POLITICO Nightly: Canada’s rebel yell

By Nick Taylor-Vaisey President Donald Trump (left) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk prior to a NATO round table in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, Dec. 4, 2019. | Frank Augstein/AP DEAR AMERICA — You might have heard about all those Canadians booing the American anthem over the weekend. Some of you call it classless. Others wonder how a fan can lash out at the Star Spangled Banner and then, seconds later, cheer wildly for their favorite American player. Welcome to this complicated moment for your typical Canadian. Many of our compatriots feel spurned by a U.S. president bent on continent-wide economic retribution. They’re perplexed about the shifting demands behind Donald Trump's tariff threat : border security and drug smuggling one day, trade deficits the next. Or defense spending . Or farm products . Trump has even started griping — falsely, we need to clarify — about Canada disallowing American banks from operating up north. Earlier today, the president sounded more serious than ever about absorbing Canada as a 51st state — a recurring quip that nobody is really laughing at. By late-afternoon, Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made a deal to delay tariffs “at least a month,” according to the PM. Needless to say, some Canadians need an outlet for pent-up pride and frustration. And they happen to have hockey tickets. Family group chats are abuzz these days with pushback: canceled vacations in warmer places, traded tips on how to “buy Canadian” at the grocery store. Many of you know us as your polite neighbors to the north, quick to apologize for getting in anybody's way and grateful for our deep, historic ties to a global superpower. Neither of us chose our proximity. Tectonic plates didn't bend to our shared will. But centuries of exploration, expansion, conflict and oppression produced our continental cul-de-sac. Neither of us is about to leave. Where would we go? Canada, then, benefits from the kind of unceasing prosperity you only get when you live next to the most powerful nation the modern world has ever seen. We see some of you rolling your eyes. You don't think we've earned it. You scoff at our meager military, a fighting force suffering from inadequate funding and a recruitment crisis; or our dairy farmers, whom generations of politicians have protected from foreign markets; or our plucky preference for multilateral gabfests over expressions of hard power. Hey, we all have our faults. For example, we’re not thrilled about all the gun crime in Canadian cities fueled mostly by American firearms smuggled north of the border. (Can you put a stop to that?) But we acknowledge the obvious power dynamic. Every Canadian is familiar with the “10 times rule” — by so many measures, the U.S. is 10 times bigger than Canada. Sure, that’s true of broad metrics like GDP and population. But it’s so much more pervasive. McDonald’s operates more than 1,400 restaurants here. In the U.S.? 14,300. We all know the mighty American economy would make mincemeat of Canada's export-reliant status quo. We do billions in cross-border trade every day, and our supply chains are deeply integrated — but without you, we’d be in a bad place . Most of our leaders gamely claim that nobody wins in a tit-for-tat trade war, but the realists among them admit the obvious: one side's loss would be painful. The other's would be catastrophic, even existential. Still, we have some pride. We may sound hokey as we remind you about our shared struggle on the beaches of Normandy and the streets of Kandahar, and one community's willingness to care for hundreds of air passengers marooned on 9/11. Those historic bonds are real. But a nasty economic showdown, even a lopsided one, will also remind Canadians what we are not. Canada is not the United States. That's one of our clearest defining characteristics. When thousands of Canadians pack Montreal’s Bell Centre on Feb. 15 for an NHL-run best-on-best showdown between Canada and the U.S. , the American fans might need some armor. Montrealers are rowdy on their quietest night. Like we said, this is a complicated time. Most of us want to help you, but we don't know what you really want — and we fear it's more than simply economic victory. For now, we’ll mount the most polite rebellion we can muster. Hopefully it ends there. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at ntaylor-vaisey@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @TaylorVaisey .   We’ve re-imagined and expanded our Inside Congress newsletter to give you unmatched reporting on Capitol Hill politics and policy -- and we'll get it to your inbox even earlier. Subscribe today .     What'd I Miss? USAID WAS APPROVED BY CONGRESS & FUNDED BY CONGRESS! — USAID building closed as agency’s future in doubt: Staffers at the U.S. Agency for International Development were told the agency’s main building in Washington was closed today and they should work from home . The email came early this morning, soon after tech mogul and President Donald Trump ally Elon Musk said he had spoken to the president, who agreed to close down the agency. THE U.S. HAS ENDURED ILLEGAL PURGES BY EXTREMISTS IN THE PAST.... — FBI agents who investigate UFOs worried they could be pushed out in possible purge: FBI agents who are part of a secretive group investigating the surge of “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” what the government uses to refer to UFOs, are worried that they could lose their jobs in a possible FBI purge