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Fresh footprints cut across the thick blanket of snow outside a small white house near the line dividing Canada and the United States.For Canadian border officer Keven Rouleau, it’s a clear sign of illegal migration.”They regularly run across the border,” he told AFP, which shadowed him on patrol.In 2024, these southbound migrants numbered 21,000 — a drop in the ocean compared to the 1.5 million intercepted on the US border with Mexico.Migrants who cross from Canada into the United States in the winter face dangerous conditions, with deep snow and high winds, and are often forced to abandon their vehicles to proceed on foot.They are sometimes only lightly dressed and wearing “simple sneakers in 20 centimeters (nearly eight inches) of snow,” Rouleau said of the migrants, who sometimes hide under trees to avoid detection.Canadian officers with bullhorns and powerful searchlights give chase, seeking to stop them from crossing the border, according to Rouleau.Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in a blaze of executive actions and rhetoric on immigration, the border has been thrust into the spotlight. On Saturday he made good on his threats to impose tariffs on Canada — and Mexico — over the flow of migrants, as well as the smuggling of lethal drugs.Canadian exports to the United States will now face a 25 percent tariff, although energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10 percent levy.The meandering border between the neighbors is the longest in the world at 5,525 miles (8,891 kilometers) long. It is largely open without significant fencing and crisscrossed by thousands of miles of dense forests and farmland, and only a few rural roads.- Drug smuggling -Rouleau patrols a 200-mile stretch of the border in the province of Quebec. Ten officers are on duty around the clock, either in vehicles to detect suspicious footprints in winter, or by monitoring feeds from surveillance cameras. They also field reports of suspicious activity from the local community.Since Trump started to rail against Ottawa’s handling of border security, Canada has been at pains to insist that its frontier is nothing like the US border with Mexico.Nonetheless Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly rolled out a Can$1.3 billion ($894 million) border security plan.To much fanfare, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) unveiled two Black Hawk helicopters, repainted in police colors from their former US Army camouflage, that will help with “rapid intervention.”An RCMP spokesman insisted there was no migration “crisis” and that “the situation is entirely under control.”Canadian authorities say the number of crossings from their side of the line to the United States has dropped 90 percent since last summer.US Customs and Border Protection stats show that 42 pounds (19 kilograms) of potentially deadly fentanyl was seized last year entering the country from Canada, compared to 21,160 pounds from Mexico.Rouleau, the Canadian border officer, said that while the concern of local people has been palpable since Trump’s reelection, his job has remained the same. “It’s the status quo,” he said.Jody Stone, mayor of Stanstead, a small Canadian town in Rouleau’s patch, said “the border is quiet.”Residents have become accustomed to the presence of surveillance cameras clandestinely fitted to utility poles, she said, allowing officers to detect and monitor illegal activity.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum angrily rejected an accusation by the United States Saturday that her government has an alliance with drug cartels, and vowed to retaliate against Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.Tensions between the closely connected neighbors soared after the White House said Trump would slap 25-percent tariffs on Mexican as well as Canadian goods because of illegal immigration and drug smuggling.Sheinbaum said she had told her economy minister, Marcelo Ebrard, “to implement Plan B that we have been working on, which includes tariff and non-tariff measures in defense of Mexico’s interests.”Ebrard called Trump’s tariffs a “flagrant violation” of the United States’ free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada.Sheinbaum also hit back after Washington accused her government of having an “intolerable alliance” with drug trafficking groups.”We categorically reject the slander made by the White House against the Mexican government about alliances with criminal organizations,” Sheinbaum wrote on social media platform X.”If there is such an alliance anywhere, it is in the US gun shops that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups,” she added.”If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious consumption of fentanyl in their country, they can combat the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they don’t do, and the money laundering generated by this illegal activity that has done so much harm to their population,” Sheinbaum said.Although US politicians and analysts have previously alleged Mexican government collaboration with cartels, it is the first time that a formal accusation has been made, retired Mexican diplomat Agustin Gutierrez Canet said.”It’s really unprecedented that the US government has now formally linked the Mexican government to drug trafficking in an official document,” he told AFP.”Trump uses this rhetoric to pressure but it should never be taken lightly,” he added.- Mexican recession possible -Analysts said the tariffs imposed by Mexico’s biggest trade partner would deal a heavy blow to Latin America’s second-largest economy.The United States bought more than 80 percent of Mexico’s exports last year, according to official figures.”Since exports to the US account for around 20 percent of their GDP, today’s tariffs could plunge both the Canadian and Mexican economies into recession later this year,” the Capital Economics consultancy firm wrote in a note to clients.An across-the-board tariff of 25 percent could lead to a drop in Mexican exports of around 12 percent, according to Gabriela Siller, head of economic analysis for the financial group Banco BASE.Mexico’s gross domestic product “could fall by four percent in 2025, if the tariff remains in place all year,” she warned.”By the end of 2024, Mexico was on the verge of a recession. If this tariff lasts for several months, the Mexican economy will fall into a severe recession,” Siller added.

