Tag: donald trump

Mexico, Canada Will Each Send Troops to Border in Effort To Stop Trump Tariffs

Hours before President Donald Trump’s tariffs were slated to go into effect, Mexico agreed to immediately send 10,000 troops to its border with the United States to curb the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants, prompting Trump to pause the tariffs for one month. Canada soon followed suit, promising to send troops to its U.S. border in exchange for a tariff pause.

“Mexico will immediately reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members of the National Guard to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, particularly fentanyl,” Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum told Trump during a Monday morning call. Trump confirmed the tariff pause in a Truth Social post, noting that “these soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country.”

Hours later, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said Monday afternoon that Canada will be “reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel” and that “nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border.”

“Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar,” Trudeau continued. “We will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.”

In exchange, Trudeau finished, “proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days.”

The agreement comes two days after Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada to “protect” Americans from the “major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs.” Both Canada and Mexico announced retaliatory tariffs against the United States. Trump also levied a 10 percent tariff on China, which remains poised to take effect on Tuesday.

Mexico will also expand an import substitution plan, dubbed Plan Mexico, to reduce reliance on Chinese imports and produce more goods in Mexico, Sheinbaum said at a news conference after the call.

The United States will engage in further negotiations with Mexico and Canada during the pause, Trump said on Truth Social. “As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans,” Trump wrote. “I am very pleased with this initial outcome.”

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Trump To Restore ‘Max Pressure’ On Iran With EO Aimed At Driving Its ‘Oil Exports To Zero’

It’s long been anticipated and expected, but now it’s happening within just the first couple weeks of the new administration alongside Trump’s threat to strangle the Russian economy by orchestrating a global oil price collapse (perhaps a likely bluff meant to gain leverage at the negotiating table, however)…

President Donald Trump will sign executive order on Tuesday restoring “maximum pressure” on Iran, Reuters is reporting, citing a US official. This is with the intended aim of thwarting all paths of the Islamic Republic toward a nuclear weapon.

The US official also cited Iran’s “malign influence” in the Mideast region and de facto state of war with Israel, including support for regional militants who attack Israeli territory and interests.

“The official told Reuters that Trump’s directive orders the US Treasury Secretary to impose ‘maximum economic pressure’ on Iran, including sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions. The directive is aimed at denying Iran ‘all paths to a nuclear weapon’ and countering ‘Iran’s malign influence’ according to the official.”

Crucially, there’s this line in the breaking Reuters report:

The US Secretary of State will modify or rescind existing sanctions waivers and cooperate with the treasury to implement a campaign “aimed at driving Iran’s oil exports to zero,” the official added.

Trump famously unilaterally withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal on May 8, 2018 – which had initially been implemented under Obama in 2015.

WTI bounced about $2.00 in very short order on the fresh Reuters headline and newswires…

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US Launches Reconnaissance Aerial Monitoring Aircraft Over Mexican Border in Run-up to Potential Cartel Strike

This ought to scare the hell out of the cartel drug lords on the ground.
The US is allegedly flying reconnaissance planes inside Mexico.

On his second day in office President Trump officially designated drug cartels on the southern border as terrorist organizations.

Last week Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that “all options are on the table” regarding the Mexican cartels.

President Trump is not fooling around with the Mexican cartels.

Aviacionline reported Monday (in Spanish) that US authorities are using high-tech aircraft over the border to strengthen surveillance over possible illicit activities.

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GAZA WILL BE REBUILT IN REGIONAL DEAL – Trump Says Israel Is Not Big Enough – Greater Israel Is Back On

President Trump reiterated his support for ‘Greater Israel’ yesterday, the concept of enlarging the geographic footprint of The Jewish State in the Middle East.

During an interview (video below), Trump talked about how small Israel was in comparison with the rest of the region, and how this was not a good thing.

Trump initially was reported to have resisted this development in Northern Gaza, as we reported, by allowing Gaza resident back to the area quickly, but this reservation seems to have gone by the wayside.

Trump has pushed back against Israeli demands for a war with Iran, including U.S. forces.

“It’s not our war,” the President declared.

President Trump has made very clear recently his desire to remove citizens from the Gaza Strip, and deport them to other nations like Egypt, Jordan, Albania, and Indonesia.

However, besides Albania, none of these nations are publicly open to the idea. Egypt and Jordan have been adamant against it. This is likely because would mean Hamas militants being installed in-country, in addition to the loss of Muslim street cred worldwide on the Palestinian issue.

Trump disclosed however that he will meet with Egyptian representatives this week. The U.S. gives a large amount of foreign aid to Egypt and this will likely be an offer Egypt can’t refuse.

