How Trump’s obsession with Canada has changed its politics

Summary

Apple News Today: Summary of "How Trump’s Obsession with Canada has Changed Its Politics" (March 11, 2025)

In the March 11, 2025 episode of Apple News Today, host Shemitha Basu delves into the multifaceted impact of former President Donald Trump's policies on both American and Canadian landscapes. From controversial immigration actions to escalating trade tensions and significant governmental cutbacks, the episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the ripple effects stemming from Trump's administration. Additionally, Basu touches upon critical national issues such as conversion therapy legislation, the fentanyl crisis, and advancements in treating long COVID. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key discussions and insights presented during the episode.

---

1. Trump’s Targeted Arrests: The Case of Mahmoud Halil

The episode opens with a troubling account of President Trump's intensified efforts to clamp down on pro-Palestinian activism within U.S. universities. Mahmoud Halil, a Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian student organizer, became the latest target of these measures.

• Arrest and Legal Proceedings:

  Halil, a green card holder legally residing in the U.S., was apprehended under an executive order signed by Trump in January, purportedly aimed at combating anti-Semitism. Despite maintaining legal residency, Halil was transferred to an immigration jail in Louisiana. A judge subsequently ordered that he not be deported while his case is adjudicated.

  “He was arrested under an executive order signed by Trump in January that the administration says is meant to combat anti Semitism.” [00:50]

• Trump’s Accusations and Public Statements:

  On social media, Trump labeled Halil a "Hamas sympathizer" and cautioned student protesters nationwide about potential arrests for "anti-Semitic and anti-American activity."

  “Trump called Halil a Hamas sympathizer and warned student protesters on campuses across the country they are in danger of being arrested for what he calls anti Semitic and anti American activity.” [01:30]

• ACLU’s Response and Legal Team’s Statement:

  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) condemned Halil's arrest as "unprecedented, illegal and un-American," urging his immediate release to his pregnant American wife. Halil's legal team echoed these sentiments, highlighting his lack of criminal activity and framing his activism as legitimate political expression.

  “His legal team issued a statement calling it outrageous to try to revoke legal permanent resident status for someone who has, quote, never committed a crime and who has simply expressed his political opinions.” [02:10]

• Impact on Campus and Community:

  The arrest has had a chilling effect on the Columbia University community. Associate Professor Joseph Hawley noted a surge in anxiety among students and staff, with many contemplating the safety of remaining on campus amidst increased ICE presence.

  “We have a lot of members of our community who are on student visas... they don't know how safe it is to be on or around campus with ICE agents prowling the neighborhood.” [04:28]

---

2. US-Canada Trade War: Escalating Tensions and Political Shifts

Basu transitions to the escalating trade war between the United States and Canada, highlighting the profound implications for both economies and the political landscape in Canada.

• Tariffs and Economic Fallout:

  President Trump’s aggressive imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods has spurred fears of a recession. In retaliation, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford imposed a new 25% tariff on electricity exports to the U.S., affecting roughly 1.5 million American consumers in states like Minnesota, New York, and Michigan.

  “Ontario will not reverse its electricity tax until President Trump fully rescinds his threats.” [06:07]

• Canada’s Political Response:

  The incoming Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, a seasoned economist and former head of the Bank of England, has been vocal against Trump’s policies. Winning the Liberal party leadership with overwhelming support, Carney has pledged to maintain retaliatory tariffs until mutual respect is restored.

  “Mark Carney... has pledged to keep retaliatory tariffs in place on the U.S. until, quote, America shows us respect.” [06:36]

• Shift in Canadian Political Sentiment:

  The trade tensions have ignited a surge in Canadian nationalism. Amanda Coletta of the Washington Post observes that Canadians are actively boycotting American products and even booing the U.S. national anthem, a significant departure from previous sentiments.

  “Canadians are boycotting American products, they're boycotting American travel, they're booing the US national anthem.” [07:46]

  This nationalist wave has disrupted the Conservative Party’s momentum, previously seen as a strong contender in upcoming elections. The party, led by Pierre Poilievre, now faces challenges as voters rally against Trump's perceived aggression.

• Mark Carney’s Stance and Future Elections:

  Carney’s assertive stance against Trump aims to unify Canada amidst economic pressures. With general elections slated for October, Carney’s leadership is pivotal in steering Canada through these turbulent times. The potential for a snap election or a no-confidence vote adds an element of uncertainty to the political future.

