TheTrucker.com

Trump is trying to halt the EV charger buildout. Experts say it’s not that easy

DETROIT (AP) — Experts are questioning President Donald Trump’s latest effort to slow the electric vehicle charging buildout in the U.S. In a letter Thursday night, the Trump administration directed states to stop spending money for EV charging infrastructure, funds they were allocated under former President Joe Biden. Trump has slammed federal funding for electric vehicle chargers as “an incredible waste of taxpayer dollars.” The administration may need an act of Congress for this, and it’s unclear there will be one. Industry leaders say customer demand will continue to drive growth in the charging network, regardless of federal funding. The Tesla Supercharger network — led by CEO Elon Musk, now a prominent member of Trump’s inner circle — itself has received millions of dollars through the program that was just halted. But it also has a massive footprint of chargers across the country. Tesla will continue expanding its network regardless of federal money — and likely still benefit from its competitors receiving fewer funds. What is President Trump trying to do with EV charging? On his first day in office Trump paused billions of dollars in funding for a nationwide buildout of fast electric car chargers that had been allocated to states through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula program. Then the Federal Highway Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation that administers NEVI funding, told states Thursday to stop carrying out their plans pending new guidelines. It’s part of the broader effort to dismantle many environmental policies and incentives put in place by the Biden administration. Some states, including Alabama and Rhode Island, already had suspended their programs with the Inauguration Day order, but Thursday’s directive is a further push from the Trump administration to halt federal efforts to electrify the roads and reduce planet-warming emissions from transportation. States that currently have NEVI-funded projects up and running mostly have been reimbursed by the federal government. But the new memo means states with projects in the works, or those currently contracting for them, have to come to a screeching halt, and they don’t know if or when they will be able to proceed and request reimbursement. Why does this effort matter for EV drivers in the U.S.? NEVI was created through the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed by Congress in 2021, to fill gaps in the EV charging infrastructure network. For example, before, it might not have penciled out for a private company to install a charger along a rural highway with little traffic versus in a busy city, so this funding is an incentive to electrify those neglected regions. NEVI also addresses the concern many car buyers have for road trips where charging stations are too far apart. The NEVI program awards states $5 billion over five years, but they’ve struggled with permitting delays, complicated electrical upgrades and contracting. Estimates suggest $3.3 billion of NEVI funding had already gone out the door to states. Legal challenges for charging stations along highways This announcement creates uncertainty, said Ryan Gallentine, managing director at business association Advanced Energy United. “Most of the unawarded money is sitting in state Department of Transportation bank accounts ready to be spent,” Gallentine said in a statement. States are under no obligation to stop these projects based solely on this announcement, he said. “We call on state DOTs and program administrators to continue executing this program until new guidance is finalized.” Others say the effort is sure to start legal battles. “There’s no legal basis” for stopping plans that have already been approved and funded, said Andrew Wishnia, former deputy assistant secretary for climate policy at the DOT who helped author the NEVI program. Regardless, Loren McDonald, chief analyst at Paren, a company that tracks EV charging data, emphasized EV range concerns will linger. “If you don’t have convenient access either where you live or where you work or in between, why would you get an EV? It just doesn’t make sense,” he said. Money that was leftover after states met their highway obligations was meant to fill other gaps in charging: areas where there are low rates of EVs, including low-income areas or areas with a lot of apartment buildings where it hard for people to charge. What’s next for U.S. highway EV charging? The federal buildout is not the only or even the central effort to build EV charging across the nation. Private companies have collectively spent billions on this infrastructure. Industry leaders say that the demand from drivers for EV chargers will propel companies to build more of them. “I think the trend will continue. Maybe it’ll slow down over the next four years … but it’s going to continue,” said Bassem Ammouri, the chief operating officer at EV Connect, a major EV charging platform. The fear for some is that delaying critical charging infrastructure could have a domino effect on the EV transition, because it could slow sales, said Matt Stephens-Rich, director of programs at the non-partisan group Electrification Coalition. “As the world is shifting to electric vehicles, any slowdown will put the U.S. auto industry further behind,” Stephens-Rich said.

Sunday’s game has the trucking industry’s fingerprints all over it

Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs is about football, but the spectacle surrounding the game has the trucking industy’s signature as well. Without the trucking industry, it would be difficult to have the parties and events surrounding the game. Truckstop.com released data on the impact of truckers leading into Sunday’s game. As New Orleans gears up for the Big Game, the trucking industry is working to move everything from stadium infrastructure to food, beverages, and high-priority event shipments. New data from Truckstop reveals key freight trends shaping Big Game logistics. Over 241 active freight lanes are funneling goods into New Orleans with top states including LA, TX, GA and Florida. Load volume into New Orleans increased 38% WoW (week ending 2.1 vs. week ending 1.25); Specialized rates are up 23% YoY; Reefer is up 9% High-Volume Lanes: Houston, TX to New Orleans, LA has the most loads (7% of inbound), making it a key freight corridor.  Newark, NJ to New Orleans, LA (5% of loads) also have high volume. Most In-Demand Equipment Types (Highest Loads)          Flatbed leads in volume with 33% of loads, suggesting a strong demand for flatbed shipments to New Orleans.          Van follows with 32% of loads, indicating solid demand for dry van freight. Best-Paying Equipment Types (Avg RPM)          Specialized offers the highest average rate at $3.86 per mile, making it a lucrative option.          Reefer also pays well at $2.91 per mile, likely due to temperature-sensitive cargo needs.          Highest-Paying Load Potential (Max RPM)          Flatbed reaches a max of $7.96 per mile, the highest of all equipment types.          Hot Shot hits $4.35 per mile, showing strong payout potential for smaller, urgent loads. Most Viewed Loads          Flatbed has a 91% view rate, meaning a high level of carrier interest.          Specialized has an 88% view rate, reinforcing the idea that specialized freight is in demand.

Mexican border cities are in limbo as tariff threats spark fears of a recession

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico (AP) — As soon as the sun glints over miles of border fence dividing the United States and Mexico, the engines of cargo trucks packed with auto and computer parts roar to life along border bridges and bleary-eyed workers file into factories to assemble a multitude of products geared toward the U.S. market. For more than half a century, this daily rhythm has helped fuel the heartbeat of a transnational machine that generated more than $800 billion in trade between the U.S. and Mexico in 2024 alone. Over the past year, however, President Donald Trump’s threatened 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada have plunged manufacturing hubs all along the northern Mexican border into limbo, a state that persists despite a one-month reprieve to which Trump agreed on Monday. Tariffs would cripple Mexican border economies that are reliant on factories churning out products for the U.S. — auto parts, medical supplies, computer components, myriad electronics — and likely thrust the country into a recession, economic forecasters have warned. Some workers wonder how much longer they’ll have jobs, while business leaders say the uncertainty has already led many investors to start tightening their purse strings. “It’s a conflict between governments and we’re the ones most affected,” said 58-year-old truck driver Carlos Ponce, leaning against his rig at the customs border crossing between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas. “Tomorrow, who knows what will happen?” Ponce, who was driving a truck full of car shock absorbers, said he’s spent the past 35 years moving goods across the border, just as his father did before him. Now, he’s unsure how much longer that will last. Manufacturing in export-oriented assembly plants known as maquiladoras are the heart of Ciudad Juárez’s economy, with 97% of its goods going to the U.S., according to figures from Mexico’s Economic Ministry. The factories were born in the 1960s in an attempt to boost economic development in northern Mexico and lower prices for U.S. consumers. The maquiladora program later took off after the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, was signed in 1994. The agreement was supplanted by a similar pact, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, negotiated between the three countries during Trump’s first term. Today, neon signs with the dollar-to-peso exchange rate flash across the city, a reminder of the close ties binding both sides of the border. “Everything that happens in the United States: its economic, social policy … directly affects us because companies here in Mexico depend on what they sell in the United States,” said Thor Salayandia, head of his family’s auto-parts manufacturing facility in Ciudad Juárez. “The United States also needs Mexico to keep manufacturing, but they’re not seeing things like that.” This week, workers and business leaders alike breathed a sigh of relief when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced she had negotiated with Trump to delay tariffs one month. “Now, we’re buying time,” Salayandia said. Workers here assemble everything from auto parts to computer panels to T-shirts emblazoned with the American flag, logos of popular U.S. football teams and slogans such as “Proud to be a federal employee.” Parts can cross the border multiple times before the final product is sold to U.S. consumers. That economic interdependence has left many in the city struggling to imagine a future without it. One U.S. company said it would likely have to move part of its manufacturing in the city to the U.S., but at a sharp cost. Antonio Ruiz, a compliance officer at Tecma, a U.S. firm that helps foreign companies set up shop along the border, said his was among a number of businesses to call emergency meetings over the weekend as economic forecasters warned that the tariffs could drive Mexico into a recession. “It’s very difficult to be prepared for something that has never happened before,” Ruiz said. “As much as you want to prepare for it, the best you can do is prepare to brace yourself in the short term.” Salayandia and economists warn that any sort of tax could lead to cascading unemployment and rising prices on both sides of the border. In Mexico, they say, it could also spur a rise in violence in border areas by pushing the unemployed into the hands of drug cartels, as well as an increase in Mexican migration to the U.S. Manuel Sotelo, a leader of Mexico’s National Chamber of Freight Transportation who owns a fleet of trucks that cross the border every day, sees the tariff threats as more of a political power move than a future economic reality. “Both countries would be paralyzed,” said Sotelo, who sat at a desk covered with local newspapers carrying bold headlines on the tariffs, a Trump bobblehead positioned behind him. “Let’s say he did slap a 25% tariff (on Mexico), what would they do during the Super Bowl without avocados?” On the other hand, Sotelo acknowledges that the tariff talk has already inflicted some damage. He and other business leaders say that over the past year they’ve watched investment dip in Ciudad Juárez because of political uncertainty, as investors hesitate to funnel their money into businesses that could collapse with the stroke of a pen in Washington. While Trump’s election has been the primary driver of that uncertainty, June elections in Mexico and a controversial judicial reform carried out by Mexico’s governing party have added to it. Sotelo said he saw a 7% drop in business last year, and only expects that to continue until lingering tariff threats are resolved. One collective of maquiladoras in the city says it has seen at least three factories halt production. “Every time we hear this discourse from political leaders, the people running our governments, it sends shock waves through the border,” Salayandia said. “Because the border is a global thermometer. Our products go all over the world. Those companies will go look in other parts of the world where they offer conditions to keep competing.” Associated Press journalist Fernanda Pesce contributed to this report.

