Tuesday, March 4

United States President Donald Trump has confirmed that tariffs on Canada and Mexico have taken effect, just one month after he announced a delay on the tariffs.

Back in early February, Trump signed multiple executive orders placing 25% tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, scheduled to begin on February 4. Canada and Mexico were set to receive 25% tariffs, while China would receive a 10% tariff on all goods. In addition, several clauses within the executive orders permitted Trump to raise those tariffs by a certain amount if retaliation tariffs were implemented by the three countries.

Trump believed that the tariffs were the only way to stop the dangerous illegal trade, where immigrants and drugs like fentanyl were being brought into the country illegally. Most of this illicit business travels through the three countries, and primarily Canada and Mexico as border countries of the US. He also believes that slapping tariffs on the two countries will demotivate companies from setting up their factories there, bringing business back to the United States.

However, after much deliberation from the leaders of both countries, they both decided to take major action. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send over 10,000 Mexican troops to the border, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that Canada would soon begin implementing a $1.3 billion plan to stop illegal trade on the US border.

Due to this, Trump agreed to suspend the tariffs and grant them a one month delay, but that delay has come to an end. Today marks one month since the agreement, and Trump has confirmed that there will be no further delays in the implementation of the tariffs. He also confirmed that the 10% tariff on China, which did take effect last month, has been doubled to 20% starting today.

Canada has stated that they will place a retaliation tariff of 25% on certain American goods, but Mexico has not taken any action yet.

Trump maintains that it will bring business back to the US, but stock markets took a plunge after the announcement. Many American consumers have begun to become concerned over a possible price hike due to the tariffs, and it could spark an all-out trade war between the countries of North America. Experts have backed this idea, establishing that tariffs will lead to a dramatic rise in prices across the board.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The fastest reptile is the leatherback sea turtle, clocking a maximum recorded speed of 21.92 mph.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If you don’t know where you’re from, you’ll have a hard time saying where you’re going. (Wendell Berry)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Draconian (adj, dray-KOH-nee-un) - Draconian describes something (often a law, policy, restriction, etc.) that is very severe or cruel.

In a Sentence: The editorial criticizes the draconian measures being taken by city hall to rein in spending.