CartoonDems

 

Trump: Canada Charged US Farmers Massive Tariffs: 'No More!'

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced retaliatory tariffs on the United States on Saturday, after walking away from a "bad deal" on trade in a deepening rift between the longtime allies.

Negotiations between the neighboring countries broke down Friday in Washington, putting into force new 50-percent US tariffs impacting about $20 billion worth of goods, or 5.5 percent of Canadian exports to the United States.

Impacted products range from hockey sticks to cement.

"You're at war when you get attacked. We got attacked," Carney said.

President Donald Trump hit back at Canada on Sunday, saying, "Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!"

"They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!!" Trump added in a post on Truth Social.

New Canadian tariffs will notably target the US steel and dairy industries and take effect on September 8. More details would come next week, Carney said.

Trump had previously said Washington "should be able to have a deal with Canada," citing his "good relationship" with Carney.

But on Saturday, Canada's prime minister said Trump set conditions that were ultimately unacceptable even though earlier talks had been positive.

"In recent days, the United States proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair and undermined the net benefits for Canada, and called into question the reliability of any deal," Carney said in Ottawa.

"We cannot accept what they've offered, and we will not give what they've asked."

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer

 

told the New York Times on Saturday that the US had offered to reduce its tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos, as well as eliminate a recently imposed tariff on Canadian lumber.

Greer said those measures would have given Canada "the most preferential treatment of any trading partner," according to the Times.

Greer told Fox News on Saturday that Washington was "moving forward with measures that respond to Canadian retaliation." He said no new talks were planned with Canadian negotiators.

A senior US official characterized this week's talks in Washington as candid and not acrimonious.

- 'Significant pressure' -

Canada has been seeking relief from Trump's tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, which have battered the country's economy, forced job losses and strained what was once an iron-clad trade relationship.

The White House had alleged "discriminatory treatment" by Canada against US alcohol, automobile and dairy products in introducing the duties.

They were originally set to take effect on Wednesday, before Trump issued a three-day reprieve citing progress in talks.

Carney said one reason the deal collapsed was US negotiators at the 11th hour introducing restrictions on Canadian trade deals with other countries.

US negotiators also made unacceptable "threats" to the French language and "Quebec culture," he said, referring to the French-speaking province in eastern Canada.

The escalating trade war was met with anger by Democratic lawmakers and governors from border states including Minnesota, New York and Washington, who blamed Trump for triggering chaos that will raise costs on US businesses and families.

"Needlessly picking fights with our allies and raising prices here at home. That's Trump's economic policy in a nutshell," New York Governor Kathy Hochul posted on X.

Beyond the latest tariffs, the US and Canada still have to agree on revisions to the North American free trade agreement, USMCA, which Trump declined to renew in its current form.

Trump's threats to make Canada the 51st US state have also antagonized Canadians.

 

- Lunch money -

Carney has repeatedly said relations with the US have been forever altered, and that Canada must reduce reliance on its southern neighbor, which currently accounts for roughly 70 percent of Canadian exports.

"We've been under no illusions. We recognized from the start that America has changed," Carney said Saturday. "We recognize that sometimes, its signature was written in pencil."

Carney spoke with provincial leaders to outline next steps.

One of them, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, said Canadians must remain united.

Trump "can't be trusted, simple as that," Ford told reporters. "President Trump is the type of person who would steal your lunch money."

The Business Roundtable, a group of 200 chief executives of leading US corporations, warned the new tariffs "risk raising costs for American businesses and families," and urged both governments to resume negotiations.

 

Bill Maher Demolishes the Dems' Extremism, Points Out a Huge Issue That May Sink Them

Bill Maher was in good form on Friday. He wasn't holding back, letting the Democrats have it for their unhinged ways as he spoke with New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters and CNN's Dana Bash on his HBO show, Real Time.

Peters observed the Democrats hadn't been in tune with what their voters really cared about. Maher said they "harp[ed] on cultural issues where the country thought they had lost their minds." 

Maher nailed how the voters viewed the Democrats as nuts. 

"The other people are saying, 'Yeah, but they want to get rid of Thanksgiving.' We like Thanksgiving...And then they can’t define a woman, and they think the WNBA should be full of men, and just crazy stuff. And so they kind of opened the door for that.”

Democrats keep showing how extreme they are, and Americans just reject it. 

Then Maher really hit them on one of their big problems: how some in their party have a problem with Jewish people. He said, "Well, in the Democratic Party, as long as that faith isn't Jewish, you're good." 

Bash squirmed, but acknowledged, "Well, you said it." 

"I said it cause it's true," he replied. 

Maher wasn't done yet. He hit that further, mentioning Sen. Jon Ossoff  (D-GA), as well as the Left's understanding of the term "genocide." 

