‘Start being serious’: Canada’s Carney hits back at US officials as tariff talks stall
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney hit back at US officials who have blamed their northern counterparts for the trade war, saying tariff talks can proceed when “Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions…”
When Americans start being serious, “we can have those discussions,” Carney said in an interview posted on X. Seemingly opining on the general chaos of the stalemate, Carney also said: “It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”
Carney’s comments surfaced hours after Politico published an interview with US trade representative Jamieson Greer who not only downplayed the trade war – but attributed the economically perilous stalemate to Canadians.
“It’s more their emergency than ours,” Greer reportedly said, also stating. “There are no negotiations happening on trade right now.”
US-Canada trade talks collapsed just over one week ago. Donald Trump instituted 50% tariffs on $20bn in goods from Canada – the US’s second-largest trade partner.
Canada, in turn, threatened to levy $20bn in retaliatory tariffs starting on 8 September. The policy could spell financial strain for Americans as key necessities – such as toilet paper – come from Canada.
In the Politico interview, Greer also said: “It’s not clear Canada wants a deal” and claimed they wanted too many things, such as lower taxes on heavy-duty trucks. These asks sank any deal, he claimed.
“Was that political? I don’t know. Was it economic? … I’m not sure how much economic sense it makes because the choice is not between the current tariffs and … you know, duty-free trade. Like, that is that. Those weren’t the options,” Greer also reportedly said.
Key events
As we’ve been reporting, Democrats have been speaking out following the disclosure of a whistleblower report alleging the US Postal Service is poised to launch a computer system that could derail mail-in voting.
Virginia senator Mark Warner wrote on X:
Wow. A whistleblower is confirming our fears: millions of Americans may not receive their mail-in ballot ahead of the midterm elections thanks to Trump’s new policies. They are openly trying to silence your vote. We will keep fighting back.
And according to an NBC News reporter on X, California representative Ted Lieu told a press conference this morning: “Just go fucking vote. The Trump administration is going to try to suppress your vote.”
Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is planning to ramp up voter fraud investigations in several states beginning Tuesday, according to CNN.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has intensified efforts to make his department integral to voter fraud investigations per CNN, which cited “internal federal guidance” in its reporting. The department has allegedly “leaned on” one of its agencies, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), to pursue this work.
HSI, which traditionally has pursued major crimes such as human trafficking or drug smuggling, now has an “unprecedented number of agents” to work on voter fraud probes. This includes tracking down voting records for people who are believed to be non-citizens, CNN said.
Asked for comment, a DHS spokesperson said: “While ICE Homeland Security Investigations is not able to comment on any active investigations, HSI is actively rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found. We have repeatedly demonstrated that illegal aliens can and do vote in our elections. Under President Trump, HSI is committed to restoring integrity to our election systems and ensuring that American citizens and only American citizens are electing American leaders.”
While Trump has repeatedly sounded the alarm about voter fraud, experts say that instances of voter fraud are exceedingly rare.
Trump has nonetheless used false claims about widespread election fraud to bolster his crackdown on voting access. He signed an executive order this spring that limits mail-in voting.
That order requires that the US Postal Service to come up with a national voter file. Under this order, the USPS also has to come up with a process requiring states to tell them which voters want a mail-in ballot – and bar them from receiving one if they’re not on the postal agency’s approved voter list.
Democratic senator Jack Reed voiced grave concern about US Army secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation amid ongoing Defense Department turmoil.
“I do not welcome Secretary Driscoll’s resignation. His departure leaves the Army without its top civilian and uniformed leaders, and a military service whose leadership ranks have been gutted by Secretary Hegseth,” the Rhode Island senator said in a statement, after thanking Driscoll for his service, including work to strengthen the army.
“I am alarmed that Secretary Driscoll’s leadership of the Army stands in stark contrast to Secretary Hegseth’s disastrous tenure atop the Defense Department.”
“It is far past time for President Trump to recognize the lasting harm that Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense,” he also said.
“At this moment, hundreds of thousands of soldiers are deployed around the world, many in combat zones. The soldiers carrying out these missions deserve leadership that is reliable, forthright, and focused on the fight ahead,” the statement continued. “The Army cannot stay ahead of our adversaries while its senior ranks are hollowed out and its chain of command is left in limbo.”
Hegseth has faced continued criticism for his handling of US military activity, such as the war in Iran. The Washington Post reported that senior US military commanders routinely voice formal objections – but that Hegseth goes forward with his ideas despite these objections.
