Trump threatens Canada with higher tariffs over wildfire smoke
President Trump on Friday threatened additional tariffs on Canada for wildfires that have blanketed large parts of the Midwest and East Coast in smoke in recent days, blaming the U.S.' northern neighbor for failing to contain the blazes.
"We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!" the president wrote on Truth Social, accusing Canada of "Willful Negligence."
He went on to write that the problem is "costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying."
Mr. Trump said he would discuss the matter with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Asked about the president's comments, Carney's office referred CBS News to a statement from Canadian Minister of Emergency Management Eleanor Olszewski that said the country is "working with urgency alongside provincial and territorial partners." She also said Canada has spent billions of dollars on forest fire prevention in recent years.
"Canada and the United States have a long history of working together to fight wildfires on both sides of the border — it is a history that both countries benefit from and that we are building on during this challenging wildfire season," Olszewski wrote in her statement, pointing to Canadian firefighters' role in assisting with last year's Los Angeles wildfires.
Earlier this week, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra also praised the "outstanding cooperation between the United States and Canada" in fighting the "shared challenge" of wildfires. On Friday, Hoekstra shared Mr. Trump's social media post criticizing Canada.
Mr. Trump has had a tense relationship with Canada due to trade, NATO, a dispute over a Detroit-area bridge and Mr. Trump's threats to make Canada the U.S.' 51st state.
The Trump administration's tariffs on goods from Canada — the second-largest U.S. trading partner — currently stand at 10%, though most Canadian imports are exempt because they comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal signed during Mr. Trump's first term. The president's ability to levy tariffs was constrained by a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that blocked him from using an economic emergency powers law.
Mr. Trump's latest broadside against Canada comes as hundreds of wildfires burn there, causing smoke to blow into the New York City, Chicago, Detroit and D.C. areas, leading to severe air quality issues. Wildfires are also burning in Minnesota.
Some GOP lawmakers have blamed the Canadian government. Four Michigan Republicans penned a letter to Carney this week that said "our patience has run out," accusing Canada of "chronic under-investment in forest thinning, fuel reduction, and prescribed burns."
"This is the third consecutive year we have had to write to Canadian officials about a crisis that Canada has the tools to prevent and has chosen not to," said Reps. John James, Lisa McClain, John Moolenaar and Jack Bergman, adding: "Our constituents are breathing the consequences of this failure right now, and they deserve better than to be told, again, that it will be handled."
GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio floated sanctions against Canada. And Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy of upstate New York wrote on X that "there should be consequences" if Canada fails to take "meaningful action" to prevent future wildfires.
Carney briefly addressed the lawmakers' criticism on Thursday by noting the role of climate change in extreme weather and chiding the United States for backing away from clean energy.
"Fighting climate change is the responsibility of all countries, including the United States," Carney told reporters.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is battling out-of-control wildfires, was more direct.
"I truly believe the Americans are good neighbors," he said Friday. "If there's some politicians out there chirping away, well, maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help, because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends."
Remember that one time Trump blamed Newsom and California for not maintaining their forests properly being the cause for California wildfires and then we all found out that the federal government actually owns and controls more than 50% of those forests? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I hope all you magats that wanted to save a few bucks by not tracking Cyclospora by cutting FoodNet are enjoying eating lettuce rinsed with human crap water. Who needs regulations
"Fighting climate change is the responsibility of all countries, including the United States," Carney told reporters.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is battling out-of-control wildfires, was more direct.
"I truly believe the Americans are good neighbors," he said Friday. "If there's some politicians out there chirping away, well, maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help, because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends."
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:33-34
I honestly don't know if he is this profoundly stupid or he is just trying to play the dimwits in his base and the independent voters. This is so off the scale even for this clown.
And the CHIPS Act was to bring some manufacturing of the semiconductors back from mostly Taiwan before it gets invaded
Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami, US Marshals Service tells AP
Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, whose social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny has made them among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities, were arrested Saturday in Miami as British authorities sought their extradition on rape and sex trafficking charges.
The brothers were taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service on a sealed warrant, agency spokesperson Brady McCarron told The Associated Press, placing the United States at the center of an international legal saga that has stretched from Romania to Britain. Britain is seeking their extradition on rape and trafficking charges
British prosecutors announced Saturday that they were seeking the brothers’ extradition on charges alleging they raped and trafficked women between 2010 and 2017.
