Key facts
- The US has banned Canadian dairy, alcohol, and motorcycles, escalating a trade dispute.
- The US ban is a retaliation for Canada's tariffs on $20 billion in US imports.
- Donald Trump is taking steps to exclude Canadian products from US government contracts.
- Israel ordered the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem in response to UK sanctions on West Bank settlements.
- The US military destroyed Iranian tankers after Iran targeted a US warship.
- Houthis attacked Saudi Arabian cities, including oil facilities, in an apparent expansion of regional conflict.
The US has escalated a trade war with Canada by banning dairy products, alcoholic beverages, and motorcycles, effective in three weeks. This move follows Canada's imposition of retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion in US imports. Donald Trump also plans to block Canadian products from large, long-term US government contracts, a step taken after some Canadian provinces banned US alcoholic products.
In other international developments, Israel ordered the closure of the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem as a retaliatory measure against UK sanctions on West Bank settlements. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the sanctions, calling settler actions ethnic cleansing, while Israel accused the UK Labour party of 'Jew hatred'. Israel also imposed entry bans on UK lawmakers and will terminate British involvement in training Palestinian security forces.
Regional tensions flared as the US military reported destroying several Iranian tankers after Iran attempted to strike a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles. The IRGC claimed responsibility for striking a US military base in Jordan in retaliation. Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis attacked four Saudi Arabian cities, wounding over 70 people and damaging oil facilities, prompting vows of retaliation from Saudi Arabia.
Domestically, conflicting court rulings have created uncertainty for Missouri's congressional elections just months before the midterms. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied an emergency request to use a new, Republican-leaning map, while a federal judge temporarily prevented the use of old maps. The Missouri Supreme Court had previously ruled the new map required voter approval.
In other news, an Amazon cargo plane crashed in Miami, killing five employees in a van it struck. Fired '60 Minutes' staffers claimed they refused to be accomplices in the show's 'destruction'. The Trump administration plans to confront Australia over its decision on social media algorithms, and the show 'South Park' announced a name change in response to tech companies capitulating to Trump's requests.
Ukraine is contracting approximately 1,000 Patriot missiles with allied help and an EU loan, as it faces food shortages due to Russian attacks on civilian support warehouses.
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