Why dozens of Democrats left Texas and how Republicans want to punish them
The Republican-controlled state House scheduled a vote on a district map for Monday afternoon. By leaving the state, Democrats are beyond the reach of Texas law enforcement, and they can effectively shut down the vote by ensuring the 150-member House does not have the quorum required to do business.
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Globe and Mail
11 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Canadians with an X gender marker will now have to select male or female on Nexus travel cards after Trump order
Canadians renewing their Nexus travel cards or applying for new ones to make it easier to cross the border to the U.S. must now say if they are male or female, even if they are transgender or non-binary. The change follows U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order that says the American government will now only recognize the male and female sex. U.S. passports and other identity documents are no longer issued with an X gender marker. Immigration lawyers said Canada's decision to force non-binary or trans Canadians to choose a male or female gender designation for Nexus raises human-rights concerns and could prompt a court challenge in Canada on constitutional grounds. The Nexus program is jointly managed by the Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and is designed to speed up border crossings between the two countries for low-risk, preapproved travellers. Holders of Nexus cards, which are valid for five years, can generally get through security checks more swiftly. The U.S. is continuing to recognize Canadian passports with an X gender marker, the U.S. government has confirmed. The CBSA said that valid Nexus cards with an X held by Canadians will also still be recognized. But when Canadians apply to renew their card or apply for a new one, they can no longer choose an X as their gender marker. 'New applicants are able to apply using a passport with the 'X' gender identifier, however they will be required to select 'male' or 'female' for the purposes of their NEXUS membership,' CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said. Judge halts deportation of non-binary American in ruling after Trump's gender edicts Sarah Mikhail of Smith Immigration law, which specializes in LGBTQ immigration, said it is 'very troubling' that Canada is implementing the policy. 'What we're seeing here is an example of the wide reach of the discriminatory policies of the Trump administration targeting trans and non-binary people, now reaching and impacting Canadian citizens as well,' she said. Gemma Hickey, who is non-binary and was one of the first people in Canada to have X as their gender marker on their passport, said forcing non-binary people to choose a male or female gender to get a Nexus card has 'serious implications' for Canada's transgender community. The advocate questioned why Ottawa agreed to a policy that affects Canadians' human rights. 'Our lives are being impacted significantly since Trump came into office - even Canadians,' they said. 'It's putting people in an impossible position.' Between January, 2022, and March, approximately 550 Nexus applications were submitted with X as the gender identifier, the CBSA said. Canada's Nexus card policy change followed Mr. Trump's executive order that took effect in February, the CBSA confirmed. Immigration lawyer Maureen Silcoff said the policy meant that a non-binary traveller who wants a Nexus card 'either has to accede to the gender specification or they have to choose to be excluded from the Nexus option.' 'The U.S. policy is clearly at odds with the Canadian policy on gender identity,' she added. Yameena Ansari, who represents Hannah Kreager, a young transgender American woman who has lodged an asylum claim in Canada, said 'let's call this Nexus policy what it is – a rollback of the rights of non-binary Canadians – and it's unconstitutional." American transgender woman files asylum claim in Canada after Trump's edict on gender She said Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees equal protection under the law without discrimination, including with regard to gender. 'The Canadian government forcing a non-binary individual to misgender themselves on a government-issued document flies in the face of Section 15 of the Charter, meaning that a person or organization could sue the government, asking for the Nexus policy to be struck down,' she said. E-mails between Global Affairs officials obtained in an access to information request by researcher Ken Rubin show that earlier this year public servants discussed whether to issue a travel advisory to Canadians with an X gender marker on the Nexus changes. But the current travel advisory to the U.S. does not mention the changes.