The Post reported, for example, that top military officials opposed prolonging the war in Iran. The Pentagon has rejected this reporting.
‘Dangerous power grab’: top Democrats decry USPS system that could thwart mail-in voting
Representative Robert Garcia, ranking member of the committee on oversight and government reform, is speaking out following disclosure of a whistleblower report alleging the US Postal Service is poised to launch a computer system that could derail mail-in voting. Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal disclosed this whistleblower statement, which warned of potential mail-in voting chaos, on Tuesday.
“The Oversight Committee has received whistleblower reports that President Trump’s attack on vote-by-mail for the 2026 election is more serious than previously understood,” Garcia said in a statement. “This new secret tracking system at the US Postal Service is faulty, untested, and threatens to totally disrupt ballot delivery for millions of American citizens.”
“We are fighting in court to protect the right to vote by mail for all and will continue to investigate. This unconstitutional and dangerous power grab must be permanently and immediately blocked.”
Donald Trump in March signed an executive order requiring the creation of a national voter file. Trump’s executive order mandated that the US Postal Service make rules about a process that would require states to apprise them of voters who want mail-in ballots.
Trump’s executive order would require that the Postal Service prevent these voters from receiving mail-in ballots unless they are on a the USPS-approved eligible voter list. While the US Supreme Court paved the way for Trump’s efforts to limit mail-in voting, the issue is still being litigated in lower courts.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also slammed what he claimed were Trump-backed efforts to derail the mail-in voting.
“A whistleblower is warning of a ‘catastrophic failure’ in our mail-ballot system—all because Trump is turning USPS into a voter suppression machine,” the New York Democrat said on X. “Vote-by-mail is safe and secure. Trump himself voted by mail just last month. He knows he’s failing the American people, so he’s doing everything he can to rig the midterms.”
‘Start being serious’: Canada’s Carney hits back at US officials as tariff talks stall
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney hit back at US officials who have blamed their northern counterparts for the trade war, saying tariff talks can proceed when “Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions…”
When Americans start being serious, “we can have those discussions,” Carney said in an interview posted on X. Seemingly opining on the general chaos of the stalemate, Carney also said: “It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”
Carney’s comments surfaced hours after Politico published an interview with US trade representative Jamieson Greer who not only downplayed the trade war – but attributed the economically perilous stalemate to Canadians.
“It’s more their emergency than ours,” Greer reportedly said, also stating. “There are no negotiations happening on trade right now.”
US-Canada trade talks collapsed just over one week ago. Donald Trump instituted 50% tariffs on $20bn in goods from Canada – the US’s second-largest trade partner.
Canada, in turn, threatened to levy $20bn in retaliatory tariffs starting on 8 September. The policy could spell financial strain for Americans as key necessities – such as toilet paper – come from Canada.
In the Politico interview, Greer also said: “It’s not clear Canada wants a deal” and claimed they wanted too many things, such as lower taxes on heavy-duty trucks. These asks sank any deal, he claimed.
“Was that political? I don’t know. Was it economic? … I’m not sure how much economic sense it makes because the choice is not between the current tariffs and … you know, duty-free trade. Like, that is that. Those weren’t the options,” Greer also reportedly said.
JD Vance seemed to downplay his engaging with influencers whom a prominent Jewish conservative accused of having “platformed antisemitism.”
Vance, addressing the Republican Jewish Coalition during a private gathering in Las Vegas on Monday, was questioned about the influence of podcasters such as Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Joe Rogan and Nick Fuentes, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times.
Vance reportedly said that those attending the gathering might have different opinions than these influencers. The Vice President has appeared on some of their shows.
Norm Coleman, a former Minnesota senator who helms the Republican Jewish Coalition, reportedly asked about the cultural impact of these podcasters whom he said “platformed antisemitism.”
“A lot of people in this room are going to disagree with things that Tucker Carlson or Megyn Kelly or Joe Rogan have said,” Vance reportedly said. “But I think, just to hone in on Fuentes and Rogan, I think these are two very, very different categories of people, both with their reach, but also within the ideas that are in their actual head.”
Vance, who reportedly said he was one of Rogan’s fans, told the crowd that generally, the “best approach is to actually go in there and talk to him and make the argument as best as you can.”
As for Fuentes, however, Vance insisted: “Obviously, I’m not going to go talk to a guy who’s attacked my wife or who said that Hitler was a good guy.”
