The Tarriff Hype.

[Ron in Regina]

Oh, and with NAFTA CUSMA USMCA the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Trump administration had hoped to negotiate a grander bargin (?) with Canada than simply a renewal of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement but it doesn’t seem possible at the moment, the U.S. ambassador to Canada said Tuesday?

On Thursday, in Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked whether the Trump administration wants free trade with allies and friends.

“If Canada, for example, came to the United States and said, ‘We’re going to zero tariffs on the United States,” asked Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana. “Would [the U.S.] go to zero tariffs?”

“Absolutely not,” replied Mr. Bessent.

Stop kidding yourself: Donald Trump’s threats to Canada aren’t our fault — The Globe and Mail

Trump administration has spent the last year aggressively degrading and dismantling alliances with allies

apple.news

Before the second Trump administration, nearly everything moving across the world’s longest border did so tariff-free. Yes, Canada had negotiated barriers in some relatively small sectors such as dairy products, while the Americans bent the rules to levy tariffs in discrete sectors including softwood lumber. But for more than 35 years, Canada-U.S. trade was almost entirely free.

Who changed that? Not Canada. Who is threatening to further undermine it? Not Canada. Who keeps saying that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement could be done away with, and perhaps replaced with nothing? Not us.

Does it make any difference? The Trump administration convening a conference to try to foster an industrial alliance against China is particularly ironic – given that the Trump administration has spent the last year aggressively degrading and dismantling all such alliances.

Why did China slap tariffs on Canadian canola? Because Canada, following the lead of our U.S. ally, put 100-per-cent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The Biden administration understood that the North American auto industry was under threat from Chinese industrial strategy, and responded with a North American industrial strategy – a strategy of partnering with allies like Canada.

The Trump administration ripped that up. They’ve bullied automakers to shift production to the U.S. from Canada, and there have been repeated public statements from President Donald Trump and his minions that the integrated North American auto industry should be an America-only industry, and that benefits the integrated North American auto industry how?

Former prime minister Stephen Harper gave a speech in Ottawa. It was the 20th anniversary of the formation of his Conservative government. His audience were mostly Conservatives.

He told them to get over their illusions about the situation next door.

Mr. Harper has described himself as the most pro-American prime minister in Canadian history. But on Wednesday, he said that the main challenge facing our country is “a hostile United States that has openly questioned Canadian sovereignty, that has openly broken the trade commitments that we have made to each other and that regularly issues further threats against us.”

 

[Ron in Regina]

On Thursday, in Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked whether the Trump administration wants free trade with allies and friends.

“If Canada, for example, came to the United States and said, ‘We’re going to zero tariffs on the United States,” asked Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana. “Would [the U.S.] go to zero tariffs?”

“Absolutely not,” replied Mr. Bessent.

New analysis of U.S. Census data shows that states across the U.S. where key midterm elections will take place this year paid over $134 billion in tariffs in the period since President Donald Trump began implementing widespread trade duties in March 2025 through last November. In all, the U.S. Census data compiled by Trade Partnership Worldwide showed a total of $199 billion in tariffs paid by states during that time period.

Trump has called affordability a "Democratic hoax," and in recent testimony before Congress, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the tariffs "do not cause inflation."

But Trump's tariffs and affordability are expected to be factors in the upcoming midterm election cycle. Recent CNBC survey data from the American consumer and pricing data show that the affordability issues are real and many voters have soured on the economy. A January poll from The New York Times and Siena University found that 54% of voters oppose Trump's tariffs.

"Americans struggling with affordability rightly blame tariffs for higher prices on many everyday purchases," said Dan Anthony, executive director of the We Pay the Tariffs small business coalition and president of Trade Partnership Worldwide. "The president could eliminate tens of billions in taxes in the states that will determine the 2026 elections. He just doesn't want to," Anthony said.

