The view from the Idea Center

Two stalwart players in Ohio’s steelmaking industry are joining forces. It’s a sign the nation’s steel sector continues to struggle, despite the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed a year ago to help it.

The Cleveland-based mining company Cleveland-Cliffs, North America’s largest producer of iron ore pellets, is buying AK Steel, a leading producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products headquartered near Cincinnati, in a $1.1 billion stock deal.

By the way, if you want to know what making that kind of steel looks like, check out this AK Steel video. By the looks of it, it involves lots of computers, big machines and special clothing to protect you from temperature extremes.

One billion dollars is a lot of money, but here’s the kicker: It’s “less than half the stock's value from early 2018 after President Trump first announced he would  place tariffs on steel and aluminum imports,” according to CNN.

AK Steel’s soon-to-be new chief, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves, told Bloomberg in the weeks following the announcement that steel tariffs were needed to “level the playing field.”

I wonder what he thinks now. Tariffs have done little to halt a slide in demand for domestic steel. Oil and gas drillers are not purchasing as much steel pipe, the Associated Press reports, and the price of hot rolled steel has fallen almost 30 percent this year.

Don’t expect President Trump to change his “America First” trade-war strategy. News of the merger came on the same day the president abruptly announced he would reimpose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Brazil and Argentina.

See you bright and early on the radio tomorrow morning,
Amy Eddings

Need to KnOH

Headlines from Northeast Ohio and Beyond 
 

• LIVE: The Trump Impeachment Hearings
• RTA Trustees Ask For More Specifics In Fare Study
• Opponents Urge State Lawmakers To Toss Out Ban On Plastic Bag Bans
• Lake Erie Protections Top Of Mind At Ohio Farm Bureau Meeting
• DeWine Unveils Simplified, Speedier Pardon Process
• Brunch, Margaritas And Good Advice: How Peer Support Helps Those Living With HIV

Your ideas

It gets dark so incredibly early this time of year, but we're trying to look at it as more time to enjoy the fabulous Christmas light displays around town. Which streets and neighborhoods that go all-out and are on your list to visit this season? Call us at  (216) 916-6476 or comment on  our Facebook page. We'll feature some of your thoughts and comments here in Noon(ish) and on Morning Edition.