Speaker Mike Johnson touts passing of spending bill as Dems lament
After Republicans' sweeping spending bill passed out of Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson said it'll be "a great thing" for every American.
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After decades of service, Taiwan retires its last F-5 fighter jets
After decades in service, Taiwan's Vietnam-era F-5 fighter jets are being retired as part of the island democracy's transition to more advanced hardware HUALIEN, Taiwan -- After decades in service, Taiwan's Vietnam-era F-5 fighter jets are being retired as part of the island democracy's transition to more advanced hardware. To keep pace with increased threats from mainland China, Taiwan has been upgrading both its manned and unmanned aerial assets, including purchasing 66 of the latest generation F-16V fighters and upgrading existing aircraft to modern specifications. China claims the island as its own territory and has never dropped its threat to invade since the sides split amid civil war in 1949. The air force invited journalists on Friday to witness one last flyby by the F-5, which first entered service with Taiwan in 1965 and most of which have now been converted to trainers, reconnaissance planes or decoys. The planes began moving into a backing role 30 years ago when Taiwan began acquiring more modern American F-16s, French Mirage 2000s and domestically developed Ching Kuos. The F-5 is one of the world's most widely produced jets, with Taiwan the largest operator at one point with 336, producing some 100 domestically. Dozens of countries still use them, including the U.S., which uses them as pretend opponents in training exercises. The planes gained favor for their high speed and maneuverability, alongside their low cost and ease of maintenance. For Taiwan, they guarded the skies above the Taiwan Strait against mainland China's Soviet and domestically built fighters. Taiwan's F-5s were based along the eastern coast, separated from China by both the 160 kilometer (100 mile)-wide Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's formidable Central Mountain Range.
Time Magazine
25 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
What to the Immigrant is the 4th of July?
On July 5, 1852, over a decade before Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Frederick Douglass delivered a keynote address at an Independence Day event. 'What, to the American slave, is the Fourth of July?' Douglass asked. 'A day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery.' Enslaved Americans and their descendants, of course, did not voluntarily come to America. It was a forced migration in shackles, one drenched in blood—a painful history that, nearly 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, has not been fully reconciled with. On this Independence Day holiday weekend, amid increasingly aggressive, reckless immigration raids; in the aftermath of the Supreme Court inviting chaos and confusion into settled constitutional birthright citizenship law, and the Senate voting to give ICE a budget larger than the Marines; as Florida constructs a massive 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center and its governor talks of deputizing National Guardsmen as immigration judges; and as everyday Americans look at each other with doubt and wonder if their neighbors are truly 'American,' we must ask: What, to the immigrant—particularly to the undocumented immigrant—is our Fourth of July? In Southern California, ICE has been quietly tearing apart Asian immigrant communities, with detainments often happening out of public sight, and detainees not being told in their language what is happening to them or where they are. Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese refugees whose deportation orders have been on indefinite hold for years are being detained after showing up for routine check-ins at ICE offices. Ethnic hubs like Little India are receiving noticeably less foot traffic as even legal residents avoid potential run-ins with federal agents. In Texas, Jermaine Thomas, a 38-year-old Black man born on an army base in Germany to a U.S. citizen father, was deported to his father's birth country of Jamaica, a place he'd never been. After propagating a dehumanizing lie that Haitian immigrants in Ohio eat pets, President Donald Trump terminated Temporary Protected Status for around half a million Haitian refugees, with no plan in place for their U.S. citizen children. Several predominantly Latino communities have canceled or postponed Independence Day events. Trump's efforts to 'Make America Great Again' have perversely scared Americans into not celebrating America's greatness at all. Unfortunately, the challenges facing immigrant communities are not new. Thirteen years ago, myself and several other undocumented immigrants spoke out about America's broken immigration system on the cover of TIME. 