'Feel really good about accomplishing our goals': Blue Jays GM on trade deadline moves
Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins takes questions on the team's flurry of moves ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
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Canada News.Net
40 minutes ago
- Canada News.Net
Royals' Salvador Perez aims to ride power surge vs. Jays
(Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images) Salvador Perez is on a homer binge, and the visiting Kansas City Royals would like the trend to continue Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of their three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The teams have split the first two contests of their series, with Perez hitting a home run in each game. His second homer of the series came against Max Scherzer in the sixth inning of Toronto's 4-2 victory on Saturday. Perez also hit his first career homer against Scherzer on Aug. 29, 2011. He has 11 home runs in his past 21 games. 'We need him and other guys to do it, too,' Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. 'You provide power in the middle of the lineup, and that is a big threat at any time.' Perez became the first Royals player to have nine seasons with 20 or more home runs. Hall of Famer George Brett had eight. With 293 career home runs, he is close to becoming the eighth catcher to reach 300 in his career. The Royals are going for a series win that would give them a good start to their nine-game road trip. They hope that scheduled starter Seth Lugo (8-5, 3.03 ERA) can continue his success against the Blue Jays. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 20 1/3 innings over six career games (two starts) against them. The Blue Jays, who lead the American League East by four games, are expected to counter with right-hander Chris Bassitt (11-5, 4.24). In seven career starts against Kansas City, he is 1-2 with a 3.92 ERA in 39 innings. The Royals picked up two more injuries on Saturday. Second baseman Jonathan India was hit by a pitch on his left wrist and forearm in the third inning. He left the game in the fifth. 'It's just a contusion,' Quatraro said. 'We got an X-ray and nothing is broken. Just sore. He has been battling that wrist, anyway, and he was hit there again.' Reliever Steven Cruz left in the seventh with discomfort in his right shoulder and he will have further evaluation. 'He felt a little pinching,' Quatraro said. 'Just kind of some normal throwing discomfort.' Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman left the game in the fourth inning with what was termed a head contusion. He took a foul ball off his mask in the third inning and was hit on the hand by a pitch in the bottom of the third. Toronto manager John Schneider said that early indications were that he did not have a concussion. 'It's more of a head contusion,' Schneider said. 'When I went out there, it was more kind of a headache, and his jaw got it a little bit. So, we will check him out (Sunday) and, hopefully, dodge a bullet. But he is doing all right.' With catcher Alejandro Kirk on the concussion injured list, Ali Sanchez took over behind the plate. Kirk is expected to return to action on Sunday. '(Heineman) wanted to keep going, felt like he could keep going and, unfortunately, you've got to take it out of their hands sometimes,' Schneider said. Toronto outfielder George Springer also is out with a concussion after being hit by a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles last week. The Blue Jays returned from a 4-4 road trip for a short homestand. They will hit the road again Monday for six games against the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Vancouver Sun
40 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
The two ways Trump's tariffs on Canada could collapse — despite his fight to keep them
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Time's up. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump raised the tariff rate on Canadian goods not covered under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) from 25 to 35 per cent, saying they 'have to pay a fair rate.' The White House claims it's because of Canada's failure to curb the 'ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.' U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, however, show that fentanyl seizures from Canada make up less than 0.1 per cent of total U.S. seizures of the drug; most smuggling comes across the Mexican border. But the future of Trump's policy also rests on shaky ground, and the tariffs could come crashing down even if Canada can't reach a deal at some point. Imposed through a controversially declared 'national emergency' under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the tariffs come with essentially three paths for relief to Canadian exporters and their American customers: the courts and the economy. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. And there's always the wildcard: that the president changes his mind. Without relying on that, National Post looks at two very possible ways out of all this: The courts: There is a big question hanging over whether Trump's tariffs are even legal under the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress powers over trade. Trump has bypassed that by claiming he's using presidential IEEPA emergency powers. On Thursday, the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Circuit Court of Appeals convened an en banc hearing for oral arguments in challenges to Trump's use of IEEPA. The 11 judges questioned whether the law meant for sanctioning adversaries or freezing assets during emergencies grants Trump the power to impose tariffs, with one judge noting, 'IEEPA doesn't even mention the word 'tariffs.'' The White House, meanwhile, says the law grants the president 'broad and flexible' emergency powers, including the ability to regulate imports. 'Based on the tenor and questions of the arguments, it appears that the challengers have the better odds of prevailing,' Thomas Berry, the CATO Institute's director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies said in a statement. 