For 28 years: a journalist @ CBC, POLITICO, CP. Next: getting a master’s in Artificial Intelligence management at Georgetown.
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Articles by Alexander Panetta
ANALYSIS | Stepping off the Trump treadmill: A CBC correspondent bids farewell to Washington | CBC News
I got a journalism tip over drinks from a veteran Canadian correspondent when I first landed in Washington more than a decade ago — a formula for stories guaranteed to thrill audiences back home. In summary? The more ridiculous Americans look, the better. Guns, rednecks, cultural stereotypes, I was told, if you've got that, you've got gold. Canadians eat that stuff up. The exchange never left me. As I depart Washington a dozen years later, it's still on my mind, and not because it was inaccurate.
Confessions of a gun smuggler: How I brought weapons into Canada Original
Everyone knows guns used by Canadian criminals are often smuggled from the U.S. Not everyone knows how — not like Naomi Haynes does. That's because she did the smuggling. A native Montrealer who's been living in the U.S. for decades, she helped traffic dozens of weapons into Canada, some linked directly to drug gangs. "I wasn't thinking about the havoc I was causing in my birth land," she told CBC News last week. "I've got my kids, I've got bills.
Here's Trump's endgame in Iran | CBC News
The United States now appears at the cusp of a development scarcely conceivable just days ago: direct involvement in bombing Iran. President Donald Trump has begun by dropping something else: hint, after unsubtle hint, that the U.S. might assist Israel in attacking unspecified targets in its conflict with Iran.
Musk vs. Trump: A power couple tumbles into a messy divorce
4 hours ago Musk goes nuclear: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election" Elon Musk declared all-out war on President Trump Thursday, writing on X: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the … 2 hours ago As feud explodes into public view, Trump implies government could cut contracts and subsidies to Musk's companies The once chummy relationship between the president and the world's richest businessman has deteriorated into a social media flame war.
ANALYSIS | Musk vs. Trump: A power couple tumbles into a messy divorce | CBC News Original
World·Analysis Elon Musk is increasingly disparaging of the president’s signature budget bill, calling it a disgusting abomination. The president’s reply: Musk is just bitter, and he's not sure they'll be getting along anymore.
Trump tariffs suffer staggering setback in U.S. court
A U.S. court delivered a sharp rebuke of President Donald Trump’s trade policy on Wednesday, declaring he abused his authority and striking down many of his tariffs — at least for now. The upshot for trading partners, including Canada: Certain specific tariffs on steel and aluminum remain in place, but gone, for now, are sweeping levies on entire countries.
ANALYSIS | They fled their home countries to report from safety of U.S. Now, they fear they're in danger | CBC News
An ongoing U.S. retreat from defending liberal democracy has left some allies in danger of being exposed, stranded on a metaphorical battlefield. Under U.S. President Donald Trump's hard-nosed foreign policy, unapologetically based on profit, not principle, multiple democracy-promotion tools are being dismantled. This includes Radio Free Asia (RFA), which is being defunded.
ANALYSIS | Trump's ambassador predicts Canada trade deal — with a catch | CBC News
World·Analysis There’s some good news, and some bad news, for Canada from U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Ottawa. He says tariffs may not go. And bemoans anti-Americanism in Canada Alexander Panetta · CBC News · Posted: May 28, 2025 5:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, seen speaking last week at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce B7 Summit, in Ottawa. There’s some good news, and some bad news, for Canada from Hoesktra.
Canada wants to join Golden Dome missile-defence program, Trump says
Canada wants to join Golden Dome missile-defence program, Trump says Alexander Panetta · CBC News ·May 20, 2025, https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/golden-dome-trump-us-missile-defence-canada-1.7539390 Donald Trump says Canada has asked to join the missile-defence program his administration is building, adding a new chapter to a long-running cross-border saga.
