The Latest: Canadian Prime Minister Carney tells Trump: ‘Stop trying to be tough’

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration Tuesday to "stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough," as he pushed back against a fresh wave of attacks from Washington. Carney said U.S.-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington became serious about negotiations.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is pitching a financial literacy campaign to leaders of the world's largest economies and suggesting an investment account program begun under President Donald Trump as a model for it. As he hosted leaders from the G20, Bessent announced U.S. sponsorship for a competition called the "Financial Literacy Solutions Sprint."

And the U.S. Department of Justice is suing the school system in Kansas City, Kansas, over its policies on transgender students. The lawsuit follows an Education Department investigation prompted by complaints from the conservative Defense of Freedom Institute.

Poll: A new high in Americans seeing government corruption as widespread

Americans' belief that there is widespread corruption in the U.S. government has reached a record high, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday.

About 9 in 10 Americans – 89% – say corruption is widespread throughout the U.S. government. That's up 10 percentage points from last year, and marks the highest measure recorded in Gallup's 20-year trend.

There is bipartisan agreement that there's substantial government corruption. About 9 in 10 Democrats and independents say this, as well as roughly 8 in 10 Republicans. Democrats, however, have driven the recent jumps.

When President Biden was in the White House, about 6 in 10 Democrats thought government corruption was widespread. That jumped to 76% during President Trump's first year back in office and now sits at 91%.

Gallup found that in recent years, the U.S. has outpaced other countries with advanced economies when it comes to their perceptions of government corruption.

JD Vance talks about end times and dark forces on Christian podcast

Asked by Christian podcaster Bryce Crawford about his interest in the "end times," the vice president laughingly said it had been more of an obsession during his youth.

"There are, like, things about the world that make me feel, like, not shocked if the Antichrist was walking among us, but, again, I try not to focus too much on it," Vance said in the interview made public Tuesday.

Crawford also asked Vance about Trump's post of an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus, which Crawford said offended him. Trump initially said he thought the image showed him as a doctor, then took down the post amid widespread criticism from even some of his own backers.

"He did not mean to, like, mock or mimic God — that's just not who he is," Vance said, adding that the president often tries to keep things light.

Bessent downplays effects of trade war with Canada

"The Canadian deal has virtually no impact on American prices. No impact," he insisted Wednesday on "Fox & Friends."

Bessent blamed the impasse and rounds of retaliatory tariffs from both sides on Canada's prime minister. He said "Carney has made a political decision" to stop a deal that "was on the 1-yard line."

The secretary predicted that Carney "will have to come back" for negotiations, and he suggested that the next deal the U.S. offers won't be as good.

Bessent insists inflation is under control -- and still blames Joe Biden

He defended Trump's economic leadership on "Fox & Friends" despite the president's plunging approval ratings on the economy over the course of this election year.

"Prices are too high," Bessent acknowledged.

He blamed former President Joe Biden before he tacitly conceded that Trump's war in Iran has pushed energy prices and consumer prices higher. And he credited Trump for higher wages.

"The conflict in Iran will end, and prices will come down," Bessent said. "Overall, prices are coming down. Core inflation is very under control. ... We are helping Americans slowly get back on their feet. The Iran conflict will end, but the wage gains will stay."

Bessent says Chevron is positioned for success in Venezuela

The U.S. treasury secretary said on "Fox & Friends" that "no American firm knows how to operate in Venezuela better than Chevron."

The international energy giant is poised to announce its planned investments in Venezuela after the Trump administration announced a deal giving the U.S. government and private firms control of a sizable portion of the South American nation's oil.

Bessent said Trump is "creating assets for the American people. It is going to push down oil prices, push up production" to benefit U.S. consumers and the Venezuelan economy.

Experts have repeatedly warned that Venezuela's dilapidated oil infrastructure will require years of restoration work and tens of billions of dollars to resuscitate.

US Treasury secretary says other nations should help 'asphyxiate' Iran to end the war

Scott Bessent says multiple Trump administration officials are talking with other nations that are still dealing economically with Iran and pressuring them to stop. But he avoided specifically mentioning Russia, even when asked.

"My message to everyone is stay away," Bessent said Wednesday on "Fox & Friends."

"We all want this conflict to end, and the fastest way for the conflict to end is for no one to provide any support to this regime. We are going to sever every tie that they have."

Existing sanctions on Tehran already are working to "asphyxiate the regime," Besssent said, and the statements from some Iranian leaders prove "all is not well in the economy" there.

Days after Trump announces Venezuela oil deal, White House fills in some of the details

The White House on Monday said it's partnering with North American Blue Energy Partners as part of Trump's push to tap into Venezuela's oil industry, setting up a deal that will give the Pentagon a stake in roughly a fifth of the country's vast oil reserves.

The Trump administration released more details on Monday night, days after Trump announced what he described as the biggest oil deal in history. The sweeping agreement has been met with skepticism from analysts who say it will take years to revive Venezuela's production, but Trump and his aides are pitching it as a chance to develop a new oil giant in the Western Hemisphere.

As part of the deal, the U.S. is creating a private company as a joint venture with NABEP — a detail the White House had withheld for days. NABEP, owned by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, is already the second-largest operator in Venezuela, behind Chevron.

Justice Department sues Kansas school system over transgender policies

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the school system in Kansas City, Kansas, over its policies on transgender students.

The lawsuit comes more than a year after the Education Department first said it was investigating four districts in Kansas following a complaint from the Defense of Freedom Institute. The conservative group's complaint alleged the schools had policies preventing disclosure of a student's "transgender status" to parents without the student's consent.

Schools in Kansas City, Kansas, have a policy of using students' preferred names and pronouns. The district also says requests from students who do not wish to involve their parents will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, according to the Justice Department lawsuit.

In April, the Education Department said it found the four Kansas districts in violation of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. The districts violated the privacy law, the department said, by maintaining a policy of not disclosing a student's gender transition at the parents' request, though the department did not cite a specific instance where this happened.

Bessent pitches US-backed financial literacy competition to world's largest economies

Driven in part by his own experience with poverty as a child, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is pitching a financial literacy campaign to leaders of the world's largest economies and suggesting an investment account program begun under President Donald Trump as a model for it.

As he hosted finance ministers from rich and developing nations in the G20, Bessent on Tuesday announced U.S. sponsorship for a competition called the "Financial Literacy Solutions Sprint."

The competition is intended to discover and showcase "innovative technology- and data-enabled solutions" developed across the Group of 20 countries to strengthen financial literacy.

Four finalists will be pared to one or two winning teams and will be recognized during the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in October in Bangkok.

Bessent points to the creation of Trump Accounts as a model other nations should follow. Treasury says roughly 7 million children are enrolled and 86% of participants are from families earning less than $200,000 per year.

Carney tells Trump 'Stop trying to be tough'

Carney said U.S.-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington became serious about negotiations, but he also accused the United States of pursuing terms that he said could leave Canadian industries "gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out."

"When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions," Carney said. "It's not constructive, but that's their democracy."

His comments came during a fresh barrage from Washington since trade talks collapsed Aug. 21. Trump has moved to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" and taunted Canada on social media, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Canada could not go "tit for tat" with an economy 13 times larger.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) - The Associated Press

Clouds form over pumpjacks and power transmission towers on Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) - The Associated Press

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the G20 Finance Ministerial in Asheville, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) - The Associated Press