While Trump derides America's closest ally and punishes them with zany tariffs, Canada can make the U.S. look like a backward country. Canadians don't have to pay a penny to get treated for serious illnesses and injuries. Their rate of gun violence is a fraction of America's. New mothers get months of maternity leave, and it's subsidized. Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, has basically declared that nobody can trust America's leaders anymore. Surprisingly, as Jeffrey Dvorkin tells us - he was a news executive at both CBC and NPR - the battles between the two countries more than 200 years ago might have predicted the rupture now. Did you know that Americans invaded what's-now Canada twice?

David Becker - who runs the nonpartisan Center for Election, Innovation and Research - says Trump is trying to sabotage free and fair elections, yes. But David says the election system is so decentralized, and the vast majority of election officials are so principled, and judges have been so consistent rejecting Trump's illegal efforts to meddle, that your vote will matter as always. For the record though, let's remember some of what Trump and his minions have been doing: His Justice Department is suing states to get their voter rolls. Trump's FBI has raided election centers, and might show up at them on election day. Trump's allies have installed election deniers on state voting boards. Trump supporters have floated a draft plan for him to declare a national emergency before the elections and seize control. But David says don't let that scare you: Vote!

Read Dave's moving new book of short fiction: The Unfinished Sentence And Other Stories. Short stories are the perfect way to celebrate the moments when you're not hectic with work or chores or other daily tasks. Get a cup of coffee or tea (or stronger beverage of choice), settle onto a comfortable chair or bench, and enjoy Dave's beautifully-crafted descriptions and profound insights - all in one sitting. As Dave describes his collection, "In a world loosened from the anchors of morality, assortments of quirky characters search for scruples among others and themselves. They bump up against some surprising limits, suffer self doubts, yet often emerge victorious over the absence of virtue. The high school girl with invisible brilliance ... The crusty caretaker of an island who possesses but does not own his native ancestors’ land. The optician whose magical glasses offer vision to the morally blind ..." And other memorable tales. You can buy Dave's book in paperback.