The Latest on the U.S-Canada Trade Negotiations
President Trump 'really likes tariffs,' said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S. (Adrian Wyld/Associated Press)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
NATO commits to higher spending sought by Trump and mutual defense
While Trump got what he wanted at the brief NATO summit, his allies will be relieved he committed to the fundamental principle of collective defense. THE HAGUE, June 25 (Reuters) - NATO leaders on June 25 backed the big increase in defense spending that President Donald Trump had demanded, and restated their commitment to defend each other from attack. While Trump got what he wanted at the brief summit, tailor-made for him, his NATO allies will be relieved that he committed to the fundamental principle of collective defense after less clear-cut language on June 24. In a five-point statement, NATO endorsed a higher defence spending goal of 5% of GDP by 2035 - a response not only to Trump but also to Europeans' fears that Russia poses a growing threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. More: Israel-Iran ceasefire seems to hold as Trump lands in Europe for NATO summit The 32 allies' brief communique added: "We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defense as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – that an attack on one is an attack on all." Asked to clarify his own stance on Article 5, Trump said: "I stand with it. That's why I'm here. If I didn't stand with it, I wouldn't be here." Macron brings up trade war at NATO summit Trump had long demanded in no uncertain terms that for other countries step up their spending on defense to reduce NATO's heavy reliance on the U.S. Despite an appearance of general agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of the steep import tariffs threatened by Trump, and the damage they may do to transatlantic trade, as a barrier to increased defense spending. More: Can Trump pull off peace plans, trade deals at the G7? What to know about the summit "You cannot come to us as allies and ask that we spend more, tell us we will spend more at NATO - and do a trade war. It's an aberration," he told reporters. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who hosted the summit in his home city of The Hague, said NATO would emerge as a 'stronger, fairer and more lethal' alliance. He had earlier acknowledged that it was not easy for European countries and Canada to find the extra money, but said it was vital to do so. "There is absolute conviction with my colleagues at the table that, given this threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative," the former Dutch prime minister told reporters in his home city of The Hague. The new spending target - to be achieved over the next 10 years - is a jump worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the current goal of 2% of GDP, although it will be measured differently. Countries would spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence - such as troops and weapons - and 1.5% on broader defence-related measures such as cyber security, protecting pipelines and adapting roads and bridges to handle heavy military vehicles. All NATO members have backed a statement enshrining the target, although Spain declared it does not need to meet the goal and can meet its commitments by spending much less. More: Trump says US strike impaired Iran's nukes. What does Pentagon say? Live updates Rutte disputes that but accepted a diplomatic fudge with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as part of his efforts to give Trump a diplomatic victory and make the summit go smoothly. Spain said on June 25 that it did not expect its stance to have any repercussions. Trump meets Zelenskyy after summit Rutte kept the summit and its final statement short and focused on the spending pledge to try to avert any friction with Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to settle for attending the pre-summit June 24 dinner rather than the main meeting on June 25, although he met Trump separately after the conference ended. The Kremlin on June 24 accused NATO of being on a path of rampant militarization and portraying Russia as a "fiend of hell" in order to justify its big increase in defense spending.
Bloomberg
13 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
S&P 500 Is a Whisker Away From Record Ahead of Powell Remarks
US stocks edged higher on Wednesday following an all-time closing high for the Nasdaq 100 Index as Wall Street readied for a second day of testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell before lawmakers. The S&P 500 Index was up 0.3% as of 9:43 a.m. in New York, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 climbed 0.6%, extending its record run. The milestone was reached as a combination of robust fundamentals and easing geopolitical tensions boosted the appeal of the growth-focused gauge.
Forbes
13 minutes ago
- Forbes
Customer Service Is A Human Sport—Even In The Age Of AI
Jim Stevenson, CEO and Founder of Bletchley Group. Customer service has never been more scrutinized or more automated. Chatbots field our queries, apps track our orders, and self‑service portals promise instant resolutions. Yet, for all the technological wizardry, one timeless truth endures: at the heart of every customer service request or purchase journey is a human looking for an efficient and memorable experience. I was reminded of this on an otherwise ordinary Saturday evening at an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica. The pasta was sublime, the service attentive but not intrusive, and having debated and ultimately rejected the merits of tiramisu versus panna cotta, the bill arrived at an appropriately relaxed pace. So far, a great service. Then, ten minutes after arriving home, my friend realized her grandmother's heirloom ring, handed down through three generations, was missing. Calling the restaurant while realizing it was probably closed, we expected the standard answer, 'Pop back tomorrow, we'll have a look.' Instead, we were invited straight back, arriving to discover at least three members of staff had abandoned their cleaning and till-counting duties and were searching in the restrooms, around the table and in the bins. They were prepared with a box of disposable gloves so we could join the search. We left ring‑less but raving that this restaurant has earned two lifelong advocates thanks to the staff's genuine concern and willingness to dive into the search (and trash) to look for a customer's ring. Consider this experience while you digest a colder statistic: 78 per cent of UK customers now finish a service interaction frustrated—the highest level in a decade. Worldwide, more than half of consumers will defect after a single bad experience, and PwC reckons nearly a third will dump even a favorite brand after just one slip‑up. We have never had more technology promising to cosset customers, yet most of us now dread contacting 'support'. That contradiction is large enough to drive a chatbot through. Automation, when misapplied, simply scales indifference. Swedish fintech Klarna trumpeted in 2024 that its AI assistant had absorbed the workload of 700 human agents; by May 2025, the CEO was rehiring people because service quality had 'dropped' and customers still 'need to speak to a real person'. Yet technology is not the villain; misapplied technology is. Chewy, the online pet‑supply retailer, refunded a shopper after her dog died, advised her to donate the food, and then sent flowers signed by the agent who took the call. One compassionate gesture, amplified by social media, became brand equity that money cannot buy. Scaling the genuine compassion of sending flowers to a dog owner becomes cynical commercialism if not handled correctly, with authenticity and understanding. Whether searching dustbins or sending bouquets, the same five human values do the heavy lifting: • Empathy: Feel the customer's pain before you fix the process. • Ownership: The first person, or bot, who spots a problem shepherds it to resolution. • Speed: Responses must be quick and conclusive; velocity must lead to resolution. • Visibility: Show the graft; a real‑time progress bar or progress emails beats silent purgatory. • Culture: Celebrate staff who exceed the script; folklore outpaces policy binders. You cannot code kindness, but you can design for it. Map emotional journeys, not just click paths. Let AI clear the low‑stakes questions but provide a 'Human, please.' button inside two taps for the high‑stakes ones. Consult your customer service team, as they have daily interactions with your customers and are familiar with the frustrations and expectations. Replace unhelpful generic updates 'Your request is being processed.' with helpful and personable ones like 'Hang tight—we're on it and will update you within ten minutes.' Above all, broadcast hero stories internally; behavior follows narrative. Build a culture of excellence in customer service that permeates the DNA of your company. Employees will want to work for you, and customers will want to buy from you. Here is the paradox: 80% of companies believed they delivered a "superior experience" to their customers, but their customers do not agree. The tools we built to get closer to customers can push them further away unless they amplify, rather than anesthetize, our humanity. Before rubber‑stamping the next chatbot launch, ask a straightforward question: Would this experience make a customer believe we would dig through the bins for them at eleven o'clock on a Saturday night? If the answer is 'probably not', no algorithmic cleverness will keep them loyal. Design your online and offline experiences with the same core values and excellence in mind to build customer loyalty and brand equity. Excellent customer service is, and always will be, a human sport. Technology is just the kit. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
