See the poster for full details.

The 25-year-old American was one of the first 11 players named to the roster Friday following voting by fans and media. The group will be joined by 13 other athletes chosen by all-star team head coach Dean Smith (Charlotte FC), and two hand-picked by MLS commissioner Don Garber.

Berhalter made his first all-star game appearance last season, and went on to be named to the league’s “best XI” of the campaign after helping Vancouver make it to the MLS Cup final for the first time.

He has six goals and seven assists for the ‘Caps over 14 regular-season games this year, and is set to play for the United States in the FIFA World Cup this summer.

The other 10 players named on Friday include Nashville SC attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar, Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-Min, and Inter Miami legend Lionel Messi.

This year’s all-star game will take place in Charlotte, N.C., on July 29, pitting some of the league’s top talents against a group of LIGA MX all stars.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.

The Canadian Press

B.C.'s pot distributor is forecasting a moderate increase in cannabis demand and sales on match days in Vancouver's downtown core.

Its Ontario counterpart pegged the potential sales boost at 10 per cent for some businesses near the action.

Sean Kady's pot shop Cosmic Charlies is a short walk from Toronto Stadium, so he anticipates plenty of World Cup visitors.

To satisfy demand, he's selling a bong that resembles the tournament's golden trophy and stocking up on novelty products tourists tend to want like oversized pre-rolls.

Over in Vancouver, the president of the Inspired Cannabis chain ordered plenty of vapes and beverages to fuel the increase in sales he predicts will come from World Cup goers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

Here are the jobless rates last month by city (numbers from the previous month in brackets):

_ St. John's, N.L. 7.0 per cent (6.7)

_ Halifax 5.7 per cent (6.0)

_ Moncton, N.B. 8.0 per cent (7.4)

_ Saint John, N.B. 5.4 per cent (5.4)

_ Fredericton 5.4 per cent (5.7)

_ Saguenay, Que. 3.3 per cent (3.3)

_ Quebec City 3.8 per cent (3.3)

_ Sherbrooke, Que. 4.7 per cent (4.4)

_ Trois-Rivières, Que. 5.8 per cent (4.8)

_ Drummondville, Que. 7.0 per cent (7.3)

_ Montreal 6.9 per cent (7.1)

_ Gatineau, Que. 6.6 per cent (6.5)

_ Ottawa 6.1 per cent (6.2)

_ Kingston, Ont. 6.2 per cent (6.0)

_ Belleville-Quinte West, Ont. 7.5 per cent (6.6)

_ Peterborough, Ont. 5.7 per cent (5.7)

_ Oshawa, Ont. 8.5 per cent (8.5)

_ Toronto 7.6 per cent (8.2)

_ Hamilton, Ont. 7.0 per cent (6.7)

_ St. Catharines-Niagara, Ont. 6.6 per cent (6.0)

_ Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont. 8.7 per cent (9.0)

_ Brantford, Ont. 5.9 per cent (5.7)

_ Guelph, Ont. 7.2 per cent (6.8)

_ London, Ont. 8.7 per cent (9.2)

_ Windsor, Ont. 8.2 per cent (8.1)

_ Barrie, Ont. 8.7 per cent (9.2)

_ Greater Sudbury, Ont. 6.4 per cent (6.0)

_ Thunder Bay, Ont. 5.2 per cent (5.5)

_ Winnipeg 5.9 per cent (5.9)

_ Regina 5.8 per cent (5.8)

_ Saskatoon 6.1 per cent (5.6)

_ Lethbridge, Alta. 5.2 per cent (5.7)

_ Calgary 7.0 per cent (6.7)

_ Red Deer, Alta. 6.6 per cent (6.2)

_ Edmonton 7.1 per cent (7.1)

_ Kelowna, B.C. 9.0 per cent (8.0)

_ Kamloops, B.C. 5.9 per cent (4.9)

_ Chilliwack, B.C. 7.7 per cent (7.2)

_ Abbotsford-Mission, B.C. 7.8 per cent (6.5)

_ Vancouver 6.7 per cent (6.5)

_ Victoria 4.1 per cent (4.3)

_ Nanaimo, B.C. 8.5 per cent (8.7)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

_ Newfoundland and Labrador 9.6 per cent (10.0)

_ Prince Edward Island 6.7 per cent (8.0)

_ Nova Scotia 7.1 per cent (6.3)

_ New Brunswick 7.2 per cent (7.2)

_ Quebec 5.6 per cent (6.2)

_ Ontario 7.0 per cent (7.5)

_ Manitoba 5.5 per cent (5.0)

_ Saskatchewan 6.2 per cent (5.6)

_ Alberta 6.6 per cent (7.0)

_ British Columbia 6.8 per cent (6.8)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

Unemployment rate: 6.6 per cent (6.9)

Employment rate: 60.7 per cent (60.5)

Participation rate: 65.0 per cent (65.0)

Number unemployed: 1,482,400 (1,566,400)

Number working: 21,121,500 (21,033,700)

Youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate: 13.4 per cent (14.3)

Men (25 plus) unemployment rate: 5.6 per cent (5.8)

Women (25 plus) unemployment rate: 5.3 per cent (5.7)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

The victims, all Nigeriens, were returning home from a religious festival in Mali when the truck stopped running more than 80 kilometers (49 miles) west of Assamaka, near the borders with Mali and Algeria, Niger's Agadez region governorate said in an online post late Thursday.

