Last Week Today Episode 197 Show Notes for Tuesday, May 13th, 2025
US Agreements with China & UK, Carney’s Cabinet, Alberta’s Separation Anxiety, India-Pakistan Ceasefire, the Wealthiest & Global Warming, CDN Telco’s Profit from Immigration, Leo XIV & Digital ID.
US Agreements with China & UK
The US and China announced Monday that they would lower many tariffs between the two countries for 90 days — a move "that resets the tone between the world’s two largest economies.”
As outlined in the May 12th, 2024 Reuters post, “Stocks, dollar surge as US and China agree 90-day tariff relief,” global stock markets have rallied on the announcement.
As outlined in the agreement:
US President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariff on China, placed to encourage an agreement, will fall to 10% from 125% now that an agreement is in place.
A separate 20% tariff the US president imposed over what he described as China's role in the fentanyl trade will remain.
Beijing will cut its retaliatory levies on US goods to 10% from 125%.
The U.S. said reductions will last 90 days while talks continue. According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meetings over a fuller deal would likely start in the next few weeks, but it would be “implausible” for reciprocal tariffs on China to fall below 10%.
So Trump gets his tariffs.
For more on the situation from a legacy perspective, check out the May 12th, 2025 PBS NewsHour on YouTube post, “Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Trump's tariff negotiations.”
The Chinese talks coincide with a US-UK trades deal which, as announced in the May 11th, 2025 Politico post, “British ambassador on trade deal: ‘We regard it as finalized’,” was finalized on May 8th.
According to the post:
… the US plans to export $5 billion in products like machinery and ethanol, along with agricultural products, to Great Britain, with the 10 percent baseline tariff on British imports remaining.
In return, the U.K. can export to the U.S. 100,000 cars at a 10 percent tariff rate, instead of the current 25 percent rate placed on autos. The US will also eliminate the levy imposed on steel.
Legacy media outlets are generally positive over the agreement and, after four months in office, both independent and legacy media outlets are finally developing a more nuanced view of the early successes and failures of the Trump administration.
According to the May 9th, 2025 Alt-Markets post, “The Trump Administration’s Biggest Wins and Biggest Fails So Far,” the overall list of activities is impressive:
Successes include the complete shutdown of illegal immigration, DOGE closing USAID and other “saboteur” agencies, the tariff campaign, the removal of LGBT/DEI propaganda from schools and federal institutions and Trump’s pardon for January 6th prisoners.
Failures include not doing a very good job warning the public about the Biden Administration’s manipulation of economic data, the continued supply of foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine and the role out of the Real ID And biometric tracking program.
Here’s another nuanced view of Trump administration, the May 8th, 2025 Steven Eugene Kuhn on TikTok post, “Trump vs. The Globalists: A Complex Dance.”
Also in the News this Week
Carney’s Cabinet
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced his new cabinet. As outlined in the May 12th, 2025 CBC News post, “Prime Minister Carney to announce major cabinet shakeup Tuesday with many new faces going in,” the new faces are expected to “symbolize” a break with the past, even if that break isn’t actually reflected in reality.
As outlined in the May 13th, 2025 Toronto Star on YouTube post, “Mark Carney unveils new cabinet. Here are some highlights,” the old faces still predominate, while the new faces are primarily pulled from BC and Ontario, areas where the Carney Liberals are concerned over their long-term viability.
The Liberals are also attempting to bolster their numbers.
As outlined in the May 9th, 2025 Global News post, “Liberals putting out ‘feelers’ for NDP MPs to cross floor: Davies,” the governing Liberal’s are looking for ways to turn their minority liberal government into a majority.
One of the best ways to bolster government forces seems to be recounts. As outlined in the May 11th, 2025 National Post piece, “Liberals get to 170 seats after Quebec riding flips by a single vote in judicial recount,” this is the second election recount to flip to the Liberals and there’s three more still to go.
For a procedural, legacy media overview of voting concerns, check out the May 13th, 2025 CBC on YouTube post, “1 vote flipped Quebec’s Terrebonne riding Liberal. But the story may not be over yet.”
The Conservatives, although they officially lost the election, are in a positive mood.
As outlined in the May 11th, 2025 The Hub editorial, “Ben Woodfinden: The Conservatives lost, but the Poilievre coalition is only growing stronger,” the Conservative party:
… received 41.3 percent of the vote, the highest popular vote in decades, and won 24 more seats.
It wasn’t enough, but there were significant breakthroughs in Ontario and British Columbia. This was driven by a very different voting bloc than has previously been the Conservative voting coalition.
The new Poilievre coalition is much younger, more diverse, and more working-class than previous Conservative voting coalitions.
So their future looks bright, even if there wasn’t a breakthrough this time.
Of course, there are always winners and losers in elections and failed conservative candidate Joe Tay, who we last discussed in the April 23rd, 2025 Freedom Forum post, “Conservative Candidate in Don Valley North Targeted by Aggressive Chinese Election Interference Operations,” seems to have been one of the losers.
As outlined in the May 8th, 2025 Hong Hong Free Press post, “Hong Kong police take in relatives of wanted activist Joe Tay for questioning,” Tay’s cousin and wife have been arrested for questioning by Chinese authorities. Although Tay’s situation is considered “foreign interference” by Canadian authorities, PM Carney has, so far at least, refused to comment on the matter.
And then there’s the May 10th, 2025 National Post piece, “Conrad Black: And just like that, the Trump 'threat' disappears,” which notes that American aggression against Canada was never much more than fake news, promoted by legacy news to bolster its readership, and return their Liberal paymasters to power.