World leaders condemn killing of 2 Israeli Embassy staff in D.C. shooting attack
It’s a moment many have feared: violence overseas, spilling onto U.S. soil. The shocking act was reminiscent of a ghastly incident in the same city last year: an active-duty U.S. Air Force service member set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, also shouting, “Free Palestine.” But killing diplomats? Nothing like this has happened here in recent memory.
World leaders condemn killing of 2 Israeli Embassy staff in D.C. shooting attack
8 minutes ago Global leaders condemn attack Verity Stevenson Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, pictured earlier this month, has condemned the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington. (Alberto Pezzali via REUTERS) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has released a statement, saying “antisemitism is an evil we must stamp out wherever it appears.
Trump: Canada has asked to join missile-defence program Original
World·Breaking Donald Trump says Canada has asked to join the missile-defence program his administration is building, adding a new chapter to a long-running cross-border saga. No immediate comment from Ottawa Alexander Panetta · CBC News · Posted: May 20, 2025 4:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago U.S. President Donald Trump says Canada has asked to join it missile defence program.
ANALYSIS | Trump's foreign policy? Less moralizing, more money | CBC News
In one notable speech, on one memorable trip, we saw the clearest ever outline of what one might call the Trump Doctrine in foreign policy. The current U.S. president doesn't tend to indulge in grand theory talk, but he effectively laid one out in Saudi Arabia. It might be summed up as: less moralizing, more money. In other words, the pursuit of prosperity takes precedence over lofty rhetoric about democracy. This, in his telling, is a recipe for peace and stability.
The ‘New Deal’ of grift: Trump sets standard for presidential self-enrichment - Atin Ito | Ontario’s First Filipino Community Newspaper – Trusted News and Stories for the Filipino-Canadian Community
There’s a reason Franklin D. Roosevelt’s portrait still hangs in the Oval Office, even under Donald Trump, despite his being a Democrat. FDR set the standard for a prolific presidency. Trump hasn’t actually signed any transformative laws in his first 100 days, like Roosevelt did. But Trump has surpassed all presidential standards in one area: He’s the FDR of grift.
The 'New Deal' of grift: Trump sets standard for presidential self-enrichment
There's a reason Franklin D. Roosevelt's portrait still hangs in the Oval Office, even under Donald Trump, despite his being a Democrat. FDR set the standard for a prolific presidency. Trump hasn't actually signed any transformative laws in his first 100 days, like Roosevelt did. But Trump has surpassed all presidential standards in one area: He's the FDR of grift.
The ‘New Deal’ of grift: Trump sets standard for presidential self-enrichment
There’s a reason Franklin D. Roosevelt’s portrait still hangs in the Oval Office, even under Donald Trump, despite his being a Democrat. FDR set the standard for a prolific presidency. Trump hasn’t actually signed any transformative laws in his first 100 days, like Roosevelt did. But Trump has surpassed all presidential standards in one area: He’s the FDR of grift.
Trade talks in two acts: Canada-U.S. poised to negotiate in stages
All signs point to Canada and the United States holding trade negotiations in two separate phases — with some now on immediate irritants, and the rest next year. The process is still taking shape. But the two-step idea is emerging in comments following this week’s meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump. The first phase? A fast-track push to ease tensions over tariffs and stabilize trade ties, anchored in the broader Canada-U.S. security relationship.
There are 3 steps Carney must take to get a truce from Trump
Canada’s newly elected prime minister will soon meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. Reaching a deal with him? That’s another matter. Trump said Wednesday that Carney (new window) will visit the White House within about a week and that the PM wants to make a deal. But Carney has three major steps to get through in order to arrive at the comprehensive trade and security pact (new window) he’s seeking. They are the three Ps: personnel, process and policy.
Trump blows up the notion his Canada talk was just a fleeting fancy
There's been no shortage of speculation about how U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about Canada might impact the federal election. It's now time to start asking a new, longer-term question: About how his attitude will impact Canada beyond Monday's election. It now seems increasingly obvious that Trump's expansionist aspirations are no fleeting fancy.