Egypt is also amassing tanks and other military equipment in the Sinai Desert, a violation of the Camp David Accords, according to regional reports.

Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week at The White House in his first foreign dignitary joint appearance in D.C. during his presidency.

Israel has acquired territory in Syria, and looks to be retaining it long term for security reasons. Lebanese territory is also up in the air, pending execution of the ceasefire with Hezbollah.

The West Bank is also in play.

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CEO of Canada’s 2nd-biggest company defends Trump’s tariff demands, slams Trudeau for not stopping trade war

The CEO of Canada’s second-largest publicly traded company says Canadians want their government to do all the things that President Trump is demanding — and slammed outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not preventing the trade war.

Trump, 78, on Saturday, signed an executive order to slap 25% across-the-board tariffs on America’s northern neighbor, citing its failure to meet his demands on helping stop the fentanyl and illegal immigration trade.

“Canada thrives when it works with America together. Win by helping America win. Trump believes that Canada has not held its side of the bargain,” Tobi Lutke, who co-founded Shopify, wrote on X.

“These are things that every Canadian wants its government to do, too. These are not crazy demands, even if they came from an unpopular source. These tariffs are going to be devastating to so many people’s lives and small businesses.”

Lutke’s withering critique came in response to a clip of Trudeau announcing 25% retaliatory tariffs on $107 billion worth of US goods and pushing for policies targeting red states.

Shopify, the e-commerce giant that Lutke co-founded in 2006, is worth about $150 billion. It’s Canada’s biggest tech company and biggest-ever startup — and second only to the Royal Bank of Canada in size.

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Did We Just See Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan?

A leaked document has given us a first glimpse at Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian online newspaper Strana, U.S. officials handed the plan to European diplomats who then passed it on to Ukraine.

The existence of the plan has not been verified, and Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has said “no ‘100-day peace plan’ as reported by the media exists in reality.”

If the plan is real, if it is being put on the table by the Trump administration as a finished product that, if rejected, will lead to more sanctions on Russia and more weapons for Ukraine, as Trump has threatened, then the war will go on, and Trump’s promise to quickly end the war will vanish in a puff of delusion. But if the plan is put on the table as a starting point for negotiations, then there is hope. And there is suggestion that it is a starting point.

Here is an item by item analysis of what each side may consider acceptable in the plan and what each side may insist on negotiating further.

The process begins with an immediate phone call between Trump and Putin followed by discussions between Washington and Kiev. That the plan may be intended as a starting point for negotiations is suggested by the fork in the schedule that negotiations will continue if common ground is found or pause if it is not. Further negotiations would lead to an Easter truce along the front line, an end of April peace conference, and a May 9 declaration of an agreement.

Russia has said that the Istanbul agreement could still be “the basis for starting negotiations.” In June, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin set out a peace proposal based on the Istanbul agreement, but adjusted for current territorial realities. Putin’s proposal had four points. Ukraine must abandon plans to join NATO, they must withdraw from the four annexed territories, they must agree to limits on the size of their armed forces, and they must ensure the rights of ethnic Russians in Ukraine.

The alleged Trump plan can be evaluated by comparison to Putin’s proposal and to recent statements made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Audit USAID… Then Shut It Down!

As of this writing, when you attempt to access the US Agency for International Development (USAID) website or social media pages you are informed that, “This site can’t be reached.” The media reports that the new Trump Administration has not only frozen USAID activities but may be planning on bringing it back under control of the US State Department. Other reports, including statements by Elon Musk, suggest that it will be closed completely.

If true, the closing of USAID may be one of the most significant changes President Trump has made among many dramatic actions in his first couple of weeks in office. Many Americans may still have the idea that USAID is a government agency delivering relief at disaster sites overseas. They may still remember the bags of rice or grain with the USAID logo on them. But that is not USAID.

USAID is a key component of the US government’s “regime change” operations worldwide. USAID spends billions of dollars every year propping up “NGOs” overseas that function as shadow governments, eating away at elected governments that the US interventionists want to overthrow. Behind most US foreign policy disasters overseas you will see the fingerprints of USAID. From Ukraine to Georgia and far beyond, USAID is meddling in the internal affairs of foreign countries – something that would infuriate Americans if it was happening to us.

When President Trump ordered a 90 day pause in USAID activities, we quickly learned just how pernicious the agency really is. The US media reported that Ukrainian press outlets were scrambling to keep their doors open when the US dollars stopped flowing. It is reported that 90 percent of the media outlets are funded by the US government!

This means that there is virtually no independent media in Ukraine, only fake news outlets willing to toe the US Administration’s propaganda line. Does anyone think these wholly US-funded “news” outlets would ever publish a story that the US government did not want published?