The dual U.S. and British citizens moved to Romania in 2016. They were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations and the Romanian case hasn’t gone forward because of legal and procedural problems.
Last year, they were allowed to leave Romania and flew to Florida on a private jet.
The brothers are expected to appear in Miami’s federal court early next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive law enforcement operations.
The pending charges in the United Kingdom accused the brothers of abusing women in an area north of London, where they grew up. Their lawyers had said they denied the allegations.
Joseph McBride, an attorney representing the Tate brothers, said in a phone interview Saturday evening that he has not been able to speak with his clients but called the new charges out of the U.K. “filth and slander” intended to derail defamation lawsuits filed by the brothers in the U.S.
“They’re pulling out all the stops to make sure these guys never get their day in court,” McBride said.
“We are confident that once a competent judge sees the facts, and once the Department of Justice confronts this egregious abuse of its own authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will walk free. America does not do Britain’s political dirty work.”
Tate has been banned from social media platforms for hate speech
Andrew Tate, 39, first reached a mainstream audience as a contestant on the U.K. reality television show “Big Brother” in 2016. He was removed from the show when a video surfaced that appeared to show Tate assaulting a woman. He and his brother Tristan Tate, 38, are vocal supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Andrew Tate has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for violating hate speech guidelines. His most widely condemned rhetoric includes comments that women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for their attacks, graphic descriptions of how he might attack women and criticisms of people who seek treatment for mental illness.
The Tate brothers have consistently denied allegations of abuse and human trafficking, claiming that violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.
In a statement Saturday, the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Services said that in addition to the charges publicly announced against the brothers in 2025, involving alleged crimes against three women, it was bringing a total of 38 new charges related to “four further victims.”
Both brothers are accused of rape and human trafficking. Andrew Tate faces an additional charge of profiting from prostitution, and 19 charges “for offences relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography,” according to U.K. authorities.
“There is no place for male violence against women and girls, and we will continue to work tirelessly to support victims and investigate all reports made to us,” said Karena Thomas, an assistant chief constable of the Bedfordshire Police, which investigated the case.
United Kingdom (2025–2026): In May 2025, the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) brought 21 charges against the brothers regarding three victims. On July 18, 2026, following a new evidence file, the CPS authorized 38 additional charges and issued warrants for their arrest in Florida, bringing the total number of alleged victims to seven. They are currently facing extradition from the U.S. to the UK.
Romania (2022–2025): The brothers were initially arrested by Romanian authorities in December 2022 along with two women, leading to formal indictments in June 2023 for rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group. Although they were prohibited from leaving the country for more than two years, a Romanian court lifted their travel restrictions in early 2025.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
"Oh give me the beat boys and free my soul. I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and grift away.".......................
Trump's Freedom 250 asks for another $10M in taxpayer funds
Congress approved $150 million for the country's 250th anniversary celebrations. The Trump administration is seeking an additional $10 million amid unanswered questions about its finances.
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is seeking an additional $10 million of taxpayer money for Freedom 250’s grand celebrations honoring the country’s semiquincentennial, drawing fresh questions about how the group spent millions in previous public and private funding.
In a July 29 letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, said Congress received the request earlier in the month for “an unspecified amount of funding” to help Freedom 250 “recoup costs” in a broader Trump administration budget request.
A meeting between Merkley’s office and the Interior Department later revealed that the agency was asking for $10 million to reimburse the National Parks Service for “routine costs” associated with events on the National Mall, including the Christianity-dominated Rededicate 250 prayer event, the Great American State Fair, and the July 4th Salute to America, Merkley wrote.
The request suggested that Freedom 250 already spent more than a $100 million in taxpayer and private dollars it previously received, Merkley said in his letter.
“Congress has already provided substantial funding for these activities,” he wrote. “It is unacceptable to ask the American people to bail out Freedom 250.”
Congress allocated $150 million for the Department of the Interior to distribute, as it saw fit, for the country’s 250th anniversary in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Interior gave $50 million of that to America250, the congressionally created group tasked with planning the celebration, and $100 million to Trump’s Freedom 250 group.
Freedom 250 also solicited donations from private corporations, including Exxon Mobil, Mastercard, Deloitte, and Palantir. Those efforts came under scrutiny this year after Democrats questioned whether the administration was offering preferential policy treatment in exchange for contributions.
