Latest news with #PresidentialPack
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Makes Canada Free Again
The ongoing trade imbroglio occasioned by President Donald Trump's aggressively tariff-forward policy stance is roiling global markets across industries. The alcohol sector is being particularly hard hit, as many industry watchers warned could happen in the event of Trump-initiated trade wars with the European Union, Mexico, and Canada. While the latest developments—including the president's threat earlier this week to impose a 200 percent tariff on European alcohol—are par for the course when it comes to the economic fallout of tariffs, Canada's retaliation to Trump's tariffs could cause long-term damage to American alcohol markets. Unique features of the Canadian system of alcohol regulation could dry up American alcohol sales within our northern neighbor's borders for decades. In response to Trump's 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods, the Canadian government decided to pull all U.S. alcohol from the shelves of its provincial-run alcohol stores. Both the U.S. and Canada regulate alcohol at the sub-national level, but with a key difference: While most American liquor stores are privately owned (except in the remaining 17 retail control states), all but two Canadian provinces rely on government-run liquor stores. Government-controlled alcohol stores are notoriously bad for freedom, but they prove surprisingly handy in an international trade dispute in which a country wants to inflict maximal pain on its neighbors. Having a system of government-owned stores allows entire swaths of Canada to effectively lock American alcohol out of the marketplace entirely. Rather than just making American whiskey 25 percent more expensive in Canada, it may no longer exist inside the country's marketplace. Jack Daniels' CEO Lawson Whiting called Canada's move "worse than a tariff because it's literally taking your sales away completely, removing our products on the shelves." Canada is currently the U.S. alcohol industry's number two export market, with the province of Ontario alone accounting for around $1 billion in American alcohol sales each year. The impacts have already been immediate, with distilleries like Michter's in Louisville announcing $115,000 in canceled bourbon orders, while liquor giant Diageo is estimating losses of up to $200 million. Craft distilleries near the border—like those in Buffalo and Washington state—could suffer the most, given both their small size and their interconnectedness with the Canadian market. Up until recently, Canadian whiskey was losing market share to American bourbon within Canada's borders—a trend that one can now expect to reverse, as Canadian consumers rally around the flag in a bout of "buy local" boozy patriotism. (One Canadian brewery even debuted its "Presidential Pack," which contains 1,461 beers, enough for the buyer to have one for each remaining day of the Trump administration). For its part, Canada struggles under its own thicket of overly burdensome and competition-hampering domestic alcohol regulations. Predictions of a "booze revolution" are spreading across the country as calls increase for the Canadian government to liberalize the country's alcohol markets, as evidenced by the recent decision to remove internal alcohol trade barriers between provinces. While many Canadian craft alcohol producers bemoan the difficulty they face in getting their products carried in the provincial-run stores, that too may be poised to change with the advent of a renewed deregulatory ethos inside the country. As one Canadian micro-distiller put it: "We happen to have a lot of shelf space right now. They've just removed all of these American spirits." The alcohol trade wars are hurting America in the normal ways one would expect tariffs to, but they're also having the unintended consequence of focusing the minds of Canadian government officials to deregulate their own bad booze laws—which, while good news for Canada, will just hurt American producers even more. Trump promised to "Make America Great Again," but the main effect of his tariff policies could actually be to Make Canada Free Again. The post Trump Makes Canada Free Again appeared first on
CBC
11-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Canadian brewery selling pack of 1,461 beers to cope with Trump's presidency