  “Mark Carney was overwhelmingly elected... to lead the ruling Liberal party, winning nearly 86% of the vote.” [06:36]

---

3. Trump Administration’s Cuts to NOAA: Implications for Weather and Climate Research

The discussion shifts to the Trump administration's significant budget cuts to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), raising alarms within the scientific community.

• Impact of Budget Cuts:

  The recent budget cuts have resulted in the elimination of 800 NOAA jobs, primarily affecting probationary employees. Additionally, critical operations such as weather balloon launches in Alaska have been suspended due to understaffing.

  “The latest round of cuts resulted in 800 jobs being slashed at the agency... some weather balloon launches that were scheduled... were suspended due to lack of staffing.” [09:34]

• Future of NOAA: Project 2025

  Under the Conservative blueprint known as Project 2025, there are plans to dismantle NOAA and privatize many of its functions. Experts warn that privatizing weather forecasts could lead to essential information becoming a paid service, undermining public access to vital data.

  “They produce really important information that people rely on for their weather forecasts... they work on space weather forecasts.” [09:42]

• Expert Insights and Concerns:

  Justine Kalma, a science reporter with The Verge, highlights the profound concerns among NOAA employees and stakeholders about the agency’s future.

  “We have hurricane season that is coming up in June... they are really concerned that they're not going to be able to get people this vital information that they rely on.” [11:18]

  The potential reduction of NOAA’s workforce by almost 20% could severely impact the agency’s ability to provide accurate weather forecasts and conduct essential climate research.

---

4. Other Notable News Highlights

Beyond the primary focus areas, Basu covers several other significant national and international developments:

• Supreme Court to Hear Conversion Therapy Case:

  The Supreme Court has agreed to review a case challenging state bans on conversion therapy for minors. A Christian counselor in Colorado seeks to overturn the ban, arguing it infringes upon First Amendment rights. However, Colorado officials defend the bans, citing evidence of the harmful effects of such therapies on youth.

• Fentanyl Crisis Shows Signs of Recovery:

  Research from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill indicates that the United States is witnessing a decline in fentanyl-related deaths, dropping from a peak of 114,000 in 2023 to under 87,000. Experts suggest that this downward trend may be both long-term and sustainable, marking a positive shift in the ongoing battle against opioid abuse.

• Advancements in Treating Long COVID:

  On the fifth anniversary of the WHO declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic, there is promising news for long COVID sufferers. Doctors in London have developed a surgical procedure to expand nasal airways, facilitating the recovery of taste and smell in patients afflicted by these persistent symptoms. This breakthrough offers hope to the approximately six in every 100 COVID patients who suffer from long-term sensory impairments.

---

Conclusion

The March 11, 2025 episode of Apple News Today provides an incisive exploration of the enduring influence of Donald Trump's policies on international relations, domestic governance, and societal norms. From the targeted suppression of student activism to the strain on Canada’s political fabric and the destabilization of critical environmental agencies like NOAA, the episode underscores the profound and lasting impacts of these actions. Additionally, the coverage of pivotal issues such as conversion therapy legislation, the fentanyl crisis, and advancements in long COVID treatment highlights the multifaceted nature of contemporary challenges facing both the U.S. and the global community.

Transcript

[Shemitha Basu]

Hey there, it's Shemitha. I've got a quick request for you. If Apple News Today is an essential part of your morning routine, follow the show in Apple Podcasts. And if you have another 30 seconds, leave us a rating and review too. It helps other people find our show and it helps us know what you like about it. Thanks. Good morning. It's Tuesday, March 11th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why Canadians are booing the US national anthem. How much would you pay for a weather report? And a promising new treatment for people who lost their sense of smell to Covid but first, President Trump is promising the arrest of a pro Palestinian student activist and organizer at Columbia University over the weekend is the first of many to come. Mahmoud Halil is a green card holder who is in the US Legally. He was transferred to an immigration jail in Louisiana after his arrest. A judge on Monday ordered he not be deported while his case is being heard in court. Halil was arrested under an executive order signed by Trump in January that the administration says is meant to combat anti Semitism. Trump warned he would revoke student visas and deport terrorist sympathizers. On social media yesterday, Trump called Halil a Hamas sympathizer and warned student protesters on campuses across the country they are in danger of being arrested for what he calls anti Semitic and anti American activity. The ACLU called Halil's arrest unprecedented, illegal and un American, and called on the administration to immediately return him to New York to his wife, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant. Last night, his legal team issued a statement calling it outrageous to try to revoke legal permanent resident status for someone who has, quote, never committed a crime and who has simply expressed his political opinions. Protesters gathered on Monday in New York to demand his release. Khalil is a recent graduate of Columbia University and was a leader in organizing demonstrations against the war in Gaza on campus last spring. When ICE agents arrested him over the weekend, they told him his student visa was being revoked, which led to immediate confusion because, as I mentioned before, Khalil is not here on a student visa. He's a permanent legal resident. Halil's lawyer said agents arrested him anyway, saying his green card was being revoked. The Department of Homeland Security can initiate deportation proceedings for people with green cards who have been charged with criminal activity. Halil has not been charged with any crimes or crimes specific to the largely peaceful demonstrations on Colombia's campus last spring, where students set up a tent encampment on the quad to demand that the university divest from companies profiting from Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Trump accused Halil and other protesters of engaging in pro terrorist activities and of being paid agitators, but has not provided evidence of those allegations. Last spring, Khalil was often the face of the student protest movement, sharing their goals with media and negotiating with university leaders over how to end the tent encampment on campus. Here he is speaking with reporters in April.