America's affordability crisis: US state tariff bill hits $200 billion — CNBC

New data shows that states where key midterm elections races will take place paid over $134 billion in tariffs during 2025 as affordability issues mounted.

apple.news

Anthony said his coalition is highlighting the new data to counter rhetoric about tariffs being "paid by other companies" and being "paid to Americans" and to "educate the public about how tariffs actually work and who pays the price for them: American small businesses, workers, and consumers."

This year, all 435 districts in the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election. The Republicans hold slim majorities in both chambers of Congress. Democrats need to gain four seats to win a majority in the Senate. To keep control of the House, the Republican Party cannot afford to lose more than two seats.

Midterm elections primary season begins March 3 with voters heading to the polls in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas.

Chris Gibbs, a Shelby County, Ohio, farmer of corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa hay, and a 90-head cow-calf operation, said the tariffs have hit him two-fold. "My operating costs are soaring," said Gibbs. "Tariffs on steel, aluminum and lumber raised the cost on anything I do. From building buildings, barns, buying machinery, trailers, wheels, and parts, and even my fertilizer," he said.

Gibbs said the tariff aid Trump has promised to farmers is a slap in the face to all farmers and Americans. "If these checks ever do come, it is money paid I spent on the tariffs as well as all American consumers," Gibbs said.

With the threat of additional tariffs looming over foreign countries — and the 2026 midterms — House GOP leaders tried to adopt legislation Tuesday night that would prevent any lawmaker from forcing a vote on President Donald Trump’s tariffs until August.

That effort failed, however, 214-217, after three Republicans joined all Democrats to defeat the legislation.

House Republicans revolt over GOP’s attempt to hand Trump Congress’ tariff authority — MS NOW

In a rare defeat, three House Republicans bucked their leaders to block legislation that would have restricted Congress’ ability to strike down Trump’s tariffs.

apple.news

 

[Ron in Regina]

As Trump continues to threaten new tariffs, some Republicans have grown wary of surrendering Congress’ ability to effectively veto the president’s import taxes.

The failed vote comes as House Democrats are preparing to force a vote to terminate Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on Canada. That resolution is being led by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee — and with the rule defeated, Democrats could now force a vote as soon as Wednesday on Trump’s Canadian tariffs.

Any effort to block tariffs would still need to pass both the House and Senate. But Democrats are eager to start with Canada, in part because the Senate has previously voted to terminate tariffs on Canadian imports, according to a House Democratic aide.

In a recent Pew Research Center poll, 60% of Americans said they disapprove of Trump’s tariff policies — with 39% saying they strongly disapprove. Even 28% of Republicans said they disagreed with Trump’s tariffs.

The failed vote Tuesday night may be a reflection of the political situation for many GOP lawmakers. As Trump’s popularity continues to sour, some Republicans seem to be looking for ways to distance themselves from the president and some of his most controversial policies.

Others, like Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., seemed to be taking a principled stand. “Congress has the power to tax, not the president,” Massie told Politico. “That includes tariffs.”

House Republicans revolt over GOP’s attempt to hand Trump Congress’ tariff authority — MS NOW

In a rare defeat, three House Republicans bucked their leaders to block legislation that would have restricted Congress’ ability to strike down Trump’s tariffs.

apple.news

Trump Canada tariffs face House vote after GOP leaders fail to block rebellion — CNBC

Republican House leaders tried, and failed, to pass a measure on Tuesday that would have blocked House disapproval votes on Trump tariffs through July.

apple.news

 

[Ron in Regina]

As Trump continues to threaten new tariffs, some Republicans have grown wary of surrendering Congress’ ability to effectively veto the president’s import taxes.

The US House of Representatives has voted to rescind US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods.

In a 219 to 211 vote, six Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to back a resolution that seeks to end the tariffs Trump imposed on Canada last year.

The vote is largely symbolic as it will still need to be approved by the US Senate and then approved by Trump, who is very unlikely to sign it into law.

Since his re-election, Donald Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on Canada, recently threatening a 100% import tax in response to Canada's proposed trade deal with China.

As the vote was taking place on the House floor, Trump posted on Truth Social: "Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time." (??From Whom??)

"TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege," he added.

