The Curator independently decides what topics and products we feature. When you purchase an item through our links, we may earn a commission. Promotions and products are subject to availability and retailer terms.

From first-day jitters to packed commutes, a dependable backpack is one of those everyday essentials you’ll reach for again and again. We rounded up the best backpacks of 2026, with picks that stand out for their top-notch design. Shop these school-ready finds from Herschel, JanSport, Vaschy and more.

Quick pick summary

Best kindergarten/preschool age backpack – Skip Hop Zoo Backpack

Best minimalist backpack – Anytime Backpack

Best classic backpack – Herschel Classic Backpack

Best for smart organization – EASTPAK Padded Double Sunday Grey Backpack

Best durable everyday backpack – JanSport Superbreak Plus Backpack

Best matching set – Vaschy Kids Backpack Lunch Bag Set

 

Best kindergarten/preschool age backpack

Perfect for little dreamers, this magical unicorn backpack is lightweight, easy to clean, and just the right size for school-day essentials, snacks and a favourite toy. The sparkly details and playful horn? Pure enchantment.[/product_listing]

 

Best minimalist backpack

If you love a sleek, fuss-free design that keeps essentials organized without the extra bulk, this backpack is lightweight, has a clean silhouette, padded laptop sleeve, and simple compartments – perfect for all your daily necessities.[/product_listing]

 

Best classic backpack

The Herschel Pop Quiz combines sleek, street-style vibes with seriously smart storage: a padded 15-inch laptop sleeve, fleece-lined sunglasses pocket, and internal organizers for pens, cables, and keys.[/product_listing]

 

Best for smart organization

The Eastpak Padded Double keeps the classic street-style look while adding thoughtful storage features, including multiple front pockets, a padded laptop sleeve, and hidden compartments that make it easy to keep school essentials neatly organized and within reach.[/product_listing]

 

Best durable everyday backpack

It’s a classic that never goes out of style. This one’s ultralight but holds everything—books, lunch, and a day’s worth of energy. It’s also available in multiple prints and colours so kids can show off their personality.[/product_listing]

Best matching set backpack

Perfect for little learners, this kids backpack lunch bag set is an all-in-one school-day solution. With roomy compartments, a water-resistant exterior, padded straps, and a built-in lunch sleeve, it keeps books, snacks, and everyday essentials organized and easy to carry.[/product_listing]

 

You may also like:

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite – $184.99

Quiet 2 Ear Plugs – $29.95

Portable Charger with Built-In Cables – $29.99

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Curator independently decides what topics and products we feature. When you purchase an item through our links, we may earn a commission. Promotions and products are subject to availability and retailer terms.

From packing hundreds of lunches to signing permission slips and replacing the supplies that somehow disappeared over summer break, back-to-school season comes with a long to-do list. Fortunately, a few smart buys can make the school year run a little more smoothly. Think leakproof lunch boxes, insulated food jars that keep meals warm until noon, labels that help lost items find their way home and classroom staples kids will actually be excited to use. Ahead, nine practical Amazon finds from brands like Bentgo, Thermos and JanSport parents are snapping up before the first bell rings.

 

The label lifesaver

Water bottles, lunch containers, sweaters, pencil cases–if it’s headed to school, chances are it should have your child’s name on it. This compact Bluetooth label maker prints crisp, ink-free labels straight from your phone, with hundreds of templates, fonts and icons to choose from. It’s a quick way to keep school essentials organized and out of the lost-and-found.[/product_listing]

 

The lunchbox parents swear by

It’s easy to see why this bento-style lunch box has become a school-year staple. Five perfectly portioned compartments keep sandwiches, fruit and snacks neatly separated, while the leakproof design helps prevent lunchtime mishaps. Durable enough to handle the inevitable drops and dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup, it’s built for busy weekdays.[/product_listing]

 

The warm lunch solution

Not every school lunch has to be a sandwich. This insulated food jar keeps soup, pasta or leftovers warm for up to five hours, while cold favourites like yogurt or fruit stay chilled for even longer. The foldable spoon stores neatly inside the lid, so there’s one less thing to remember before heading out the door.[/product_listing]

 

The backpack for after-school adventures

Perfect for field trips, extracurriculars or carrying a few essentials after school, this mini backpack packs plenty of function into a compact design. The roomy main compartment fits snacks, books and small electronics, while the front pocket keeps smaller items within easy reach. Plus, it’s made with recycled fabric that’s built to last.[/product_listing]