ANALYSIS | Three ways this Canada-U.S. dispute will end | CBC News
World·Analysis You’d have to squint till your eyeballs ache, but there is a perceptible scenario where Canada and the U.S. build a closer relationship out of this ugly moment. This outcome is far from certain — hence the squinting. But one influential figure in Washington professes to see it. The good place. The bad place. And the messy middle.
Trump pauses most global tariffs, but consequences for Canada and Mexico unclear
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Total chaos. It's about the only way to describe the reaction to Trump's abrupt shift on tariffs. The president's trade representative happened to be testifying on Capitol Hill when multitrillion-dollar news broke of the partial tariff pause. Jamieson Greer had been testifying for hours, defending Trump's trade policy, when news broke in the hearing room that many tariffs are paused. “Did you know this was happening?” Democratic lawmaker Steven Horsford asked Greer. “WTF.
By Benjamin Lopez Steven Verified, Verity Stevenson Verified, Alexander Panetta, Rhianna Schmunk Verified
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CBC News
Trump says he’s pausing global reciprocal tariff, raising tariffs on China
It was a tall ask: getting about 70 Republican House members and 20 senators to pass an anti-tariff bill with a veto-proof majority. It's looking even taller after a couple developments today — so tall, it's barely worth discussing. First, Republican leadership in the House is pushing forward a rule that would prevent emergency debate on this until September. Second, Republicans are toeing the line in a House hearing with the U.S. trade representative.
More countries fight back against Trump’s tariffs, with China and Canada leading on retaliation
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We’re seeing an emerging economic war of global titans — in a tit-for-tat tariff slugfest between the U.S. and China. Now, the U.S. insists it will work with friends. What a shift. Just days ago, the Trump administration line was that tariffs were non-negotiable, although it had sounded willing to discuss a deal within North America. Now they're emphatic: there are potential deals to be had with Japan, Vietnam and others. “Everyone is coming to the table.
By Alexander Panetta, Benjamin Lopez Steven Verified, Alexandra Jones Verified, Peter Armstrong Verified
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CBC News
RECAP | U.S. stock market sees worst day since 2020 as Trump’s trade war rattles global economy
4 hours ago We're finishing up our live updates Rhianna Schmunk A trader in his booth on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange after today's closing bell. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) The first full day of Trump's expanded trade war rattled the global economy today as world leaders quickly responded to new tariffs and shaken investors ran for the hills. Canada swung back with tariffs of its own, now totalling more than $95 billion worth of American goods.
Trump's trade war goes global: U.S. president blows up postwar order
Trump's trade war goes global: U.S. president blows up postwar order Alexander Panetta | CBC News | Posted: April 3, 2025 1:28 AM | Last Updated: Just now First he came for Canada and Mexico. Now he's coming for everyone else Image | USA-TRUMP/TARIFFS-GLOBAL Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a country-by-country list of tariffs on Wednesday. Canada wasn't on it, but still faces tariffs that were previously announced.
Carney speaking now on Trump's latest sweeping tariffs
4 minutes ago Rhianna Schmunk The prime minister is making a brief statement from the stairwell on his way into a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill. 17 minutes ago What happens to Canada's retaliatory tariffs? Verity Stevenson In March, Canada responded to Trump’s tariffs with retaliatory levies on about $60 billion worth of U.S. goods. The first $30 billion came on March 4 and was imposed on goods such as clothing, alcohol, orange juice and appliances.
Trump announcing global tariffs policy
Trump announcing global tariffs policy | CBC Loaded Trump speaking from White House about tariff plan U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking from the White House on Wednesday, is outlining his tariff program. The U.S. president is outlining his plans from Washington. He said he sees today’s announcement as the country’s “declaration of economic independence." CBC News Network is live now with special coverage. Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Ottawa planning Canada’s response.