CBC
42 minutes ago
- CBC
Here's how Trump's tariffs are starting to cost Americans
Little by little, the costs of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are starting to show for American businesses and consumers. News of the tariff impact is mounting, from the Detroit Three automakers announcing they'll face extra costs this year totalling into the billions, to the stainless steel cookware manufacturer in Tennessee hit with a $75,000 (US) tariff bill on one shipment, right down to the coffee shops considering boosting the price of a cup because of tariffs on Brazil. Until recently, companies have somewhat shielded U.S. consumers from the full effects of the tariffs, either by rushing supplies into the country ahead of Trump's deadlines, or absorbing the levies as a cost of doing business. But with tariffs on imports from roughly 100 U.S. trading partners due to rise this week from their current baseline of 10 per cent, tariff-related costs are headed nowhere but up. Alex Durante, senior economist of the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based policy and advocacy group, says the tariffs are hitting a broad range of U.S. businesses that rely on imports. "I think the administration is going to have a really hard time trying to convince the American people that some of the price increases they're seeing are because of other factors not related to the tariffs," Durante said in an interview with CBC News. "I just don't think most people are going to be fooled by that," he said. WATCH | Carney's point man on tariffs takes Canada's message to U.S. television: Canadian officials confident U.S. trade deal will be reached 1 day ago Prime Minister Mark Carney and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, expressed confidence a new trade deal will be reached with the United States, even after 35 per cent tariffs were imposed late last week. Trump, cabinet deny tariffs costing Americans While on a macro level the U.S. economy is generally chugging along just fine despite Trump's tactics, there's some fresh data suggesting the tariffs are acting as a drag, including: weak jobs numbers; rising core inflation; a sharp drop in orders of durable goods, such as appliances and automobiles. Trump and his cabinet members quickly brush aside any evidence that the tariffs are costing Americans, with the president even firing the head of the federal statistics agency that produces the country's employment report. "We have a lot of money coming in, much more money than the country has ever seen, by hundreds of billions of dollars," Trump said Sunday when a reporter asked about tariffs. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer flat-out denied that Trump's tariffs policies are a factor in the jobs slump. "I don't read tariff policy into that number," Greer told the CBS program Face the Nation on Sunday. But if you're willing to look around, you can find plenty of examples of U.S. businesses feeling the pinch. Reuters news agency is compiling examples of how major companies around the world are responding to Trump's tariffs, such as hiking prices and issuing profit warnings. Retailers, big brands raising prices The Reuters tracker currently shows 22 U.S. companies raising prices, including retail giants (WalMart, Best Buy), footwear brands (Nike, Crocs, Birkenstock) and big-name makers of household goods (Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, Clorox). It's hard to imagine many American consumers haven't bought something from those businesses this year. Other big-name U.S. firms have in recent days reported tariff impacts. Tech giant Apple says it faced $800 million in tariff-related costs last quarter alone, and expects that to rise to $1.1 billion this quarter. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway blames tariffs in part for a 5.1 per cent quarterly decline in revenue in its consumer goods division, which includes brands like Fruit of the Loom and Tool manufacturer Stanley Black & Decker estimates its tariff costs will hit $800 million this year. Those corporate figures don't touch on another trend emerging in the U.S. economy: the downturn in visits by international travellers, dramatically so from Canada. Perhaps that's not exactly tariff-related, but Trump slamming other nations on trade by describing them as nasty, unfair and ripping off the U.S. is not exactly what you'd call a warm and welcoming tourism ad campaign either. WATCH | This economist says Canada has a better deal on Trump's tariffs than other countries: Economist Robert Embree on the impact of U.S. tariffs on the Canadian economy 2 days ago Higher prices could impact public opinion While some polling suggests more Americans disapprove of tariffs than approve, the issue does not appear to be a crucial source of public-opinion damage to Trump and the Republicans — at least not yet. That could change if the tariff costs on businesses accumulate so much that consumers can't help but see the impact. "We know from the most recent presidential election that voters really disliked seeing higher prices," said Durante. He sees trouble ahead whether businesses pass along all, some or none of the extra tariff costs to consumers. "If they're absorbing the price increases, that's less money that they could use to invest in their own businesses and jobs and further production," Durante said.
Canada News.Net
an hour ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump warns of more tariffs, but India will keep buying Russian oil
NEW DELHI, India: India has made it clear that it will continue purchasing crude oil from Russia despite escalating threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. The Ministry of External Affairs described India's relationship with Moscow as "steady and time-tested," insisting it should not be interpreted through "the prism of a third country." Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, speaking at the ministry's weekly press briefing on Friday, stressed that India's approach to energy security is driven by practical considerations — chiefly, the availability of oil in global markets and prevailing international conditions. His remarks came in response to Trump's recent statement that he intends to impose a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, plus an additional import tax, citing New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil. Trump's warning is part of his increasingly tough stance toward Moscow, which he accuses of stalling efforts to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine. The U.S. president has threatened fresh economic sanctions against Russia if progress is not made. India's oil imports from Russia have surged dramatically since early 2022. In January of that year, India was importing around 68,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Russia. By June, that figure had jumped to 1.12 million bpd, peaking at 2.15 million bpd in May 2023. At one point, Russian oil accounted for nearly 40 percent of India's crude imports, making Russia India's largest single supplier, according to data from analytics firm Kpler cited by the Press Trust of India. India consumes roughly 5.5 million barrels of oil per day, with about 88 percent of that demand met through imports. While India historically sourced most of its crude from Middle Eastern countries, the landscape shifted dramatically following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As Western nations imposed sanctions and shunned Russian energy, Moscow began offering steep discounts on crude deals that India, the world's third-largest oil importer after China and the U.S., found hard to ignore. By taking advantage of discounted Russian supplies, India has sought to cushion itself against global price volatility and secure its energy needs in an uncertain geopolitical environment. Despite growing pressure from Washington, New Delhi shows no sign of changing course, underscoring the complex balancing act it maintains between long-standing ties with Russia and its expanding strategic partnership with the United States.