A Minnesota bridge that almost collapsed under heavy rains has been demolished

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — Contractors on Wednesday blew up the remnants of a damaged southern Minnesota bridge that almost collapsed last summer after a bout of heavy rain that prompted a federal emergency declaration for the area near Mankato. Explosives were used to destroy the beams of County Road 9 Bridge, Blue Earth County officials said in a Facebook post. Video shows synchronized blasts followed by eruptions of billowing black and beige clouds as huge sections of the bridge crashed into the frozen Blue Earth River below. County commissioners last year voted to replace the bridge and remove the nearby Rapidan Dam, both of which were at risk of crumbling after last year’s deluge. Residents had used the roughly 40-year-old bridge to commute across the dam from rural patches of land to nearby towns. Officials anticipate a yearslong rebuilding process. The river’s water levels rose dramatically in late June and early July after heavy rain pummeled the Midwest for days. While the structures held up in the end, floodwaters forged a new river channel around the dam and cut deeply into a steep riverbank, toppling utility poles, wrecking a substation, swallowing a home and forcing the removal of a beloved store. Mankato is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Minneapolis.

Winter weather expected to hit the northern part of US starting on Wednesday

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — A winter weather event is headed for Illinois beginning Wednesday night with the possibility of precipitation continuing in parts of the state state into Thursday. Forecasters are calling for an icy mix of freezing rain and sleet is expected to arrive tonight, with a light glaze potentially creating slick conditions on untreated surfaces.  A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect in the Chicago metro area from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m beginning Wednesday night into Thursday., but rising temperatures near 40 degrees on Thursday should help melt any ice.  Friday will be quiet with near-freezing highs, while another potential storm system could bring ice and snow on Saturday. Illinois Tollway setting response in motion In a Wednesday morning release, the Illinois Tollway is reminding drivers to slow down and stay alert for varying pavement conditions as sleet, freezing rain and snow showers are expected to move through the region Wednesday, possibly affecting drivers during their morning and evening commutes. The Tollway reported that it is deploying its full fleet of 196 plows to spread salt and other de-icing materials to keep roads clear and customers safe during the winter storm, which is expected to continue through the day and before tapering off early Thursday. The Tollway’s Snow Operations Center will be open to manage the agency’s systemwide response to the storm, which could affect pavement conditions and reduce visibility. “Our top priority is to keep our customers safe by working throughout this winter storm to clear our roads of ice and snow,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. “While our roadway crews are spreading salt and de-icing materials, we’re reminding drivers to help us protect them by slowing down, increasing their distance from other vehicles and staying alert for changing pavement conditions. We’re urging our customers to avoid distracted driving by putting away cellphones so they can focus on driving safely.” To respond to this winter storm, the Illinois Tollway will have a full complement of more than 200 staff and supervisors working per shift to keep roadways clear of ice. While on the road, the Tollway says drivers whose vehicles become disabled should activate their hazard lights and dial *999 from a cellphone for assistance. Drivers should note the roadway they are using, as well as the direction of travel and nearest milepost or crossroad. Pennsylvania agencies warning travelers ahead of storm Ahead of anticipated winter weather across the state Wednesday into Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the PA Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike) are advising motorists to avoid unnecessary travel during the storm and to exercise caution when driving. Additionally, PennDOT and the PA Turnpike will implement various speed and vehicle restrictions throughout the storm. Beginning Wednesday morning, the storm will bring a band of snow across the state, followed by sleet and freezing rain. Temperatures below freezing will result in potentially icy conditions. PennDOT and PA Turnpike crews will actively pre-treat roadways where necessary ahead of the storm to help prevent ice from forming a bond with the pavement. However, salt does not resolve all risks, and drivers may encounter icy spots on the roadway. With freezing temperatures, roads that look wet may actually be icy, and extra caution is needed when approaching bridges and highway ramps where ice can form. According to the National Weather Service, gusty winds could bring down trees and power lines and cause power outages

LA wildfires highlight nation’s insurance crisis as homeowners try to recover lost homes

The nation’s growing home insurance crisis is in the spotlight as Californians begin the long road to rebuilding after the deadly Eaton and Palisades wildfires. For neighbors Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson, the difference in insurance coverage on their nearly identical homes in Altadena reveals how unequal that recovery will be. Hamlin was privately insured and has already been paid out nearly a million dollars. She is searching for contractors to rebuild her house. Wilson will receive a fraction of what he needs because he was covered by the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan — the state’s bare-bones insurance program known as the FAIR Plan. He is contemplating loans, lawsuits and moving his family out of California. How do people get on the FAIR Plan? The plan is a temporary coverage option created by the state as a last resort for homeowners who can’t find private insurance. More Californians are relying on it than ever after several major insurance companies either paused or restricted new business in the state in recent years. In Wilson’s case, his private insurer declined to renew his policy last year although he offered to install various fire mitigation efforts. No other insurers were willing to write him a new policy, forcing Wilson to get on the FAIR Plan to satisfy his mortgage requirements. The number of FAIR residential policies issued in the state more than doubled between 2020 and 2024, reaching nearly 452,000 policies Higher premiums, less coverage Under the FAIR Plan, Wilson paid about 60% more in premiums related to the fire than Hamlin, though he is slated to receive less than half the coverage. And his true home insurance cost was actually much higher because he also had to buy “wrap-around insurance” for issues the FAIR Plan doesn’t cover, such as burst pipes or falling objects. The Insurance Information Institute, which represents many major insurers, said the FAIR Plan provides a lifeline for homeowners who cannot find private insurance, and that outcomes would be far worse if homeowners had no coverage at all. What are the solutions? State officials have rolled out several new regulations to give insurers more latitude to raise premiums in exchange for issuing more policies in high-risk areas. That includes allowing insurers to consider climate change when setting their prices and allowing them pass on the costs of reinsurance to California consumers. Governments also have to shoulder the costs for serious mitigation efforts, or the price of California’s fire risk will remain unequal and left to the homeowners, said Stephen Collier, a professor of urban planning at University of California, Berkeley. California is proposing to direct roughly $25 million from a voter-approved climate bond to bolster fire mitigation requirements around homes.

