AFP USA

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he could impose reciprocal tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber within days — a move set to fuel tensions with Ottawa just days after an earlier wave of levies.Since taking office in January, Trump has unleashed a series of tariffs and threats targeting US allies and adversaries, including duties of up to 25 percent on imports from Canada and Mexico.On Thursday, he provided the vital trading partners temporary reprieve, exempting goods coming in from both countries under a North American trade pact.But he has vowed broader “reciprocal tariffs” as soon as April 2, aimed at remedying practices that Washington deems unfair.Trump also signaled that reciprocal levies could come as soon as Friday: “Canada has been ripping us off for years on tariffs for lumber and for dairy products.””They’ll be met with the exact same tariff unless they drop it, and that’s what reciprocal means,” the president added.”We may do it as early as today, or we’ll wait till Monday or Tuesday,” he said of the two sectors which have long been affected by trade disputes between the neighbors.Economists warn that blanket levies could weigh on US growth and raise inflation, adding that they also weigh on business and consumer sentiment.But Trump kept the pressure up on Canada on Friday: “It’s not fair. Never has been fair, and they’ve treated our farmers badly.”- Rising tariffs? -In an earlier interview with Fox Business, Trump said that tariffs affecting Canada and Mexico could rise in the future.Asked if companies might get more clarity on his trade policies, Trump said: “I think so. But, you know, the tariffs could go up as time goes by.”White House senior counselor Peter Navarro told CNBC in a separate interview he rejected the idea that there was uncertainty surrounding Trump’s trade policies.”The uncertainty is created by the fact that people don’t take President Trump at his word,” he said.Trump’s move to back off some tariffs on Canada and Mexico came after stock markets tumbled as his levies of up to 25 percent took effect this week.On Thursday, the White House said adjustments exempting goods under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) recognize “the unique impact that these tariffs could have on American automotive manufacturers.”A White House official told reporters that about 62 percent of Canadian imports will still face the fresh levies, though much of them are energy resources slapped with a lower 10 percent rate.For Mexico, the proportion of imports affected is around 50 percent, the official added on condition of anonymity.However, Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s secretary of economy, said 90 percent of its exports to the United States fall under the three-nation trade pact and will be exempted from tariffs until April. “Under the agreement, we estimate that we will reach very close to 90%…of all types of products,” he told a press conference.

A measles outbreak in the southwestern United States has killed two people and infected more than 200, prompting a top health agency to issue a travel warning.As of Friday, Texas had reported 198 cases and New Mexico 10, bringing the total to 208. Each state confirmed one death. Both were unvaccinated, and the New Mexico patient tested positive for measles posthumously. Although their official cause of death has not been released, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified it as a measles-related fatality.”More cases are expected as this outbreak continues to expand rapidly,” the CDC warned in a Health Alert Network advisory to healthcare workers, public health officials, and potential travelers.”With spring and summer travel season approaching in the United States, CDC emphasizes the important role that clinicians and public health officials play in preventing the spread of measles,” the agency said.”They should be vigilant for cases of febrile rash illness that meet the measles case definition and share effective measles prevention strategies, including vaccination guidance for international travelers.”Measles is highly contagious, spreading through respiratory droplets and lingering in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. The disease causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and a rash — but can also lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death.Vaccination remains the best protection. The measles vaccine, required for children 12 months and older, confers 93 percent lifetime immunity after one dose, rising to 97 percent after two.But immunization rates have been declining in the US, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic fueled a surge in vaccine misinformation. The CDC recommends a 95 percent vaccination rate for herd immunity, but nationwide coverage among kindergartners had slumped to 92.7 percent by 2023-2024.Current Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent decades falsely linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism — a claim thoroughly debunked by scientific research. Since the outbreak expanded, he has softened his stance, recommending vaccination while simultaneously promoting treatments such as vitamin A and steroids.While these treatments are medically valid, experts warn that emphasizing them may divert attention from the urgent need to boost immunization rates.Before this outbreak, the last US measles-related death was in 2015, when a Washington state woman died from virus-induced pneumonia while on immunosuppressive medication. The previous fatality was in 2003.