'Several judges peppered the government's attorney with skeptical questions about why a broad term in IEEPA like 'regulate importation' should be read to allow the president to unilaterally impose tariffs.' Trump's lawyers claim his executive order provides the justifications for the tariffs — in Canada's case, fentanyl. But Berry said 'those justifications would not matter if IEEPA simply does not authorize tariffs in the first place. That is the cleanest and simplest way to resolve this case, and it appears that the Federal Circuit may be leaning toward that result.' A decision is expected this month, and if it's a resounding pushback from the judges' panel, said Andrew Hale, a senior policy analyst at Heritage Foundation, the Supreme Court may not even take up the case. If so, he says, 'these Liberation Day tariffs and everything that's been imposed under emergency legislation, IEEPA, that all evaporates.' At that point, the White House would not be able to declare across-the-board tariffs against countries. Instead, it would have to rely on laws allowing tariffs to be imposed on specific products that are found to threaten U.S. national security, like those currently imposed on Canadian steel and lumber. The economy: The other path to tariff relief is through economic pressure. If Americans start to see higher prices and economic uncertainty, and push back at the ballot box — or threaten to do so — it could force Trump to reverse course. The most recent figures show that U.S. inflation, based on the Consumer Price Index, hit around 2.7 per cent in July. That's a slight rise, fuelled by rising prices for food, transportation, and used cars. But it's still close to the Federal Reserve target of 2 per cent. U.S. unemployment rose slightly to 4.2 per cent in July, while far fewer jobs were created than expected, and consumer confidence rose two points but is still several points lower than it was in January. Overall, most economists agree that risks of a U.S. recession over the next 12 months are relatively low, but skepticism over growth remains high. 'Our outlook is for slower growth in the U.S., but no recession,' said Gus Faucher, chief economist of The PNC Financial Services Group. He notes that the 'tariffs are going to be a drag' because they are a tax increase on imports. Economists have said price inflation from tariffs is not yet being felt in the U.S., but believe it's inevitable. 'Trump's tariff madness adds a great deal to the risks of a recession,' said Steven Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University who served on President Reagan's Council of Economic Advisors. 'With tariffs, Americans are going to be paying a big new beautiful sales tax on goods and services imported into the U.S., and taxes slow things down. Taxes don't stimulate.' It is surprising that higher U.S. prices haven't happened yet, said Jonathan Gruber, chairman of the economics department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But he explained that it's likely a reflection of the duration of contracts and the fact that import sellers haven't yet put up prices — 'because they were hoping it wouldn't be real, like they'd wake up from this nightmare.' 'I think we start to see the effect on prices by the end of the year,' said Gruber. The trouble for Canada, however, is that the Canadian economy is starting from a much weaker position, with higher unemployment, lower consumer confidence, and a slowing GDP, on top of the trade tensions. So, trying to wait things out for the U.S. to feel the pinch will be even more painful for Canadians. And any American downturn will also reverberate north. 'As Uncle Sam goes, so goes Canada,' said Hanke. Gruber agrees with that, but with a caveat. 'It's all bad in the short run and good in the long run,' he says. He believes the U.S. is 'weak and getting weaker' and that Canada should start taking advantage of how the U.S. is making opportunities for other countries to invest in themselves. 'We're not investing in our future. We're killing our education. We're killing our research. We're not allowing in immigrants,' he said, explaining the weakening of the U.S. economy. 'We're basically setting the stage for long-run economic slower growth.' Meanwhile, China is doubling down on investment, research and other longer-term policies. 'Canada and other countries need to do the same,' Gruber said. And as for when a backlash could lead to a reversal in the U.S., Gruber points to two factors. 'It's got to be high inflation, and Trump's opponents need to make sure that the voters understand that's Trump's fault.' National Post tmoran@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
Ottawa Citizen
40 minutes ago
- Ottawa Citizen
The two ways Trump's tariffs on Canada could collapse — despite his fight to keep them
Article content WASHINGTON, D.C. — Time's up. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump raised the tariff rate on Canadian goods not covered under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) from 25 to 35 per cent, saying they 'have to pay a fair rate.' The White House claims it's because of Canada's failure to curb the 'ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.' U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, however, show that fentanyl seizures from Canada make up less than 0.1 per cent of total U.S. seizures of the drug; most smuggling comes across the Mexican border. Article content Article content But the future of Trump's policy also rests on shaky ground, and the tariffs could come crashing down even if Canada can't reach a deal at some point. Imposed through a controversially declared 'national emergency' under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the tariffs come with essentially three paths for relief to Canadian exporters and their American customers: the courts and the economy. Article content Article content There is a big question hanging over whether Trump's tariffs are even legal under the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress powers over trade. Trump has bypassed that by claiming he's using presidential IEEPA emergency powers. Article content On Thursday, the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Circuit Court of Appeals convened an en banc hearing for oral arguments in challenges to Trump's use of IEEPA. The 11 judges questioned whether the law meant for sanctioning adversaries or freezing assets during emergencies grants Trump the power to impose tariffs, with one judge noting, 'IEEPA doesn't even mention the word 'tariffs.'' The White House, meanwhile, says the law grants the president 'broad and flexible' emergency powers, including the ability to regulate imports. Article content Article content 'Based on the tenor and questions of the arguments, it appears that the challengers have the better odds of prevailing,' Thomas Berry, the CATO Institute's director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies said in a statement. 'Several judges peppered the government's attorney with skeptical questions about why a broad term in IEEPA like 'regulate importation' should be read to allow the president to unilaterally impose tariffs.' Article content Article content Trump's lawyers claim his executive order provides the justifications for the tariffs — in Canada's case, fentanyl. But Berry said 'those justifications would not matter if IEEPA simply does not authorize tariffs in the first place. That is the cleanest and simplest way to resolve this case, and it appears that the Federal Circuit may be leaning toward that result.' Article content A decision is expected this month, and if it's a resounding pushback from the judges' panel, said Andrew Hale, a senior policy analyst at Heritage Foundation, the Supreme Court may not even take up the case. If so, he says, 'these Liberation Day tariffs and everything that's been imposed under emergency legislation, IEEPA, that all evaporates.'
