A few of you have messaged about this bridge business. Trust me, we’re all aware.
Let’s start with a little refresher on the new Detroit River crossing, known as the Gordie Howe International Bridge, to honor the Canada-born Detroit Red Wings hockey legend. The Canadians came up with the name, which is a great symbol of the sort of two-nation relationship the bridge represents – warm, interdependent, close. (It used to be a reality, now it’s more of a nearly lost cause, but we remain hopeful.)
The bridge itself was the Canadians’ idea. The existing span, the Ambassador Bridge, is nearly a century old and was built for a different time. While it can be entered from the freeway on the American side, it dumps out onto Huron Church Road in Windsor, six lanes and divided to be sure, but otherwise just a plain old early 20th century thoroughfare. It carries a ton of truck traffic, which must navigate something like a dozen traffic lights before it intersects with the 401, the main freeway leading to Toronto and beyond.
So imagine living near this. The exhaust, the noise, the constant, 24-hour rumble of semi trucks. It is…not a good neighborhood. What’s more, the bridge is privately owned. By one family, the Morouns. The old man who gained control of it years back was the child of Lebanese immigrants, and grubbed for every nickel like it was the last thing standing between himself and starvation. He had one child, who now runs the business. It is…fantastically profitable. We did some reporting on this when I was at Bridge (the publication, not the Ambassador’s newsletter, haha), and the conservative estimates were jaw-dropping, an annual cash flow in tolls alone of something like $60 million a year. And that’s just the bridge. They also own or control duty-free shops and gas stations on the bridge approaches, significant trucking interests and lots and lots of real estate in the neighborhood, on both sides of the river. They are billionaires.
The Canadians have, at various times, tried to mitigate the damage done by the bridge’s presence, and the owners have not been very amenable. The family is perfectly willing to build a new bridge, but only next to the current one, which doesn’t solve the freeway problem. So some years ago the Canadians said, OK, fine, we’ll build our own. Which threatens the Moroun monopoly, obviously. Around 60 percent of all Canadian/U.S. trade goes over the Ambassador Bridge. (The tunnel under the river is too low-ceilinged to accommodate trucks.) And the Morouns have fought it ferociously, lobbying the state legislature and sponsoring a ballot measure to require a vote of the people (which lost), every trick in the book.
But the last Republican governor, Rick Snyder, believed a new bridge would benefit the state’s economy, and was finally able to get the deal done. The rough outlines: The Gordie Howe bridge would be co-owned by the two nations. It would be 100 percent paid for by the Canadians, to be repaid through tolls. After 30 years, the fare split would revert to 50-50. And construction began. Covid messed up the schedule, but the two sides of the roadbed met summer before last, and the bridge is expected to open later this year. It will have a pedestrian/cycling lane! A friend and I have an occasional lunch date at a Mexican spot nearly in its shadow, and we’ve been talking about biking over to get dim sum (Windsor has an excellent Chinese restaurant scene) for years now.
Enter Donald Trump, and his rant the other night that he would not allow the new bridge to open until the U.S. got a better deal. There was also some insane shit about hockey and the Stanley Cup. Excuse me? A 100 percent paid-for-by-the-other-guy bridge, which has already supported hundreds of construction jobs — we saw them in that Mexican joint often — is not a good deal? And why does he bring this up now, when the bridge is 99 percent done and construction started under his presidency?
The billionaire owner of a bridge connecting Michigan with Canada met Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, on Monday hours before President Trump lambasted a competing span, in the latest flashpoint in the deteriorating relationship between the United States and Canada.
Matthew Moroun is a Detroit-based trucking magnate whose family has operated the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, for decades. He met on Monday with Mr. Lutnick in Washington, according to two officials briefed on the meeting who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation.
After that meeting Mr. Lutnick spoke with Mr. Trump by phone about the matter, the officials said.
Shortly afterward, Mr. Trump threatened to block the planned opening of a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, which would take away toll revenue from Mr. Moroun’s crossing, if Canadian officials did not address a long list of grievances.
Grievances. I fucking ask you.
