Life along the U.S.-Mexico border
PALM BEACH POST: For nearly 700 miles along the U.S. border with Mexico, a wall already exists. It passes through the silt deserts of Sonora, where cactuses grow like organ pipes. Farther east, heavy steel X-frames cut through the flat miles of sun-bleached grass like battlefield markers. In Texas, the red-tinged beams that make up parts of the border fence are cold, hard and rough to the touch. In Tijuana, two fences — one old, the other more recent — plunge all the way into the ocean, where waves corrode the stanchioned metal.
US-Mexico border wall price tag nearly triples from Trump estimate, DHS report says
FOX NEWS: The proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall will reportedly cost at least $21.6 billion– blowing far past earlier estimates– and could take more than three years to finish, according to Homeland Security. The estimated costs were expected to be presented to DHS Secretary John Kelly in the coming days, Reuters reported Thursday, citing an internal report at the agency.
Jared Kushner proves to be a shadow diplomat on U.S.-Mexico talks
WASHINGTON POST: The scene in the Oval Office was remarkable: the foreign minister of Mexico — the very country that Donald Trump had turned into a campaign-trail piñata — huddled with now-President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The men were debating what Trump would say in a speech later that day as he ordered construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Mexican diplomat, Luis Videgaray, and Kushner, a White House senior adviser, had concluded that the remarks as drafted would upend the two countries’ fragile relationship, so together they urged Trump to soften his language about Mexico.
DHS Secretary Tours U.S-Mexico Border in San Ysidro
NBC SAN DIEGO: Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly paid San Diego a visit on Friday, in his first tour since he’s taken office to address border security. Kelly took a tour of security operations at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in San Ysidro, the last stop on his week-long tour. He also spent some time speaking with several state and federal law enforcement agencies about improving border security.
This one stock will reflect the state of US-Mexico relations
YAHOO NEWS: If you want to know how the market feels about US-Mexico relations, just watch shares of Kansas City Southern (KSU). The railroad major, which has a market cap of around $9 billion, has 48% of its revenue directly exposed to Mexico, by far the most among members of the S&P 500. Shares of the company are down about 7% since the election. Though in 2017 the stock has been flat despite continued headlines suggesting the future of US-Mexico economic relations remains murky at best.
The Unlikely Winners of the US-Mexico Trade War, Round 1
WALL STREET JOURNAL: President Donald Trump is aiming to impose higher costs on U.S. companies that import from Mexico, while giving exporters a boost. But so far the result of his rhetoric has been the opposite: Companies that import from Mexico are benefiting and those that sell there are hurting. (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
What NAFTA Means to Texas, What Trump Means for Trade
NBC-DFW: International trade has been good for businesses in Texas and consumers. One week after President Donald Trump took office, he suggested that the United States would impose a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico. There is still uncertainty surrounding international trade and the North American Trade Agreement. President Trump will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday to discuss NAFTA. Trade in Texas has increased under the North America Free Trade Agreement, which was signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1994. Under NAFTA, tariffs were eliminated, investments and trade could flow freely between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. President Trump will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday to discuss NAFTA.
Trump’s trade-war mongering is starting to rattle Wall Street
BUSINESS INSIDER: President Donald Trump made international trade, and his skepticism thereof, a centerpiece of his campaign. Yet Wall Street, ever hopeful, saw those promises as bluster, choosing instead to focus on Trump’s talk of corporate tax cuts and widespread deregulation. Now that Trump is in power, markets are starting to realize he has a lot more leeway to enact his trade agenda unilaterally than he does to act on the tax and regulatory fronts, where legislators and the judiciary will have a much greater say.
