Residents of the Canadian border city of Windsor had held out hope US President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs on imports from Canada would prove hollow, but that faith was dashed Monday, sparking fear for their futures. Trump had unveiled — and then paused — blanket tariffs of up to 25 percent on imports from major trading partners Canada and Mexico in February, accusing the US neighbors of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Canadian leaders had been pushing for a deal ahead of the expiration of the halt this week, but Trump said there was “no room left” on Monday for both countries to avoid fresh levies.The pronouncement sent shockwaves through Windsor, Ontario, home to 250,000 people and the thriving heart of the Canadian auto industry — located just across the border from US industry powerhouse Detroit, Michigan. Residents said they felt betrayed by Canada’s neighbor and now fear the closures of factories and subcontractors.”The mood is overall like we’re pretty scared,” said Joel Soleski, 26, who works for carmaker Stellantis.”The impact would be a layoff until further notice,” he told AFP. “I just bought my first house… I might have to look for work elsewhere.”The manufacturer is one of the most exposed to the looming tariffs, according to ratings agency Moody’s: 40 percent of Stellantis cars sold in the United States — under the Ram, Fiat, Dodge, or Chrysler brands — are made in Canada and Mexico. Automotive parts can cross between the United States and Canada up to six times before a vehicle is assembled in Windsor, where the border can be almost forgotten and the economy is deeply integrated with Detroit’s.Anxiety and anger were palpable among Stellantis workers clocking off on Monday afternoon.  Trump’s decision is “not even logical, it makes absolutely no sense,” said John D’Agnolo, president of a union in Windsor representing 2,000 workers at Ford.”I can’t imagine how that would work,” he added, predicting layoffs could be seen in a few weeks after the tariffs go into effect, and that vehicles would become more expensive in the long term.More than two million jobs are at stake in Canada, with 500,000 alone in Ontario, the country’s most populous province.Ford employee Christina Grossi was in shock. “They’re our jobs. We’ve been doing this for 100 years,” she said.”It’s terrifying,” added the woman in her fifties, feeling betrayed by a country she has always considered a strong ally, and where her son is studying. On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford pledged to fight back.  “They want to hit us hard. We will hit them back twice as hard,” he said.

Major League Soccer’s newest club, San Diego FC, say they will take action to stop homophobic chanting after a taunt used in Mexican football blighted their first ever home game.San Diego drew 0-0 at home to St Louis City FC at their Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday but the one-word chant was heard several times throughout the match.Mexico’s national team has been fined several times by FIFA over the same chant which has also been an issue in Mexican club games.The club posted messages during the game warning supporters that the chants were “offensive” and adding that “discrimination has no place in our sport and in our stadiums and will not be tolerated.”On Monday the club issued a statement saying they would be taking action to deal with the problem.”What took place during our first-ever home match does not reflect who we are as a club or the values we stand for. The sport of football brings people together and in San Diego that inclusive spirit thrives,” the club said.”The use of homophobic language in our stadium is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. San Diego FC is built on respect and the belief that soccer is for everyone. “We are committed to fostering an environment where all fans, players, and staff feel safe and welcome. We will take immediate steps to address this behaviour and will communicate a detailed plan prior to the next home match,” they concluded.Coach Mikey Varas said that the chants had not come from the organized supporters groups but fans elsewhere in the ground.”This came from more the general population in the seats, and it wasn’t everybody,” Varas told reporters after the game.”I understand that, but it was enough people, and I just want to make very clear that it has no place here. If they’re going to continue to come to the game and make that chant, it’s better that they don’t come here,” he said.

Bitcoin’s price plunged nearly 10 percent on Monday as an escalating trade war and uncertainty over creation of a US crypto reserve fund sent investors running from risk.After jumping on US President Donald Trump’s talk of creating a national cryptocurrency reserve, bitcoin and similar digital assets dove in the face of concerns it might not actually happen.”Everything is getting sold,” Forexlive manager Adam Button said, adding: “There’s a de-risking that’s unfolding” among crypto investors. Late in the day, Bitcoin was down 9.47 percent at $85,321.69 each. There is more than a trillion dollars worth of bitcoin in the largest overall valuation in the crypto realm.The second largest digital asset, ether, saw its price drop more than 15 percent.Other major cryptocurrencies such as XRP, Cardano and Solana were down by almost 20 percent.Weighing on cryptocurrency prices was Trump’s confirmation of 25 percent tariffs on all products imported to the United States from Mexico or Canada, which have already promised to retaliate.Button believes that concern about this trade war is compounded by worries about US economic growth, which many see weakening in the first quarter.Cryptocurrency prices had climbed early Monday, buoyed by Trump the previous day naming five that could be used in a national strategic reserve fund.Along with bitcoin and ether, Trump mentioned XRP, Cardano and Solana.This reserve would be created by bringing in digital currencies already in US possession, mainly from seizures in court cases or assets of individuals or companies under sanctions.Some in the industry have expressed reservations about the array of currencies considered.The chief executive of leading US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase felt that limiting the reserve’s holdings to bitcoin “would probably be the best option.””It’s the simplest and there’s the idea that it could be a successor to gold,” Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said in a message posted on X. After Trump talked up the idea of a cryptocurrency reserve “everyone started buying, then wondered if it was really going to happen”, Button said.Creation of such a reserve would have to go through the US Congress.”It’s one thing to tweet about it, but you need to pass legislation to make this happen,” Button said.”And that’s still a long shot.”

Donald Trump’s pick for US education secretary, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, was confirmed by the Senate Monday to lead a department the president has been clear he wants to dismantle.Trump, 78, promised to decentralize education as he campaigned for a return to the White House, saying he would devolve the department’s powers to state governments.McMahon, a 76-year-old businesswoman, appeared to concur as she told the Senate education committee earlier in February that “the excessive consolidation of power” in Washington was damaging education.”So what’s the remedy? Fund education freedom, not government,” she said.The co-founder of the wildly popular WWE wrestling league, McMahon worked in the organization from 1980 to 2009, serving as its president and chief executive.She also served in Trump’s first term government, as the head of the Small Business Administration.The Republican leader’s threat to shut down the education department has angered Democrats, teachers’ unions and many parents, who see it as an attack on the public education system.Underscoring his intention, Trump had earlier directed McMahon to “put herself out of a job.” “The American people do not want to see cuts to education and the consequent rise in property taxes. But that is the danger of confirming Ms McMahon,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.Conservative groups hail the proposal to dismantle the department as a long-overdue measure to reassert local control over American classrooms. But they acknowledge that the task of winding down the vast department will not be easy. At McMahon’s confirmation hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders said the department was “providing vital resources for 26 million children in this country who live in high-poverty school districts.”He asserted it was “the responsibility of the federal government to say that every kid in America, whether you’re poor, middle class, rich, gets a quality education.”McMahon, a major donor to the Republican Party, has financially backed Trump’s political career since 2016.She is married to Vince McMahon, also a powerful figure at the WWE, a wrestling empire that was founded in the 1950s and combines scripted combat with stunning stunt work and soap-opera-esque storylines. The nominee was questioned about the WWE “ring boys” scandal, in which teenage employees were allegedly sexually assaulted in the 1980s and 90s by a ring announcer. Five former ring boys filed a civil suit against the McMahons in October, accusing them of knowing about the assaults but failing to act. Linda McMahon’s lawyers dismissed the accusations as “baseless.”Senate Majority Leader John Thune described her as an “accomplished businesswoman and public servant.”