Donald Trump on Friday doubled down on his embrace of cryptocurrencies as he hosted top industry players at the White House, while making investments in the field.US crypto investors were major supporters of Trump’s presidential campaign, contributing millions of dollars toward his victory in hopes of ending the deep skepticism of the previous Democratic administration toward digital currencies.”Last year, I promised to make America the bitcoin superpower of the world and crypto capital of the planet, and we’re taking historic action to deliver on that promise,” Trump told the assembled room of executives.Once hostile to the crypto industry, Trump has already taken significant steps to clear regulatory hurdles and has money invested.Trump has partnered with exchange platform World Liberty Financial and launched the “Trump” memecoin in January.First Lady Melania Trump announced a memecoin of her own, $MELANIA, one day before her husband’s January 20 inauguration.The prominent founders, CEOs and investors, along with members of a Trump working group, assembled Friday to help craft policies aimed at accelerating crypto growth.On the eve of the event, Trump signed an executive order establishing a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” that would audit the government’s bitcoin reserves, which were mainly accumulated by law enforcement from judicial seizures.”Unfortunately, in recent years, the US government has foolishly sold tens of thousands of additional bitcoin that were worth billions and billions of dollars had they not sold them,” Trump said in his opening remarks.”From this day on, America will follow the rule that every bitcoin investor knows very well: never sell your bitcoin.”Bitcoin, the world’s most traded cryptocurrency, is heralded by advocates as a substitute for gold or a hedge against currency devaluation and political instability.Trump donor and Silicon Valley investor David Sacks, the administration’s “crypto czar,” said that if previous administrations had held onto their digital holdings over the past decade, rather than selling them, they would be worth $17 billion today.- ‘Like criminals’ -The summit’s guest list included twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, founders of crypto platform Gemini, as well as Brian Armstrong of Coinbase and Michael Saylor, the boss of major Bitcoin investor MicroStrategy.In a gesture to the industry, Trump has already appointed crypto advocate Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.Under Atkins, the SEC has dropped legal proceedings against major platforms like Coinbase and Kraken that were initiated during former president Joe Biden’s term.Biden’s administration had implemented restrictions on banks holding cryptocurrencies — which have since been lifted — and allowed former SEC chairman Gary Gensler to pursue aggressive enforcement.Sacks said the Biden administration treated the industry “like criminals” and launched investigations when there were no clear rules of the road.”We never thought that we would get attacked the way we did in our own backyard after trying to do the right thing for so many years,” Cameron Winklevoss told the meeting.For believers, cryptocurrencies represent a financial revolution that reduces dependence on centralized authorities while offering individuals an alternative to traditional banking systems.Critics meanwhile maintain that these assets function primarily as speculative investments with questionable real-world utility that could leave taxpayers on the hook for cleaning up if the market crashes.The proliferation of “memecoins” — cryptocurrencies based on celebrities, internet memes, or pop culture items rather than technical utility — presents another challenge.Much of the crypto industry frowns upon these tokens, fearing they tarnish the sector’s credibility, amid reports of quick pump-and-dump schemes that leave unwitting buyers paying for assets that end up worthless.Asked about the risky nature of crypto investing, Sacks said that the government’s embrace of the industry did not amount to investment advice and warned that digital currencies were highly volatile, encouraging Americans to talk to an advisor before entering the market.”My job is not to encourage people to buy crypto. My job is to create an innovation framework for the United States,” he added as he arrived at the White House.

President Donald Trump’s administration said Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment as protesters rallied against Israel’s offensive in Gaza.Four government agencies announced in a statement “the immediate cancellation of approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”Trump said this week that he would cut funding for schools that allow “illegal protests,” his latest threat to turn off the flow of federal money to the country’s education system.US campuses including Columbia’s were rocked by student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The demonstrations ignited accusations of anti-Semitism.Protests, some of which turned violent and saw campus buildings occupied and lectures disrupted, pitted students protesting Israel’s conduct against pro-Israel campaigners, many of whom were Jewish. A university spokesman said “we are reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies and pledge to work with the federal government to restore Columbia’s federal funding.” “We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting anti-Semitism and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff,” the spokesman said.Protests continued at Columbia this week — on Tuesday, more than 200 pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated against former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett, who was on campus for a speaking engagement.”All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump wrote Tuesday on his platform Truth Social.”Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on …the crime, arrested,” the post said.- ‘Anti-Semitic harassment’ -Joseph Howley, an associate professor of classics at Columbia, told AFP he hoped the university would challenge the defunding in court. “The university has devoted tremendous resources to address discrimination and harassment over the last year and still the government makes these claims without any legal finding or official ruling,” he said.Friday’s statement, issued by the US General Services Administration, said the cuts were the “first round of action” — and that additional cancellations to the around $5 billion of federal grant commitments to Columbia are expected to follow.”Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses — only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.”Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding,” she said.”For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus. Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer.”Last month, the Justice Department announced the formation of a multi-agency task force to combat anti-Semitism.”The task force’s first priority will be to root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses,” it said in a statement.Two New York congressmen, Jerrold Nadler and Adriano Espaillat, said in a joint statement that “if the Trump administration were as serious about anti-Semitism as they claim, they would not have filled their ranks with unapologetic anti-Semites.””Slashing this funding will not protect the Jewish students Trump claims to defend but will instead undermine their academic futures,” they said.

