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<\/figure>\n\nThere\u2019s been something in the air in D.C. this summer \u2014 namely wildfire smoke and frustration over Canada\u2019s inability to keep it on its side of the border.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump<\/b> has suggested repeatedly that he\u2019d 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\u2019s question about what sort of payback he\u2019ll be seeking by ominously saying, \u201cyou\u2019ll find out about it,\u201d but he has more specifically threatened tariffs against Canadian goods in past remarks about the wildfires.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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!\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social<\/a> in July.<\/p>\n (It is unclear what legal authority Trump could use to impose tariffs based on air quality, though the White House has suggested Trump has \u201cnumerous tariff powers at his disposal.\u201d)<\/p>\n Trump isn\u2019t the only politician upset about the state of the air. Sen. Bernie Moreno<\/b> (R-Ohio) introduced the CANADA FIRE Act<\/a>, which would require financial and diplomatic sanctions against Canada\u2019s government and certain officials if the administration found that Canada failed to respond adequately to cross-border wildfire smoke.<\/p>\n Rep. Tim Walberg<\/b> led the Michigan Republican Delegation in sending a letter to Canadian Ambassador Mark Wiseman<\/a> last month, striking a more cooperative note than Moreno and Trump and requesting a meeting to discuss Canada\u2019s wildfire prevention and management programs.<\/p>\n \u201cFor 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,\u201d the delegation wrote. \u201cThese 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Walberg\u2019s office confirmed the congressman has since talked with Wiseman about Canada\u2019s steps to contain and prevent wildfires \u201cand how the U.S. can assist in providing active solutions to benefit Canadians and Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n The wildfire smoke comes amid already strained U.S.-Canada relations. Trump\u2019s trade wars, calls for Canada to become the 51st state<\/a>, and threats to block a bridge<\/a> connecting the U.S. and Canada have soured what was once a close relationship with our northern neighbors. The president\u2019s criticism of Canada\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Canada has invested billions in wildfire prevention and response and deployed thousands of personnel this season. But experts say Trump\u2019s 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\u2019s wildfire agency says rising temperatures, prolonged drought and changing weather patterns are causing fires to burn larger areas.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the human population kind of continues to rise, I call it the \u2018expanding bull\u2019s eye effect,\u2019 where you just kind of put more people in potential harm\u2019s way, eventually they\u2019re gonna get hit,\u201d said Brandon Buckingham<\/b>, a meteorologist at AccuWeather.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> to help impoverished nations as climate science has helped us better understand how many disasters are downstream from human behavior.<\/p>\n The United States \u2014 which has the largest economy in the world<\/a> \u2014 demanding Canada \u2014 the world\u2019s tenth largest economy<\/a> \u2014 to pay for the impact of wildfire smoke that blew over the border \u2026 the term \u201cFirst World problems\u201d comes to mind. It\u2019s 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<\/a>. But then, Trump has always said he wants the U.S. to export more than it imports.<\/p>\n The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote this morning<\/a> on whether to hold former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony S. Fauci<\/b> in contempt.<\/p> Read more Senate Democrats probe Korean firm\u2019s $2 million payment to Trump company<\/a><\/p>\n Sen. Rand Paul<\/b> (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<\/a> during questioning, refusing to answer questions on topics ranging from the covid-19 pandemic response to the day of the week.<\/p>\n In the contempt resolution<\/a>, Paul argues Fauci has no Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination when discussing covid-19 because Joe Biden<\/b> 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 \u201cwaived his right to claim\u201d the Fifth Amendment by giving an opening statement before invoking the amendment during questioning.<\/p>\n Experts say that one legal argument Fauci could make is that Biden\u2019s pardon did not eliminate every possible source of criminal exposure and therefore did not strip him of his Fifth Amendment rights<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Honolulu Civil Beat:<\/b> Honolulu\u2019s 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<\/a>?<\/p>\n Florida Phoenix:<\/b> Florida\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n San Antonio Current:<\/b> The board of trustees for one of the largest school districts in Texas voted this week to adopt the state\u2019s controversial Bluebonnet Learning curriculum<\/a>, which incorporates Christian teachings into public school lessons.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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),\u201d writes Lance Rectanus<\/b>.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d emailed Glenn Steckler<\/b>. \u201cTo show up just in the nick of time or while boarding has already begun seems at best immature, at worst irresponsible.\u201d<\/p>\n Reader Sophie B.<\/b> writes that her marriage changed how she approached airport arrival times.<\/p>\n \u201cMy 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,\u201d said Sophie.<\/p>\n To quote a meme: To be loved is to be changed<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>