Jackie Northam
Appearances
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-18-2025 5AM EST
Videos on social media show the Delta Airlines commuter plane upside down on the snowy tarmac shortly after landing in Toronto. Emergency crews worked to put out a fire while passengers and crew got off, according to Toronto police. Since the flight took off from Minneapolis, National Transportation Safety Boards in the U.S. and Canada will work together to determine the cause of the crash.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-18-2025 5AM EST
Winds were gusting about 40 miles an hour. There's been heavy snowfall in the area for the past three weeks, and a winter travel advisory was in effect. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-18-2025 4AM EST
Before his hospital admission Friday, Pope Francis had shown signs of bronchitis for several days. But the Vatican says recent tests indicate the pontiff has polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, which can be caused by a combination of viruses, bacteria and fungi, according to the National Institutes of Health.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-18-2025 4AM EST
The diagnosis prompted a change in the Pope's drug treatment and the Vatican says he will stay in the hospital for as long as necessary. The Pope has had challenging health conditions in the past, including the removal of part of a lung after a pulmonary infection when he was a young man. He was hospitalized for several days in 2023 with a bout of pneumonia. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-11-2025 10AM EST
You know, we use plastic straws. We're literally drinking in plastic particles and chemicals.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-13-2025 6AM EDT
The letter written by President Trump last week was delivered by a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates. Trump said he warned there are two ways to handle Iran, by military force or making a deal. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the offer for talks was a lie and that they know the U.S. wouldn't honor any deal they make, so what's the point of negotiating?
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-13-2025 6AM EDT
In 2018, Trump pulled out of an earlier nuclear deal that had been hammered out by world powers and then imposed stiff sanctions on the country. Since retaking office, Trump has reinstated the so-called maximum pressure campaign aimed at driving down Iran's oil exports and crippling its economy. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 04-03-2025 7PM EDT
automaker Stellantis announced a temporary shutdown at its plant in the Canadian border city of Windsor, which will affect more than 3,000 workers. The auto industries of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are intertwined, and a vehicle can cross the border up to eight times while it's being assembled. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 04-03-2025 7PM EDT
Prime Minister Carney says he will retaliate with 25 percent tariffs against what he calls President Trump's unjustified and unwarranted tariffs on all vehicles imported by the U.S., But Carney says unlike Trump, he won't put levies on auto parts. Carney says that would cause too much hardship for Canadian auto workers. Already, the U.S.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-10-2025 3PM EDT
will stay in place until Trump completely abandons the trade war. Ford has also ordered all American alcohol off store shelves and banned U.S. companies from bidding on Ontario government contracts. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-10-2025 3PM EDT
Premier Doug Ford says a decision to place tariffs on Ontario electricity will affect 1.5 million homes and businesses in Michigan, New York and Minnesota, and that he could turn off the electricity completely if President Trump escalates his tariff war. Early last week, Trump slapped 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, then suspended them for a month. Ford says Ontario's tariffs on the U.S.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-31-2025 5PM EST
Within days after retaking office, President Trump said he would slap 25% tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico unless the two neighbours curb the flow of drugs and migrants crossing illegally. Roughly $2.5 billion worth of goods cross the U.S.-Canada border each day.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-31-2025 5PM EST
Shachi Curl is with the Vancouver-based Angus Reid Institute, which polled more than 2,000 Canadians about the possible tariffs.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-31-2025 5PM EST
The Canadian government has threatened its own tariffs on Florida orange juice and Kentucky bourbon and is weighing whether to tax 4 million barrels of oil it sends to the U.S. daily, which could drive up the cost of gas at stations across the U.S. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
However, Trudeau has not said whether he is going to place retaliatory tariffs if these do go ahead, unlike earlier tariffs that Trump had said he was going to put on all Canadian products.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
