The Latest: Ex-Homeland Security official fights back against Trump's investigation order
A former Homeland Security official during President Donald Trump's first administration, who authored an anonymous op-ed sharply critical of the president, is calling on independent government watchdogs to investigate after Trump ordered the department to look into his government service.
Miles Taylor was once chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security and warned in an interview with The Associated Press of the far-reaching implications of Trump's April 9 memorandum.
Here's the latest:
US growth likely to slow to 1.6% this year, hobbled by Trump's trade wars, OECD says
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development forecast Tuesday that the U.S. economy — the world's largest — will slow further to just 1.5% in 2026. Trump's policies have raised average U.S. tariff rates from around 2.5% when he returned to the White House to 15.4%, the highest since 1938, according to the OECD. Tariffs raise costs for consumers and American manufacturers that rely on imported raw materials and components.
World economic growth will slow to just 2.9% this year and stay there in 2026, according to the OECD's forecast. It marks a substantial deceleration from growth of 3.3% global growth last year and 3.4% in 2023.
The world economy has proven remarkably resilient in recent years, continuing to expand steadily — though unspectacularly — in the face of global shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
But global trade and the economic outlook have been clouded by Trump's sweeping taxes on imports, the unpredictable way he's rolled them out and the threat of retaliation from other countries.
Top Trump officials visit prolific Alaska oil field amid push to expand drilling
Trump wants to double the amount of oil coursing through Alaska's vast pipeline system and build a massive natural gas project as its 'big, beautiful twin,' a top administration official said Monday while touring a prolific oil field near the Arctic Ocean.
The remarks by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright came as he and two other Trump Cabinet members — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin — visited Prudhoe Bay as part of a multiday trip aimed at highlighting Trump's push to expand oil and gas drilling, mining and logging in the state that drew criticism from environmentalists.
During the trip, Burgum's agency announced plans to repeal Biden-era restrictions on future leasing and industrial development in portions of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska that are designated as special for their wildlife, subsistence or other values.
Man accused of trying to get witness against him deported by writing letters threatening Trump
A Wisconsin man is facing charges accusing him of forging a letter threatening Trump's life in an effort to get another man who was a potential witness against him in a criminal case deported.
Prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that Demetric D. Scott was behind a letter sent to state and federal officials with the return address and name of Ramón Morales Reyes.
Scott was charged Monday with felony witness intimidation, identity theft and two counts of bail jumping.
Immigration agents arrested Morales Reyes after he dropped his child off at school in Milwaukee. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the arrest, saying he had written a letter threatening to kill Trump and would 'self-deport' to Mexico.
But the claim started to unravel as investigators talked to Morales Reyes.
Morales Reyes is listed as a victim in the case involving Scott, who is awaiting trial in Milwaukee County Jail on armed robbery and aggravated battery charges. The trial is scheduled for July.
Ex-Homeland Security official Taylor fights back against Trump's 'unprecedented' investigation order
A former Homeland Security official during Trump's first administration who authored an anonymous op-ed sharply critical of the president is calling on independent government watchdogs to investigate after Trump ordered the department to look into his government service.
Miles Taylor, once chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, warned in an interview with The Associated Press of the far-reaching implications of Trump's April 9 memorandum, 'Addressing Risks Associated with an Egregious Leaker and Disseminator of Falsehoods,' when it comes to suppressing criticism of the president. That memo accused Taylor of concocting stories to sell his book and directed the secretary of Homeland Security and other government agencies to look into Taylor and strip him of any security clearances.
Taylor sent a letter via email to the inspectors general at the Department of Justice and Homeland Security on Tuesday.
'I didn't commit any crime, and that's what's extraordinary about this. I can't think of any case where someone knows they're being investigated but has absolutely no idea what crime they allegedly committed. And it's because I didn't,' Taylor said.
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Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
LILLEY: Draft trade deal with U.S. hammered out amid 'intensive discussions'
Deal in principle in the works with Trump administration; now it's all down to finer points Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2025. Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP via Getty Images There is a draft, high-level proposal on a new trade deal between Ottawa and Washington, according to multiple sources. The question now is whether political leaders in both countries can get it over the finish line. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The hope, especially in Ottawa, is to have an agreement of some sort in place before the G7 meetings begin in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 15. The proposal would see both countries agree in broad strokes on ways to move forward in the trade relationship. According to sources, highly contentious issues like Canada's supply management system for dairy and the digital services tax that is opposed by all sides in Washington would be put off into the future. Prime Minister Mark Carney was clear in denouncing the increased tariffs on steel and aluminum, calling them illegal and unjustified. But he, like his cabinet ministers on Wednesday, didn't ramp up the rhetoric against the Americans. Carney even spoke about the ongoing discussions on the trade front. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We are in intensive discussions right now with the Americans on the trading relationship,' Carney told reporters ahead of his cabinet meeting. 'Those discussions are progressing.' Read More During question period on Wednesday afternoon, Carney repeated his comments under questioning from the opposition Conservatives. 'We are in intensive negotiations with the Americans and, in parallel, preparing reprisals if those negotiations do not succeed,' Carney said. Let me translate that for you: Carney isn't slapping a 50% counter-tariff on U.S. steel and aluminum imports because a deal is within reach. As Carney noted, the increase in steel and aluminum tariffs from 25% to 50% was applied globally; it wasn't just aimed at Canada, so to respond with counter-tariffs now could jeopardize those talks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In response to a question from the Bloc Quebecois, Carney said the talks were at a delicate point. Dominic LeBlanc, Carney's minister of intergovernmental affairs and point man on the talks with the Donald Trump administration, was in Washington Tuesday meeting with his U.S. counterparts. The discussions have been ongoing since Trump was sworn into office and have recently intensified with the hope of announcing a deal within the next week to 10 days. What we can expect is an announcement that Canada will increase its defence spending, including potential participation in the Golden Dome missile defence system. We should expect the government to show that border security will be a priority and there will be action on fentanyl. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. All of those are things that Carney has spoken about to some degree in the past. What will be interesting to see is whether the 'projects of national interest' that he has been speaking to premiers about are part of the deal. Will Ontario's Ring of Fire, a source of critical minerals, work its way into a deal that sees the Americans as a preferred customer? We already know that the Americans are anxious for us to see projects like Grays Bay Port in Nunavut developed. Giving that project a green light as part of a trade negotiation could be part of the package. What we know for sure is this high-level proposal is not a full-scale renegotiation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. That would come at a later date and while the Canadian side is pushing for a deal, the Americans want something short and simple for now with full negotiations to come later. According to multiple sources, that doesn't sit well with Canada's top diplomat in Washington, Kristen Hillman, who is 'getting into the weeds' and trying to solve everything at once. If the Americans are willing to come to an agreement of sorts at a high level and lift the tariffs while a full renegotiation of CUSMA happens, the Carney government should take it. It's true that Trump can be erratic and could change his mind at a later date, but if a deal is on the table, we should take it. Celebrity Columnists Canada Toronto & GTA Canada
