Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border

President-elect Donald Trump said Mexico has agreed stem the tide of migrants flowing into the United States, but Mexico’s president is now saying that’s not quite accurate. And Amazon workers are using Black Friday to make a statement about their labor situation. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.

Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border

As President-elect Donald Trump gets ready to return to office, he’s already making moves to follow through on some of his biggest campaign promises. After announcing this week his plans to impose tariffs on goods from China, Canada, and Mexico, he turned his attention to another hot button issue: immigration.

It’s a bit of a case of “he said, she said” after Trump had a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday, Nov. 27. President-elect Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the call saying Sheinbaum agreed to stop migration into the U.S. through Mexico “effectively closing our southern border.”

Sheinbaum appeared to contradict Trump in a post of her own on X, saying in part, “Mexico’s position is not to close borders…”

She did, however, lay out Mexico’s “comprehensive strategy” for addressing the migration issue. In a separate post on X, Sheinbaum said during the call, she told president-elect Trump, “No caravans are arriving at the border because they are being attended to in Mexico.”

En nuestra conversación con el presidente Trump, le expuse la estrategia integral que ha seguido México para atender el fenómeno migratorio, respetando los derechos humanos. Gracias a ello se atiende a las personas migrantes y a las caravanas previo a que lleguen a la frontera.…

— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) November 28, 2024

The two leaders also talked about how they’re addressing the U.S.’ fentanyl crisis.

The call was scheduled after Trump unveiled plans to slap 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico to the U.S. as part of the effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. through Mexico.

Not only would that impact the prices of avocados and agave — both very popular in the U.S. — Mexico’s economy secretary said Wednesday 88% of all North American pickup trucks come from Mexico. Sheinbaum then suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own.

During her daily news briefing Thursday, Nov. 28, though, Sheinbaum told reporters “there will be no potential tariff war” between the U.S. and Mexico.

President Joe Biden weighed in on Trump’s tariff plans while paying a Thanksgiving visit to first responders in Nantucket.

“I hope if he rethinks it,” Biden said. “I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do. You know, one of things you’ve heard me say before is that we are, we have an unusual situation in America. We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.”

Economists forecast Trump’s planned tariffs would increase prices for American shoppers, costing the average U.S. household about $2,600 per year, according to an estimate from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Israel and Hezbollah both claim cease-fire violations

Barely three days into a 60-day cease-fire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon both sides are claiming violations. 

On Thursday, Israel carried out its first air strike since the agreement was reached, saying it targeted a rocket storage facility in southern Lebanon that breached the cease-fire deal.

Yesterday, Hezbollah had a precision-guided missile manufacturing site—today, they don’t.

Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missiles manufacturing site, 1.4km wide and 70m underground, was struck and dismantled by IAF fighter jets yesterday.

Precision-guided missiles and… pic.twitter.com/Tct7DiXwfq

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 27, 2024

Lebanese authorities also said two people, who were trying to return to southern Lebanon, were shot and wounded by Israeli forces. Lebanon’s health ministry said they were civilians, but the IDF claimed they were suspected of violating terms of the truce. 

The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month ceasefire during which Hezbollah militants will withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border.

Thousands of Amazon workers to strike from Black Friday to Cyber Monday

Amazon workers in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., are on strike on some of the busiest pre-Christmas shopping days across the world. It started on Black Friday, Nov. 29, a day for bargain hunters to score some of the biggest discounts from stores across the country as holiday shopping kicks into high gear. 

The strike is set to continue through the weekend and into Cyber Monday, Dec. 2, when online retailers generally offer their biggest deals.

Amazon workers plan strike between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in major cities around the world https://t.co/ggrIkXQzCt pic.twitter.com/6Mso2YprvG

— New York Post (@nypost) November 28, 2024

Organizers told the United Nations the so-called “days of resistance” are to hold Amazon accountable for alleged labor abuses, as well as “environmental degradation and threats to democracy.” According to ABC News, the strike could delay holiday deliveries. 

The organizers said this is their fifth year of labor action against Amazon during the beginning of the holiday shopping season. 

In a statement, Amazon said the group that organized the strikes is being “intentionally misleading” and promoting a “false narrative.” Management said the company offers great pay and benefits.

Canada sues Google over control of online ads

Canada’s antitrust watchdog said it is suing Google over alleged anti-competitive conduct in the company’s online advertising business. They’re calling for Google to sell off two of its ad tech services and pay a penalty. 

The Competition Bureau said it’s necessary because an investigation into Google found the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to maintain its dominant market position. Google insists online advertising market is a highly competitive sector and is fighting the allegations. 

This comes just a week after the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser, saying it continues to crush the competition through its dominant search engine.

America facing a live Christmas tree shortage again

As millions of Americans get ready to begin their search for the perfect Christmas tree, growers are having historic challenges getting them to sale lots, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

The day after Thanksgiving is usually the biggest day for live tree sales, but since Thanksgiving came so late this year, it’s a very short selling season. On top of that, a nationwide shortage is expected thanks to severe weather across the country this year, such as northeastern drought and North Carolina floods caused by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina is the second-biggest supplier of Christmas trees in the country. 

Shoppers bought roughly 21.6 million real Christmas trees in the U.S. last year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The Department of Agriculture said the number of trees harvested in the U.S. has declined 30% since 2002, while the American population has grown 16% over the same period.

Alaska native air drops Thanksgiving turkeys to families in remote areas

In the most remote parts of Alaska a Thanksgiving turkey is hard to come by. So, one woman made sure families in roadless parts of the state had their holiday feast.

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Pilot Esther Keim calls it “Alaska Turkey Bomb.” She flies in a small plane to off-the-grid homes and air drops frozen turkeys for families to enjoy for Thanksgiving. 

Keim said it’s a tribute to a family friend who did the same thing for her family when she was growing up. 

She started the tradition in 2022 after somebody that she knew told her they did not have much of a holiday dinner — and no turkey at all. Since then, she has delivered 30 to 40 turkeys every year to families living in remote areas of Alaska.