Canadian bridge traffic down from last year
In an announcement released on Wednesday, border crossings have dropped by around 290,000 according to the senator's office. Schumer said that tariff's imposed by President Donald Trump have caused a 'nose dive' in entries.
What is the 'TACO trade' on Wall Street?
According to statistics from Schumer's office, crossings at the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge saw the second-steepest decline percentage at 27.51-percent. Last year saw 43,945 entries, but that's down to 31,857.
The Thousands Islands Bridge also saw a drop of 20.2-percent from last year with 117,953 crossings. That number was 147,814 at this time last year.
The Seaway Bridge in Massena only saw a decrease of 1.91-percent 205,518 entries as opposed to 209,524 from last year.
According to Customs & Border Patrol (CBP), almost 290,000 fewer travelers crossed the Upstate New York-Canadian border last month than over the same period in 2024, a whopping 22% decrease.
Burning bridges and ruining relationships with our closest ally and key trading partner, Canada, right when summer tourism season is arriving, is about as destructive as it gets. Upstate NY is on the frontlines of Trump's destructive tariff war, and this shocking new data shows our tourism economy is paying the price from Buffalo to Ogdensburg.
United States Senator Charles Schumer
The announcement was made in conjunction with the start of summer tourism season occurring with recent passing of the Memorial Day holiday.
According to a recent North Country Chamber of Commerce survey, 66% of businesses are already experiencing a dip in Canadian bookings. Canada is the top source of international visitors to the U.S., with 20.4 million visits in 2024, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs. Schumer said if there were even a 10-percent reduction in Canadian travel, it could mean as much as $2 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses across America.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
12 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump's trip to Scotland: What to know
President Trump departed Friday for a five-day stay in Scotland, where he is expected to meet with British and Scottish officials and visit his properties there. The White House has described the trip as a 'working visit,' pointing to planned discussions with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about a trade agreement between the U.S. and the United Kingdom. But Trump will visit his properties at Turnberry and Aberdeen, giving a publicity boost to his personal golf courses and his family's brand while overseas. Here's what to know about Trump's visit. Talking trade with the UK Trump told reporters while leaving for Scotland that he would be meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday evening, expecting that the two will work through more aspects of the trade deal they struck in May. 'We're meeting with the prime minister tonight. We're going to be talking about the trade deal that we made and maybe even approve it,' Trump said. He added, 'we want to talk about certain aspects, which is going to be good for both countries. More fine-tuning. Also, we're going to do a little celebrating together, because, you know, we got along very well. U.K.'s been trying to make a deal with us for like, 12 years, and haven't been able to do it. We got it done, and he's doing a very good job, this prime minister. Good guy.' Last month, Trump and Starmer detailed the trade agreement together while at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada after they first announced it in May. The deal includes 'billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially for beef, ethanol, and certain other American agricultural exports,' according to the order, and includes a stipulation that the U.S. will create an annual quota of 100,000 cars for U.K. imports at a 10 percent tariff rate. It also stipulates that the U.K. remains committed to 'working to meet American requirements on the security of the supply chains of steel and aluminum products,' which would prompt the U.S. to 'promptly construct a quota at most-favored-nation rates for steel and aluminum articles.' The U.K. agreement was the first trade deal announced since Trump imposed tariffs on trading partners, although it was in the works before then. This week, Trump has also announced deals with Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines and the administration has continued talks with the European Union. In addition to meeting with Starmer, Trump is slated to meet with First Minister of Scotland John Swinney during his visit. 'We have a lot of things in Scotland,' Trump said. 'I have a lot of love, my mother was born in Scotland. And he's a good man.' Spotlight on Trump's properties and possible protests While the White House has billed Trump's trip as a working visit to Scotland, critics have highlighted how the president is once again mingling politics with his business interests. Trump owns two golf courses in Scotland— one in Aberdeen that opened in 2012, and one at Turnberry that opened in 2014. He is slated to celebrate the opening of a third on the trip. The new 18-hold course is outside of Aberdeen and will be named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born in Scotland. Ethics watchdogs and Democrats have accused Trump of blatantly profiting off of the presidency, pointing to the launch of a cryptocurrency, Trump-branded sneakers and Bibles and a line of fragrances, among other ventures. Visits to Trump properties tend to generate scrutiny, as the government pays for Secret Service and other White House staff to stay there as well. Trump is also expected to be greeted with protests during his stay in Scotland. A 'Stop Trump' coalition is organizing demonstrations in Aberdeen on Saturday, and in Edinburgh outside the U.S. consulate. Trump experienced protests during his last presidential visit to his Turnberry golf course in 2018, when groups gathered outside the property to boo the president and demonstrators flew a paraglider around the area with a message criticizing him. Trump left Washington amid GOP turmoil over Epstein Trump headed out of Washington while calls for the release of more materials related to deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein have grown. Trump said he hasn't thought about pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell on Friday morning, as she was set to meet for a second day with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at the Tallahassee prison where she's serving her sentence. He also told reporters they should be focused on other Epstein associates and other topics, and suggested that he has a list of people who were associated with Epstein, other than him, that he could give to the media. 'People should really focus on how well the country's doing or they should focus on the fact that [former President] Barack Hussein Obama led a coup or they should focus on the fact that [former Treasury Secretary] Larry Summers from Harvard, that [former President] Bill Clinton, who you know very well, and lots of other friends, really close friends of Jeffrey [Epstein] should be spoken about,' Trump said. 'They don't talk about them, they talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy,' he added. The Trump administration is facing increasing pressure to release more information from the Epstein files after the Justice Department earlier this month released a memo stating that Epstein killed himself and did not keep a client list. Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously said such files were on her desk. The House broke for its weeks-long August Recess one day early this week, while Republican leadership have tried to contain furor over the handling of the Epstein-related materials.