The vote came after US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally in Congress, unsuccessfully tried to block discussion on the chamber's floor by lawmakers on Trump's tariffs.

With Republicans holding a thin majority in the US House, the six Republican defections along with a near-united front from Democrats was enough to secure the votes.

The measure had been introduced by Democrat Gregory Meeks who said that Trump had "weaponized tariffs" against allies and destabilized the global economy.

"Not only have these tariffs done immense harm to our relationship with Canada, pushing them closer to China, they have driven up prices here at home," he said before the vote.

US House votes to overturn Trump's tariffs on Canada — BBC News

Six Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to back a resolution that seeks to end the tariffs Trump imposed on Canada last year.

apple.news

Representative Don Bacon from Nebraska was one of the six Republicans who crossed the aisle to join Democrats in approving the measure. Before the vote, he said "tariffs have been a 'net negative' for the economy and are a significant tax that American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers are paying."

The bill now heads to the US Senate where Republicans also hold the majority. Even if it cleared that hurdle, it is unlikely to be signed into law by…by…Donald Trump? So what difference are these midterm elections supposed to make again?

Separately, Trump's tariffs are also facing legal scrutiny as the US Supreme Court is set to rule soon on a case questioning the president's legal authority to impose the levies.

Meeks, the top Democrat on the US House Foreign Affairs committee, said the measure on Canada is the first of several bills he plans to introduce that aim to roll back Trump's signature trade action.

"Our fight doesn't stop here," he said in a video posted online before the vote. "I have resolutions also to end trump's tariffs on Mexico, on Brazil, and on his Liberation Day global tariffs."

NY Fed report says Americans pay for almost all of Trump's tariffs — Reuters

Americans are shouldering almost all of President Donald Trump’s import tax surge, a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said on Thursday.

apple.news

 

[Ron in Regina]

Imported chicken that is being declared as spent fowl is displacing Canadian production and costing Canada millions of dollars.

Chicken meat is being fraudulently declared as spent fowl in order to bypass import controls. This not only takes away jobs and income from Canada’s chicken farmers and processors, but also puts Canadian consumers at risk due to broken food chain traceability.

Spent fowl are old laying hens: a by-product of egg and hatching egg production. While broiler chickens are raised for meat consumption, spent fowl hens are raised to lay eggs, and when their productivity declines, they are processed for their meat, etc…but shenanigans entail and here we are.

Chicken Imported as Spent Fowl | Chicken Farmers of Canada

www.chickenfarmers.ca

Republican leaders have been altering the legislative calendar as a method to block any votes that could overrule Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico and beyond.

Ordinarily when a president declares an “emergency,” lawmakers have 15 days to vote on it to try and overrule it. On Tuesday, four Republicans defected from an attempt to classify Feb. 10th to July 31st as a single day and ban any votes on tariffs? 2+2=5 comes to mind here…

The U.S. House of Representatives voted this week to remove all of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada. This has actually happened several times, and this latest attempt is probably going to fail like the others. To take effect, the resolution would need to pass the U.S. Senate, and also evade the presidential veto of Trump himself (the only way to override the veto would be to pass the resolution with a two thirds majority).

As Reggie Cecchini reports, several votes are now expected in the runup to midterms, forcing Republicans to choose between loyalty to Trump or a policy their constituents “might” be against?

Democrats able to force vote on Trump tariffs after 4 Republicans defect — Global News

Republican leaders have been altering the legislative calendar as a method to block any votes that could overrule Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico and beyond. Ordinarily when a president declares an emergency, lawmakers have 15 days to vote on it to try and overrule it. On Tuesday, four...

apple.news

Trump administration officials said on Friday that there would be no changes to President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs steel and aluminum and thousands of products made from the metals unless Trump announces them. So Damn the Congress, Damn the Senate, Damn the Torpedoes, & Damn the Mid-terms.

Speculation of changes to the tariffs comes as Trump pivots to address the rising cost of living for Americans during a mid-term congressional election year.

The Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday said in its annual fiscal forecast that U.S. consumers are bearing about 95% of the costs of Trump's tariffs either through higher prices on imported goods or higher prices charged on domestic manufactured goods.

