Carney: Trump and I had ‘very constructive discussions’
Carney says he and Trump met today “as leaders of two independent sovereign nations” and had “very constructive discussions”.
He reiterates that the two countries are stronger “when we work together”.
Today, he says, “marked the end of the beginning of a process of the US and Canada redefining that relationship of working together”, adding the question is how they will cooperate in the future.
Key events
Carney says he pressed the case where he thinks tariffs should be lifted, outlining some of Canada’s efforts to abate the fentanyl crisis. There is more work to be done on tariffs in other areas, he says, adding they’re “not in the interest of American competitiveness and jobs”.
Carney says he feels better about US-Canada relations in many respects after the meeting with Trump – in terms of the position Trump took towards him, “the breadth of discussion and how concrete the discussions were”.
I would add, he says, that they also discussed a number of global issues where we have common interest, “which is a sign of a healthier relationship”. He adds:
We have a lot more work to do … we can’t have one meeting and everything’s changed but we are engaged. We are fully engaged.
Asked what Trump asked him about China behind closed doors, Carney jokes: “That’s why they’re closed door.” He adds that the two had “a wide-ranging discussion”.
The prospect of renegotiating a new trade deal is there, Carney says, adding “he and I” will be following up in the coming weeks.
“I think we established a good basis today,” he says, for re-establishing a constructive economic and security relationship.
Carney reiterates ‘Canada is not for sale’
Carney says he’s been clear with Trump that “Canada is not for sale and never will be for sale”.
Carney says he will reinforce Canada’s security “for an increasingly dangerous and divided world”, transforming border security in the Arctic and support for global allies.
The two have agreed to have further discussions in the coming weeks and will meet again at the G7 summit in Alberta, Carney says.
Carney: Trump and I had ‘very constructive discussions’
Carney says he and Trump met today “as leaders of two independent sovereign nations” and had “very constructive discussions”.
He reiterates that the two countries are stronger “when we work together”.
Today, he says, “marked the end of the beginning of a process of the US and Canada redefining that relationship of working together”, adding the question is how they will cooperate in the future.
Canadian PM Mark Carney is about to speak to the press following his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. I’ll bring you any key lines here.
US judge blocks Trump administration from shuttering three federal agencies
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Donald Trump’s administration from firing workers and taking other steps to shut down federal agencies that fund museums and libraries, mediate labor disputes and support minority-owned businesses.
Reuters reports that US district judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, agreed with 21 mostly Democrat-led states that Trump’s March executive order directing that the agencies effectively be wiped out violated the US constitution.
“This executive order … ignores the unshakable principles that Congress makes the law and appropriates funds, and the Executive implements the law Congress enacted and spends the funds Congress appropriated,” wrote McConnell.
The judge halted Trump’s order from being implemented at the US Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service pending the outcome of the case.
McConnell did not order the agencies to take any specific steps. The judge told the states to consult with the Trump administration and submit a more detailed order for his approval.
Trump in his order directed that those agencies and four others be reduced “to the minimum presence and function required by law.”
A judge in Washington DC last week had separately blocked the museum and library agency from being shut down.
The White House and the office of Rhode Island attorney general Peter Neronha, which is leading the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
At the three agencies involved in Tuesday’s case, virtually all employees were placed on administrative leave shortly after Trump issued his executive order, according to court filings.
The states in their lawsuit filed in April say that because Congress created the agencies and set their funding levels, Trump had no power to order that their work be halted.
McConnell on Tuesday agreed. Federal law includes a mechanism for the president to return unneeded funding to Congress, the judge said, but Trump failed to follow that process.
Yemen Houthi official says the group will evaluate US halt of ‘aggression’ after Trump announcement
Reuters reports that the head of Yemen’s Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said the US halt of “aggression” against Yemen will be evaluated, according to a post on X.
He said the group would continue to support Gaza to end the war, indicating the ceasefire with the US did not include a halt of the group’s attacks on Israel.
Mark Carney gave a thumbs up as he left the White House following his first meeting with Donald Trump. The Canadian prime minister is due to speak to reporters shortly and I’ll bring you any key lines from that.
US supreme court allows Trump’s transgender military ban to take effect for now while legal challenges proceed
The US supreme court has permitted Donald Trump’s administration to implement his ban on transgender personnel in the military while legal challenges proceed, Reuters reports.
In a decision that could trigger the discharge of thousands of current personnel, the court granted the justice department’s request to lift a federal judge’s nationwide order blocking the military from carrying out Trump’s prohibition on transgender service members while a legal challenge to the policy plays out.
Seattle-based US district judge Benjamin Settle found that Trump’s order likely violates the US constitution’s fifth amendment right to equal protection under the law.
Trump signed an executive order in January after returning to the presidency that reversed a policy implemented under Joe Biden that had allowed transgender troops to serve openly in the American armed forces. Trump’s directive cast the gender identity of transgender people as a lie and asserted that they are unable to satisfy the standards needed for service in the armed forces.
The Pentagon later issued guidance to implement the order, disqualifying from military service current troops and applicants with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria or who had undergone gender transition steps. The guidance allowed people to be considered for a waiver on a case-by-case basis if their service would directly support “war-fighting capabilities.”
Settle blocked Trump’s policy, calling it “unsupported, dramatic and facially unfair”, and saying that the administration had provided no evidence of any harm that had resulted from the inclusion of transgender people in the armed services. After Settle imposed a nationwide hold on the policy and a federal appeals court rejected the administration’s emergency plea, the justice department then turned to the supreme court.
The justice department told the supreme court that Settle had usurped the authority of the executive branch of government to determine who may serve in the armed forces. The judge’s injunction “cannot be squared with the substantial deference that the [department of defense’s] professional military judgments are owed”, the justice department said in a court filing.