Yeah, sure did. He said it was going to be the same 25 percent tariffs on a wide range of U.S. goods, up to 100 billion dollars worth. And so that would be You know, U.S. cars or plastic, alcohol, any sort of beer and bourbon, household products as well.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
And the reason that he did that, because the tariffs that Trump was threatening to slap on Canada, which are still in place, they're just being suspended for now. We don't know if they're going to be, you know, come back again or not. But this was really hitting Canada hard. It was affecting agricultural products, lumber and paper products, but also things like potash that's used for fertilizer.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
Canada was also facing 10% tariffs on crude oil. Now, if you think about it, the U.S. gets about half of its imported oil. So these were really digging deep. And so that's why Trudeau turned around and said, right, we're going to hit back as hard as you're hitting us. And to be honest,
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
He had really just broad backing by the Canadian public because they were sort of fed up with being what a lot of people think is being bullied by the U.S.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
At the end of the day, the difference was between when he said he was going to do it and when he said he was going to postpone the tariffs. Two things happened. One is that Canada agreed to announce a fentanyl czar. And this is really an American term, czar. You wouldn't hear this in Canadian lexicon, right? It's just not there.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
And the other thing was a joint strike force team meant to target money laundering and the criminal underworld and that sort of thing. Other than that, Canada had everything else in place already, over a billion dollars to beef up its border security, things like that.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
So we're not really sure what the difference was between he said he was going to implement them and until he said he was just going to hold off for a month. Just those two things. So it really leaves a lot of Canadians wondering, what was this about? You know, I was just up there on a trip. I was so struck by the, you know, just the depth of anger and disappointment.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
Thanks very much. Nice to be here.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Canada & Mexico Respond To Trump's Tariffs
Well, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned to Vice President J.D. Vance that this was going to hurt his home state of Ohio. Canada is the largest supplier of both aluminum and steel to the U.S. It's going to have a huge impact if this does happen.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
Well, momentum had been building for some time for him to step aside. His poll numbers and the parties are in the low 20s. A couple of weeks ago, Chrystia Freeland, who was both his deputy prime minister and finance minister, resigned. And she had been a key, steadfast ally for Trudeau. And frankly, he faced a no confidence vote.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
And it was pretty clear he was going to lose that and he likely wanted to get ahead of it. So he announced his resignation.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
Well, you're right. I mean, he won by a landslide. You know, he had or has matinee idol looks. He was tall, athletic. His face graced the covers of magazines around the world. And he just energized the 2015 elections. And he had broad appeal for voters, especially young voters. It was the same type of popularity that his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, had. And he was twice prime minister.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
And he was also a charismatic figure. Justin Trudeau also promoted social causes such as gender equality, and there was an equal number of women and men in his first cabinet. Also more taxes on the wealthy, more effort to protect the environment.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
Well, within a few years of first being elected, it was pretty clear that the honeymoon was over. There were scandals, resignations in his cabinet. Now, he did get good marks for his handling of the COVID pandemic, but, you know, the country never really seemed to rebound. And Canada now is experiencing many of the issues that we see here in the U.S., high inflation, housing shortages.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
I spoke with Nick Nanos with Nanos Research, which is a leading polling firm based in Ottawa, and he said that there was also a backlash against immigration. Here he is.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
You know, Michelle, all of these issues came together and affected Trudeau's popularity.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
Well, you're right. It's never been an easy relationship between the two leaders. And since the presidential election, Trump has been needling Trudeau, suggesting Canada become the 51st state and calling Trudeau a governor rather than a prime minister. And more importantly, Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on many Canadian products.