 

The bottle that won’t soak their backpack

Few things are more frustrating than discovering a soaked lunch bag halfway through the day. This insulated stainless steel bottle features a leakproof straw lid that helps keep spills contained, while double-wall insulation keeps drinks cold until the final bell. It’s dishwasher-safe, durable and sized just right for little hands.[/product_listing]

 

You may also like:

Sharpie Pocket Highlighters – $3

Owala SmoothSip – $32.04

Yodo Playful Kids Lunch Box – $23.88

 

The pencils they’ll actually want to use

School supplies don’t have to be boring. These pastel mechanical pencils add a little personality to pencil cases while delivering smooth, skip-free writing for homework, note-taking and tests. Best of all, there’s no sharpening required–just click and keep writing.[/product_listing]

 

The notebooks worth stocking up on

A fresh set of notebooks signals the start of a new school year. This six-pack comes in soft pastel shades that make it easy to colour-code subjects, while college-ruled pages resist ink bleed-through for tidy notes. Perforated pages tear out cleanly when assignments need to be handed in.[/product_listing]

 

The after-school essential

The first stop after school? The sink. This gentle foaming hand soap is made with 98 per cent naturally derived ingredients and creates a rich lather that makes handwashing a little more fun. The pear and vanilla scent is a hit with kids, while the easy-to-use pump encourages independent handwashing.[/product_listing]

 

The pencil case that fits everything

Pens, pencils, markers, calculators, sticky notes–this roomy organizer has a place for just about everything. Three zippered compartments keep supplies neatly sorted, while elastic loops prevent frequently used pens and pencils from rolling around. It’s a practical upgrade for students whose desk supplies seem to multiply overnight.[/product_listing]

 

You may also like:

Quartet Plastic Frame Magnetic Whiteboard – $9.99

Kipling Seoul 15-Inch Laptop Backpack – $143.27

Aesthetic Daily Planner – $12.99

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A driver charging his electric taxi and a former law enforcement officer who tried to intervene were among the seven people wounded in a mass shooting at an Idaho fast food restaurant that also left three people dead, according to friends and relatives of the two men.

The attack Saturday at a new In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls ended when the gunman, identified by police as 24-year-old Chad Williams, shot and killed himself. On Monday, police were still trying to determine why Williams carried out the attack, which happened early in the afternoon in a busy shopping plaza in the southern Idaho city.

Many details about Williams’ life were still unknown Monday, but an initial search of court records in Idaho and Arizona, where he used to live, didn’t show any criminal cases matching his name and birth date.

Elijah Moseley, who lived across the hall from Williams in a College of Southern Idaho dorm a few years ago, described him as “an introvert” and “a pretty chill guy.”

“I was never scared or weirded out by him,” he said.

Moseley said he considered Williams a relatively close friend, though they lost touch a couple of years ago.

“I’m shocked by this and sick to my stomach about this,” he said.

Detectives are confident that Williams acted alone, Police Chief Matthew Hicks said Sunday, noting that Williams’ family is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Two of the wounded victims were treated at a hospital and released, three were listed as stable, and two others were in critical condition, police said Sunday.

During the attack, an off-duty state trooper and a civilian fired on Williams and diverted him from the restaurant, the chief said. Police haven’t disclosed their names or those of the victims, but some victims have been identified by friends and relatives. Twin Falls spokesperson Josh Palmer said Monday that police were still trying to identify next of kin.

A vigil is planned for Tuesday evening at Twin Falls City Park, Palmer said.

The attack happened at an In-N-Out that opened late last month as part of the California chain’s Idaho expansion, and an employee at the burger joint was among those killed, the fast-food chain’s owner, Lynsi Snyder, said in a statement. She didn’t identify the worker.

Kimberley Castaneda confirmed to The Associated Press that her brother, Christopher Claunch, was among those killed, but she declined to discuss him further.

Garren Taylor, one of Claunch’s friends, said that two years ago, Claunch completed a rehab program for alcohol abuse at Renaissance Ranch Recovery Center in Rupert, Idaho, and was immediately hired there. Taylor said Claunch, known to those close to him as “Toph,” had since then dedicated his life to helping others get sober.

