By MICHELLE L. PRICE and MEGAN JANETSKY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple an island plagued by a deepening energy crisis.

The order would primarily put pressure on Mexico, a government that has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba and has constantly voiced solidarity for the U.S. adversary even as President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to build a strong relationship with Trump.

This week has been marked by speculation that Mexico would slash oil shipments to Cuba under mounting pressure by Trump to distance itself from the Cuban government.

In its deepening energy and economic crisis – fueled in part by strict economic sanctions by the U.S. – Cuba has relied heavily on foreign assistance and oil shipments from allies like Mexico, Russia and Venezuela, before a U.S. military operation ousted former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Since the Venezuela operation, Trump has said that no more Venezuelan oil will go to Cuba and that the Cuban government is ready to fall.

In its most recent report, Pemex said it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba from January through Sept. 30, 2025. That month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Mexico City. Afterward, Jorge Piñon, an expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute who tracks shipments using satellite technology, said the figure had fallen to about 7,000 barrels.

Sheinbaum has been incredibly vague about where her country stood, and this week has given roundabout and ambiguous answers to inquiries about the shipments, and dodged reporters questions in her morning press briefings.

On Tuesday, Sheinbaum said that Mexico’s state oil company, PEMEX, had at least temporarily paused some oil shipments to Cuba, but struck an ambiguous tone, saying the pause was part of general fluctuations in oil supplies and that it was a “sovereign decision” not made under pressure from the United States. Sheinbaum has said that Mexico would continue to show solidarity with Havana, but didn’t clarify what kind of support Mexico would offer.

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On Wednesday, the Latin American leader claimed she never said that Mexico has completely “suspended” shipments and that “humanitarian aid” to Cuba would continue and that decisions about shipments to Cuba were determined by PEMEX contracts.

“So the contract determines when shipments are sent and when they are not sent,” Sheinbaum said.

The lack of clarity from the leader has underscored the extreme pressure Mexico and other Latin American nations are under as Trump has grown more confrontational following the Venezuelan operation.

It remains unclear what the Thursday order by Trump will mean for Cuba, which has been roiled by crisis for years and a U.S. embargo. Anxieties were already simmering on the Caribbean island as many drivers sat in long lines this week for gasoline, many unsure of what would come next.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

By MICHELLE L. PRICE

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Canada with a 50% tariff on any aircraft sold in the U.S., the latest salvo in his trade war with America’s northern neighbor as his feud with Prime Minister Mark Carney expands.

Trump’s threat posted on social media came after he threatened over the weekend to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if it went forward with a planned trade deal with China. But Trump’s threat did not come with any details about when he would impose the import taxes, as Canada had already struck a deal.

In Trump’s latest threat, the Republican president said he was retaliating against Canada for refusing to certify jets from Savannah, Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace.

Trump said the U.S., in return, would decertify all Canadian aircraft, including planes from its largest aircraft maker, Bombardier. “If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50% Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America,” Trump said in his post.

Spokespeople for Bombardier and Canada’s transport minister didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment Thursday evening.

Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

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By MATT OTT

Patrick James, the former CEO of bankrupt auto parts supplier First Brands Group, was indicted on federal fraud charges and arrested Thursday in Ohio with his brother Edward, a former senior executive with the company, the government said.

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The indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York said the James brothers “perpetrated a yearslong fraud” to obtains billions of dollars for First Brands — and millions for themselves — by duping investors and banks with fake documents and false financial reports.

When it filed for bankruptcy protection in September, officials representing First Brands said the company had more than $9 billion in debt and only $12 million in cash, according to Thursday’s charging documents.

After changing its name to First Brands from Crowne Group about five years ago, the Cleveland company began buying and then cobbling together a number of aftermarket auto parts manufacturers through debt-financed deals. Acquisitions by First Brands included well-known industry brands like Fram filters, Autolite sparkplugs and Anco windshield wiper blades.

The government alleges that the James brothers falsely inflated invoices for accounts receivable and borrowed against them two and three times, unbeknownst to lenders and investors. This yielded billions of dollars of financing for the company, which the James brothers used to finance a lavish lifestyle, the indictment said.

“The defendants operated First Brands as a ‘Ponzi’ scheme in which new loan proceeds were used to pay back old lenders and to fund their extravagant lifestyle,” said Kareem Carter, an agent with the Internal Revenue Service.

A spokesperson for James said “Patrick James is presumed innocent and denies these charges. He built First Brands from nothing into a global industry leader and has always been devoted to the success of the company. Mr. James looks forward to presenting his case in court.”

A lawsuit brought against Patrick James in November accused the former First Brands CEO of securing billions of dollars in debt financing based in part on fraudulent invoices, then transferring hundreds of millions of dollars to himself and other affiliates to “fund his and his family’s lavish lifestyle,” which includes seven homes and 17 cars.

The lawsuit claims that James, with the help of unnamed conspirators, transferred $8 million to his son-in-law’s wellness company, $2 million for James’ family office, at least $3 million toward the rent of his New York City townhouse, $500,000 to his personal chef and another $150,000 for a “celebrity personal trainer,” the lawsuit claimed.

The majority of the transfers occurred between 2023 and 2025, according to the lawsuit.

The indictment released on Thursday also revealed a guilty plea from former First Brands executive Andy Brumbergs for his role in the scheme. Brumbergs is cooperating with the government.

Patrick James, 61, and his brother Edward, 60, each face nine counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Most of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years if convicted. Patrick, the former CEO, is also facing a potential life sentence.

They are scheduled to appear before a judge in Ohio later Thursday, according to the indictment.

A day of strikes and protests is planned again for Friday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings of two people by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents in Minneapolis.

After last week’s economic blackout and protest in Minnesota, this week organizers are aiming for a national strike.

“The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country to stop ICE’s reign of terror. We need to shut it down,” according to a post on the website Nationalshutdown.org, which is helping publicize the day of “no school, no work and no shopping.”

A map posted on the website shows hundreds of protests happening across the country, including a 2 p.m. march in downtown Minneapolis.

Last week, more than 10,000 people marched through the streets of downtown Minneapolis to the Target Center for a rally to demand ICE operations cease in Minnesota.

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Somali and Black student organizations in Minnesota then launched a call for a “nationwide day of action,” and officials from nearly 2,000 organizations have said they plan to participate, including labor, community and student organizations, as well as hundreds of small businesses, organizers say.

“I’m here to continue showing the undeniable power of student voices,” Gutu Chinksso, president of the Black Student Union at the University of Minnesota, said in a statement.

“The voices that refuse to be ignored and refuse to be silenced to remind people that students are not passive,” Chinksso said. “We are organized. We are informed and ready to lead. We are advocating, not just for ourselves, but for every community harmed by violence.”

The call for a second nationwide strike comes in response to the shooting death of Alex Pretti, 37, of Minneapolis, on Jan. 24, while he was filming Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation.

Pretti’s death followed the Jan. 7 death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good, a mother of three shot by an ICE officer.