April, 2025
Trump signs executive order to speed up deepsea mining permits
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at boosting the deepsea mining industry, marking his latest attempt to boost U.S. access to nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy. The order, which Trump signed in private, seeks to jumpstart the mining of both U.S. and international waters as part of a push to offset China’s sweeping control of the critical minerals industry. Reuters first reported last month that the order was under deliberation. Parts of the Pacific Ocean and elsewhere are estimatedRead more
See the Ukraine war ceasefire proposals put forth by the Trump administration
Reuters has seen the text of a set of proposals to end Russia’s war in Ukraine that were presented to European officials by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff at talks in Paris on April 17. Witkoff was in Moscow on Friday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, just over a day after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly implored Putin to stop bombing Ukraine after several civilians were killed in Kyiv airstrikes. But at other points early in his second term as president, Trump has directed his ire at Ukrainian President VolodomyrRead more
Trump blows up the notion his Canada talk was just a fleeting fancy
There’s been no shortage of speculation about how U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments about Canada might impact the federal election. It’s now time to start asking a new, longer-term question: About how his attitude will impact Canada beyond Monday’s election. It now seems increasingly obvious that Trump’s expansionist aspirations are no fleeting fancy. He kept quiet for a while, leading some to wonder whether he’d gotten it out of his system — that maybe he was just simply trolling our former prime minister, Justin Trudeau. But in recent days, theRead more
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