Good morning. We're covering the results from Canada's election and a power outage in Spain and Portugal. Plus: Join the poetry challenge.
Mark Carney triumphs in Canada's electionPrime Minister Mark Carney of Canada won a new term last night, according to the national broadcaster CBC/Radio Canada, in a remarkable turnaround for the Liberal Party owed in large part to President Trump's aggressive stance toward the country. It is still too early to tell if the Liberal Party has secured a majority of seats in the House of Commons, or if it will be forced to form a minority government. Here's the latest. Until just a few months ago, the Conservative Party, run by career politician Pierre Poilievre, seemed all but certain to win. But Trump and his relentless focus on Canada upended the race, securing the Liberal Party a fourth term. Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, pushing it toward a recession, and repeatedly threatened to annex it as the 51st state. Knock-on effects: The result highlights how Trump's brand of conservative politics can turn toxic for conservatives elsewhere if they are seen as being too closely aligned. Poilievre, who railed against "radical woke ideology," pledged to defund Canada's national broadcaster and said he would cut foreign aid, seemed to have lost centrist voters, polls suggested. Who is Mark Carney? Carney, who has been prime minister since March, is a Harvard- and Oxford-educated economist who served as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 global financial crisis and the Bank of England during Brexit and who promoted himself as the anti-Trump candidate.
Putin promised another brief pause in fightingFor the second time in a week, Russia vowed to temporarily halt its attacks on Ukraine. This time, the Kremlin said, President Vladimir Putin ordered a three-day cease-fire, starting on May 8, in an apparent attempt to placate President Trump. Yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would decide this week whether to continue pursuing a settlement. Ukrainian officials responded with skepticism. "Why wait until May 8th?" the foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, wrote on social media. "Ukraine is ready to support a lasting, durable, and full cease-fire," he said. For more: Without confidence in U.S. support, Ukraine is now banking on expanding the use of domestically produced drones.
A blackout affected millions in Spain and PortugalSpain and Portugal were hit by a major power outage yesterday that forced businesses to shut down along with trains, subways and airline flights. The cause of the outage was unclear. Here's what we know. Portuguese energy authorities did not provide specifics but said the outage occurred after a disruption in the European grid. An E.U. official said there were no indications of a cyberattack. Last night, power had flickered back on in many areas. The Basque region of France was also briefly affected. The reaction across the region ranged from frantic stockpiling to confused bewilderment to calmly hunkering down and making do with old-fashioned electricity-free ways of living. See images from the blackout.
News from the U.S.
The first rule in a campaign to be pope is that there's no such thing. Instead, the contenders lie low and let allied kingmakers do the work — but they can't tread so softly that they leave no mark. Lives lived: Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known as Jiggly Caliente, a star on "RuPaul's Drag Race" and a judge on the show's Philippines spinoff, died at 44.
Welcome to the poetry challengeCan you memorize "Recuerdo," a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay? For this weeklong poetry challenge, A.O. Scott and Aliza Aufrichtig were looking for a poem that was "just right," they wrote. "Not too difficult, but not too simple; not obscure but not a chestnut; not a downer but not frivolous either." Learning a poem by heart can be a way to hold on to something beautiful or to drive away the noise of everyday life. Start by meeting the poem and learning its refrain. You'll learn more of it over the course of the week. Begin the challenge here.
Cook: This one-pot baked gnocchi is topped with melty mozzarella. Watch: Our critics are talking about these eight new movies. Game: Check out three new video games you may have missed. Squat: Here's how to do it correctly. Celebrate: Experts from India offer some universal advice on hosting a big wedding. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
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