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A federal judge on Friday ruled that the United States must bring back a man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month.
Judge Paula Xinis of the US District Court in Maryland directed the federal government to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, to the US no later than 11:59 p.m. on April 7.
The Trump administration conceded in a court filing Monday it mistakenly deported the Maryland father of three “because of an administrative error,” but said it could not bring him back because he is in Salvadoran custody. It appeared to mark the first time the administration has admitted an error related to its recent deportation flights to El Salvador, which are now at the center of a fraught legal battle.
“This case is certainly important to Abrego Garcia and his family,” the judge said. “In recognition of that. I feel like I can't wait on giving my order.”
Over the course of the hearing, Xinis had repeatedly raised issues with Abrego Garcia's removal to El Salvador, given that an immigration judge had previously granted him withholding of removal, meaning he could suffer persecution if removed from the US to El Salvador. He was still considered removable; it just couldn't be to El Salvador. Xinis cited that status in her ruling, saying Abrego Garcia was apprehended last month “without legal basis” and deported “without justification of legal basis.”
During the hearing, Xinis also appeared skeptical about Abrego Garcia's alleged ties to the MS-13 gang, which Trump officials have maintained, saying that she had not seen sufficient evidence to that effect.
“When someone is accused of membership in such a violent and predatory organization, it comes in the form of an indictment, complaint, criminal proceeding that has a robust process,” she said. The Justice Department didn't provide additional evidence beyond what's already been submitted in the case. “The government made a choice here to produce no evidence,” DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni told the judge.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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Beijing imposes punitive 34% extra tariffs on all goods imported from US, exacerbating stock market sell-off
China has hit back hard against Donald Trump's “bullying” tariffs, raising fears that the escalating trade war could trigger a global recession and prompting fresh turmoil in financial markets.
Beijing retaliated on Friday with punitive 34% additional tariffs on all goods imported from the US – mirroring the US decision and exacerbating a sell-off on global stock markets.
Almost $5tn (£4tn) has been wiped off the value of global stock markets since Trump's Rose Garden address on Wednesday evening, analysts calculated.
In the UK, the FTSE 100 index of leading shares closed more than 7% lower than Monday – its worst week's trading since late February 2020, when anxiety about the Covid-19 pandemic was gripping the markets.
The dramatic escalation in trade hostilities between the world's two largest economies magnified concerns among investors about the risks to global growth.
The chair of the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, warned the trade war would mean “higher inflation and slower growth”, as Jerome Powell resisted Trump's calls to cut interest rates.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also warned the escalating trade war was likely to hit global economic growth. The tariffs “clearly represent a significant risk to the global outlook at a time of sluggish growth,” said the IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva.
China's retaliation came after Trump imposed 34% tariffs on Chinese goods, which were already subject to a 20% levy, taking the total levy to 54%. He also imposed hefty tariffs on neighbouring countries in south-east Asia including Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, through which billions of dollars of Chinese exports are processed on their way to the US.
Trump responded on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday. He said: “CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!”
The UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said ministers would continue to negotiate with Washington, in the hope that the 10% levy on UK exports could be lifted. The UK is offering a series of concessions, including a cut to the £1bn-a-year digital services tax for some of the biggest tech firms.
“We want to do everything in our power, and we'll continue to do everything in our power to get the best possible deal for British industry, working closely with them to protect prosperity and jobs here in the UK,” she said.
Financial markets are now pricing in a further three interest cuts from the Bank of England by the end of this year, as they weigh up the risks of weaker growth, as some analysts warned that a slowdown could force Reeves to raise taxes in her autumn budget.
“I would have thought the central expectation now must be that if she is sticking to her fiscal rules, she'll need to increase taxes in the autumn by possibly some significant amount,” said Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
On Wall Street, the tech-focused Nasdaq index entered bear market territory – meaning it has lost more than 20% of its value since the sell-off began. It was down more than 3% on Friday alone. The S&P 500 was down 4.8% by lunchtime in New York.
Oil prices also declined sharply, as experts reassessed their projections for global growth, with Brent crude down 7% at about $65 a barrel.
Georgieva appealed for calm. “It is important to avoid steps that could further harm the world economy. We appeal to the US and its trading partners to work constructively to resolve trade tensions and reduce uncertainty.”
There was little sign of such moderation in China's trenchant response to the Trump tariffs, however. The country's state council tariff commission said the US approach was “not in line with international trade rules, seriously undermines China's legitimate rights and interests, and is a typical unilateral bullying practice”.
Despite fears his trade war will send prices higher for Americans, Trump also called on the independent Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, urging Powell, “CUT INTEREST RATES, JEROME, AND STOP PLAYING POLITICS!”
In a speech in Arlington, Virginia, on Friday, however, Powell suggested the outlook was still too uncertain to make decisions about the direction of monetary policy. “It is too soon to say what the appropriate policy stance should be. I understand the uncertainty that people feel, but it's a process that we are going through.”
But he gave a blunt assessment of the likely effects of Trump's policies. “While uncertainty remains elevated, it is now becoming clear that the tariff increases will be significantly larger than expected,” he said. “The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth.”
The president has promised voters his “liberation day” policies will bring jobs and investment pouring back into the US. But investors fear the higher prices that are likely to result will depress consumer demand in the US, and put the brakes on export-dependent economies worldwide.
The market meltdown has also been fuelled by Trump's unpredictability, which makes it impossible to forecast whether he will negotiate away some of the tariffs in exchange for concessions – or double down.
On Friday alone, Trump posted a message insisting “MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE,” followed four hours later by another statement in which he said he had had “a very productive call” with the Vietnamese leader, To Lam, who Trump claimed had offered to reduce that country's tariffs.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, shrugged off the chaos on Wall Street on Friday, appearing to suggest it was all part of the administration's plan for reshaping the US economy.
“Markets are crashing because markets are based on the stock value of companies who today are embedded in modes of production that are bad for the US,” he claimed.
Still, in the UK, some economists suggested the tariffs may have only a modest impact. James Smith, an economist at the analysts ING, said: “The overall hit from tariffs on Britain's GDP is perhaps only 0.2% or so. Certainly not enough to decisively change the outlook for UK growth. And remember there are some decent tailwinds for growth this year, notably from government spending.”
The investment bank JP Morgan said it now sees a 60% chance of the global economy entering recession by the year end, up from 40% previously.
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US stocks were battered by a sell-off Friday after China retaliated against the United States for President Donald Trump's tariffs in a tit-for-tat that escalates a global trade war.
The Dow was lower by 1,900 points, or 4.6%. The broader S&P 500 was 5.2% lower. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was 5.3% lower.
Investors have been fearful that a dramatic escalation of a trade war could plunge the US and global economies into a recession. JPMorgan analysts said Thursday that America's economy and the broader world economy both had a 60% chance of sinking into a recession this year. The analysts also said odds of a recession would rise if countries began to retaliate against the United States — and China did so Friday. Retaliation raises the risk of further escalation and could diminish hopes for negotiation.
“Markets may actually be underreacting, especially if these rates turn out to be final, given the potential knock-on effects to global consumption and trade,” said Matt Burdett, head of equities at Thornburg Investment Management. “The tariffs have injected a level of uncertainty and volatility we haven't seen since the early days of the pandemic.”
US stocks briefly rallied from their lowest point of the morning after Trump posted on social media that he had a “very productive call” with To Lam, the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
“[Lam] told me that Vietnam wants to cut their Tariffs down to ZERO if they are able to make an agreement with the U.S. I thanked him on behalf of our Country, and said I look forward to a meeting in the near future,” Trump said.
Nike (NKE), which slumped Thursday, rallied 5%. Nike relies extensively on international supply chains and imports from Vietnam, where many of its factories are located.
Yet stocks eventually slid back near their lows of the day as investors grappled with the extent of Trump's tariffs and the potential for a slowdown in economic growth. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said during prepared remarks Friday that inflation could remain elevated because of Trump's tariffs.
“While uncertainty remains elevated, it is now becoming clear that the tariff increases will be significantly larger than expected. The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth,” said Powell, who spoke at an event just outside Washington, DC. “The size and duration of these effects remain uncertain.”
Investors Friday morning wrestled with tariff anxiety while also digesting fresh data that showed stronger-than-expected job growth in March. The US economy added 228,000 jobs in March, a significant increase from February's revised gains of 117,000, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday.
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While job growth beat expectations, tariff angst continues to drive market sentiment.
“Unfortunately, the market is no longer focused on the jobs market and focused squarely on tariffs and trade wars as the US plays chicken with the rest of the world, potentially beginning a downward spiral into a worldwide recession,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management.
Traders ditched risky stocks, especially tech companies whose products are manufactured overseas and could soon be subject to enormous tariffs. Apple (AAPL), which tumbled more than 9% Thursday, was down another 4% Friday.
As stock futures tumbled ahead of the opening bell, Trump posted on social media, “To the many investors coming into the United States and investing massive amounts of money, my policies will never change. This is a great time to get rich, richer than ever before!!!”
And as investors sold stocks, they poured money into traditional safe havens, including government bonds and gold.
The 10-year Treasury yield, which briefly fell below 4% Thursday for the first time since October, fell firmly below 4% Friday as investors bought bonds to insulate themselves from a potential economic downturn. Bond prices and yields trade in opposite directions.
Gold prices surged above $3,130 a troy ounce, setting another record. But investors ditched other commodities, including oil, out of fear that the trade war could send the global economy into a recession. US oil, which plunged nearly 7% Thursday, tumbled another 9% below $62 a barrel. Brent oil futures, the global benchmark, fell 8%.
China announced sweeping 34% tariffs on all US goods starting April 10, a major escalation of a trade war that has been raging for years between the world's two largest economies. But the tit-for-tat tariff escalation kicked into high gear after Trump took office for the second time in January.
Trump in February placed an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese goods imported to the US and doubled that rate to 20% in March. On Wednesday, Trump announced that tariffs on China would rise to 54%. That's on top of existing import taxes, which he and former President Joe Biden already had in place on the country. So the effective tariff rate America imposes on Chinese goods will be well above 54% starting April 9.
Markets have been on edge: The Russell 2000, which tracks smaller companies, entered a bear market Thursday. Stocks tumbled all over the world Friday: European and UK stocks were down more than 3%, on pace for their worst performance in years.
On Thursday, the Dow fell more than 1,600 points, or nearly 4%. The S&P 500 fell nearly 5% and the Nasdaq plunged nearly 6%. Each of the three major US indexes recorded its worst performance in about five years, since the pandemic.
Thursday's plunge erased $2.5 trillion in market value from the US stock market.
“This is just the tip of the spear. Next it's going to be retaliation from the EU and other nations. Banks, airlines and other service sector firms are going to get targeted,” said RSM's Joe Brusuelas. “The Chinese are calling Trump's bluff.”
UBS on Friday lowered its year-end target for the S&P to 5,800 from 6,400 and said the US economy could enter recession in the near-term due to the impact of Trump's tariffs.
“In the near term, we believe the effective tariff rates could be higher still, and without President Trump taking active steps to reduce tariffs over the next three to six months, we are likely to enter a downside scenario, including a meaningful US recession and lower equity markets,” said Solita Marcelli, chief investment officer for the Americas at UBS Global Wealth Management, in a note Friday.
Trump said Thursday after the market close that he was open to negotiation on trade. He cited TikTok as an example, hoping China would agree to a sale of the popular social media app to a potential US buyer in exchange for lower tariffs.
“Every country has called us. That's the beauty of what we do, we put ourselves in the driver's seat,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Thursday. “As long as they are giving us something that's good. For instance, with TikTok as an example, we have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We'll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?' The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”
Some countries say they're in active negotiations with the United States to lower the tariff barriers Trump announced this week. The United Kingdom, for example, said it is in talks with the United States to strike an economic agreement, British Foreign Minister David Lammy said on Friday.
But other countries chose to retaliate. Canada on Thursday announced retaliatory tariffs on some US-made cars.
France's finance minister said the European Union was not considering reciprocal tariffs to respond to the Trump administration's tariffs, because they could hurt European consumers, but the EU could target individual US companies, Eric Lombard said in an interview Friday with CNN affiliate BFMTV. The New York Times on Thursday reported the EU was considering penalties against Tesla.
Trump on Thursday dismissed the massive declines in the stock market, saying it's “to be expected” and that the economy is in a “transition period.” He called the economy a “sick patient.”
Markets have more to digest on Friday. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to hold a discussion later Friday morning at which he will undoubtedly be asked about markets and the economy in the wake of Trump's tariff announcement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN's Matt Egan contributed to this report.
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The NBA fined Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant $75,000 after he again made a gun gesture with his fingers in his team's 110-108 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday, despite receiving a warning from the league for performing the same celebration earlier this week.
In the league's announcement of the punishment, the NBA said Morant was being fined “for twice making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court.”