'The Republican Party can go one of two ways. It will either make room for its moderate voices to craft a compromise; after all, John McCain, to name just one, was a supporter of the Dream Act,' I wrote. 'Or the party will pursue a hard-line approach, further isolating not just Latinos, the largest minority group in the U.S., but also a growing multiethnic America that's adapting to the inevitable demographic and cultural shifts. In 21st century politics, diversity is destiny.' Now, the three branches of government are under Republican control, enabled and empowered by a fact-free MAGA narrative in which the rhetoric around immigration is synonymous with violent criminality. Messaging that undocumented immigrants are a massive criminal monolith helped fuel Trump to the American presidency—twice. But almost half of the people currently in ICE custody, data shows, have neither been convicted of nor charged with any crime. Despite the picture painted by the president, just 6% of known undocumented murderers and 11% of known undocumented sexual offenders have been detained. The most common categories of crimes committed by detainees are immigration and traffic offenses. The truth is that most undocumented immigrants want to make America great. We love America. We want to be here and follow the law. We want to work, and we find ways to do so, despite only 19 U.S. states allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver licenses. We are eager to contribute. In fact, we contribute nearly $100 billion each year in taxes—income, property, sales, etc. We subsidize social services like Social Security and Medicare without being able to benefit from them. Ironic from a country born out of revolting against taxation without representation. We strive to be proud of a country that is not proud of us. Not long after I discovered that I didn't have the proper documents to live in America, I was watching Rob Reiner's film The American President, and toward the end of the film, Michael Douglas, as the president, says: "America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight." I was 17, lost and disoriented, and hearing those words helped me realize that I had to fight—that being an American had to be earned. When you are an undocumented immigrant, celebrating the Fourth of July is to resist being defined by fear and panic. What it means to be an American is less about who you are than what you are about—how you live your life, how you contribute to this country, how you pledge allegiance to a flag hoping and praying it will make room for you. It means insisting that we are more than our labor, and that our dignity lies in our agency—that the most American thing about us, in fact, is what connects us to every human being who's ever had to fight their way to be included in the American experiment. What it means to be an American is in the hearts of the people who, in their struggles and heartaches, in their joys and triumphs, fight for America and fight to be American every day. And it's in the hearts of local U.S. citizens who welcome us despite our status, who date us, hire us, and fight for our humanity. 'The visual echo between today's ICE raiders and yesterday's slave catchers is eerie: the ambushing, the snatching off the streets, the chasing through fields and forests, the carting off to far away cages,' writes journalist Charles Blow. 'The context is different, obviously, but the terror is kindred.' And as Bernice A. King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and CEO of the King Center writes: 'It would help tremendously not to refer to human beings as 'illegals.' Because language matters. Because labels often dehumanize. Because no person is an 'illegal.'' As much as we talk about 'illegal aliens' as problems, we rarely discuss possible solutions outside of arresting or jailing them. So I'm heartened by a recent Quinnipiac poll that finds support for a path to legalization for most undocumented immigrants has risen to 64%. Only 31% want most of them deported. That's a 14-point net swing for legalization since Trump took office in January. I'm also encouraged by seeing communities protest ICE—including in traditionally red states and counties. Trump baselessly claimed that these demonstrations were part of a 'foreign invasion.' No, it was Americans standing up for their neighbors—and for the values America represents. This Independence Day, I choose to celebrate progress toward these values. I choose to hope that undocumented immigrants will no longer be used as pawns in an endless political game. In fireworks, I see beacons of public embrace. In communities across our country, I see groups of Americans, from all backgrounds, giving proof that our flag is still there.
