CANADA STRONG

Canada’s new prime minister delivered a masterclass in how to deal with Donald Trump during today’s high-stakes Oval Office visit. What does it mean for Canada’s future?

• Very few world leaders ever master the dark art of pushing back against President Donald Trump’s combative and unpredictable nature — especially on live TV.  Today, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gave the impression he may well belong to that exclusive club — entering the proverbial lion’s den and emerging without a scratch.

• The scene was primed for a titanic clash. Trump has repeatedly vowed to annex Canada as the “51st state.” Carney just won the election by denouncing that goal. Were we about to see another Oval Office cage match, like the infamous, disastrous Trump v. Zelenskyy? Instead, Carney calmly asserted his dominance, and dismissed Trump’s expansionist ambitions to his face… with a measured tone that avoided sending Trump into a frenzy.

• “As you know, from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,” Carney said. “That’s true,” Trump mused. Carney listed the White House, Buckingham Palace…  and Canada. Then he laid it down: “It’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale, ever. But the opportunity is in the partnership and where we can build together.”

Not that Trump admitted defeat. “Never say never,” Trump quipped. 

• At times, Carney visibly cringed, tilting his head and biting his tongue. (“I’m glad that you couldn’t tell what was going through my mind,” he later said.) He often looked visibly uncomfortable and furrowed his brow, presumably thinking, this fucking guy… should I speak up or stay quiet? 

• He usually chose the latter. But when he spoke, Trump listened. “Respectfully, Canadians’ view on this is not going to change,” Carney said. At one point, Trump reminisced about mocking former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor.” He never did the same to Carney.

• Will Carney stay cool as a cucumber in future interactions with the Diet Coke-fueled loose cannon of a counterpart? That remains to be seen. The bigger question is whether his approach will improve the U.S.-Canadian vibes more broadly, amid the astonishing stresses of the Trump era.

• The relationship will “be strained for some time, with Canadians trying to make the best of their current situation,” Alicia Wanless, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told What A Day. “It’s not in Canada’s interest to aggravate the situation, but that doesn’t mean that the country has to accept it, either.”

One thing Carney didn’t correct Trump on: “You happen to have a very, very good hockey player right here on the Capitals, he is a big tough cookie, too,” Trump said, referencing Alexander Ovechkin — who is Russian.

IT AIN’T EASY BEING GREEN

Can President Trump stop America’s renewable energy boom? Crooked’s climate correspondent Anya Zoledziowski explains. 

Clean energy has been on a tear. Renewable sources like wind and solar power are expected to achieve record growth this year, amounting to 81 percent of all the new power added to American electrical grids, according to a recent government report. Jobs in this sector grew at more than double the rate of the overall U.S. labor market in 2023, according to official stats.

That’s thanks to both higher energy demand and falling costs for things like solar panels — along with a push from former President Joe Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act, which pumped billions into this sector and helped create 400,000 new jobs across the country (mostly in red districts!).

Can Trump upend all that growth? He seems intent on trying. His new 2026 budget proposes sweeping cuts to climate and green energy programs, or, as his administration put it, “ending the green new scam.”

The thing is, that push is already costing American jobs, too — something Trump says he loves.

More than 62,000 clean energy jobs have either been threatened or lost since Trump’s election, according to a new analysis from Climate Power. Virtually every clean energy sector has been hit, including solar, battery manufacturing, hydrogen, and Trump’s mortal enemy, the wind.

It could also put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage to countries like China — something Trump claims to hate.

Globally, energy demands are surging, and experts believe the renewables sector is primed to help us meet them. China now leads the U.S. in practically every area of renewable energy, from solar power to electric cars.

Renewables are “generating jobs and are really setting the U.S. up to compete, not just with China, but to really be a center of clean energy innovation, and why would we want to lose that momentum?,” Anne Kelly, Vice President of Government Relations at nonprofit Ceres, told What A Day in January.

So, Donald, why would we?

This story is supported by our nonprofit partner, Crooked Ideas.

NEWS NEWS NEWS

The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops in the military to take effect while lower courts continue litigating the issue. It’s a major blow to transgender activists who sued the administration over this policy, and means the administration can begin discharging trans servicemembers — at least for now. The three liberal Supreme Court justices dissented.

Donald Trump said the U.S. will stop bombing Houthi rebels in Yemen, after the group agreed to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea. “They don’t want to fight anymore” and “we will honor that,” Trump said.

The Gaza Strip will be “entirely destroyed,” far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said today, outlining his vision for other countries to accept Palestinian refugees. Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official said it “makes no sense” to engage in peace talks with the Israelis. Ceasefire negotiations still appear to be ongoing, but it’s an extremely fragile situation.

Surprise! Trump’s MAGA allies in Congress support his pricey idea to reopen Alcatraz. “It’s an interesting idea. It’s surrounded by, I think, sharks in the bay,” said Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT). “I don’t have the details yet but it’s not a bad idea to put some of the worst offenders” there. Ah yes, it’s a good idea because of the sharks. Maybe sharks with laser beams on their heads, senator? What the hell is this, an Austin Powers meme?

Ed Martin, Trump’s choice for Washington, D.C. attorney general, probably won’t be confirmed for the position, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said today. That’s because Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) opposes Martin’s nomination right now. Why could that be? Is it his hundred-plus appearances on Russian state media? Or his defense of January 6 rioters? This is a rare blow for Trump, who voiced his support for Martin’s nomination yesterday. And a rare victory for the forces of normalcy and competence everywhere!

Trump’s National Park Service temporarily suspended an air-quality monitoring program at parks across the country. This data is used by federal officials to determine whether power plants or oil refineries should receive grants to build near those parks. So, one day, in some otherwise scenic park, you might even be able to smell the budget cuts! Thank you, Mr. President!

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) wants the FBI to find out who has been anonymously sending pizzas to the homes of federal judges in recent weeks. The deliveries appear to be threatening: Some of the deliveries — sent to judges on cases the Trump administration is defending — are ordered under the name of Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. Anderl was fatally shot by an attorney dressed as a delivery driver in 2020. I mean, I didn’t think you could make pizza delivery that spooky, but here we are.

Former Vice President Mike Pence took aim at Trump’s tariff policy, pardons of January 6 rioters, wavering support for Ukraine, desire to take Greenland forcefully, and brainworm survivor Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism. I’m starting to think maybe a worm ate part of his brain too, but only the really bad parts?

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