Two men survived after trekking more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) to a water source and then continuing to Assamaka, where they alerted authorities, the governorate said.

A delegation sent to the scene by the Agadez Region Governor Gen. Ibra Boulama Issa learned the truck had traveled for several days from the Malian town of Talhandek about 300 kilometers (187 miles) from the Nigerien border.

It was not immediately clear what led to the breakdown or how long the passengers waited.

“On the spot, the findings were particularly disturbing. Dozens of lifeless bodies were found under the immobile truck and in its surroundings,” the Agadez governorate said.

Photos published by the governorate showed bodies in the desert with pieces of clothing and other belongings scattered around.

“Deprived of water and unable to repair the vehicle despite the efforts of the driver, his apprentice and passengers, travelers found themselves trapped in the heart of a hostile environment where extreme temperatures and lack of supply points make survival extremely difficult,” the governorate said.

The 49 victims were buried in mass graves at the scene in what officials called a “particularly delicate and emotionally exhausting task” for the survivors.

The Associated Press

Debate has raged on Parliament Hill over whether the country is in a recession since Statistics Canada reported last week that the economy shrank for two quarters in a row.

The C.D. Howe Institute's Business Cycle Council is traditionally viewed as the arbiter for calling a recession in Canada.

The council said in a bulletin Friday that two quarters of declining GDP in a row are not sufficient to call a recession and urged caution over reading too much into the recent data.

The group of economists argued weakness in Canada's economy is not yet widespread or persistent enough to warrant the recession label, and the marginal decline in the first quarter of the year will be subject to revisions in the months ahead.

The report noted GDP increased in more than half the sectors in the Canadian economy in the first quarter of 2026, showing that the economic slowdown was not pervasive. The economists also pointed to two consecutive quarters of declining unemployment as indicators Canada is not in a recession.

Statistics Canada reported Friday the Canadian economy added 88,000 jobs in May, while the unemployment rate fell to 6.6 per cent compared with 6.9 per cent in April.

However, the business cycle council said the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA, will continue to cause worries about economic growth for the next few quarters.

They said they are ready to meet again to discuss a possible recession call if broad-based economic strain emerges in both GDP and employment figures.

Over the past week, the Conservatives have laid the blame for a "full-blown recession" at the feet of the Liberal government, while Prime Minister Mark Carney has argued growth will be uneven as the government tries to pivot the economy away from reliance on the United States.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press

Senators voted 52-47 to pass the $70 billion legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for the next three years, through the end of Trump’s term, after Democrats blocked the money for months. The bill will now head to the House, which is expected to take it up next week.

The final vote came just before 5 a.m., after Republicans narrowly defeated multiple attempts by members of both parties to add language to the bill that would permanently ban Trump’s settlement fund for allies who believe they've been politically persecuted.

Republicans cleared the last major hurdle overnight when they defeated an amendment proposed by one of their own members, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, that would have redirected payments from the settlement to members of law enforcement who were injured when a mob of Trump supporters seeking to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The amendments were a test of party unity that complicated what should have been an easy vote for Republicans who wanted to keep the focus on immigration enforcement in an election year. Instead, they spent almost a full day haggling among themselves over whether to block the settlement fund, even after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had said earlier this week that it would not go forward.

“This would have been done several hours ago if we weren’t having to deal with some of the issues around the fund,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said shortly before midnight.

Thune himself has criticized the fund, which was part of a settlement that resolves Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns and has angered many of his GOP colleagues. But he has been pushing GOP senators for weeks to keep the bill focused on the funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol and to avoid adding new provisions that could complicate its passage in the House.

Still, a group of Republican senators pushed all day and into the night to block the fund’s payouts through legislation. That effort came after Trump, who has been at odds with the Senate in recent weeks, raised new doubts about the fund’s future on Wednesday when he told reporters that it is “very important” and said “I don’t know” whether it is dead or on hold.

The final 52-47 vote on the bill was nearly party line, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only Republican to oppose it. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado missed the vote.

Senators push back multiple attempts to ban settlement fund

The first vote on Thursday morning, a Democratic effort to ban the settlement fund, was held open for several hours while Cassidy and two other Republican senators decided whether to support it. The Democratic motion was narrowly defeated when Cassidy eventually voted against it and the two other senators — Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, both of whom are up for reelection this year — voted for it.

The Senate then rejected a second amendment from Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina that would also have banned the settlement fund but would have moved the money to a separate anti-fraud fund at the Department of Justice. Most Democrats voted against the amendment, guaranteeing its defeat, but more than 10 Republicans supported it.

