5 things you need to know this morning: June 18, 2026

Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.

Five things you need to know

1. Trump says CUSMA should be 'terminated,' but adds he 'may sign it'

Donald Trump has said he would like to see the CUSMA trade agreement "terminated," but added, confusingly: "I may sign it." Speaking on Wednesday, the president said the US could "do better without that agreement" before explaining that "I view it as possibly expiring immediately.” Whether or not the president could terminate the deal without the approval of Congress remains to be seen. Separately, US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said today he wants the "fracturing" US-Canada relationship to be restored. He made the comments during a conversation with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.

2. CBC News should be reviewed by experts to determine 'fairness and balance': Senate committee

A Senate committee has recommended that CBC News should be analyzed by outside experts to "assess its fairness and balance." Conservative Sen. David Wells explained: "The intent of that is to ensure that Canadians are well served by an unbiased, federally funded media."

A Senate committee report says CBC-Radio-Canada’s news and current affairs content should be periodically analyzed by outside experts “in order to assess its fairness and balance.”#news #cdnpoli #senatehttps://t.co/QCPh3m0IrS

— 980 CJME (@CJMENews) June 17, 2026

3. Danielle Smith tells First Nations chiefs to 'check themselves' over treason accusation

Danielle Smith has said the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs should "check themselves" after accusing the Alberta premier of potentially committing criminal treason by calling for a separation referendum in the province. Smith said the "disgraceful" language used by the chiefs has no place in Canada's democracy, adding that they must "show as much respect" for her as she shows for them if their relationship is to remain productive.

Danielle Smith tells First Nations chiefs to ‘check themselves’ over treason accusationshttps://t.co/iTaRauAw9f

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) June 17, 2026

4. Left-wing environmental activists sue Ottawa over CO2 emissions

The federal government is being sued by a group of left-wing environmental activists over its alleged violation of the Net-Zero Accountability Act. Environmental Defence and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment are named as applicants in the suit, alongside three individuals. The suit claims Ottawa's plan to reduce CO2 emissions is illegal, with Environmental Defence adding separately: "Nothing that the government has proposed makes up for what it has gutted, eliminated, dismantled.”

A group of climate advocates is suing the federal government, saying recent policy changes have put it off track to meet Canada's legislated emission reduction targets.https://t.co/uvYl1yO3kB

— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) June 17, 2026

5. Teenage boys charged with making child exploitation material after sexualizing images in AI

Two 14-year-old boys have been charged with making and possessing child sexual exploitation materials, as well as voyeurism, after police alleged they used AI to create sexual images of their classmates. The boys, from Edmonton, were pursued by Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), which alleges they took photographs of girls in person and obtained others from social media before running them through an AI program.

2 teen boys accused of using AI to make sexual photos of classmates https://t.co/Zur7QKuTvH

— CTV Edmonton (@ctvedmonton) June 17, 2026

Thumbnail photo credit: The White House/X