Trump Rounds Out His Administration, Threatens New Tariffs

President-elect Donald Trump has largely filled major administration positions after his victory over Kamala Harris earlier this month.

Major picks include Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state, Army National Guard major and political commentator Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as treasury secretary, and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as attorney general (replacing the withdrawn nominee Matt Gaetz).

Susie Wiles, his co-campaign manager and daughter of sportscasting legend Paul Summerall, will become his chief of staff, the first woman to hold that position.

On the policy front, Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, intending to implement a 25% tariff on all goods entering the United States from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, on top of existing tariffs. These sweeping measures would affect a wide range of products, potentially impacting automotive manufacturing, agriculture, and consumer goods.

Trump has stated that these tariffs will remain in place until certain conditions are met. For Canada and Mexico, the tariffs would be lifted when the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the United States is controlled. For China, the country would need to halt the export of illegal drugs to the US before the additional tariff would be removed.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has visited Mar-a-Lago in an effort to begin talks with Trump prior to the tariff implementation. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken a more aggressive approach, threatening retaliatory tariffs and blaming American drug consumption for the opioid crisis.

 

Investigation Begins in Implosion of Submersible

The US Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the implosion of lost submersible Titan, which was created by private company Oceangate to take tourists to see the wreck of the Titanic. The investigation will also include involvement from authorities in Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.

 Five crew members, including Oceangate CEO Rush Stockton, died on the trip, likely during the descent on June 18, when the submersible lost communication with the ship on the surface.

Stockton and Oceangate had faced criticism and concerns over the perceived lack of attention to safety in the construction of their submersibles, using commercial-of-the-shelf materials and a carbon fiber hull. Unlike steel and similar materials, carbon fiber does not have strong compression strength, which made it unsuitable for use in deep sea navigation, where high water pressure can lead to failure of the vehicle.

The US Navy had picked up audio consistent with an implosion on June 18, and confirmed that disovered debris was from the Titan on June 22. Wreckage is now being recovered.

 

Midwestern Air Quality Drops as Canadian Wildfire Smoke Moves South

Midwestern states are facing an onslaught of smoke from Canadian wildfires, experiencing the same phenomenon that eastern states endured earlier this month. 

Residents of Chicago experienced the worst air quality in the world as 488 wildfires send their smoke into the US, 259 of which are deemed as ‘out of control’ by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. Other local and state authorities have issued advisories on the hazardous air conditions, advising residents to stay indoors.

Winter Storm Leaves 91 Dead, Leads to Travel Mayhem

 Last week’s Christmas winter storm has left at least 91 dead, with over 2.5 million left without power for at least some period of time.

Many of the US deaths were caused by cold exposure, some of whom were pedestrians who became disoriented when walking outside in blizzard conditions. Some became trapped in their cars and were unable to get to warm shelter. Traffic accidents also claimed several victims.

In Synder, New York, near Buffalo, 56.5 inches of snow fell.

The cold temperatures from the storm spread across the US. Even in Houston, temperatures dropped so low that bats lost their grip on the bridges where they make homes. Volunteers managed to gather the affected bats so they could warm them sufficiently, and afterwards they released the bats back to their bridges.

Millions lost power during the storm. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began rolling blackouts to prevent more widespread power outages. In Texas, power outages were much more limited than what was seen in the February 2021 winter storm.

The storm also led to mass cancellations of flights, leading to travel mayhem as travelers were stranded in airports trying to get to their destinations before Christmas day. Southwest Airlines was the hardest hit, with the airline experiencing a meltdown of their planning software. Employees were left to manually schedule crews for flights, and customers were forced to spend several hours on hold with customer service agents in attempts to rebook their flights. The US Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into the cancellations.

Shooting in Toronto Leaves 2 Dead, 13 Injured

A shooter in Toronto, Canada shot 15 people, leaving 2 dead and 13 injured before police killed him in an exchange of gunfire. The shooting took place 10 PM local time on Sunday. The shooter, who has not been identified personally but has been identified as a 29 year old male, opened fire at a plaza and was claimed by a witness to have shot around 30 shots before police were able to intercept him. Toronto Mayor John Tory called the shooting “despicable” and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his support for the victims and the city.

Toronto has experienced incidents of violence in the past. Back in April, a man committed a van attack, which killed 10 people and injured 16 more. The perpetrator, 24 year old Alek Minassian, was arrested and is still awaiting trial. His motives remain unclear, though a Facebook post mentioning that he was part of the “incel rebellion,” the first word meaning someone who has been unable to lose his virginity, may give clues. If this were his motive, it hearkens back to the 2014 shooting spree in California by Elliot Rodger, who expressed similar frustrations in his over 100 page long manifesto.