[Mahmoud Halil]

This encampment is a minor inconvenience compared to the generational shaping events taking place now in Gaza. Throughout the negotiations, the Shafi'I administration treated this movement as a matter of internal student discipline rather than a movement, rather than as one of the great moral and political questions of this generation.

[Shemitha Basu]

And he went on to say their movement, which was organized along with Jewish students on campus, was not about targeting Jewish people or supporting Hamas.

[Mahmoud Halil]

This is a movement, an anti war.

[Shemitha Basu]

Movement on and around Columbia's campus. Associate Professor Joseph Hawley told Democracy now that Khalil's arrest and the Trump administration's threat to make more arrests has had a major chilling effect.

[Joseph Hawley]

We have a lot of members of our community who are on student visas. We have a lot of members of our community who are permanent residents. I have colleagues and students messaging me since yesterday asking about canceling classes or taking classes remote because they don't know how safe it is to be on or around campus with ICE agents prowling the neighborhood.

[Shemitha Basu]

Let's turn to the growing trade war between the US and one of our primary trading partners, Canada. Yesterday, stocks tumbled sharply as fears over tariffs and a possible recession grew. President Trump on Sunday said he wouldn't rule out a recession as a result of his economic policies, which include aggressive tariffs on Canada. One analyst told the Wall Street Journal. This is the first time an administration has said with a straight face that their objectives are going to cause pain. Meanwhile, Ontario's premier Doug Ford, he's the head of government in the province, issued a new 25% tariff on electricity exports to the United States. Ontario provides power to approximately 1.5 million Americans in Minnesota, New York and Michigan. This new tax joins a slew of tariffs Canada had already imposed on US Imports such as orange juice, peanut butter, coffee appliances and more. They came in response to President Trump's threats to tariff Canadian goods. Last week. He agreed to postpone a 25% tariff on many Canadian products. But Ford said Monday Ontario will not reverse its electricity tax until President Trump fully rescinds his threats.

[Doug Ford]

It needs to end. That's why I'M being crystal clear. Until these tariffs are off the table, until the threat of tariffs is gone for good, Ontario will will not relent.

[Shemitha Basu]

Canada's incoming prime minister has also been outspoken about Trump's tariffs. Mark Carney was overwhelmingly elected last weekend to lead the ruling Liberal party, winning nearly 86% of the vote. In his victory speech, he said Trump is trying to weaken Canada.

[Doug Ford]

He's attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses, and we cannot let him succeed. And we won't. We won't.

[Shemitha Basu]

Carney is new to politics, but he previously led the bank of England and he led the bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. He will replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January after a sharp decline in his approval rating. In the run up to Trudeau's decision, polling showed Canadians were eager for change. And with a general election set to take place later this year, the Conservative Party seemed poised to win. But sentiment has dramatically shifted since Trudeau's announcement and since Trump took office, in large part due to Trump's tariffs and his repeated threat to make Canada the 51st US state. Polling averages that show the Conservative party with a 20 point lead earlier this year have narrowed significantly.

[Amanda Coletta]

Liberals were headed for a white boat, and today the race is competitive again.

[Shemitha Basu]

Amanda Coletta is the Canada correspondent for the Washington Post. She says Trump's actions contributed to a huge surge in nationalism.

[Amanda Coletta]

Canadians are boycotting American products, they're boycotting American travel, they're booing the US national anthem. So it has really stirred a groundswell of flag waving patriotism that are pretty unusual in Canada. And that has been a problem for Conservative Party leader Pierre Poliev because his message for the last couple of years has been that Canada is broken.

