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Republicans zero in on a new border — the one with Canada – NBC News

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MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former President Donald Trump described the U.S. border as “not so hot.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said it’s the site of a worsening problem. And Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said she would do whatever it takes to stop illegal crossings there, up to and including building a massive wall.

The rhetoric wouldn’t be out of place for Republicans in reference to the U.S. border with Mexico, a staple of Republican campaign speeches and the site where Customs and Border Protection apprehended more than 2.4 million people who entered the country illegally from October 2022 to September.

But those remarks weren’t about the southern border. Rather, they were about the border with Canada.

As Republican voters time and time again rate immigration as a top-three issue facing the country, GOP presidential candidates are increasingly bringing the northern border with Canada to the political forefront. In New Hampshire, the site of the first-in-the-nation primary and a state that shares a border with Canada, that focus has been turned up a notch. 

Before he dropped out of the race two days ago, DeSantis pledged to New Hampshire voters Friday that he would provide increased resources to bulk up protection at the northern border, blaming President Joe Biden for what he sees as a problem that’s getting worse. 

Trump made his comment about the northern border’s being “not so hot, either,” at a stop in Iowa this month, adding that he “started to use that” in discussing immigration and border security. At a rally for Trump in Concord on Friday, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., described “a skyrocketing of illegals crossing our northern border,” including some, she said, who were “on the terrorist watch list.”

But no one has talked up northern border security more than Haley, who has mentioned the border with Canada at numerous campaign stops in New Hampshire over the past week.

During a CNN town hall in Henniker on Thursday, Haley said that “we don’t talk enough about the northern border,” saying hundreds of suspected terrorists were being apprehended there.

Customs and Border Protection statistics show nearly 500 people on the terrorist watch list were apprehended at the northern border from October 2022 to September, compared to 80 on the southern border.

Speaking to reporters Saturday at an event in Peterborough, Haley promised to “do whatever it takes to keep people out.”

“We will do a wall,” she said. “We will do any sort of border patrol that we need to have on there. Whatever it takes to keep people out that are illegal from coming in, we will do it.”

Apprehensions at the northern border have increased over the past three fiscal years, though they are a mere fraction of the apprehensions at the southern border. Compared to the more than 2.4 million encounters there, CBP recorded roughly 189,000 apprehensions at the northern border. But that was a substantial increase from the previous fiscal year — when nearly 110,000 apprehensions took place — and fiscal year 2021, when about 27,000 were recorded.

In the Swanton Sector, which includes New Hampshire, Vermont and parts of upstate New York, 6,925 people were apprehended from October 2022 to September, a substantial increase over the 1,065 apprehended the previous year.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu — who has campaigned across the state with Haley — late last year announced a tenfold increase in patrols along his state’s border with Canada. But most voters here said in a recent survey that they weren’t concerned about the northern border.

A Suffolk University/Boston Globe/USA Today poll of New Hampshire voters this month, which showed widespread concern about the number of migrants entering the country, found that just 37% were concerned about the northern border, while 61% weren’t. When the results were limited to Republicans, 64% said they were concerned, while 32% said they weren’t.

Maria Martins, a Trump supporter from Manchester, said she thinks immigration is “a huge issue.” But she was less sure of any crisis developing to her state’s north.

“I personally haven’t noticed it,” she said. “But to me, it doesn’t matter where they’re coming from. They have to be prepared to support themselves.” 

Julie Smith, a New Hampshire voter backing Trump, said she thinks the northern border should be of greater focus for lawmakers.

“I don’t think it gets enough attention,” she said. “But again, I’m not there. I just think that law should be enforced.”

In a Republican primary in which candidates have unified around militarizing the borders, completing the border wall Trump began in his first term and conducting large-scale immigration raids and mass deportations, Democrats say the focus on the northern border is merely the latest GOP attempt to gin up fears among its right-wing base as an election nears.

A national Democratic strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity without authorization to speak publicly, said the latest pitch brought back memories of migrant caravans that were a focus of conservative media news cycles ahead of recent elections.

“You know, Vivek [Ramaswamy] tried this,” this person said, noting that his focus on the northern border didn’t boost his candidacy. “This is the same playbook that [Republicans have] tried over and over, and it has failed over and over.”

Ramaswamy, the businessman who ended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump after a fourth-place finish in Iowa, was the first candidate to bring a sustained focus on the border with Canada. At an NBC News debate in November, he said: “Don’t just build the wall; build both walls.” 

Before he dropped out, Ramaswamy made a campaign stop in Pittsburgh, New Hampshire, which sits along the rocky border, to visit it firsthand. And at his final campaign rally in Iowa last week, he said he would “use our own military to secure our own borders in the United States of America, southern border and northern border.”

The issue isn’t entirely new for Republicans. Early last year, more than two dozen House Republicans formed the Northern Border Security Caucus.

Matthew Knoedler, a spokesman for Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., a co-chair of the caucus, wrote in a message that Kelly “is encouraged to see that candidates in the 2024 presidential race are also focusing on the real needs along America’s Northern border as well as our Southern border.”

With Senate negotiators working on a bipartisan immigration package that has Biden’s blessing, change could soon be coming for both borders. What’s more, in March, the Biden administration struck a deal with the Canadian government allowing both countries to turn back asylum-seekers who crossed their shared border.

In a statement to NBC News, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson sought to discourage people from illegally crossing into the U.S. from Canada.

“There are very real dangers involved in crossing the international border between the U.S. and Canada,” the spokesperson said. “No matter what smugglers say, those who do not have a legal basis to remain in the country will be removed and people should not make the dangerous journey. Especially as the weather changes and winter is upon the North Country, it’s dangerous to attempt to try this trek.”