Vance also said that “what we have to do is articulate” why the US-Israel relationship is good for America given “growing suspicion” among US residents.
While Pete Hegseth’s defense department remains roiled by inner turmoil, he managed to find time for making fun of female Canadian cadets.
Hegseth shared a screenshot from Canada’s Vernon Cadet Training Centre on X Monday night -– which, Mediate points out, is the same day his Army Secretary Dan Driscoll left. The original post was of a beaming cadet shaking hands with an instructor.
(This is real)” Hegseth said in his post with a Canadian flag emoji.
Mediate noted how Hegseth’s post drew swift backlash, pointing to responses from Ron Filipkowski, the MeidasTouch editor, and other commentators.
“Just a vile, insecure scumbag and a disgrace to the US military,” Filipkowski wrote.
Terry Reith, a Canadian journalist, expressed similar sentiments: “Am I seeing this right. Is the US secretary of defence trying to shame cadets in Vernon? These are cadets, high school kids. How dare you be such a complete *sshole to imply this is our military, and shame on you for body shaming our young people. This is reprehensible.”
Hegseth’s trolling also comes as he faces extensive criticism for his handling of US military activity, including the war in Iran.According to The Washington Post, senior US military commanders routinely voice formal objections.
Hegseth proceeds with his plans over these objections anyway; the Post reported that top military brass had objected to prolonging the war in Iran. The Pentagon has attempted to discredit this Post report.
In symbolic move, top Senate Democrat to introduce to reverse Trump’s tariffs
Democratic senator Chuck Schumer is introducing a bill that would reverse Donald Trump’s most recent tariffs, among them the new 50% duty on Canadian goods, MS Now reported.
While the Senate minority leader’s proposed legislation has virtually no chance of becoming law, Schumer hopes that his proposal shows that Democrats are actively fighting the affordability crisis. Schumer first shared his proposed legislation with MS Now.
The New York politician’s pitch would roll back the 10% and 12.5% tariffs imposed on 60 trading partners this summer, per MS Now – and mandate a refund of money collected under these duties.
Schumer’s proposal would also reverse the 50% tariff on some $20bn in Canadian imports. The duties imposed on Canada, the US’s second-largest trading partner, are expected to increase the cost of living for Americans including on essentials such as toilet paper.
Postal Service is rushing to comply with Trump’s order, with millions of votes at stake
The US Postal Service could soon launch a problematic computer system that could derail mail-in voting, a whistleblower reportedly said.
This whistleblower statement, disclosed Tuesday by Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal, warned of potential mail-in voting chaos. The warning comes as Donald Trump continues to try limiting this manner of casting ballots – on which one-third of American voters rely, according to the Associated Press.
Trump in March signed an executive order mandating the compilation of a national voter file. This executive order also said the US Postal Service must start making rules about a process that would mandate states notify them of voters who want mail-in ballots.
Under Trump’s executive order, the Postal Service would also bar these voters from receiving mail-in ballots unless they are on a USPS-approved roster of eligible voters.
The US Supreme Court sided with Trump’s effort to limit mail-in voting, rejecting a lower court’s injunction against this executive order. Several days later, a lower court once again stopped Trump’s push in a decision that’s expected to reach the Supreme Court.
The unnamed whistleblower alleged that the US Postal Service was rushing to construct a complex system that, in normal circumstances, would require one year or more to build. At times, this work was in contravention of judicial orders to stop this activity, AP said.
With these new procedures, a simple scanning error in a group of tens of thousands of ballots could keep them from arriving at voters’ homes, per AP.
“The Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans,” Blumenthal reportedly said prior to disclosing whistleblower information. “This administration seems hell-bent on changing the framework on casting ballots in this country clearly for political reasons.”
There’s more from Jamieson Greer’s Politico interview worth highlighting, as his comments strongly suggest that both countries might face these taxes for the long-haul.
Greer reportedly said that Canadian officials “already have the best deal in the world” with US tariffs on the country’s aluminum and steel. While the Trump administration was open to participating in Canada’s “Fortress North America” pitch to fight bargain Chinese goods from filling both countries’ markets, the country wanted too much, Greer said.
“We will bear hug you on this idea of Fortress North America, and we offered that to them, and they looked at it square in the face,” Greer remarked. “They went back to Ottawa, discussed it further, and they came back and said, ‘No, not unless we get these additional things,’ and then they walked away.”