Trump’s tariff tactics carry higher economic risks than during his first term

WASHINGTON — When Donald Trump started the biggest trade war since the 1930s in his first term, his impulsive combination of threats and import taxes on U.S. trading partners created chaos, generated drama — and drew criticism from mainstream economists who favor free trade. But it didn’t do much damage to the U.S. economy. Or much good. Inflation stayed under control. The economy kept growing as it had before. And America’s massive trade deficits, the main target of Trump’s ire, proved resistant to his rhetoric and his tariffs: Already big, they got bigger. The trade war sequel that Trump has planned for his second term — if it unfolds the way he’s described it — would likely be a different matter altogether. Trump appears to have grander ambitions and is operating in a far more treacherous economic environment this time. His plans to plaster tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on China — and to follow those up by targeting the European Union — would threaten growth, and push up prices in the United States, undermining his campaign pledge to eliminate the inflation that plagued President Joe Biden. The tariffs would be paid by U.S. importers, who would then try to pass along the higher costs to consumers through higher prices. Trump himself has warned of possible fallout. “WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!),” Trump said in a social media post Sunday. “BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID.” For now, some of the hostilities are on hold. Trump on Monday, Feb. 3, paused the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days to allow more negotiations after those countries agreed to do more to stop the flow of illegal drugs and undocumented workers into the United States. But he went ahead with the 10% tariffs on China on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Beijing promptly retaliated by imposing tariffs on U.S. products, including coal and big cars. It also is restricting exports of critical minerals and launching an antitrust investigation into Google. Trump views tariffs — taxes on imports — as an economic elixir that can restore factories to the American heartland, raise money for the government and pressure foreign countries to do what he wants. During his first term, Trump put tariffs on most Chinese goods and on imported solar panels, washing machines, steel and aluminum. The tax increases might have raised prices on those items, but they had little or no impact on overall inflation, which remained modest. Nor did they do much to restore factory jobs. Economists agree that a second Trump trade war could be far costlier than the first. “That was then. This is now,’’ said trade analyst William Reinsch of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. That is why the stock market briefly fell sharply Monday on anticipation of the tariffs, before rebounding on news of the pause with Mexico and Canada. During Trump’s first term, his trade team carefully focused its tariff hit list to avoid or at least delay the impact on consumers. They targeted industrial products and not those “that would show up on Walmart’s shelves,” said Reinsch, a former U.S. trade official. “That tamped down the impact.’’ This time, by contrast, the tariffs are across the board — although the tariffs Trump had planned and then paused would have limited the levy on Canadian energy to 10%, showing that he was mindful of how much Americans in northern and midwestern states depend on oil and electricity from north of the border. In Boca Raton, Florida, the toy company Basic Fun is preparing to raise prices and absorb a hit to profits when the tariffs land. Ninety percent of Basic Fun’s toys come from China, including Tonka and Care Bears. CEO Jay Foreman says the price on the Tonka Classic Steel Mighty Dump Truck is likely to rise later this year from $29.99 to as much as $39.99. Five years ago, the Trump administration spared toys, exempting them from its China tariffs. This time, Foreman said, “we are now just going to forecast a lot of money draining out of the company.’’ In addition to the threats to Canada, Mexico and the EU, Trump has threatened a worldwide tariff of 10% to 20%. The breadth of his potential targets means it will be much harder for companies to escape his tariffs. In his first term, many companies dodged his China tariffs by moving production to Mexico or Vietnam. Now, suppliers anywhere could wind up in Trump’s crosshairs. “It sends the signal that no place is safe,’’ said Mary Lovely, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Also worrying, economists say, is a retaliation clause the Trump team inserted in the tariff orders he signed Saturday. If other countries retaliate against Trump’s tariffs with tariffs of their own – as China did and Canada and Mexico have threatened — Trump will lash back with still more tariffs. That risks “setting off a spiraling trade war’’ of tit-for-tat tariffs and counter-tariffs, said Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University. But the biggest difference is the economic backdrop Trump must contend with this time. Six years ago, inflation was low — maybe even too low, the Federal Reserve fretted. Trump’s first-term tariffs didn’t make a dent. Inflation isn’t so benign anymore. Prices surged in the unexpected boom that followed the end of COVID-19 lockdowns. Inflation has come down from the four-decade high it hit in mid-2022, but it’s still stuck above the Fed’s 2% target and hasn’t shown much improvement since summer. Trump’s tariffs could rekindle the inflationary trend and convince the Fed to cancel or postpone the two interest rate cuts it had anticipated this year. That would risk keeping “interest rates at their current elevated level for a longer period in 2025. That will push up mortgage and loan borrowing rates … and reduce real growth,’’ said Boston College economist Brian Bethune. For now, businesses, investors and U.S. trading partners are waiting to see what the unpredictable Trump will do next. Will he re-impose the tariffs on Canada and Mexico after 30 days? Will he really go after the EU? Or make good on his threat of a universal tariff? Outside a Harris Teeter supermarket near downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, Jacobs Ogadi had in his shopping bag an avocado, which almost certainly came from Mexico. The 62-year-old mechanic said it “doesn’t take a rocket scientist’’ to know that Trump’s tariffs run counter to his promises to rein in inflation. “If it goes up 25%, it’s not the government, it’s not the Mexican people paying for it,’’ he said. “Who pays for it? Us.’’ By Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press. AP writers Anne D’Innocenzio in New York and Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this story.

Designs unveiled for replacement of Baltimore bridge almost a year after deadly collapse

SPARROWS POINT, Md. — Almost a year after the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland officials on Tuesday unveiled their designs for its replacement, which will be taller and better protected against ship strikes. Construction of the state’s first cable-stayed bridge could be completed in 2028 and cost upwards of $1.7 billion. With its graceful outline and delicate design, officials said the new bridge will modernize Baltimore’s skyline, becoming a symbol of resilience, progress and economic growth. The design features two towers with cables radiating down to the deck. “This is a great day for the state of Maryland,” Gov. Wes Moore said Feb. 4 at a late-morning news conference. “But it’s not lost on me that today’s triumph was born out of tragedy.” The original Key Bridge, a 1.6-mile steel span at the mouth of Baltimore’s harbor, took five years to construct and opened to traffic in 1977. It connected various port-oriented industrial communities around Baltimore and allowed drivers to easily bypass downtown. The bridge was destroyed when a massive container ship lost power and slammed into one of its supporting columns. The March 26 collapse killed six construction workers who were filling potholes when the structure crumbled beneath them. Baltimore’s port was closed for months after the collapse, and increased traffic congestion remains a problem for drivers across the region. Officials quickly promised to rebuild the bridge — a longstanding Baltimore landmark and a vital piece of transportation infrastructure. Demolition of the remaining pieces will take place this spring, with construction of its replacement to follow, officials said Tuesday. They held Tuesday’s news conference at Tradepoint Atlantic, a shipping hub in the Port of Baltimore that played a major role in cleanup and recovery efforts following the collapse. The facility is revitalizing the site of a former Bethlehem Steel plant just northeast of Baltimore as maritime shipping continues to fuel the regional economy. “Maryland is a bridge between America and the rest of the world. We get cars from Michigan out to market. We bring sugars and spices to Louisiana. We haul farm equipment from the East Coast deep into the heartland,” Moore said. “Commerce and trade are the bedrock of our state, and we will continue to make investments that honor our tradition.” In August, the state awarded a $73 million contract for the first phase of the rebuild to Kiewit Infrastructure, a major construction and engineering firm. Officials said the project would advance in two phases, with the first focusing on the design work and other necessary steps before construction begins. Moore promised to “employ many Marylanders” throughout the process. Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the design will include the latest in pier protection technology, which has become increasingly important as ships keep getting bigger and carrying more cargo. The bridge will also be taller to provide more clearance. He said the plans were developed with the project’s cost and construction timeline in mind. “While this is a beautiful bridge, it will also be a working bridge for a working city,” Wiedefeld said. The federal government has agreed to cover the full price tag for rebuilding. Congress recently passed a spending bill that included a funding provision for the project. Officials have said they expect that federal taxpayers will eventually be made whole through insurance payouts and damages, but that could take a while. A sprawling civil case will ultimately determine the assignments of liability in what could become one of the most expensive maritime disasters in U.S. history. The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet released its final report on the collapse, though officials said a loose cable in the ship’s electrical switchboard likely contributed to its power issues. Federal agents boarded the cargo ship Dali amid a criminal investigation last year. By Lea Skene, The Associated Press

Train collides with tractor-trailer blocking roads near Atlanta

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — Media outlets in the Atlanta area including WSB-TV reported that several roads in the City of South Fulton, a city just south of Atlanta were shut down on Tuesday morning after a crash between a train and a tractor-trailer. South Fulton police report that the incident occurred just before 10 p.m. on Monday night. That is when officers were called to Roosevelt Hwy. and Roberts Rd. where a tractor-trailer was trying to get into Strategic Material when the trailer was hit by a CSX train while crossing the tracks. The driver of the tractor-trailer wasn’t hurt, but the trailer and the front of the train were significantly damaged.