Up First from NPR
Trudeau Resigns, Guantanamo Prisoner Release, Minneapolis Police Reform
Now, Trudeau will still have to deal with Trump as he's staying on as prime minister until the Liberal Party chooses a new leader. But it's quite likely that Trump will be dealing with someone from the Conservative Party after that. That is NPR's Jackie Northam. Jackie, thank you.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Funds Paused, Trump Addresses Congress, Tariffs Begin
Well, President Trump said on Monday that there was no room left for negotiations with Canada and Mexico. As you say, he announced the tariffs as a way to pressure both countries together. to curb the flow of fentanyl and migrants crossing illegally into the U.S. Both countries have tried to work with the administration to satisfy those concerns, but it didn't seem to matter enough.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Funds Paused, Trump Addresses Congress, Tariffs Begin
And just after midnight, Trump imposed the tariffs, raising fears of a trade war with Canada and Mexico, as well as inflation here in the U.S. Any response so far from Mexico and Canada? Yeah, Mexican officials told NPR that an official response will come from President Claudia Scheinbaum later this morning. Earlier on Monday, she had pleaded for, quote, serenity and patience.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Funds Paused, Trump Addresses Congress, Tariffs Begin
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau immediately pledged to impose 25% import taxes on about $100 billion worth of U.S. goods, you know, everything from clothing and lumber to furniture. Florida orange juice and Kentucky bourbon. Trump placed lower tariffs, 10% on Canadian energy imports. You know, Canada sends a lot of heavy crude and hydroelectric power to the US.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Funds Paused, Trump Addresses Congress, Tariffs Begin
And on Monday, Ontario's Premier Doug Ford indicated those imports are now at risk.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Funds Paused, Trump Addresses Congress, Tariffs Begin
And Michelle, Canada could also cut off shipments of things like uranium and potash, which is a fertilizer widely used by American farmers.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Funds Paused, Trump Addresses Congress, Tariffs Begin
Oh, certainly, yeah. There's a lot of anger in Canada about Trump's actions. Not only the terrorists, but his constant jibes that Canada become the 51st state. And we're seeing it play out in federal politics in an election year in Canada. You know, before Trump came back to office, the opposition Conservative Party was 20 plus points ahead in the polls.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Funds Paused, Trump Addresses Congress, Tariffs Begin
But now Trudeau's Liberal Party is surging ahead in the polls. And that's largely because the leader of the opposition party, Pierre Polyev, is considered too much like Trump. He's known in Canada as Trump-lite and Maple-maga. And now his poll numbers are tanking. That is NPR's Jackie Northam. Jackie, thank you. Thanks very much, Michelle. Thank you.
Up First from NPR
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
Well, you know, it did come right down to the wire. Trump's tariffs against Canada were set to go into effect one minute after midnight, and that's the same for Mexico. And Canada was bracing for it, you know. It had already announced it would retaliate by imposing 25% tariffs on $100 billion of U.S. goods.
Up First from NPR
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
But earlier on Monday, Trump struck a deal with Mexico and then with Canada, and both sides said they would send thousands of troops to their borders immediately. to curb the illegal flow of migrants and fentanyl, which is what Trump had asked for.
Up First from NPR
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
But, you know, Ottawa says the amount of fentanyl coming across from Canada is a fraction of that coming from Mexico, which has led to a lot of questions here in Canada of what this was really about. Why impose high tariffs on the country, which is one of, you know, the closest allies of the U.S.
Up First from NPR
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
Oh, you know, I've been talking with Canadians for the past couple of weeks since Trump first announced he was going to do this. And the responses have been anger and disbelief and really wanting to hit back. You know, there's a campaign that got underway to avoid buying any American products here. And Canadians were booing during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner at major sporting events.
Up First from NPR
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
And liquor stores in some provinces were going to pull American bourbon and wine from their shelves. And, you know, I dropped in at a liquor store here in Ottawa last night, and one of the workers, Ryan Robinson, said they were all ready to remove American bourbon off the shelves. Here he is.
Up First from NPR
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
And, you know, Steve, Canada is one of the U.S. largest trading partners. But, you know, it's more than that. This feels personal up here, especially when Trump keeps saying he wants to turn Canada into the 51st state.
Up First from NPR
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
Well, you know, this is only a month-long reprieve, and I think it's fair to say that there is a trust deficit between Canada and the U.S., and the U.S. and Mexico, for that matter. Canada faced a serious threat of recession if Trump's tariffs went ahead. You know, there's a fear that it's not over, at least for now.
