Cijntje talks on his outing, learning from his dad
Thick wildfire smoke in Winnipeg is once again keeping residents indoors, and U.S. lawmakers are criticizing the cross-border impact. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew responded, accusing American congressmembers of politicizing tragedy for 'likes on Instagram.'
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Bloomberg
15 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Congress Showed What's Coming Next in Five Key Moments
As lawmakers head off for their August recess, what they did and didn't do over the past seven months tells us a lot about what will happen over the next 17. The GOP-controlled Congress operated as an extension of President Donald Trump, with pockets of (performative) resistance that always folded to his demands. Democrats could do little to block Trump's transformative agenda as he upended the federal government, shuttered federal agencies and rewrote policy with a stroke of his pen. This has all set up the stakes and strategy for the midterms in 2026, a preview of which will likely unfold as lawmakers hear from their constituents over the next four weeks. In particular, there were five telling moments over the first seven months of the 119th Congress that tell us a lot about what to expect next:
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
N.B. tariff aid largely untapped as Trump deadline looms
New Brunswick's tariff response plan, announced back in March, has seen few requests for help from businesses or communities, despite warnings about the province's precarious position, with more than 90 per cent of exports destined for the United States. For example, two emergency tariff funds, set aside for labour adjustments and impacted communities, have had no takers, except for Campobello Island, which got $186,000 for an early start to its summer ferry service. As for Saint John, identified as Canada's most vulnerable city, private investment appears to be booming, from development on the waterfront, to mammoth investments at the refinery and the west side pulp mill. Port Saint John says it's on track to have the most growth, ever. | Why early fears of Trump tariffs have yet to be realized: Economist Herb Emery says this is because the worst harm from tariffs and tariff uncertainty has yet to materialize and may not become apparent for another year or two or more. 'We're in kind of a weird window, where the full tariff impact hasn't hit yet," Emery said. "But it is starting to impact decision-making. Do you build your next plant in the United States or do you try to expand in New Brunswick?" Aug. 1 deadline looming Premier Susan Holt says the push is on to get the best deal for Canada ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump. Without one, Trump has threatened to push a tariff on imports from Canada to 35 per cent from 25 per cent, although exemptions would include goods that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. Also looming is an anti-dumping countervailing duty on Canadian lumber, set to rise from 14.54 per cent to 34.5 per cent, "within weeks," according to Forest NB, an industry association. This week, Arbec Forest Products blamed market conditions when it announced a six-week shutdown, starting in September at its Miramichi plant, where it makes wood panels for housing construction. . "Like many other New Brunswick businesses, our exports to the U.S. have been drastically affected by the current tariff situation," general manager Adam Stone said in a written statement. "We are hopeful that this pause in production will allow us to rebalance our inventories and find additional markets." Arbec said 113 employees will be affected, including 29 who won't have jobs when operations resume. The company said it's working closely with government agencies to assist affected workers. Meanwhile, forestry giant, J.D. Irving Ltd. is spending $1.1 billion to upgrade its boiler at the Irving Pulp and Paper mill in Saint John, and the Irving Oil refinery is upgrading its fluid catalytic cracking unit, which produces gasoline and diesel, at a cost of $100 million. Seafood holding steady New Brunswick seafood continues to enter the United States without a Trump tariff. "Spring production went well," said Geoff Irvine, executive director at the Lobster Council of Canada. "Demand was steady. "There are no [U.S.] tariffs today, but there is uncertainty about tariffs and that's almost as bad." Refined petroleum products and electricity produced in New Brunswick are also entering the United States tariff free. In February, Irving Oil warned customers in Maine, it would pass along the costs of Trump's 10 per cent tariff on energy but then reversed that decision after tariffs were paused. Statistics Canada shows mixed results for New Brunswick exports since Trump was sworn into office late in January. Comparing the first five months of this year with the first five of 2024, the total value of New Brunswick exports to the U.S. fell 2.8 per cent, according to data from Statistics Canada. Broken down by sector, fish and farm products fell 2.5 per cent, forestry and building products slipped two per cent but energy product exports rose 4.5 percent. None of it has dampened volume at Port Saint John, which is having a banner year. "We get asked that a lot," said Craig Bell Estabrooks, the port's CEO. "What is the shipping activity at the port? What are the volumes looking like? And we're proud to report that they're very, very strong." Estabrooks said container volumes are significantly higher than the port has ever seen. "It's growth that we were hoping for earlier in the year. But with the uncertainty, we didn't know if it was going to materialize, but it certainly has." Campobello line item Residents on Campobello Island face an hour-long drive, over the bridge to Lubec, Maine, and then through the U.S. and back into mainland New Brunswick, where they purchase supplies. That's when the ferry isn't running. This year, the island was singled out for assistance. The ferry started in May, one month early and residents are exempt from paying retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods coming in. "It was so helpful just to get that little bit because, you know, the average person that works maybe didn't mind paying, you know, 20 bucks or something on a bunch of groceries for a tariff, but you know, there's people that just couldn't afford it," said Campobello Mayor Harvey Matthews Matthews said he hasn't noticed a lot of change in the local economy, although he thinks the number of American visitors may be down. He said some U.S. citizens who own property on the island have yet to show up for the summer and that feels unusual. Otherwise, he says people are managing as before. "I'm a fisherman," Matthews said. "I guess everything was the same. What we shipped to the States is still going to the States, and what goes the other way is still going the other way. But that could change any minute. "You know, it just takes one announcement."