targeting officials who worked on Jan. 6 cases, according to four people familiar with the matter. Some of the FBI agents who work in the group also worked on Jan. 6 cases, according to the people. All agents across the bureau have been ordered to fill out a questionnaire about their work on the Capitol attack. There are worries that the move could lead to a Trump-ordered purge at the agency, said the people, some of whom were granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters. STOCK MARKET TANKED & TRUMP'S FOLLY COLLAPSED! TRUMP PROVED HIS ECONOMIC   INCOMPETENCE! — Trump agrees to 30-day pause on Canada tariffs : President Donald Trump has agreed to pause new tariffs on Canadian goods for at least 30 days , Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today after a phone call with the U.S. leader. “I just had a good call with President Trump,” Trudeau wrote on the social media platform X. “Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together.” Earlier today, Trump reached an agreement with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to delay threatened tariffs on Mexico for a month while the two sides work on fentanyl and migration issues that had motivated the U.S. president to take action on Saturday. ILLEGAL FUNDING FREEZE!  — Judge signals plan to further block Trump spending freeze : A federal judge expressed concern today that the Trump administration is continuing to implement a blanket freeze on federal spending despite two court orders to pause it during ongoing lawsuits. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan said some nonprofits continued to be hampered by the freeze and still couldn’t access promised funding, an obstacle she said appeared to be a direct result of the Trump White House’s week-old freeze. That’s despite AliKhan’s ruling last week, along with another from a federal judge in Rhode Island, blocking the White House from implementing the funding freeze while litigation is pending. AliKhan said she was prepared to issue another, broader block on the White House’s policy, a short-term victory for nonprofits who say the Trump administration’s rushed effort may have crossed legal boundaries. THE NEW ADMINISTRATION CONGRESS CREATED & FUNDED USAID! THIS IS IN VIOLATION OF IMPOUNDMENT!  CHINA IS PROMOTING CHEAP CLEAN ENERGY & BUILDING ROADS, MAKING FRIENDS WHILE TRUMP & HIS LACKEYS DENY HUNGRY CHILDREN FOOD!  BIG MARCO — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today that he is now the acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development , the latest evidence that the Trump administration is moving to gut the foreign assistance agency and bring it under the control of the State Department. He went on to say that the organization has failed to further U.S. national interests and accused it of considering itself “somehow a global charity.” But he stopped short of saying the Trump administration is going to eliminate the agency, saying “this is not about ending USAID.” GENUFECTING TO NETANYAHU'S LIES & EMBRACING GAZA GENOCIDE! ANOTHER WITHDRAWAL — President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council and prohibiting future funding for the U.N. relief agency for Gaza, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. The actions, which reinstate policies in place during the last Trump administration, come one day before the president is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. The U.S. has long accused the council of bias against Israel and of giving cover to governments with human rights abuses. It comes after the Biden administration paused funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA, following reports that staffers were involved in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. ANOTHER SCAM & MORE CORRUPTION! SOVEREIGN ACTION — President Donald Trump today signed an executive order directing the Treasury and Commerce departments to take steps to form a sovereign wealth fund that could be used to fund new government projects and investments — including a possible acquisition of TikTok. “Other countries have sovereign wealth funds. They’re much smaller countries. They’re not the United States,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We’re going to be doing something perhaps with TikTok. Perhaps not. if we make the right deal we’ll do it … Or if we make a partnership with very wealthy people.” The new wealth fund, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters could be formed in the next 12 months, could be used to finance major government projects and fund strategic investments in critical areas like supply chains. Sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East and Europe are among the largest institutional investors in the world, providing massive pools of capital for Wall Street firms and the U.S. tech industry. AROUND THE WORLD Newly named Prime Minister François Bayrou stands at the prime minister's residence Dec. 13, 2024 in Paris. | Christophe Ena/AP HIGH WIRE ACT — French Prime Minister François Bayrou is planning to put his job on the line four times this week as he attempts to enact a long-overdue budget for 2025. The audacious gambit began today, when Bayrou pushed through part of the budget using a constitutional maneuver that allows the government to pass legislation without a vote, but that in turn allows opposition lawmakers to put forward no-confidence motions. Bayrou triggered the measure, Article 49.3 of the constitution, twice today. The prime minister will employ the same maneuver twice more in