Carney says Canada will fight back as Trump takes trade war to the world
4 minutes ago We’re finishing up our live updates Rhianna Schmunk Trump in the Rose Garden at the White House on Wednesday. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) Just before announcing his latest round of tariffs this afternoon, Trump said he saw today as "one of the most important days" in American history. "It's our declaration of economic independence," he said from the Rose Garden at the White House, before imposing sweeping tariffs on nearly every import going into the United States.
Canada election: Carney, Poilievre spar over whether consumer carbon tax is really dead
10 minutes ago The death of North America's first carbon tax Andrew Kurjata Premier David Eby in Vancouver, B.C, on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Hi, I'm a journalist based in Prince George, B.C. This morning, British Columbia joined the federal government in repealing its carbon tax after a late-night legislative session that ended at 1:30 a.m. PT aimed at fast-tracking the policy.
ANALYSIS | Major Canada-U.S. talks are coming — here's what's in play | CBC News
World·Analysis Canada’s prime minister, whoever that is in a few weeks, is about to walk straight into a historic crossroads. We’ve learned the next government will start wide-ranging talks on a new economic and security arrangement with the U.S. It could lead to drastically different results. Trump, Carney announce wide-ranging trade and security negotiation Canada's prime minister, whoever that is in a few weeks, is about to walk straight into a historic crossroads.
Canada election: Carney says Trump call ‘constructive’ as leaders agree to renewed trade negotiations
14 minutes ago North American mayors push for end to trade war Lisa Xing Mayors from across North American are meeting in Washington, D.C. (Lisa Xing/CBC) Hi, I’m a reporter covering the mayors’ summit in Washington, D.C. Mayors from more than a couple dozen cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are here.
Canada election: Trump says ‘things will work out very well’ with Canada-U.S. relations after Carney call
11 minutes ago Mayors can only do so much Lisa Xing The mayors’ summit in Washington, D.C., has wrapped. It’s pretty remarkable to see so many mayors of so many cities in North America together in one room. But it was not lost upon the reporters that there is only so much that municipal leaders can do in the face of this trade war.
Trump going ahead with 25% tariffs on autos
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ANALYSIS | U.S. could lose democracy status, says global watchdog | CBC News
A just-released annual report on the global state of democracy makes for depressing reading. But what's even more depressing is what might appear in next year's edition. Or rather, what might not appear in the 2026 volume: an old democracy, by some measures the world's oldest; a superpower that long circled the globe professing to spread freedom.
Trump's next target? Canada's go-to think-tank in Washington
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Trump’s next target? Canada’s go-to think-tank in Washington
After Canadian steel, aluminum, potash, energy and possibly cars, U.S. President Donald Trump may have a new target: Canada-related scholarship. A top think-tank that studies Canada-U.S. relations now finds itself under threat in an executive order signed by the president last Friday. Trump ordered a number of institutions gutted — eliminated to the greatest extent possible, reduced to their minimum legal functions.
’Canada is a sovereign state’: Trump’s ambassador pick distances himself from annexation talk
By Alexander Panetta, CBC News, RCI At confirmation hearing, Canada ambassador nominee Pete Hoekstra pressed over president’s rhetoric The man with the delicate task of representing U.S. President Donald Trump in Canada has offered an indication of how he plans to go about it. Canada, meet good cop. At his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra steered clear of annexation talk and saluted the countries’ long-standing partnership.
'Canada is a sovereign state': Trump's ambassador pick distances himself from annexation talk Original
World·New The man with the delicate task of representing U.S. President Donald Trump in Canada has offered an indication of how he plans to handle it. At his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra steered clear of annexation talk.
Nervous Googling: Searches for ‘recession’ and ‘tariff’ surge as U.S. mood sours
Evidence of Americans’ souring mood is everywhere you look. Even in the place you look for evidence: Google. An unprecedented number of Americans are now googling the word “tariff,” an issue of minimal interest to them during last year’s presidential election. There’s an even scarier word they’re now Googling: “recession,” a search trend line that often, but not always, coincides with an economic contraction.