A top leader of Mexico’s violent Jalisco New Generation cartel was sentenced to life in US prison Friday for his bloody role in creating one of the world’s most powerful drug syndicates.Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, 35, is the son of Mexico’s most-wanted man — Jalisco New Generation leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who has a $15 million US bounty on his head.Known as “El Menchito,” Oseguera was convicted by a federal jury in Washington in September of multiple drug trafficking and firearms charges.Pronouncing the life sentence, District Judge Beryl Howell said Jalisco New Generation was a “notoriously violent cartel” and that Oseguera had a “whole team of hitmen” at his command.Howell also ordered Oseguera to forfeit $6 billion in drug proceeds.Anthony Colombo, Oseguera’s lawyer, speaking to AFP after the sentencing, said the life term was “greater than necessary” and that he would file an appeal.”This is a situation where no acts were committed in the US or on US territory,” Colombo said. “Everything was extraterritorial. This should have been a case tried in Mexico, not in the United States.”The US-born Oseguera was second in command of Jalisco New Generation.He was captured by Mexican authorities in 2015 and extradited to the United States in February 2020.The United States has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of his father, Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.”According to court documents, the younger Oseguera directed the smuggling of “staggering” quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl into the United States.Oseguera also “pioneered” the manufacturing of fentanyl in Mexico to help build his father’s cartel into one of the world’s most powerful drug syndicates, the Justice Department said.He amassed a huge arsenal of weapons, according to US authorities, and killed a number of people over the years to control and expand the cartel.In April 2015, Oseguera “personally butchered five bound men who owed him money for drugs sold in the United States,” prosecutors said in their sentencing memo.”As described by one of the eyewitnesses, (Oseguera) slashed each of the five bound men’s throats using a half-moon shaped knife, and after he was done, asked for a clean shirt.”In another notorious incident, in May 2015, cartel members acting on Oseguera’s orders shot down a Mexican military helicopter hunting Jalisco New Generation leaders, killing at least nine people on board.A Mexican federal police officer who suffered burns over 70 percent of his body survived the crash and was among those who testified at Oseguera’s two-week trial.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he has written to Iran’s supreme leader pressing for new talks on its nuclear program, warning of possible military action if not.Iran’s foreign minister told AFP on Friday that his country would not negotiate so long as the United States applies “maximum pressure,” but he was not responding directly to Trump’s letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Trump’s outreach marks a departure at least in tone from the hardline stance that marked his first term and could put him at odds with close ally Israel, which last year carried out bombing strikes inside Iran.”Hopefully we can have a peace deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House, saying “we’re at the final moments” on the Iranian nuclear program.”I’d rather see a peace deal than the other,” he said of military action. “But the other will solve the problem.”Trump earlier revealed the letter in an interview on Fox Business in which he said he told Khamenei: “I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.”It was unclear how Trump sent the letter, which Iran’s mission to the United Nations said it has not received.Former president Barack Obama negotiated a landmark 2015 deal that promised sanctions relief in return for Iran curbing its nuclear program.Trump denounced the agreement and pulled out in 2018 during his first term, over the objections of European allies. He instead imposed sweeping unilateral US sanctions on any other country buying Iran’s oil.Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, initially adhered to the deal but then rolled back commitments.US officials estimate Iran would now need mere weeks to build a nuclear bomb if it chooses to.On his return to the White House, Trump said he was reinstating — but only reluctantly — his “maximum pressure” policy on Iran.He has since sidelined officials from his first term associated with the hard line, and has vowed to break out of a foreign policy establishment he describes as war-mongering.Trump’s brash billionaire confidant Elon Musk was reported to have met Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations shortly after the election to deliver a message that Trump wants calm and diplomacy.