Trump threatens to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America as trade war rages

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America if Canada doesn’t cave to his demands in the still-escalating trade war. After days of verbal jousting, Trump singled out the Canadian industrial powerhouse province whose premier has derided him as a dictator and worse.

“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer,” Trump wrote on his social media site. Trump later posted a stylized map of the lake with its official “Lake Ontario” title crossed out and replaced by a gold-colored “Lake America” label.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who urged Trump to “kiss my a--” a day earlier, said no one north of the border was planning to back down, but that American consumers would be the biggest losers from the president’s bluster. “My objective is to protect Ontario and Canada, and ironically the American consumer,” Ford said Tuesday.

The renaming threat is reminiscent of Trump’s 2025 move to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

—New York Daily News

Fetterman gains GOP favor as Pa. Democrats regret electing him, new poll finds

Two-thirds of Pennsylvania Democrats who are likely to vote this year believe U.S. Sen. John Fetterman supports President Donald Trump too frequently, while about half say the Democratic senator has been too supportive of Israel, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer/New York Times/Siena University poll published Tuesday.

Democratic voters’ sharply divided views on Fetterman — with 69% having an unfavorable opinion of him in general — are the latest signs he could face an uphill battle if he seeks reelection as a Democrat in 2028. Fetterman has not said whether he will run for a second term.

But as he weighs his options — which include leaving the Democratic Party because of what he considers its anti-Israel sentiment — the senator’s occasional support of Trump’s agenda has contributed to his declining favorability among voters who helped elect him in the first place, the new survey indicates.

“I’m so disappointed in him, I can’t even see straight,” said Joseph Jaskula, a retired salesman from Lewisburg, Union County, who participated in the poll of 760 likely voters conducted by Siena University on behalf of The Inquirer and the New York Times from Aug. 17 to 21.

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

Inside DeSantis’ $2 million quest to put up bronze American statues

First came the bronze-cast statue of George Washington. Then came Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and 11 other American icons, their homes ranging from the Florida Keys to the Panhandle. Coming soon? A joint sculpture of baseball icons Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.

All told, Florida has so far approved spending nearly $2 million for 18 statues in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald found in an analysis of state records.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, a history and baseball buff, has crisscrossed the state to publicize the unveilings. In his final year as governor, he’s also posted repeatedly on social media about the statues, baseball and the country’s Founding Fathers.

But he hasn’t spent time detailing who made the statues, where they came from and how much they cost — although he’s frequently joked that he’s getting the statues “at a discount” because blue states keep taking them down.

—Tampa Bay Times

China defends cooperation with Iran, warns against sanctions

Beijing threatened to retaliate against the U.S. and signaled it won’t back away from its cooperation with Iran after the Trump administration’s latest sanctions targeted businesses in China and Hong Kong.

Speaking on Tuesday at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian gave China’s first official reaction to measures announced by Washington, saying it opposes unilateral sanctions and warning they risk worsening conflicts. The most urgent task is to de-escalate tensions and return to negotiations, he said.

When asked about Beijing’s response to the steps taken by the U.S. against Iran and threats made against its trading partners, Lin reiterated that China would act to protect itself.

“China’s cooperation with Iran has always been conducted within the international framework and should not be interfered with or undermined,” he said. “China is closely monitoring relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its own interests.”

—Bloomberg News