The unacceptable asks from Canada, Greer said, included lighter taxes on heavy-duty trucks. He said that these requests torpedoed the trade talks. (Canadian officials, on the other hand, attributed the collapsed negotiations to White House disagreement over who was directing trade talks, per Politico)
“Was that political? I don’t know. Was it economic? … I’m not sure how much economic sense it makes because the choice is not between the current tariffs and … you know, duty-free trade. Like, that is that. Those weren’t the options,” Greer also said.
US trade official downplays Canada trade war: ‘It’s more their emergency than ours’
US trade representative Jamieson Greer downplayed the potentially disastrous impact of a trade war with Canada, telling Politico: “It’s more their emergency than ours.”
“There are no negotiations happening on trade right now,” Green also told the website.
Greer’s comments come just over one week after US-Canada trade talks imploded. The US instituted 50% tariffs on $20bn in Canadian goods.
Canada, the US’s second-largest trading partner, announced it would impose retaliatory tariffs on $20bn of American goods starting on 8 September. Now, US residents are poised to feel extreme pressure from Trump’s tariffs and Canada’s retaliatory measures, including on day-to-day items.
Canada has threatened to impose a 25% to 50% tariff on “toilet paper or face tissue stock,” for example. As the US imported $328m in toilet paper from Canada in 2024, per the World Bank, the country is by far the largest exporter of this product to the US. Major retailers source many of their paper products from Canada.
Greer placed the escalating trade war on the US’s northernmost neighbor, insisting “it’s not clear Canada wants a deal.”
“If Canada believes that prohibiting and banning American goods and services is appropriate, then obviously that’s something that the United States should consider as well,” he reportedly said.
The US will aim to persuade G20 members to take a hands-off approach to regulating AI, according to a Trump White House official, at a gathering of industry titans and commerce ministers that begins on Tuesday in North Carolina.
Leaders are convening at a key moment in the AI sector’s development and the global debate over how to govern it, and as the US faces an increasing threat from China for AI supremacy, Reuters reported.
The two-day meeting will be hosted by US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and White House tech adviser Michael Kratsios, formerly of data and evaluations provider Scale AI. Kratsios will push for a “pro-growth vision for the future of emerging technologies,” he said in a statement.
A United Nations panel recently warned that AI’s developments are outpacing scientific understanding and government policy. Recent events, including a hack triggered by a rogue OpenAI agent that compromised the infrastructure of AI company Hugging Face, added to concerns about how closely leading AI companies are monitoring tests of their products.
AI agents are programs that run with minimal human supervision.
Dharna Noor
Donald Trump this month announced plans to rescind a landmark rule that has protected old-growth forests in the US for 25 years. If finalized, the rollback is expected to benefit the companies that Tom Schultz, chief of the US Forest Service, represented in his previous roles as a timber industry lobbyist and executive, according to research by consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen.
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, more commonly known as the “roadless rule”, was adopted in 2001 to limit development in roughly 45m acres of national forest. Industry interests and Republican representatives have long lobbied for the rule’s rescission, which would open up those swaths of untouched land to road construction, drilling and logging.
In a statement, Schultz described the move as “the best way to restore the balance, reduce wildfire risk, and secure the long-term health of our forests and neighboring communities”. But studies suggest it could put 400 threatened and endangered species at risk and imperil ecosystems.
Industry interests will be the main beneficiaries of the change, advocates fear.
In an emailed statement, a Forest Service spokesperson, who did not provide their name, noted that Schultz had also held positions in Idaho and Montana government.
“Chief Schultz’s appointment reflects the administration’s recognition that the Forest Service’s current challenges require leadership with broad federal land management experience, not just internal tenure,” the person said.
Schultz is the first-ever Forest Service chief who did not previously work within the agency itself. Before Trump tapped him for the job, he served as president of the Federal Forest Resource Coalition, a trade association representing companies that purchase timber from the federal government, and was also vice-president of resources and government affairs at Idaho Forest Group, a major lumber manufacturer.
Michael Sainato
House Republicans are investigating several US labor unions based on claims from far-right nonprofits alleging union dues are being used for illegal political funding.
Republicans on the House’s education and workforce committee opened the investigation this summer after multiple reports from the conservative thinktanks targeted unions and their spending, claiming that unions are using member dues to support Democratic causes.
While unions are allowed to advocate for political causes, they are prohibited from using union dues to directly fund specific candidates or political action committees (Pacs). Union members can voluntary donate to labor union’s political action committees.