Politico
25 minutes ago
- Politico
Stars, stripes and side-eye
Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Canada Playbook | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Canada Playbook. It's Friday! Happy Fourth to our American readers. In today's edition: → PETE HOEKSTRA throws his first July 4 bash in Ottawa. → Ottawa holds firm as deadlines shift — and Playbook gets the inside scoop. → Who killed the campaign? Conservatives circle the BBQ grill. Trade war RED, WHITE AND YOU — Free beer or free trade? That's the question for Ottawa's political class. The bubble has been keeping quiet about U.S. Ambassador PETE HOEKSTRA's July 4th party. It's his first bash in Canada, and the Ottawa fishbowl event is one of the biggest of the year. The Independence Day invites are usually highly sought after by staffers, lobbyists, journalists — and everyone in between. — Feeling excited: 'I see it as not only an opportunity to mark the founding of the United States but also a chance to celebrate the U.S.-Canada bilateral relationship and our long history of working together in North America and on the world stage,' Hoekstra told Playbook in a statement. — Theme: Per Hoekstra: Summer picnic with 'delicious delights typically featured at Fourth of July celebrations across the United States.' — Trade war buzzkill: This year, downing American beer and chomping burgers might be a challenge with elbows up. Canada and the U.S. remain in high-stakes trade negotiations, and tariffs continue to hurt Canadian workers and businesses. — Déjà vu: There is no PMO memo this year — but in the past, the silence was loud enough: In 2018, government staffers and MPs were largely absent from then-ambassador KELLY CRAFT's July 4th party during NAFTA renegotiations and tariffs on Canadian steel. Even then-Ottawa Mayor JIM WATSON snubbed the event. — No two ways about it: 'It was a very difficult time with the United States on many fronts,' TYLER MEREDITH, former economic adviser to then-Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU, told Playbook. — Think about the optics: This year is no different, Meredith argues. On X, he said that any business leaders showing up to Hoekstra's party for a photo, 'should think about the values they believe in.' He told Playbook: 'We're in high-stakes negotiations with the United States that in the next three weeks could have significant consequences for auto workers, steel workers, softwood lumber workers, energy workers, etcetera.' — RSVP: Liberal MPs who attended last year say they're planning on going again, including MONA FORTIER, parl sec for Foreign Affairs Minister ANITA ANAND. Fortier told Playbook she will 'focus on keeping the line of communication open and also fostering people to people ties!' Liberal MP ROB OLIPHANT tells Playbook he'll also be there: 'Conversation is important as our government continues negotiating the best deal for Canadians with the American government.' Playbook confirmed that Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE and Opposition Leader ANDREW SCHEER won't be in attendance. The New Democrats, who boycotted the party in 2018, didn't get back to us to share their plans. Neither did Mayor MARK SUTCLIFFE though we know the U.S. flag will fly over Ottawa city hall today. — Across the pond: Opposition lawmakers in Ireland won't be attending Fourth of July celebrations at the U.S. embassy in Dublin. Labour TD CONOR SHEEHAN said he 'couldn't think of anything worse,' the Irish Examiner reported. — Hot diggity dog: If your invite landed, Hoekstra's promising a good time. The team has spent months planning the shindig. 'It's the U.S. Embassy's biggest event of the year and our best opportunity to reconnect with our Embassy contacts,' Hoekstra tells Playbook. 'We are very proud of its reputation as one of the must-attend events of the summer.' DEADLINE? WHAT DEADLINE? — On June 16, MARK CARNEY dropped a 30-day deadline to remove DONALD TRUMP's tariffs — part of a larger deal. — The PM set the target: The date has bounced around ever since his Kananaskis bilat with the president. Even now, Ottawa and Washington do not appear to be aligned. — First: Canada-U.S. Trade Minister DOMINIC LEBLANC's office confirmed a July 16 deadline to Playbook — though the Liberal government planned to wait until July 21 to further retaliate against U.S. tariffs if needed. — And then: This week, Carney started using July 21 as the deadline, a date dropped in ink on a finance department communique. — But, wait: U.S. Treasury Secretary SCOTT BESSENT seems to be inching out the goalpost. 