Social Sharing A beer a day keeps the chaos at bay. OK, maybe not. But a long-running Canadian brewer hopes a massive crate of beer will help customers deal with the exhausting news cycle under U.S. President Donald Trump. Moosehead's Presidential Pack contains 1,461 beers, in 473-millilitre cans — marketed as "just enough Canadian lagers to get through a full presidential term." That works out to one can per day for the next four years, including the leap year. Moosehead's marketing director Karen Grigg told CBC News Network the company wanted to tap into the Canadian pride it was seeing, and has received a flood of interest. "We had no idea what would happen when we actually launched it, and the response has been overwhelming," she said. Grigg said Moosehead initially made just five Presidential Packs, each priced at $3,490 plus tax and deposit. The first one sold within 11 minutes on Friday, and all five sold within 24 hours. The company then made another five, which also sold out. By late Tuesday afternoon, more than 100 people were on a waiting list for more. Based in Saint John, N.B., Moosehead was established in 1867 — the same year as Canada's confederation — and bills itself as the country's oldest independent brewery and the largest fully Canadian-owned brewer. Grigg says the company has been getting positive messages from people across Canada and the U.S. in response to the Presidential Pack. Many have expressed amusement on social media, as well, though some have joked that one beer a day is not enough to cope. Customers buying for Canada Day, other large events Grigg says purchasers have so far indicated they plan to share the suds anyway, buying them for Canada Day celebrations and other big community events. "There's parades, there's campgrounds, each one has a unique story." That might be a better plan than spreading them out over four years, as beer connoisseurs say the drinks would start to decline in quality before a year is up. The patriotic marketing tactic has also highlighted some complications with attempts to boost the country's economy in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods. WATCH | Ontario pulls U.S. alcohol from LCBO shelves in response to tariffs: Ontario pulls U.S. alcohol from LCBO shelves in response to tariffs 7 days ago Duration 2:21 Ontario is pulling 3,600 U.S. products off LCBO shelves in response to Trump's tariffs, with Premier Doug Ford encouraging people to buy Canadian brands instead. The Presidential Pack is currently only available to residents of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario. Grigg says that's because those are the only three provinces Moosehead can retail in, due to interprovincial trade restrictions. "We would love to have done this Canada-wide," she said. That could soon change, however. Ottawa reached a deal last week with all provinces, except for Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, to remove obstacles preventing their alcohol from being sold in other jurisdictions. The provincial governments are expected to seal the agreement in a framework within weeks. Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand told CBC News the move was part of an "unprecedented action to reduce trade barriers in Canada." Meanwhile, provinces have been ditching U.S. booze. B.C. and Ontario have pulled all U.S. alcohol from the shelves at government stores in response to tariffs, while Alberta has halted imports of American alcohol products. Moosehead's final obstacle is actually delivering the massive crates of beer to individual customers. Grigg says the company will make it happen one way or another.
CBC
11-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Moosehead's crate of 1,461 beers — one-a-day for Trump's term — sells out within days
Karen Grigg, director of marketing for Moosehead Breweries, says the Presidential Pack was marketed as enough beer to make it through the Trump presidency, but she's hearing that most buyers are planning epic Canada Day celebrations. There's now a waiting list for the pack.
The Hill
11-03-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Computer owners duped in antivirus scam to get over $25M: What to know about payments
(NEXSTAR) – More than $25 million in payments will go out this week to customers who were tricked into paying for fraudulent tech support offered by two companies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Monday that the payments are part of a an order against with Restoro Cyprus Limited and Reimage Cyprus Limited, both based in Cyprus. The payments follow a settlement that both companies agreed to last year. How did the scam work? Samuel Levine, former director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a March, 2024, report that the two companies generated tens of millions of dollars using 'scare tactics and lies.' Restoro and Reimage took advantage of computer owners – many of them elderly – by creating the appearance of serious security issues, then using deception and other tactics to trick the unsuspecting consumers into paying additional money to solve the 'issues,' the FTC said. The scam would often start with fake Microsoft Windows pop-ups warning that viruses had infected the device and prompting the owner to 'scan' it 'to avoid more damage.' The FTC said in a criminal complaint that the 'scans' would trigger warnings of serious computer problems – regardless of whether or not there was actually a virus or other issue – that Restoro and Reimage software could fix. Canadian brewery offering 'Presidential Pack' of 1,461 beers: 'Just enough' for next 4 years After purchasing the software, which sold for $27 to $58, consumers were given a number to 'activate' it. When customers called, however, Restoro and Reimage telemarketers would instead sell them additional services and often tell callers that their problems were so serious that only a technician, whose services would cost hundreds of dollars, could fix it, according to the complaint. Among the many horror stories on social media, one person detailed what happened after Restoro told them they had a problem that could be fixed 'for about $40.' 