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Trump’s Canada tariff threat produces a deal with no public terms

Canada and the United States moved closer Wednesday to finalizing a trade agreement that would avert threatened 50% U.S. tariffs, with a senior Canadian official calling the emerging terms “a very good deal for Canada” while cautioning that negotiations were not complete. President Donald Trump said the agreement was “very fair” to both sides and predicted U.S. […]

By Rob Gillies, Paul Wiseman, Seung Min Kim and The Associated PressAugust 20, 2026

Meta faces a $1.4 trillion threat that could mean ‘turning in the keys and walking away’—but the stakes of the case reach across tech

The $1.4 trillion figure may be unlikely, but the case could give states a new way to challenge how social media platforms are designed.

By Tatiana SatauaAugust 20, 2026

Pentagon pushes ‘zero tolerance’ audit on foreign university partnerships that ‘compromise our national security’

Schools must complete a review and terminate arrangements deemed problematic—or face funding losses.

By The Associated Press and Heather HollingsworthAugust 19, 2026

Geopolitical risk needs to move away from the ‘after-dinner speaker’: Eurasia Group and Rio Tinto’s Dominic Barton

Eurasia Group counselor Dominic Barton says corporate leaders can no longer treat geopolitics as a boardroom sideshow amid tariffs and new restrictions.

By Nicholas GordonAugust 19, 2026

More in North America

Instagram took ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach to kids, former engineer testifies — and pay was tied to keeping them online

“If you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money,” Arturo Béjar testified. It had the tools to know better, too.

By Barbara Ortutay and The Associated PressAugust 20, 2026

‘Squid has a distinctive odor to it’: Seafood truck crash in Rhode Island creates ‘Squidpocalypse of ’26’

Narragansett’s “Squidpocalypse of ’26” shut an intersection from 9:27 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. as crews removed spilled calamari in summer heat.

By Josh Kelety and The Associated PressAugust 20, 2026

Walmart’s sales growth falls to 6-year low as Middle American shoppers go on strike

America’s largest retailer saw keeps winning customers making more than $100,000, though.

By Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressAugust 20, 2026

Target’s second straight comeback quarter boosted by nearly $1 billion Trump tariff refund

Shoppers returned and sales rose 3.8%, but the government’s tariff refund supplied $1.65 of Target’s $4.11 in quarterly earnings.

By Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressAugust 20, 2026

More in Asia

Unitree, famous for its dancing robots, surges by 460% on its trading debut, lifting valuation to $66 billion, far ahead of U.S. competitors

The Hangzhou-based startup, founded in 2016, has quickly become something akin to a national champion in China’s robotics sector.

By Nicholas GordonAugust 19, 2026

Strait of Hormuz chaos has incentivized China to use an alternative trade route: a 3,400 mile frozen Arctic channel dubbed the ‘Ice Silk Road’

Chinese shipping company Sea Legend Line just announced a shipping route through the Arctic, which takes half the time as established shipping routes.

By Sasha RogelbergAugust 19, 2026

The U.S. built its brand by attracting the world’s best and brightest. It must not lose that advantage

As any chief executive knows, the strongest brands are rarely destroyed by their competitors. This principle applies to nations as well.

By John A. QuelchAugust 18, 2026

Alibaba’s $2 billion gaming exit signals where Beijing wants its money

The e-commerce giant sells its gaming studio and pours $53 billion into AI as the US-China tech rivalry heats up

By Mia OsmonbekovAugust 18, 2026