In a way, tariffs, sanctions and bans all boil down to one word: no. We’ve just had a month of “no”. No-vember, you could even say. But not all noes are the same. Tariffs, sanctions and bans are designed to achieve different things. This November, the words became confused, a scrambled negation. So it is with Donald Trump’s tariffs , promised during the election campaign as a way to protect American manufacturing interests in the face of competition from global trade. These promises spoke to the towns and cities gutted and citizens rendered jobless and hopeless as corporates offshored their business. They painted a picture of resurgent industry and innovation in America, leading to prosperity for working people. Trump’s tariff announcement wiped billions from the Australian sharemarket. Credit: The idea of tariffs has economists in a flap. As you are sure to have heard them patiently, if condescendingly, explain by now, tariffs are really taxes on consumers in the country that imposes them. They make imported goods more expensive, lowering the overall buying power of the average punter. In an economists’ paradise, our interests would be best served by removing trade barriers entirely and letting every country produce according to its ability and sell to others according to their need. Unfortunately, humanity has proven unworthy of this lofty ideal. In the real world, there are wars and chaos. In this world, a tariff can serve a strategic purpose – for instance, a country might put a tariff on the import of milk to protect its local milk producers. This ensures it always has access to the nutritious comestible, even if supply chains are cut off or relations with the supplying nations sour. Trump isn’t yet president again, but he’s already described the tariffs he actually plans to make policy. When he gains office, at the end of January next year, he will slap a 25 per cent tariff on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico, along with another 10 per cent tariff on China. But here’s the perplexing thing: the purpose of these so-called tariffs is not to protect US industry (at least not any legal one) from cheaper goods from overseas. The tariffs Trump has announced since winning have been focused on curbing the importation of illegal drugs and stopping immigrants entering the US without permission. Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that his tariffs “will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Which reveals the problem: the word tariff doesn’t mean what Trump thinks it means. A tariff levied on all goods for the purposes of forcing a country to comply with international rules, such as respect for borders and prohibitions on narcotics, is not a tariff at all. It’s a sanction. Sorry, not sorry, for splitting that hair. Confounding tariffs and sanctions is a serious matter, which will lead to poor policy outcomes and worse living conditions for your average world citizen. Only pedantry can save us now. It could save sex, too, and the joy of human relations. To celebrate this No-vember, American women unhappy with Donald Trump’s win imported the 4B movement from South Korea. The name translates to the Four Noes – because adherents say no to dating men, no to marrying men, no to having sex with men, and no to having children with men (which presumably means no entirely to the last, given the tricky gamete situation faced by our dioecious species). This is a classic case of imposing a sanction where a tariff would be better suited. It must be assumed that the women committing themselves to 4B are heterosexual women (otherwise there’s nothing to give up) who have decided, on the basis that some men have political or social attitudes that they disagree with, to place sanctions on the entire gender. Not only is this a neat illustration of the fact that sanctions can also have consequences for the sanctioning party – these women are denying their own urges to inflict a punishment on others – but it demonstrates the importance of choosing the right tariff, sanction or ban to achieve your objective. In this case, a tariff would be more beneficial. Instead of swearing off men entirely, heterosexual women (who want those things) could impose an extra cost on sex, dating, marriage and children by only engaging in those activities with men who treat women well and respect their physical autonomy. There are no rules that tariffs have to be levied in dollars and cents. You could say that, before social norms changed, the tariff levied on sex used to be marriage; selecting for character was called being choosy. Sure, it’s harder to find a decent man than settle for one who’s handy, randy and willing. But as we’ve already established, while tariffs might protect something we consider desirable, they do it by making goods dearer for the consumer. At least, unlike sanctions, tariffs don’t render them unavailable entirely. So the power of pedantry to clarify the different types of “no” is crucial to getting the best out of national and social relations. But it could also create a better conversation around the so-called social media bans for under 16s. This legislation has been rammed through parliament just in time for parents to spend Christmas trying to explain it to their children. The trouble is, the ban is not a ban – it’s an attempt to respond to the damage that autoplay and algorithms are doing to attention spans and to discourage a scrolling spiral of harmful content. And that needs, somehow, to stop. Most people don’t necessarily want to ban social media; we want it to be better. Targeted modifications could help, but even more powerful would be a subscription fee that would force platforms to verify users through a credit card payment. So, yes, it would cost the consumer to fix social media. But if there’s one thing we can learn from this November, it’s that