Warning for graphic language: 

He pointed out how they need to talk about it "because that is the situation in the Democratic Party," noting how  Ossoff was Jewish. 

"They think Gaza is a genocide. It is not. There’s an actual meaning to the word genocide. It doesn’t come close...And they've all just signed on to this because they’re just big on buzzwords and lawn signs and bumper stickers. That’s as deep as they go.”

He brought up how some on the Left went after CA state Senator Scott Weiner, who is a candidate to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), surrounded him, and harassed him, to get him to call the situation in Gaza a genocide. Their screaming was manic, and they even told him he stopped being queer if he failed to support Gaza. 

Wiener had actually already caved before being harassed and used the term. But apparently that wasn't enough for the radicals. Maher was right on in saying "the Democrats are cowards.".

---

READ MORE: These Two So Deserve Each Other: Pelosi and Wiener's Ugly Succession War Explodes

---

Bash noted the only country in the Middle East with gay rights was Israel. Maher replied that's why the "Queers for Palestime" were "out of their mind." 

This kind of extremism is looming large as the midterms approach because it may be a big factor. We're already seeing Democrats who are voting for Republican Mike Rogers for Senate in Michigan, rather than the Democrat candidate, Abdul El-Sayed. That difference in votes could tell the tale in a close race. 

But more than the midterms, it's a problem that the Democrats know is there, but they aren't condemning or calling it out as they should, as Maher does here. That shows how wrong they are at their very base because all they care about is whether these people will help bring them votes so they can grab back power. 

 

The Backstory on Bill Gates' Secret 'Q' Clearance Is Revealed — And It Is Chilling

The mystery surrounding Bill Gates' extraordinary access to some of the federal government's most sensitive information is a bone-chilling look at how America’s elites are corrupting our government.

And the latest trail leads through nuclear research, the Pentagon, DARPA — and, strangely enough, Jeffrey Epstein.

It all began when Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) dropped a massive batch of government records last month, revealing, among other things, that Gates possessed a Department of Energy "Q" security clearance for more than seven years.

 

DOE describes Q access authorization as comparable to a Department of Defense Top Secret clearance. Depending on an individual's need to know, it can permit access to highly sensitive Restricted Data involving nuclear programs.

Gates' authorization was "reciprocally granted" on June 11, 2014, and terminated on December 6, 2021, according to the DOE letter released by Paul. In other words, DOE recognized an existing clearance granted through another federal agency rather than starting from scratch.

Which agency? DOE didn’t publicly say.

But investigator Sayer Ji, 

 

who is the Senior Adviser to MAHA Action, has assembled a timeline that provides a potentially important piece of the puzzle — and Paul himself is drawing attention to it.

"Fantastic explainer here," Paul wrote. "Gates, a private citizen, had 'Q' level clearance, which is equal to a Department of Defense Top Secret clearance and is required to handle sensitive nuclear weapons data and Restricted Data. Was this for DARPA? And why? This was long before COVID-19."

Ji has assembled a timeline that answers the core question. Gates already possessed Defense Department Top Secret clearance by 2006, a fact reported at the time alongside then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

In October 2013 he toured the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory Materials and Fuels Complex for his nuclear company TerraPower. DOE’s own press release confirmed TerraPower’s multiple Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with the lab.

---

READ MORE: Rand Paul’s Bill Gates File Dump Shows a Q Clearance and Fauci Editing His Pandemic Playbook

---

Gates called the INL partnership “singularly important” and described seeing reactor-fuel analysis in a hot-cell environment as “really enlightening.”

Exactly 7.5 months later — June 11, 2014 — DOE granted him reciprocal Q clearance, required to handle sensitive nuclear weapons data and Restricted Data. Reciprocity means DOE recognized an existing Top Secret-equivalent clearance issued by another federal agency. DOE still refuses to name which one.

Ji also cites the Epstein files: in November 2010, Gates’ science adviser Boris Nikolic emailed Jeffrey Epstein that he had just arranged a private dinner—“only three of us – Regina, Bill and me and it was great!”—with Regina Dugan, then-director of DARPA. Contacts continued through 2011, including scheduling notes and a confirmed DARPA meeting.

This establishes a direct, ongoing channel between Gates’ inner circle and the head of the Pentagon’s premier research agency, reported in real time to Epstein.

None of this proves DARPA was the originating agency for the clearance DOE reciprocated. It does put several hard facts side by side that demand answers: Gates’ DoD Top Secret access dating to at least 2006, his deep nuclear research ties through TerraPower, the 2013 INL tour, the 2014 reciprocal Q grant, and documented access to DARPA leadership.

As Ji states, Congress should simply ask DOE and DARPA whether the 2014 reciprocal clearance traces to the Pentagon’s research agency — and why a private citizen needed that level of access years before anyone had heard of COVID-19.