ESPN's Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon reported this week that Morant and Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield were both issued with warnings by the NBA for making a gun gesture towards each other Tuesday.
“Morant was previously warned by the league office that this gesture could be interpreted in a negative light,” the league said in a statement.
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Morant said he is “well aware” of the criticism he has received for the celebration.
“I'm kind of used to it,” Morant said, per AP. “I was pretty much a villain for two years now.
“Every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it's going to be out there. So, yeah, I don't care no more.”
Several players have performed variations of the gun gesture celebration in recent seasons but the NBA has so far only penalized Morant.
The NBA has already issued two lengthy suspensions to Morant after he appeared to flash a gun in Instagram live streams on two separate occasions.
Morant was suspended for eight games without pay in March 2023 and then for 25 games without pay in June 2023 after the incidents.
His second suspension caused him to miss the first 25 games of the 2023-24 regular season.
“To the kids who look up to me, I'm sorry for failing you as a role model,” Morant said in a statement at the time.
“I promise I'm going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I'm going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I'm going to make it up to you, I promise.”
Morant hit a buzzer-beating fadeaway jump shot on Thursday to secure a dramatic win for the Grizzlies.
The star guard finished with 30 points as the Grizzlies snapped a four-game losing streak. Memphis is currently the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.
Tyler Herro finished with a game-high 35 points for the Heat to go with nine rebounds and four assists, while Bam Adebayo added 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
The Heat went into the game on a six-game winning streak and are the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference.
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More than 55 million people worldwide have dementia, a number expected to nearly triple by 2050. Deaths from strokes may double by the same year, and 10% to 20% of adults experience depression later in life.
While the numbers are striking, there's a growing body of evidence showing that many of these cases may not be genetically fated, but rather could be delayed or prevented altogether by addressing health factors generally within our control.
At least 17 factors contribute to dementia, stroke and late-life depression, according to an extensive review published Wednesday in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry.
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Addressing the 17 factors can reduce people's risk for all three conditions. Those factors are, in no order of importance:
“This study just really shows how powerful lifestyle and behavioral changes are for age-related brain diseases,” said senior study author Dr. Sanjula Singh, an instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School and principal investigator at the Brain Care Labs at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Ultimately, we hope that people feel like there's a hopeful message in here — that there are actually so many things that you can work on, and then not only your risk of stroke is lower, but also of dementia and/or of late-life depression,” Singh noted.
In the past, studies, tools or risk-prediction models have usually focused on these conditions individually. “From a human perspective, that doesn't make a lot of sense,” Singh said.
Ideally, people wouldn't want to develop any of these conditions, she added, so the research team wanted to find shared risk factors so people can essentially achieve multiple goals using the same tools.
The authors reviewed 59 meta-analyses — syntheses of data from multiple similar studies — that were published between 2000 and 2023 and had investigated the effects of modifiable risk factors on stroke, dementia and/or late-life depression among adults who weren't previously diagnosed with these conditions.
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All 17 factors were shared by at least two of the conditions, but there were no meta-analyses on relationships between late-life depression and 11 of the health measures: alcohol intake, BMI, blood sugar, cognitive activity, diet, hearing loss, kidney function, pain, physical activity, social engagement and stress, according to the study.
Of all the measures, blood pressure had the biggest impact. A normal blood pressure level is below 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury, or mm Hg. People with a level of 140/90 mm Hg or greater were more than twice as likely to have a stroke, 20% more likely to develop dementia and 16% more likely to experience depression.
Other top influential factors were smoking, sleep, physical activity and blood sugar.
“Grouping these all together is important, because I think different people derive different levels of motivation to make a behavior change” based on their personal concerns, such as a family history of dementia, stroke or depression, said Dr. Richard Isaacson, preventive neurologist and director of research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida. Isaacson wasn't involved in the study.
“Data studies like this can help empower people to make meaningful changes in their day-to-day lives,” Isaacson added.
If 17 items seem overwhelming, look at it as a menu from which you can choose a few items — and work your way through the list over time, Singh said. But also know these factors overlap, she said — if you're improving your diet and exercise, for example, you're probably improving several things on that list, including blood pressure, blood sugar, sleep and cholesterol.
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Not sure what to choose? Here's how you can address what experts said are some of the most important determinants of dementia, stroke and depression.
Lowering high blood pressure: High blood pressure means less blood flow to the brain, which has a direct relationship with stroke and dementia, but is also associated with depression by way of reducing neurotransmitters in the brain, Isaacson said.
To address high blood pressure, you can have your level checked by a machine at a drugstore, a doctor or a home device, experts said. Lowering salt intake and getting enough potassium are important for reducing blood pressure, as well as exercising, losing excess weight, managing stress and seeing a sleep specialist if you have sleep apnea. A doctor can determine whether you also need medication.
Stop smoking: If you smoke, there are five actions you can take right now to quit, which concern identifying your triggers, learning from relapses, using helplines and apps, and speaking with doctors who can help you devise a treatment plan.
Improve your fitness: For physical activity, know that any amount is better than none — and the World Health Organization has guidelines for the type, frequency and duration of exercise you need depending on your age.
Get enough sleep: Older adults need at least seven hours of sleep nightly. You can help ensure a good night's rest by keeping your room cool, quiet and dark; not drinking alcohol or caffeine in the several hours before bed; limiting screen time at night; and having a bedtime routine.
Regulate your blood sugar: Exercise, weight management and a healthy diet that limits refined carbohydrates and added sugars can also maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
The findings from the latest study inform the existing Brain Care Score, which was developed in 2023 at the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital to help people gauge and manage their risk for dementia or stroke without medical procedures.
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The 21-point score refers to how a person fares on 12 health-related factors concerning physical, lifestyle and social-emotional components of health. To this list, the new study adds pain, depressive symptoms, hearing loss, cognitive activity and kidney disease.
Researchers behind the score anticipate an updated version will be published later this year. For now, you can take the current edition here.
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Fund boss Kristalina Georgieva says it is important that US and trading partners avoid escalating trade war
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that Donald Trump's implementation of swingeing tariffs poses a “significant risk” to the global economy, as stock markets were hit by a punishing worldwide sell-off by investors.
Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the IMF, said it was important that the US and its trading partners avoided further escalating Trump's trade war, while stock markets plunged on Friday as China retaliated against the tariffs.
“We are still assessing the macroeconomic implications of the announced tariff measures, but they clearly represent a significant risk to the global outlook at a time of sluggish growth,” Georgieva said.
“It is important to avoid steps that could further harm the world economy. We appeal to the United States and its trading partners to work constructively to resolve trade tensions and reduce uncertainty.”
China retaliated on Friday, accusing the US of “bullying” and signalling a new front in the intensifying global trade war.
The Chinese finance ministry said it would impose additional tariffs of 34% on all US goods from 10 April as a countermeasure to sweeping border taxes announced by the US president on Wednesday.
Trump's “liberation day” tariffs of up to 50% on imports to the US had already wiped trillions of dollars off the value of the world's biggest companies on Thursday amid heightened fears of a US recession.
The sell-off continued into Friday, with Asian and European markets falling. In London, the FTSE 100 index of the UK's biggest stocks fell 313 points, or 3.7%, putting it on track for its biggest one-day decline in more than two years.
“This practice of the US is not in line with international trade rules, seriously undermines China's legitimate rights and interests, and is a typical unilateral bullying practice,” said China's state council tariff commission.
Japan's Nikkei index fell almost 3% on Friday, ending the week down 9%, while Tokyo's Topix was down 4.5%. South Korea's Kospi closed down 1.3%.
Elsewhere in Europe, the French Cac 40 index and the German Dax both fell 3.7%.
Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, fell by 3.8% on Friday, down to $67.48 a barrel. That is the lowest level since early December 2021.
Futures prices indicate that the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones will drop by 0.7% when trading resumes in New York, while the Nasdaq is expected to open down 0.5%.
Derren Nathan, the head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Despite months of sabre-rattling by Donald Trump, markets appear to have been unprepared for the depth and breadth of tariffs announced by the White House.
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“The tech-heavy Nasdaq saw the worst of it, falling nearly 6%, but there were hefty drops among the banks, industrials and energy sectors. Traditional defensive havens offered some refuge, with gains seen in consumer staples and utilities.”
Shares in Indian pharmaceutical companies also slumped after Trump said that US tariffs on drugmakers were still under consideration. The NSE Nifty Pharma index fell more than 6% on Friday.
Pharmaceutical companies had experienced a boost on Thursday as the sector was believed to have been exempted from the US import duties.
In the UK, a Treasury minister said the government was “negotiating intensively” and “at pace” to secure a deal with the US. The government is also consulting on possible retaliatory action.
The exchequer secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, told Sky News: “The next stage of engagement is to ask [for companies'] input about what possible measures would look like in terms of the UK response because we want to involve businesses in that decision, and we need to be clear that we keep all options on the table … We reserve the right to retaliate but we want a deal, and our full focus is on that.”
Bond prices have jumped across Europe and the US amid fears over global economic growth.
UK government bonds – seen as a safe haven asset – increased in value, sending the yield, or effective interest rate, plummeting. The two-year UK government bond yield fell to its lowest level since last September, 0.29 percentage points lower than when US tariffs were announced. The 10-year gilt was 0.1% lower, taking it to the lowest level since February.
The falls will ease the pressure on the UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who announced cuts to welfare spending in the spring statement largely to cover an increase in borrowing costs earlier this year.
Traders also ramped up their bets on cuts to UK interest rates. The money markets now expect about 74 basis points of cuts by the Bank of England this year. That shows that three more quarter-point rate cuts are almost fully priced in.
A cut, from the current level of 4.5%, at the Bank's next rate-setting meeting in early May is now an 86% chance, up from about 75% on Thursday.
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Inflation is likely to pick up because of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, and could remain elevated, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday.
“We face a highly uncertain outlook with elevated risks of both higher unemployment and higher inflation,” he said at an event just outside Washington, DC. “While tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation, it is also possible that the effects could be more persistent.”
Powell's latest comments, his most vivid yet on the subject, come just days after the Trump administration unveiled the sharpest ever escalation in US tariffs on data going back 200 years, Fitch Ratings told CNN — even steeper than the expansive tariffs deployed under the Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930. A 10% tariff on all US imports will go into effect on Saturday, with even higher tariffs slated for April 9.
Trump's tariffs were worse than feared, triggering a global stock-market sell-off this week. Economists at JPMorgan now see global recession odds at 60% if the tariffs are kept in place. Various forecasters are projecting consumer prices, especially for cars, to ratchet higher this year.
Trump's risky bet to rectify trade imbalances and bring back production to the US could send the economy barreling toward “stagflation,” a toxic combination of stagnant economic growth and rising unemployment coupled with accelerating inflation. The Fed would have to tackle that two-headed beast head-on, just like it did in the 1970s.
“The Fed is in a tough spot with inflation set to accelerate and the economy poised to slow,” Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide, said in an analyst note Friday.
Shortly before Powell's speech, Trump in a post on his social media platform called on the Fed to lower borrowing costs, accusing the central bank's leader of playing politics.
“This would be a perfect time for Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates,” Trump wrote.
Fed officials have adopted a holding pattern on interest rates, waiting for inflation to slow further and to see how Trump's major policy shifts show up in economic data. They still expect to cut rates at some point this year, according to their latest economic projections released last month.
The Fed cut rates three times last year on signs that inflation was slowing. But that progress stalled out around the turn of the year, which weakened the case for further rate cuts and ultimately prompted the Fed to stand pat in January. The Fed continued to hold borrowing costs steady last month.
America's job market also remains solid, according to fresh government data out Friday, meaning there isn't any urgent need for the Fed to provide the economy with relief through additional cuts.
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But the central bank is uncomfortably on hold. Trump's recently enacted tariffs, if they're kept in place, promise to have wide-ranging effects on the US economy. If those effects are higher inflation and rising unemployment, Fed officials will have to make some very tough choices. The central bank is tasked by Congress to both maximize employment and stabilize prices.
In such a scenario, Powell said officials will “look at how far each of the two variables is from its goal” and how long it would take to fix either one.
“There's no question that's a difficult situation,” he said.
So far, Trump has already put in place duties on metals and cars and doubled tariffs on China to 20%, on top of ones put in place during Trump's first term, which will be lifted even higher to well above 54%. China has already retaliated to Trump's tariffs.
Sentiment surveys have already captured America's unease with Trump's sweeping economic agenda: Consumer confidence in March plunged to its lowest level since January 2021 and the small-business uncertainty about economy spiked in February to its second-highest on data going back to 1973.
“If uncertainty persists or worsens, economic activity may be constrained,” Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said Thursday at an event in Atlanta.
Powell said the high level of uncertainty bedeviling America's decision makers should be “much lower” next year, after all the dust has settled from the Trump administration's massive policy shifts.
“The actual effects of the policies should then be pretty manifested and clear,” he said.