US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada and Mexico are set to roil supply chains for products ranging from automobiles to avocados — with industries girding for cost increases.US imports from both countries covered nearly $900 billion in goods as of 2023, and supply lines between the three North American neighbors — who share a trade agreement — are deeply integrated. Fresh tariffs would pose complications for businesses with a footprint across one or more countries. Analysts expect Trump’s 25 percent across-the-board tariffs on Canada and Mexico would hit the automobile and electronics sectors hard.While Canadian energy exports have a lower 10 percent rate, this still marks an uptick as Washington previously did not impose tariffs on Canadian oil imports.Mexico and Canada also account for significant US agriculture imports, meaning the duties could add to prices of popular foods like avocados and tomatoes.- Canada: energy, autos -Nearly 80 percent of Canadian goods exports go to the United States, amounting to some $410 billion in value, according to Statistics Canada.The levies will hit Canadian vehicle and energy industries hard, given that they represent over 40 percent of Canada’s exports to the United States.The energy exports involve mainly crude oil and bitumen, alongside natural gas.The auto sector in Ontario — the nation’s most populous province — faces particular challenges.This is because “various parts cross the border multiple times before ending up in a finished product,” said Robert Kavcic, at Bank of Montreal, in a research note.The United States imports construction materials from Canada, too, meaning tariffs could drive up housing costs.More than 70 percent of imports of two key materials homebuilders need — softwood lumber and gypsum — come from Canada and Mexico, said National Association of Home Builders chairman Carl Harris.”Tariffs on lumber and other building materials increase the cost of construction and discourage new development,” he said.- Mexico: autos, electronics -Mexico’s exports to the United States represented 84 percent of the goods it sold to the world last year, according to its National Institute of Statistics.This amounts to over $510 billion.The auto industry spanning vehicles and parts, alongside the electronics and machines sector, will likely see the greatest impact.They send around half of all their production to the United States, analysts from Capital Economics said.The latest 25 percent tariffs would also affect sectors like food.Mexico supplied 63 percent of US vegetable imports and nearly half of US fruit and nut imports in 2023, according to the US Department of Agriculture.More than 80 percent of US avocados come from Mexico — meaning higher import costs could push up prices of items like guacamole.- Basis for tariffs -Trump invoked emergency economic powers in imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, arguing they had failed to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States.Chinese goods faced an added 10 percent tariff under the latest announcement.But analysts have said that US tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports could be incompatible with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade deal Trump inked during his first presidential term.Some anticipated that Trump’s posturing could be a way for Washington to gain an upper hand ahead of a 2026 deadline to review the USMCA.- Potential impact -Economists warned that heavy US tariffs — and retaliatory measures — could tip Canada and Mexico’s economies into recession, while the United States would face risks of a shallow downturn too.”The tariffs send a clear message, reinforcing Trump’s America First stance while using trade as a geopolitical tool,” EY chief economist Gregory Daco told AFP.Markets will view this as heightened political uncertainty while investors brace for inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions, he said.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has already announced that her country would impose retaliatory tariffs.”Mexico and Canada could challenge the move under USMCA, while China may counter with targeted restrictions,” Daco said.A bigger concern, he said, is that the situation could escalate into a prolonged and broader conflict.