Tillis said the fund is a political liability for the party.

“If Blanche says this is largely inoperative, why not use this moment to codify that?” Tillis said. “Otherwise, you’re exposing every one of our members who are in cycle to having to deal with this between today and Election Day, and that makes no sense for something that the DOJ says they’re not moving forward with.”

Cassidy's amendment to compensate the injured police officers was a pointed rebuke, as payouts from Trump's fund could have potentially gone to Trump supporters who beat police and attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. Cassidy lost reelection last month after Trump endorsed a primary opponent.

He said that, despite Blanche's comments, the fund is still part of an active settlement and “absolutely can be used.”

The Senate rejected several other Democratic efforts to try to block or limit the fund, including amendments to ban payments to Jan. 6 defendants who injured law enforcement officers.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Republicans are now “leaving taxpayers to rely on nothing more than a promise from Donald Trump’s personal fixer. That is not accountability. That is a permission slip.”

ICE and Border Patrol money has been delayed for months

Enactment of the bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol would end the blockade by Democrats who demanded policy changes after the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents in January.

Senate Republicans used a complicated procedural maneuver to get around the filibuster and pass the budget legislation with no Democratic votes. But it took weeks to get the bill to the Senate floor as Republicans navigated various obstacles to passage created by Trump and the White House — including a $1 billion proposal for White House security and Trump’s ballroom that they eventually scrapped and the fierce bipartisan backlash to the settlement fund.

Democrats say any funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security should place restraints on federal immigration authorities, including better identification for federal officers and more use of judicial warrants, among other asks.

After federal agents shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Trump agreed to a Democratic request that the Homeland Security bill be separated from a larger spending measure that became law. But bipartisan negotiations went nowhere, and the department funding lapsed in mid-February with no agreement on changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.

Congress eventually funded the rest of DHS at the end of April with Democratic support, but ICE and Border Patrol have remained without regular funding.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

Mary Clare Jalonick And Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press

Liberals' grocery benefit payments start for eligible Canadians today

One of the federal Liberals' flagship affordability measures will soon hit the bank accounts of eligible Canadians.

First announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney in January, top-up payments for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit will start going out today.

The program was previously known as the GST/HST credit and is usually paid out on a quarterly basis to lower-income households to help them keep pace with the rising cost of living.

An estimated 12 million Canadians are eligible for the one-time benefit and amounts vary based on the size of the household, with a single adult with no children getting up to $267 and a couple with two kids receiving a maximum of $533.

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Businesses ‘desperately in search of certainty’ on trade deal — but at what price?

Canada's business community says a trade deal that lets most goods flow to the U.S. unimpeded by tariffs is the top goal as negotiators gear up for a review of the North American free trade pact.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce chief executive Candace Laing says she's hoping for a renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement — or something close to it — but that Canada may have to swallow some tariffs, and that reaching that compromise could take months.

The formal review of the agreement is set to begin July 1.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration proposed a 10 per cent additional tariff on Canada and other countries, though the vast majority of Canadian goods exported to the U.S. are compliant with the existing trade pact and exempt from levies.

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Quebec health minister to table bill to protect teens from energy drinks

Quebec's health minister is set to table a bill looking to ban energy drinks for teens, but one member of the provincial legislature could block its adoption.

Maïté Blanchette Vézina with the Conservative party says she does not wish to rush the legislation and that she is not opposed to a ban, but wants to debate its merits in the fall.

Calls to ban the sale of energy drinks to those under 16 years old grew after the death of 15-year-old Zachary Miron, who died after drinking a can of Red Bull while on ADHD medication.

A coroner's report said the combination of his medication and caffeine likely caused an arrhythmia that led to his sudden death.

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Statistics Canada set to release jobs data for May this morning

Statistics Canada is expected to release its labour market report for the month of May this morning.

The consensus among economists polled by Reuters shows they're anticipating employers added 10,000 positions last month after a loss of nearly 18,000 jobs in April, and expect the unemployment rate will remain unchanged at 6.9 per cent.

Economists have said the first few months of 2026 were challenging for employers grappling with the conflict in the Middle East, which has hiked prices of everyday goods, and ongoing uncertainty over U.S. trade as the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement nears in July.

This jobs report marks the last major economic data release before the Bank of Canada's interest rate decision on Wednesday, which is widely expected to hold steady at 2.25 per cent.

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Canadian women earn sweep, defeat U.S. for first time at Volleyball Nations League

Canada's women's volleyball team made some history of its own in FIVB Volleyball Nations League action on Thursday.

The Canadians defeated the United States for the first time in the tournament's history, sweeping the Olympic silver medallists 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 30-28) at Centre Videotron.

Canada came back from a 20-14 deficit to take the third and final set.

Canada was coming off a 3-1 (28-26, 22-25, 25-18, 25-18) loss to Germany in the tournament opener on Wednesday, and will next play France on Saturday.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press