In today’s edition … Fauci faces a contempt of Congress vote … your thoughts on airport arrival times … but first …
Trump wants Canada to pay for wildfire smoke
There’s been something in the air in D.C. this summer — namely wildfire smoke and frustration over Canada’s inability to keep it on its side of the border.
President Donald Trump has suggested repeatedly that he’d like to see Canada pay for the spread of wildfire smoke across the U.S. over the last month. On Sunday, Trump responded to a reporter’s question about what sort of payback he’ll be seeking by ominously saying, “you’ll find out about it,” but he has more specifically threatened tariffs against Canadian goods in past remarks about the wildfires.
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump wrote on Truth Social in July.
(It is unclear what legal authority Trump could use to impose tariffs based on air quality, though the White House has suggested Trump has “numerous tariff powers at his disposal.”)
Trump isn’t the only politician upset about the state of the air. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) introduced the CANADA FIRE Act, which would require financial and diplomatic sanctions against Canada’s government and certain officials if the administration found that Canada failed to respond adequately to cross-border wildfire smoke.
Rep. Tim Walberg led the Michigan Republican Delegation in sending a letter to Canadian Ambassador Mark Wiseman last month, striking a more cooperative note than Moreno and Trump and requesting a meeting to discuss Canada’s wildfire prevention and management programs.
“For the past few years, our constituents have dealt with noxious wildland fire smoke that has been especially dangerous for Michiganders who are sensitive to air pollutants or those with underlying health conditions,” the delegation wrote. “These challenges are not unique, and certainly impact Canadians and Americans alike. The cooperation between our two countries is paramount to protect the health and safety of our constituents.”
Walberg’s office confirmed the congressman has since talked with Wiseman about Canada’s steps to contain and prevent wildfires “and how the U.S. can assist in providing active solutions to benefit Canadians and Americans.”
The wildfire smoke comes amid already strained U.S.-Canada relations. Trump’s trade wars, calls for Canada to become the 51st state, and threats to block a bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada have soured what was once a close relationship with our northern neighbors. The president’s criticism of Canada’s forest maintenance is just the latest in a long line of examples of Trump publicly haranguing Canada, and one that experts suggest is not entirely fair.
Canada has invested billions in wildfire prevention and response and deployed thousands of personnel this season. But experts say Trump’s forest-management critique oversimplifies the problem. Many fires burn in remote areas that are difficult to reach, and lightning, extreme heat and dry conditions can allow them to spread quickly. Canada’s wildfire agency says rising temperatures, prolonged drought and changing weather patterns are causing fires to burn larger areas.
“As the human population kind of continues to rise, I call it the ‘expanding bull’s eye effect,’ where you just kind of put more people in potential harm’s way, eventually they’re gonna get hit,” said Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist at AccuWeather.
Canada and the United States have agreements to limit man-made air pollutants, but making one nation pay another for a natural disaster has less precedent. Wealthier nations have historically sent aid to help poorer nations through natural disasters, and some have made a particular point of voluntarily stepping up to help impoverished nations as climate science has helped us better understand how many disasters are downstream from human behavior.
The United States — which has the largest economy in the world — demanding Canada — the world’s tenth largest economy — to pay for the impact of wildfire smoke that blew over the border … the term “First World problems” comes to mind. It’s also a tad hypocritical: The United States has had several wildfires of its own this summer, sending American-grown smoke over the northern border into Canada. But then, Trump has always said he wants the U.S. to export more than it imports.
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What we’re watching
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote this morning on whether to hold former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony S. Fauci in contempt.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who leads the committee, has long accused Fauci of covering up a possible laboratory origin of covid-19, and called Fauci before the committee last week. Fauci accused Paul of convening the hearing as a political trap, and he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during questioning, refusing to answer questions on topics ranging from the covid-19 pandemic response to the day of the week.
In the contempt resolution, Paul argues Fauci has no Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination when discussing covid-19 because Joe Biden granted him a preemptive pardon for any crimes he may have committed while working for the government from Jan. 1, 2014, to Jan. 19, 2025. He also suggested that Fauci “waived his right to claim” the Fifth Amendment by giving an opening statement before invoking the amendment during questioning.
Experts say that one legal argument Fauci could make is that Biden’s pardon did not eliminate every possible source of criminal exposure and therefore did not strip him of his Fifth Amendment rights.
The Republican-controlled committee is expected to approve the resolution, and Paul has said he will refer it to the Justice Department for possible prosecution upon passage.
Our picks
- Trump tells donors, ‘We need to elect JD,’ as vice president weighs his future, from Natalie Allison and Isaac Arnsdorf.
- Justice Department’s $3 billion ‘BIDEN’ grants come with an immigration catch, from Perry Stein.
In your local paper
Honolulu Civil Beat: Honolulu’s only municipal landfill was ordered to close by 2031, putting the city government in a difficult situation: Where do you put a landfill that nobody wants near their community?
Florida Phoenix: Florida’s legislature appropriated $4 million for the Department of Children and Families to use artificial intelligence to identify food assistance payments made in error. Florida Democrats are now demanding clarification on how AI tools will be used and what safeguards will be in place.
San Antonio Current: The board of trustees for one of the largest school districts in Texas voted this week to adopt the state’s controversial Bluebonnet Learning curriculum, which incorporates Christian teachings into public school lessons.
From you
None of the Early Brief readers are missing a flight for a cup of coffee, or anything else. There was slight variance in the responses to our query about the best time to show up at the airport, but universal agreement is that you should be there early.
“I usually try to arrive at the baggage check 90 minutes before my scheduled flight. This leaves me time for a leisurely walk to the farthest possible gate (this seems to be the only gate that my planes board from),” writes Lance Rectanus.
“I do not like to find ways to add preventable stress to traveling, so I am at my gate at least 30-45 minutes before boarding starts,” emailed Glenn Steckler. “To show up just in the nick of time or while boarding has already begun seems at best immature, at worst irresponsible.”
Reader Sophie B. writes that her marriage changed how she approached airport arrival times.
“My husband was a get-to-the-airport 2 hours before a flight back in the days when one walked up to the gate to wait and board. I was a run-to-board as the doors were closing. After more than 45 years it has become an easy habit to arrive the now recommended 2 plus hours early,” said Sophie.
To quote a meme: To be loved is to be changed.
Send a reply
The odds are that many of you have probably had to deal with Canadian wildfire smoke this summer. Has it affected your quality of life or summer activities? Do you think Canada bears some responsibility for how fires on its side of the border are affecting the air quality in the U.S.? If so, what do you think should be done about it?
Let us know at [email protected].
Thanks for reading.