saying no – whether through tariffs, sanctions or bans – can, in the right circumstances, be worth the price. Parnell Palme McGuinness is managing director at campaigns firm Agenda C. She has done work for the Liberal Party and the German Greens.CARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls have been Major League Soccer mainstays since the league's inaugural season in 1996, signing glamorous players and regularly competing for championships through years of success and setbacks in a league that's perpetually improving and expanding. Yet just a year ago, both of these clubs appeared to be a very long way from the stage they'll share Saturday in the MLS Cup Final. The Galaxy were one of MLS' worst teams after a season of internal turmoil and public fan dissent, while the Red Bulls were merely a steady mediocrity seeking yet another coach to chart a new direction. A year later, these MLS founders are meeting in the league's first Cup final between teams from North America's two biggest markets. "Two original clubs being able to put themselves in this situation, I think it's great," Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. "To see two clubs that have been at it as long as this league has been around be here, I think it's a special moment. Couldn't be two more different and contrasting styles as well, which could make for an interesting game, and I would imagine a high-intensity game." Everything changed in 2024 after a dismal decade for the Galaxy, who are favored to cap their transformation by winning their team's record sixth MLS championship with a roster that's dramatically different from its past few groups — albeit with one massive injury absence in the final. The transformation of the Red Bulls happened only in the postseason, when a team that hadn't won a playoff game since 2017 suddenly turned into world-beaters under rookie coach Sandro Schwarz. New York struggled through the final three months of league play with only two wins before posting road playoff victories over defending champ Columbus, archrival New York City FC and conference finalist Orlando to storm into the Cup final. "We know about the history (of our club), and we know tomorrow will define what that could mean," Schwarz said Friday. "To feel the pressure for tomorrow, it's necessary, because it's a final, and without pressure it's not possible to bring the best quality on the field." The Red Bulls have never won an MLS Cup, only reaching the championship match once before. What's more, they've somehow never won a Cup in any tournament, although they've collected three Supporters' Shields for MLS' best regular-season record. The Galaxy's trophy case is large and loaded, and those five MLS Cups are on the top shelf. But not much of that team success happened in the past decade for the club that famously brought David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and many other international stars to Hollywood. In fact, this season has ended a grim era for the Galaxy, who haven't lost all year at their frequently renamed home stadium — which was the site of protests and boycotts just a year ago. The club's fans were tired of LA's steady underachievement and ineptitude in the front office run by team president Chris Klein, who was fired in May 2023. One year ago Thursday, the Galaxy hired Will Kuntz, a longtime Los Angeles FC executive who engineered his new club's roster transformation, most dramatically by landing new designated players Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil — two international talents that LAFC also had in its sights. "I give Will and the group up there a ton of credit," Vanney said. "It's one thing to have players you like, and it's a whole other thing to get them here and get them to connect with your group." Pec and Paintsil combined for 32 goals and 27 assists while boosting the incumbent talents of striker Dejan Joveljic and Riqui Puig, the gifted Barcelona product who runs the offense from the midfield. The Galaxy clicked in the postseason, scoring a jaw-dropping 16 goals in four matches. Puig has been the Galaxy's most important player all season, but he won't be in the MLS Cup Final after tearing a knee ligament late in last week's conference final victory over Seattle. The loss of Puig — who somehow kept playing on his injured knee, and even delivered the game-winning pass to Joveljic — makes the Galaxy even more difficult to anticipate. "He played a lot in the regular season, so it was not so easy to analyze all these games now without him," Schwarz said. "But the main focus is to analyze what we need to do, because it's not clear now how they're playing without him." The Galaxy could give some of Puig's responsibilities to Marco Reus, the longtime Dortmund standout who joined LA in August. Reus is nursing a hamstring injury, but Vanney expects him to play. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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'The stage was shaking’: Taylor Swift’s Friday night Eras concert rocks fans in Vancouver
Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson is tapping a Biden Administration official to lead the state’s Department of Ecology and to keep Washington at the forefront of the nation’s fight against the damaging effects of climate change. Ferguson named Casey Sixkiller, regional administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, to guide the department responsible for carrying out the state’s ambitious climate policies enacted under outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee. “Casey has the ability to craft practical solutions to complex problems, which will be critical to getting big things done and moving our state forward,” Ferguson said in a statement. Also this week, Ferguson named Tim Lang, a senior assistant attorney general, as the next secretary of the Department of Corrections. Lang is the department’s chief legal counsel and a member of the agency’s executive strategy team. Lang, who has been with Ferguson throughout his tenure as attorney general, will succeed Secretary of Corrections Cheryl Strange. “His extensive background in legal matters concerning corrections, coupled with his understanding of the challenges facing our state’s facilities, makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Department of Corrections,” Ferguson said in a statement. With the two appointments, Ferguson has now chosen six department heads ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 15. President Joe Biden appointed Sixkiller in 2022 as the EPA administrator for Region 10, which covers Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and 271 tribal nations. He will succeed Laura Watson who will be chief deputy attorney general for the next attorney general, Nick Brown. Prior to the federal appointment, Sixkiller served as deputy mayor of Seattle and chief operating officer of King County. He is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Inslee praised the selection of Sixkiller. “I’ve known Casey for a long time. I have a huge respect for him personally. He’s done a great job for EPA and I’m happy he’s going to be able to carry on the great work at Ecology,” he said Wednesday. Sixkiller is the first person Ferguson has named to lead a department who is not currently working for the state. Ferguson has said he will re-appoint Marcus Glasper as director of the Department of Licensing and David Puente Jr. as director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Both men were named to their positions in 2023 by Inslee. Strange is delaying a planned retirement to serve as acting secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services in the next administration. She ran the agency from 2017 to 2021. Ferguson previously named K.D. Chapman-See as his director of the Office of Financial Management. She will be the point person helping him construct state spending plans under the threat of a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com . Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and X .
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams appears open to switching parties to become a Republican, as he declined to rule out a future change in political allegiances during a pair of interviews Friday that came as he has increasing warmed to President-elect Donald Trump. The comments from Adams, the top Democrat in one of the country's most liberal cities, riled critics who have grown concerned over the mayor's increasing willingness to throw his support behind Trump and his hardline immigration policies. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.CF Industries Holdings Inc. stock falls Friday, underperforms market
Exploring the World of Trusted Offshore Casinos: A Guide to Global Gaming PlatformsWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. After the leaders’ hastily arranged dinner Friday night at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation” but offered no details. Trump said in a Truth Social post later Saturday that they discussed “many important topics that will require both Countries to work together to address.” For issues in need of such cooperation, Trump cited fentanyl and the “Drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of Illegal Immigration," fair trade deals "that do not jeopardize American Workers” and the U.S. trade deficit with its ally to the north. Trump asserted that the prime minister had made “a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American families from fentanyl from China reaching the United States through its neighbors. The U.S., he said, “will no longer sit idly by as our Citizens become victims to the scourge of this Drug Epidemic.” The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024 — and Canadian officials say they are ready to make new investments in border security. Trudeau called Trump after the Republican's social media posts about the tariffs last Monday and they agreed to meet, according to a official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss detail of the private talks. The official said other countries are calling Canadian officials to hear how about how the meeting was arranged and to ask for advice. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after speaking with Trump on the telephone, said Thursday she was confident a tariff war with Washington would be averted. At the dinner that was said to last three hours, Trump said he and Trudeau also discussed energy, trade and the Arctic. A second official cited defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast, pipelines and the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year as other issues that arose. Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the prime minister who was the first G7 leader to visit Trump since the Nov. 5 election. "Tariffs are a crucial issue for Canada and a bold move was in order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a risk worth taking,” Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Trudeau had said before leaving from Friday that Trump was elected because he promised to bring down the cost of groceries but now was talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products, including potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said. “Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually be raising prices for Americans citizens as well and hurting American industry and business,” he added. The threatened tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries. When Trump imposed higher tariffs as president, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. ___ Gillies reported from Toronto.
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