[Shemitha Basu]

Poliev initially sought to make the race a referendum on Trudeau and attacks on carbon, but now Coletta says he too is shifting his message to focus more on Trump's tariffs. Here's Poliev speaking at a recent press conference.

[Mark Carney]

Message to the president is this. Knock it off. Stop the chaos. You are hurting your workers, your consumers, and most immediately, destroying trillions of dollars of wealth on your own stock market. You're attacking a cherished friend of the United States and you are strengthening America's enemies by going after America's friends.

[Shemitha Basu]

Carney, who will be sworn in as prime minister in the coming days, has pledged to keep retaliatory tariffs in place on the U.S. until, quote, America shows us respect. He'll have a few months to prove himself in this role. Canada's general election is set for October, but it could happen sooner if Carney calls a snap election or the Conservative Party forces one with a no confidence vote later this month. Moving on to cuts the Trump administration is making to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, or noaa, the federal agency responsible for producing weather forecasts and leading research on climate change and oceans.

[Justine Kalma]

They are a very impactful federal agency, even though a lot of the work that they do is often behind the scenes.

[Shemitha Basu]

Justine Kalma is a science reporter with the Verge.

[Justine Kalma]

They produce really important information that people rely on for their weather forecasts that are really important for coastal communities, coastal economies. It houses the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center. You know, they work on space weather forecasts.

[Shemitha Basu]

The latest round of cuts resulted in 800 jobs being slashed at the agency, mostly probationary employees who'd been on the job for fewer than two years already as a result of the layoffs, some weather balloon launches that were scheduled to take place in Alaska were suspended due to lack of staffing. And multiple outlets are reporting that NOAA managers have been directed to identify an additional 1,000 potential layoffs. Between this and the fork in the road buyouts that Elon Musk's DOGE team offered last month, NOAA's workforce could shrink by almost 20%.

[Justine Kalma]

The employees feel that their work is really impactful, and they're very concerned about what happens if that work can no longer be done. This isn't just turnover and staff. They're really starting to see this agency be gutted.

[Shemitha Basu]

A plan to dismantle NOAA was laid out in Project 2025, the Conservative blueprint for the second Trump administration. It suggested eliminating the agency and privatizing many of its functions. Kalma spoke to former agency employees and others familiar with how the agency works who say privatizing weather forecasts could mean people would have to pay for access to vital information that's currently provided as a free public service.

[Justine Kalma]

We have hurricane season that is coming up in June. These are really busy times for the weather service. And so if they are understaffed, they're really concerned that they're not going to be able to get people this vital information that they rely on. And it's also just tremendous stress for people who are still at the agency because one, you know, they are having to do more with less people. For those that are still there, they're having to do the same lifesaving work under extraordinary circumstances.

[Shemitha Basu]

Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case challenging bans on what is known as conversion therapy for minors. The practice encourages young gay or lesbian kids to change their sexual orientation and for transgender kids to identify as the gender they were assigned at birth. A Christian counselor in Colorado wants a state ban overturned, saying it violates the First Amendment by censoring conversations she has with her clients. Colorado officials cite an overwhelming body of evidence showing conversion therapy is harmful to kids and increases the risk of depression and suicide. The justices will review a lower court ruling that dismissed this case in 2024. USA Today reports. There's an increased interest in these types of bans, which are active in 20 Democratic states. The fentanyl crisis in the US appears to be past its deadliest phase. That's according to new research out of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill that says all 50 states and Washington, D.C. have now seen some recovery from the epidemic. Researchers say deaths linked to fentanyl and other street drugs have dropped to levels not seen since before the pandemic. Drug Deaths peaked in 2023 at 114,000, but are now under 87,000, according to CDC data. Experts told NPR there's evidence the drop in fatalities is long term and sustainable. And finally, Today is the five year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID 19 a global pandemic. And there's some good news for people who have suffered from what is known as long Covid. Doctors in London say a new surgery that expands nasal airways has led to recovery of taste and smell for patients. About six in every 100 COVID patients develops long Covid, and the loss of smell and taste is one of the more pronounced side effects. Researchers found a way to get more odorants to the roof of the nose where the sense of smell is located, and they believe that doing so kickstarts smell recovery. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The Atlantic examines the mistakes made in the response to the COVID 19 pandemic, as experts were still learning how to best address the crisis. And the magazine makes the case for why we should remember this time as a moment of strength and resilience in America, not failure. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News News plus narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.