The Hill
12 minutes ago
- The Hill
DNC targets Republicans with ads calling for Epstein files' release
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is launching digital ads targeting a dozen Republican-held House districts, calling for the release of files related to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. One ad features Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) calling the controversy a 'serious issue' and saying that the highest volume of calls to her office have concerned the Epstein files, while another calls out the House GOP with the caption 'House Republicans shut down Congress to bury the truth.' A clip of President Trump standing next to Epstein plays in the background of the latter. Both ads tell viewers to call their representatives and demand that the Epstein files are released. Momentum had been building among Democrats and some Republicans for Congress to vote to force the Trump administration to release the documents related to the case. But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced the body would start its summer recess a day early as Democrats sought to force votes in the Rules Committee to release the files, dividing Republicans. Democrats have sought to use the lingering controversy as a way to go on offense against Trump and the Republican Party, accusing them of protecting pedophiles. The topic of the Epstein files has received significant national attention for a few weeks since the Justice Department memo stating the Epstein didn't have a 'client list,' as has been alleged, and that the department wouldn't release additional documents to protect alleged victims. Trump has expressed frustration at the continued focus on Epstein and called for people to move on, but The Wall Street Journal report that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump that his name appears in the files added a new dimension to the controversy. Being named in the files is not itself an indication of any wrongdoing. Democrats have sought to use the opportunity to go on attack and keep attention on the story. 'Democrats are going to continue to hold the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress accountable for their failure to release the Epstein files and the cover-up that we are witnessing in real time,' said Tim Hogan, the DNC's senior adviser for messaging, mobilization and strategy. 'The American people deserve full transparency, and Donald Trump and his sycophantic enablers are twisting themselves in knots trying to distort the truth.'
Newsweek
13 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Questions Congress Might Have for Ghislaine Maxwell
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, may soon offer new insights to Congress about her knowledge of—and involvement in—the late financier's sexual abuse network. On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Maxwell—currently serving a 20-year sentence in Florida following her conviction on federal sex trafficking charges in 2021—to testify remotely next month. Maxwell has already taken part in a meeting with the Department of Justice, during which she answered "every single question," according to her attorney, David Oscar Markus, and is set to do so again on Friday. However, experts believe congressional testimony could shed new light on the saga that has for weeks dominated headlines and captivated the American public. "She is the Rosetta Stone," Harvard Law professor and former Epstein attorney Alan Dershowitz told Fox News this week. "She knows everything. She arranged every single trip with everybody." In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell enters the courtroom escorted by U.S. marshals at the start of her trial on November 29, 2021, in New York. In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell enters the courtroom escorted by U.S. marshals at the start of her trial on November 29, 2021, in New York. Elizabeth Williams/AP Photo/File photo What Questions Could Congress Ask Maxwell? Newsweek spoke with experts in the case and the crimes in which Maxwell was involved, about what questions Congress could ask should her testimony take place. Matthew Mangino Mangino, the former district attorney of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, told Newsweek that there are still several pieces of information Maxwell could divulge, given that she never testified at the 2021 trial, primarily regarding her former accomplice's associates. "She was Epstein's co-conspirator," he told Newsweek. "Presumably, she knows who partied with Epstein, where they partied and what they did during the partying." Mangino said Congress should question Maxwell about whether she coordinated travel for Epstein, who accompanied him on these trips, whether President Donald Trump was among them, as well as which members of Epstein's social network were involved in the sexual assault of underaged girls. Mangino hopes her testimony would provide be greater clarity around whether Epstein—through Maxwell—solicited underage girls for influential men in business, entertainment, sports and government. Jeffrey Abramson Abramson believes Maxwell, as one Epstein's closest associates, should be asked about the existence of the "client list" he is alleged to have possessed, and whether there are names on the list of persons involved in the abuse of underage girls that have never been made public. Abramson, an emeritus professor of law and government at the University of Texas at Austin, believes Maxwell may also be able to provide more details on The Wall Street Journal's recent