Justice Department Prepares Crackdown on Trump Tariff Violators
American customs officials have long sought to thwart attempts to avoid duties using relatively common schemes like changing the country of origin on imports or misclassifying goods on forms. However, such issues historically have been handled through fines or civil settlements and seldom by criminal prosecution.
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Travel + Leisure
a few seconds ago
- Travel + Leisure
Canadian Tourism to the U.S. Plunges in 2025—and These States Are Impacted the Most
States across America are suffering from a steep decline in Canadian tourism following a tumultuous first half of 2025. Canadians returning to the country by automobile from the United States declined 33.1% in June, compared to the same time last year, according to Canada's national statistical agency. And Canadians returning from the U.S. by air dropped 22.1 percent. In fact, the agency said June was the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year automobile declines. The dip in Canadian tourists follows a turbulent political year that saw President Donald Trump campaign to make the country the '51st state." In February, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for Canadians to not spend their money on vacations in the U.S, instead asking them to "choose Canada" and change their "summer vacation plans to stay here in Canada and explore the many national and provincial parks, historical sites and tourist destinations our great country has to offer," according to The New York Times . As of April, advance bookings for flights from Canada to the U.S. between April and September were down more than 70% compared to the same time last year, according to Axios , citing statistics from aviation data firm OAG. Even just a small dip in tourism could be very costly since Canadian travelers typically account for the highest number of international visitors to the U.S., according to the U.S. Travel Association. In 2024 alone, a total of 20.4 million Canadians visited the country, generating $20.5 billion in spending. A 10 percent reduction in visitor numbers, for example, would equate to a potential loss of $2.1 billion. Some states will likely suffer more than others—Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas tend to be the most popular states for Canadian visitors—but others have started to feel the crunch as well. In New Hampshire, which borders the eastern part of Canada, officials are seeing a dramatic drop in Canadian tourism. "Absolutely, the Canadian numbers are lower this year, for sure," Taylor Caswell, New Hampshire's commissioner for business and economic affairs, told local WMUR-TV . "They're running at about 30 percent underneath what we've seen in prior years." In Montana, credit card transactions have shown the impact of fewer tourists. Spending by Canadians in Kalispell, in the western part of the state, has decreased by an average of about 37 percent per month from January to April, Diane Medler, the executive director of Discover Kalispell, told NBC Montana . In nearby Whitefish, Canadian credit card spending has dropped 25 percent through the month of May, Zak Anderson, the executive director at Explore Whitefish, told the network. But not everyone is giving up. In September, for example, New Hampshire is planning its own trade delegation visit, WMUR-TV reported. "We're going to continue to focus on our relationships with Canada, which are quite important," the state's Gov. Kelly Ayotte said, according to the network.
Fast Company
a few seconds ago
- Fast Company
What the U.S. wants to achieve at the international plastic treaty talks
Under President Donald Trump 's leadership, the United States has withdrawn from international negotiations and commitments, particularly around climate. But the U.S. is very much involved in treaty talks for a global accord to end plastic pollution. Nations kicked off a meeting Tuesday in Geneva to try to complete a landmark treaty over 10 days to end the spiraling plastic pollution crisis. The biggest issue is whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic, or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. About 3,700 people are taking part in the talks, representing 184 countries and more than 600 organizations. Here is a look the U.S. position: Why is the US participating in the negotiations? Hours after he was sworn in to a second term, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the landmark Paris agreement to combat global warming. The United States didn't participate in a vote in April at the International Maritime Organization that created a fee for greenhouse gases emitted by ships, or send anyone to the U.N. Ocean Conference in June. Some wondered whether the United States would even go to Geneva. The State Department told The Associated Press that engaging in the negotiations is critical to protect U.S. interests and businesses, and an agreement could advance U.S. security by protecting natural resources from plastic pollution, promote prosperity and enhance safety. The industry contributes more than $500 billion to the economy annually and employs about 1 million people in the U.S., according to the Plastics Industry Association. 'This is a historic opportunity to set a global approach for reducing plastic pollution through cost-effective and common-sense solutions and fostering innovation from the private sector, not unilaterally stopping the use of plastic,' the department said in an email. What does the US want in the treaty? The State Department supports provisions to improve waste collection and management, improve product design and drive recycling, reuse and other efforts to cut the plastic dumped into the environment. The International Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that 22 million tons of plastic waste will leak into the environment this year. That could increase to 30 million tons annually by 2040 if nothing changes. The OECD said if the treaty focuses only on improving waste management and does nothing on production and demand, an estimated 13.5 million tons of plastic waste would still leak into the environment each year. What does the US not want in the treaty? The United States and other powerful oil and gas nations oppose cutting plastic production. Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Even if production grows only slightly, greenhouse gas emissions emitted from the process would more than double by 2050, according to research from the federal Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The U.S. does not support global production caps since plastics play a critical role throughout every sector of every economy, nor does it support bans on certain plastic products or chemical additives to them because there is not a universal approach to reducing plastic pollution, the State Department said. That's similar to the views of the plastics industry, which says that a production cap could have unintended consequences, such as raising the cost of plastics, and that chemicals are best regulated elsewhere. What has the US done in Geneva so far? On the first day of the negotiations, the United States proposed striking language in the objective of the agreement about addressing the full life cycle of plastics. That idea was part of the original mandate for a treaty. Getting rid of it could effectively end any effort to control plastic supply or production. Under former President Joe Biden's administration, the U.S. supported the treaty addressing supply and production. What are people saying about the US position? Industry leaders praised it and environmentalists panned it. Chris Jahn, president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council, said the Trump administration is trying to get an agreement that protects each nation's rights while advancing effective and practical solutions to end plastic waste in the environment. He said his group supports that approach. Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation in Geneva, said the United States wants a weak agreement and is undermining the idea that the world needs strong international regulations to address a global problem. Does the US think the world can agree on a treaty that will end plastic pollution? The United States aims to finalize text for a global agreement on plastic pollution that all countries, including major producers of plastics and plastic products, and consumers, will support, the State Department said in its statement. ___
Newsweek
a few seconds ago
- Newsweek
Trump Signs Directive That Could Deploy US Military in Mexico: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump ordered the United States military to target drug cartels and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) on Friday, prompting concerns over diplomacy and presidential overreach, the New York Times reported. Citing sources close to the matter, the Times reported that Trump signed an order directing the Pentagon to begin using military force against overseas targets. It's not clear if the order includes language about obtaining Congress' consent. The Department of Defense declined to comment to Newsweek, deferring to the White House. A White House spokesperson said Trump remains committed to "protecting the homeland". Newsweek reached out to the Mexican embassy in the U.S. for comment via email Friday afternoon. Why It Matters The Trump administration declared multiple cartels and criminal gangs as FTOs earlier this year, saying the designation was necessary to counter their activities in the U.S., including fentanyl trafficking. Using the military to target the groups would mark a significant escalation in enforcement—one that could significantly impact relations with two countries: Mexico and Venezuela. President Donald Trump departs an event to honor recipients of the Purple Heart in the East Room of the White House on August 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump departs an event to honor recipients of the Purple Heart in the East Room of the White House on August 07, 2025 in Washington, To Know The order signed by Trump reportedly provides an official basis for direct military operations at sea and on foreign soil against cartels, which would likely mean in the Gulf of Mexico and potentially within Mexico itself. Making such moves without the approval of Congress opens up legal questions about whether the military could be seen as murdering suspected cartel members, rather than acting in the defense of the U.S., the Times noted. "Previous efforts to escalate the war on drugs through partnered operations in Colombia and Mexico failed to eliminate drug trafficking organizations or stem the flow of illicit drugs into the United States," Brandan Buck, Cato Institute foreign policy research fellow, told Newsweek. "Unilateral action would assuredly fail to stem the flow of drugs into the United States while causing significant diplomatic fallout." The justification for the shift would likely be ongoing efforts to cut off fentanyl smuggling, which continues to impact American communities, with the synthetic opioid linked to thousands of deaths. When Secretary of State Marco Rubio first declared eight groups as terrorist organizations in February, he opened up the possibility of military action against the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs, as well as dominant cartels including Sinaloa and Jalisco, for their roles in fentanyl trafficking, murders and other violent crimes across the U.S. At the time, experts told Newsweek that the designation could prompt dangerous blowback from the cartels, putting the lives of Americans living and working in Mexico and Venezuela at risk. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also criticized the FTO designation, saying it could infringe on Mexican sovereignty. Trump's reported directive on Friday now opens the door to the possibility of American troops crossing the border into her country. Trump's latest order comes after the administration designated the Venezuelan-based Cartel de los Soles as an FTO late last month, alleging that it's led by the country's president, Nicolás Maduro. What People Are Saying Henry Ziemer, associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Newsweek: "Certainly the most extreme possibility would be that the United States could use this directive to target members of the Venezuelan government and military up to and including President Nicolas Maduro, now linked to the "Cartel de los Soles" now designated by the Treasury as a global terrorist entity. "For the time being, I do not believe this is a likely outcome given the Trump administration's aversion to entanglement in major overseas military operations. Nevertheless, these reports are undoubtedly causing sleepless nights for the regime." Buck told Newsweek: "This move, if true, will likely reignite debates on Capitol Hill about the use of military force as it bypasses Congress's prerogative to declare war." White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to Newsweek: "President Trump's top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations." What's Next As of Friday afternoon, the Trump administration has not made an official announcement regarding the directive, making it unclear if Congress would be consulted on the matter.