I don’t know how this will work out. In my movie dream, the ribbon is cut in the middle and we all just start using it, staffing the customs and tollbooths with volunteers, a la Minneapolis. We just ignore him. Or name a toll plaza after him, that might do it. Because this is ridiculous.
OK, it’s Wednesday. Time to do the crossword and make a plan for he day. Have a good one.
Dorothy said on February 11, 2026 at 10:19 am
I’m sorry to say that none of this resonates with me, and I apologize for that. But if Liar in Chief is against something, then I am automatically for it. OPEN THE DAMN BRIDGE OH DEPENDS DEPENDENT ONE!
Since it’s the 43rd anniversary of me becoming a mom, I’m going to share the job title my daughter now has at the Post. She’s Deputy Head of Print. She’s whip smart, always does 125% of what is asked of her, came to our house several times last year just so she could sit with me while her dad had surgery, is an outstanding cook, knits like a fiend – well I could be here all day but you all get the point. Happy birthday to the one who got me started in motherhood.
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Deborah said on February 11, 2026 at 12:06 pm
I definitely expected today’s post to be about the bridge. It’s all so embarrassing and disgusting. Carney will come out on top in this.
Dorothy, glad to hear your daughter landed on her feet and happy birthday to her. How is your son doing?
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David C said on February 11, 2026 at 12:33 pm
Give Trump a gold (painted) replica of Lord Stanley’s cup. Put the real one under a sheet at NHL HQ. Open the bridge. Wait for the demented old perv to snap his clogs. “Find” the real Stanley Cup from under the sheet. Bulldoze the approach to the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. Tell Maroun to go fuck himself.
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Dorothy said on February 11, 2026 at 12:43 pm
Son is doing fine, Deborah. He became a Major in the Army National Guard in gal 2024. I can’t recall if I shared that he’s getting divorced. It’ll be final around the middle of March. Last year was really rough from so many viewpoints. It’s sad and we wish it wasn’t happening but that’s life, right? We live within a couple of blocks of him and the kids. They’re sharing custody and we see Olivia M-F, and Jack a little less often. But we do see them. For the most part their breakup is non-contentious. Not exactly cordial but not bitter either. We have a good relationship with Liv and Jack’s mom.
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Jeff Borden said on February 11, 2026 at 4:07 pm
Of course it would be Howard Lutnick. He’s a slime dog of the highest order.
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Bitter Scribe said on February 11, 2026 at 4:13 pm
Nancy, THANK YOU for this. I’d heard about the bridge, of course, but I had no idea about the background, and had never heard of the Morouns.
Now I’m wondering exactly how Lutnick approached Trump about this. I see three possibilities:
1) He completely manipulated Trump by getting him all hopped up about how Mark Carney keeps dissing him, and avoided any reference to the Morouns.
2) He explained the situation about the Morouns, successfully appealing to Trump’s natural sympathy for a fellow billionaire.
3) He said, “Here’s how much you’ll get from them if you sabotage the bridge.”
I honestly can’t decide which scenario is most likely. If any of you have opinions, or alternative scenarios to suggest, by all means have at it.
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Julie Robinson said on February 11, 2026 at 4:20 pm
More business as usual for the MAGA overlords, endlessly finding new ways to screw the little people.
However, I just filed my mom’s taxes and we’ve already gotten our refund. I am a sick person for whom this brings much pleasure. Plus, I’m watching figure skating, which always makes me happy.
Happy Birthday to Laura; so lovely that she is so beloved.
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Jason T. said on February 11, 2026 at 8:18 pm
There absolutely needs to be a Nuremberg trial for every one of these fucks. Any Democrat who doesn’t commit to holding the Trump cabinet accountable ought to lose their primary
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Jason T. said on February 11, 2026 at 8:23 pm
Jeff B.: Apparently behind his back, people at the Commerce Department call him “Nutlick.”
The barrel has no bottom. The most corrupt administration since Warren G. Harding and I’m not 100% sure they don’t have Harding beat.
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alex said on February 11, 2026 at 9:44 pm
It’s plain to anyone with two brain cells to rub together that Tubby’s an opportunist who thinks he can act like a gangster and extort money from people who need to get anything done. He’s overplaying his hand and will end up in the very hoosegow he thinks he’s evading, and his shills will end up there with him. I hope and pray. And I’m not a praying person.
