, effective, charismatic in his way — he used his narcissism and his bullying to get the top job in America.

But he’s not genuinely liked by anyone and deep down he knows it.

When people call him out for who he is, he lashes back.

Only the good die young, so this son of a bitch will probably live forever, but if I go before him, he’ll almost certainly say something terrible about me.

I would find that very amusing.

Even from wherever I end up.