Trump lifts tariffs on some Canadian goods in boon to Sen. Susan Collins

CBS News and BBC report that the Trump administration has eased its 50% tariffs on a limited set of Canadian goods, a change that helps Republican Senator Susan Collins in a tight reelection race in Maine. Collins said she had pressed senior officials for relief on behalf of the state's farmers, according to CBS News · The Guardian.

CBS News lists corrugated boxes, crates, plastic sacks, packing machinery, refrigeration equipment and seaweed among the exempted items, while shampoo, vinyl flooring, coffins, carpets and window-unit air conditioners newly face the 50% rate. BBC adds that the changes begin on 30 October and that plywood and some paper products are also covered. The duties, which BBC puts at $20bn of goods, date from August, when trade talks collapsed.

Democrats call the move political: Representative Richard Neal labeled it a "stunt" favoring an ally days before the election, and Collins's challenger, Troy Jackson, said she enabled the trade wars and now wants credit. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada could sign a deal immediately if Washington were ready but will wait months or longer; Dominic LeBlanc said Canada is assessing the steps.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News · The Guardian and BBC’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News · The Guardian → Also at BBC →