“Canada’s trade and agriculture ministers said they are ‘deeply disappointed’ with China’s decision to impose new duties on [Chinese buyers of] Canadian canola, but stand ready to engage with Beijing on the trade dispute. Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu and Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald issued a joint statement late Tuesday responding to China’s announcement of a 75.8% preliminary anti-dumping duty on [Chinese buyers of] canola seed from Canada. The new levy follows Beijing’s imposition earlier this year of a 100% tariff on [Chinese buyers of] canola oil and meal from the North American nation. … Canola meal prices in China — where the commodity is known as rapeseed — jumped following the announcement of the new duty.” (08/13/25)
“A 19-year-old man was charged in San Diego federal court Tuesday with ramming a federal agent’s vehicle in Escondido during an immigration [abduction], prosecutors said. The man, a Mexican national, pleaded not guilty to assaulting a federal officer, assaulting a federal officer resulting in bodily injury and destruction of government property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Federal authorities later determined he was not the original target of the [kidnapping attempt], according to the complaint. Officials did not disclose his immigration status.” (08/12/25)
“Former Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) clerk Melissa Moorman sued her old employers for allegedly firing her because she reported on co-workers selling driver’s licenses to illegal [sic] immigrants. According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Moorman discovered in 2024 that two co-workers from the Department of Vehicle Regulation were selling documents to ‘nonresidents’ without proper immigration screenings or testing. Her lawyers argued that she knew of the crime after being invited to participate. ‘The employees were being paid under the table,’ Moorman told WDRB News on Monday. ‘I immediately let my supervisor know about it.’ She also informed WDRB News that these co-workers would sell licenses for $200 per person approximately four to five times a day, for over two years. Moorman said that every case she encountered involved an [sic] illegal immigrant.” (08/13/25)
“Clashes erupted at protests in Serbia between opponents and supporters of the government in an escalation of tensions following more than nine months of persistent demonstrations against populist President Aleksandar Vucic. Incidents first started on Tuesday evening in Vrbas, northwest of the capital Belgrade, where riot police separated protesters from the opposed camps outside the ruling Serbian Progressive Party offices in the town. Video footages from the scene showed government supporters throwing flares, rocks and bottles at the protesters, who hurled back various objects. Police said dozens of people were injured, including 16 policemen. Similar incidents were reported at protests in other parts of the country.” (08/13/25)
“Negotiators working on a treaty to address global plastic pollution discussed a new draft of the text Wednesday that wouldn’t limit plastic production or address chemicals used in plastic products. The biggest issue of the talks has been whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. About 100 countries want to limit production as well as tackle cleanup and recycling. Many have said it’s essential to address toxic chemicals. Powerful oil and gas-producing nations and the plastics industry oppose production limits. They want a treaty focused on better waste management and reuse. Countries with very divergent views expressed disappointment with the draft.” (08/12/25)
“A federal judge ordered the Trump administration Tuesday to improve the conditions for ICE [abductees] in Manhattan after a lawsuit filed by a Peruvian immigrant complained of cramped and unsanitary holding cells. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered officials by Aug. 26 to provide more spacious accommodations that are equipped with a bedding mat for each [abductee] held overnight, have hygiene supplies and are cleaned ‘thoroughly’ at least three times a day. Kaplan, a Clinton appointee, also ordered officials to allow [abductees] private phone calls with their lawyers within 24 hours of being [kidnapped] and to give them a printed notice of their rights within one hour of being placed in a holding room. The notice, Kaplan ordered, should inform them that, upon request, they will be given bottled water and one additional meal per day beyond the two that are automatically provided to them.” (08/12/25)
“More Americans than ever are choosing not to drink alcohol, according to a new Gallup Poll. Only 54% of respondents to Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits survey conducted last month say they consume alcohol, which is the lowest on record in nearly 90 years. ‘This coincides with a growing belief among Americans that moderate alcohol consumption is bad for one’s health, now the majority view for the first time,’ Gallup said in a press release. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism cites nine body systems impacted by alcohol use. ‘Current research points to health risks even at low amounts of alcohol consumption, regardless of beverage type,’ its website says. Those who do drink are drinking less, Gallup reported, averaging about 2.8 drinks a week. Over the past two years, Republicans have reported a sharp drop in drinking habits, but Democrats’ percentage has held fairly steady.” (08/13/25)
“A boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized Wednesday in international waters off the Italian island of Lampedusa, killing at least 26 people and leaving about a dozen missing, the Italian coast guard and U.N. agencies said. Sixty survivors were brought to a center in Lampedusa, said Filippo Ungaro, a UNHCR spokesperson in Italy. There were 92 to 97 migrants on board when the boat departed Libya, according to survivor accounts. Authorities were still searching for any remaining survivors. The coast guard said in a statement that the death toll stood at 26, but was still ‘provisional and being updated.’ Based on survivor accounts, about 95 migrants left Libya on two boats, International Organization for Migration spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo said. When one of the two vessels started to take on water, all the passengers were transferred to the other boat — made of fiberglass — which then capsized because of overloading, he said.” (08/13/25)
“The White House has ordered an extensive review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions in advance of next year’s 250th anniversary of the United States, with the goal of aligning the institution’s content with President Donald Trump’s [fantasies about] US history. In a letter sent on Tuesday to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, the White House laid out in detail the steps it expects the organisation to take so that museum content can be reviewed for a focus on ‘Americanism.’ … ‘This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,’ the letter added.” (08/13/25)
“The Washington DC national guard will begin deploying on the city’s streets on Tuesday night, a day after Donald Trump ordered their arrival and took control of the city’s police force, calling Washington DC a ‘lawless’ city, despite official crime statistics saying otherwise, a White House official confirmed. … About 850 officers and agents took part in a ‘massive law enforcement surge’ across Washington DC on Monday night and made nearly two dozen arrests, the White House has said. … Trump’s intervention has been widely condemned as an authoritarian power grab that undermines the autonomy of Washington’s DC local government and seeks to distract attention from political problems such as the Jeffrey Epstein files.” (08/12/25)