White House: no changes to Trump metals tariffs unless president announces them — Reuters

Trump administration officials said on Friday that there would be no changes to President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs steel and aluminum and thousands of products made from the metals unless Trump announces them.

apple.news

Trump posted Thursday on Truth Social that the tariffs, to take effect on April 3, amounted to a “liberation day”2.0 for the U.S. “FOR YEARS WE HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF BY VIRTUALLY EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD,” he wrote. “BUT THOSE DAYS ARE OVER” ETC…

The auto tariffs would begin a day after Trump is set to announce a broader slate of trade actions. Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs, slated for April 2, were originally planned to equalize U.S. tariffs with those charged by foreign nations. But Trump said the tariffs he plans to implement would likely be lower than that.

Trading partners including Canada and the European Union responded to Trump’s earlier tariffs with duties of their own. Trump “warned” them early Thursday that similar action (so any reaction except capitulation?) would be met with even higher duties from the U.S.

“If the European Union works with Canada (In response to Trumps Trumping) “in order to do economic harm to the USA,” (?) large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had (past tense).” Trump posted on Truth Social. Well, that’s a mouthful of…something.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadian officials would decide whether to pursue actions including retaliatory tariffs after seeing the language of Trump’s executive order.

Trump Plans to Impose 25% Tariff on Imported Vehicles — The Wall Street Journal

President threatens far higher tariffs on Canada and EU if they work together to ‘do economic harm’ to the U.S.

apple.news

Crown Royal will remain on LCBO shelves after its manufacturer committed to $23 million in new investments in Ontario.

U.S. AG Pam Bondi Sold More than $1 Million in Trump Media Stock the Day Trump Announced Sweeping Tariffs

Disclosure forms show that Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million worth of shares on April 2. That day, after the market closed, Trump’s “Liberation Day” press conference sent the market tumbling.

www.propublica.org

Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million worth of shares of Trump Media the same day that President Donald Trump unveiled bruising new tariffs that caused the stock market to plummet, according to records obtained Wednesday by ProPublica.

Trump’s “Liberation Day” press conferencefrom the White House Rose Garden unveiling the tariffs came after the market closed on April 2. Bondi’s disclosure forms showing her Trump Media sales say the transactions were made on April 2 but do not disclose whether they occurred before or after the market closed, but this would probably be released redacted if it did.

Trades by government officials informed by nonpublic information learned through work could violate the law. Do not attempt insider trading or operate heavy machinery without protection from Trump or you happen to be the attorney general of the United States of America.

90% of Trump’s tariffs are paid for by American consumers and companies, New York Fed says — FORTUNE

February 13, 2026, 2:12 PM ET President Donald Trump has said foreign exporters will pay for his tariffs, but new New York Fed data indicates the contrary is happening. Despite President Donald Trump insisting it’s foreign businesses paying for his raft of tariffs, mounting data indicates that...

apple.news

 

[spaminator]

Mark Carney names Janice Charlette Canada's top trade negotiator
Prime minister has formally severed what had been two roles combined into one


Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Feb 16, 2026 • 3 minute read

Janice Charette
In private testimony last month to the foreign interference inquiry, former Privy Council clerk Janice Charette spoke of a concern that occurred during the 2021 election. The inquiry learned Tuesday that Charette asked CSIS director David Vigneault for his advice about what should be done, if anything. Photo by Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney is turning to an Ottawa insider to head up Canada’s trade talks with Washington. On Monday, Carney announced that Janice Charette would take on the role of Canada’s chief trade negotiator to the United States.


Charette served as clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to Cabinet, Canada’s most senior bureaucrat, twice. First, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper from October 2014 through January 2016 when Justin Trudeau appointed his own person. She returned to the role on an interim basis in 2021 when Ian Shuggart, then clerk, took ill. She took on the full time position from 2022 through 2023 under Trudeau.


Most recently, Charette was an adviser at Wellington Advocacy, a firm closely tied to Harper, and served on Carney’s transition team when he became PM last year.