America250 declined to comment on whether it had received all of the $50 million. "We have received a portion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act funds to date, and remain in conversations with Congress for our funding requests," the organization said in an emailed statement. As of February, America250 said it had only received $25 million of the funds.
In an email to USA TODAY, the Interior Department said the request for additional funds reflects expenditures related to an “elevated security posture” at events after the security breach at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April and other high-profile threats.
Public disclosures of Freedom 250's finances, the amount raised in private donations and how it spent that money will not be available until after the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
The Trump administration created Freedom 250 as a subsidiary of the National Parks Foundation, a congressionally-chartered nonprofit. The structure of the organization allows it to bypass traditional, immediate disclosure laws federal agencies must abide by.
Freedom 250 has spent at least $10 million retrofitting tractor-trailer trucks into mobile history exhibits that have been accused of presenting an inaccurate, Christian-focused depiction of the country’s past. It also paid Event Strategies Inc., the group that planned President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, rally, hundreds of thousands of dollars to plan 250 events.
Members of Congress, including Merkley, have asked the Department of Interior on multiple occassions for information about how Freedom 250 spent the $100 million in taxpayer funding, private donor information, and costs incurred related to 250 events.
As of July 30, Interior has not yet publicly responded to those requests.
When reached for comment about the funding request, Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said "Democrats are trying to make America's 250th birthday about partisan politics."
"Their divisive rhetoric forced Freedom 250 to increase security at these events, but we won't let them stop us from honoring our country's milestone," she said. "This is just another attempt to divide us, and it won't work."
Freedom 250 has two more events left before the end of the year: the Patriot Games, a nationwide high school athletic competition on Aug. 9-11 at Spire Academy in Ohio, and an IndyCar race around the National Mall on Aug. 22-23.
Another day another and another day with more stupid BS being said by the fool on the hill..........
Trump blames Minnesota governor, not Iran, for cyberattacks on the state's water systems
U.S. officials said authorities are probing whether Iran could be behind them.
President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Minnesota's Democratic governor for cyberattacks on the state's water systems even though U.S. officials previously told ABC News authorities are investigating whether Iran or hackers associated with the country could be behind them.
"We heard in Minnesota there was a cyberattack and they blame it on Iran. I don't think so. I think, I blame it on Minnesota because they're grossly incompetent," Trump said a Cabinet meeting at Camp David.
More than 30 water systems in Minnesota were targeted in a cyberattack Sunday and Monday according to Minnesota IT Services (MNIT).
MNIT said the attackers targeted systems to remotely monitor and control equipment, including the programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in an alert Thursday that cyber threat actors are targeting PLCs and modifying passwords to "to lock out operators."
Despite the warnings, Trump laid the blame on Minnesota and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
"I think that Minnesota ought to get its act together. It's one of the worst run states," he told ABC News' Mary Bruce when she asked about the attack.
Walz pushed back against Trump in statements on social media Friday.
"Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too. This is what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there’s no plan to win a war with Iran," he said.
The governor also noted federal cuts by the The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) weakened cyber security.'
"DOGE took an axe to CISA and left the U.S. exposed to cyber attacks. Thankfully, our experts in Minnesota were able to identify the vulnerability quickly and work with local communities to stop it," he said.
MNIT said there are no active requests from Minnesota localities for residents to change their water use and that it is working with federal investigators in the probe. The agency said it has not determined who was responsible.
"In this situation, 'impacted' means investigators confirmed malicious activity involving a system’s technology. It does not mean every affected community experienced a disruption to water service," MNIT said in a statement Thursday.
"Onward Christian soldiers!".............................
Southern Baptist 'Leader' Listed as Speaker for Anti-Muslim, Anti-Immigrant Conference
William Wolfe heads the Center for Baptist Leadership. This is the controversial company he's keeping at an upcoming conference in Texas.
Less than two months after taking a victory lap following the Southern Baptist Convention’s rightward turn, William Wolfe is headed back into controversy.
Wolfe, who leads the Center for Baptist Leadership and spearheaded efforts to push the nation’s largest Protestant denomination farther to the right during its recent annual meeting, is among the scheduled speakers for this weekend’s gathering of the right-wing True Texas Project (TTP) in Fort Worth.
The first-term Trump administration political appointee made news at a TTP event earlier this year when he expressed alarm about the skin color of people he saw at a DMV office in his home state of North Carolina.
“My boys all look like me—and I want my children to grow up in a country where they’re not minorities,” Wolfe told attendees.