- Iran warns against US threats -Iran has been cautious about returning to diplomacy.”We will not enter any direct negotiations with the US so long as they continue their maximum pressure policy and their threats,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told AFP on Friday.Speaking on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Jeddah, Araghchi also warned that Iran’s nuclear program “cannot be destroyed through military operations.””This is a technology that we have achieved, and the technology is in the brains and cannot be bombed,” he said.Araghchi was a key negotiator of the 2015 deal, brokered by a then reformist government. Khamenei, 85, is the decision-maker in Iran’s clerical system and has pointed to Trump’s withdrawal in 208 as proof the United States cannot be trusted.But Iran is facing challenges not seen since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution that overthrew the pro-Western shah.Israel devastated Iranian air defenses and has also pounded two militant movements allied with Tehran’s clerics: Hamas, which carried out the unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.Iran’s main regional ally, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, fell in December to Sunni Islamist-led fighters.- War if not? -Former president Joe Biden backed returning to the 2015 deal but talks collapsed in part over the extent of sanctions relief.The National Iranian American Council, which supports engagement, said Trump should remain personally invested to show his commitment to diplomacy.”If Iran’s leadership insists on waiting for the stars to align perfectly for negotiations, the window for negotiations is very likely to close and the risks of war will greatly increase to the detriment of all,” said the group’s president, Jamal Abdi.But Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Iran could use Trump’s offer to buy time on its way to a nuclear weapon.”Tehran has set a trap for him, hoping to lure him into endless diplomacy that is used to blunt maximum pressure and dampen the credibility of an American or Israeli military option,” he said.burs-sct-gw/bgs

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell flagged high uncertainty Friday surrounding President Donald Trump’s economic policies and their effects, maintaining that the central bank need not rush to adjust interest rates.”It is the net effect of these policy changes that will matter for the economy and for the path of monetary policy,” Powell told a forum in New York. “We do not need to be in a hurry, and we are well positioned to wait for greater clarity.”Wall Street’s main indices picked up shortly after Powell’s comments.Powell’s remarks come as Trump’s return to the White House in January brings swift changes that promise to ripple through the world’s biggest economy.The president has taken aim at illegal immigration while imposing sweeping levies on major trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, triggering retaliation.The tariffs sent US markets tumbling and economists have warned that if kept in place, such additional duties could weigh on longer-term economic growth and push up inflation.But for now, Powell maintained that the US economy remains in a good position, adding that it has been growing at a solid pace while the labor market remained robust.Government data released Friday showed that the US economy added 151,000 jobs in February, a healthy rate though lower than anticipated. Unemployment crept up slightly.With ongoing shifts in trade policy, Powell stressed that the Fed is focused on separating signal from noise as the outlook evolves.He also remained cautious in assessing the effects of households’ and businesses’ uncertainties over economic prospects.”It remains to be seen how these developments might affect future spending and investment,” he said.He warned that sentiment readings are not always a good predictor of consumption growth.Powell added Friday that even as inflation has cooled significantly from its peak in mid-2022 without a sharp spike in unemployment, the path to lowering levels further is likely to remain bumpy.Some near-term measures of inflation expectations have recently risen, with consumers and businesses pointing to tariffs as a driving factor.Yet longer-term expectations remain stable and consistent with policymakers’ two percent goal, Powell added.Besides the effects of trade policy, Powell noted the administration is also in the process of introducing “significant policy changes” in areas like fiscal policy and regulation.Trump’s administration has referred to tariffs as a means to raise government revenue, remedy unfair trade practices and exert pressure on other countries on US priorities.