Powell said the Fed's best move amid Trump's chaos is to keep rates on hold for longer. Fed officials convene again to set interest rate policy on May 6-7.
“We're going to need to wait and see how this plays out,” Powell said.
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On social media, the president said, ‘My policies will never change', before suggesting possible change with Vietnam
Donald Trump doubled down on his decision to launch a global trade war, declaring that he would “never” back off from sweeping tariffs on US trading partners.
The US president's announced action sent shock waves around the world this week, prompting fierce threats of retaliation and sharp sell-offs in stock markets.
In an all-caps message on his Truth Social social media platform, Trump sought to convey his defiance in the wake of news that Beijing is preparing to hit back with 34% tariffs of its own.
“TO THE MANY INVESTORS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES AND INVESTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE,” he claimed. “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH, RICHER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!”
Within hours, however, the president was indicating that he might be prepared to change course. “Just had a very productive call with To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, who told me that Vietnam wants to cut their Tariffs down to ZERO if they are able to make an agreement with the U.S.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that he looked forward to a meeting “in the near future”.
The comments came as markets tumbled for the second straight day after Trump's move to bring in tariffs on scores of countries. He claims the policy – a blanket 10% tariff from Saturday, with higher rates for specific markets from next week – will bring US manufacturing jobs back to the US and raise trillions of dollars for the federal government. Many economists have cautioned it will trigger economic chaos, and likely raise prices.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the move may well knock the global economy. Kristalina Georgieva, its managing director, , said: “We are still assessing the macroeconomic implications of the announced tariff measures, but they clearly represent a significant risk to the global outlook at a time of sluggish growth.”
Shortly before Wall Street opened on Friday, Trump claimed China had “panicked” by announcing new retaliatory tariffs on US imports. “CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!” he wrote on Truth Social.
China's industry associations have unanimously condemned the tariffs. The country's National Textile and Apparel Council said it “supported the government's forceful measures” and that the US had “damaged the resilience of the global textile industry's supply chain”.
The S&P 500 fell 4.4% in early trading, exacerbating a decline that began in February. The index, which tracks 500 of the leading US companies, is now down almost 14% from its peak.
Shares in the US bank sector had fallen nearly 6% on Friday, reflecting fears that the trade war could trigger a recession. It could also be an indicator that investors are expecting faster interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve, in order to instigate growth.
Crude oil prices also plunged by 8% on Friday, heading for their lowest point since the middle of the pandemic in 2021.
Trump personally selected the controversial formula for determining what tariffs would be imposed on specific countries from a menu of options, according to the Washington Post.
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The chosen formula was based on two simple variables: the trade deficit with each country and the total value of its US exports.
Several Trump aides had apparently been working on crafting country-specific tariffs for weeks, taking into account a broad range of tariff & non-tariff barriers. Sources told the Post that more sophisticated approaches had been developed.
Trump reportedly didn't decide on the final plan until around 1pm Wednesday – less than three hours ahead of his Rose Garden address announcing the tariffs. It is unclear who authored the formula Trump ultimately picked.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, told reporters that the markets “will adjust” to the sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump. “The markets are reacting to a dramatic change in the global order in terms of trade … As long as they know what the rules are going to be moving forward … the markets will adjust.”
Many Democrats have expressed frustration with the early impacts of the tariffs on the US economy. JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, wrote on X: “The biggest tax hike in American history. Donald Trump's tariffs are throwing the economy into the tank.”
California senator Alex Padilla wrote: “I'm not enraged by the stock market crashing because I'm sympathetic towards traders on Wall Street. I'm mad because this hurts the pensions and retirement savings of so many Americans. And Trump couldn't care less.”
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Federal prosecutors added two additional criminal charges against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, one month before he is set to go to trial in New York on sex trafficking charges.
Prosecutors charged Combs with one additional count of sex trafficking and one additional count of transportation to engage in prostitution relating to “Victim-2,” according to a superseding indictment filed Friday. Authorities allege that conduct occurred between 2021 and 2024.
Combs was previously charged with racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution related to three victims and one count of sex trafficking related only to “Victim-1.” He now faces five federal charges.
Combs was previously charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He now faces five federal charges.
Jury selection for his trial is scheduled to start on May 5. Combs has pleaded not guilty.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Combs for comment.
Prosecutors allege Combs and his associates used his position of power to coerce women, often “under the pretense of a romantic relationship,” into engaging in sex acts, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said during these encounters, known as “Freak Offs,” women were drugged and forced to have sex with male prostitutes. The “Freaks Offs” often lasted days and were video recorded, the indictment alleges.
Combs' lawyers have maintained no crimes were committed and the sexual encounters were “consensual” and part of a long-term relationship.
Combs is also accused of reacting violently when his authority was threatened. On one occasion, the indictment says, Combs allegedly “dangled a victim over an apartment balcony” and was involved in kidnapping and arson.
This story has been updated.
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Experts say UK may have to raise taxes in autumn as senior MPs caution against too many concessions in US trade talks
Donald Trump's tariffs signal a new global economic era, Downing Street has said, as economists warned that the British government would probably have to raise taxes in response.
No 10 said on Friday the prime minister believed that this week's trade announcement by the US president, which has started a global trade war and sent stock markets tumbling, marked a turning point in history.
Keir Starmer is due to speak to European and Commonwealth leaders in a series of calls over the next few days before setting out on Monday how he intends to respond more fully.
Senior MPs have called on him not to give too much ground to Washington in trade talks, cautioning against trying to become “the 51st US state”.
The prime minister is expected to say next week that he wants to cut red tape and remove more planning restrictions in order to boost growth, but experts say this is unlikely to fill a new black hole in the autumn budget.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The global economic landscape is shifting, and we need to shift with it through overhauling our planning system, bringing forward our industrial strategy and cutting excess red tape. We are already embracing that new era and ready to tackle it.”
Ministers have said they are still optimistic they can agree a trade deal with the US in the coming weeks that would avoid the worst of the direct impact of the tariffs. It is hoped negotiations will restart next week.
The broad outlines of a deal have been drawn up and include concessions across a range of areas, including a lower digital services tax on US tech companies and reduced tariffs on some agricultural products. The government has not denied reports that the deal includes a commitment to review enforcement of the UK's online safety and digital competition regulations.
Liam Byrne, the Labour chair of the business and trade select committee, warned ministers against making too many concessions. “President Trump's tariffs could hit our economy so hard that we stand to lose billions and billions in tax revenues. So, yes, we should be flexible – but there are limits,” he said.
“We're not trying to become the 51st state of America. Sacrificing high standards or strong competition rules would make us riskier, weaker and less productive. Crucially, any deal with the US must be matched by a bolder strategy to deepen ties with many, many like-minded free-trading nations around the world – starting with our closest neighbours in the EU.”
Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, cautioned the government against giving away too much on agricultural and food policy.
“The previous government gave away a lot but they gave it away in markets that didn't matter so much. America is a market that matters, and if you give it up, you'll never get it back,” he said. “We have really high animal welfare and environmental standards and America works with very different rules.”
Chi Onwurah, the Labour chair of the science and technology select committee, said that while successful trade talks were critical, “tech adoption is dependent on public trust as well as investment and it is important that the British people know tech policy is made in Britain for the benefit of Britain”.
Economists say the likely slowdown in the global economy caused by tariffs will have such a significant impact on the UK – with or without a US trade deal – that it will force the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to raise taxes in the autumn.
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Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: “I would have thought the central expectation now must be that if she is sticking to her fiscal rules, she'll need to increase taxes in the autumn by possibly some significant amount.
“Taking the spending review as given, and given there's not much more to be had from welfare, then there really is only tax.”
He said Labour's promises not to increase major taxes including income tax, national insurance and VAT, meant one option might be a “defence and security levy”, with the proceeds earmarked for the planned increase in defence spending. Johnson added: “The one upside for Reeves is that it's now going to be quite easy to make the argument that the world has changed.”
Treasury sources say it is too early to start planning this year's budget, but they stressed on Friday that Reeves intended to stick to her borrowing rules. “Our broader economic strategy remains the same – we need to offer stability to make the UK an attractive place to invest,” one Whitehall official said.
Downing Street said on Friday that Starmer thought Trump's tariffs would have as much impact on the global economy as his shift away from Europe was having on security policy.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, went further, saying during a visit to Brussels that he regretted a “return to protectionism” by the US, which was “something that we've not seen for nearly a century”.
No 10 refused to echo Lammy's language, but called Trump's decision “disappointing”, in contrast with the US president himself, who said Starmer had told him he was “very happy” with the UK's tariff of 10%.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “We need to understand – just as we've understood it for defence and security – the changing world when it comes to trade and the economy. That's where we are, with the beginning of a new era.”
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China said Friday that it will impose reciprocal 34% tariffs on all imports from the United States from April 10, making good on a promise to strike back after US President Donald Trump escalated a global trade war.
On Wednesday, Trump unveiled an additional 34% tariff on all Chinese goods imported into the US, in a move poised to cause a major reset of relations and worsen trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.
“This practice of the US is not in line with international trade rules, seriously undermines China's legitimate rights and interests, and is a typical unilateral bullying practice,” China's State Council Tariff Commission said in a statement announcing its retaliatory tariffs.
Since returning to power in January, Trump had already levied two tranches of 10% additional duties on all Chinese imports, which the White House said was necessary to stem the flow of illicit fentanyl from the country to the US. Combined with pre-existing tariffs, that means Chinese goods arriving in the US would be effectively subject to tariffs of well over 54%.
China's retaliation against the latest round of US tariffs is more sweeping than its earlier reciprocal actions. Beijing had responded to previous levies swiftly but moderately, imposing retaliatory tariffs on targeted US imports, including agricultural products and fuel, while taking action against certain American firms and ramping up export controls.
“This is a significant escalation of China's response,” Leah Fahy, a China economist at Capital Economics wrote in a research note. “Xi Jinping appears to feel that China's economy is strong enough to withstand whatever Trump throws at it next.”
The latest US tariffs on Chinese goods are higher than what many analysts had expected and could fundamentally reshape relations, and roughly half a trillion dollars in trade, between the two economies after decades of interdependence.
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Latest on Trump's presidency as tariffs rattle global markets
As part of the retaliatory measures announced Friday, when hundreds of millions of people in China celebrated a major public holiday called the Tomb Sweeping Festival, the country also added 11 American companies to its “unreliable entity list,” including drone manufacturers, and put export controls on 16 American companies to prohibit the export of Chinese dual-use items.
The Commerce Ministry announced anti-dumping investigations into imported medical CT X-ray tubes originating from the US and India.
In addition, Beijing also unveiled export controls on seven types of rare-earth minerals to the US, including samarium, gadolinium and terbium.
US stocks fell sharply on Friday after China announced it would retaliate. The Dow fell more than 1,000 points, or 2.7%. The broader S&P 500 traded more than 3% lower and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 3.5%. European and UK stocks were down more than 3% Friday, on pace for their worst performance in years.
Markets have been on edge for days. On Thursday, the Dow fell more than 1,600 points, or nearly 4%. The S&P 500 fell nearly 5% and the Nasdaq plunged nearly 6%. Each major US index recorded its worst performance in about five years, since the pandemic.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged Friday that “markets are crashing” following the Trump administration's launch of sweeping global tariffs, but claimed “the markets will adjust.”
“Businesses around the world, including in trade and global trade, they just need to know what the rules are. Once they know what the rules are, they will adjust to those rules,” Rubio told reporters at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
Global investors have been worried that a dramatic escalation of the trade war could tip the US and global economies into a recession.
“By matching Trump's tariffs, China is no longer nibbling at the edges — it's mirroring US actions head-on. This is not blind retaliation, but a clear recalibration,” said Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Beijing is hitting politically sensitive sectors — agriculture, industrial goods, select rare earth restrictions and new additions to the “unreliable entity list” — he noted, while still keeping its broader economy open.
However, the challenges are now multifold for businesses with supply chains rooted in China, which are left scrambling as they face not only the unexpectedly high US levies on Chinese imports, but also on other Asian countries due to Trump's broad-based tariffs.
The tariffs also come at a tough time for China's own slowing economy, with officials in recent weeks ramping up efforts to spur weak domestic consumption as they braced for the widening trade war.
Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie Group, wrote in a Thursday research note that Trump has effectively raised the average US tariff rate on Chinese products to 69%. That's because the average rate on Chinese goods was already at 15% when Trump took office in January, he said.
Hu estimates that the current escalation could shave up to 2.5 percentage points off China's economic growth for this year.
“The impact could manifest itself through multiple channels such as falling US demand for Chinese goods, the potential global economic slowdown and the hit on export re-routing,” Hu wrote.
Export re-routing refers to the practice of exporting goods that were previously imported into a country to another place without significant processing. Countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America were part of this trend during Trump's first term when China tried to mitigate the impact of tariffs imposed at that time.