China counters with tariffs on US products. It will also investigate Google

BEIJING (AP) — China countered President Donald Trump’s across-the-board tariffs on Chinese products with tariffs on select U.S. imports Tuesday, as well as announcing an antitrust investigation into Google and other trade measures. U.S. tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico were also set to go into effect Tuesday before Trump agreed to a 30-day pause as the two countries acted to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking. Trump planned to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next few days. The Chinese response was “measured,” said John Gong, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. “I don’t think they want the trade war escalating,” he said. “And they see this example from Canada and Mexico and probably they are hoping for the same thing.” This isn’t the first round of tit-for-tat actions between the two countries. China and the U.S. had engaged in a trade war in 2018 when Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods and China responded in kind. This time, analysts said, China is much better prepared to counter, with the government announcing a slew of measures that cut across different sectors of the economy, from energy to individual U.S. companies. Counter tariffs China said it would implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the U.S. The tariffs would take effect next Monday. “The U.S.’s unilateral tariff increase seriously violates the rules of the World Trade Organization,” the State Council Tariff Commission said in a statement. “It is not only unhelpful in solving its own problems, but also damages normal economic and trade cooperation between China and the U.S.” The impact on U.S. exports may be limited. Though the U.S. is the biggest exporter of liquid natural gas globally, it does not export much to China. In 2023, the U.S. exported 173,247 million cubic feet of LNG to China, representing about 2.3% of total natural gas exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. China imported only about 700,000 cars overall last year, and the leading importers are from Europe and Japan, said Bill Russo, the founder of the Automobility Limited consultancy in Shanghai. Further export controls on critical minerals China announced export controls on several elements critical to the production of modern high-tech products. They include tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium, many of which are designated as critical minerals by the U.S. Geological Survey, meaning they are essential to U.S. economic or national security that have supply chains vulnerable to disruption. The export controls are in addition to ones China placed in December on key elements such as gallium. “They have a much more developed export control regime,” Philip Luck, an economist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former State Department official, said at a panel discussion on Monday. “We depend on them for a lot of critical minerals: gallium, germanium, graphite, a host of others,” he said. “So … they could put some significant harm on our economy.” US companies also impacted In addition, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said Tuesday it is investigating Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws. The announcement did not mention the tariffs but came just minutes after Trump’s 10% tariffs on China were to take effect. It is unclear how the probe will affect Google’s operations. The company has long faced complaints from Chinese smartphone makers over its business practices surrounding the Android operating system, Gong said. Otherwise, Google has a limited presence in China, and its search engine is blocked in the country like most other Western platforms. Google exited the Chinese market in 2010 after refusing to comply with censorship requests from the Chinese government and following a series of cyberattacks on the company. Google did not immediately comment. The Commerce Ministry also placed two American companies on an unreliable entities list: PVH Group, which owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and Illumina, which is a biotechnology company with offices in China. The listing could bar them from engaging in China-related import or export activities and from making new investments in the country. Beijing began investigating PVH Group in September last year over “improper Xinjiang-related behavior” after the company allegedly boycotted the use of Xinjiang cotton. The response from China appears calculated and measured, said Stephen Dover, chief market strategist and head of the Franklin Templeton Institute. However, the world is braced for further impact. “A risk is that this is the beginning of a tit-for-tat trade war, which could result in lower GDP growth everywhere, higher U.S. inflation, a stronger dollar and upside pressure on U.S. interest rates,” Dover said. Wu reported from Bangkok. AP writers Zen Soo in Hong Kong and Christopher Bodeen in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.

Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Canada and Mexico after they pledge to boost border enforcement

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday agreed to a 30-day pause on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada as America’s two largest trading partners took steps to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking. The pauses provide a cool-down period after a tumultuous few days that put North America on the cusp of a trade war that risked crushing economic growth, causing prices to soar and ending two of the United States’ most critical partnerships. “I am very pleased with this initial outcome, and the Tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30-day period to see whether or not a final Economic deal with Canada can be structured,” Trump posted on social media. “FAIRNESS FOR ALL!” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted Monday afternoon on X that the pause would occur “while we work together,” saying that his government would name a fentanyl czar, list Mexican cartels as terrorist groups and launch a “Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.” The pause followed a similar move with Mexico that allows for a period of negotiations over drug smuggling and illegal immigration. The 10% tariff that Trump ordered on China is still set to go into effect as scheduled on Tuesday, Feb. 4, though Trump planned to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next few days. While the trade war feared by investors, companies and political leaders now seems less likely to erupt, that doesn’t mean the drama over Trump’s tariff threats has ended. Canada and Mexico bought some additional time, but Trump could easily renew his tariffs and already plans to announce taxes on imports from the European Union. All of that leaves the global economy uncertain about whether a crisis has been averted or if a possible catastrophe could still be coming in the weeks ahead. Trump on Saturday had directed 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, with another 10% tariff on Canadian oil, natural gas and electricity. The U.S. president had repeatedly previewed these moves, yet they still managed to shock many investors, lawmakers, businesses and consumers. Multiple analyses by the Tax Foundation, the Tax Policy Center and the Peterson Institute for International Economics showed that the tariffs could hurt growth, lower incomes and push up prices. But Trump repeatedly insisted — despite promises to curb inflation — that tariffs were necessary tools to get other nations to stop illegal immigration, prevent fentanyl smuggling and treat the United States, in his mind, with respect. Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the monthlong pause on increased tariffs against one another after what Trump described on social media as a “very friendly conversation,” and he said he looked forward to the upcoming talks. “I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries,” the president said on social media. Trump said the talks would be headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick and high-level representatives of Mexico. Sheinbaum said she was reinforcing the border with 10,000 members of her country’s National Guard and that the U.S. government would commit “to work to stop the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico.” In 2019, when Mexico’s government also avoided tariffs from Trump’s administration, the government announced it would send 15,000 soldiers to its northern border. But for much of Monday, the outlook was worrisomely different for Canada, only for an agreement to come together. A senior Canadian official said Canada was not confident it could avoid the looming tariffs as Mexico did. That’s because Canada feels as if the Trump administration has been shifting its requests of Canada more than it did for Mexico. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, having not been authorized to speak publicly. Asked Monday afternoon what Canada could offer in talks to prevent tariffs, Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office: “I don’t know.” He mused about trying to make Canada the 51st state, part of ongoing antagonism despite decades of friendship with Canada in a partnership that has ranged from World War II to the response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The U.S. president also indicated that more import taxes could be coming against China: “If we can’t make a deal with China, then the tariffs will be very, very substantial.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump would speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next couple of days and that the White House would provide a report on the discussion. Financial markets, businesses and consumers on Monday were still trying to prepare for the possibility of the new tariffs. For example, Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard’s, a supermarket chain that operates stores in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, said his buyers were considering stocking up on Mexico’s Casamigos tequila ahead of the tariffs and switching from Canadian to Norwegian salmon. Stock markets sold off slightly, suggesting some hope that the import taxes that could push up inflation and disrupt global trade and growth would be short-lived. Trump even inquired Monday how the financial markets were doing as reporters were leaving the Oval Office. The situation reflected a deep uncertainty about a Republican president who has talked with adoration about tariffs, even saying the U.S. government made a mistake in 1913 by switching to income taxes as its primary revenue source. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Monday that it was misleading to characterize the showdown as a trade war despite the planned retaliations and risk of escalation. “Read the executive order where President Trump was absolutely, 100% clear that this is not a trade war,” Hassett said. “This is a drug war.” But even if the orders are focused on illegal drugs, Trump’s own remarks have often been more about his perceived sense that foreign countries are ripping off the United States by running trade surpluses. On Sunday, Trump said that tariffs would be coming soon on countries in the European Union. On Monday afternoon, he suggested a willingness to keep using tariff threats because the size of the U.S. economy as the world’s largest made them effective. “Tariffs are very powerful both economically and in getting everything else you want,” Trump told reporters. Tariffs for us, nobody can compete with us because we’re the pot of gold. But if we don’t keep winning and keep doing well, we won’t be the pot of gold.” By Josh Boak, Fabiola Sánchez and Rob Gillies, The Associated Press. Gillies reported from Toronto, and Sánchez reported from Mexico City. Associated Press Writer Anne D’Innocenzio in New York contributed to this report.