The stunning revelation really cuts to the core of a question all Americans should be asking themselves: Whose government is it?

It is "of the people, by the people, for the people"? Or "of the elites, by the elites, for the elites"?

Americans demand answers about this Gates security clearance. Because the issue is bigger than just one man's privileged access. It is about our lack of access to what is going on in our own government.

 

Elon Musk Just Gave Republicans Unbelievable News Heading Into the Midterms

Elon Musk, who briefly became the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX went public in June, is expected to spend up to $200 million on boosting the electoral prospects of Republicans across the country.

Wired reported that the ultra-rich tech entrepreneur plans on boosting Republicans like Ken Paxton

 

 with massive voter-turnout spending as the midterms draw near. Musk conducted similar operations in the lead-up to the 2024 election, which included a $1 million-a-day giveaway for voter registration in swing states.

His midterm spending could dwarf that of in 2024, as he reportedly spent $70 million through his PAC to aid President Donald Trump and down-ballot Republicans while campaigning on the proposed Department of Government Efficiency.

The massive sum will add to the pile of cash that Republicans are touting over their Democrat rivals. The RNC has a $115 million cash-on-hand lead over the DNC, which is saddled with more debt than capital with just 73 days until the election. 

To make matters worse for Democrats, Republicans continue to set records for fundraising, and have come out as the clear victors in the battle to redistrict due to the favorable ruling on the Voting Rights Act and Virginia’s illegal redraw.

Any polling favorability for Democrats is likely to narrow as Republicans pour huge sums of funds into key races around the country.

 

Karmelo Anthony Denied New Trial for the Murder of Austin Metcalf

Karmelo Anthony, the Texas teen who fatally stabbed high school track athlete Austin Metcalf to death after being asked to leave a team tent, will not receive a new murder trial after an appeal, a judge ruled on Saturday afternoon.

🚨BREAKING: A Texas judge has denied a bid for a new trial murder for Karmelo Anthony, who had been sentenced to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet. pic.twitter.com/yspWWfQEVJ

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 22, 2026

Karmelo Anthony has been denied a retrial by Texas judge, per CBS.

— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) August 22, 2026

JUST IN: Karmelo Anthony loses his bid for a new trial, keeping his murder conviction and 35-year prison sentence in place.

A Texas judge rejects the 19-year-old's challenge after two days of testimony over courtroom restrictions, hearings held without Anthony present and a… pic.twitter.com/gViPWG9ZJ1

— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 22, 2026

“Upon reviewing the motion, the record, the evidence and argument, the briefs, and the relevant case law, the Court has determined the motion should be denied," Kaufman County District Judge Michael Chitty, 

 

 according to ABC News.

The motion for a new trial from Anthony’s defense team was predicated on an unwritten “gentlemen’s agreement” which prosecutors claim had prevented Anthony from testifying in his own defense.

Information that was revealed in the appeals process included text messages from Anthony on the day of the stabbing in which he expressed a desire to “lick [the] blood off the blade” when stabbing someone.

 

🚨 BREAKING: KARMELO ANTHONY DENIED A NEW TRIALA Texas judge has rejected convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial, according to CBS.

The decision comes as prosecutors revealed disturbing texts they say Anthony sent the morning Austin Metcalf was killed,… pic.twitter.com/9y0E9pFzgG

— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) August 22, 2026

The case made national headlines after Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico alleged that Anthony did not receive a fair trial because the jury lacked a black person.

Anthony is currently serving a 35-year sentence for the murder. He is eligible for parole after 17.5 years.

 

Canada announces retaliatory tariffs beginning Sept. 8 after trade talks with U.S. fall apart

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a press conference in Ottawa, Ontario, on August 22, 2026 after trade talks with the US collapsed.

Canada announced that it would implementing retaliatory tariffs on goods from the United States after trade talks fell apart between the two countries. The collapse of a deal was announced shortly before 50% tariffs on certain Canadian imports were set to go into effect.

Right before the midnight deadline, Prime Minister Mark Carney directed Canadian negotiators to return to Ottawa on Friday, signaling the escalation of the trade tension between the two nations.

After announcing the failure to reach a deal, Carney said in a statement that the tariffs imposed by the U.S., which media reported would affect roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, would be matched “dollar for dollar.”

In a Saturday press conference, the prime minister provided more details on the retaliatory tariffs, which he noted would take effect on September 8^th. He explained that Canada was implementing a “focused response,” with the tariffs “concentrated in sectors such as steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics,” and other goods. 

 

Speaking on Fox News on Saturday, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer said that no new talks were planned.

In President Trump’s first term, Canada has had the lowest tariffs for its exports to the U.S. market.