China is aiming to grow its economy by around 5% in 2025. To reach that ambitious growth rate, Beijing would have to take measures to stimulate domestic demand to offset the impact of tariffs, says Hu.
This story has been updated with additional reporting and context.
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There are major concerns about the potentially ‘catastrophic' impact US policy will have on vehicle makers
Emerging into the springtime sun from gate 17 at Volkswagen's main factory in Wolfsburg at the end of his shift, Carsten, 63, pulled heavily on a cigarette and shook his head when asked about Donald Trump's US tariff policies.
“It's just another nail in the coffin for the German car industry,” the assembly line worker said on Thursday. He cited managers' plans to slash jobs and close factories earlier this year, and a decade before that the “dieselgate” scandal –costly financially and reputationally – when Germany's largest carmaker was found to have falsified CO2 emissions tests.
Now that the US has put a punishing 25% tariff on car imports (until now it was 2.5%) “we're swimming in shit”, he said, giving a husky chuckle. “You have to laugh or you'd not survive,” he added. He declined to give his full name, but said he had been at the company for more than 15 years, adding he was “glad to be going into retirement” in two years' time “so I don't have to watch the carnage from the factory floor”.
Ahmed, talking as he dashed to the nearby station to catch the train home to pick up his children after finishing the early shift on the VW Golf assembly line, said he was proud of his job, but feared for the future. “The mood inside is not good,” he said. “We already felt bamboozled by our bosses after all the mistakes they've made. Now even bigger arseholes are deciding our future.”
Stephan, towards the end of his first week working in electrical infrastructure at the plant, said he was sure that “initially this is going to be very bad for the German car industry, and for Germany in general, but long term it might serve us well, to learn to be more independent from the US. We just have to hope that short term, our new government quickly starts to set us on the right course.”
Germany's new government, under the probable leadership of the conservative former banker Friedrich Merz, which is still being painstakingly negotiated behind the scenes following a February election, suddenly faces a new and almighty challenge, on top of the already towering problem of how to steer Europe's largest economy out of its deep economic woes.
Demand for German goods in the US is high, in particular cars – BMW, Mercedes, VW and Porsche – as well as machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and plenty of luxury goods from Montblanc pens to Hugo Boss suits. As a result, Germany's trade deficit with the US is larger than most other countries' and the impact of the tariffs will hit its economy particularly hard.
“Trump's economic war is in full flow and Germany is stuck smack bang in the middle of it,” ran a headline in the tabloid Bild this week.
The leading economic institute IW predicted in a study published on Thursday that the loss to Germany's economy would amount to an estimated €200bn (£170bn) stretched over the four years of a Trump tenure, or a drop of 1.5% in GDP.
The study's authors, Jürgen Matthes and Samina Sultan called it “an economic catastrophe for Germany”.
Annual sales of VW vehicles in the US amounted to almost 380,000 last year, or 8% of its total global sales, consisting mainly of its higher-end vehicles. According to the Association of German Car Makers (VDA), overall exports of German vehicles and parts reached a total value of almost €37bn.
VW said this week it would not take the punishment lying down. It said it had provisionally halted rail shipments of vehicles from its factory in Puebla, Mexico into the US, and had also put a hold on the transport of its US-bound cars via ship at the western German seaport of Emden. In a memo to its North American retailers, it said it would introduce an “import fee” on affected vehicles. This was “to make sure on the label it's clear to our customers it's not us who's fleecing them, but their own government”, a US car dealer told German media on condition of anonymity.
As to Trump's wish that manufacturers will be forced to move their operations to the US, the large German carmakers like VW, Mercedes, and BMW have long since done so, producing 900,000 cars on US soil last year, according to the VDA. Major car part suppliers, including Continental and Bosch, have done the same. In total, at 2,110 locations in the US the German car industry employs about 138,000 people.
But this by no means makes them immune to the tariffs because plenty of parts, to which tariffs will also apply, have to be imported.
As a result, cars are expected to rise in price on average between $5,000 (£3,840) and $10,000 dollars, and by as much as $50,000 in the luxury sector, experts predict. While car sales soared ahead of the tariff announcement as buyers sought to beat the price rise, already a sales war between foreign and domestic manufacturers is making itself felt, with the US carmaker Ford reportedly planning to offer customers its cutdown prices hitherto reserved for its employees, under the campaign banner: “From America for America.”
Hildegard Müller, president of the VDA said the punitive taxes turned existing trade policy on its head. “This marks the departure of the US from the rules-based global trading order … it is not America First, this is America alone,” she said.
Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, founder of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), known as Germany's “car pope” owing to his expertise in the industry, told German media that German car manufacturers and suppliers would be “extremely damaged and heavily punished”.
“If this ends up being ongoing, German car manufacturers will increasingly move their production to the USA, leading to a further loss of jobs in Germany,” he predicted. “By forcing the companies into making losses and sucking the jobs away, economically speaking Trump is an even worse enemy for us than [Vladimir] Putin.”
On Friday, the leading economist Marcel Fratzscher said Germany's best response to the tariff turmoil was to “fortify itself” from within, urging the new government to use the opportunity of crisis to carry out much-needed reforms and, with the EU, to hit the US where it hurt most by imposing a reciprocal tax on digital companies.
“The future isn't being made in the US; our own future is being made here in the country. And I would like the coalition partners [of the future government] to have more courage,” he said, calling for a radical change of course in economic policy.
Authorities race to complete clean-up operation after devastation from gales and heaviest rainfall in 20 years
People on the Aegean islands, more used in April to the sight and scent of spring's blossoms, have been left reeling from flash floods spurred by typhoon-strength gales, with authorities calling a state of emergency in some of Greece's most popular destinations less than three weeks before Easter.
“It's a total catastrophe and it happened in just two hours,” said Costas Bizas, the mayor of Paros, the island worst hit by weather not seen in decades. “We need all the help we can get.”
On Paros and Mykonos, two of the country's most visited islands, officials were racing against the clock to complete clean-up operations before the arrival of tourists for the Easter break.
Scrambling to address the chaos after the area's heaviest rainfall in 20 years, emergency crews on the Cycladic islands and farther south in Rhodes and Crete reported “apocalyptic” scenes. In Paros, people saw cars, motorcycles and beachside restaurant furniture hurtling into the sea as torrential rain flooded shops and homes and turned streets into debris-filled streams. The picturesque port of Naoussa was transformed into a “lake of mud”, local people said, with the sea and land “becoming one”. Large parts of the road network were devastated.
In Mykonos, another hotspot expected to attract thousands of visitors at Easter, hailstorms triggered landslides, with muddy flood waters cascading through its white-washed alleys. Civil protection services urged residents to restrict their movements and stay indoors. In Crete's port town of Chania, officials spoke of “biblical destruction” as images of flooded streets, hospitals and courthouses also emerged.
Schools on several islands were closed, and inhabitants were still picking their way through silt-strewn streets on Thursday.
Meteorologists said more rain was dumped on Paros over the course of a couple of hours on Tuesday than would normally fall in an entire month. “It's incredible, really, that there were no casualties,” said one official.
Climate breakdown is causing extreme rainfall to become more common and more intense across most of the world, and flooding has most probably become more frequent and severe in these locations as a result.
But the devastation at tourist destinations that, thanks to the rise in global travel, increasingly draw record numbers has also highlighted Greece's lack of preparedness in dealing with natural disasters.
Critics have singled out the absence of proper flood management systems, as well as unregulated development on the Aegean islands, which have attracted ever more visitors seeking villas, swimming pools and other high-end services.
“Yes, the rainfall was intense but what turned it into a disaster wasn't just nature; it was the result of decades of unsustainable construction,” wrote the Greek environmentalist and former MEP Kriton Arsenis.
“Paros has been overbuilt at a dramatic pace. In the past five years alone, it has topped the Cyclades in new building permits, surpassing even Mykonos and Santorini. Villas, hotels, roads and swimming pools have replaced the dry-stone terraces that once held water, slowed down runoff and kept the soil alive.”
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In the effort to construct and to cater to ever more tourists, natural gullies had been cemented over, he said. “They no longer hold or filter water. They simply accelerate it – pushing it downhill with force, until it floods homes, or is lost to the sea.”
It was critical, he said, that a way was found in such heavily built environments to absorb, store and release rainwater slowly. “This wasn't just a flood. It was a failure of planning … [and] this same story is unfolding all along the Mediterranean coast.”
At a time when anger over the impoverished state of public services has also prompted some of the largest protests in years – with hundreds of thousands of Greeks taking to the streets in fury on the second anniversary of the Tempe rail disaster – others bemoaned the lack of state funding on islands whose populations dwindled drastically in winter.
“Not enough money, clearly, is put into civil protection,” said Mykonos's former mayor Konstantinos Koukas. “To fix that, funds have to stop being allocated based on the permanent population of a place. It's why we have the scenes we see today, clearing up after a storm when Easter is just a few weeks away.”
The prominent commentator Nikos Syrigos, who hails from the Cycladic isle of Syros, said that despite tourism being the engine of Greece's economy, the underdevelopment of its islands meant destinations that were “giants in the summer” became “dwarfs in the winter”.
“Streets that have been turned into streams [by this storm] will be turned into them again,” he said this week. “Unfortunately, the Cyclades have remained years behind when it comes to infrastructure and are completely ill-prepared to withstand any intense [weather] phenomenon, much less any that is extreme.”
Gen Christopher Cavoli says Russia has lost 4,000 tanks, comparable to whole US fleet; Kremlin goes to war against Elton John. What we know on day 1,136
Ukraine appears to have resolved some of its shortages of troops fighting against Russia, including by widening the pool of eligible recruits, the top US general in Europe, Christopher Cavoli, said on Thursday. He also underscored that any US cutoff of weapons and intelligence would be extremely harmful to the Ukrainian war effort, despite Kyiv's attempts to diversify its weapons suppliers.
Under questioning from senators in Washington, Cavoli, commander of US European command and the Nato supreme allied commander Europe, said Ukraine depended on the US for larger anti-aircraft and missile defence systems. “If the Ukrainians were not able to receive intelligence from us, they would struggle to target, especially in-depth operational level targets such as command posts, logistics areas and things like that.”
Cavoli said Ukrainian forces were holding territory the Russian region of Kursk, and Moscow had lost about 4,000 tanks in the war – which would be nearly the total of the US tank fleet.
European countries are already providing more than half of Ukraine's ammunition needs, recently put at 2 million rounds by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on Thursday. “These things are moving very well … we need to get the help to Ukraine as fast as possible.”
The Czech-led drive to supply Ukraine with artillery ammunition has received further financing to keep deliveries running until September, the Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, said on Thursday before a meeting of Nato foreign ministers. The initiative received new financing from Canada, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, he said.
A Russian drone attack on Kharkiv hit dwellings and triggered fires late on Thursday, killing at least three people and injuring dozens more, local officials said. Kharkiv, in north-eastern Ukraine, has been subject to nearly nightly Russian drone attacks in the past week. Five other people were injured in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, according to local authorities; while Russia said an attack by Ukrainian drones in Bryansk oblast killed one and left another injured.
Fierce battles were reported on Thursday in Russia's western Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces continue to hold territory and hundreds of Kyiv's troops are reported to have holed up in a monastery. Russia's defence ministry and pro-Russian war bloggers reported heavy battles under way in Gornal, Guevo and Oleshnya, neighbouring villages that hug the border with Ukraine's Sumy region. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine and Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ukraine's northern Sumy region across the border from Kursk on Thursday. “We are working to protect our positions. We are aware of what the enemy is counting on,” he said. “In any case, we will protect our state, our independence, our people.” Kyiv's top general warned last week that Russian forces were stepping up attacks along the north-eastern border in a bid to break into Sumy.
Russian claimed its troops had taken control of the settlements of Vesele and Lobkove in eastern Ukraine. Reuters said it could not independently confirm the battlefield claim.
Russia on Thursday declared the Elton John Aids Foundation (EJAF) an “undesirable” organisation, outlawing the HIV treatment and prevention group from operating in the country. Elton John is popular in Russia, as Pjotr Sauer writes, and has performed there more than two dozen times, dating back to the Soviet era. Since launching its full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has waged a Soviet-style crackdown on rights groups and NGOs. Among those labelled as “undesirable” are the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, Transparency International and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has told Nato members that Washington remains committed to the alliance but they must massively ramp up their defence spending targets. Ahead of Nato's June summit in The Hague, Donald Trump has demanded the alliance more than double its current spending target to 5% of GDP – more than any member, including Washington, spends now. Poland hit 4.7% this year and is aiming for 5% next year. The Nato chief, Mark Rutte, said: “Great things are happening. Over the last couple of months, we literally see hundreds of billions of euros rolling in.”
