France to Officially Recognize Palestinian State
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Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Disappointment, but no shock in Hamilton as tariff deadline passes without a deal
A deadline that could have spelled the end of an ongoing trade war with the United States has passed with no agreement — and increased across-the-board tariffs on Canadian goods. U.S. President Donald Trump's increased 35 per cent tariffs — up from 25 per cent — came into effect Aug. 1 and apply to goods not included in the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). The move, the U.S. government said, is due to 'Canada's lack of co-operation in stemming the flood of fentanyl.' Most Canadian goods meet the terms dictated by CUSMA, meaning they are not hit by the tariffs, which are separate from those targeting specific sectors. However, tariffs impacting Hamilton's steel industry — as well as aluminum and copper tariffs — remain unchanged at 50 per cent. Trump doubled them to 50 per cent in June, after previously hitting the Canadian industries with 25 per cent tariffs. Ron Wells, the president of the United Steelworkers Local 1005, which represents around 600 workers at Stelco's Hamilton site, said while he is disappointed a deal wasn't reached, it 'wasn't a shock.' Ron Wells is president of the United Steelworkers Local 1005, which represents about 600 workers at Stelco's Hamilton site. While he is disappointed a tariff deal wasn't reached before the Aug. 1 deadline, he said it wasn't a shock. 'This is the new normal,' he said of the tariffs, adding he was 'not really hopeful' about the potential for a deal in the lead-up to the deadline — particularly after Trump suggested Canadian plans to back Palestinian statehood at the United Nations would make it 'very hard to reach a deal.' Since the deadline has passed, Wells said Canada should hit back against the United States and match American tariffs on steel and aluminum, doubling them to 25 per cent. That echoes the sentiment of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who called on the federal government to 'hit back' with a 50 per cent tariff on U.S. steel and aluminum in a post on X. 'The federal government needs to maximize our leverage and stand strong in the face of President Trump's tariffs,' Ford posted. Wells said he is hopeful measures announced by the Liberal government in July — including caps on imported steel, stiff tariffs if those caps are exceeded, prioritizing the use of Canadian steel in government procurement and $70 million in new funding over three years to help steel workers get retrained — help Canadian steelmakers. Hamilton Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Dunnett said Hamilton may be the community that is 'getting hit the hardest' in Canada, due to the continued steel and aluminum duties – in addition to the new 35 per cent tariffs. Hamilton Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Dunnett said Hamilton may be the community that is 'getting hit the hardest' in Canada, due to the continued steel and aluminum duties — in addition to the new 35 per cent tariffs. He noted creating a fair long-term deal is 'very, very difficult' due to the 'moving goalposts' from Trump. 'I think it is imperative of our government right now to be strategic,' he said, adding the government should work to strengthen the economy, diversifying trade within the country to move Canada forward in the long-term without a dependence on the U.S. 'Escalation is risky, but so is inaction.' He said the tariffs have been disruptive, bringing uncertainty and cost increases across the board — which is impacting jobs, investment and trade relationships. While he said Hamilton is 'resilient,' the longer the trade war drags on, the more difficult it will get for businesses. Dunnett noted the uncertainty due to the tariff situation is hurting innovation due to a lack of investment, and the chamber continues to advocate to all levels of government for support for the local business community. He added among the businesses hardest hit are restaurants, whose business drops when customers have less disposable income. Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Candace Laing said spending 'a little more time' on the right deal is worth the wait because it can 'deliver lasting benefits.' However, Laing stressed businesses in Canada and the U.S. 'urgently' need more certainty. Keanin Loomis, the president of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC), said while he was hopeful for a deal, comments from the government and Prime Minister Mark Carney had made it clear negotiations were difficult. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Keanin Loomis, president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, chat with employees of Walters Steel during a July funding announcement for the steel industry. 'We will give our government the time and space it needs to make a good deal, because we don't want them to rush into a bad deal,' he said. While there is disappointment the situation is ongoing, Loomis said 'everyone in Canada' likely understands the difficulty of dealing with the Trump administration. Loomis said the increase of tariffs from 25 to 35 per cent is somewhat 'token' when all CUSMA trade is tariff-free — and shouldn't cause 'major concern' in the broader economy. However, he said the ongoing 50 per cent U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum are 'not sustainable' for the industry — and something needs to change in the next couple of months. 