UPDATE: Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Mexico, but import taxes still in place for Canada and China

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that after a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump that the planned tariffs are on hold for a month, a statement confirmed by the White House. “Mexico will reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members of the National Guard immediately, to stop drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, in particular fentanyl,” Sheinbaum posted on X. “The United States commits to work to stop the trafficking of high powered weapons to Mexico.” The Mexican president added that the two countries would continue talks on security and trade and that “the tariffs are put on pause for a month from now.” The pause added to the drama as Trump’s tariffs against Canada and China are still slated to go into effect on Tuesday. Uncertainty remains about the durability of any deals and whether the tariffs are a harbinger of a broader trade war as Trump has promised more import taxes to come. Trump posted on social media that he spoke Monday morning with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and would “be speaking to him again at 3:00 P.M.” Both Canada and Mexico had plans to levy their own tariffs in response to U.S. actions, but Mexico is holding off for the moment. Trump used his Monday social media post to repeat his complaints that Canada has been uncooperative, despite decades of friendship and partnerships that range from World War II to the response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. “Canada doesn’t even allow U.S. Banks to open or do business there,” Trump posted. “What’s that all about? Many such things, but it’s also a DRUG WAR, and hundreds of thousands of people have died in the U.S. from drugs pouring through the Borders of Mexico and Canada.” Financial markets, businesses and consumers are trying to prepare for the possibility of the new tariffs. Stock market indices opened with a modest selloff, suggesting some hope that the import taxes that could push up inflation and disrupt global trade and growth would be short-lived. But the outlook reflected a deep uncertainty about a Republican president who has talked with adoration about tariffs, even saying the U.S. government made a mistake in 1913 by switching to income taxes as its primary revenue source. Trump said Sunday the tariffs would lift if Canada and Mexico did more to crack down on illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling, though there are no clear benchmarks. Trump also said the U.S. can no longer run a trade imbalance with its two largest trade partners. Mexico is facing a 25% tariff, while Canada would be charged 25% on its imports to the United States and 10% on its energy products. China is facing a 10% additional tariff due to its role in the making and selling of fentanyl, the Trump White House said. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Monday that it was misleading to characterize the showdown as a trade war despite the planned retaliations and risk of escalation. “Read the executive order where President Trump was absolutely, 100% clear that this is not a trade war,” Hassett said. “This is a drug war.” But even if the orders are focused on illegal drugs, Trump’s own remarks have often been more about his perceived sense that foreign countries are ripping off the United States by running trade surpluses. On Sunday, Trump said that tariffs would be coming soon on countries in the European Union. He has discussed tariffs as both a diplomatic tool on national security issues, a way to raise revenues and a vehicle for renegotiating existing trade pacts. Multiple economists outside the administration have warned that the tariffs would push up prices and hamper growth, with Trump himself saying there would be some short term pain after having campaigned last year on the promise that he could tame inflation. Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the consultancy RSM, said the United States was unlikely to fall into a recession this year, but the tariffs would hurt growth and push up the cost of government borrowing, which would potentially keep the interest rates charged on mortgages and auto loans elevated. “If there is no resolution, the impact on the U.S. economy will be significant,” he said. “Growth will slow notably from the 2.9% average over the past three years as inflation and interest rates rise. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, currently around 4.5%, could climb to a range between 4.75% and 5%.”

Trump kept his pledge on tariffs. Is he ready for the fallout? Are Americans? Here’s what to know

ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump has taken executive action to impose new tariffs on imports from Canada, China and Mexico. The move fulfills campaign promises but also sparked retaliatory moves that could signal an extended trade war with key trading partners and, in the case of Mexico and Canada, the closest U.S. neighbors and allies. Unlike during the 2024 campaign, when Trump billed his economic agenda as a sure-fire way to reduce the cost of living for Americans, the president now is acknowledging what many economists have long forecasted: that the levies could yield higher prices and lower supplies across the market. Here are some things to know about Trump’s actions, the counters from U.S. trading partners and what it means for American consumers: The moves affect the three largest U.S. trading partners Trump declared an economic emergency to place duties of 10% on all imports from China and 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada. Energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, would be taxed at 10%. The tariffs on the United States’ three largest trading partners will go into effect on Tuesday. The tariffs reach across the U.S. market. To name a few: oil and lumber from Canada; produce, clothing, liquor and auto parts from Mexico; plastics, textiles and computer chips from China. Trump’s order contained no mechanism for granting exceptions to U.S. importers. Underscoring the potential effects, Canada provides more than 4.3 million barrels of oil a day to the United States. The U.S. tends to consume about 20 million barrels a day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It has been producing domestically about 13.2 million barrels daily. Trump says these levies are about immigration and drugs – downplaying economics The president talked often as a candidate – and for decades before he entered politics – about U.S. trade deficits. He blasted international trade deals and bemoaned the steady flow of manufacturing jobs out of the U.S. to other countries. But he has framed his latest actions as leverage on immigration and drugs. Trump is blaming the three U.S. partners for not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl into U.S. markets. He blames Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Canada for an inflow of migrants across U.S. borders. “It is my duty as president to ensure the safety of all,” Trump said on social media. Canada, China and Mexico have responded Trump’s order included a promise to escalate the tariffs if U.S. trading partners answered with their own. That threat did not prevent a swift response. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum immediately ordered retaliatory tariffs and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would put matching 25% tariffs on up to $155 billion in U.S. imports. Trudeau urged Canadians to “choose Canadian products” when shopping, effectively urging a boycott of U.S. goods. Locally, multiple premiers of Canadian provinces said they would be removing American alcohol brands from government store shelves altogether. As of Sunday afternoon, China had not imposed new tariffs on U.S. goods. But its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Beijing government will take “necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests.” The Ministry of Commerce said it would file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization for the “wrongful practices of the U.S.” Consumers will see the effects, even if businesses pay the actual tariffs End-line consumers don’t pay tariffs directly. It’s usually whatever company – a foreign-based exporter or U.S-based importer – is transporting goods across the border. But that adds to the overall cost of getting goods to their final retail stop, and each player in that process is certain to increase their prices as a result. Gregory Daco, chief economist at the tax and consulting firm EY, calculates the tariffs would increase inflation, which was running at a 2.9% annual rate in December, by 0.4 percentage points this year. Daco projects the U.S. economy, which grew 2.8% last year, would fall by 1.5% this year and 2.1% in 2026. The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates Trump’s tariffs would cost the average American household $1,000 to $1,200 in annual purchasing power. The effects reach even to companies and products billed as “made in the U.S.A.” Because sometimes that label means only that a product is assembled or otherwise finished in a U.S. facility but still includes raw materials, parts or packaging from elsewhere. And as Trump himself said often during the campaign, energy costs – which become transportation costs in the supply chain – also drive consumer pricing. Given Canada’s share of the U.S. energy supply, gas prices could increase, especially in the Midwest, where so much Canadian crude oil is refined. Trump has changed his tune on the consequences for consumers Candidate Trump made sweeping, fantastical promises about the U.S. economy. For example, he promised to lower grocery prices “immediately” and cut utility bills in half within a year of taking office. He repeatedly hammered the Biden administration as a failure because of inflation and invited the votes of Americans frustrated over a higher cost-of-living. Vice President JD Vance, in a Fox News interview ahead of the tariff announcement, maintained that Trump’s policies would mean “more take-home pay” for U.S. workers. Trump is now backing off such claims. “Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe (and maybe not),” Trump wrote Sunday morning on social media. “But we will make America great again, and it will all be worth the price that must be paid.” Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Palm Beach, Florida, and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed.

