Canada has answered U.S. tariffs with tariffs of its own, escalating tensions between two longtime trading partners. We examine what the trade fight means for the U.S.-Canada relationship, American states and industries that depend on Canadian trade, and what Americans think about the tariffs. Then, we ask who Americans trust for information -- AND, what makes an expert? Doctors, nurses and scientists continue to receive substantial public confidence, but social media, personal experience and AI are giving Americans more sources to turn to. And, our fun fact takes us back to 1980, when Americans were asked a simple question about their television habits.
President Trump's latest trade war, this one with Canada, has sparked big tariffs, rising costs, and the possibility of electoral backlash in several states that will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control Congress. The team looks at what Americans think of all this overall, but also how Republicans -- especially MAGA Republicans -- have darkened on Canada. And we look at how it's playing in states like Ohio and Michigan whose economies are deeply tied to Canada -- and where two key Senate races could be decided by the issue.
Next, we have done many segments on the decades-long fall in how much Americans trust institutions. While that continues unabated, we wanted to look at it through a different lens: what makes an "expert" to most Americans in the current environment flooded with social media information silos?
We finish with a trended fun fact that takes us from 1980 to the present -- it's a crazy wave that is coming back to where we started.