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Canadian Embassy to the U.S. said Canada “is working with its closest friend and greatest ally, the United States, to strengthen the protection of our shared border — land, air and waterways.”

“As threats at the border evolve, Canada continues to make significant investments to reinforce our shared border,” the spokesperson continued. “We are actively collaborating with U.S. counterparts to share intelligence and to detect and intercept unlawful activity at the earliest opportunity. Our countries share the same objective: keeping the border open to legitimate trade and travel but closed to terrorists, criminals and threats to citizen health and safety.”

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My Boy Prince to race against older horses in $1-million Woodbine Mile

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September 13, 2024

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TORONTO – He’s firmly among Canada’s top three-year-olds but My Boy Prince faces a stiff test Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.

The ’24 King’s Plate runner-up will be part of a global field in the $1-million Woodbine Mile turf event. Not only will it be My Boy Prince’s first race against older competition but among the seven other starters will be such horses as Naval Power (Great Britain), Big Rock (France) and Filo Di Arianna (Brazil).

My Boy Prince will race for the first time since finishing second to filly Caitlinhergrtness in the Plate on Aug. 23.

“It’s his first try against older horses and it’s hard to say where he fits in,” said trainer Mark Casse. “This time of year running a three-year-old against older horses, it’s like running a teenager against college athletes.

“We’re doing it because we believe a mile on the turf is his preferred surface … we wanted to give him a shot at this. (American owner Gary Barber) is someone who likes to think outside the box and take calculated risks so we’re going to see where he fits in.”

Casse, 16 times Canada’s top trainer, is a Hall of Famer both here and in the U.S. He’s also a two-time Woodbine Mile winner with filly Tepin (2016) and World Approval (2017).

Sahin Civaci will again ride My Boy Prince, Canada’s top two-year-old male who has six wins and 10 money finishes (6-3-1) in 11 career starts. The horse will be one of three Casse trainees in the race with Filo Di Arianna (ridden by Sovereign Award winner Kazushi Kimura) and Win for the Money (veteran Woodbine jockey Patrick Husbands aboard).

Naval Power, a four-year-old, has finished in the money in eight of nine starts (six wins, twice second) and will race in Canada for the first time. He comes to Woodbine with second-place finishes in two Grade 1 turf races.

Big Rock, another four-year-old, makes his North American debut Saturday. The horse has five wins and five second-place finishes in 14 starts but has struggled in ’24, finishing sixth, 10th and fifth in three races.

Filo Di Arianna is a four-time graded stakes winner with nine victories, three seconds and a third from 17 starts. It was Canada’s ’22 top male sprinter and champion male turf horse.

Other starters include Playmea Tune, Niagara Skyline and Secret Reserve.

Playmea Tune, a four-year-old, is trained by Josie Carrol. The gelding has made three starts, winning twice and finishing second in the Grade 3 Bold Venture on Aug. 23.

Woodbine-based Niagara Skyline is a six-year-old with 13 money finishes (six wins, five seconds, twice third) in 24-lifetime starts. The John Charlambous trainee has reached the podium (1-1-1) in all three races this year.

Secret Reserve, also a six-year-old, has finished in the money in 15-of-26 starts (six wins, one second, eight thirds). The horse, at 44-1, was third in the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes over a mile on the E.P. Taylor turf course.

The Mile highlights a stellar card featuring six graded stakes races. Also on tap are the $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (fillies and mares), $500,000 bet365 Summer Stakes (two-year-olds) and $500,000 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes (two-year-old fillies), all Grade 1 turf events.

The Mile, Natalma and Summer winners earn automatic entries into the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in November.

Casse has won all four races, earning his first E.P. Taylor title last year with filly Fev Rover, Canada’s horse of the year and champion female turf horse. Fev Rover will defend her title Saturday against a field that includes Moira, the ’22 King’s Plate winner and Canada’s horse of the year trained by Woodbine’s Kevin Attard.

“It (E.P. Taylor) was definitely on my bucket list because it had eluded us,” Casse said. “But I honestly hadn’t realized I’d won all four of them, hadn’t really thought about it.”

Casse will have horses in all four turf races Saturday. Arguably the most intriguing matchup will be between Moira and Fev Rover, who ran 1-2, respectively, in a photo finish Aug. 11 in the Grade 2 Beverly D. Stakes, a 1 3/16-mile turf race, at Virginia’s Colonial Downs.

“What’s funny is the two of them went all the way to Virginia and she beat us by a nose,” Casse said. “We could’ve done that at Woodbine.

“There’s two of the best fillies in the world both from Toronto and they’re going to be competing Saturday.”

Some question having so many solid races on a single card but Casse likes the strategy.

“I think it’s a good thing,” he said. “On Saturday, the main focus on horse racing in the world will be on Woodbine and that’s because it’s such a great card.

“It’s an international day, there’s horses coming from everywhere and we’re going to do our best to represent Canada.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.



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Former world No. 1 Sharapova wins fan vote for International Tennis Hall of Fame

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September 13, 2024

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NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.

The organization released the voting results Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.

The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.

“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”

Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.

Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.

To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.

The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.

The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.

___

AP tennis:

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Roots sees room for expansion in activewear, reports $5.2M Q2 loss and sales drop

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September 13, 2024

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TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.

The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.

“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.

The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.

But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.

Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.

“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.

“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”

Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.

The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.

In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.

Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.

The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.

The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.

Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.

Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.

It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.

Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.

Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)

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