'It would be really hard to see us being able to continue this way into the fall,' he said. While noting he doesn't speak for ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Stelco, he said he's 'really concerned' for them, adding it is alarming how much the steel producers have dealt with due to the tariffs. But for the CISC members, he said while some have suffered already, many are still working on previously arranged projects. The concern, Loomis said, is what happens in six months, as the tariff uncertainty means a lack of long-term investments — and future jobs for the industry. John McElroy, the United Steelworkers local union president at Stelco's Nanticoke steelmaking hub, said he had hoped for a resolution to the tariff war by now. McElroy said he and other USW local presidents were able to speak privately with Carney and share their concerns during his most recent visit to Hamilton. 'He basically told us, 'I could sign a deal now, but it would be a crappy deal,' recalled McElroy. 'I understand that.' McElroy added Stelco seems to be holding its own despite 50 per cent tariffs, thanks in part to higher steel prices and success finding new Canadian customers. 'We're kind of weathering the storm for now.' —With files from Matthew Van Dongen
Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Trump administration freezes $339M in UCLA grants and accuses the school of rights violations
The Trump administration paused the research funding as part of an investigation by the government's antisemitism task force, two administration officials said. The freeze included about $240 million in research grants from the Department of Health and Human Services and the NIH, $81 million from the NSF, and $18.2 million from the Energy Department, a White House spokesperson said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The move makes UCLA the latest university to be targeted by Trump administration officials. It comes amid a broader pushback by the administration against what it sees as 'woke' ideologies. Advertisement The NSF said in a statement that it was 'suspending awards to UCLA because they are not in alignment with current NSF priorities and/or programmatic goals.' The NIH did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In recent weeks, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Brown, and others have had federal funding reduced or threatened based on broad accusations from the Trump administration that range from antisemitism to improper support for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. In some cases, the government has used the threat of funding cuts to extract concessions and hundreds of millions of dollars from universities. Advertisement Last year, UCLA was the site of one of the nation's biggest protests against the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The demonstrations prompted claims from across the political spectrum that the university didn't do enough to protect Jewish students or pro-Palestinian demonstrators. On Tuesday, the university agreed to pay more than $6 million to settle a lawsuit from Jewish students and a professor who said that the university had allowed a hostile protest on campus. After the settlement was announced, the Department of Justice separately said that it had found the university violated civil rights laws by failing to respond to students' complaints of antisemitism. Although the Trump administration intensified its attacks on UCLA this week, the school had been a target of the government's scrutiny for more than a year. In May 2024, Frenk's predecessor, Gene D. Block, testified before a congressional committee examining campus antisemitism. And in February, a Trump administration task force on antisemitism identified UCLA as one of 10 schools it intended to visit as it investigated whether 'remedial action is warranted.' In recent weeks, UCLA would not say whether any of the task force's investigators had been to the campus. Frenk said in his statement Thursday that UCLA had taken 'concrete action' to address antisemitism and discrimination, including creating a new office of campus safety. 'This far-reaching penalty of defunding lifesaving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination,' he wrote. He called the cuts a 'loss for Americans across the nation' whose work and health rely on the university's research. Advertisement The funding cut is an early test for Frenk, who became chancellor in January, as well as James B. Milliken, who took over as the University of California system's leader Friday. State and education leaders have been deeply concerned about the possibility that the Trump administration would target the university system as a whole, but especially the campuses in Los Angeles and Berkeley. Both schools were on the antisemitism task force's list for potential visits. But the Department of Education has also said it was investigating accusations of antisemitism at several other UC campuses.