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Canada announces US tariffs on hold for 30 days after Justin Trudeau holds ‘good phone call with President Trump’

President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a temporary deal Monday evening to halt the imposition of 25% tariffs on each other’s imports for 30 days while a final border security pact gets hashed out.

Trump, 78, and Trudeau, 53, spoke on the phone twice Monday before announcing the agreement, with Canada set to ensure 10,000 troops will be stationed at the northern border and the PM vowing to take steps to crack down on fentanyl smuggling.

“Canada has agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border, and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like Fentanyl that have been pouring into our Country,” Trump announced on Truth Social, following the call with Trudeau. “Canada will implement their $1.3 Billion Border plan.”

“As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that,” he added. “I am very pleased with this initial outcome.”

In a separate post on X, Trudeau indicated that Canada would move ahead with its $1.3 billion border plan announced in December, weeks after Trump first threatened the 25% duties that were due to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. (Canadian energy products would have been subjected to a lower 10% rate.)

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ICE ramping up arrests, deportations of criminal aliens in Trump’s first two weeks

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ramping up arrests and deportations of criminal aliens in the first few weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term.

As of Jan. 31, ICE-led operations have resulted in the arrest of more than 8,000 illegal immigrants, based on a collection of the agency’s social media posts since January 23.

ICE officers in Denver arrested an illegal Mexican national on Jan. 30 in Adams County, Colorado who was previously charged with assault and kidnapping. ICE also arrested four criminal aliens each with “convictions or charges related to sexual assault” in Washington state this month.

“Sanctuary Cities” fairly powerless

ICE has been making arrests of illegal immigrants with criminal records in sanctuary cities and counties, which do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said this week that it will be up to Trump whether to take direct action against mayors of sanctuary cities. In the meantime, she said ICE will continue its efforts to remove illegal immigrants with criminal records from U.S. communities.

Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), a division of ICE, apprehended Luis Adolfo Guerra-Perez, a 19-year-old Guatemalan MS-13 gang member who was previously charged with drug and weapons crimes. He was arrested in Boston, a sanctuary city, on Jan. 22.

On the same day, they arrested Juan Alberto Rodezno-Marin in Boston. Rodezno-Marin, 39, was “charged in Massachusetts with indecent assault and battery on person over 14, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, masked armed robbery and assault to rape,” according to the agency.

ICE officers in Boston also arrested Wisteguens Jean Quely Charles, a “member of a violent Haitian street gang,” who is illegally present in the U.S. and has 17 criminal convictions in Massachusetts.

ICE “conducted a worksite enforcement operation” on Jan. 28 at Complete Autowash in Philadelphia “based on allegations employees were being subjected to labor exploitation.” Philadelphia is a self-described sanctuary city.

“ICE encountered, interviewed and arrested seven illegal aliens for immigration violations, who were subsequently detained pending removal,” a news release said.

ERO deported Nestor Flores Encarnacion, who is wanted in Mexico for raping a child, to his home country of Mexico on Jan. 23. Flores, a 58-year-old illegal immigrant, had illegally entered the U.S. four times.

Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, said ICE arrested convicted illegal immigrants with murders, sex offenses and gang affiliations on their records during enforcement efforts in Chicago on January 26.

Trump pledged during the 2024 campaign to conduct mass deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records.

The illegal immigrants with criminal records that have been arrested by ICE since Jan. 20 are “pending removal” from the U.S. Official removal statistics for the month of January are not yet available.

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Survey: Nearly Half of Canadian Businesses Plan to Move Production to the U.S — 60% Are Looking for Business Acquisitions In Response to Trump Tariffs

A seismic shift is underway in Canada’s business landscape as President Trump’s tariffs drive companies south of the border.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump enacted substantial tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. These measures are designed to address pressing national concerns, including illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and trade imbalances.

The administration has imposed a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico, with a 10% tariff specifically on Canadian energy exports. Imports from China are now subject to a 10% tariff.

According to a new KPMG survey, nearly half of Canadian businesses (48%) are actively planning to move production or investments to the United States to stay competitive, while 60% are exploring acquisitions in the U.S. market.

Recognizing the writing on the wall, an overwhelming 65% of Canadian businesses took proactive measures before President Trump even stepped into office.

Many began shipping goods to the U.S. ahead of potential tariffs, ensuring their products avoided any sudden cost increases.

“The new U.S. administration’s economic and trade policies are having huge ripple effects in Canada and around the world,” says Lucy Iacovelli, Canadian Managing Partner, Tax and Legal, KPMG in Canada. “There are important steps that Canadian businesses can take to prepare for trade disruption and higher costs and build resiliency.

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