The unions under investigation include the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), United Auto Workers, United Steelworkers, Smart Transportation Division (Smart-TD), Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED).
The allegations come from research reports by the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a “dark money” nonprofit that counts Project 2025 architect the Heritage Foundation as a donor, and the Freedom Foundation, a conservative thinktank whose chairman once protested against Labor Day, claiming “I can’t think of a problem in society that can’t be traced in some way back to the abuses of organized labor.”
Thousands of American service members are about to descend on eastern Thailand, as the USS Abraham Lincoln makes a port call near the city of Pattaya.
The aircraft carrier sailed past Singapore over the weekend on its way back to the US after a lengthy deployment in the Middle East as part of the US war against Iran.
The Lincoln is expected to dock at a port in Chonburi province this week, according to Thai officials.
More than 5,000 American service members are onboard and many are expected to visit Pattaya, according to the city’s Mayor Poramet Ngampichet, who hopes the port call will boost the local economy. He said destroyer USS Frank E Petersen Jr will dock at a different port.
“For Pattaya to be seen as an important vacation spot is something that we have aimed for,” Poramet said. “We welcome more visits of the troops in the future, whether for a drill or a vacation, before they go back to the US.”
Massachusetts primaries test Democratic appetite for generational change
Generational change is on the ballot in Massachusetts on Tuesday as Democratic voters choose whether to renominate 80-year-old progressive senator Ed Markey or replace him on the ballot with 47-year-old representative Seth Moulton.
Markey, who has served in Congress for nearly 50 years, is backed by leading progressives such as senator Bernie Sanders and representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as most members of the state’s congressional delegation, including senator Elizabeth Warren.
No members of the delegation have endorsed Moulton, a moderate US Marine Corps veteran whose supporters include New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and the Democratic organization VoteVets, Reuters reported.
The Boston Globe’s editorial board is also behind Moulton, casting him as a necessary agent of change with “proven leadership skills” and positions on key issues that align with most voters.
Markey has a nearly $2m fundraising advantage over Moulton, and Markey has led in recent polls by a double-digit margin. The primary winner is heavily favored to win in November.
Democrat Kamala Harris carried the state by nearly 25 percentage points in 2024.
A similar generational challenge is playing out in the Boston area, where moderate representative Stephen Lynch, 71, is facing progressive attorney Patrick Roath, 39.
House to vote on stopgap funding bill as lawmakers scramble to avoid government shutdown
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
House speaker Mike Johnson will launch a floor vote to pass the stopgap funding bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the midterm elections.
“The first thing is we’ve got to make sure this government gets funded and we don’t have another Democratic shutdown,” he told reporters as he prepared to open the chamber for business.
The short-term funding bill underwent some significant changes in the Senate, which made it more palatable for Democrats.
It delays a proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget that would give political appointees more power over the distribution of federal grants. It also includes language to ensure the administration cannot transfer funds to the Border Patrol.
But a provision that delays for one month a federal ban on intoxicating hemp THC products has prompted criticism from many GOP lawmakers.
As a result, GOP leaders will probably place the bill on a fast-track process that avoids a separate procedural vote, bypassing any Republican efforts to block or stall the legislation.
Suspension bills require a two-thirds vote to pass, meaning a significant number from both parties need to support the measure for it to pass and advance to Trump’s desk. The funding vote will most likely take place later today.
In other developments:
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The Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to continue building his $400m White House ballroom project. In a 5-4 decision along political lines, the justices found that a group issuing a legal challenge against the ballroom did not have standing to bring their case. Trump celebrated with a post on his Truth Social platform while Democrats criticized the decision.
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Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down from his role after 18 months on the job, leaving another top military position vacant. Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly butted heads for some time.
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Trump vowed further strikes on Iran and called it a “failed nation”. The remarks came as Washington and Tehran exchanged their first military strikes in a month.
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JD Vance gave a speech in Michigan that included an attacked against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. “There’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil,” Vance told the crowd.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of turning their trade dispute into a “political shouting match”. Carney had rejected the Trump administration’s terms that would have given the US government extensive power over Canada’s trade policy.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to block the appointment of election denier Tina Peters, who was convicted in 2024 in relation to a plot to chase pro-Trump election conspiracies. Newsom announced he would take measures to prevent Peters from working as an election consultant for Northern California’s Shasta county.
