Trade war, slumping border traffic: What does that mean for the Gordie Howe bridge?
Amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs which have triggered a trade war with Canada, cross-border trips have plummeted ahead of the expected opening this fall of the new international bridge linking the two countries. Canadians — not Americans — are footing the entire bill for the Gordie Howe International Bridge. In 2024, the price tag rose approximately $700 million to a total of $6.4 billion, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA). While an exact opening date has yet to be released, September has been the target. The original November launch’s delay was pegged toRead more
Trump administration threatens Harvard’s foreign enrolment, tax-exempt status
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during an event on April 9, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Harvard University will lose its ability to enrol foreign students if it does not meet demands from the Trump administration to share information on some visa holders, marking the government’s latest escalation against the educational institution. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also announced on Wednesday the termination of two DHS grants totalling more than $2.7 million US to Harvard. NoemRead more
Trump claims he can fire Federal Reserve chair ‘if I want him out’
U.S. President Donald Trump attacked U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on Thursday for not cutting interest rates and said he could fire him if he wanted to, renewing a threat from his first term that could spark a major legal showdown over the issue of the central bank’s long-standing political independence. “If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me,” Trump said in the Oval Office while taking questions from reporters during a visit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “I’m not happy withRead more
Impose a pipeline on Indigenous nations? Not so fast, say Indigenous rights lawyers
Party leaders Pierre Poilievre, Mark Carney, Jagmeet Singh and Yves-François Blanchet, from right to left, square off for the French debate on Wednesday. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Pipelines, pipelines, pipelines. Indigenous peoples came up just once during Wednesday’s French-language federal leaders’ debate, the first of two official debates before the vote, and the question was this: Would you impose a pipeline on Indigenous nations that don’t want it? First up was Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who sidestepped the question. “At the same time, there are others who will support it,”Read more
Canadians required to register with U.S. government if in country at least 30 days
Many Canadians travelling to the United States will now have to newly register with the U.S. government as of Friday or face potential fines or jail time. The requirement stems from an executive order that U.S. President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office for non-citizens who are in the country for 30 days or longer, though the administration has argued that a registration requirement has always existed and that officials are now simply enforcing it for everyone. A U.S. federal judge on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to moveRead more
Duty-free shops struggle to make ends meet as Canadians steer clear of U.S.
If business doesn’t pick up soon at his duty-shop, Éric Lapointe says he’s going to have to lay people off. “I’ve had three customers today so far,” the store owner told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal on Friday afternoon. “It’s a fraction of what we normally have at this time of the year.” Lapointe says business is down 60 per cent over the same time period last year at the Boutique Hors Taxes de la Beauce near Quebec’s border with Maine. He’s not alone. Duty-free shops across the country,Read more
RFK Jr. vows to find cause of autism by September – experts have doubts
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged that the country’s top health agency will pinpoint the cause of autism by September, an announcement that sparked a wave of concern among medical experts and advocates, who question the feasibility and focus of the research. Kennedy — a longtime vaccine critic who has pushed a discredited theory that routine childhood shots cause autism — said Thursday that the effort will involve hundreds of scientists. He shared the plans with U.S. President Donald Trump during a televised cabinet meeting. Trump suggested that vaccines could beRead more
Carney warns of ‘tough days ahead’ as tariffs make U.S. recession ‘likely’
Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs is only a few days old, but the havoc they’re already exerting on the global economy points to upcoming “pressure” on Canada’s employment levels, Liberal Leader Mark Carney is warning. Wednesday’s announcement of new tariffs on imports into the United States from dozens of countries — along with starting the 25 per cent levy on “all foreign-made” vehicles — brought “greater certainty,” Carney said Saturday, about both the U.S. president’s ambitions for tariffs and the repercussions for Canada. “We can expect pressure on employment in this economy,” he said during a campaign stop inRead more
Top American scientists just lost their jobs. Canada is rolling out the welcome mat
Many top scientists in the U.S. are now out of a job. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is aiming to cut 20,000 jobs at agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Not all of them are scientists, but Canada could have a role to play in making sure American scientists are able to continue their research, say researchers on both sides of the border. Anecdotally, Canadian academics say they’re hearing daily from AmericanRead more
Protesters tee off on Trump, Musk in global ‘Hands Off’ rallies
Opponents of U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rallied across the U.S. and around the globe on Saturday to protest the administration’s actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights and other issues. In the United States, more than 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations were planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labour unions, 2SLGBTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, D.C., state capitols and other locations in all 50 states. Protesters assailed the Trump administration’s moves to fireRead more