Always Wrong': White House Rages At Wall Street Journal For Op-Ed Criticizing Trump's Tariffs On Canada And Mexico
www.mediaite.com

... President Donald Trump's White House released a statement raging at the Wall Street Journal for slamming the tariffs newly-placed on Canada and Mexico.

On Saturday, Trump fired off his first tariffs against Mexico and Canada with a 25% border tax. Meanwhile, China received a 10% tariff on all energy products along with an additional 10% on all imports from China.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board penned an article calling the tariffs "the dumbest trade war in history" while slamming the president for the "economic assault on the neighbors."

"None of this is supposed to happen under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that Mr. Trump negotiated and signed in his first term," the board wrote. "The U.S. willingness to ignore its treaty obligations, even with friends, won't make other countries eager to do deals. Maybe Mr. Trump will claim victory and pull back if he wins some token concessions. But if a North American trade war persists, it will qualify as one of the dumbest in history." ...

Trump Orders Tariffs on Trade Partners
www.dtnpf.com

... Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, criticized the tariffs for potentially driving up costs for a range of imported products.

"No one wins in a trade war. The last time President Trump started a trade war, costs went up for America's family farmers and consumers," Craig said. "The same will happen today. The cost of imported goods like oil, lumber, avocados, tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, onions and mushrooms and other fresh food are likely to go up for Americans. At a time when farmers are struggling with high input costs and the American people continue to struggle with the cost of groceries, these tariffs will make it more expensive for farmers to grow food and for consumers to buy it. Additionally, when American farmers face the inevitable retaliatory tariffs from our trading partners, their profits take a hit. This action is especially questionable since President Trump's previous administration negotiated our last trade agreement -- USMCA -- with Canada and Mexico."

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Tim Boring said he had "extensive conversations with farmers and other stakeholders" who raised concerns about tariffs.

"While there are still a lot of unknowns, it's important to remember two things: Canada and Mexico are our biggest export destinations, and the last time this happened, retaliatory tariffs specifically targeted agriculture," Boring said.

Mark McHague, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, noted his state's reliance on exports, which accounts for roughly one-third of farmers' income. Nebraska's exports to the top five agricultural products accounted for over $3.5 billion in 2024. Those sales helped support the largest segment of Nebraska's economy, which hit a rough patch in 2024, falling 17% as compared to 2023, he noted.

"Today's announced tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, some of Nebraska agriculture's most important trading partners, only adds to the economic uncertainty which remains the top concern at dinner tables on farms and ranches across our state and nation," McHague said.

McHague also pointed out that U.S. farmers rely on Canada for 80% of the potash fertilizer used, as well as imported crop-protection tools and energy. ...

American citizens smuggle more fentanyl into the US than migrants, data show (August 2024)
www.kpbs.org

... At a recent campaign stop in the swing state of Pennsylvania, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance talked about the efficacy of border walls.

"Look, no one has ever said a wall keeps out 100% of illegal aliens," Vance told a cheering crowd. "But if it keeps out 98%, I'd say we're doing pretty good. And that means less fentanyl, less drugs, and less crime coming into our communities."

The idea that more border walls and tougher enforcement on illegal immigration will stop illegal drugs from flowing into the United States has long been a political talking point. But it's become a dominant election-year theme since Donald Trump's ascendance nearly a decade ago.

And not just at the national level. In February, Republican San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond posted a video on social media saying that one of the things that concerns him about, "how people are just able to walk across the border and get here," is fentanyl. The implication is that migrants crossing in remote parts of the border are bringing drugs with them.

But data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other federal agencies show the vast majority of fentanyl comes through legal ports of entry. And the people bringing it into the country are native born Americans.

Approximately 80% of people prosecuted and convicted of federal drug trafficking offenses were U.S. citizens, according to Tara McGrath, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California.

"They are people who have the ability to cross but also are going to be able to slip under the radar," McGrath said. ....