Targeting Illegal Immigration and Drug Trade, Trump Pledges Tariffs Against Mexico, Canada, and China

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Happy Thanksgiving, y’all! We appreciate your loyal support of our work at The News Memo. If you can share the Memo with one friend or family member this weekend, we’d be extra thankful :)

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+ GetSmart: 🎵🚗 The Rumble Strips on Route 66 Play “America the Beautiful

P.S. What we’re listening to in podcasts this week:

• Is the “Woke Right” Really Woke? - James Lindsay, a leading independent journalist and scholar on Marxism and wokeism, explores the Woke Right. (Spotify, YouTube)

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Newsbites

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday, which is intended to "promote conditions for a permanent and comprehensive situation.” Both sides are supposed to end offensive campaigns, but would still be able to act in self-defense. Over the course of the next 60 days, Israel has committed to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon; meanwhile, Hezbollah will not be allowed to operate in southern Lebanon, which instead will be patrolled by Lebanese state security forces. The agreement was brokered by France and the United States. The stability of the ceasefire agreement remains unclear, as both sides accused the other of already violating the pact one day after its signing.

More: Some 1.2M people, around 20% of Lebanon’s population, have been displaced within the country since the conflict began.

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Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 at the age of 15 from leukemia, will be canonized a saint by Pope Francis on April 27, 2025. Acutis, who will be the first canonized saint from the Millennial generation, was known for his passion for computer programming, website building, and video games. Shortly before he died, Acutis published a website documenting the Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions that have occurred around the world. He has been nicknamed “God’s influencer.”

More: After a second miraculous healing was attributed to Acutis’ intercession in May 2024, Pope Francis approved the path for his canonization.

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Australia Social Media Ban: Social media use is set to be banned for those under 16 years old in Australia, following a new bill passed by lawmakers. The bill, which is an amendment to the Online Safety Act passed in 2021, won’t go into effect for at least 12 months. Social media platforms will be liable for fines if they don’t adequately enforce the bill. Details as to how the law will be enforced and which platforms will be exempt, are still being decided.

More: The vast majority of Australians approved the ban. In contrast, Elon Musk has been skeptical of the law, saying it “Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians.”

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Sean “Diddy” Combs: A federal judge denied Sean Combs’ request for bail for a third time this week, ruling that “no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community.” Last week, prosecutors filed a motion that accused Combs of using secretive communication methods while in prison to try to tamper with witnesses and influence potential jurors. Prosecutors gathered the evidence, including hand-written notes, after conducting a sweep of Combs’ cell. Diddy’s defense lawyers said the sweep was unlawful, arguing some of the material was protected by attorney-client privilege.

More: Diddy is set to go to trial in May 2025. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution, to which he has plead not guilty.

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Targeting Illegal Immigration and Drug Trade, Trump Pledges Tariffs Against Mexico, Canada, and China

What happened?
In a post on Truth Social this week, Donald Trump said he will sign an executive order on his first day in office to impose 25% tariffs on “ALL products” coming into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico.

He added that the tariffs will “remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem.”

In a subsequent announcement, he said China would be subject to an additional 10% tariff above existing tariffs in place, on all imports to the U.S., again citing the problem of fentanyl. Many of the materials used to make fentanyl, known as precursors, originate in China and are sent to Mexican drug cartels, before making their way to the U.S.

The U.S. is a critical market for Canada and Mexico
Canada and Mexico each send roughly 75-80% of their total exports to the United States, making them very dependent on U.S. markets. Meanwhile, China has less dependence on the U.S., as about 15% of their exports are sent to the United States.

The U.S. is less dependent on imports from the three countries, receiving about 45% of its total imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, split roughly 15% between each country.

Announcement sparks discussion among leaders
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said he held a phone call with President-elect Trump to discuss trade relationships and tariffs. Speaking to reporters (video), Trudeau said “it was a good call” and said the relationship with Trump “is a relationship that takes a certain amount of working on and that’s what we’ll do.”

In addition, Trump said he spoke with Mexico’s new President, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on Wednesday. In a post on his Truth Social, Trump said Pardo had agreed to stop migration and drug flow from Mexico, calling it “a very productive conversation.”

National fentanyl awareness campaign
A key part of Trump’s tariff pledges is to pressure Canada, Mexico, and China to help stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S. In addition to applying economic pressure, Trump said he will be starting a national campaign to spread awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.

Explainer: What are tariffs?

• A tariff is essentially a tax paid to the government by businesses that import goods from foreign countries. For example, GM would pay a tariff for the parts it imports from Mexico and Canada to manufacture its vehicles.