report that Trump sent Epstein an illustrated birthday card in 2003. Donald Trump and then-girlfriend, former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, on February 12, 2000. Donald Trump and then-girlfriend, former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, on February 12, Abramson said a "complicating factor" in the case is that Trump could pardon Maxwell, who was convicted of federal crimes. "Maxwell should be asked whether anyone in the DOJ or Trump administration has promised her anything in exchange for how she testifies," he said. "If Congress offers Ghislaine Maxwell immunity for her testimony, then there is a very good chance that Maxwell will obey a subpoena to testify, probably before the House Oversight Committee. The type of immunity she would get is called 'use immunity,' which guarantees she would not be prosecuted for anything she says during her congressional testimony." Spencer Kuvin Maxwell appearing in an open session would allow the public to get a first-hand look at her story and her credibility, said Kuvin, a Florida lawyer who represented several of Epstein's victims. "She has been linked to one of the most infamous pedophiles in history," he told Newsweek. "She will undoubtedly be able to shed light on all of the individuals that they supplied young girls to over the years and the potential influence that they were seeking to gain." Kuvin said he would like to see Congress ask Maxwell to identify by name those who visited Epstein at his mansion in the Virgin Islands; whether there is video evidence of these visits; and whether the pair provided underaged girls to any politicians, corporate executives or celebrities. Marci A. Hamilton Hamilton is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, CEO of child rights-focused think tank CHILD USA, and previously worked as a consultant for the Epstein Victims' Compensation Program. Hamilton told Newsweek that, based on the information already known, the most valuable thing that could come from Maxwell's testimony would be confirmation of the men who played the "most salient role" in helping to orchestrate Epstein's sex trafficking operation. "Who was it who was identifying the girls that were ready for abuse because they were already in a difficult situation and wanted to be a model?" she said as an example. "I would want to ask her: Who were the men that were most frequently with Epstein, either in New York City or in Palm Beach or in New Mexico. Who were the men that kept coming back. "The reality is that Epstein wasn't abusing one girl a day. There were multiple incidents every day. He was a monster. And she made it happen." However, Hamilton said that Maxwell's status as a "reputable witness" was questionable, given the severity of her crimes and the two perjury charges stemming from allegedly false claims made while under oath in a 2016 civil case. Prosecutors declined to move forward with the perjury charges following her conviction in 2021. "Relying on her, either from the Trump administration or Congress, is in my view a fool's errand," she said. Deborah Tuerkheimer Tuerkheimer, author of Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers, said that, as well as active participants, questions need to be asked about those who were aware of Epstein's abuse, and who tacitly contributed to it by interacting with him in ways that normalized his behavior and expanded his influence within powerful groups. She added that several questions also surround his legal treatment, in particular the 2008 non-prosecution deal—or "sweetheart plea deal"—that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges for the sexual abuse of minors and serve only a 13-month sentence in state prison. "When you sort of put all of this together, you see that there's a real cast of characters here that you could think of as enabling this behavior," she said. However, against Dershowitz's suggestion that Maxwell could be the "Rosetta Stone" for the entire case, Tuerkheimer said she was skeptical that Maxwell "is the key to unlocking this." Tuerkheimer said rather than a "myopic focus" on Maxwell, whose testimony may be suspect, many questions surrounding who was involved in the abuse could be answered by the victims. "There's sort of many dozens of victims of Epstein who stand, I think, ready to supply an account," she said. David Oscar Markus, attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, speaks during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, on July 24, 2025. David Oscar Markus, attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, speaks during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, on July 24, 2025. John Raoux/AP Photo What Happens Next It remains unclear whether Maxwell will testify. On Wednesday, her attorney said that if Maxwell chooses to testify before the House Oversight Committee, she would do so "truthfully." Dershowitz has said that, if given use immunity—meaning comments given cannot be used in a subsequent prosecution—Maxwell could be "compelled to testify." "I'm told that she actually would be willing to testify," he added. As Tuerkheimer told Newsweek: Congressional hearing or not, the Epstein story "is not something that is going to go away. This is not something that people will let drop." "This is a child sex trafficking set of crimes, in which powerful men have gotten away with it," Hamilton said. "And at this point, it doesn't matter what administration it is, the American people deserve the truth because they deserve to understand how this happened and how it can be prevented."