Marco Rubio arrived in Panama Saturday on his debut trip abroad as US secretary of state, as he looks for how to follow up on President Donald Trump’s extraordinary threat to seize the Panama Canal.Rubio’s mission came as Trump imposed steep tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China — another step showing a far more aggressive US foreign policy.Rubio will travel later to four other small Latin American countries for an agenda focused on migration, a highly unusual first trip for the top US diplomat, whose predecessors were more likely to start the job with language of cooperation with major allies.Trump has refused to rule out military force to seize the Panama Canal, which the United States handed over at the end of 1999, saying that China has exerted too much control through its investment in surrounding ports.In his inaugural address, Trump said that the United States will be “taking it back” — and he refused to back down Friday.”They’ve already offered to do many things,” Trump said of Panama, “but we think it’s appropriate that we take it back.”He alleged that Panama was taking down Chinese-language signs to cover up how “they’ve totally violated the agreement” on the canal.”Marco Rubio is going over to talk to the gentleman that’s in charge,” Trump told reporters.Rubio will tour the Panama Canal and meet President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday, a US official said. Mulino, generally considered an ally of the United States, has ruled out opening negotiations after complaining to the United Nations about Trump’s threat.”I cannot negotiate, much less open a process of negotiations on the canal,” Mulino said Thursday.The issue “is sealed. The canal is Panama’s,” Mulino said.Mulino’s government, however, has ordered an audit of CK Hutchison Holdings, the Hong Kong company that operates ports on both sides of the canal.- What does ‘taking it back’ mean? -Trump’s more aggressive foreign policy postures come as his administration also upends foreign aid, with US media characterizing recent firings at the nation’s international development agency as a “purge.”Amid the upheaval, which has seen swaths of humanitarian funding frozen, USAID’s websites were down over the weekend, with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy criticizing the “total destruction” of the agency.The State Department has also altered its travel advisory language to get rid of references to trans people, changing LGBTQ to LGB.In Panama, it remains to be seen how Rubio carries out Trump’s threat. Some experts believe that Trump was simply applying pressure and could declare a win by the United States ramping up investment in the canal — an outcome that most Panamanians would welcome.Rubio has played down the military option but also did not contradict his boss.”I think the president’s been pretty clear he wants to administer the canal again. Obviously, the Panamanians are not big fans of that idea,” Rubio told SiriusXM radio in an interview before the trip.He acknowledged that Panama’s government “generally is pro-American” but said that the Panama Canal is a “core national interest for us.””We cannot allow any foreign power — particularly China -– to hold that kind of potential control over it that they do. That just can’t continue,” Rubio said.The canal remains the crucial link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and coasts, with 40 percent of US container traffic going through it.Trump administration officials said they were blaming not Mulino but previous Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela, who in 2017 — during Trump’s first term as president — moved to sever ties with Taiwan in favor of China.Mauricio Claver-Carone, the US special envoy on Latin America, charged that Panama unfairly raised costs for US ships while also seeking assistance from the United States for canal upkeep. Panama attributes rising costs to the effects of a drought, exacerbated by climate change.

In Uganda, millions of schoolchildren have benefitted from a universal education program backed by the United States. In South Sudan, US assistance has helped thousands of flood victims at risk of cholera.With one swoop of the pen, President Donald Trump froze the bulk of US foreign assistance for three months on returning to office, demanding a review to ensure all money meets his “America First” principles.The Trump administration has since issued waivers for food and other humanitarian aid. But aid workers say uncertainty reigns — and that the impact is already being felt by some of the world’s most vulnerable.Even if US assistance returns after the 90-day review, aid workers fear long-term consequences from the cutoff, and some observers see a lasting blow to US credibility as China and other powers woo the developing world.”Even if the funding eventually turns back on, great damage will have been done,” said Peter Waiswa, an accountant in Kamuli, Uganda who coordinates aid as part of a network known as the Compassion Connectors.”Missing drugs for days for the HIV/AIDS patients can cause death,” he said.Waiswa said that some schools in the universal education program that relied on US assistance have already given notices for children not to report to school.In Aweil in the northern reaches of impoverished South Sudan, orphanage teacher James Akoon Akot said that 3,000 people who lost their homes in floods were promised relief by international groups backed by US assistance.”The problem is that aid is used for both immediate relief and reconstruction,” he said.”If this decision to cut off funds is not reconsidered soon, there is a very real possibility that people will begin to die of hunger and diseases in South Sudan,” he said.- Uncertainly reigns -The United States has long been the world’s largest provider of development aid, giving $64 billion in 2023.Among its most prominent programs is PEPFAR, the anti-HIV/AIDS initiative started under former president George W. Bush that is credited with saving some 26 million lives.Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo signed on January 24 froze all US assistance with waivers for “emergency food” and, outside of development, weapons for Israel and Egypt.In a follow-up memo, he exempted other humanitarian assistance including shelter and medicine, appearing to give the greenlight for anti-retroviral drugs funded by PEPFAR.But Suzy Dzimbiri, a nurse in Zumba, Malawi, said she heard of people stockpiling whatever medicine they can and that one local charity that administered HIV/AIDS treatment, named Lighthouse, quickly closed down.In Washington, a congressional aide who follows humanitarian assistance said that even a nine-day shutdown in theory affects one million daily doses of HIV/AIDS medication — and that guidance was still murky.”It sounds like people expect PEPFAR to go ahead, but we have nothing in terms of specifics,” the aide said.”We do know of cases where there has been medicine sitting on the shelf and ready to go and that it’s been ordered to stay on the shelf” pending guidance from Washington, the aide said on condition of anonymity.”PEPFAR was supposed to be our Marshall Plan. The idea that we would just flip a switch and it would all turn off shows us to be capricious — we don’t actually care — and that going forward they probably do need to look to countries like China,” the aide said.- ‘We don’t want to see people die’ -Explaining his decision to issue further waivers, Rubio said, “We don’t want to see people die and the like.”But he said that the waiver process was rightfully forcing groups to justify spending as “historically we’ve gotten very little cooperation.””We have this thing that I’ve called the foreign aid industrial complex — all of these entities around the world that are getting millions and millions of dollars from the United States,” Rubio said in an interview with SiriusXM.”We have to make sure that it’s aligned with our national interest.”A senior official from a US-based organization feared that the priority on “emergency” assistance was part of a broader plan to say eventually that the United States need not fund anything else.”Even the term ’emergency food’ is a contradiction in terms. You go without food for a few days, and I’ll tell you what emergency food looks like,” said the official, who requested anonymity so as not to upset US government contacts.The official said that the most affected by the cutoff were local groups that did not have financial reserves — exactly the types of organizations that US officials want to build up.”This is essentially like burning down the foundations with the professed aim of renovating your house.”

Camp queen, queer icon, a searing yet irreverent songwriter with cascading vocals: Chappell Roan has soared to pop’s upper echelons on a singular blend of vulnerability and high-production performance that has earned her legions of fans.Her supersonic ascent has made the musician from Missouri with a waterfall of red curls one of the leading contenders at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, with six nominations, including in all four major categories.Her over-the-top theater kid persona, complete with wildly lavish costumes and high-drama makeup that nods to drag culture, made her an unstoppable force on the festival circuit.And since then, the 26-year-old has since been truly inescapable — on TikTok, the radio, streaming, late-night shows and, eventually, a viral media cycle over her lukewarm support of presidential candidate Kamala Harris that proved, in case anyone doubted it, just how big she’d gotten.In an industry thirsty for “moments,” it seemed like Roan was a rare bird who appeared out of nowhere.But she’d actually been hustling for a decade — making music while working odd jobs, handling mental health struggles and coming into her own.- Midwest Princess -Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz on February 19, 1998 in Willard, Missouri, Roan threw herself into the arts while never quite finding her social footing, and grappling with weighty emotions she would eventually learn were symptoms of bipolar disorder.Her YouTube performances earned attention, and she moved to Los Angeles — but then home again after Atlantic Records dropped her amid the early days of the pandemic that left the music industry reeling.But before she was cut loose, Roan dropped “Pink Pony Club,” a track that years later would blossom as one of her smash hits.Dan Nigro, the heavyweight producer who worked with Roan at Atlantic, reconnected with her in 2021, and the years-long build-up to her soaring takeoff began in earnest.For several scrappy years, she worked odd jobs, amassed followers on TikTok, underwent therapy to treat her unpredictable condition and finished her debut album.Roan — whose stage name pays homage to her late grandfather Dennis Chappell and his favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan” — released her bold, vulnerable album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” in 2023 to critical praise.On it, she delves into themes of sexuality and yearning with a pop-forward, dance-heavy beat and impressive vocals that one critic characterized as “singing in cursive.”Her standalone single “Good Luck, Babe!” and the cheerleader-inspired dance number “Hot to Go!” found enormous audiences.She thrived on TikTok but Roan wasn’t only magnetic online: it was her extravagant presence onstage — she did New York’s Governors Ball dressed as the Statue of Liberty after arriving in a huge apple bong — that cemented her superstar status.- Growing pains -Roan’s phenomenal rise has come with a price: she has spoken out about fame’s growing pains that have left her exhausted and at times afraid of aggressive fans.During a set over the summer, she broke down in tears, telling fans she felt “a little off today” over her career’s breakneck pace.She says many of her fellow artists have reached out with sympathy, including Elton John — who comically called her from an unidentified number 11 times before she answered and realized it was him, she told Rolling Stone.”I was telling him I was struggling a lot, and he said, ‘If you need to stop, say stop,'” she said.Roan, who grew up in a conservative, Christian household, isn’t shy about speaking out on topics from trans rights to supporting the Palestinian cause, but does not want to be pigeon-holed for her progressive politics.She also has sung of queer love, and eventually came out as a lesbian this past summer.But, in an industry that finds a marketing angle wherever possible, she insists on “being taken seriously outside of” her queerness.”Look, I love being gay. I just don’t want to talk about it every second of every day,” Roan told Rolling Stone.