At the last minute, Canada walked away from a nearly completed deal that would have lowered these tariffs even further. pic.twitter.com/NlGUa7wBZg

— United States Trade Representative (@USTradeRep) August 22, 2026

President Donald Trump’s economic policy includes a heavy focus on strategic tariffs meant to address trade imbalances and encourage American manufacturing. However, Carney asserted that the 50% tariffs would negatively impact Canadian businesses and raise costs for American consumers.

Canada remains one of the top trading partners of the U.S., with trade between both countries totaling more than $900 billion in 2024.

 

Seattle Times Columnist Resigns Over Censorship of Women's Sports Debate

Matt Calkins

 

 walked away from 11 years at the Seattle Times rather than let editors bury a column that gave voice to young women who say they were harmed by policies that allow biological males to compete in female sports. His resignation was prompted after the paper declined to run his July 31 draft about two teenage athletes and a rally supporting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, a controversy that has roiled the WNBA and local fans.

Calkins’ unpublished piece was rooted in interviews with 16-year-old Ahnaleigh Wilson and high-school basketball player Frances Staudt, both of whom have publicly said they opposed competing against biological males and insisted they were not anti-trans. He argued the widely used label “transphobic” is too often thrown at anyone who defends sex-separated sports, and that reasonable concerns about fairness and safety deserve airing.

This wasn’t some fringe opinion piece — Calkins says it was one of several columns the Times spiked when they challenged prevailing newsroom narratives, and he concluded he could no longer do his job under those constraints. The paper’s decision to muzzle an experienced columnist rather than foster debate is a stark example of legacy media choosing orthodoxy over honest reporting.

Meanwhile, the WNBA’s response to the broader episode has been tone-deaf: league officials fined the Storm and suspended minority co-owner Celeste Keaton for five home games after she allegedly cursed at teenage fans who showed up to support Cunningham, while the player’s own remarks — and the questions they raised about competitive fairness — received a protective blanket from much of the sports establishment. Fans watching this circus have every right to be upset that institutions rush to punish those who react to provocation while allowing the underlying controversy to be softened or ignored.

Patriotic Americans who believe in fair play, free speech, and the dignity of female athletes should applaud Calkins for refusing to be muzzled and demand more outlets hire writers willing to ask uncomfortable questions. If our newspapers will not tolerate thought diversity, readers must take their attention — and their subscriptions — elsewhere until journalism returns to its duty of telling the whole story.

 

Netanyahu's Spokesman Calls Out Iran's Radical Terror Regime

Netanyahu’s spokesman Doron Spielman has been blunt in recent media appearances, describing Iran not as a frustrated neighbor but as a radical regime intent on exporting terror and destabilizing free nations. His language—harsh and unapologetic—reflects what many Americans already know: Tehran’s rulers publicly call for Israel’s destruction and bankroll proxies across the Middle East.

That clarity matters. Spielman, who has been speaking to international outlets following a string of cross-border strikes and diplomatic frictions, is doing the job too many Western politicians refuse to do—name the enemy and refuse to paper over its crimes. Israel faces Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and an Iranian regime that funds both; recent comments from Israeli officials underscore the urgency of dismantling those threats before they metastasize.

Americans who care about peace should be furious at any weakness or equivocation that treats Tehran’s theocracy as a negotiable partner rather than an aggressor. For years the world gave the mullahs the benefit of the doubt and watched them build ballistic missiles, nuclear know-how, and proxy armies; Spielman’s blunt assessment is exactly the kind of wake-up call sensible nations need right now.

Watchful patriots should also call out the media and career diplomats who still sugarcoat the threat. When national security hangs in the balance, euphemisms and hedged language cost lives and strategic advantage; Israel’s recent strikes and the frank statements from its government show that precision of speech often accompanies the precision of action.

It’s reasonable—and conservative—to demand that the United States match rhetoric with results: choke off Iranian funding for terrorism, deny them any path to a nuclear weapon, and arm and support our allies who stand between freedom and fanaticism. Weakness invites aggression; strength deters it. Our leaders must act with the same clarity Spielman displayed rather than defaulting to appeasement that has failed for decades.

For full transparency, I should note that while the clip in question framed Spielman’s words as airing on a specific weekend program, public records show the spokesman making very similar, forceful remarks across multiple interviews and press statements in recent weeks. Those consistent messages—across podcasts, AFP and regional reporting—show this is not a one-off soundbite but an official posture from Jerusalem that American voters should understand.

Hardworking Americans who cherish liberty and the rule of law must stand with allies who fight for survival and demand that our government pursue a policy of decisive strength. We shouldn’t apologize for calling evil by its name; we should rally behind policies that protect our families, secure our energy, and prevent another murderous regime from exporting terror beyond its borders.

 

CartoonDems