“With four decades of experience in public policy and diplomacy, Janice Charette brings extraordinary leadership, expertise, and a deep commitment to advancing Canada’s interests,” Carney said in a statement. “As chief trade negotiator, she will advance Canadian interests and a strengthened trade and investment relationship that benefits workers and industries in both Canada and the United States.”


In giving the negotiator role to Charette, Carney has formally severed what had been two roles combined into one. Last year, he not only extended the term of ambassador Kirsten Hillman, but he also gave her the role of chief trade negotiator.

Hillman’s term as ambassador in Washington ended last week. Her replacement, Mark Wiseman, is also a close Carney confidante who acted as a campaign fundraiser for the PM on Bay St. when he sought the Liberal leadership.

It’s an interesting pairing, Charette and Wiseman.

While Charette is a career bureaucrat with limited private-sector experience, she once served as Canada’s top diplomat in the United Kingdom. Wiseman has extensive business experience and no diplomatic experience.

They will be up against a team from the Trump administration that has deep business experience but also strong trade negotiation skills.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made his fortune on Wall St. heading up the investment banking firm Cantor Fitzgerald. Scott Bessent, Trump’s Treasury Secretary, was also an investment banker, including a stint working with George Soros.


As for the top negotiator for the United States, Jamieson Greer has spent most of the last 15 years working for law firms that specialize in trade deals or inside government working on trade deals.

He was chief of staff to the U.S. Trade Representative in Trump’s first term and was key to the CUSMA negotiations.

Charette brings a wealth of diplomatic experience to her role including a stint as Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom during Brexit. She began her bureaucratic career in the mid-1980s in the Department of Finance, even working on the privatization of Crown corporations like Petro-Canada and Air Canada under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Wiseman, meanwhile, spent most of his career on Bay St. and Wall St. including serving as president and CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and then as global head of equities for BlackRock. He has spent the past several years on various boards of public and private sector organizations as an advisor.

The two new appointments come as the July 1, 2026, date to formally review the Canada, United States, Mexico trade agreement looms. Mexico and the United States are already advancing in talks while discussions between Canada and the U.S. have been on hold since October.

LILLEY: Mark Carney names Janice Charlette Canada's top trade negotiator

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Janice Charette would take on the role of Canada’s Chief Trade Negotiator to the U.S. Read more.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Canada’s new top envoy to Washington takes up his post
Mark Wiseman, global investment banker and pension fund manager, will be looking to help find tariff off-ramps

Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Kelly Geraldine Malone
Published Feb 17, 2026 • 3 minute read

Mark Wiseman is shown in this undated handout photo.
Mark Wiseman is shown in this undated handout photo. Photo by PMO /THE CANADIAN PRESS
WASHINGTON — Canada’s new top diplomat in Washington presented his credentials to U.S. President Donald Trump Tuesday, officially taking on the role of ambassador to the United States at a turbulent moment in Canada-U.S. relations.


Mark Wiseman, a global investment banker and pension fund manager, will be looking to help Canada find tariff off-ramps and stability ahead of a review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA, later this year.


“It is a profound privilege to serve in this role,” Wiseman, a longtime friend of Prime Minister Mark Carney, said in a news release. “The partnership between Canada and the United States is foundational to our shared prosperity, security and global leadership.”

The businessman’s tenure marks a shift for Ottawa’s strategy in Washington, which is at a critical juncture caused by Trump’s tariffs and repeated threats of annexation. It’s also a response to the changed priorities of the United States under the Trump administration.

“He’s not a public servant,” said Fen Osler Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations. “He’s a businessman. He is a deal maker.”


Wiseman replaced Kirsten Hillman, a longtime civil servant and trade policy expert who served at the embassy in Washington for eight years, including six as ambassador.

Hillman was also Canada’s chief negotiator but that position will now go to Janice Charette, a former Privy Council Clerk and high commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Wiseman was chosen as ambassador because his background in business and finance connects with Trump’s key advisers, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Hampson said.