“He helped hundreds of people,” Taylor recalled Monday. “He was just a gift to anyone he came in contact with. It wasn’t about the paycheck, his attitude was: ‘I get to help someone today.’”

Renaissance Ranch declined to comment Monday.

In a Facebook post, Marcus Scott said his son Austin “A.J.” Scott was critically wounded in the attack and faces a long recovery. He said his son was shot after he moved “toward the danger” when he heard gunfire in an effort to protect others.

“We are incredibly thankful that God spared his life and that his wife and friend were there to provide immediate care until he could get to the hospital,” he wrote.

Marcus Scott said in a message to the AP on Monday that his son used to work as a law enforcement officer for the Twin Falls police and the Idaho State Police. He declined to comment further on his son’s actions, saying it is his son’s story to tell.

Terry Dudley, a driver for North Star Taxi, was shot as he was charging one of the company’s Teslas in a parking lot next to the In-N-Out Burger, said James Palmer, who owns the taxi service and is Dudley’s friend.

Palmer said Dudley called him to tell him he was shot after he couldn’t get through to 911. He said Dudley was flown to a hospital in Boise and remained there Monday with serious injuries, he said.

“It’s a lot, man,” Palmer said. “It’s daunting, to say the least, to even try to gather the scope of all this. It’s been absolute chaos.”

He said Dudley was “kind of like my right hand.”

Williams attended the College of Southern Idaho from August 2022 and December 2023, according to the school’s president, L. Dean Fisher. He didn’t graduate or earn a certificate from the school, which has about 10,000 students.

Williams served in the student senate but was unanimously impeached by his fellow senators in February 2023. Moseley, who served as the senate pro-tempore at the time, said Williams was ousted because he wasn’t very active or engaged in student government.

Associated Press reporters Christopher Weber and Jamie Stengle contributed to this report.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Some residents returned to devastated neighborhoods in eastern Washington state to find their homes leveled by wildfires that erupted across a parched landscape over the weekend, covering yards in charred debris. In some cases, only chimneys were left standing.

The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, were among the most destructive in state history. About 700 buildings had been destroyed — a number that was expected to climb — and some 67,000 people were under evacuation orders. The cause was under investigation.

“Hundreds of people have completely lost their homes and farms, and many are prohibited from returning to their homes or neighborhoods as crews continue to extinguish smoldering embers,” the state’s entire congressional delegation wrote Monday in asking President Donald Trump to approve an expedited emergency declaration.

The fires jumped roads and rivers and had burned about 12.5 square miles (about 32 square kilometres) by Monday. The sky filled with smoke and haze. Calmer winds and lower temperatures arrived to help firefighters, but it was expected to be hot and dry again by midweek.

In one Spokane neighborhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained. Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.

Among those who returned were Miriam and Daniel Sim, both 76. Miriam held her hand over her mouth as she surveyed the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005.

“It’s like a war zone,” Miriam said. “There’s nothing to save.”

“At our age, do we want to rebuild?” her husband asked.

No deaths or major injuries have been reported so far

Cpl. Mark Gregory, a spokesperson for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, said the county initially received nearly 300 reports of missing people, but by Monday they had cleared all but 14.

Those outstanding reports more likely represented people who had not been in contact since evacuating than people who were truly missing or in danger, authorities said.

The Spokane-area wildfires were completely uncontained, said Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

They were among dozens across the Western U.S. stretching the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. At least 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometres) has burned across Washington, which has contended with severe drought and a paltry snowpack.

Authorities warned people not to fly drones near the burned areas, saying it could force them to delay aerial firefighting operations.

Homes, cars, possessions lost in flames

Angela and Wayde Deatherage, both 49, evacuated shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday with a son, grabbing a few bins of family photos and heirloom rings but not much else. Roughly 30 minutes later, their security camera was sending fire notifications to Angela’s phone.

Wayde Deatherage took some back roads and returned by early evening. He stopped at the end of the street and called his wife: “Our house is done.”

Deatherage, however, wasn’t done with his neighborhood. He propped a hose at another house so it sprayed the property. That home survived.

The couple returned to their property Sunday.

“It’s just ash,” Angela Deatherage said of the home where they had lived for nearly 22 years. ”It’s like our house sunk down in the basement. … There’s just so much loss for so many people.”

Friends and relatives of fire victims posted online appeals for money, clothes and basic necessities. Kory and MacKensie Aspaas were away with their children when the disaster hit.