Chicago Tribune
44 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Christine Ledbetter: Renaming the Kennedy Center Opera House for Donald Trump's wife? It's not a hotel.
When the Kennedy Center opened in 1971, the world premiere of Leonard Bernstein's 'Mass,' a theater piece for singers, dancers and musicians, was performed in the Opera House. Dignitaries included Rose Kennedy, Eunice Shriver, Sen. Edward Kennedy and his wife, Joan, along with artists such as Aaron Copland, Helen Hayes and Isaac Stern. It was a glittering event that would signal the beginning of the monumental importance of the nation's cultural center for the next 50-plus years. Founding Chairman Roger L. Stevens said the Kennedy Center 'more than any predecessor lent dignity to the role of the arts and its place in society.' The center, before its completion, was designated a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy after his assassination, to honor his contributions to the arts, which included launching a $30 million campaign to fund the center. Additionally, he and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy initiated a series of Concerts for Young People as well as regularly inviting artists and writers to the White House. Now comes news that Congress wants to name the Opera House after first lady Melania Trump, to acknowledge her 'support and commitment to the arts,' according to Idaho GOP Rep. Mike Simpson, who introduced the amendment. Wait, what commitment and support? The first lady has never been known for her arts contributions. Sure, she was named an honorary chair of the center, as were Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton. But she has rarely attended performances there. Last month, she did go to the opening night of 'Les Misérables,'' where she and the president were booed and which a dozen cast members boycotted. The former model is better known for her designer wardrobe. Vogue noted she was wearing a black Bottega Veneta gown and silver stilettos to the event. Naming the Opera House after her is as far-fetched as renaming the National Museum of African American History and Culture after Donald Trump, who has targeted that institution for its 'divisive narratives.' The Opera House is the second largest of the center's seven stages with 2,347 seats. It is home to the Kennedy Center Honors, which recognizes lifetime contributions to the arts, and which the Trumps famously skipped during his first term after honorees criticized him. Presently, the only theater at the Kennedy Center identified for an individual is the Eisenhower Theater, honoring former President Dwight D. Eisenhower who signed initial legislation creating an earlier-named National Cultural Center in 1958. Congress pandering to the president's ego and megalomaniac desire for branding is nothing new. Republicans have suggested Trump's face be carved into Mount Rushmore and that Dulles International Airport be named after him. The Kennedy Center should not be treated like a hotel with the Trump name plastered all over it. Statements about the first couple's contributions to the arts are simply not true. Indeed, the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to federal arts agencies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts have caused states to scramble for funds, including 192 organizations in Illinois. Since Trump's hostile takeover of the performing arts center in which he fired top administrators and board members while anointing himself as chair, ticket subscription sales are down 36% over last year. Artistic advisers Ben Folds, Renee Fleming and Shonda Rhimes fled. Artists and productions such as 'Hamilton,' Rhiannon Gibbons and Issa Rae canceled their dates. Conversely, the Kennedy Center cut performances by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington in an unsurprising move. Claiming the center has celebrated 'radical left lunatics' and 'woke culture,' Trump vows to make it great again by perhaps personally hosting the Honors and asking Congress for money to renovate the building. In Trump's Kennedy Center, there are 'NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA—ONLY THE BEST.' That sentiment is the antithesis of Kennedy's vision of the arts. 'If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth,' he said in October 1963, a mere month before he was killed. Sixty-one years later, truth is what Trump says it is: Art is funded only if it fits his vision, history is redacted, books are banned and diversity is discouraged. But the giant on the Potomac with its acres of red carpet, Hall of States and Nations displaying flags of 50 states and over 190 countries, and its Grand Foyer featuring 16 crystal chandeliers and an 8-foot-tall bronze bust of Kennedy, will likely stand for another generation. Because despite dwindling ticket sales and flailing artistic reputation, Trump's domestic policy bill provides over $250 million to the center, six times the amount normally allocated. Trump, always the developer, will not let the building fall.