It will be important for Wiseman to develop those relationships, as well as others with influential Republicans on Capitol Hill, Hampson added.

The new ambassador’s CV is “high currency in Washington now,” said former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, who is also a distinguished fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute.

“Mark brings a really neat lens of understanding the Canadian economy super well by running our pension fund for many years, but also having worked at a high level in the United States,” said O’Toole. “I think (it) is very, very helpful at this critical time.”


Wiseman reached out to O’Toole before he stepped into the posting, the former MP and Conservative leader said. It demonstrates Wiseman is looking to research areas where he may he need to build knowledge, including the global security complex, O’Toole said.

There are many uncertainties immediately in Wiseman’s purview — from upcoming midterm elections to a Supreme Court ruling that could derail Trump’s tariff plans — but a critical challenge is the CUSMA review.

CUSMA negotiations were a key test for Ottawa during the first Trump administration. While there were tense times, the trade pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement was ultimately hailed a success by all three countries.

As this year’s mandatory review looms, Canadian officials are dealing with a significantly different Trump team and a president emboldened by his massive global tariff agenda and little pushback from Republicans in Congress.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Monday Charette will work closely with Wiseman and serve as a senior adviser to both the prime minister and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of Canada-U.S. trade, on the CUSMA review.


“Carney is building the orchestra and getting the right stagehands in place, but he is going to be the principal person on the stage,” Hampson said.

O’Toole said he suspects Charette will “quarterback for the government,” ensuring an economic and policy response, while Wiseman will play point on negotiations.

“I think it’s a really good one-two punch with the two of them,” he said.

Becoming Canada’s ambassador to the United States at this moment is like being the captain of the team on the ice during the second period, said Christopher Sands, director of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Canadian Studies, with the prime minister as the coach calling the plays.

That also means that Wiseman is in a good position to offer a fresh take on what’s going right and what’s going wrong, Sands said.

“Wiseman comes on to provide eyes, ears, a different analytical take, and maybe help Carney to think of a strategy that will put Canada in the best possible position going into the (CUSMA) review and so much else,” Sands said.

Canada’s new top envoy to Washington takes up his post

Mark Wiseman, a global investment banker and pension fund manager, will be looking to help Canada find tariff off-ramps. Read more.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

with porcupine distancing himself from jivani, it will be interesting to see if he is fired shortly before the next election.

 

[Ron in Regina]

“The Mexicans are pursuing some bilateral challenges or issues with the United States. So is Canada. But we both remain absolutely committed to the trilateral free-trade agreement and working together as this review process unfolds,” Mr. LeBlanc said in a virtual press conference from the northern Mexican city of Monterrey.

Canada and Mexico committed to trilateral USMCA review, LeBlanc says — The Globe and Mail

Minister says the countries will hash out some issues on a bilateral basis, while also working trilaterally on issues such as rules of origin

apple.news

 

[petros]

“The Mexicans are pursuing some bilateral challenges or issues with the United States. So is Canada. But we both remain absolutely committed to the trilateral free-trade agreement and working together as this review process unfolds,” Mr. LeBlanc said in a virtual press conference from the northern Mexican city of Monterrey.

Canada and Mexico committed to trilateral USMCA review, LeBlanc says — The Globe and Mail

Minister says the countries will hash out some issues on a bilateral basis, while also working trilaterally on issues such as rules of origin

apple.news

We're the top half of a shit sandwich.

 

[Ron in Regina]

That is definitely an interesting description of North America, but I hear what you’re saying.

 

[petros]

That is definitely an interesting description of North America, but I hear what you’re saying.

Multigrain bun and canola margarine up top of a tortilla bottom with the creamy aftermath of bannock taco in the midst.

Sounds Reich to me.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Trump defends tariffs in Georgia ahead of pivotal Supreme Court ruling — NBC News

The president called his tariffs “common sense” and a boost to American industry. Supreme Court justices are weighing whether he overstepped his authority.

apple.news

The pending Supreme Court case is whether a law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which allows the president to regulate imports during times of emergency, grants him the authority to levy global tariffs of unspecified scope and duration. The Constitution assigns Congress the power to set tariffs, and Trump’s challengers in court say he has overstepped his authority.