the next week to pass all the remaining parts of the budget, according to a lawmaker from Bayrou’s camp. Opposition lawmakers will then have four separate opportunities to topple the government for a second time in less than two months, after having brought down former Prime Minister Michel Barnier in December over his spending plans. Votes on the first two no-confidence motions are expected Wednesday. ‘ALARMING RISE’ — Russian armed forces have reportedly killed an “alarming” number of captured Ukrainian troops , the United Nations’ Human Rights Monitoring Mission said today. The U.N. mission said there had been “a sharp rise in reported executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian armed forces,” with 79 killed in 24 separate incidents since the end of last August. “Many Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered or were in physical custody of the Russian armed forces were shot dead on the spot,” the U.N. said. “Witness accounts also described the killings of unarmed and injured Ukrainian soldiers.” The U.N. mission also documented the execution of a wounded and disabled Russian soldier by Ukrainian forces last year. Nightly Number 10,000 The number of National Guard troops that Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum will send to the nation's border with the U.S. as part of an agreement with President Donald Trump to hold off imposing tariffs on Mexico for a further month of negotiations. RADAR SWEEP AXED — Usually, it’s no fun for actors to get killed off of a hit series . One moment you’re riding high as a series regular, and the next it’s over for your character — and some of your regular paychecks. But not all TV deaths are built the same. Tom Morley who played Andrew Dodds on HBOs Succession, was “excited” to land a 20-minute role as a character who died in a car crash. Morley — not already a regular on the show — was merely thrilled to be there, even if his character drowned in a pond. Lisa Faulkner, who played MI5 agent Helen Flynn, said it was “fun” having her head shoved into a deep fat fryer in Spooks. The gruesome scene shook viewers and garnered 250 complaints. For The Guardian, stars of Succession, The Sopranos and Spooks, detailed to Michael Hogan their experience being axed. Parting Image On this date in 1936: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is seen with a newly appointed Federal Reserve Board. The Banking Act of 1935 gave the Fed more power as the U.S. attempted to pull itself out of the Great Depression. | AP   A new era in Washington calls for sharper insights. Get faster policy scoops, more congressional coverage, and a re-imagined newsletter under the leadership of Jack Blanchard. Subscribe to our Playbook Newsletter today .     Samantha Latson contributed to this newsletter.   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   Follow us

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The Anti-President Joyce Vance Feb 2 I don’t want to be an alarmist—I try to avoid that—but as I’m writing this, it looks like we are in the middle of a five-alarm fire. It’s day 13 of Trump 2.0. From day one, it was clear that Donald Trump was not playing by normal American constitutional rules. Of course, it has long been obvious that he didn’t intend to play by the rules, but any pretense of lawfulness was stripped away when he tried to cancel birthright citizenship with an executive order that ran afoul of the clear language in the Constitution, as confirmed in short order by two federal judges. In the following days, it became more clear that we were not okay, that nothing was right. During his second week in office, Trump illegally fired 18 inspectors general, the people who ferret out corruption, waste, and fraud in federal agencies. It sounds like, under Trump, there will be no more of that. No independent inspectors general to poke around. Trump has made it clear that personal loyalty to him is more important than principle. Government employees, including those with civil service protections, now serve at his pleasure. That message was driven home on January 31, when something commenters referred to as a “Friday night massacre” took place. But that historical reference to Watergate lacked resonance. In 1973, the Saturday Night Massacre took place when Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor investigating Richard Nixon, refused to drop a subpoena for the Nixon White House tapes, whose existence he had learned of when an aide, Alex Butterfield, revealed their existence during testimony before a Senate Committee investigating the Watergate break-in. Nixon sent out the order to Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. On October 20, 1973, Richardson refused the president’s order and resigned on the spot. Nixon turned to Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus, ordering him to fire Cox. Ruckelshaus also refused and resigned. It fell to Solicitor General Robert Bork to fulfill Nixon’s order, but by then, the damage to Nixon was done. Nothing of that sort happened last night. Archibald Cox issued a statement on his way out the door that included these memorable words, “Whether ours shall continue to be a government of laws and not of men is now for Congress and ultimately the American people.” Ten days later, on October 30, 1973, Nixon’s impeachment began, and a new special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, was appointed in November. Later that month, a federal judge ruled Cox’s dismissal violated the rules covering special counsels. By comparison, there