Within his first two weeks in office, US President Donald Trump sent an emissary to arch-rival Venezuela, an apparent about-turn from the hard-line approach he adopted toward Caracas during his first term. Washington has not recognized Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in a vote he is widely accused of stealing, and has instead continued to consider opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as Venezuela’s president-elect.Yet Trump envoy Richard Grenell met Maduro himself in Caracas on Friday, securing the release of six US prisoners held in the Caribbean country in talks Caracas said were held in “mutual respect.”On Saturday, Trump announced Venezuela had agreed to accept illegal migrants deported from the United States, including gang members — and had even agreed to provide the transport.”It is clear that the government of Donald Trump had two main interests in the relationship with Maduro as a starting point: the first is the migration issue and the second the situation of US citizens arbitrarily detained in Venezuela,” international relations expert Mariano de Alba told AFP.The meeting apparently “opens the door to an improvement in relations,” he added, though perhaps not “in the short term.”- ‘New beginning’ in US-Venezuela relations? -Venezuela has the world’s biggest known oil reserves, but production is stunted, the country is heavily sanctioned and GDP has dropped 80 percent in a decade on Maduro’s watch — prompting nearly eight million of the country’s 30 million citizens to flee.Caracas broke off diplomatic relations with Washington in January 2019 after Trump recognized then-opposition leader Juan Guaido as “interim president” after elections also rejected as neither free nor fair.The strategy of recognizing Guaido collapsed and Maduro merely tightened his hold on power. The Joe Biden administration later relaxed sanctions on oil as part of a deal for American prisoners and a promise to hold free elections.Venezuela freed 10 Americans in a swap, but Biden reimposed sanctions after Maduro did not follow through on democratic reforms.Phil Gunson, a Venezuela expert at the International Crisis Group think tank, said he was not surprised Washington and Caracas made contact, but noted “the speed with which an apparent agreement has been reached.””It was illusory to think that Trump would come with the same maximum pressure policy” that had previously failed to influence Maduro, he said.It was not clear what, if anything, Venezuela had gained from the talks with Grenell, after which Maduro called for a “new beginning” in bilateral relations.But “it is safe to assume that… there was an express request from the Maduro government not to increase pressure with sanctions,” said de Alba.- ‘Important symbolism’ -A Venezuelan government statement said “the negative impact of economic sanctions” was among the issues discussed with Grenell.But for now, it seems the status quo remains, said Gunson.Trump has so far not introduced any changes to a Biden-era concession allowing oil companies such as Chevron to continue operating in Venezuela despite sanctions against the regime.Maduro “would like to have the sanctions lifted, that’s obvious, but if he has to live with what he’s got — the concessions that Biden made — he can live with it,” the analyst added.A Trump administration official meanwhile recently said that: “we don’t need Venezuelan oil.”De Alba said Grenell’s visit, which Maduro has celebrated as a triumph, carried “important symbolism” and could be interpreted as a blow for the opposition, which has its strongest ally in the United States.”We say to President Donald Trump: we have taken a first step. Hopefully it can be sustained, we want to sustain it,” Maduro said Friday.Mauricio Claver-Carone, US special envoy for Latin America, said the talks did not imply any softening of the position on Maduro.But according to Gunson, “despite the rhetoric, the US, in practice, recognizes Maduro as president.”Trump has made the deportation of undocumented people in the United States a top priority.His administration has put an end to protections from deportation for more than 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States under a special status introduced under Biden due to fears for their safety if they return to Venezuela.