The True Texas Project is listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-government group and, as I documented two months ago, the group’s leaders are considered so extreme that mainstream Republicans have publicly denounced them as “antisemites and racists” and boycotted their conferences.
Among the announced topics for the “Year of the Patriot Conference”—which is scheduled to be held at Birchman Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation—are the “strategy for stopping Islam” and “the threats of Sharia law, totalitarianism & communism facing our faith, freedoms, and way of life.”
Wolfe’s topic is listed as “the church’s response to mass immigration.”
Among those joining the Southern Baptist activist are a former neo-Nazi pushing for a White ethnostate, a Christian nationalist podcaster who talks of Jews being “at odds” with American values and argues political violence is “morally justified,” and a political figure with ties to Hitler-loving Nick Fuentes.
Below are, from my perspectives, the three most interesting figures I have identified from the conference;
True Texas speaker Cyan Rose Quinn
Joining the Center for Baptist Leadership founder on the agenda for the daylong conference will be a woman, previously identified for her neo-Nazi ties, who is now pushing for “creative” ways to turn America into a White ethnostate.
Cyan Rose Quinn—whose topic is listed as “They Gotta Go Back: The Remigration Cure”—serves as spokesperson for a white nationalist group known as the White Papers Policy Institute. As I previously reported, the group’s website includes proposals for convincing Black Americans to leave the country.
“Overall, I’m definitely in favor of the secession of the non-White population back to their countries of origin,” Quinn said in one podcast I discovered.
Quinn and Wolfe were both part of the same True Texas Project conference back in February.
True Texas speaker C.Jay Engel
Then, there’s Tennessee-based Christian nationalist C.Jay Engel, a right-wing podcaster and social media provocateur known for controversial views in which he argues that White Protestants, with few exceptions, are the true Americans.
Engel, who has appeared at other events with William Wolfe, is scheduled to speak on the topic: “Ourselves & Our Posterity: Protecting Our Legacy.”
Engel has claimed Jews “as a collective have largely operated at odds with the Old American way of life, rooted as it is in European Christendom” and argued that “antisemitism is actually just a bogeyman.”
Earlier this year, he teamed up with a Pennsylvania man who republishes Nazi-related books to create a non-profit group—the White Civil Advocacy Project—that claims it advocates for the rights of people of his race. He has called for deporting non-White Americans of foreign ancestry like Vivek Ramaswamy.
[b]The right-wing figure recently defended the white nationalist Patriot Front, saying the group “has done nothing wrong and they seem [to] operate with discipline, integrity, patriotism, and moral clarity about their goals.”
And Engel has refused to condemn political violence—if the violence is being carried out by his slice of the political spectrum.
“I think it’s morally justified now,” he wrote in a June post on X. He added, “But it’s not prudent at all. We are not organized and we have no leader yet. So political violence is something I am currently not on board with.”
In another post, Engel laid down his principles: “For my enemies: violence is never the answer. For my friends: we must restore order at all costs.”
True Texas speaker Chris Russo
Also joining CBL founder William Wolfe at the True Texas conference is Chris Russo, president of Texans for Strong Borders. His topic: ”the impact of legal immigration and the key laws that have gotten us to where we are.”
A 2023 Texas Tribune exposé by veteran investigative journalist Robert Downen identified Russo as “a prominent, anonymous figure in Nick Fuentes’ white supremacist movement” who operated under the username “Optics Respecter.”
Russo had been photographed in Texas with Fuentes who, the article noted, is “an avowed admirer of Adolf Hitler and misogynist who has encouraged his followers to beat women.”
According to the trbune;
“The Optics Respecter’s various social media accounts are replete with posts railing against Black people, immigrants and women. They contain slurs against LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities; claims that women should not be allowed to vote; and screeds against a multiracial society.
“The Optics Respecter account was banned from Twitter in 2022, but has remained active on Gab, a well-known haven for Fuentes’ movement and other far-right figures. Many of the posts have been in defense of Fuentes or parroted his vitriolic disdain for women, the LGBTQ+ community and non-white people.”
Russo reportedly did not respond to Downen’s “repeated requests for comment.”
A Muslim Texan sought to find his place in the party at the state GOP convention. He left in tears.
Muslim delegates and attendees hoping to participate in the state Republican convention were shunned and rejected by members as they espoused themes of party unity ahead of the November election.