The United States added fewer jobs than expected in February and unemployment ticked up, government data showed Friday, while analysts warn cracks may be appearing in the labor market under President Donald Trump’s new administration.Friday’s report paints a solid picture of the employment market in the first full month of Trump’s second term, amid unprecedented cuts to the US government that are attracting growing blowback.But analysts warned of uncertainty ahead linked to Trump’s volatile tariffs policy, and cautioned that effects from the administration’s cost-cutting have yet to show up entirely.The world’s biggest economy added 151,000 jobs last month, up from January’s revised 125,000 figure, while the unemployment rate edged up to 4.1 percent from 4.0 percent, the Labor Department said.”Within government, federal government employment declined by 10,000 in February,” it said.The federal downsizing efforts have been led by Trump’s billionaire adviser Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has slashed thousands of jobs and upended agencies, prompting a flurry of lawsuits.Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell nevertheless said at an event in New York that the labor market remains solid, with wages growing faster than inflation.- ‘Re-privatize’ -The White House was quick to emphasize an uptick in manufacturing jobs, with Trump himself touting “major gains” and pointing to an added 9,000 jobs in the auto industry.”We’re trying to shrink government and grow the private sector,” the president said.The Trump administration has expressed plans to “re-privatize and re-industrialize the American economy,” according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, alongside wider efforts towards deregulation and fair trade.The Republican president has launched a broad offensive aimed at cutting public spending and reducing the federal government’s footprint — pledges he made on the campaign trail.Yet the full hit from Trump’s federal workforce cuts is not necessarily reflected in the February report, given the payroll survey was likely conducted “too early in the month,” said EY senior economist Lydia Boussour this week.”We expect a more visible dent to federal payrolls in March and subsequent months,” she added.Pantheon Macroeconomics noted this week that the return of more seasonally normal weather had likely boosted payroll growth.- ‘Uncertain’ future -The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) cheered February’s factory job gains but warned of “a very uncertain future,” with Trump recently unveiling a volley of tariffs and threats on both allies and adversaries.AAM President Scott Paul said in a statement that the manufacturing sector had been stalled for 30 months.He called for a “responsible and orderly application of new tariffs, particularly on China and other countries with persistent unfair trade practices.”On Tuesday, Trump’s steep tariffs on major US trading partners Canada and Mexico took effect, roiling markets.The president has since walked back some of these moves with temporary exclusions for imports covered by a North American free trade pact.Pantheon Macroeconomics cautioned that “cracks are appearing in the labor market,” citing a separate report this week from outplacement and coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.That report noted tens of thousands of government job cuts, but also flagged significant private sector layoffs, many of them in the retail and consumer products industries.For Pantheon, that hints at the impact of “heightened uncertainty around trade policy.”ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak flagged signs of “softening” in the market, with a shortening of the work week and rise in the number of workers “forced into part-time jobs.”Some employers may be avoiding layoffs but cutting back on hours, she noted.Pollak said the Fed will “likely welcome signs of a cooling job market, but policymakers will also be watching for signs that the softening is turning into something more serious.”Friday’s Labor Department report also showed that wage gains cooled to 0.3 percent from January to February, although compared with a year ago, earnings were still 4.0 percent up.

Hendrick Simoes served in the US Navy for 24 years, retiring last year and starting a new job as a civilian employee of the federal government.But some five months into his probationary period with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), he received a letter terminating his employment and thus joined thousands of other US veterans who have been fired as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to slash the government workforce.The sweeping job cuts have taken Trump’s administration into uncharted territory, and are negatively affecting retired troops in a country where both major political parties frequently express support for current and former military personnel.In addition to veterans being caught up in the layoffs, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced it plans to cut some 15 percent of its workforce, raising concerns about the impact on care and benefits.”It’s painful, it really is. And to me, it feels like such a betrayal,” Simoes, a 43-year-old who reached the rank of senior chief petty officer and spent much of his Navy career in public affairs, said of his dismissal.”My termination letter claimed that I don’t have the… abilities, knowledge and or skills for the organization, which was blatantly false,” he said, noting that a recent quarterly review “had called me exemplary and exceeding expectations.”Simoes considered his work as a senior communications specialist at NOAA a continuation of his service to his country — and that opportunity has now been taken away.”My heart was in working for… a good organization like NOAA, a place where I can continue to serve the American public and contribute to societal good. And now this just sucks, because I’m being told I can’t do that anymore,” he said.Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has launched a vast offensive aimed at curbing public spending and reducing the federal bureaucracy.- ‘Punch in the face’ -To that end, he tapped billionaire Elon Musk, a top campaign donor turned close adviser, to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies, prompting numerous court challenges.US military veterans make up a significant portion of the federal workforce — some 30 percent, while they are only around six percent of the overall US population — meaning they are disproportionately affected by recent cuts.Congressional Democrats estimated that nearly 6,000 veterans had been laid off by February 23 and more — including Simoes — have since been fired.The VA meanwhile announced this week that it aims to fire more than 70,000 employees, prompting warnings about the impact on the department, which oversees veterans’ health care, education, disability pay and other benefits they have earned.James LaCoursiere, national commander of the American Legion veterans’ association, expressed concern that “if these cuts go through, tens of thousands of veterans may be unemployed.””Not only do these job cuts threaten critical services provided to veterans but it takes away the opportunity for a veteran to continue to serve his or her brothers and sisters,” LaCoursiere said.Simoes described his termination plus the situation at the VA as a “one-two hit” and a “punch in the face,” saying he was recently told his VA treatment options would be more limited.”I have a lot of different… ailments,” he said, noting that he is “petrified that I’m not going to be able to get that same level of care.”Simoes also said he fears the impact that the cuts in federal jobs and reduced VA services may have on veterans overall.”With all these federal workers being fired, and with a big majority of them being veterans, and with veteran care being cut back, I’m really scared that we’re going to go back to the days where veteran homelessness is going to be high,” he said.”I’m scared that we’re going to go back to the days where veterans are committing suicide in VA parking lots,” Simoes said, adding: “I feel like we had come a long way towards combating that as a society, and now all of that is at risk.