President Donald Trump is imposing steep tariffs on major US trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, with a lower rate on Canadian energy imports, the White House said Saturday.Canadian and Mexico exports to the United States will face a 25 percent tariff rate, although energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10 percent levy.Goods from China, which already face various rates of duties, will see an additional 10 percent tariff, said the White House.Washington earlier told Ottawa to expect the broad duties on its exports starting Tuesday, a Canadian government source told AFP.Trump is invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in imposing the tariffs, with the White House saying “the extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes a national emergency.”The announcement threatens upheaval across supply chains from energy to automobiles and food.Trump has repeatedly expressed his love for tariffs, and has signaled that Saturday’s action could be the first volley in further trade conflicts to come.This week, the US president pledged to impose duties on the European Union.He has also promised tariffs on semiconductors, steel, aluminum, as well as oil and gas — without specifying which countries would be targeted.Trump returned to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for the weekend with no public events on his official schedule Saturday. He headed to the golf course Saturday morning.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to hold a press conference around 6:00 pm (2300 GMT), two Canadian government sources told AFP.- Growth concerns -Imposing sweeping tariffs on three key US trading partners carries risks for Trump, who swept to victory in November’s election partly due to public dissatisfaction over the economy.Higher import costs would likely “dampen consumer spending and business investment,” said EY chief economist Gregory Daco.He expects inflation would rise by 0.7 percentage points in the first quarter this year with the tariffs, before gradually easing.”Rising trade policy uncertainty will heighten financial market volatility and strain the private sector, despite the administration’s pro-business rhetoric,” he said.Trump’s supporters have downplayed fears that tariffs would fuel inflation, with some suggesting his planned tax cuts and deregulation measures could boost growth instead.Democratic lawmakers criticized Trump’s plans, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying Friday: “I am concerned these new tariffs will further drive up costs for American consumers.”Canada and Mexico are major suppliers of US agricultural products, with imports totaling tens of billions of dollars from each country per year.Tariffs would also hit the auto industry hard, with about 70 percent of light vehicles built in Canada and Mexico destined for the United States, according to S&P Global Mobility.The research group added that automakers and suppliers also produce components throughout the region, meaning tariffs will likely increase costs for US-made vehicles.- Ready to respond -Trudeau said Friday that Ottawa is ready with “a purposeful, forceful” response.Doug Ford, premier of Canada’s economic engine Ontario, warned Saturday that “the impact of these tariffs will be felt almost immediately,” predicting potential job losses and a slowdown in business.Canada should “hit back hard and hit back strong,” he said at a local election campaign stop.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum previously said her government would await any announcement “with a cool head” and had plans for whatever Washington decides.Sheinbaum has met Mexican business representatives, with her economy minister Marcelo Ebrard saying on social media Saturday that the private sector was closing ranks around her in the face of potential commercial “arbitrariness.”White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, on Friday dismissed concerns of a trade war.Hiking import taxes on crude oil from countries like Canada and Mexico could bring “huge implications for US energy prices, especially in the US Midwest,” noted David Goldwyn and Joseph Webster of the Atlantic Council.Nearly 60 percent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

US Democrats picked a 51-year-old progressive activist on Saturday as their new leader, who must rebuild a party still reeling from last year’s crushing presidential defeat — and figure out how best to oppose Republican Donald Trump. “The Democratic Party is the party of working people, and it’s time to roll up our sleeves and outcompete everywhere, in every election, and at every level of government,” Ken Martin, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), said in a statement.The DNC, the party’s governing body, raises millions of dollars each year to support and build infrastructure for candidates across the country, culminating every four years in the presidential election.Martin, a relative unknown outside of the party, stressed the need for Democrats to reconnect with blue collar voters, and to take the electoral fight to all 50 states — even bastions of conservative politics.”Donald Trump and his billionaire allies are put on notice — we will hold them accountable for ripping off working families, and we will beat them at the ballot box,” Martin said.Party grandees were meeting near Washington as the DNC carries out a postmortem of their November loss.They elevated Martin, formerly the chair of the party’s Minnesota branch, to devise their national battle plan. “This is not a game of chess where everyone is moving their pieces back and forth in a respectful, timed manner. This is guerilla warfare in political form,” said Katherine Jeanes, deputy digital director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, ahead of the vote.Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a rising Democratic star, warned that the party must “not to go into hiding until the next general election.”The moment calls for boldness, added Shasti Conrad, chair of the party’s Washington state branch, saying that many Americans have lost the faith. “They don’t trust us to be able to make things better. They don’t trust that when we are given power, that we know how to use it,” Conrad said.And the fight starts now, she added — there can be no waiting until the next presidential election, set for 2028.- Sports and video games -Facing a Republican majority in Congress and a second term for Trump, who has roared back into the White House with all the provocative rhetoric of his first administration, Democrats say they must pick their battles.”We have to be able to decipher crazy rhetoric versus policy violence,” said Conrad, and not be like a “dog chasing the car.”While many are “exhausted” after the last election campaign, Jeanes said the party must learn to respond to the frantic pace of shock moves from the Trump administration.Much of Democratic success going forward will be in how the party presents itself to an American public weary of politics.That includes engaging with voters “in places that have sometimes been uncomfortable” for Democrats, according to Conrad.After his victory in November, Trump credited a series of interviews on largely right-wing podcasts, including the popular “Joe Rogan Experience,” for aiding his return to the White House. “We need to be getting on sports podcasts and video games and trying to make sure that we’re reaching into apolitical spaces,” Jeanes said.