Trump puts tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, spurring trade war as North American allies respond

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday, Feb. 1, signed an order to impose stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, drawing swift retaliation and an undeniable sense of betrayal from the country’s North American neighbors as a trade war erupted among the longtime allies. The Republican president posted on social media that the tariffs were necessary “to protect Americans,” pressing the three nations to do more to curb the manufacture and export of illicit fentanyl and for Canada and Mexico to reduce illegal immigration into the U.S. The tariffs, if sustained, could cause inflation to significantly worsen, threatening the trust that many voters placed in Trump to lower the prices of groceries, gasoline, housing, autos and other goods as he promised. They also risked throwing the global economy and Trump’s political mandate into turmoil just two weeks into his second term. Trump declared an economic emergency in order to place duties of 10% on all imports from China and 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada. Energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, would be taxed at a 10% rate. Trump’s order includes a mechanism to escalate the rates charged by the U.S. against retaliation by the other countries, raising the specter of an even more severe economic disruption. “The actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a somber tone as he announced that his country would put matching 25% tariffs on up to $155 billion in U.S. imports, including alcohol and fruit. He channeled the betrayal that many Canadians are feeling, reminding Americans that Canadian troops fought alongside them in Afghanistan and helped respond to myriad crises from wildfires in California to Hurricane Katrina. “We were always there standing with you, grieving with you, the American people,” he said. Mexico’s president also ordered retaliatory tariffs. China did not immediately respond to Trump’s action. “We categorically reject the White House’s slander that the Mexican government has alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of meddling in our territory,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote in a post on X while saying she had instructed her economy secretary to implement a response that includes retaliatory tariffs and other measures in defense of Mexico’s interests. “If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious fentanyl consumption in their country, they could fight the sale of drugs on the streets of their major cities, which they don’t do and the laundering of money that this illegal activity generates that has done so much harm to its population.” The premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia, David Eby, specifically called on residents to stop buying liquor from U.S. “red” states and said it was removing American alcohol brands from government store shelves as a response to the tariffs. The tariffs will go into effect on Tuesday, setting up a showdown in North America that could potentially sabotage economic growth. A new analysis by the Budget Lab at Yale laid out the possible damage to the U.S. economy, saying the average household would lose the equivalent of $1,170 in income from the taxes. Economic growth would slow and inflation would worsen — and the situation could be even worse with retaliation from other countries. Democrats were quick to warn that any inflation going forward was the result of Trump’s actions. “You’re worried about grocery prices. Don’s raising prices with his tariffs,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York wrote in a series of posts on X. “You’re worried about tomato prices. Wait till Trump’s Mexico tariffs raise your tomato prices,” read another. “You’re worried about car prices. Wait till Trump’s Canada tariffs raise your car prices,” read another. A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief reporters, said the lower rate on energy reflected a desire to minimize disruptive increases on the price of gasoline or utilities. That’s a sign White House officials understand the gamble they’re taking on inflation. Price spikes under former President Joe Biden led to voter frustration that helped return Trump to the White House. The order signed by Trump contained no mechanism for granting exceptions, the official said, a possible blow to homebuilders who rely on Canadian lumber as well as farmers, automakers and other industries. The official did not provide specific benchmarks that could be met to lift the new tariffs, saying only that the best measure would be fewer Americans dying from fentanyl addiction. The order would also allow for tariffs on Canadian imports of less than $800. Imports below that sum are currently able to cross into the United States without customs and duties. “It doesn’t make much economic sense,’’ said William Reinsch, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former U.S. trade official. “Historically, most of our tariffs on raw materials have been low because we want to get cheaper materials so our manufacturers will be competitive … Now, what’s he talking about? He’s talking about tariffs on raw materials. I don’t get the economics of it.’’ With the tariffs, Trump is honoring promises that are at the core of his economic and national security philosophy. But the announcement showed his seriousness around the issue as some Trump allies had played down the threat of higher import taxes as mere negotiating tactics. The president is preparing more import taxes in a sign that tariffs will be an ongoing part of his second term. On Friday, he mentioned imported computer chips, steel, oil and natural gas, as well as copper, pharmaceutical drugs and imports from the European Union — moves that could essentially pit the U.S. against much of the global economy. Trudeau warned of economic pain as the tariffs take effect and encouraged Canadians to “choose Canadian products and services rather than American ones.” But he also voiced optimism in the enduring relationship between the two countries. “It is going to have real consequences for people, for workers on both sides of our border. We don’t want to be here. We didn’t ask for this, but we will not back down in standing up both for Canadians and for the incredible successful relationship between Canada and the United States,” Trudeau said.

Medical jet with 6 aboard crashes in Philadelphia, setting homes ablaze and unleashing a fireball

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A medical transport jet with a child patient and five others aboard crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff Friday evening, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said the patient and another passenger were on board along with four crew members. “We cannot confirm any survivors,” the company said in a statement. “Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground.” Mayor Cherelle Parker said Wednesday night at a news conference that information on fatalities wasn’t immediately known but several homes and vehicles had been damaged. “This is still an active scene under investigation,” she said. The crash came just two days after the deadliest U.S. air disaster in a generation. On Wednesday night, an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided in midair in Washington, D.C., with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers. There were no survivors in that crash. Over Philadelphia, a doorbell camera captured footage of the plane plunging in a streak of white and exploding as it hit the ground near a shopping mall and major roadway.

Georgia governor lays out tort reform package to be considered by state legislature

ATLANTA – Georgia Governor Brian  Kemp, joined by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Speaker Jon Burns, Commissioner John King and leaders from industries across Georgia, unveiled his tort reform package that he said “levels the playing field in courtrooms, bans hostile foreign powers from taking advantage of consumers and legal proceedings, aims to stabilize insurance costs for businesses and consumers, increases transparency and fairness, and ensures Georgia continues to be the best place to live, work, and raise a family.” “As I said in my State of the State address earlier this month, our legal environment is draining family bank accounts and hurting job creators of all sizes in nearly every industry in our state,” Kemp said. “After months of listening to our citizens, businesses, and stakeholders across the spectrum, it is clear the status quo is unacceptable, unsustainable, and jeopardizes our state’s prosperity in the years to come. This tort reform package protects the rights of all Georgians to have access to our civil justice system, and ensures that those who have been wronged receive justice and are made whole. I look forward to working with our partners in the General Assembly to pass this comprehensive and commonsense package, and achieve meaningful progress on this important issue during this legislative session.” “My position on this important issue has always been the same,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “If we want to continue to be the No. 1 state in which to do business, we must foster a business-friendly climate. We have to work together to ensure that we put families and consumers first by tackling the hidden costs we all pay thanks to Georgia’s current tort laws. I look forward to working with those in the General Assembly to move these bills through the legislative process.” “For a long time now, I’ve said that Georgia’s legal climate amounts to a hidden tax on families and small businesses, driving up costs and threatening our long-term future,” said Commissioner John King. “That’s the message we’ve heard across the entire state, too. The plan Governor Kemp is rolling out today will tackle a failed status quo, level the playing field in our courtrooms, and help ensure Georgia’s long-term prosperity and security. I’m all-in to help him get it across the finish line.” “For an unprecedented eleven consecutive years, Georgia has been named the Number One Place to do Business,” said Speaker of the House Jon Burns. “Because of Governor Kemp’s leadership and efforts to maintain that designation, we have heard from countless businesses of every size across the state about the issues they are facing—and the consensus is clear. Our current legal environment is in need of common-sense reform. The House is looking forward to working alongside Governor Kemp and stakeholders throughout Georgia to balance the scales of justice in our courtrooms and return stability to our insurance markets—all while respecting the rights of our citizens with legitimate claims to be made whole.” Below are the specific policy areas addressed by the legislation: Reevaluates the Standard for Negligent Security Liability (“Premises Liability”): Ensures businesses should only be liable for what they directly control. If signed into law, the legislation would hold property owners liable for failures to keep their property safe for their customers and the public, but protect establishments for simply opening their doors and employing hardworking Georgians in communities and neighborhoods that need them. Truthful Calculation of Medical Damages in Personal Injury Cases  (“Phantom Damages”): Requires the plaintiff to only seek damages in the amount actually paid (or will be paid in the future) for a medical bill, rather than the inflated amount that is currently introduced in evidence – ensuring Georgians who are successful in their litigation are made whole, and have their costs covered, while protecting consumers from inflated costs being passed on to them. Eliminates the Ability to Arbitrarily Anchor Pain and Suffering Damages to a Jury (“Anchoring”): Prohibits the use of anchoring tactics by attorneys in closing arguments so the jury can use their own discretion—rather than artificial benchmarks like the cost of fighter jets, or the number of miles a truck drove, or the salary of a professional athlete—all of which are real examples from cases. This bill does NOT place ANY limit on the jury’s discretion. In fact, the Governor’s legislation protects the jury’s decision making from irrelevant and improper arguments from counsel – empowering the jury to decide an award amount on their own. Bifurcated Trials: Permits a party in a case to move for bifurcation of the trial, so that liability must be established before the jury hears evidence detailing the extent of the plaintiff’s damages. This clarifies important procedure in the courtroom and gives both sides of a case the same opportunity to have their arguments heard. Allow a Jury to Know Whether the Plaintiff Wore Their Seatbelt (“Admissible Seatbelt Evidence”): Remove the current exclusion from the evidence code that prevents the defendant from showing evidence the plaintiff was not wearing his or her seatbelt in an auto accident. Allowing admission of seatbelt evidence at trial may be used by the defense to mitigate damages, particularly where the plaintiff’s failure to use this essential safety feature results in significantly worse injuries for the plaintiff. Eliminate Double Recovery of Attorney’s Fees: Closes an important loophole that allowed plaintiff’s counsel to recover their fees twice for the same lawsuit. Courts will remain able to award attorney fees—but only once. Eliminate Plaintiff Dismissal During Trial: Amends the timeline for voluntary dismissals – putting an end to the practice of plaintiffs dismissing a case and refilling in or “cherry pick” a more favorable jurisdiction to them after the defense has already racked up the cost of preparing and beginning the trial. Motion to Dismiss Timing Changes: Changes the civil practice act to allow a defendant to file a motion to dismiss in lieu of an answer – cutting down unnecessary discovery expenses while a motion to dismiss is pending. Reforming and Bringing Transparency to Third Party Litigation Funding: First, the legislation bans hostile foreign adversaries from using our litigation climate to undermine our vital security and economic interests – protecting Georgia businesses and consumers from foreign actors who may fund litigation to obtain trade secrets or advance their own political interests against the interests of the citizens of this state. Second, the legislation protects consumers from predatory lenders that want to take advantage of litigants in vulnerable situations by prohibiting litigation funders from having any input into the litigation strategy or from taking the plaintiff’s whole recovery and making sure plaintiffs are aware of their rights. Third, increases transparency for all parties—the courts, opposing litigants, and the plaintiffs themselves.