Live updates: Supreme Court to release opinions as ruling looms on Trump's tariffs — NBC News

Bill and Hillary Clinton are set to testify to the House Oversight Committee next week for its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

apple.news

Oh, and Trump announced he is directing the Pentagon to release files pertaining to “alien and extraterrestrial life,” after former President Barack Obama said in a podcast interview last week that aliens were real, later clarifying that he meant “the odds are good there’s life out there.”

 

[Taxslave2]

Walking around downton Nanaimo a couple of weeks ago, I would say the aliens are living among us. No possible way some of those things could be human.

 

[Ron in Regina]

The pending Supreme Court case is whether a law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which allows the president to regulate imports during times of emergency, grants him the authority to levy global tariffs of unspecified scope and duration. The Constitution assigns Congress the power to set tariffs, and Trump’s challengers in court say he has overstepped his authority.

Canada lauds U.S. court ruling that strikes down legal justification for some Trump tariffs — The Globe and Mail

Decision buttresses Canada’s arguments against some levies applied by U.S. administration, Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement

apple.news

Will this change anything (?) or will Trump ignore the Supreme Court like he ignores the Congress and Senate? The decision does not affect levies the U.S. President imposed on Canadian steel, aluminum and autos, but Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down the legal justification for some tariffs Donald Trump has imposed on Canada and other countries is welcome.

The Supreme Court decision focuses on duties that were imposed using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. These include “fentanyl tariffs” imposed on Canada, Mexico and China, and the “Liberation Day” or “reciprocal” tariffs placed on the rest of the world.

Despite Friday’s court ruling, trade experts believe Mr. Trump will try to maintain the affected tariffs using other legal tools, or just make some other shit up.

Canada lauds U.S. court ruling that strikes down legal justification for some Trump tariffs — The Globe and Mail

Decision buttresses Canada’s arguments against some levies applied by U.S. administration, Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement

apple.news

Canada, the United States and Mexico are undertaking a review of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement this year. Under the terms of the pact, each party is supposed to signal by July 1 whether they intend to renew the deal for another 16 years. If all three parties do not agree on renewal, a countdown starts on the agreement with an expiry date set for 10 years in the future. The USMCA can still be renewed at any time after July 1.

President Trump had just started a closed-door White House meeting with governors when one of his trade advisers handed him a piece of paper.

Soon after learning of the court’s decision, Trump cut short a question-and-answer session with governors and left the room. He said he needed to work on his response to the ruling.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump was set to hold a press briefing on the decision at 12:45 p.m., according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The decision will have far-reaching consequences, likely forcing the White House to come up with a new “legal” rationale for the tariffs? It is also a significant blow for Trump, who helped enshrine the Supreme Court’s conservative majority and has built his political career on the aggressive use of tariffs.

The Moment Trump Found Out the Supreme Court Killed His Tariffs — The Wall Street Journal

President gets the news as meeting with governors opens; ‘so, it’s a loss, then?’

apple.news

 

[pgs]

Walking around downton Nanaimo a couple of weeks ago, I would say the aliens are living among us. No possible way some of those things could be human.

Nanaimhole has always been like that .

 

[Ron in Regina]

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday blasted the U.S. Supreme Court, saying its ruling striking down his so-called border emergency tariffs does not affect sectoral duties on autos, steel and aluminum, among other products, and vowing to immediately impose a new “10 per cent global tariff” on top of existing sectoral levies, “straight across the board.”

Will this change anything (?) or will Trump ignore the Supreme Court like he ignores the Congress and Senate?

The president did not directly answer when asked whether he would refund the tariff revenue already collected, saying "it wasn't discussed" in what he called the court's "defective" ruling. "I guess it has to get litigated for the next two years," he said.

Trump told a news conference he is "deeply disappointed" and "ashamed" of the six judges — whom he called "lapdogs" (?) — whose majority decision declared Trump's use of so-called border "emergency" tariffs an unconstitutional flex?