Canada’s Liberal Party elects a new leader this weekend to replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister and take charge of confronting the threats posed by US President Donald Trump.Trudeau, who became Liberal leader in 2013 before taking over as prime minister two years later, announced in early January that he planned to resign, overcome by dismal polling numbers and internal party dissent. Before Christmas, the opposition Conservatives looked certain to win a general election that must be held by October but could be called within weeks.  Trade chaos with the United States and Trump’s repeated musing about annexing Canada have upended the political climate and surveys show the Liberals gaining ground.  “The context is completely unprecedented. Right now the only thing that matters to Canadians is ‘who is the right person to take on Donald Trump?'” Frederic Boily of the University of Alberta told AFP.Four candidates qualified to run in the Liberal leadership race but only two are seen as viable contenders. The front-runner is Mark Carney, who led the Bank of Canada before becoming the first non-Briton to serve as governor of the Bank of England. His main challenger is Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s former finance minister who dramatically broke with the prime minister in December, issuing a scathing resignation letter that partly pushed him to resign. Both Carney and Freeland have anchored their campaigns on the Trump threat. Carney, who has never held elected office, has sought to remind Liberal party voters that he led Canada’s central bank through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and steered the Bank of England through the turbulence that followed the Brexit vote. “Canada faces one of the most serious crises in our history. I know how to manage crises and I know how to build strong economies,” he said during a leadership debate.Freeland has warned that Trump “is posing the gravest challenge our country has faced since the Second World War,” and highlighted her experience negotiating directly with Trump’s first administration. – Transfer of power –  The winner of the Liberal leadership race will be announced in Ottawa on Sunday. The party says that 400,000 people have signed up to vote and boasted of unprecedented fundraising in recent weeks. Trudeau declined this week to give a precise date for when he would hand over power, telling reporters he would work out transition timelines with the new Liberal leader.  When ready, Trudeau and his successor will visit Governor General Mary Simon — King Charles III’s official representative in Canada — who will task the new Liberal chief with forming a government.The date Canadians will head to the polls for a general election remains unclear.- ‘Unique crisis’? -Most polls, and betting markets, still put the Conservatives as the favourites to win the next election. But the Liberals have tried to portray Tory leader Pierre Poilievre as a Trump-like figure, citing his right-wing populist style and record of bashing favourite Trump targets with inflammatory rhetoric, including government and the media. Experts say the Liberals may be wise to call snap elections with the Trump threat front of mind, including a trade war that Trudeau says the president launched to collapse the Canadian economy to make annexation “easier.”Carney, 59, is attractive because of his “economic experience and his seriousness,” said Stephanie Chouinard, a political scientist at Canada’s Royal Military College. “He knows the global financial system and he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the Canadian economy,” she added. Surveys indicate the election will be unlike any in recent Canadian history, with historically dominant domestic issues like health care and housing costs surpassed by Trump. “This is a unique crisis, and we do not know its scope or its duration. Today, a third of Canadians see the United States as an enemy country. It is historic and creates considerable upheaval in the way Canadians think,” said pollster Jean-Marc Leger.