Trucking groups applaud bipartisan effort to crack down on freight fraud in moving industry

WASHINGTON — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and other freight industry leaders are applauding a bill introduced on Thursday to help fight freight fraud. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Congressman Mike Ezell will reintroduce a bipartisan bill to equip the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with the necessary tools to protect consumers from fraud perpetrated by scammers in the interstate transportation of household goods. “Freight fraud committed by criminals and scam artists has been devastating to many small business truckers simply trying to make a living in a tough freight market,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA president. “OOIDA and the 150,000 small-business truckers we represent applaud Senator Fischer, Senator Duckworth, Representative Holmes Norton and Representative Ezell for their bipartisan and bicameral leadership to provide FMCSA better tools to root out fraudulent actors, which are also harmful to consumers and highway safety. Because of the broad industry support for these commonsense reforms, we hope this bipartisan legislation will move through the committee process without delay.” Rise in Freight Fraud The bill was written to address a growing type of fraud involving entities that charge an up-front fee, pack and hold consumers’ household goods, then demand more funds to deliver or release the items. The companies involved have launched websites with fake 5-star reviews, and when negative reviews are submitted, the scammers simply close down the existing companies and open new ones, repeating the original scheme under a new FMCSA license. Last Congress, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed the bill by a vote of 62-2. U.S. Senators Deb Fischer and Tammy Duckworth are introducing the Senate companion bill. “Shipping fraud is among the most frequent complaints FMCSA receives,” Norton said. “This bill would provide FMCSA with explicit authority to assess civil penalties for violations of commercial regulations, and crucially, to withhold registration from applicants failing to provide verification details demonstrating they intend to operate legitimate businesses. Americans moving across state lines need to be able to have confidence in FMCSA-licensed companies transporting their physical belongings, and I’m proud to introduce this bill with Rep. Ezell to strengthen protections, and I thank my colleagues, Senators Fischer and Duckworth for leading this bill in the senate.” The bill has been endorsed by the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), American Trucking Associations’ Moving & Storage Conference (ATA-MSC), OOIDA, the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC), Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), Institute for Safer Trucking (IST) and Road Safe America. Protection for Consumers “The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act aims to tackle fraudulent practices in the moving and shipping industry that damage consumer trust and disrupt our national supply chain,” Ezell said. “By holding dishonest actors accountable, we’re not only safeguarding consumers but also supporting reputable businesses and their workforce. I’m proud to co-author this important legislation to combat fraud and strengthen order within our economy.” According to OOIDA, professional truckers have been telling the U.S. Department of Transportation for decades about inadequate broker regulations that are rarely, if ever, enforced. This has resulted in an inequitable economic environment for truckers, especially small-businesses who are victimized by unscrupulous brokers and other fraudulent entities. The current regulatory framework limits fraud enforcement. It enables bad actors to operate with impunity, and forces out drivers who want to build sustainable trucking careers. Tools to Fight Freight Fraud “We cannot allow bad actors in the shipping and moving industry to violate consumer trust and harm our nation’s supply chain,” Fischer said. “Our bipartisan, bicameral legislation will give the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration the tools they need to hold these thieves accountable. I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to get our bill signed into law.” OOIDA noted that the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act restores and codifies FMCSA’s authority to issue civil penalties against bad actors. The legislation also requires that brokers, freight forwarders, and carriers provide a valid business address to FMCSA in order to register for authority. Scammers Held Accountable “Bad actors are constantly developing new ways to defraud hardworking Americans, so it’s critical we keep our legislation up to speed so we can protect our constituents from the latest scamming techniques,” Duckworth said. “Moving is stressful enough without worrying about whether your movers are actually scammers trying to steal your money and belongings. I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan legislation to help ensure FMCSA has the tools it needs to shield American consumers from these thieves.” According to Chris Burroughs, TIA president and CEO, fraud continues to wreak havoc on the supply chain and in turn, hurts consumers and the U.S. economy. “We thank Congresswoman Norton and Congressman Ezell for re-introducing the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act in the 119th Congress,” Burroughs said. “Re-introducing this bill shows their commitment to implementing strong anti-fraud laws, which could markedly reduce fraud in the supply chain, minimize financial losses to small business and restore integrity to the nation’s freight sector. This bill is good for the industry, consumers and the American economy.” Easing Stress while Relocating  “When individuals and families begin the stressful process of relocating, the last thing they should have to worry about is being exploited by unscrupulous companies charging exorbitant rates and holding their household goods hostage,” said Henry Hanscom, ATA senior vice president of legislative affairs and  Dan Hilton, ATA Moving & Storage Conference executive director. “We commend Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton and Mike Ezell for taking action to help prevent consumers from becoming victims of moving fraud and protect the reputations of legitimate moving and storage companies and their hardworking employees. By creating additional tools to crack down on scammers, their legislation will help Americans have greater confidence that the moving professionals they entrust with their valuable possessions are experienced, honest, and reliable.” Fraudsters Put on Notice “The National Association of Small Trucking Companies appreciates the reintroduction of the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, said David Owen, NASTC president. “In particular, we thank Representatives Norton and Ezell and Senator Fischer for their leadership on the challenge of freight fraud, an epidemic that continues to plague the trucking industry. NASTC heartily supports this legislation. It takes steps to ensure that fraudulent brokering by criminals and criminal enterprises gets caught and the fraudsters held accountable. This bill requires a tangible place of business in order to register, which should throw up barriers to many of the frauds who exploit the ability to constantly shift their online brokering schemes.  NASTC looks forward to working with these lawmakers to move this bill forward in this Congress.”

