President Donald Trump’s long-threatened 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect on Tuesday. Economists warn the tax on goods could be harmful to the U.S. and its trade partners.

The measure was set to be enacted a month ago but was pushed back, as Trump warned neighboring countries to crack down on drug trafficking and illegal immigration — without laying out any specific guidance. Meanwhile, legislation in Washington has given an April deadline for agencies to review trade policies.

Dr. Rob Gillezeau, an assistant professor of economic analysis and policy at the University of Toronto in Canada, told WDET tariffs have the potential to be especially damaging to the auto industry, where parts can cross the border several times during the manufacturing process.

“The Big Three are going to be decimated,” he said. “This feels like a perfectly designed policy by the president to do as much harm to Ontario, and to Michigan, as one could imagine.”

Of the roughly $50 billion in goods that enter Michigan from Canada each year, about 55% is tied to the transportation sector, according to the Canadian Consulate General in Detroit. Gillezeau said the tariffs have the potential to cast the Canadian economy into a recession.

“I suspect it won’t be as deep as the bottom of COVID,” Gillezeau said. “It won’t be as deep as the Great Depression, fingers crossed. It will likely be deeper than every other recession that has happened to the country.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has threatened to turn off electricity exports from Ontario in response to the tariffs, among other steps.

Listen: Canadian economics professor discusses impacts of tariffs on US-Canada relations

Related:

• What are tariffs? And how could they affect consumers?
• Michigan Congresswoman says tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products could crash U.S. auto industry
• Experts: Effect of tariffs on Michigan economy will depend on details

Michigan’s Attorney General’s Office could soon carry out an investigation into the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School.

Governor Whitmer’s supplemental budget proposal for the current fiscal year includes a request to direct $1 million from the state’s general fund to the Attorney General. According to language in the document, that money would “support a comprehensive criminal and civil review of the handling of events at Oxford High School.”

Because a supplemental budget serves as an update to the current state spending plan, the intent would be for that funding to be used in the coming months.

Victims’ families have been asking for a state review of the 2021 shooting to see if anything could have been done differently in the lead up to the event. A private review into the actions of the school was conducted, but the families argue it did not have full subpoena power — something an AG investigation would have.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has said in the past that she’s willing to take up the review. She has argued that hasn’t happened in part because her offers to help Oakland County law enforcement have been turned down in the past.

Nessel has also brought up logistical concerns around carrying out an investigation more than three years after an event. While money from the Michigan general fund would answer the funding question, the attorney general has said questioning witness could be challenging at this stage.

It is unclear what an AG investigation into the Oxford shooting could ultimately look like.

Governor Whitmer’s supplemental budget proposal still needs final approval in Lansing.

Dana Nessel’s office did not respond to WDET’s request for comment in time for post.

Robert Cramer is in his first month on the job as Detroit’s executive director of transit. He replaces Michael Staley, who left the role to work in the private sector.

Cramer has spent recent years working as general manager for the People Mover. Speaking after Transit Riders United’s annual State of Transit event on Tuesday, he said his new role with the Department of Transit has a lot in common with his previous work.

Listen: DDOT Executive Director Robert Cramer talks improving service and what’s next for the city’s transit options

“Whether that’s with the People Mover or DDOT, they’re very different systems but they have the same base needs — which is that people want safe reliable service,” Cramer said.

Officials with the Detroit Department of Transit are concerned federal grant funding for alternative energy buses could be at risk under the Trump administration. The city is scheduled to receive money to buy four electric and four hydrogen buses, as part of pilot programs to explore their feasibility.

Cramer says the city will be interested in the technology, no matter what happens to the grants.

“Even if something happens, to chase that funding you know you just keep chopping away, fighting the daily fight, looking for different funding opportunities that might come up,” he said.

Cramer says the city of Detroit is scheduled to receive 45 new battery electric hybrid buses beginning this summer. He says those orders are locked in and won’t be affected by changes in federal policy.