Alberta’s Separation Anxiety
The May 11th, 2025 National Post piece, “For Alberta, the 'existential threat, it’s from Ottawa,' Danielle Smith says,” notes that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s recent mention of a potential separation referendum (something Freedom Forum noted in passing last week) has ignited serious debate.
As outlined in the May 10th, 2025 CBC News post, “Calgary, Edmonton mayors call potential separatism referendum 'dangerous',” the mayors of Calgary and Edmonton are warning a separation referendum would be "devastating" to their local economies and a needless distraction during a period in which the country should be focused on unity.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also chimed in on the situation. On May 7, 2025, Ford announced that Carney would meet premiers in Saskatchewan during the upcoming First Ministers conference on June 2nd, in an effort to address western alienation, perhaps even signaling a federal olive branch to disgruntled provinces.
The May 8th, 2025 Canadian Press post, “Carney, Canada's premiers to meet in Saskatchewan next month,” notes a general consensus among Canadian provincial premiers is that a “reset” is needed.
As noted in the May 12th, 2025 Global News post, “Smith announces freeze to industrial carbon price in Alberta,” the Alberta premier is also actively taking other steps to preserve the Alberta economy, but those steps are seemingly being overwhelmed in the legacy media by the separation rhetoric.
The First Nations are also weighing in on the possibility of Alberta separation..
The May 12th, 2025 Assembly of First Nations press release, “National Chief Calls for Federal Review of Natural Resources Transfer Agreement in Response to Alberta Referendum Proposal,” calls any proposed separation of Alberta from Canada:
… fundamentally illegitimate and unconstitutional without the explicit, prior, informed and collective consent of the First Nations whose lands and rights predate the formation of the province and of Canada,” said National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak.
“The time has come for Alberta and Canada to move beyond colonial frameworks and honour the truth of their history by restoring justice and self-determination to First Nations.”
The May 12th, 2025 CBC News post, “AFN chief says talks of Alberta separation 'irresponsible,' points to treaties,” quotes Chief Nepinak, as calling any effort by Alberta to split from Canada "unconstitutional" and a "direct affront to the sacred treaties that predate the province itself."
It’s worth noting that the First Nations might be responding as per their acknowledged advocacy of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the 2007 United Nations document “that sets global standards for upholding the rights of indigenous peoples,” and which was strongly supported by the Trudeau Liberals.
However, as outlined in the April 4th,2024 The Freedom Articles on Rumble post, “UNDRIP Land Grab via Fake Care for the Indigenous – Part 1 – Video #94,” many object to the proposed land grab implicit in the UNDRIP proposal.
They suggest that, under the UNDRIP, the land won’t go to the indigenous peoples but would instead be administered by a UN based world government, ostensibly in the indigenous peoples “best interests.”
The May 12th, 2025 Juno News post, “Preston Manning: Mark Carney will be Canada’s LAST Prime Minister,” notes that Manning “makes the case for a new political deal and predicts the end of a united Canada.”
It’s worth watching.
India-Pakistan Ceasefire, the Wealthiest & Global Warming, CDN Telco’s Profit from Immigration & Leo XIV
The India-Pakistan Ceasefire is being tested by new clashes in Kashmir.
According to the May 11th, 2025 Sky News post, “India-Pakistan live: Pakistan and India accuse each other of violating ceasefire deal - as Trump talks of trade boost for both countries,” the ceasefire announced on May 10, 2025, between India and Pakistan was strained by overnight shelling in Kashmir, with each side blaming the other.
The new attacks occurred hours after US president Donald Trump's announcement that Islamabad and New Delhi had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire following talks mediated by the US.
For more on the situation, check out the May 7th, 2025 BBC News post, “Kashmir: Why India and Pakistan fight over it.”
A new paper published in Nature, one of the most respected of science journals in the world, finds that “the world's wealthiest 10% are responsible for 67% of global warming.”
As outlined in the May 7th, 2025 Nature post, “High-income groups disproportionately contribute to climate extremes worldwide,” Climate injustice “persists as those least responsible often bear the greatest impacts, both between and within countries.“
Maybe we should just make the rich pay.
Canada’s major telecommunication companies are blaming the Federal government for the latest dip in their profits.
The May 11th, 2025 Bloomberg News post, “Telus, Bell, Rogers blame immigration policies for mobile subscriber slowdown,” notes that, “For years, Canada’s top telecom providers rode a wave of high immigration, collectively adding hundreds of thousands of new mobile phone subscribers most quarters.”
Those days are now over, mostly because of decreased immigration, a policy the Canadian government adapted over the last two years under pressure from its citizens.
The new Catholic spiritual leader, Pope Leo XIV, has prompted Canadian Indigenous groups to urge continued reconciliation efforts initially arising from Pope Francis’s 2022 Canadian visit, when he apologized to the Indigenous people in Canada for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools.
As noted in the May 11th, 2025 CTV News post, “‘I hope we can work on reconciliation together’: Indigenous community reacts to election of Pope Leo XIV,” The new pope has emphasized a number of areas where work needs to be done but hasn’t yet addressed reconciliation efforts.
Selling Digital ID
And finally tonight, here’s the May 10th, 2025 Mongo Minds on Bitchute post, “The Real Hidden Meaning of Digital ID Vs How They Sell It to the World.”
“Last Week Today” provides context and connections for the most important news stories of the week.
We’re a part of the fast growing alternative, “new media” ecosystem, which grew up around distributed, low cost technologies developed to enhance two-way communications between authors and audiences.
Please support our sponsors by clicking on the images below.