hasn’t been much of a furor this weekend. Trump’s now-former lawyer, Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, issued the orders to remove FBI officials. Bove wrote in a memo, “The FBI — including the Bureau’s prior leadership — actively participated in what President Trump appropriately described as ‘a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated on the American people over the last four years’ with respect to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” It’s outrageous. But, there hasn’t been much in the way of public outrage. By the end of the day on Friday, the purge extended to senior FBI officials, including about a half-dozen executive assistant directors, some of the Bureau’s top managers who oversee criminal, national security, and cyber investigations. There were also reports of firings of senior FBI leaders, including the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s field office in Washington, D.C., and special agents in charge of field offices across the country, including Miami and Las Vegas. The special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI Office said, “I was given no rationale for this decision, which, as you might imagine, has come as a shock.” This situation might seem reminiscent of the George W. Bush administration’s midterm firing of its own U.S. Attorneys, but there’s a big difference. The U.S. Attorneys were political appointees who served at the president’s pleasure. These FBI employees are career. They have civil service protections, and although they can be demoted, they cannot be fired without cause. Lawsuits might expose that, but so far, a number of the impacted FBI executives seem to be taking the option of retiring ahead of their firing date, which preserves their pensions and other retirement benefits. DOJ’s acting leadership also instructed the FBI on Friday to turn over information about “all current and former bureau employees who ‘at any time’ worked on January 6 investigations,” according to an email acting FBI director Brian Driscoll sent out. The email included an attachment from Emil Bove suggesting those employees’ records would be reviewed to determine “whether any additional personnel actions”—i.e., more firings—“are necessary.” The FBI is one of the four law enforcement components of the Justice Department. Its director takes orders from the attorney general and the deputy attorney general. You would have to be asleep at the switch to miss the fact that this looks like an effort to take revenge on every FBI employee involved in a Trump prosecution or a January 6-related prosecution. Prosecutors who worked on those cases were fired during the week as well. In the case of the Bush U.S. Attorneys, some, but not all of the firings allegedly involved either interfering with prosecutions of Republican politicians or failure to investigate Democratic politicians and efforts to protect the voting rights of Democratic-leaning voters. Even though these were employees who could be fired at will by the president without cause, the Justice Department Inspector General’s Report on the matter concluded that the dismissals were “arbitrary,” “fundamentally flawed,” and “raised doubts about the integrity of Department prosecution decisions.” Actions like this do more than just punish; they instill fear in the ranks of people who need to keep their jobs. And the last thing we need with Trump in charge of a Justice Department that is willing to do his bidding and let him use the power of prosecution as a political tool. Friday night, there wasn’t much more than a whimper from the public. Americans didn’t take to the streets. Nothing like the pink pussy hats of 2016 was evident. Some people talked about how horrible it was, but for the most part Americans went about their business. It was a win for Donald Trump, or at least, it wasn’t the loss it should have been. Presidents are supposed to follow the law and honor their oaths. Bill Clinton was investigated while in office and interviewed by Justice Department lawyers. He was impeached. But he didn’t fire the agents and the prosecutors. Not Donald Trump. He is an anti-president who does not uphold the law, and there is no telling where it will end. Once disobedience to the law is on the table, even adherence to absolutes—like the two term limit on holding the office of the presidency—fall into question. As James Romoser, POLITICO’s legal editor wrote yesterday, “when rulers consolidate power through a cult of personality, they do not tend to surrender it willingly, even in the face of constitutional limits. And Trump, of course, already has a track record of trying to remain in office beyond his lawful tenure.” Romoser concludes, as did I earlier in the week, that the possibility Trump will seek and secure a third term shouldn’t be dismissed with a hand wave, as some commentators have. He’s the anti-president, after all. During Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing to head the FBI this week, he testified under oath that he wasn’t aware of any plans to punish agents involved in the Trump cases. He said, “no one will be terminated for case assignments.” He also said that “All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution.” Donald Trump made a liar out of him. But it’s the American people who will end up paying for it. We’re in this together, Joyce

_Trump has FULL-BLOWN SEIZURE, Audience REACTS IN HORROR

 

THOSE NAMES WILL BE PUBLISHED - TARGETED BY THE JAN 6 RIOTERS! 

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