Donald Trump vows additional 10 per cent tariffs after U.S. Supreme Court strikes down emergency tariffs — Toronto Star

Trump blasted the U.S. Supreme Court Friday for its ruling that struck down his so-called border emergency tariffs.

apple.news

Trump called the judges who rejected his use of "emergency" tariffs a "disgrace to our nation," saying they, like his Democratic critics, are "very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution?
It's my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and a political movement that is far smaller than people would ever think?”

 

[Ron in Regina]

The president praised the three dissenting Supreme Court judges, saying Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a "genius" who got it right when he wrote the president will not be "constrained" and can use other statutes to legally levy tariffs.

Trump said he would sign a new executive order to do just that, using the 1974 Trade Act.

"Effective immediately, all national security tariffs under Section 232, and existing section 301 tariffs … remain in place, fully in place, and in full force and effect," Trump declared. "Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10 per cent global tariff under Section 122, over and above our normal tariffs already being charged and we're also initiating several Section 301 and other investigations to protect our country from unfair trading practices of other countries and companies."

The trade act's Section 122 that Trump cited allows the president to apply up to 15 per cent duties on all countries for 150 days before he would then need congressional approval. It does not require a preliminary trade investigation, unlike the Section 232 tariffs. The other section that Trump cited, 301 , has been used to impose broad tariffs on China. Those remain in effect.

In Canada, the Prime Minister's Office said it would await Trump's executive order before making any response.

 

[Ron in Regina]

The president did not directly answer when asked whether he would refund the tariff revenue already collected, saying "it wasn't discussed" in what he called the court's "defective" ruling. "I guess it has to get litigated for the next two years," he said.

The 170-page Supreme Court decision was an unequivocal dismissal of the Trump administration’s claim that the president has extraordinary emergency powers to levy tariffs.

It declared that taxing powers lie only with Congress, and left no doubt that tariffs are a domestic tax contrary to Trump's claim that other countries, not Americans, are the ones that pay.

“Tariffs operate directly on domestic importers to raise revenue for the Treasury and are ‘very clear[ly] … a branch of the taxing power’” that only Congress can exercise, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the case of Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump.

The framers of the U.S. Constitution gave Congress “alone … access to the pockets of the people," the majority states. “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch.”

Donald Trump vows additional 10 per cent tariffs after U.S. Supreme Court strikes down emergency tariffs — Toronto Star

Trump blasted the U.S. Supreme Court Friday for its ruling that struck down his so-called border emergency tariffs.

apple.news

Will this change anything (?) or will Trump ignore the Supreme Court like he ignores the Congress and Senate?

I guess we’re seeing the answer to the above live today. I hope the American voting population is dialled in enough to understand what they’re seeing.


Hopefully, for our neighbours to the immediate south, they can neuter this deranged man in November.

 

[petros]

The 170-page Supreme Court decision was an unequivocal dismissal of the Trump administration’s claim that the president has extraordinary emergency powers to levy tariffs.

It declared that taxing powers lie only with Congress, and left no doubt that tariffs are a domestic tax contrary to Trump's claim that other countries, not Americans, are the ones that pay.

“Tariffs operate directly on domestic importers to raise revenue for the Treasury and are ‘very clear[ly] … a branch of the taxing power’” that only Congress can exercise, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the case of Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump.

The framers of the U.S. Constitution gave Congress “alone … access to the pockets of the people," the majority states. “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch.”

Donald Trump vows additional 10 per cent tariffs after U.S. Supreme Court strikes down emergency tariffs — Toronto Star

Trump blasted the U.S. Supreme Court Friday for its ruling that struck down his so-called border emergency tariffs.

apple.news

I guess we’re seeing the answer to the above live today. I hope the American voting population is dialled in enough to understand what they’re seeing.
View attachment 33359
View attachment 33358
Hopefully, for our neighbours to the immediate south, they can neuter this deranged man in November.

They won't. Like it or not, $2 a gallon gas and inflation handled happened.