Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called steep new U.S. tariffs on a wide swath of his country’s goods “a miscalculation” Saturday morning after trade talks with Canada collapsed late Friday.

Carney blamed the breakdown of talks on what he said were the Trump administration’s “uneconomic” and “unfair” demands.

The 50% tariffs affect about $20 billion worth of U.S. imports from Canada, according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office. The import taxes will hit everything from hockey sticks to some building materials, liquors and certain kinds of clothing.

Carney said Canada was pursuing a “focused response,” with tariffs on the U.S. “concentrated in sectors such as steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.” The duties would take effect Sept. 8, he said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Saturday morning in an interview on Fox News: “We don’t have new talks planned with the Canadians. We’ve said enough, and so we’ve taken countermeasures.” He also said the U.S. would “respond to Canadian retaliation.”

Kyle Kirkwood wins IndyCar race in downtown D.C. celebrating U.S. 250th birthday

Blasting down those iconic and bumpy streets with a view of the U.S. Capitol from his car, Florida native Kyle Kirkwood took the checkered flag to win a once-in-a-lifetime IndyCar race on a sunny Sunday.

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix was an elaborate 250-mile spectacle in Washington with few expenses spared to celebrate the country’s semiquincentennial, bringing the city a rare blend of power, money and speed.

Kirkwood, who races for Andretti Global, started second but took the lead on the opening lap with a daring maneuver around the outside of pole-sitter and championship leader Alex Palou in front of the National Archives. From there, he proved unbeatable.

Reaching top speeds of about 180 mph, the cars zipped down Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House, the longest straight on the track. They raced past the D.C. courthouse and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on the seven-corner track.

“You can’t even put it in words. This is incredible,” Kirkwood said in a postrace interview. “Man, that was a hard race. One hundred forty-seven laps. I’m out of breath right now.”

‘Meet the Press’

Sen. Tim Scott defended Sen. Darline Graham, his fellow South Carolina Republican, ahead of Tuesday’s special GOP primary runoff, dismissing concerns over her national security debate blunder last week.

“Darline Graham is the real deal,” Scott told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” calling her “highly qualified, incredibly competent, ready for primetime.”

Scott backed Graham just days after she was asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are important national security issues. In a viral moment, Graham responded: “I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not, on national security, I’m not that informed on national security, so, but I do support the military.”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told “Meet the Press” that he’s “kicking the tires” on a potential 2028 presidential bid.

“We need to be against the status quo, and that’s why I’ve been kicking the tires as I look at 2028, because I don’t think the Democratic Party has answered the call about how we’re going to make sure we have an economy that really does work for everybody, especially working people,” he said.

Politics in Brief

• Trailblazer: Nancy Kassebaum Baker, a Kansas governor’s daughter who became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without following a spouse into office, has died at 94.
• Political beef: GOP lawmakers criticized Trump’s decision to suspend tariffs on ground beef imports over the impact it will have on farmers.
• Bipartisanship: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., recently met privately with Jared Kushner, and they discussed possible areas of cooperation, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to NBC News.

Human-caused wildfire forcing thousands to evacuate near Reno, Nevada

A fast-growing wildfire destroying homes in northwest Reno, Nevada, on Sunday was human-caused and uncontained, authorities said as they encouraged 90,000 people to evacuate. At least six people were injured.

The Hawk Fire began Saturday and quickly grew to 20 square miles as it spread across the Peavine Peak area of Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest, where rugged foothills are ringed by homes and businesses near the California line.

The fire moved exceptionally fast Saturday night, jumping over fire trucks and making it difficult for responders to get to hot spots while residents were trying to get out, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.

Several structures were destroyed, and the injured included three civilians and three first responders, officials said. They did not provide additional details about how the fire was started, saying it was under investigation.

Mark Ruffalo denies antisemitism charge from Paramount Skydance over merger criticism

Mark Ruffalo is pushing back against Paramount Skydance after the media giant characterized his anti-merger comments as antisemitic. Ruffalo called the accusation “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.”

The dispute traces to a social media post from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement — a Palestinian-led campaign opposing Israel’s occupation, which began in 1967 — that Ruffalo had boosted.

The post featured comments from Oracle Executive Vice Chair Safra Catz describing the company’s assistance to Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

Ruffalo reshared the post to his Instagram Story on Friday, taking aim at Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison — who backed his son David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount Global through Skydance Media. Ruffalo argued that Larry Ellison is “using [Oracle] to fund his son David’s Warner Bros acquisition.”

Ruffalo urged his followers to push back against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, arguing it would be “catastrophic for our film industry” through job losses, higher cable costs and reduced competition.

The merger remains on hold, possibly until June, while a federal judge considers a lawsuit from a coalition of state attorneys general challenging the deal over antitrust grounds.

Notable quote

Iran’s foreign minister dismissed the threat of new U.S. sanctions as a sign of desperation, saying the measures would fail to defeat Tehran.

In case you missed it

• A humanoid robot developed by the Chinese smartphone maker Honor ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds, beating the human world record held by Jamaican sprinting great Usain Bolt.
• A Texas judge denied a new trial for Karmelo Anthony in the stabbing death of a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet.
• The Buffalo Bills are mourning the death of defensive tackle Ed Oliver’s 2-year-old son, the team announced Saturday.
• Serena Williams will team up with Carlos Alcaraz to create a powerhouse mixed doubles pair in her return to the U.S. Open.
• Michael Wright, known for the film “The Five Heartbeats” and the TV series “V,” has died at 70, his wife announced.

• A Texas court slashed a $50 million judgment that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was ordered to pay families of the Sandy Hook shootings. He will be forced to pay only $6 million.