“They are coming back from being out of town to a life that’s been completely wiped out,” friend Kali Butler said.

Officials said Sunday that the evacuees in Spokane included patients at its U.S. Veterans Affairs hospital. Investigators had yet to determine how the blazes started.

Grassland burns in Idaho, Oregon and Utah

Spokane was hardly the only place struggling to contain fires.

A lightning-caused fire that has burned over 530 square miles (about 1,370 square kilometres) of grassland in western Idaho and eastern Oregon continued to grow Monday. The area is home to cattle ranches, and authorities said the fire is threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures.

In central Utah, a blaze quadrupled in size over the weekend to nearly 109 square miles (282 square kilometres) by Monday afternoon. More than 100 cattle have been killed, according to law enforcement.

Heavy winds helped flames jump containment lines, but forward progression was slowed toward Fillmore, a town of about 2,600 people and the seat of Millard County, officials said. Mandatory evacuations were ordered Sunday evening for the town’s southern portion, and inmates at the county jail were transferred.

Spokane sets up shelter for impacted residents

In Spokane, about 400 people were staying at city’s main convention center, which was turned into a shelter, officials said.

Spokane Public Schools opened a free emergency drop-in camp for children on Monday. Trials at the county court were pushed to Aug. 10.

Several larger fires continued to burn in less populated areas northwest of Spokane.

—Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Kathy McCormack in Concord, N.H.; Martha Bellisle in Seattle; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The latest update on BC’s wildfire season and the damage it is leaving behind.

Watch ‘Global News at 6 BC’ for the latest news in British Columbia.

Click here for more Global BC videos

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

United Nations human rights experts are urging Canada to “accelerate” investigations into threats to the life of a B.C. Sikh activist critical of India’s government.

Five UN special rapporteurs have written to Ottawa expressing “serious concerns” about the safety of Moninder Singh, whom Canadian police have repeatedly warned was at risk.

The joint letter said the threats may have been an attempt by India to intimidate Singh over his advocacy and co-operation with the UN.

“We are concerned that such threats fall within a broader pattern of transnational repression by Indian authorities against Sikh activists in different countries, including Canada,” it said.

The nine-page document, released by the UN Human Rights Office over the weekend, asked Canada to answer a list of questions about how it was dealing with the matter.

It said that Singh had given several speeches to UN agencies, and that some of the plots to kill him detected by police coincided with those appearances.

“We are deeply concerned at the allegations that Mr. Moninder Singh appears to have been targeted directly before or after instances of cooperation with or reporting to United Nations entities in relation to the targeting of Sikh activists by Indian authorities,” the letter said.

“These allegations, if true, may constitute unlawful intimidation and reprisals in direct retaliation for Mr. Moninder Singh’s human rights advocacy and cooperation with United Nations human rights representatives and mechanisms.”

In the meantime, the letter urged Canadian authorities to protect Singh and his family, step up investigations into the threats and hold those responsible to account.

It was signed by the rapporteurs Ben Saul, Gina Romero, Andrea Bolanos Vargas, George Katrougalos and Nazila Ghanea, who are all UN human rights rapporteurs.

While not UN officials, rapporteurs carry out mandates assigned to them by the organization and report on human rights issues around the world.

Global Affairs Canada referred questions from Global News about the letter to Public Safety Canada, which has not responded.

The leader of the Sikh Federation of Canada, Singh is an outspoken critic of human rights in India and a supporter of the Khalistan separatist movement.

Police have informed the Surrey, B.C., resident four times that they had received credible information indicating that he faced threats to his life.

The first came in July 2022, on the same day that police gave a similar warning to his close friend Hardeep Singh Nijjar, also a pro-Khalistan activist.

On June 18, 2023, Nijjar was assassinated as he was leaving the Surrey temple where he served as president. Canadian authorities suspect India was responsible.

The FBI later disrupted a plot by a member of India’s intelligence service to kill another Canadian pro-Khalistan activist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Police warned Moninder Singh again about murder plots in August 2023 and March 2025, shortly after he had appeared at the UN Human Rights Council.

Two days before he was to appear before the UN in February 2026, he received yet another warning about a possible plan to kill him and his family.

No arrests have been made over the threats.

In an interview with Global News, Singh welcomed the letter from the UN rapporteurs, although he said the Canadian government had not yet filed any response.