Ukraine's foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga, said as he met Nato counterparts that “it is time to increase pressure on Moscow … While the media attention is on global trade wars, we must not forget there is a real, full-scale war going on in Europe.” On the Trump tariffs, Norway's foreign affairs minister, Espen Barth Eide, said: “It's important to understand that we grow faster and better together, that if we want to build resources for a stronger defence, we need to have economic growth. Protectionism will not do us any good.”
The US has withdrawn from the ICPA, an international group collecting evidence of potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine, the president of its parent body, Eurojust, said on Thursday. Michael Schmid said: “We of course regret that but at the same time we obviously continue the work with the [other] participants.” The ICPA brings together investigators from several countries under the umbrella of Eurojust, an EU judicial body.
A Russian court has sentenced a man to 14 years' jail for setting fire to railway equipment in an act of pro-Ukraine sabotage. Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since the war started, many targeting its vast railroad network. Stanislav Ilchuk, 23, set fire to a box connected to the railway tracks in the south-western Volgograd region, according to the region's court press service. On Wednesday, a court in the neighbouring Saratov region sentenced two 24-year-old men to 14 and 12 years in prison for setting a railway signals box ablaze.
Nicholas Jacobs was immersed in party activities, even working to elect the Musk-favored candidate who lost
Archived social media posts from a student Republican operative, Nicholas Jacobs, who received a $1m check from Elon Musk, show that he was deeply immersed in Republican electioneering over the last year, working not only to elect Donald Trump but other party candidates in the state.
They included failed Wisconsin Republican senate candidate Eric Hovde; first-term congressman Tony Wied; incumbent Milwaukee Republican vice-chair Brett Galaszewski; and Brad Schimel, the state supreme court candidate whom Musk has spent $25m supporting.
Jacobs's check was one part of a reported $25m spent by Musk and groups he funds – a significant chunk of the unprecedented $80m spent on the technically nonpartisan judicial election.
Musk had initially said the $1m checks were given “in appreciation for you taking the time to vote” but then reframed the giveaway to focus on a petition against activist judges after doubts were raised about its legality under local voting rights and bribery laws.
The Wisconsin race was widely seen as a litmus test of Trump's popularity, and of Musk's ability to buy elections. Musk's preferred candidate lost amid widespread outcry at his intervention in the local state race.
Jacobs – who is chair of the Wisconsin College Republicans – also objected on X to Republicans who supported amendments to the state's constitution to ban outside organizations in state elections. Instead, he posted that outsiders coming to the state would help Republicans defeat Democrats.
On his now-locked X account, Jacobs wrote: “In 2024, a handful of conservative organizations worked hand-in-hand to help @realDonaldTrump win and it worked like well-oiled machine”, later adding: “We will be taking a major step backwards if the @WisGOP leadership prohibition on outside organizations takes effect this May. We can't afford to give any momentum back to the left!
The revelations come as controversy swirls around Musk flooding the state-level election with money amid his ongoing efforts to gut the federal government via his Doge agency.
The Guardian contacted the Wisconsin College Republicans and Elon Musk for comment on this reporting but received no response.
Jacobs got his check at an event on Sunday hosted by Musk. By Monday, local media had identified him as Musk's beneficiary.
The revelation that he was a Republican operative led to online speculation that the giveaway, meant to induce turnout in the closely contested supreme court race, might have favoured party workers rather than ordinary voters.
Jacobs locked his X account after he was identified as the recipient of one of two $1m checks but archived posts reveal his previous strident public advocacy for national, statewide and local Republican candidates.
Bank executive Eric Hovde, normally a resident in Laguna in southern California, challenged incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin in last November's election for a US Senate seat in Wisconsin.
On 3 October 2024, Jacobs wrote: “I'm Nick, a 21-year old in Wisconsin. I just cast my first presidential ballot for @realDonaldTrump and @EricHovde!” He added: “We have 6 days until the election! Let's win this! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 #Trump2024”
Days later, Jacobs posted: “Knocking doors for @EricHovde and @realDonaldTrump. We have a little over 48 hours left. Let's win this! 🇺🇸 #VoteRedToSaveAmerica #TrumpVance2024.”
Hovde lost the contest.
The archives indicate that his public promotion of Republican candidates continued into the recent past.
A week ago, ahead of Tuesday's election, he posted: “My friend and I just voted for Brad Schimel and Brittany Kinser!”
Schimel, the Republican-backed supreme court candidate, faced liberal Susan Crawford in the race. Crawford won in a victory that has proved galvanising to a local and national Democratic party as it seeks to emerge from the political wilderness after losing to Trump in 2024.
Kinser, a longtime advocate of charter schools and education voucher schemes, was running for superintendent of public instruction, a statewide office whose holder leads public schools in the state. She also lost.
Journalists now effectively banished say Kremlin's aim is to make them ‘toxic' to anyone thinking of speaking to media
Russian BBC journalists who have been labelled “foreign agents” by Vladimir Putin's regime have spoken of being unable to see their children, forced to sell homes and in effect being banished from their home country.
They are now meant to report their finances to the state, down to supermarket receipts, while there have already been practical effects for family members inside Russia. The journalists said the label was designed to make them “toxic” to any Russians thinking about speaking to independent media.
The designation in effect bars them from returning to their home country because of the risk of arrest. The tactic of branding journalists as foreign agents is now regularly deployed by the Russian authorities. Seven BBC journalists have been given the label, most of them since January.
Six spoke to the Guardian. They all now live outside Russia, as the BBC moved operations out of the country after the 2022 Ukraine invasion. Ilya Abishev said his “big personal problem” was that he could not see his adult children. He explained they had no automatic right to settle in the EU, “while I can't go to Russia because it is quite dangerous”.
“I don't rule out that, in the near future, my family may face problems in Russia – as children of an ‘enemy of the people', to use the Soviet-era phrase,” he said. “It is necessary for me to resolve the issue of personal property in Russia because it can be confiscated at any time.”
Anastasia Lotareva is also experiencing serious practical implications. “I no longer have a proper bank account and I cannot help my mother in Russia,” she said. “Returning is no longer an option for me.” While there is no official entry ban, in practice it is too risky for journalists listed as foreign agents to travel to Russia.
“My dad is a professor of chemistry at a university,” said Olga Ivshina, who has written extensively about Russian military losses in Ukraine. “Within just an hour of my designation, his name was all over the local media. By the next day, some neighbours had stopped greeting him in the morning.
“It was very painful on a personal level, because some people – even some people I considered friends – stopped talking to me, fearing retribution from the state.”
Anyone given the label is obliged to mark all their online communications, including in WhatsApp groups or Instagram posts unrelated to their work, as coming from a foreign agent. Failing to do so leads to fines and eventual criminal prosecution. “In about a year's time I will be charged with a criminal offence for failure to comply with this law,” said Andrey Kozenko. “It is discriminatory. If I lived in Russia, for me it would mean a massive defeat of my rights: from a ban on participation in elections to a ban on teaching.
“Every three months I have to report to the Russian authorities how I spend ‘foreign' money, right down to my supermarket receipts. If I transfer money to my mother or sister, they, too, potentially will be given the ‘foreign agent' status.”
Lotareva said it had affected her relationship with Russia. “I love it deeply,” she said. “Every single night, I dream about my home. And yet, I will likely never see it again until these repressive laws are repealed. I cannot take the risk of imprisonment. I have two children and, unfortunately, I cannot make this decision just for myself. It is painful.
“I haven't seen my mother for three years, and I know that I won't see her for a long time to come – travelling to third countries to meet with me is not an option for her. And no one will grant her a visa to come to Europe because, due to sanctions, it is extremely difficult for Russians to get these visas.”
BBC executives are concerned about the journalists travelling abroad to meet family, because of the risk of being extradited to Russia. Some journalists had to leave the BBC when the corporation moved its operations out of Moscow to Riga.
“Many of us retained an inner faith and hope that once the war ends, the situation inside Russia could somehow normalise, and we would then be able to return home,” said Ilya Barabanov, who was labelled a foreign agent last year. “After receiving the status of a foreign agent, it became clear that this would definitely not happen in the foreseeable future.
“At the moment, approximately every third ‘foreign agent' in Russia has a criminal case instigated against them. Criminal prosecution is accompanied by searches that can take place at your previous place of residence or at your relatives'. So, first and foremost, I certainly fear for my loved ones.”
Elizaveta Fokht, labelled a foreign agent in January, said it affected their work, because it risked making them “toxic for other people” inside Russia – which she said was the regime's aim. “They want to break this connection between us and our audience and to stop other people from becoming independent journalists,” she said. “It's an effective tool, but the good news is that we've proved that we're resilient. There are still people who need us to do our job. This is the only way to fight back.”
In response to the latest foreign agent designations earlier this year, Jonathan Munro, the BBC News global director, said: “The BBC wholly condemns this ongoing attempt to intimidate and silence our journalists. Aimed at having a disruptive and damaging effect, these arbitrary designations can't stop our journalists doing their jobs. Journalism is not a crime, and our reporters will continue serving our Russian-speaking audiences just as they have done for almost 80 years: independently, fairly and fearlessly. We are proud of all our journalists. We will challenge these actions by the Russian authorities in the courts. These journalists have our total support.”
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A letter reportedly sent by the world's top tennis players requesting more prize money at grand slams is a “really positive” step for the sport, according to Chinese star Zheng Qinwen.
Renowned French sports outlet L'Équipe reported on Wednesday that the top-20-ranked male and female players cosigned a letter to organizers of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open requesting a “substantial increase” in prize money.
L'Équipe said that the letter calls for greater redistribution of profits from the four grand slams to “benefit the main stakeholders” of the tournaments: the players.
CNN has contacted organizers of the four grand slams for comment.
“I think that's going to be more benefit for all the players, not only the top players, especially for those players that work hard (every) year and need to get paid from the slams, and they have to survive,” Zheng, the world No. 8, told reporters at the Charleston Open on Thursday.
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“They also need to pay for a good team to be able to have a good chance to win the match. So I think that's really positive.”
Zheng added that the idea to sign the letter came after talking to Belarusian Victoria Azarenka about requesting more prize money.
“At the beginning, I just thought it's tough to make it happen,” she said. “But somehow, they really did it, and then I spoke with my manager, and it seems like it's a positive benefit for all the tennis players.”
Also speaking at the Charleston Open, American world No. 11 Emma Navarro said that the letter was about addressing “unfair pay ratios,” according to Reuters.
“I think it's a good cause to come together as players and make sure we're getting treated fairly,” she said.
Last year's US Open had the most lucrative prize pot in tennis history at $75 million – a 15% increase on 2023 – while Wimbledon offered a tournament-record $65 million (£50 million) in player prize money last year.
This year's Australian Open had a prize pool of around $60 million (AUD $96.5 million) – a near-12% increase on 2024 – while last year's French Open offered around $59 million (€53.5 million) – a more than 7.8% increase on 2023.
The letter requesting more prize money comes at a time of growing tension between tennis players and the governing bodies of the sport.
Last month, the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) filed a series of lawsuits against the ATP and WTA Tours – the governing bodies of men's and women's tennis – as well as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The suits allege the “monopolization” of men's and women's tennis and the “disregard” of player interests, accusing the governing organizations of operating “as a cartel.”
The ATP and WTA both expressed their dissatisfaction with the lawsuits and said that they would defend their positions “vigorously.” The ITIA said that it was aware of the filings, while the ITF said that it would take time to consider an appropriate response.
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As the April 15 tax filing deadline fast approaches, fewer Americans have filed their federal taxes, and more have requested extensions, at this point in the filing season compared to last year, according to the latest public data and private Internal Revenue Service numbers obtained by CNN.
The IRS had received nearly 1 million fewer tax returns, or 1.1% less, than the agency had received in the same period last year, as of March 21. The drop by itself isn't necessarily a concern, nor is it unusual, according to experts who spoke to CNN.
There have been declines in recent years for this time period. But this year's drop comes amid concerns about possible declines in revenue collection, and as the IRS faces massive staffing cuts, disruptive leadership changes, a battle over whether to cooperate with immigration authorities, and internal conflicts with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
The cause of this year's drop isn't clear, but former IRS officials and tax experts say it could be due to a combination of reasons. Among them:
Taking advantage of the chaos: Some people may be hearing about tumult inside the IRS and believe they can get away without filing their taxes this year.
“There's a working theory that some people might be rolling the dice and taking their chances,” said a source familiar with discussions among IRS officials about the drop in filings.
A Treasury Department spokesman didn't respond to CNN's request for comment about a recent Washington Post report that the IRS has noticed an uptick in online chatter about people skipping their taxes this year.
Fear of deportation: Undocumented immigrants register with the IRS and pay billions of dollars in taxes every year. Multiple sources said members of this community might be holding back during this tax season, as the Trump administration tries to use IRS data to facilitate deportations.
Nina Olson, who served from 2001 to 2019 as the National Taxpayer Advocate within the IRS and now runs the nonpartisan Center for Taxpayer Rights, said her group has been in touch with undocumented immigrants who are taking a “wait-and-see” approach this tax year.
