In a move that intertwines environmental policy with trade brinkmanship, President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on Canada after wildfire smoke blanketed much of the northeastern United States, triggering air-quality health alerts across New York and New Jersey.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump accused Ottawa of “willful negligence” in forest management. “We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein,” he wrote, claiming the pollution was costing the U.S. “billions of dollars” and describing the cross-border air as “filthy, polluted, and unhealthy.”
The timing is particularly charged: the FIFA World Cup final is set to be played in New Jersey in just days. Norwegian outlet Dagbladet reported that the pre-final atmosphere is already electric, with Lionel Messi — now 39 — being confronted about a viral photo with 19-year-old Lamine Yamal that has “spread across the world.” Messi’s response? “Life is insane.”
Meanwhile, a separate fact-checking report from Peru’s La República debunked a widely shared video purporting to show Messi “dancing” with an English defender during Argentina’s match against England, confirming it was created with AI — a reminder of how misinformation can spread at the speed of a viral goal.