Author: Darnell Thompkins

The trade clash between the U.S. and Canada intensified this week when the U.S. moved to ban most Canadian alcoholic beverages and slapped restrictions on other goods, a step that tightens pressure in an already tense exchange. The trade war between the U.S. and Canada escalated again this week as the U.S. announced import bans on most alcoholic beverages from Canada, along with other products including whey, molasses and more. That move signals Washington is ready to use trade enforcement tools more aggressively to correct what it sees as unfair practices. The decision landed hard on exporters who depend on…

President Trump posted an image on Truth Social showing the American flag spread over much of North America, with the pattern reaching into Canada, Mexico, Greenland, parts of Central America, Iceland and several Caribbean islands. The Hill reported President Trump shared a map draped in the American flag across Canada, Mexico and Greenland, extending his expansive North American message. Trump posted the map on Truth Social Monday morning, reporter Tara Suter wrote. The image showed the flag pattern covering the United States and most of North America. The map did more than decorate borders — it reinforced themes Mr. Trump…

The late 2020s bring familiar economic tensions and new technological shocks, and this piece compares past and present cycles while outlining practical ways households and businesses can adapt to AI disruption and higher borrowing costs. The late 2020s are eerily similar to the late 1990s. Now and Then – Surviving AI and High Interest Rates looks at how rising interest rates and rapid advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping markets, careers, and corporate strategy. It traces patterns in asset prices, labor shifts, and policy responses to help readers see where risk and opportunity overlap. The tone is practical, aiming to…

President Trump says a recent round of renovations at Meridian Park is complete, tying polished statues and repaired water features to a wider effort to clean up and beautify the nation’s capital ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. The announcement frames the work as visible, practical fixes to high-traffic memorials rather than more political promises. Officials point to statue polishing and water-feature repairs as the primary visible signs of the project. The effort is presented as part of a push to make public spaces more presentable for residents and visitors. The renovations followed an executive order called “Making the District of…

Flight data indicate an Amazon cargo jet attempted to abort an unstable landing at Miami International Airport and then collided with a van, killing five people inside, investigators say. Officials say onboard recording and telemetry point to a late decision to reject the approach as the aircraft came in, suggesting pilots tried to go around after an unsteady touchdown sequence. That attempted maneuver preceded the aircraft striking a vehicle on the ground, and investigators are combing through data to piece together exactly what happened. The scene left the airport and nearby roads in chaos while emergency crews responded. The collision…

Art Garfunkel’s terse line, “I’m thinking of leaving the country, frankly.”, stands at the center of a brief, candid moment that hints at fatigue, disillusionment, or a personal crossroads for the veteran singer. Art Garfunkel’s short, plain-spoken comment — “I’m thinking of leaving the country, frankly.” — carries more weight because it comes from a voice many associate with a long, public life. The line is stark and direct, the kind of offhand remark that invites questions without offering answers. Readers can infer restlessness, but the sentence itself offers no explanation. For decades Garfunkel’s voice has been part of the…

The inaugural Lisbon International Humour Festival has hit a snag as several Portuguese comedians withdrew their participation after Jerry Seinfeld was announced as a headliner, citing his public support for Israel during a tense international moment. The withdrawals have created an immediate stir in cultural circles in Portugal and beyond, forcing festival organizers into damage control and public explanation. Local performers said they could not share a stage with a headliner whose political stance they find incompatible with their own values and commitments. That decision has turned what should be a lighthearted event into a flashpoint for larger debates about…

A look at how typical home heating works, why one thermostat setting has stuck around, and practical ways to get comfort and savings without overcomplicating things. Most American homes are heated by one number. You pick something in the high sixties, you leave it, and the furnace spends the winter trying to hold every room at that temperature, whether anyone is in it or not. That single-number habit feels simple because it is simple, but simplicity comes with consequences. Running a whole-house system to hold every room at the same level ignores how people actually use space, and it wastes…

Two Florida men were sentenced to federal prison for taking part in a $34.8 million Medicare fraud scheme that involved supplying medically unnecessary orthotic braces, including devices shipped to beneficiaries who never requested or needed them, the Justice Department announced. The case centers on a sprawling fraud tied to orthotic braces, which investigators say were billed to Medicare despite lacking medical necessity. Authorities found that braces were sometimes sent to people who never asked for them and had no clinical reason to receive them. The Justice Department announced the sentencing after federal prosecutors built a case showing systemic abuse of…

Schools that have limited or banned students’ access to cell phones report clearer classrooms, sharper focus, and fewer behavior problems, offering a straightforward way to improve learning conditions for both students and teachers. Classrooms with strict phone rules are seeing real changes in day-to-day school life, from calmer transitions between lessons to more consistent student attention. Teachers describe fewer interruptions and less time spent policing screens, which frees them to teach and interact with students instead of managing devices. This shift affects school culture in small but steady ways that add up over a semester. “It turns out the solution…