4 hours ago
Human Rights Watch says Israel committing war crimes in alleged killings of Gazans at aid sites
The international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday accused Israel of war crimes and violations of international law because of the killings of people near food aid distribution sites in Gaza -- as well as deprivation of food, aid and other basic services. There have been several mass casualty events near the four sites run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since it began operating in late May, HRW said. In a statement in response to the HRW report, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it allows the GHF "to operate independently" in the distribution of aid and that troops operate "in proximity" to make sure food is delivered in an orderly fashion.' The HRW's report came as U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Gaza on Friday, inspecting food aid delivery. In previous incidents, the IDF has said that it only fires "warning shots" at crowds and when it feels like its personnel are in danger. At least 58 people were killed near Zikim aid distribution center on Wednesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, and another 14 were killed near an aid center in Muraj in southern Gaza, local hospital authorities confirmed to ABC News. In response to the Zikim shooting, the IDF said troops fired "warning shots in the area, not directed at the gathering, in response to the threat posed to them." The Israeli government has also previously claimed that Hamas shoots people waiting in food lines and films the events for propaganda videos. Hamas has denied these claims. "Israeli forces are not only deliberately starving Palestinian civilians, but they are now gunning them down almost every day as they desperately seek food for their families," Belkis Wille, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW, said in a statement. "U.S.-backed Israeli forces and private contractors have put in place a flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths." HRW called on nations to pressure Israel to stop using deadly force as a crowd control method, to lift restrictions on aid entering Gaza and to end the GHF system. Meanwhile, in its statement, the IDF accused Hamas of starving and endangering the population in order to maintain control over the strip and taking actions "to prevent the success of food distribution in Gaza." "The IDF stresses that, as part of its operational management of the main access routes to the distribution areas, IDF forces are conducting systematic review processes in order to improve the operational response in the area and minimize, as much as possible, any friction between the civilian population and IDF forces," the statement read, in part. "As part of these efforts, IDF forces have recently worked to reorganize the area by installing new fences, placing signs, opening additional routes, and more." "Additionally, following reports of civilian casualties near distribution areas, in-depth examinations were conducted by the Southern Command, and the incidents are under review by the authorized bodies within the IDF," the statement continued. Meanwhile, a hunger crisis is reportedly worsening across Gaza. At least 159 people have died from starvation and malnutrition, including at least 90 children, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, since the war began in the wake of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on southern Israel. Aid slowly resumed entry into Gaza after Israel instituted an 11-week total blockade on all humanitarian supplies entering the strip earlier this year. The blockade caused widespread malnutrition and conditions likely to lead to famine, according to the U.N. and aid groups. Israeli officials have long accused Hamas of stealing aid, which Hamas denies. Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the idea that Israel is applying a campaign of starvation in Gaza is "a bold-faced lie," adding that "there is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza." However, a new report on Tuesday from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global initiative monitoring hunger, said that "the worst-case scenario of famine is playing out in the Gaza Strip," and that "access to food and other essential items and services has plummeted to unprecedented levels." Additionally, a USAID analysis appeared to undercut some of the assertions about the extent to which Hamas had allegedly stolen humanitarian aid. A presentation reviewed by ABC News, examining more than 150 reported incidents involving the theft or loss of U.S.-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, showed that the group failed to find any evidence that Hamas engaged in widespread diversion of aid to cause the amount of hunger seen in the strip. On Friday, Witkoff wrote in a post on X that he and Huckabee spent the previous day meeting with Israeli officials to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza "Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza -- level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with [GHF] and other agencies," Witkoff wrote. "The purpose of the visit was to give [President Donald Trump] a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza." It came amid Trump's plan to expand aid deliveries to Gaza, although there are no signs the White House is moving away from the GHF. Hamas senior official Izzat al-Risheq criticized the visit in a statement. "Witkoff's visit to Gaza is nothing but a publicity stunt aimed at containing the growing outrage over the U.S.-Israeli partnership in starving our people in the Strip," he said. "Witkoff sees in Gaza only what the occupation wants him to see, viewing the ongoing tragedy through a misleading Israeli lens."