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Jeff Gill said on February 11, 2026 at 10:20 pm
Okay, but the Hardings had lovely waffles:
https://thehistoricalhomemaker.com/2024/03/25/florence-hardings-homemade-waffles/
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alex said on February 11, 2026 at 10:51 pm
The Russian Mafia even has Gallup running scared, apparently…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/us/politics/gallup-poll-presidential-approval-ratings-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LlA.osr3.KWFCv_LYIdS1&smid=url-share
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Brandon said on February 12, 2026 at 12:53 am
Re: Jason T.’s comment at #9: This is an example of metathesis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metathesis_(linguistics)#
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Julie Robinson said on February 12, 2026 at 2:47 pm
A little retail rant.
Last night Mom said she needed a new boom box, because the cats knocked hers down and it doesn’t work anymore. We’re trying to shop local, but don’t live in an area with a lot of retail, mostly little boutiquey places.
We do have a nearby Best Buy, but whoa, what a dump. Almost nothing in the store, unhelpful people, and only two in stock despite their website. “I think they’re in the warehouse.” Can she try it out? “We’re not allowed to open the boxes.” So we looked at the outside of two boxes, no real info except a picture, and at least could tell that one had easier to read controls. Waited almost 10 minutes to check out, cheerily told to “have the most amazing day.”
I wanted to look at a new FitBit, but they were locked behind glass with no prices on them. Zero connectivity in the store to look up a price. Mr. We’re Not Allowed to Open The Boxes had disappeared.
This is why we are too dependent on Amazon.
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Dave said on February 12, 2026 at 3:51 pm
I can’t even speak about the bridge and the rottenness of the people in Washington. Today, he did away with EPA protections, screw the environment, help the very rich, for those of us who aren’t billionaires, we’re not important. Graft, there has to be a whole lot of graft. I’m reduced to ranting, I hate our senators here, see, I rant.
I’m getting old, wondering what the heck do they teach people these days, I had what I thought was an odd experience. We ordered a pizza for takeout from a local place and we went to pick it up. I usually pay cash for such things and if I have exact change, I fish that out of my pocket and use that, too. I handed her $22.32, two dimes, two nickels, and two pennies. The young lady behind the counter, no more than 16, who I’m reasonably sure she isn’t foreign in any way, looked at it, then looked at it again, and then said to me, I don’t know what you’ve given me. I didn’t understand what she meant but she called a co-worker over and told him the same thing. She didn’t know a dime or a nickel, the co-worker told her, that’s worth ten cents, those are worth five cents, he’s given you what it costs.
I was in confusion, I asked her if her parents ever use cash and she said no. I told her that she’d learn and would get better but I still can scarcely believe that someone her age knows nothing about the value of coins.
My barber told me last week that 85% of her customers pay with a card, which I never do.
Cashless society, coming up.
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nancy said on February 12, 2026 at 4:17 pm
Dave, the don’t-recognize-change story was told to me by the manager of the waterpark where I lifeguarded three years ago. He said it took forever to close out the registers because the teenagers didn’t know what a quarter was. When one of the young guards would ask me what time it was, and I’d reply, “Ten ’til 3,” many of them would just look at me blankly until I said, “2:50.”
The pay-with-card thing I can see in at least some situations. I’ve started carrying cash for tips, because I think wait staff — at least the ones who understand what cash is — prefer it. Easier to keep off the books, shall we say. It really bugs me at the farmers’ markets, though, when some dipshit wants to pay for $3 worth of lettuce with a card.
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Colleen said on February 12, 2026 at 4:25 pm
When I worked at the Y in Fort Wayne, a tween asked to use the phone. And then didn’t know how.
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David C said on February 12, 2026 at 4:44 pm
I have around $20 in cash in my wallet. It’s been there for months. I don’t want to carry change around, so it accumulates. I might use it more if we eliminated all coins, not just pennies, and rounded to the nearest dollar. I’m sure it would all come out even in the end.
