The Latest: Canada strikes back with tariffs on about $20 billion worth of US goods
Sep 8, 2026, 7:13 AM
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Morristown Airport, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Morristown, N.J. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Credit: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Canada struck back at U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday with tariffs on about $20 billion worth of U.S. goods, in response to the latest round of tariffs on Canada. The outcome could resonate far beyond Canada, showing other governments whether a smaller U.S. ally can withstand Trump’s economic pressure.
Republicans will descend on Dallas this week for a two-day convention dreamed up by Trump to rally his supporters for this year’s midterm elections. Republicans have never held a midterm convention before, although Democrats did in the 1970s and 1980s.
Americans’ satisfaction with the quality of K-12 education in the country has hit a low point. Just 32% of American adults say they are “completely” or “somewhat” satisfied with the U.S. school system, according to a new poll. That’s an 11-point drop over the past two years and the lowest since Gallup began polling on the subject 27 years ago.
Here’s the latest:
Cruz warned Tuesday on “Fox & Friends” that Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico is a “talented” candidate with plenty of campaign cash and an energized opposition to Trump.
He said it’s time for Texas Republicans who backed Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary to set aside their reservations about the scandal-plagued Paxton.
“Listen, primaries-they’re good, they’re healthy, they’re part of politics. But when they’re over, they’re over,” Cruz said.
“Often moderates in our party, if they win a primary, will tell conservatives, ‘Now shut up and support the moderate. The primary is over.’ Well, this time the shoe is on the other foot,” Cruz continued, “and it’s time to come together. You may think Ken Paxton’s fantastic. He may not be your cup of tea. That’s not the question.”
Texas has not elected a new Democratic U.S. senator since Lloyd Bentsen in 1970.
Restoration work on the White House North Portico appears to be nearing completion ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the U.S. in late September.
Scaffolding was being taken down Monday after workers removed a shroud over the weekend. The executive mansion’s front columns had been covered since July. Work began in June.
Administration officials said previously that stonework and plaster on the structure was being refurbished.
The portico was first completed in 1830 during Andrew Jackson’s presidency.
The political group associated with Trump is spending $10 million on television and digital advertisements in the Texas Senate race, according to a Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission.
This is the first significant spending in a premier general election contest by MAGA, Inc., and reflects how a once-safe Republican seat in Texas may be viable for Democrats with the candidacy of James Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the Republican nominee in the race. Trump’s endorsement helped Paxton to defeat the incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn, in a May primary runoff election.
The ads seek to highlight taxes as a dominant issue at a time when many voters have expressed concerns about continued inflation. Talarico has favored higher taxes on wealthier households and the two ads seek to portray him as seeking tax hikes more broadly while claiming that Paxton would give tax breaks to first-time homebuyers and families with children.
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Appeals from American tourism organizations seemed to be everywhere Josh Loewen looked over the last year. Billboards and banners proclaimed a state or city’s love for Canada. Online and social media ads offered special deals for travelers from north of the border.
As a Vancouver resident and marketing executive himself, Loewen said he understands the conciliatory overtures. The number of Canadians traveling to the United States plunged after Trump returned to office with remarks about making Canada the 51st state. The acrimonious trade war between the two countries now threatens to reinforce this informal boycott.
But the bilateral rift has not stopped state and local tourism officials and popular destinations like Graceland from trying to persuade Canadian visitors to return.
The outreach is happening at the national level, too. Brand USA, the U.S. tourism industry’s marketing organization, is bringing its Travel Week trade-event series to Canada for the first time in October, expanding and rebranding an earlier program known as Canada Connect.
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Americans’ satisfaction with the quality of K-12 education in the country has hit a low point, driven by a growing political divide and concerns that schools are not preparing children for college and future jobs.
Just 32% of American adults say they are “completely” or “somewhat” satisfied with the U.S. school system, according to an August poll published Tuesday by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation and shared exclusively with The Associated Press. That’s an 11-point drop over the past two years and the lowest since Gallup began polling on the subject 27 years ago.
At the same time, dissatisfaction has increased to a high of 67%.
Experts on education and school policy say the findings are deeply concerning but not surprising.
The Trump administration has played a role in eroding public confidence by depicting schools as political battlegrounds, raising concerns about what teachers should be allowed to say in the classroom and moving to abolish diversity programs and dismantle the Education Department, said Jack Schneider, director of the Center for Education Policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Republicans will descend on Dallas this week for a two-day convention dreamed up by President Donald Trump to rally his supporters for this year’s midterm elections.
Trump has said he wanted to channel the kind of political extravaganza that each party holds every four years to formally nominate a presidential candidate and showcase their vision for the country. There’s even going to be a huge drop of balloons at the end.
Trump had long floated the idea of holding such a convention and Republicans worked to make his wish a reality.
Midterms are often difficult for the party in power in Washington, and Trump believes the event can juice enthusiasm for the party and boost turnout among his voters.
“Pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” Trump said recently in South Carolina. “Just come and vote.”
Republicans said the event will help catapult its candidates into November, but it will also showcase the first two years of Trump’s term. Although the president’s poll numbers are sagging, he insists that running on his record will give Republicans their best shot at winning.
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Canada struck back at Trump on Tuesday with tariffs on about $20 billion worth of U.S. goods, in response to the latest round of tariffs on Canada.
The outcome could resonate far beyond Canada, showing other governments whether a smaller U.S. ally can withstand Trump’s economic pressure.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says U.S. demands could hollow out key Canadian industries and limit the country’s independence, and Trump’s threats to Canadian sovereignty have rallied the public behind him.
“Carney and Canada have become symbolic of resistance to him,” Canadian historian Robert Bothwell said. “And what he’ll want to do is make an example of Carney and Canada and theoretically terrify everybody else while in fact showing them that they need to remove themselves even further from the United States.”
The tariffs hit hundreds of American products, including steel, aluminum, cheese, appliances, clothing, cosmetics and farm equipment, at rates of 15%, 25% or 50%.
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