'I let them access my computer and after about 30-45 minutes of screwing around, they said there were extra problems that would cost $200-$300 to repair (I don't remember exactly how much),' the person wrote on Reddit. 'By this time I was done with them and said no. She kept trying to hard sell me and eventually I hung up on her. She kept calling back.' The Redditor added that a local repair shop did a full scan of the device and didn't find any of the issues Restoro claimed were affecting the computer. What to know about the payments The FTC will be distributing the settlement money on march 13 and 14 in the form of 736,375 PayPal payments. Customers who are eligible to receive part of the $25.5 million will receive an email at some point between Monday and Thursday. The FTC advises people to redeem the payment within 30 days. Anyone with questions about the process can check the FTC's website or contact the administrator handling the payments, Rust Consulting, Inc. at (844) 590-1102.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
Wind industry worries, celebrity deepfakes, the problem with sleep trackers: Catch up on the day's stories
Editor's Note: CNN's 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Sign up here. 👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Some people are becoming obsessed with sleep trackers, and experts warn that could cause insomnia and make your sleep worse. This is how to tell if you have a problem. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day: 1️⃣ Fear for the future: Workers in the wind industry are worried as President Donald Trump brings the once-booming business to a standstill. He paused federal permits and leasing for onshore and offshore wind projects and ordered a review of existing leases. 2️⃣ Domestic violence: More than 25% of men in the US experience rape, violence or stalking by an intimate partner. They often feel shame if they admit that they have been victims of abuse, and it's hard to get help. 3️⃣ Celebrity deepfakes: Bad actors are using AI-generated versions of stars' images, voices and likeness to promote scams. Steve Harvey and Scarlett Johansson are among those who have been victimized, and people in Hollywood want Congress to fight back. 4️⃣ Diving in: His name may be Jim Best, but that doesn't mean he's the best golfer — even though he spends most of his time on some of the world's top courses. That's because he's a scuba diver who fights alligators and murky water to rescue wayward golf balls. 5️⃣ Sexy chefs: Online cooking personalities like Donut Daddy and Cedrik Lorenzen are posting 'thirst traps' for their followers. The internet can't get enough. 🌬️ Blown away: Park workers braved heavy winds as gusts of more than 120 mph pummeled Mount Washington State Park in New Hampshire. One employee said anything over 90 mph 'gets you pushed around like a kite.' • Markets plunge after Trump says he won't rule out a recession• X hit by waves of outages in what Musk claims is 'a massive cyberattack'• Los Angeles County DA opposes resentencing request for Menendez brothers 🍺 That's how many cans of beer are in the 'Presidential Pack,' which Moosehead Breweries is selling to help Canadians survive the next four years of Trump. 👗 Runway No. 1: Amid the glitzy parties and star-studded front rows of Paris Fashion Week, the hottest ticket was … a public bathroom. Models for the Italian label Valentino waited in mock toilet stalls before showing their clothes. 🖼️ Culture war: For Ukrainians, the battles against Russia aren't just being fought in the trenches. They're happening in the museums and in the heritage that people are trying to preserve. 🇨🇦 Canada's next leader, pictured here, is a relative political newcomer who had a decades-long career in finance. What's his name? A. Keir StarmerB. Justin TrudeauC. Mark CarneyD. Anthony Albanese⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. 🍿 Building community: An Indigenous group recently opened its first movie theater in northwestern Brazil, near Manaus. The premiere — in a modest thatched hut — featured several original short films and a documentary. Watch as the project's creator explains how the theater gives community members a chance to see people like themselves on the big screen. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow. 🧠 Quiz answer: C. Mark Carney was elected to lead Canada's Liberal Party and will take over for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. Today's 5 Things PM was edited by CNN's Kimberly Richardson and Eduarda Speggiorin.