Some are requesting extensions, Olson said, and therefore won't need to file tax returns until October. Internal IRS data obtained by CNN indicates that about 200,000 more taxpayers have asked for extensions this year, compared to the same time last year.
Weather events: Natural disasters, such as the Los Angeles wildfires in January, could also account for some of the mid-season filing decline.
When people are displaced, it's harder for them to access the financial records they need to file their taxes. The IRS typically grants filing extensions en masse to individuals and businesses in federally declared disaster areas, like people affected by Hurricane Helene last year.
Confidence in the process: Improvements to the IRS' consumer-end experience might make some taxpayers feel like they can wait until the last minute and still get their refunds without issue.
Despite the IRS chaos and cuts, internal data obtained by CNN shows that wait times on customer service phone lines have held steady at three minutes for individual taxpayers, compared to last year. CNN reported last month that tax season has been going relatively smoothly, with few glitches, and tax professionals largely experiencing business as usual.
About 9.7 million taxpayers have called the IRS this year for help, according to the data. The three-minute wait time is a major improvement from the 28-minute wait times a few years ago – before the IRS got an $80 billion infusion from former President Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act, which congressional Republicans have since partially clawed back.
“When it took forever to reach the IRS, people started their tax returns early, in order to get things done,” said R. William Snyder, an accounting professor at George Mason University. “But lately, in the past two or three years, things have been getting better. People feel like they can wait until the last minute. The IRS got better, so people got more complacent.”
Waiting to pay: The 1.1% drop in returns so far may be tied to the fact that the number of returns with balances due – as opposed to a refund paid out – has been going up in recent years, said North Carolina-based CPA Jim Buttonow, who worked at the IRS for nearly two decades before going into the private sector.
“That's the only big delta I see,” Buttonow said.
Traditionally, taxpayers who expect big refunds tend to file early in the season, and people who still owe money to the IRS file closer to the April 15 deadline. But, Buttonow said, in recent years, the intake of returns has become more spread out across the filing season.
The IRS has paid out about $179.5 billion in refunds so far this cycle – that's about $10 billion more than at this point last year, according to publicly available statistics. The average refund paid was $3,221.
Refusing to file in protest: Every year, a small number of filers politically object to filing and paying taxes for different reasons. This year is no different.
Olson said someone recently sent her a letter in the mail containing a copy of an angry letter they had sent to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“It said they didn't want to file their tax return and pay taxes because they were upset that the Trump administration was trying to breach taxpayer confidentiality,” Olson said.
Putting things off: “It may be people are procrastinating a little longer,” said Mark Mazur, a former director at the IRS Office of Research, Analysis and Statistics and a former assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury.
The Washington Post reported last month that some senior Treasury Department and IRS officials are bracing for a potential 10% drop in tax collected by April 15 relative to last year. Such a drop could total more than $500 billion in lost revenue for the federal government, the paper noted.
So far, however, the latest data suggest revenue is currently pacing ahead of where it was last year.
For the week ending March 21, the Treasury reported a 4.5% increase in the total dollars collected. And a Treasury spokesperson dismissed as “baseless” any claims suggesting there may be a revenue decline for the season.
“There is no indication a $500 billion tax revenue drop is plausible,” the spokesperson said.
In either case, when it comes to assessing revenue intake for the whole season, “it's too soon to tell,” said Janet Holtzblatt, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center who spent much of her career working in the tax analysis division at both Treasury and the Congressional Budget Office.
A lot of factors will determine how the IRS' revenue haul this year will compare to last year. On the one hand, thanks to big stock gains and a good jobs market in 2024, taxable investment income and earnings may come in strong, Mazur said.
On the other, Holtzblatt said, it's hard to say how President Donald Trump's tariffs and other economic policies may affect the first-quarter 2025 estimated taxes that businesses, partnerships and sole proprietors must file by April 15.
The opportunity to use the new IRS Direct File program, which lets eligible taxpayers file their taxes directly with the IRS for free, was expanded to residents of 25 states this year, up from 12 last year when the agency piloted the program.
Internal IRS data obtained by CNN show that 135,000 people had chosen to use Direct File through March 21.
There are no directly comparable statistics for the same period last year, because the pilot was rolled out in stages and far fewer people were eligible to use it.
But a recent analysis by the Treasury Inspector General reported that during the pilot – which ran last year from February 1 to April 20 in just 12 states – 140,803 people submitted tax returns that were accepted by Direct File. (More than 35,000 were rejected because of various issues.)
Given that people typically are slow to adopt new programs when it comes to doing their taxes, Mazur said, the 135,000 users so far “seems like it's on the right trajectory for a new product.”
The IRS had been planning to make Direct File a permanent option for tax filers, but its future is not at all clear.
In his confirmation hearing, Bessent would only commit, when asked, to the program remaining operative this year. The tax lobby as well as some Republicans have been pushing to abolish the program. And some actions this year by Musk and his DOGE staffers created confusion about whether the program will survive.
“No one's expecting a lot from Direct File,” said Olson, the former IRS taxpayer advocate, who supports the program. “It's still a new product, and it's still limited in terms of who can use it. It's purposely being rolled out in a modest fashion … But this may never get out of the pilot stage.”
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Chanel Tapper holds Guinness World Records title with her 3.8in tongue that is longer than a medium-sized lightbulb
Party tricks are second nature to Chanel Tapper, who has long wielded the Guinness World Records title for woman with the globe's longest tongue.
The California native can easily use the 3.8in (9.75cm) organ to remove Jenga blocks from a stack. She can flip red plastic cups with it; touch the tip of her nose as well as under her chin; and raise a spoon by curling it around the utensil.
But nothing quite beats showing her tongue to people and watching them shriek in terror as they realize it is longer than a medium-sized lightbulb – or a credit card.
“Honestly, the best reaction I could ever get when someone sees my tongue is screaming,” Tapper, 34, said recently in an interview published on the Guinness World Records website. “People yell or scream in shock, or horror sometimes, [and] that's probably my favorite because it's funny to me because it's a dramatic response.”
Tapper's comments to the organization whose database of 40,000 records is a constant source of public fascination came about two decades after acquaintances first clued her into her uniquely prodigious tongue.
She once recounted how she was about 11 when she got into the habit of teasing people around her by sticking her tongue out, and the common reaction was for them to comment on its length. Then, about a couple of years later, she achieved early internet virality after YouTube users spotted her sticking her tongue out on a video and became transfixed by its elongation.
Guinness World Records finally invited her to an event in Los Angeles in 2010 to measure her tongue and see if she merited a spot in the organization's database. She closely beat two other competitors for the distinction, surpassing the average tongue length for women by about 1.9cm (roughly three-fourths of an inch) – and for men by some 1.2cm (a half-inch or so).
Tapper's record still stood as of her 31 March interview with Guinness. Even though more than one online commenter has compared her to the slimy-tongued, fictional Marvel Comics villain Venom, she said she held the mark dearly.
“I like little fun, silly things like that,” Tapper said.
Furthermore, the recognition had given her the chance to travel internationally.
One such trip involved visiting the fashion capital Milan and being photographed with her tongue painted blue and green in photos for the Welcome Successful Living campaign from the Italian brand Diesel. Other Guinness World Record holders participated in the campaign, too.
“It's fun – I get to see the parts of the world I've never seen before,” Tapper said.
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Vice President JD Vance applauded in the front row of the Rose Garden as President Donald Trump announced a massive new round of tariffs on Wednesday – an economy-rattling policy he promised would bring back manufacturing jobs.
But for years before joining Trump's ticket, Vance argued the opposite.
Between 2016 and 2019, Vance said repeatedly that American manufacturing jobs were lost for good, and that “protectionist” trade policies would do little to bring them back.
Vance's comments are another example of his transformation from a self-described “Never Trump guy” to a full-fledged MAGA backer in the Senate and on Trump's ticket, a change he has attributed to seeing the successes of Trump's policies in his first term.
“Vice President Vance has been crystal clear in his unwavering support for revitalizing the American economy by bringing back manufacturing jobs and sticking up for middle class workers and families since before he launched his U.S. Senate race, and that is a large part of why he was elected to public office in the first place,” said Taylor Van Kirk, spokesperson for the vice president.
Vance is now a key messenger for Trump's economic agenda as the administration pursues sweeping new protectionists policies announced on what they deemed “Liberation Day.”
“It's our declaration of economic independence,” Trump said Wednesday. “Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country, and you see it happening already.”
Starting around 2016, when Vance rose to national fame as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” he argued in repeated interviews, speeches and social media posts that automation and technological change were the primary forces reshaping the American economy and said he opposed “hyper protectionists” and their policies.
“So many of these jobs that have disappeared from these areas just aren't coming back. They haven't disappeared so much from globalization or from shipping them overseas,” Vance said in a January 2017 interview with Education Week. “They've largely disappeared because of automation and because of new technological change.”
Other comments and social media activity from Vance during that time directly took aim at Trump's trade rhetoric. Shortly after Trump met with manufacturing CEOs in February 2017 and publicly railed against America's trade deficits, Vance pushed back.
“Can't be repeated enough: if you're worried about America's economic interest, focus more on automation/education than trade protectionism,” Vance wrote.
In December 2016, as then-President-elect Trump visited a Carrier plant in Indiana to tout a deal he claimed would keep manufacturing jobs from moving to Mexico, Vance liked a tweet from Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse that offered a different explanation for job loss.
“Automation—even more than trade—will continue to shrink the number of manufacturing jobs,” Sasse wrote. “This trend is irreversible.”
The like, which CNN saved before X made likes private last year, underscored Vance's alignment at the time with Republicans who doubted the effectiveness of Trump's proposals to restore blue-collar jobs through trade pressure alone.
Even when Vance acknowledged that globalization had caused deep harm in some communities, citing research that linked increased exposure to Chinese imports with strain on local labor markets, he argued that those downsides did not justify a sweeping reversal of US trade policy.
“Now does that mean that we should be hyper-protectionists in our approach to trade? I would argue no,” Vance said at an April 2017 event. “But should we be cognizant of the fact that when you have some of those communities that are really exposed to trade, it can very often harm them or at least cause some pretty negative consequences, even as it might cause some positive ones. I think we have to.”
“I do think that trade hasn't necessarily been in the best interests of a lot of these communities. Now, the question of whether you can go backwards in time, I think the answer is no,” he told a gathering at the University of Chicago in February 2017.
The long-term solution, Vance argued in December 2016, was to retrain workers.
“The fundamental issue with American jobs and manufacturing right now is not that all of our jobs have gone to Mexico and China, it's that they've been auto–automated. It's that mechanization has sort of reduced the manufacturing work base,” he said. “There is a solution to that problem. It's to train people for the next level of jobs, to train people for the 21st century workforce.”
Vance also expressed skepticism about Trump's promises to revive traditional industries through trade policy, specifically questioning whether legacy jobs like coal and steel could ever return.
“I don't think that there's a simple, ‘Let's bring the coal or steel jobs back,'” Vance said in early 2017. “But I also think that if folks are employed in next generation jobs with dignified work and good wages, that they're not gonna be angry that Trump didn't bring back the steel jobs.”
While recognizing the downsides of globalization, Vance also argued it was too late to reverse course while agreeing at the time that fighting over trade was “yesterday's war.”
“Maybe you could [turn the clock back] a little bit on trade if we were in the '80s, but we've already lost that battle in some ways,” Vance told CNN in February 2017. “The jobs are already gone.”
More recently, Vance has credited Trump's first term in the White House with broadly shifting his view on his agenda. And Vance's public statements on globalization were beginning to shift by 2019, just before he has said he fully embraced Trump, voting for him in 2020 and then running the next year for Senate as a Trump-allied Republican. In October 2019, Vance called the view that automation had taken jobs a “bad argument.”
“I'm not an economist, but I can spot a bad argument. And the argument–reproduced ad nauseum in the business press–that manufacturing jobs not keeping pace with output = automation is the main culprit is really bad,” he wrote.
But even in the final half of Trump's first term, when Vance was more sympathetic to the Trump administration's arguments on trade, he was not optimistic on the odds of success of protectionist policies.
“FWIW, my guess is the policy may very well fail, especially if Biden is elected president and China's intransigence is rewarded. I've seen some claim that they're explicitly betting on that fact,” he wrote.
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The saying goes that when America sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold — pithy shorthand to describe how changes in the world's biggest economy ripple out to impact everyone else.
But that adage doesn't go nearly far enough to convey the enormity of the likely fallout from US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a colossal set of new tariffs on America's trading partners.
“The US isn't sneezing, the US is hacking off one of its limbs,” Paul Donovan, chief economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, told CNN.
At the start of the year, the American economy was “in a very good place,” he noted. Now, “if these tariffs continue as they are, (it will) probably tip into recession.” And that, he said, will likely have a knock-on negative impact on economies around the world.