Trade war truce? Not so fast. Trump has Canada’s auto sector in his sights
One trade war down, two to go — maybe more. U.S. President Donald Trump has dialled back his tariffs against Canada after rattling the economy from the markets, to factories, to the borders. But that was this week’s battle. There’s another one next week when his steel and aluminum tariffs take effect; then another three weeks after that, when Trump is threatening other tariffs on a multitude of countries.
Trade war truce? Not so fast. Trump has Canada’s auto sector in his sights
One trade war down, two to go — maybe more. U.S. President Donald Trump has dialled back his tariffs against Canada after rattling the economy from the markets, to factories, to the borders. But that was this week’s battle. There’s another one next week when his steel and aluminum tariffs take effect; then another three weeks after that, when Trump is threatening other tariffs on a multitude of countries.
Trump’s tariffs roil U.S. markets. And that’s the reaction that matters
Canada can huff, and puff, but if anything’s going to blow down Donald Trump’s house of tariffs, it’s going to be the reaction within the United States. And there are signs of pushback. The stock market is turning, economic sentiment is nosediving, the U.S. president’s approval is receding, and American lawyers are preparing lawsuits. Those factors will likely pack more punch in Washington than the $155 billion in counter-tariffs threatened by Canada.
ANALYSIS | Trump's tariffs roil U.S. markets. And that's the reaction that matters | CBC News
World·Analysis Canada can huff, and puff, but if anything's going to blow down Donald Trump's house of tariffs it's going to be the reaction within the United States. The pushback has begun within the economy. The next will be in the legal system.
Trump's tariffs roil U.S. markets. And that's the reaction that matters
Trump’s tariffs roil U.S. markets. And that’s the reaction that matters By Alexander Panetta CBC News March 4, 2025 Category: Finance & Economics Region: Canada, United States Canada can huff, and puff, but if anything’s going to blow down Trump’s house of tariffs it’s going to be the reaction within the US. And there are signs of pushback. The stock market is turning, economic sentiment is nosediving, the U.S. president’s approval is receding, and American lawyers are preparing lawsuits.
Donald Trump has some thoughts about Canada’s upcoming election
U.S. President Donald Trump often talks about Canada. Frequently disparagingly, and lately menacingly. But it’s not often he opines on the country’s internal politics. He broke from that pattern in a just-published interview with a U.S. conservative writer who asked him about the country’s upcoming election. In that interview (new window) with The Spectator, Trump is asked whether Canada’s Conservatives can still pull off a win in the next election, despite the tightening polls.
The day the old American order cracked in the Oval Office
It would take some scrounging around the bottom of the barrel to find a historical precedent for what transpired Friday in the Oval Office. There simply aren’t good parallels. On live TV, the U.S. president argued with the leader of a friendly nation facing existential peril — then expelled him from the White House and cancelled their lunch. U.S. President Donald Trump pointed angrily at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and even did a mocking impression of him as a faux-tough guy.
Donald Trump has some thoughts about Canada's upcoming election
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Donald Trump has some thoughts about Canada's upcoming election
In an interview with a U.S. conservative writer, President Donald Trump held forth on Canada's political scene. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump often talks about Canada. Frequently disparagingly, and lately menacingly. But it's not often he opines on the country's internal politics. He broke from that pattern in a just-published interview with a U.S. conservative writer who asked him about the country's upcoming election.
Reports that Canada and Mexico are set to be slapped with U.S. tariffs next week may be premature. That’s the latest word from the Trump administration. The White House has clarified that North America-wide tariffs are not a done deal, as many news headlines suggested following remarks Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump.
ANALYSIS | Confused by Trump's many tariff threats? Here's what's going on | CBC News
Being confused by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans isn't a flaw — it's proof you're paying attention in the funhouse maze of Trump trade threats. One minute, he's imposing massive tariffs on Canada and Mexico, then they're delayed, then they're proceeding March 4, then they're not, then they are again, but it turns out he's really talking about more targeted tariffs later. And so on.
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