Up First from NPR
Canada Tariffs, Education Department Targeted, DOGE
And as you mentioned, Steve, the threat of a trade war goes beyond North America as the U.S. and China launch these tit-for-tat tariffs on each other. The White House says Trump is due to talk to Chinese leader Xi Jinping today, but negotiations between the rivals, you know, could be a draw-no process.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
Well, up until a few months ago, not a lot of Canadians knew who Mark Carney was. He was considered a political outsider. It was only after Justin Trudeau announced that he was stepping aside in January that Carney threw his hat into the ring for the Liberal Party's leadership race. But Carney, who's 59 years old, does have a reputation internationally.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
He comes from the world of finance and has spent time on Wall Street and was a head of the Bank of England where he helped navigate the post-Brexit turbulence. And he also headed up the Bank of Canada.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
So that experience could be critical as he becomes prime minister, both to tackle Canada's economic challenges right now, but certainly to deal with President Trump's trade policies towards Canada, which frankly are seen by many in Canada as economic warfare.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
Well, I suspect it'll be a much different dynamic between Carney and Trump than it was with the president and Prime Minister Trudeau. They didn't get along. And in fact, over the past few weeks, relations between the two men were really fraying. You know, Trump calling Trudeau governor and Trudeau calling the president Donald and quoting an editorial saying the tariffs were a very dumb idea.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
So Carney could represent a fresh start, but he has warned that he would be very tough on Trump, which is something he indicated in his acceptance speech on Sunday.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
And A, if President Trump goes ahead with these steep tariffs on Canadian products, and that's expected in April, it could drive Canada's economy into a recession.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
Well, they need to be held by the end of October. You know, the Liberals have bounced back in a big way in the polls, thanks largely to Trump. And his treatment of Canada has created this wave of enthusiasm, you know, both for the Liberal Party, you know, and just sort of nationalism. And Carney could grab on to that enthusiasm and call an election soon.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
The opposition could also launch a non-confidence vote when Parliament resumes later this month. That, too, could trigger an early election. But, you know, as it stands right now, once Carney is sworn in as Canada's new prime minister, and that could happen later this week, he'll lead the country.
Up First from NPR
Canada's New Leader, ICE Arrest Columbia Student, Congress and The Budget
Thanks very much.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
Well, the most important way that it used it is Syria allowed Iran to set up a critical land bridge to Lebanon, so a corridor to Lebanon, so it could funnel weapons to Hezbollah for many years. You know, this was crucial to get fighters, weapons going both ways, actually. But now that the anti-government rebels control Syria,
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
That strategic route to Lebanon is really most likely off-limits to Iran, and that's a huge blow for the regime's long-term goals in the region.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
Well, there are two key ones. They want to see the destruction or the collapse of Israel as a Jewish state. Iran also wants to counter any power influence that the U.S. has in the Middle East, you know, at the same time projecting the regime's own power in the region using its military and proxies, you know, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and certainly the Houthis in Yemen.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
Oh, absolutely. Yeah. You know, this is just really going to make it much, much harder to get, you know, missiles and drones and the like to Hezbollah in Lebanon if this corridor is out of reach now. But, you know, Steve, this isn't the only setback that Iran has faced recently. I spoke with Afshan Ostavar, and he's a specialist on Iran and its proxies at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
And, you know, he said... Losing Syria as an ally really marks a profound turnaround for Iran. You know, if you consider just a year ago, it was one of the most powerful states in the Middle East. Here he is.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
So Steve, you know, not only has Israel degraded Hezbollah, as you mentioned, but Hamas in Gaza, it assassinated senior Iranian officials and pounded Iran's air defenses. And now it's lost a powerful ally in Syria.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
That's highly unlikely. And you know, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned earlier this week not to underestimate the regime. One of the concerns is if Tehran feels cornered, it may try to use its nuclear program as leverage.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
But you know, the other thing that's worth noting in the wake of the shakeup in Syria is that Iran's hardline regime may also be worried about a threat of upheaval from its own population. You Any kind of dissent is crushed. And Tehran's watching what's happening in Syria. I wonder if the same thing could happen in Iran.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
Thanks very much, Steve.