'I think with [the digital services tax] being removed, we can proceed on a normalized basis, and we'll see whether the Canadians come with the satisfactory negotiations over the next 20 to 30 days,' Bessent told Fox Business Network on Thursday. — Do the math: That would put us between July 23 and Aug. 2. — This week: LeBlanc spoke with Commerce Sec. HOWARD LUTNICK, but the details of their discussion remain private. — The very latest: The Prime Minister's Office advised Playbook that July 21 is the deadline — and that the Canadian side has no plans to move it. — In related reading: From COLBY COSH in the Post: Canada shows you really can hit yourself when you go elbows up. INSIDER INSIGHT — The end of the DST drama appears to have cleared the way for Ottawa and Washington to pick up talks. Playbook got the skinny on what's ahead from a Canadian government official with direct knowledge of negotiations. We've granted them anonymity so that they could speak candidly. The key points on the table: → Sealing the deal on critical minerals: Canada would supply rare earth minerals and develop joint projects as part of a two-country effort to reduce dependence on China by building a secure, North American supply chain. 'The thing about critical minerals is that you need about three or four factories to actually turn it into something useful,' said the official. 'You can't just put nickel into a battery casing. It has to be turned into nickel sulfate.' → Law and order and beyond: The U.S. wants Ottawa to pass Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, which would enhance cooperation on law enforcement. 'At the heart of what the U.S. wants is to join arms in law enforcement with Canada, with the same kind of toolkit that they use: intercepts under FISA warrants, the Patriot Act,' the official said, pointing to the advanced surveillance and anti-terror powers contained in those American laws. → Tariffs: Canada may be aiming to remove all U.S. tariffs, but the president considers is on a mission to reset America's tariff wall. In this system, the winners will be those that have the lowest relative tariffs. The long-term goal could be to negotiate a low-enough tariff that would allow Canada to preserve its steel, aluminum and auto industries. — Bottom line: 'For Canada the question is: What price are you able or willing to pay, from a policy perspective, to be able to get a reduction?' said the official. — In related reading: Canada's new supply management law won't save the system from Trump, CP's KYLE DUGGAN reports. Want more POLITICO? Download our mobile app to save stories, get notifications on U.S.-Canada relations, and more. In iOS or Android . THE ROOMS THAT MATTER — The Calgary Stampede. Confirmed attendance: MARK CARNEY, PIERRE POILIEVRE, ELIZABETH MAY and Energy Minister TIM HODGSON. Share your 'spotteds.' — On Sunday the federal executives of the New Democrat Party are expected to lay out rules around their leadership election. WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN Up: Easterners in Smithbilts. Whoop-Eee-Eee-Eee. Down: The number of B.C. cars crossing into Washington state — for the fifth month in a row. CONVERSATION STARTER POST-MORTEM — PIERRE POILIEVRE is on the bill at the Conservative Party BBQ in Calgary on Saturday. — Barbecue sauce: In case you're at a loss for small talk around the grill … we spoke to some Conservatives who argue the party should not be afraid to talk about what just happened. DAN ROBERTSON's argument for a comprehensive exercise that explains why Conservatives lost to MARK CARNEY boils down to three words. 'More is more,' Robertson, a longtime Conservative campaign adviser who devised ERIN O'TOOLE's electoral strategy in 2021, recently told Playbook. — A full menu: The founding partner of ORB Advocacy said a proper post-mortem exercise includes polling, interviews with war room operatives and local campaign managers, and frank reflections from the senior campaign team. — Don't hold back: He put himself through the ringer following the 2021 loss. 'I basically wrote a lengthy, unflinching, self-critical memo' that acknowledged his own strategic mistakes and charted a path for the next election (which, as it turned out, O'Toole never got the chance to fight). Robertston commissioned a post-vote survey with a massive sample of 10,000 respondents — and recommends doing it again this time. 'I would be polling the heck out of people,' he said, focusing on a wide gender gap that favored Liberals and the flight of older voters to Carney's side. He'd zero in on the Greater Toronto Area. So would JAMES CUMMING, the former Edmonton Centre MP who compiled a post-mortem following that 2021 defeat that eventually leaked all over town. Back then, Cumming spoke to more than 200 people, including candidates, campaigners, party members and 'thought leaders.' Much of that Covid-era work was virtual, but Cumming also traveled to Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City. 