Canada, Cabinet Confirmations, The Ceasefire, & Conan’s Award
January 17, 2025
Hello, readers – happy Friday! Today, we’ll be talking about Canada’s revenge, Cabinet confirmation hearings, the ceasefire, the U.K. reopening some cases, TikTok, Rudy Giuliani, and Conan’s award.
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“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Trudeau’s Tariff Tit-For-Tat

A North American country is gathering resources to defend itself against an enemy to its southern border. No, Biden isn’t helping out Trump by amassing troops at the U.S.-Mexico border in preparation for his plans to invade Mexico. Instead, Canada is preparing to enact billions of dollars worth of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports in case the incoming Trump administration makes good on its promises to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.
Besides being neighbors, the economies of the U.S. and Canada are extremely intertwined: Canada ranked as the U.S.’s second-largest trading partner in 2024, and a whopping 77% of Canadian goods were exported to the U.S. over that same period.
“Everything is on the table,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a press conference yesterday, adding that he supports “the principle of a dollar-for-dollar response.” If this neighborly trade war actually becomes a reality, a dollar-for-dollar response means that Canada would end up imposing hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs on American goods, crippling both countries’ economies at the same time. Yay!
What’s In The Gold-Plated Cabinet?
This is our last email before Monday’s Trump inauguration, and his Cabinet nominees are still being grilled during their confirmation hearings in Congress. Yesterday, Trump’s picks for Treasury Secretary (investor Scott Bessent), Interior Secretary (North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum), and Secretary of Energy (fracking company CEO Chris Wright) all got probed (is that poor word choice?) by U.S. lawmakers, revealing some of their plans for their time in power.
In Bessent’s hearing, the incoming Treasury Secretary played a delicate balancing act between voicing support for first-Trump-era tax cuts and also being tough on national debt. Notably, Bessent also made it clear that the Federal Reserve should stay independent from the President’s influence – in the past, Trump has threatened to fire Fed chairman Jerome Powell, criticizing his Covid-era decision-making.
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum said that the U.S. should invest in “clean coal” and AI, complaining about a “shortage of electricity” that will supposedly cause America to lose its AI race against China. Trump’s Energy Secretary pick, Chris Wright, committed to supporting “reliable” energy sources including renewables, and also promised to “follow the scientific method” on climate change, an issue that he’s expressed some… less-scientific opinions on in the past.
Schrodinger’s Ceasefire

- Two days ago, mediators announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire deal. People (us included) celebrated that deal being reached. Yesterday, as the confetti was still being swept off the streets, Israel’s right-wing coalition government announced it would be delaying cabinet meetings to ratify the deal.
- Netanyahu’s fragile coalition looks to be coming apart at the idea of the ceasefire, with hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatening to resign from his post if the government ratifies the deal. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, struck a similar chord yesterday.
- The U.S., for its part, seems convinced that the ceasefire will go into effect this Sunday as planned. “It’s not exactly surprising that in a process and negotiation that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in response to Israel’s turmoil. While we wait for the ceasefire to be finalized, Israel has not, in the least, ceased its fire.
Want To Know More?
- Satellite photos show the Gaza Strip before and after the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war (AP)
- Arab states urge Israel and US to let Palestinian Authority oversee Gaza recovery (Guardian)
- Gaza and the moon make biennial most-endangered list (NPR)
The Elon Arm Of The Law
- Yesterday, the U.K.’s Home Secretary announced that the government would be launching a series of investigations into years-old allegations against child grooming gangs. Did new evidence come to light? No, but Elon Musk posted a few tweets accusing current Prime Minister Kier Starmer (who was working as the country’s top prosecutor at the time) of failing to properly pursue the child sexual grooming incidents.
- In his tweets, Musk said that Starmer should be in jail, claimed that the PM was “complicit in the rape of Britain,” and suggested that “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government.” His claims are based on thousands of child sexual exploitation cases that occurred across Britain from 1997 to 2013.
Time’s Not Up For TikTok Yet
- Before we bid Biden adieu, his administration is hoping to get one final win – saving TikTok. Kind of. As the app is set to be shut down in the U.S., administration officials said the White House doesn’t plan to take action that forces TikTok to immediately disappear on Sunday, saying, “It will be up to the next administration to implement.”
- The way the law is written means that the Justice Department has the power to pursue fines of up to $5,000 per user (considering there are about 170 million users, that’s a lot of fines). Apple, Google, and Oracle have so far not made it clear what they will do on Sunday. Incoming President Trump has also expressed interest in saving the app.
Oh, How The Mighty Have Fallen
- We don’t necessarily enjoy watching anyone’s downfall, but it’s tough not to laugh a little bit at what’s happening to Rudy Giuliani. The former New York mayor and Trump ally settled with two former Georgia election workers yesterday in a deal that will let him keep his homes and personal belongings in return for compensation and a promise to never defame them again.
- Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, had been seeking all of Giuliani’s property as part of a $148 million defamation judgment against him. The morning was supposed to begin with a trial to decide the ownership of his Florida condominium and three World Series rings, but instead, a deal (the amount of the compensation wasn’t made public) was announced a few hours later.
More Nuts In America
- DeSantis to pick Florida AG Ashley Moody to fill Rubio’s Senate seat (Axios)
- Biden strengthens US cyber defenses against Russia and China threats (Guardian)
- US defense contractor to build 4,000-worker advanced manufacturing facility in central Ohio (AP)
- Toyota’s commercial truck company will pay $1.6 billion for faking emissions tests (NPR)
- As Trump inauguration nears, FCC chief dismisses complaints against TV networks (NPR)
- Trump team brags new presidential portraits “go hard” (Axios)
Going Nuts For Coco
- The funny guy with the red hair has won the prize named after another funny guy with red hair. Comedian and former late-night TV host Conan O’Brien won the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for comedy last night, and will accept the award in a ceremony in March. The Mark Twain Prize recognizes people who have “had an impact on American society in ways similar to” Twain; other winners include Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Tina Fey.
- “For four decades, Conan O’Brien, has brought his unique blend of the smart, silly, insightful, and hilarious into our homes,” said the president of the Kennedy Center. “From Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons — including the unbelievably funny monorail episode — to late night, podcasts, and all things Team Coco, Conan is a master of invention and reinvention, consistently pushing the envelope in search of new comedic heights.” “I am honored to be the first winner of the Mark Twain Prize recognized not for humor, but for my work as a riverboat pilot,” said Conan.
More Loose Nuts
- Blue Origin successfully launches New Glenn rocket into space (TechCrunch)
- David Lynch, visionary filmmaker who specialized in the surreal, dies at 78 (NBC)
- Drug-eating rats invade Houston police evidence room, potentially disrupting hundreds of cases (CBS)
- Ancient Celtic tribe had women at its social center (NPR)
- “De-extinction” startup Colossal Biosciences raises $200 million (Axios)
- NASA’s stuck astronaut steps out on a spacewalk after 7 months in orbit (ABC)
Team Thoughts
Kayli – If you’ve never seen Conan O’Brien’s “Hot Ones” episode, I highly recommend it.
Marcus – Getting sued for all your worldly possessions because you couldn’t stop defaming election workers is some next-level karma.