On Wednesday, Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all goods imports into the United States and even higher tariffs on products from about 60 economies. The harder-hit trading partners include China and the European Union, which face new duties of 34% and 20% respectively.
But America is harming itself as much as, if not more than, other economies with its latest tariffs, analysts say.
If Trump keeps in place the tariffs announced Wednesday, recession is a likely outcome for both the US and the world this year, JPMorgan said in a note Thursday.
The tariffs will cause prices in America to surge, too, adding close to 2% to the Consumer Price Index in 2025, according to the bank.
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Trump launches historic global trade war
The key measure of US inflation has struggled to come back down to earth in recent years and was 2.8% higher in February than a year ago, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“This year's cumulative tariff hike should be viewed as a US tax increase of roughly $660 billion,” JPMorgan analysts said, noting that this amounted to the largest tax increase in recent decades by far. “The impact on inflation will be substantial.”
The overall economic “shock” from Trump's tariffs will be exacerbated by any retaliatory measures imposed by America's trading partners on US goods, the analysts also wrote.
And retaliation is on the cards. In the hours following Trump's announcement, the EU — the largest single market for US goods exports — said it was preparing countermeasures, and China condemned what it called “unilateral bullying” from the US and vowed to retaliate.
Deep economic downturns are typically marked by mass job losses, bankruptcies and foreclosures — very much the opposite of Trump's stated ambition to “Make America Wealthy Again” through his tariff plan.
The US president may still suspend or dilute the tariffs announced Wednesday as he has done with other import levies in recent weeks. But any fresh import taxes are likely to slow the US economy, said Donovan at UBS.
Similarly, economists at Deutsche Bank noted “a meaningful increase in recession risk in the US” in research published Thursday.
Other economies are expected to take a hit on several fronts.
A recession or slowing economic growth in the US would cause mighty American consumers to pull back on spending, which in turn would lower demand for foreign goods.
If businesses outside the US experience a drop in demand for their products, they may become more cautious, Donovan said. “Are they going to carry on investing, are they going to carry on employing people?”
Deutsche Bank economists expect unemployment to increase in the EU and the United Kingdom over the next 12-18 months as a result of Trump's tariffs.
The new import taxes could also dent demand for foreign goods in America by making them more expensive than equivalent products made in the US. That, of course, is what Trump wants — the president has said his tariff agenda is designed to lift demand for US-made products and boost America's manufacturing sector.
Other new headaches for exporters to the US include uncertainty, disruption of supply chains and “burdensome” bureaucracy, according to Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU's executive arm. “All businesses, big and small, will suffer from day one… The costs of doing business with the United States will drastically increase,” she said Thursday.
Consumers outside the US will be affected mostly if their governments engage in a tit for tat with the Trump administration.
Thomas Sampson, an economics professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told CNN that, without retaliation, the US tariffs' direct impact on European consumers, for example, would be relatively small. But higher tariffs on US imports into the region would raise prices.
In that case, “European consumers will face the same sort of price increases that US consumers are facing,” he said.
The EU responded to Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, announced earlier, by unveiling countermeasures on up to 26 billion euros ($29 billion) worth of exports of American goods, including tariffs on boats, bourbon and motorbikes.
This time the EU may hold fire. France's finance minister said Friday that the bloc was not looking primarily at reciprocal tariffs to respond to Trump's latest trade salvo as that could hurt European consumers. Measures under consideration include targeting individual firms rather than whole sectors, Eric Lombard told CNN affiliate BFMTV.
But other governments may well be less circumspect. “If there's retaliation by the other countries, you might have similar pressure on inflation in other countries,” Antonio Fatas, an economics professor at business school INSEAD, told CNN.
Still, analysts say America's trading partners benefit from the simple fact that they will only have tariffs placed on their goods by one country — America — whereas the US faces retaliatory levies on its goods from many of its major trading partners.
Oxford Economics thinks the global economy will still probably avoid a recession this year. But its performance will be nothing to write home about. Growth could fall below 2%, Ben May, director of macroeconomic research, wrote in a report Thursday.
“It would be the weakest annual growth rate since the global financial crisis, excluding the pandemic period,” he said.
Olesya Dmitracova in London and Joseph Ataman in Paris contributed reporting.
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Serious question. What are we, like, doing?
Markets are in a tailspin. Business leaders are panicking. Consumers, if they're reading the news, are rightly confused or scared or both. Economists are squinting at the Trump administration's tariff agenda and trying to make it, somehow, make sense.
Here's a tip for anyone else who finds themselves gobsmacked: Stop trying to make it make sense.
Looking for logic? You won't find it. As we've written before, President Donald Trump's stated goals for his tariff agenda are full of contradictions. Even the math the administration used to calculate “reciprocal” tariffs on trading partners is more performance art than, well, math (more on that in a moment).
America's economy is the envy of the world. Yet Trump believes it's the victim of other nations' unfair trade practices. Tariffs are his catch-all theory of how to level the playing field and revive American manufacturing. He is unshakable on that — even if it means pushing the US economy into a recession.
He claims tariffs will hurt foreign countries, and he's not wrong. But he has so far shrugged at the fact that tariffs will needlessly punish Americans, too.
For no reason, the US government is now going to force Americans to pay more for things that we simply cannot produce domestically. Like, coffee. Certain wines. Rare earth minerals that are essential to the tech industry. Countless other things.
And perhaps most quixotically, Trump seems to believe we can undo decades of globalization and bring back the manufacturing jobs we already shipped overseas. (Even if we could “reshore” those industries, it would take many, many years.)
“There is no strategy,” said Mary E. Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute, during a Brookings Institution event Thursday. “Are we supposed to knit our own knickers?”
Lovely added: “When people say they want manufacturing in the US, they're saying high-tech, sustainable jobs” — not the lower-skilled and labor-intensive jobs that have migrated to developing economies.
“I think a great exercise is everybody go home, and when you're dressing tonight for bed, look at where your clothes are made,” Lovely said. “All of these countries have large deficits, and that gives them the high ‘reciprocal' tariffs.”
Lovely and others have made the point that if you wanted to balance out some trade deficits, there are strategic ways to do it. Maybe you'd assemble a team of leading economists and policy experts and take a scalpel to each trade agreement and figure out where you have leverage.
But Trump's government did not do painstaking dollar-for-dollar studies to try to nail down an accurate rate for each trading partner.
Instead, it took a country's trade deficit, divided it by its exports to the United States, then divided that number by two. That's it.
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A lot of analysts were shocked by that sledgehammer approach.
“If a ninth grader in high school presented this tariff chart to a teacher in a basic economics class, the teacher would laugh and say ‘sit down and work on the assignment,'” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note on Thursday.
Or, as Lovely put it: “It's like going to your doctor, finding out you have cancer, and the basis for your medication is your weight divided by your age.”
Here's my favorite part, though: When economist and author James Surowiecki figured out the convoluted formula, the White House tried to say he was wrong and released a scary-looking equation with Greek letters to try to illustrate the very sophisticated math they used to calculate this monumental change to global economic policy.
Turns out, that equation worked out to exactly what Surowiecki said it was, just dressed up with symbols that make it look more complicated — and to intimidate people who question what they're doing, as economist Brendan Duke told me.
That is not economic policy — it is Russian roulette in an economic policy costume.
Since the president's Orwellian “Liberation Day” speech, the global response hasn't exactly been celebratory.
Stocks began tumbling almost immediately, shedding trillions of dollars in market value overnight. All three major US indexes posted their biggest single-day drop since 2020.
Global leaders expressed shock; and some, including allies like France and Canada, promised to retaliate. Oil fell more than 6%. Stellantis, the carmaker behind Jeep and Chrysler, is already laying off 900 American workers and pausing production at some of its Canadian and Mexican plants, citing the impact of tariffs.
When the CEO of RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) saw his company's stock fall 40% during an earnings call Wednesday evening, shortly after Trump's speech, he uttered two words that just about summed up the thoughts of every other executive that day: “Oh, sh—.”
Shares of multinational companies like Nike and Apple were hit hard, as were retailers like Five Below and Dollar Tree, which rely heavily on cheap imports from Asia.
“This is the policymaking equivalent of a suicide bomber,” Michael Block, market strategist at Third Seven Capital, told my colleague Matt Egan. “They're ignoring every rule of classic micro and macroeconomics.”
So that's the word on the Street, the institution that Trump has previously viewed as a real-time report card on his presidency.
On Thursday, though, Trump shrugged off the market reaction, telling reporters: “I think it's going very well.”
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The Trump administration's aggressive and fast-paced effort to advance its immigration agenda has exposed existing challenges with a dated system and raised concerns that authorities are flouting due process to ram deportations through.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his team have taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration, including invoking a rarely used wartime authority, known as the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, that has pitted the administration against a federal judge and prompted public backlash.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has made multiple missteps in recent weeks, including mistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man whose case will be heard in a federal courtroom on Friday. The errors kept happening despite federal agents assuring they are carefully vetting each person before putting them on flights to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Trump's border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly maintained that authorities have done due diligence to gather information that the migrants they are deporting should be removed, especially from the Latin American gangs MS-13 or Tren de Aragua.
After hundreds of alleged gang members were flown to El Salvador last month in possible violation of a judge's order, Homan said in an interview with ABC that “every single” migrant was a member of one of the gangs “according to the information” given to him “from the field.”
“A lot of gang members don't have criminal histories, like a lot of terrorists in this world,” Homan said. “We have to count on social media, we have to count on surveillance techniques, we have to count on sworn statements from other gang members.”
Multiple detainees on those flights were eventually returned to the US because the Salvadoran prison wouldn't take them once they landed there.
In the court fight over the deportations using the Alien Enemies Act, a senior Immigration and Customs official, Robert Cerna, defended the process for identifying members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua, or TdA.
“Agency personnel carefully vetted each individual alien to ensure they were in fact members of TdA,” Cerna wrote in a declaration. “Officers and agents well versed in gang activity in general and TdA in particular reviewed the information gathered on each alien, identifying TdA members based upon the results of investigative techniques and information.”
But Cerna also wrote the US has little specific information about the detainees it believes are Tren de Aragua gang members.
“The lack of specific information about each individual actually highlights the risk they pose. It demonstrates that they are terrorists with regard to whom we lack a complete profile,” the ICE official said in his declaration.
The immigration push made national headlines again this week, when the administration admitted it shouldn't have deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national who was living in Maryland, to the notorious mega prison in his home country, even though he had been granted a protected status that should have prevented him from being removed there.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the man's removal a “clerical error.”
Also this week, a judge in Texas found that a man was wrongfully detained by immigration authorities, after he narrowly avoided being put on one of those deportation flights to El Salvador. The judge ordered the immediate release of Gil Rojas, a Venezuelan national whose attorneys had obtained a court order keeping him in the US just before the series of flights took off in mid-March.
The cases underscore the complexity of the US immigration system: Proceedings can take years, people are granted a variety of different legal statuses, and the process for both immigrants and the federal government is cumbersome.
The mid-March deportation flights to El Salvador were central to a court hearing on Thursday, where US District Judge James Boasberg considered whether government attorneys misled him about the flights and if they or others in the administration should be held in contempt.
Boasberg pressed for answers, sharply questioning the Justice Department about the administration's rush to fly detainees to the Salvadoran prison on Saturday, March 15. The judge pointed out that in its haste, the administration risked putting people on the planes who shouldn't have been.
The court fight – parts of which are before the Supreme Court – has raised questions about the reach of executive authority on immigration policy.
“The district court has no ability to – in any way – restrain the president's authorities under the Alien Enemies Act, or, as I believe, to conduct the Foreign Affairs the United States,” Stephen Miller, Trump's White House deputy chief of staff, told CNN's Kasie Hunt on “The Arena” last month.
The American Civil Liberties Union attorneys are arguing that some of the migrants may have been sent to El Salvador erroneously because of common choices they made, like getting tattoos of a soccer ball and crown. One detainee said the tattoo was for the soccer team Real Madrid, but the administration read it as a possible sign of gang affiliation.
The case tests Trump's power to send migrants away without removal proceedings where the migrants can argue they aren't gang members. The high court hasn't yet decided what it will do.
At an appeals court hearing last week, one of the judges said mistakes could be easily made with the administration's current process.
“You all could have put me up on Saturday and thrown me on a plane thinking I'm a member of Tren de Auga and giving me no chance to protest,” DC Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Patricia Millett said. She added at the court hearing that in her hypothetical, she wouldn't be able to argue, “‘Excuse me, no I'm not, I'd like a hearing.'”
While senior Trump officials have expressed confidence in their deportation decisions, migrants and their advocates say quick decisions have been catastrophic and may flout longstanding immigration procedures.
Immigration attorneys and family members have argued that some of the Venezuelans sent to El Salvador's mega prison last month are not tied to gangs, like the administration has described. Some of those removed had also been in the middle of their immigration proceedings before being sent to another country.