Impending tariffs, expected cost increases may push prices for new trucks higher

U.S. sales of new Class 8 trucks finished 2024 right about where they’d been all year — lower that 2022 and 2023 totals but still about 3% higher than the average for the past decade. For the month of December 2024, manufacturers reported sales of 22,383 new trucks, according to data received from Wards Intelligence. That number is up 13.9% from November sales but 4.3% lower (and nearly 1,000 trucks lower) than December 2023, when 23,390 trucks were reported sold. Declines (mostly) across the board for 2024 During 2024, only Western Star and tiny Hino sold more Class 8 trucks than in 2023. All other major manufacturers saw declines in sales. As a whole, the industry reported sales of 240,349. That’s down 9.7% from the 2023 total of 266,271. Pre-buys impacted December 2024 numbers Buyers are ordering new trucks for future delivery, too. A report from FTR Transportation Intelligence noted new Class 8 preliminary orders on the North American market at 31,900 for December, up 23% from December 2023 orders. For the full year of 2024, FTR reported truck orders were up 11% over the prior year. “Most OEMs performed above seasonal expectations as net orders maintained relatively high levels for what is typically a softer order month,” said Dan Moyer, FTR’s senior analyst/commercial vehicles. “There also wasn’t any notable difference in vocational segment month-over-month order movement performance versus how on-highway performed this month.” ACT Research’s final report on December orders was even stronger at 36,800 units, according to the firm’s monthly “State of the Industry, NA Classes 5-8” report. Variances between analysts is partly due to which manufactures report sales numbers to the different agencies, as well as the timing of those reports. “Despite generationally weak profits in for-hire, large fleets still need to replenish existing/aging equipment,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “With the defensive assumption that EPA’s Clean Truck regulation will go ahead as is at the start of 2027, private fleets, who crucially have the budget, are likely continuing to focus on fleet age ahead of the large price increase expected for tractors.” Vieth also commented on the large numbers of orders for vocational trucks — dump, trash, concrete, etc. “We remain firm in our belief that 2025 will be the best year for vocational truck demand since 2006,” he said, citing late 2024 production and higher interest rates this year. Used Class 8 market saw late surge The used Class 8 market finished strong with a surge of 23% in units sold in December, according to ACT Research. The price of the average used Class 8 truck rose by 4% for the month of December, but for the full year 2024 prices declined 4%. “Looking back on 2024, measured progress seems like an appropriate description,” said Steve Tam, ACT vice president. “The used market undoubtedly outperformed typical seasonality, which called for an increase of 8% month over month.” Why the 23% sales increase instead of the expected 8%? “One theory is that better-than-expected sales is (due to) buyers trying to time their purchases ahead of impending value increases,” Tam said, noting that used truck prices tend to follow new truck prices. Anticipated price increases spur buying Prices for new trucks are expected to rise by $30,000 per unit or more for the 2027 model year, when government mandates for longer warrantees and new fuel mileage and emissions requirements hit. For now, President Donald Trump’s administration has called a halt to some of those mandates. Still, 2025 and 2026 models are more in demand by buyers who want to stock up on less expensive equipment. New truck deals will become increasingly hard to find, and many buyers will turn to the used market. OEM reports Individual manufacturers fared differently in comparison to the market in both December and for the full year 2024. Freightliner, for example, saw a 9.3% decline in sales for December, while the total of all manufacturers rose 13.9%. For the year, Freightliner’s sales decline of 10.5% was a little worse than the industry average of 9.7%. Still, the company was far and away the biggest seller, reporting sales of 86,544, good for 36% of all new Class 8 trucks sold in the U.S. in 2024. Western Star showed the largest percentage of sales growth for the year with sales of 1,391 in December bringing its 2024 total to 11,638. The annual number represents a 39.6% increase over 2023 sales, taking the company’s share of the market from 3.1% to 4.8% in 2024. Two other truck builders that increased their market share in 2024 were PACCAR siblings Kenworth and Peterbilt. Both OEMs beat the industry average decline in 2024. Kenworth’s December sales of 3,308 brought the annual total to 36,621, good for 15.2% of sales among manufacturers. Peterbilt did even better, selling 3,469 in December to bring its 2024 total to 37,829. While down 4.8% from 2023 sales numbers, Peterbilt still increased its market share by 0.8% to 15.7% of new trucks sold in the U.S. International (formerly Navistar) ended 2024 with 26,550 trucks sold in the U.S., a whopping 28.6% lower than the 2023 total. The company saw its share of the U.S. Class 8 market slide by 2.9% to just 11% of trucks sold. Volvo, part of Daimler Trucks North America, picked up a tenth of a percent in market share with 24,399 sold for the year, good for 10.2% of the market. Daimler sibling Mack sold 16,567 — down 8.6% from 2023 but good for 6.8% of the market, up 0.1%. Threat of increased tariffs One issue looming large on the horizon is the possibility of tariffs proposed by Trump. “Moyer commented, “We continue to watch the ongoing discussions and developments related to President Trump’s plans to impose immediate tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, as more than 40% of Class 8 trucks sold in the U.S. are built in Mexico,” said FTR’s Moyer. “Tariffs could significantly disrupt supply chains and raise production costs, compounding disruptions already anticipated due to EPA 2027 NOx regulations.” Tariffs could also impact parts manufactured in China, driving up costs for both new trucks and repair parts for those already on the road. As carriers welcome the possibility of moderately rising freight rates, they’re hoping the rising cost of equipment won’t erase any profitability.

Reactions rolling in for new EPA boss

The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday confirmed Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a key role to help President Donald Trump fulfill his pledge to roll back major environmental regulations, including those aimed at slowing climate change and encouraging use of electric vehicles. The vote was 56-42 in Zeldin’s favor. Three Democrats — Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — supported Zeldin, along with all 53 Republicans. Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York, is a longtime Trump ally and served on Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment. He voted against certifying Trump’s 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. Zeldin, 44, said during his confirmation hearing that he has a moral responsibility to be a good steward of the environment and pledged to support career staff who have dedicated themselves to the agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment. Reactions are pouring in from those Zeldin will look to partner with as the EPA’s new boss. Clean Freight Coalition Executive Director Jim Mullen extended his congratulations to Administrator Lee Zeldin on his confirmation to serve as the leader of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “On behalf of The Clean Freight Coalition and our growing membership of truck and bus transportation stakeholders, we extend our congratulations to Administrator Zeldin on his confirmation. Administrator Zeldin’s leadership comes at a crucial time and offers the incoming Administration an opportunity to expand on their efforts to provide greater stability for the commercial motor vehicle industry. Truckload Carriers Association President Jim Ward issued a statement extending “congratulations to former Congressman Lee Zeldin on his appointment as the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator. TCA is committed to working alongside the EPA under Administrator Zeldin’s leadership to address the complex challenges associated with emission reductions.” “As an active participant in the Clean Freight Coalition, TCA has consistently supported renewable diesel and other alternative fuels as vital steps toward achieving a more sustainable future. We remain committed to advocating for practical and achievable timelines for implementing emission-reduction technologies to ensure the trucking industry’s continued success,” he added. In their release, the American Trucking Association said, “the trucking industry congratulates Administrator Zeldin on his confirmation, and we look forward to the restoration of common sense in our nation’s environmental policies under his leadership of EPA.” “Over the past several years, the mad dash to zero and a patchwork of unachievable mandates on unrealistic timelines have posed a grave threat to the trucking industry, the supply chain, and our economy,” ATA’s statement read. “The enormous price tag of this haphazard transition would have significantly raised costs for American consumers without delivering the promised environmental benefits.  This was deeply regrettable, because our industry and EPA had worked together for decades to promote major advances in engines and emissions control systems that are 99% cleaner.  As a result, 60 trucks today emit the same amount as one truck manufactured in 1988.” “Administrator Zeldin is a proven, collaborative leader America’s truckers deserve to restore balance at EPA,” the ATA added. “By reviving the productive partnership with our industry, he can build on our impressive environmental achievements without disrupting the supply chain.  We look forward to working with Administrator Zeldin to replace electric-truck mandates with national emission standards that are technologically achievable, encourage innovation, and account for the operational realities of our essential industry.” The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Infrastructure funding freeze under fire

WASHINGTON — Ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen and vice ranking member Emilia Sykes, along with 29 other Democratic committee members, are reacting to President Trump’s executive order halting the funding of important infrastructure investments. “The President’s rapid-fire executive orders issued last week affecting infrastructure spending rules and air traffic controller staffing, doubled down on with this week’s guidance from the Office of Management and Budget pausing all federal financial assistance, are putting billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of jobs, and tens of thousands of projects at risk,” the members said. “These actions are sowing chaos in an industry that counts on long-term certainty and will raise project costs.” In a letter sent to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy,  the members voiced their concerns. “Unfortunately, the actions in the first week of this administration show a fundamental miscalculation of the bipartisan support infrastructure investment enjoys in Congress and how much governors, mayors, county commissioners, city council members, and state legislators across the country count on federal infrastructure dollars,” the letter said. Requested Actions   The members also urged Secretary Duffy to stem the “chaotic effect” of President Trump’s actions by:  Providing clear guidance on DOT’s planned actions to implement the President’s objectives with respect to infrastructure spending and eligibilities.  Making publicly available an up-to-date list of all grants subject to or under review pursuant to these executive order. Communicating to Congress in advance of changes to grant solicitations or grant requirements, including reissuance of Notices of Funding Opportunity. Providing clarity to project sponsors on how to demonstrate compliance with the longstanding and routinely reauthorized DOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.  Infrastructure Investments are Crucial “Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee stand ready to be strong partners in investing in infrastructure and creating jobs building, maintaining and operating the nation’s roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, aviation system, maritime transportation system and waterways,” the letter said. “We understand deeply how the work of this Committee affects the economy, supply chains, jobs, safety, mobility, opportunity and quality of life for the women and men we represent.” The letter noted that the committee has witnessed what happens when Congress does the right thing and funds  infrastructure. “…funds flow to projects and support local economies in every single Congressional district in the country. We want to keep it going by working across the aisle in the 119th Congress.” To read the full letter, click here.