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Julie Robinson said on February 12, 2026 at 4:50 pm
How many of you balance your checkbook? Or should I say bank account, since so few checks are written. I mentioned it in a meeting and people looked at me like the girl at Dave’s pizza place.
I balance weekly at home and monthly at church, where it’s a PITA because most giving is through apps and they charge fees. Someone gives us $75 and it shows up on the statement as $69.47. It all has to be tracked down and recorded in the program and I usually need an entire morning to get that accomplished. Give a check for $75, no extra fees. But only a few oldsters use checks. Neither of my kids even has them.
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Dave said on February 12, 2026 at 6:45 pm
We balance it every month but it drives me batty when it’s off and I can’t find the error.
We might write one or two checks a month and that’s it and I that isn’t even true every month.
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Deborah said on February 12, 2026 at 7:56 pm
My husband’s granddaughter was home schooled and we were astounded when she was 8 and she had no idea how to use coins or their value. My husband took her to a toy store once, handed her some cash and expected her to be able to figure out what she had and how much the toy cost that she wanted and whether she had enough in her hand to pay for it, but she didn’t have a clue. We thought maybe we just didn’t remember from our own childhoods or our own kids how old we/they were when we learned all that. So we asked my husband’s sister who taught kindergarten for decades and she said that they learned about coins at around 5 or 6, they knew that a quarter was 25 cents, a dime was 10 cents etc etc, how it all adds up. She was surprised too that his granddaughter didn’t know that at 8. But now it sounds like 16 year olds are confused too. Something is wrong with this picture.
I’ve always been fairly math impaired but as I recall as a kid the value of coins never felt complicated to me. Of course when I go to a different country it can be confusing to tell the difference or understand the value of the individual coins but it doesn’t take that long to figure out.
Deciphering cursive writing seems to be a lost art, reading and writing it can be daunting for some now days. Stick shifts in cars, rotary phones and encyclopedias on book shelves in people’s households are like that now too. It’s only natural that things change and people learn new ways but it’s weird when it doesn’t seem that long ago to me.
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tajalli said on February 12, 2026 at 8:48 pm
When I served as a polling inspector, one of my clerks didn’t know what it meant to sign his name.
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alex said on February 12, 2026 at 9:12 pm
Hell, not only did we know the value of coins and bills, we knew the value of S&H Green Stamps and M&M Gold Stamps. That shit was our play money. We saved to buy those Tonka trucks and GI Joes. Kids these days know the price of everything and the value of nothing!
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Dexter Friend said on February 13, 2026 at 1:24 pm
Wednesday my doc at the VA was distraught, she overslept; my 9:00 AM was then at 10:45. The VA is transitioning to CERNER for records retrieval, she had had training on Tuesday. One doctor raised his arms and quit on the spot, 2 more walked to the office and resigned as well. Each doc has 1,100 patients, and the facility gives each doc 3 more per day. That is why I can only see her in person once a year, and once via a Zoom-like app. Her work load is stressing her badly, working until 1:00 AM to catch up some nights. She is very thorough anyway, scheduling me for another battery of tests. I had a couple done there after my appointment. This CERNER…my daughter used it in Las Vegas, it is not new, it’s a Oracle thing , and the VA is not going to have the nation all rolled out until 2031, but Ohio and Michigan are now. I am not going to seek out a civilian doctor…yet. But I may have too at some point.
Jeff B told me Wrigley Field is cashless, and I hear Rate Field has been for many years. I always bought coffee and fast food and lotto with cash; now I switched to all-cards for drive-through, dollar stores, and gasoline and supermarkets. I quit all lottery tickets on 12-31-25, so now my billfold cash stays in there.
Yesterday, a McD’s senior coffee and an apple pie was only $2, as the pie is half price now for a while, so I paid cash. First cash I paid basically this month and longer, but for gasoline for my brother’s tank when he came for me at a garage where my car was getting repaired. I just got tired of coins , so much easier with a bank card. And I have paid no interest on any cards since 2014. The bill is ready, I pay it in full, same day. Ironically, the card companies call people like me “deadbeats”, because they get not a goddam dime in interest money from me, and also, give my money back just for using their card.
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