President Donald Trump is due to unleash fresh tariffs Saturday on major US trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, threatening upheaval across supply chains from energy to automobiles.Trump promises 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, pointing to what he said was their failure to halt illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl across US borders.He also vows a 10 percent tariff on imports from China, the world’s second biggest economy, charging that it had a role in the synthetic opioid’s production.Trump has repeatedly expressed his love for tariffs, and has signaled that Saturday’s action could be the first volley in further trade conflicts to come.This week, the US president pledged to impose duties on the European Union.He has also promised tariffs on semiconductors, steel, aluminum, copper, pharmaceuticals as well as oil and gas.Trump returned to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for the weekend with no public events on his official schedule. He headed to the golf course Saturday morning.Canadian public broadcaster CBC reported Saturday that Ottawa has been told to expect 25 percent across-the-board US tariffs, although energy imports would see a lower rate of 10 percent.These would take effect Tuesday, CBC added.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to hold a press conference around 6:00 pm (0000 GMT), two Canadian government sources told AFP.- Growth concerns -Imposing sweeping tariffs on three key US trading partners carries risks for Trump, who swept to victory in November’s election partly on the back of public dissatisfaction over costs of living.Higher import costs would likely “dampen consumer spending and business investment,” said EY chief economist Gregory Daco.He expects inflation would rise by 0.7 percentage points in the first quarter this year with the tariffs, before gradually easing.”Rising trade policy uncertainty will heighten financial market volatility and strain the private sector, despite the administration’s pro-business rhetoric,” he said.Trump’s supporters have downplayed fears that tariff hikes would fuel inflation, with some suggesting his planned tax cuts and deregulation measures could boost growth instead.Democratic lawmakers criticized Trump’s plans, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying Friday: “I am concerned these new tariffs will further drive up costs for American consumers.”Canada and Mexico are major suppliers of US agricultural products, with imports totaling tens of billions of dollars from each country per year.Tariffs would also hit the auto industry hard, with US light vehicle imports from Canada and Mexico in 2024 accounting for 22 percent of all vehicles sold in the country, according to S&P Global Mobility.The research group added that automakers and suppliers also produce components throughout the region, meaning tariffs will likely increase costs for vehicles.- Ready to respond -Canada and Mexico have said they are prepared if Trump goes through with his plan.Trudeau said Friday that Ottawa is ready with “a purposeful, forceful” response.Doug Ford, premier of Canada’s economic engine Ontario, warned Saturday that “the impact of these tariffs will be felt almost immediately,” predicting job losses and a slowdown in business.Canada should “hit back hard and hit back strong,” he said at a local election campaign stop.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum previously said her government would await any announcement “with a cool head” and had plans for whatever Washington decides.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, on Friday dismissed concerns of a trade war.Hiking import taxes on crude oil from countries like Canada and Mexico could bring “huge implications for US energy prices, especially in the US Midwest,” noted David Goldwyn and Joseph Webster of the Atlantic Council.Trump said Friday he was mulling a lower tariff rate on oil.”We think we’re going to bring it down to 10 percent,” he told reporters.Nearly 60 percent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, according to a Congressional Research Service report.Canadian heavy oil is refined in the United States and regions dependent on it may lack a ready substitute.Canadian producers would bear some impact of tariffs, but US refiners would also be hit with higher costs, said Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service.