The US president-elect described the wide-ranging talks with Canada’s prime minister as ‘productive’. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home on Saturday after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Mr Trump called the talks “productive” but signalled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. After the leaders’ hastily arranged dinner on Friday night at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Mr Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation” but offered no details. Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post later on Saturday that they discussed “many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address”. For issues in need of such co-operation, Mr Trump cited fentanyl and the “drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of illegal immigration”; fair trade deals “that do not jeopardise American Workers”; and the US trade deficit with its ally to the north. Mr Trump asserted that the prime minister had made “a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American families from fentanyl from China reaching the United States through its neighbours. The US, he said, “will no longer sit idly by as our citizens become victims to the scourge of this drug epidemic”. The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the US from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January. US customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. On immigration, the US Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024 — and Canadian officials say they are ready to make new investments in border security. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after speaking with Mr Trump on the telephone, said on Thursday she was confident a tariff war with Washington would be averted. At the dinner that was said to last three hours, Mr Trump said he and Mr Trudeau also discussed energy, trade and the Arctic. An official cited defence, Ukraine, Nato, China, the Middle East, pipelines and the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year as other issues that arose. Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the prime minister who was the first G7 leader to visit Trump since the November 5 election. Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly 2.7 billion US dollars (£2.1 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of US crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of US electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminium and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the US.
If you think you are going to owe the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) for this year 2024, you might consider donating to your favorite charities, as always you can donate by cash or writing a check. Depending on your tax burden you might consider donating bonds, stocks, and mutual funds that have appreciated over time. Giving shares of company stock can help with donating goals and help with your capital gains tax. You can donate cars, boats, and real estate as well. Talk to your financial advisor about a (DAF) a Donor Advised Fund. The way a DAF works is that you donate to an irrevocable charity contribution for a public charity. If you are 70 1⁄2 years old or older and have an IRA, you can set up what is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution. An QCD allows you to donate from your IRA without you having to pay taxes on the money drawn. For 2024, the deduction to charitable organizations is generally limited to 30% to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). It all depends on whether you are giving cash or giving a non-cash contribution that will affect your deductions. Like any other transactions you must keep good records for proof of your donations. Great record keeping will help you if you are ever to be audited. When you donate now, it allows you to see the impact that your giving has today. As always, follow the rules of the Internal Revenue Service. If you are giving non-cash contributions of $500.00 or more, you must fill out I.R.S. form 8283. This will allow you to itemize these deductions on your taxes. I.R.S. Publication 561 provides you with information on how to decide the reasonable value for assets donated to a qualified charitable organization. Gifts to individuals are not deductible. Only qualified charitable organizations are eligible to receive tax deductible contributions, when giving cash, check, or other monetary gifts you must keep good records of the contributions. You need to have bank records, or a written communication from the qualified organization that has the name of the organization, the amount, and the date of the contribution. I hope this helps you with your yearend giving. December 31, of this year is the last day you can give to help reduce your taxes for 2024. Jimmy D. Henry is a former Walker County Commissioner. He is a lifelong businessman with management in retail sales. Henry is a published author of The Key to Understanding Credit. His book is available in print and digital on amazon.com .Repealing no-fault divorce has so far stalled across the US. Some worry that'll change
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Minnesota looks to stop skid vs. Bethune-CookmanSinn Fein actively pursuing route into government, insists leader McDonaldPercentages: FG .448, FT .875. 3-Point Goals: 1-16, .063 (Dezonie 1-2, Berry 0-1, Brown 0-2, Stanford 0-2, Gray 0-3, Mashburn 0-3, Settle 0-3). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Berry 2, Durodola, Settle). Turnovers: 15 (Berry 5, Mashburn 4, Dezonie 2, Durodola, Gray, Settle, Stanford). Steals: 4 (Dezonie 2, Brown, Durodola). Technical Fouls: Gray, 9:51 second. Percentages: FG .395, FT .750. 3-Point Goals: 7-25, .280 (McKeithan 3-6, Lilley 2-4, Marrero 1-4, Shepherd 1-5, White 0-2, Vahlberg Fasasi 0-4). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 8 (Lilley 2, Jones, Marrero, McKeithan, Shepherd, Vahlberg Fasasi, White). Turnovers: 6 (White 2, Jones, Marrero, Shepherd, Vahlberg Fasasi). Steals: 12 (Marrero 3, Jones 2, McKeithan 2, White 2, Etienne, Lilley, Vahlberg Fasasi). Technical Fouls: None. .
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Climate financedecision adopted at COP29, said COP29 President, Mukhtar Babayev,during the closing plenary of the 29th session of the Conference ofthe Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention onClimate Change, reports. It was thus decided to set a target, led by developed countryParties to the Convention, of at least US$300 billion annually by2035 to support developing country Parties in their actions tocombat climate change. The document states that this funding will be drawn from avariety of sources, including public and private, bilateral andmultilateral, as well as alternative sources of finance.