TUE AM News: “Talking Trade” with Michael Best Strategies’ Sarah Helton covers latest on Trump tariffs; Great Lakes region leaders announce plan to attract $9.3 trillion in growth

October 7, 2025

— The latest episode of “Talking Trade” features Sarah Helton, Michael Best Strategies’ partner and trade expert.

Helton, included by The Hill in its ranking of top lobbyists since 2022, said the Trump administration is using tariff policies to draw companies to set up in the U.S.

“We’ve understood, from the very beginning, that President Trump has keen interests on anyone that wants to come to the United States and invest, come,” she said. “Including U.S. and foreign manufacturers, and he has been using tariffs as the initial tool to kickstart that discussion and then impose further requirements.”

One of those tariff policies is Trump’s decision to use Section 232 tariffs on derivatives, which Helton said “could very likely be more permanent in nature …depending on the Supreme Court case.

“So when you’re opening it up to any producers of derivatives the …it could open up to all manufacturers in the United States in more or less ways, of those derivatives,” she said.

But questions still remain around how producers of final products and derivatives will know which imports are actually subject to tariffs and if there is a quantity threshold for which items need to be reported.

“We have a lot of components and we have a lot of finished goods that are now defined as derivatives, and without the clear understanding of what are the thresholds around, or requirements around, how we actually define a derivative, ” Helton said.

Helton also noted investigations by the Department of Commerce around whether personal protective equipment, medical equipment and medical supplies are subject to tariffs or if they should be considered threats to national security. The most interesting part of the investigation will be on medical machinery and robotics, she argued.

“So, as, you know, the Trump administration is really looking to be able to support domestic investment and expansion of domestic production. Those equipment, that robotics, may not be available here, but it’s necessary to be imported to achieve those goals,” she said.

— A coalition of governors and Canadian premiers from Great Lakes region announced a sweeping plan aimed at growing the regional economy by $9.3 trillion.

Gov. Tony Evers and the rest of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers in Quebec for the biennial Leadership Summit announced new trade, transportation and tourism efforts as well as a sustainable agriculture program. They also said, in 2024 as part of the effort to plant 250 million trees by 2033, more than 27 million trees were planted across the region, and announced that 44 commercial fish, aquaculture and similar companies have signed a pledge committing to use 100% of each fish they handle.

“As governors and premiers, we are advocates of the needs of the people and communities we have the privilege of representing, but we are also in the unique position of governing one of our globe’s most vital resources—and that is not a job any one individual can or should do alone,” Evers said. “As members of GSGP, we are here to champion how these systems are our shared responsibility, and how supporting their success is vital to our shared vision for the future.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has chaired the group for the past two years, said she’s excited to pass the torch to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

See the release here.

— Sellars Absorbent Materials is celebrating its 40th anniversary and manufacturing month with its second annual “I Spy” challenge.

All through October anyone can share a picture on the company’s Facebook page showing a Sellars product in use. Participants just have to take the picture, identify which product is in the photo and share it as a comment on the week’s “I Spy” post on the Sellars Facebook page.

“2025 is a big year for us because we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary and our new manufacturing facility that opened in Milwaukee just a few months ago. ‘I Spy’ is a fun way to bring attention to the prevalence of products made in the United States,” said Michelle Gross, vice president of marketing and customer experience for Sellars Absorbent Materials.

A winner each week will receive a prize package including a $100 Visa gift card, a collection of cleaning items and a supply of Bravo paper towels.

See the release.

— A group of local banks is sounding the alarm on a brushing fraud scam.

AbbyBank, Forward Bank, Northwestern Bank and Prevail Bank in a joint press release warned of the threat, which can expose people to identity theft and financial fraud.

Brushing scams are when fraudsters send unsolicited packages to people and then use their names and addresses to post fake positive reviews online.

“Even something as simple as an unexpected delivery can be a red flag,” Connie Zuleger, COO at Prevail Bank, said. “Scammers often exploit personal details pulled from online sources. Once they have your data, it can be used in ways that directly impact your financial security.”

Recommendations to protect against the scam include not paying for or returning unsolicited items, reporting packages to the retailer, never scanning QR codes on shipping slips and monitoring bank accounts for suspicious activity, among other things.

See the release here.

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Johnson Controls invests millions in Accelsius to boost AI data center cooling

TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

– Explore Fall Agritourism at Local Wisconsin Farms

– Improve Dairy Herd Health and Feed Management

– Crops look good across the Midwest and Great Plains. But farmers still face tough economy

EDUCATION

– Carmen Schools near halfway to fundraising goal for new $55 million south side campus

HEALTH CARE

– East side medical property changes hands in multimillion-dollar deal