'I would spend an abundance of time in swing ridings, and particularly on recruitment into them, on tactics, on pre-election preparation,' Cumming told us. The former MP also cautioned against 'analysis paralysis' — aka don't overthink it. But don't underthink it, he said: 'Any time you lose, whether it's an electoral race or in business where you are chasing a deal and you fail to make it, you always want to know what could I have done differently.' — Manage expectations: Robertson recalled an adage that circulates among campaigners — and could serve as a balm to Poilievre's senior team: 'When you win, you get more credit than you deserve, and when you lose, you get more blame than you deserve.' MORNING MUST-CLICKS — Trump takes a megabill victory lap at Iowa rally, our colleague BEN JOHANSEN reports. — And from POLITICO's MEREDITH LEE HILL: Inside the Freedom Caucus' final surrender. — Reuters reports: U.S. will send letters to countries on Friday laying out tariff rates. — RAHIM MOHAMED notes in the Post that Alberta and Ontario are calling for a repeal of Trudeau-era climate policies. — And a spokeswoman for Environment Minister JULIE DABRUSIN told STEPHANIE TAYLOR that Canada's EV mandate must 'reflect' current times. PLAYBOOKERS Birthdays: HBD to GT and Company's BRIAN TOPP (65!) and to former MP CHRIS CHARLTON. Also celebrating today: Retired Sen. MARJORY LEBRETON (85!), Empire Company CEO MICHAEL MEDLINE, Quebec MNA CHANTAL ROULEAU and Crestview VP NICHOLAS POZHKE. HBD + 1 to JOHN PEPPER. Saturday: Political consultant ANDREW PEREZ and former Premiers PIERRE-MARC JOHNSON and GRANT DEVINE. Sunday: Former Manitoba Premier BRIAN PALLISTER, former Harper Cabmin JEAN-PIERRE BLACKBURN, former Bloc Québécois MP ALAIN THERRIEN, broadcaster and podcaster PETER MANSBRIDGE and Conservative strategist JENNI BYRNE. Noted: Prime Minister MARK CARNEY has invited Philippines President FERDINAND MARCOS JR. to Canada. Movers and shakers: A shakeup in the ambassador ranks: ALEXANDRE BILODEAU to Tunisia … SANDRA CHOUFANI to Côte d'Ivoire … CHRISTIAN DESROCHES to Cambodia … AMBRA DICKIE to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in Jakarta … STEPHEN DOUST to Mongolia … GREGORY GALLIGAN to the Lebanon … ALISON GRANT to Austria … PATRICK HÉBERT to Finland … JEAN-DOMINIQUE IERACI to Peru … CRAIG KOWALIK to Ecuador … PHILIPPE LAFORTUNE to Korea … JEAN-PAUL LEMIEUX to Switzerland … KARIM MORCOS to Qatar … JAMES NICKEL to Vietnam … TARA SCHEURWATER to Kuwait … NICOLAS SIMARD to Ethiopia … KENT VACHON to Lao, and NATALIE BRITTON is consul general in Istanbul. New high commissioners: ANDERSON BLANC to Mozambique … MARIE-CLAUDE HARVEY to Cameroon … TARIK KHAN to Pakistan … ISABELLE MARTIN to Sri Lanka and JOSHUA TABAH to Kenya. Lobby watch: Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities posted a June 14 meeting with Agriculture Minister HEATH MACDONALD … The Explorers and Producers Association of Canada reported a June 16 meeting with shadow energy critic MP SHANNON STUBBS … Western Canadian Shippers' Coalition posted June meetings with Conservative MPs DAN ALBAS, PHILIP LAWRENCE and RAQUEL DANCHO … Grain Growers of Canada posted a June 17 meeting with Liberal MP EMMA HARRISON. BRUCE HARTLEY registered to lobby on behalf of PCL Construction … MARK REDER registered for West Coast Reduction … MAURICE RIOUX registered for Winnipeg Airports Authority … SARAH GOODMAN registered for Nestlé Canada. Send Playbookers tips to canadaplaybook@ PROZONE For Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter from MIKE BLANCHFIELD. From ZACK COLMAN: GOP megabill draws jeers from clean energy sectors, praise from fossil fuel backers. In other Pro headlines: — Here's what passed in the megabill for tech. — Europe's top CEOs ask EU to pause AI Act. — Trump's science guidelines could amplify climate skeptics. — Pro Analysis: About Changes to 'De Minimis' Under Trump. — Libertarians seek partnership with Elon Musk. TRIVIA Thursday's answer: Lord HUGH MACMILLAN led a royal commission to study 'the organization and working of our entire banking and monetary system.' Based on its recommendations, the Bank of Canada Act received royal assent July 3, 1934. Props to ROBERT MCDOUGALL, MALCOLM MCKAY, MARCEL MARCOTTE, ELIZABETH BURN, DARRYL DAMUDE, RAY DEL BIANCO, JOHN PEPPER and MARTIN SPIELAUER. Friday's question: Name the 7-foot-tall guest with the unkempt beard who attended the 2022 July 4 bash at Lornado. Answer to canadaplaybook@