He said he suspected that India was not pleased that he was appearing before UN agencies to talk about its human rights abuses and treatment of minorities.

“I think it’s a huge problem for them because they haven’t seen this type of activity for a long time from the Sikh community,” he said.

New Delhi has long complained about Canadians active in the Khalistan movement that backs independence for India’s Sikh-majority Punjab.

The RCMP suspects the Nijjar murder was India’s attempt to strike a blow to the cause by targeting one of its most popular leaders, a charge it denies.

To carry out the killing, police believe Indian intelligence collaborated with the transnational crime network of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

More than a dozen others, mostly pro-Khalistan activists, were also believed to have been targeted, among them Singh.

Canada expelled six Indian diplomats in 2024, alleging they were collecting information on members of Canada’s South Asian community.

“This information is shared with senior levels of the Indian government, who then direct the commission of serious criminal activities against Indo-Canadians through the kinetic use of Lawrence Bishnoi’s organized crime network,” National Security Advisor Nathalie Drouin later testified.

But since the 2025 federal election that brought him to power, Prime Minister Mark Carney, under pressure to find new trade partners for Canada, has tried to mend relations with India.

Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Atlyn Becker remembers the hills glowing orange around her on Saturday as her truck edged north to safety from fires burning around British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake.

She and her family are among thousands who fled their homes over the weekend with whatever they could pack, as high winds pushed flames over drought-parched land.

She estimates there were about 200 vehicles moving slowly down the road with her.

“You could feel the heat of the fire. You could hear the crackling of the trees. The fire was just raging,” she said Monday, after safely arriving in Kelowna.

Becker said she watched through the window of her truck as firefighters cut apart fallen trees with chainsaws so that people could drive through.

“(Fire) was right down to the road, all the way up the side of the mountain, and it was actually terrifying because you don’t know if a tree is going to fall on you,” she said.

Multiple evacuation orders and alerts have been issued over the last several days because of fires burning in areas around Okanagan Lake.

Central Okanagan Emergency Management said more than 2,200 properties under its jurisdiction have been evacuated due to the Quilpituk Creek wildfire.

Further up the lake, the Regional District of North Okanagan expanded evacuation orders and alerts on Sunday because of the Bradley Creek wildfire.

Many residents rushed to escape over the weekend as winds gusting up to 115 kilometres per hour fanned the fire, destroying homes as it burned to the water line.

Becker and her family chose to leave their Westshore Estates neighbourhood before they were officially ordered out as the fires burning on either side of them led to the evacuation of other communities including the Okanagan Indian Band reserve land.

She said she watched planes and crews on the ground do the best they could to fight the flames, but the heavy winds on Saturday were too much.

“We haven’t had any precipitation all the month of July. It sprinkles, but that’s it. No downpours, nothing to really get things, you know, a little bit saturated,” she said.

Cliff Chapman, director of wildfire operations for the provincial wildfire service, said in an update on Sunday that they had never seen wildfire conditions like this before.

The prolonged drought in the region and the strong winds in the area helped the fires spread.

B.C. Wildfire Service information officer Nicole Bonnett said Monday that the Bradley Creek wildfire saw no significant growth overnight, while the Quilpituk Creek fire now measures about 550 hectares.

Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said in statement that 100 workers from Mexico arrived in B.C. on Monday and 200 more were expected later in the week to help the province battle the wildfires.

“They’ve travelled from their homes to help us protect ours amid a challenging wildfire season. As British Columbians, let’s welcome them warmly as they prepare to work alongside our BC Wildfire Service crews,” he said.

Dan Wilson, the Chief of the Okanagan Indian Band, said they don’t know the full extent of the wildfire’s destruction on their homes and infrastructure and he can’t say when residents will be allowed back.

“The fire is still active. Firefighters are still working in areas that remain dangerous. There are places where crews still can’t safely get in,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.

Wilson said there are damaged power lines, unsafe trees, damaged infrastructure and water systems that still have to be looked at, before people could be allowed back in.

“I also know many of you are seeing images, videos and reports shared on social media and in the news. Some of what you are seeing is upsetting, some of it raises more questions than answers. We understand that, we are working to confirm information as quickly as we can and share it with our community as soon as it’s verified.”

Becker’s property is now covered under an evacuation order. She said she plans to drive to Vernon, where she can use binoculars to look across the lake to try and see if her home is still standing.

