First Factor: Canada leaders conform to unite towards Trump tariff risk

Good morning.

Canada’s federal authorities and the premiers of the ten provinces have agreed to work collectively towards a risk by the US president-elect, Donald Trump, to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, with one official saying the nation was already analyzing potential retaliatory measures.

Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all merchandise from Canada and Mexico if the nations don’t cease what he referred to as the circulation of medicine and migrants throughout southern and northern borders. Canada and Mexico are already analyzing potential retaliatory tariffs on sure gadgets from the US ought to Trump observe by on his risk, in response to reviews.

• What are tariffs? A tariff is a tax on imports, or international items introduced into a rustic, and paid for by the importing corporations. The way in which that tariffs work, in Trump’s thoughts, is that prime tariffs will incentivize American corporations to maneuver their manufacturing from overseas to the US.

Democrats criticize Harris for ‘self-congratulatory’ evaluation of election loss

Some Democratic figures have accused Kamala Harris’s marketing campaign of being self-congratulatory after a sequence of latest public appearances from the candidate and her senior employees wherein they declined to confess making any errors that might have contributed to her defeat.

In a video name to thank marketing campaign donors, Harris appeared to boast that the coalition assembled throughout her three-and-a-half-month marketing campaign ranked among the many “finest political actions”. Lindy Li, a member of the Democratic Nationwide Committee’s finance staff, referred to as the Harris marketing campaign “self-congratulatory” and mentioned she was “surprised that there was no kind of postmortem or evaluation of the disastrous marketing campaign”.

• What did political commentators need to say? Jeet Heer, a author for the leftwing Nation journal, mentioned: “Is it an excessive amount of to ask for a little bit humility and self-reflection from the folks whose methods failed badly?”

‘Large assault’ on Ukraine’s energy community underneath means, says minister

Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is “underneath huge enemy assault” at present, the nation’s vitality minister has mentioned, after a nationwide air raid alert was declared resulting from incoming missiles. The nationwide energy grid operator Ukrenergo had “urgently launched emergency energy cuts”, German Galushchenko mentioned, as temperatures throughout Ukraine dropped to freezing – leaving no less than 1 million folks with out energy in three western areas.

Maksym Kozytskyi, the governor of Ukraine’s western area, reported vitality infrastructure assaults after missiles have been detected in a single day headed for Kharkiv, Odesa and eight different areas.

• What was the injury? Missile particles was reported at two areas in Kyiv, however native authorities mentioned air defences intercepted the entire missiles fired on the capital. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported injury to property however no casualties.

In different information …

• South Korea grappled with heavy snowfall for a second day, with dozens of flights cancelled, ferry operations suspended and no less than 4 folks reported useless in a bitter winter, although situations confirmed indicators of easing.

• Colombian authorities working with dozens of different nations have seized 225 tonnes of cocaine within the area of six weeks, a world file for any single anti-narcotics operation.

• Three Americans imprisoned for years by China have been launched in a prisoner swap, the White Home has mentioned, saying a uncommon diplomatic settlement with Beijing within the closing months of the Biden administration.

Stat of the day: Variety of US abortions fell by solely 2% after wave of state bans – CDC report

Regardless of the wave of state abortion bans that took impact after the US supreme court docket overturned Roe v Wade in June 2022, the variety of abortions carried out within the US fell by solely 2% that 12 months, in response to the primary main report from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention to tally abortion provision within the post-Roe United States.

Don’t miss this: Disbelief in north Wales after dramatic arrest of US terror suspect

Maenan, in north Wales, is just not a spot the place very a lot occurs. However earlier this week armed police descended on this tiny settlement, leaving neighbours in “disbelief”. They realized {that a} man described by the FBI as an “animal rights extremist” whom that they had typically seen close to his dwelling on the outskirts of the woods was actually one of many company’s most needed males.

… or this: ‘The science of fluoride is beginning to evolve’

A nationwide dialog about fluoride’s well being advantages exploded this fall after a federal toxicology report, court docket ruling and impartial scientific evaluation all referred to as for up to date risk-benefit evaluation. In 2019, a examine discovered fluoride publicity was related to decreased IQ. “That provides you a sign that the science of fluoride is beginning to evolve – it wasn’t set in stone 70 years in the past,” the co-author mentioned.

Local weather examine: Plastics lobbyists make up largest group at very important UN treaty talks

Document numbers of plastic business lobbyists are attending world talks which are the final likelihood to hammer out a treaty to chop plastic air pollution world wide. The important thing situation on the convention will probably be whether or not caps on world plastic manufacturing will probably be included within the closing UN treaty. Lobbyists and main nationwide producers are furiously arguing towards any try and restrain the quantity that may be produced, leaving the talks on a knife-edge.

Final Factor: What occurs to the pure world when folks disappear?

Huge swathes of land worldwide are being left to be reclaimed by nature. To discover this pattern, Tess McClure went to Bulgaria the place post-communist urbanization has left nearly 300 villages fully deserted. The resultant environmental modifications are topic to an formidable analysis undertaking.

Join

First Factor is delivered to 1000’s of inboxes each weekday. If you happen to’re not already signed up, subscribe now.

Get in contact

If in case you have any questions or feedback about any of our newsletters please e-mail newsletters@theguardian.com