She said she’s visited an emergency services centre set up for evacuees and heard multiple people talking about properties being lost.

Videos posted online show some properties on the shoreline of the lake have been destroyed,

Becker, who is retired, said losing her home would be devastating, in part because she also uses it as an Airbnb business in the summer months.

“I’m retired, and my partner’s retired, and just the thought of not having that income, it’s really scary,” she said.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

More than two dozen U.S. states filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to strike down U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on 60 trading partners — including Canada — over forced labour concerns, arguing he exceeded his authority.

The tariffs were announced last month by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, over allegations that countries were not doing enough to stop the trading of goods produced with forced labour.

Nearly all U.S. imports are covered by the tariffs, which range from 10 to 12.5 per cent.

But the lawsuit, filed by Oregon and 24 other Democrat-led states in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, argues the tariffs are simply meant to replace Trump’s previous temporary 10 per cent global tariff that expired just as the new duties were announced.

The timing “confirms that the tariff action is pretextual, arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to Section 301’s statutorily constrained purpose,” the statement of claim says.

“Despite losing every step of the way, Trump is trying yet again to inflict more chaos on working families and homegrown Oregon businesses,” Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement.

The challenge comes after a group of American small businesses filed a pair of lawsuits seeking to block the new tariffs one day after they were announced.

The European Union and 59 other countries were targeted, with Canada and Mexico facing the lower 10 per cent tariff rate on goods not covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on free trade.

Canada has protested its inclusion in the tariff policy, arguing it has significant safeguards to keep forced labour products out of its supply chains and is pursuing additional measures.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against most of Trump’s widest-ranging tariffs in February, finding that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the president to unilaterally impose “reciprocal” tariffs on trading partners.

Trump responded to that ruling by calling Supreme Court justices that voted against his policy “disloyal,” and quickly imposed new 10 per cent tariffs under a different statute of the Trade Act, Section 122, which only authorizes tariffs for 150 days.

Those tariffs were also ruled illegal by the U.S. Court of International Trade, but they remained in effect while the Trump administration appealed.

The Section 122 tariffs were set to expire at midnight on July 24 unless Congress voted to extend them. The Section 301 tariffs were announced on the evening of July 23.

Section 301 of the Trade Act is meant to combat unfair or discriminatory economic practices by other nations.

But the states’ lawsuit contends it was merely a pretext to reimpose a global tariff, noting the new policy does not distinguish between individual economies and the impact of their alleged use of forced labour products on the U.S.

“Because the tariff action merely attempts to continue the president’s blanket global tariff policy, and the attempt ‘to obtain the elimination’ of forced labor in trading partners’ supply chains is pretextual, it is unlawful,” the court document says.

The states added that a sweeping tax on imports would do nothing to address the real problems of forced labour around the world.

“The United States is using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden U.S. commerce,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to the Associated Press and Reuters.

“A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens U.S. commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed. Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a legally durable tool since the President’s first term, and they remain so now.”

—With files from Reuters

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Monday for dropping a case of alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, saying she had “choked” under pressure from a judge and “folded like an umbrella.”

“Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked. I don’t know what the hell happened,” Trump told reporters.

Pirro’s office said in a court filing on Friday that the damage resulted from shoddy construction, not vandalism, and moved to drop charges against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of deliberately damaging the newly renovated pool ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration last month.

Trump claimed surveillance footage showed people cutting newly installed waterproofing material around the pool and argued that Pirro, a close political ally, should have continued pursuing the case.

“Pirro made a mistake. It was vandalism,” Trump said, adding he was “really disappointed” in Pirro and that “she folded like an umbrella.”

Pirro, a former Fox News host and longtime Trump ally, is the top federal prosecutor in Washington. Trump did not say whether he had spoken directly with her before publicly rebuking her.

He did not answer when asked if he was reconsidering her role.

© 2026 Reuters

A few months after Artemis II’s lunar flyby, another Canadian astronaut is preparing for a mission in space.

Joshua Kutryck from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., is one of four members assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew 13 mission.

The crew will spend six months at the International Space Station.

The mission includes a Canadian-led study on how space travel and microgravity can affect human health.

The crew will also conduct maintenance work on the station.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the crew is expected to take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, on Sept. 12.

© 2026 The Canadian Press