Many are still seeking answers.
On Wednesday, attorney John Dutton attended an immigration hearing for his client, Henrry Albornoz Quintero, who Dutton believes was sent to El Salvador.
Asked by the immigration judge about the whereabouts of Albornoz Quintero, a Venezuelan national who was in immigration detention, the ICE attorney only stated he's no longer in the agency's custody.
The judge pressed for more information, calling the lack of answers ridiculous, according to Dutton. With no official confirmation of his deportation from ICE, another hearing has been scheduled.
Lindsay Toczylowski, co-founder and president of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, also told CNN that her client, a Venezuelan asylum seeker, was abruptly removed to El Salvador before his immigration proceedings had concluded.
Toczylowski's client was expected to appear virtually for his immigration hearing from ICE detention last month, but he wasn't there. The ICE prosecutor didn't have information, according to Toczylowski, and the judge rescheduled the hearing.
A few days later, ICE confirmed in immigration court that Toczylowski's client had been among those sent to El Salvador.
Court documents have shed light on some of the confusion with the flights to El Salvador.
One Venezuelan woman who was being held in Texas was flown to El Salvador along with a handful of other female Venezuelan detainees. But they were sent back to the US after landing at the Salvadoran prison. El Salvador's infamous Center for Terrorism Confinement, known as Cecot, wouldn't take the women, according to the filings.
As Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tours El Salvador's Cecot prison, CNN's David Culver takes you inside - offering a rare look at the controversial mega-prison where some alleged gang members deported from the US are now ending up.
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“All the men got off the plane,” the woman, who is only identified by the initials S.Z.F.R., wrote in a recent sworn statement in the case before Boasberg. “The remaining women asked what happens to us? I was told that the President of El Salvador would not accept women. I was also told that we were going back to detention in the US.”
Prison guards in El Salvador also refused a male detainee of Nicaraguan descent because that Central American county was outside the agreement the US struck with El Salvador.
“I overheard a Salvadoran official tell an ICE officer that the Salvadoran government would not detain someone from another Central American country because of the conflict it would cause,” the detainee wrote in a sworn statement.
The Trump administration conceded in a court filing Monday that it mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father, to El Salvador “because of an administrative error” and argued it could not return him because he's now in Salvadoran custody.
A lawsuit has been filed over his removal, and a hearing is scheduled on Friday.
Prior to his removal, he was arrested by ICE in mid-March “due to his prominent role in MS-13,” according to a court declaration from a senior ICE official. His attorneys say he's not a member of the gang, nor does he have any ties to it.
“As others were removed from the flight for various reasons, he moved up the list and was assigned to the flight. The manifest did not indicate that Abrego Garcia should not be removed,” Cerna, an acting ICE field office director, said in his declaration.
CNN's Alejandra Jaramillo and Devan Cole contributed to this report.
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Helge Lund likely to leave post in 2026, with investor opposition having derailed net zero plans
The chair of BP has announced plans to step down from the struggling oil company after growing shareholder opposition derailed its net zero agenda.
The oil company said on Friday that Helge Lund planned to leave his post “in due course” once a successor has joined the board, which would “most likely” be in 2026.
His decision to step down from the role, which he has held since 2019, comes after the board was forced to reverse the company's green agenda to defend it against Elliott, a feared New York hedge fund known for its attempts to shake up listed companies.
Elliot began to build a multibillion-pound stake in BP earlier this year after growing dissatisfaction among shareholders over the company's plan to curb its fossil fuel production in favour of green investments.
It was widely expected that the activist investor would call for a boardroom shake-up at BP, including the ousting of Lund, who played a leading role in setting the green agenda that ultimately failed to convince shareholders.
The net zero strategy was set by the former BP chief executive Bernard Looney, who was appointed by Lund in 2020 to transform the oil company into an integrated energy company.
However, the shift was undermined by a rise in global oil and gas prices – which handed bumper profits to companies growing fossil fuel production – and the shock departure of Looney after failing to fully disclose to the board past relationships with BP colleagues.
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BP's current chief executive, Murray Auchincloss, set out a “fundamental reset” of the company's strategy weeks after Elliott took aim at the company.
Auchincloss promised investors cuts of more than £4bn from its low-carbon investment plans in favour of a return to growing fossil fuel production. The plan angered climate campaigners and did little to appease BP's investors, who have seen BP's shares underperform compared with its rivals.
Lund said: “Having fundamentally reset our strategy, BP's focus now is on delivering the strategy at pace, improving performance and growing shareholder value. Now is the right time to start the process to find my successor and enable an orderly and seamless handover.”
Lund had also faced pressure from the shareholder activist Follow This, a climate campaigner, which planned to vote against the chair at BP's annual shareholder meeting later this month.
On Friday, Mark van Baal, the founder of Follow This, said: “The new chair needs to be climate and transition competent and resistant to short-term activists. BP made a strategic U-turn in panic mode after an alleged short-term activist bought shares in BP. We hear a lot of frustration from long-term investors on this aspect.”
Lund was at the centre of a high-profile storm over a £25m remuneration package to lure him to BG Group, formerly the exploration arm of British Gas that was acquired by Shell for £47bn in 2015.
The Norwegian joined BG Group in 2014 after a stellar 10-year career transforming Statoil, now known as Equinor, from a local operator in Norway into a global oil and gas company.
A shareholders' revolt forced BG Group to amend Lund's pay package to ensure his earnings would be more closely linked to company performance.
Amanda Blanc, the boss of Aviva and a senior independent director at BP, will lead the search for a new chair.
The court said Yoon had ‘committed a grave betrayal of the trust of the people' over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December
South Korea's suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been removed from office after the country's constitutional court voted unanimously to uphold parliament's decision to impeach him over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December.
After weeks of deliberations and growing concerns about the future of South Korea's democracy, all eight justices voted to strip Yoon of his presidential powers.
The ruling means that the acting president, Han Duck-soo, will remain in office until South Koreans elect a new leader within 60 days.
Han vowed to ensure “there are no gaps in national security and diplomacy” and to maintain public safety and order until the vote.
“Respecting the will of our sovereign people, I will do my utmost to manage the next presidential election in accordance with the constitution and the law, ensuring a smooth transition to the next administration,” he said in a televised address.
In a written message to the country's “beloved citizens” following his removal from office, Yoon said it had been “a great honour” to serve as president.
“I deeply thank all of you who have supported and encouraged me despite my many shortcomings,” he said. “I am very sorry and regretful that I could not live up to your expectations. I will always pray for our beloved Republic of Korea and its citizens.”
While anti-Yoon protesters celebrated the court's decision – many of them in tears – media reports said some of his supporters had starting damaging police vehicles near the court building.
In the court ruling, broadcast live, the acting chief justice, Moon Hyung-bae, said the decision had been unanimous. “We hereby pronounce the following ruling, with the unanimous agreement of all Justices.“(We) dismiss respondent President Yoon Suk Yeol.”
As crowds outside hung onto his every word, Moon said Yoon had violated his duty as president by taking actions that were beyond the powers granted to him under the constitution. Yoon's actions, he added, had constituted a serious challenge to democracy.
“(Yoon) committed a grave betrayal of the trust of the people, who are the sovereign members of the democratic republic,” Moon said, adding by declaring martial law, Yoon had created chaos in all areas of society, the economy and foreign policy.
Moon said: “The defendant not only declared martial law, but also violated the constitution and laws by mobilizing military and police forces to obstruct the exercise of legislative authority. Ultimately, the declaration of martial law in this case violated the substantive requirements for emergency martial law.“Given the grave negative impact on constitutional order and the significant ripple effects of the defendant's violations, we find that the benefits of upholding the constitution by removing the defendant from office far outweigh the national losses from the removal of a president.”
Yoon, who was not in court for the ruling, cannot appeal and must now turn his attention to a separate criminal trial – linked to his martial law declaration – on charges of insurrection.
His ruling party said it “solemnly accepts” the constitutional court's decision. “It is regrettable, but the People Power party solemnly accepts and humbly respects the constitutional court's decision,” lawmaker Kwon Young-se said. “We extend our sincere apologies to the people.”
One of Yoon's lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun, remained defiant, however, describing the judgement as “completely incomprehensible” and a “purely political decision”.
The long-awaited decision on Yoon's late-night order to impose martial law in early December has exposed deep divisions in South Korean society and alarmed the US and other allies.
His opponents and supporters have held large rallies in recent days, although an unprecedented police presence meant protesters were unable to access the immediate vicinity of the court building on Friday. Reports said that 14,000 police officers had been deployed in the capital in anticipation of possible violence, irrespective of which way the court ruled.
Yoon's supporters and lawyers argued that the impeachment proceedings were illegal and that he should be immediately returned to office, three years after the conservative populist was voted to lead Asia's fourth-biggest economy.
A Gallup Korea poll released last week showed 60% of South Koreans said he should be permanently removed from office. His opponents have accused the former prosecutor of abusing his presidential powers in an attempt to suspend democratic institutions and take the country back into its dark authoritarian past.
The opposition-controlled national assembly voted to impeach Yoon in mid-December, a fortnight after he imposed martial law in an attempt, he claimed, to prevent “anti-state” opposition forces with North Korean sympathies from destroying the country.
Yoon was forced to lift the edict after only six hours, however, after lawmakers defied efforts by security forces to seal off parliament and voted to reject it. Yoon has claimed he never intended to fully impose emergency military rule and has tried to downplay the chaos, pointing out that no one was killed or injured.
Yoon became the second South Korean president to be removed from office through impeachment after Park Geun-hye in 2017. If found guilty in his criminal trial, he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty, although South Korea has not carried out an execution since the late 1990s.
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Pro-life activist and independent journalist David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress described his near-decade long legal fight with the state of California over his undercover video conversations with Planned Parenthood officials.
A pro-life activist was punched in the face on Thursday in New York City during a street interview gone horribly wrong.
A video clip captured pro-life influencer Savannah Craven Antao getting hit in the face by her interview subject while asking her questions about abortion and unborn children.
Footage of the aftermath of the assault revealed Antao cut and bloodied by the altercation that she had while doing the segment for the pro-life advocacy organization Live Action.
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A young pro-lifer was assaulted on camera this week while asking New York City locals their opinions on abortion issues.
The organization shared 15 seconds of the incident, which featured the reporter debating the unnamed woman about pro-life issues.
Tensions flared as Antao's subject appeared to push back against her viewpoints.
"You don't understand the magnitude of having a child," the interviewee said into the host's mic.
"I'm not the one who admitted they would be OK with killing babies in foster care and killing children that had been abused," Antao replied.
"That's not the point," the interview subject said, stopping mid-speech and delivering two blows straight to Antao's face. The reporter was sent reeling off camera as the attacker walked away from the scene.
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Antao shared images and footage of her face following the attack in an Instagram post. She captioned the post, stating, "I was just assaulted in Harlem interviewing people on the street. In cop car. Heading to hospital. Updates soon. ABORTION SUPPORTERS ARE VIOLENT!"
The images revealed that she had been cut somewhere near her eyebrow, leading to blood covering her face. A video clip showed her riding in the back of a police vehicle attempting to describe her attacker to the officers.
"She's big. She's tall," the journalist told the officers as they drove to the hospital. So far, her attacker has yet to be identified.
Her husband, Henry Antao, described the incident to Live Action, stating, "The woman became aggressive and violent upon learning Savannah's pro-life stance. I intervened to protect my wife and we immediately called 911. The police arrived, and we provided them with the assailant's photo and description. We hope justice will be served soon."
Lila Rose of Live Action put out a statement about the assault: "We are deeply grateful for the work Savannah has done to protect preborn children and help end abortion in our nation." (Live Action)
Live Action president and founder Lila Rose put out a statement following the assault, which read, "We are deeply grateful for the work Savannah has done to protect preborn children and help end abortion in our nation. Her bravery in the face of violence is heroic. We are grateful she is safe and receiving support. No one should ever face physical assault for expressing their views in public."
Rose continued, "We will not be intimidated. Live Action will continue our goal to defund Planned Parenthood – which kills over 1,000 children every day while receiving more than $700 million in taxpayer funding. We remain committed to our mission to completely abolish abortion and ensure every child is protected under the law."
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Fox News Digital reached out to the New York Police Department for additional information but has yet to recieve a response.
Antao did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
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President Donald Trump has reportedly fired National Security Agency Director Timothy Haugh, who also leads U.S. Cyber Command, and NSA Deputy Director Wendy Noble.
President Donald Trump has fired the head of the National Security Agency (NSA), a high-level move driven by mounting pressure from conservative allies to purge officials they view as insufficiently loyal to the president's "America First" agenda.
Gen. Timothy Haugh and civilian Deputy Wendy Noble were let go from their roles as director and deputy director of the NSA. Lt. Gen. William Hartman, who also leads U.S. Cyber Command, will serve as acting director, while Sheila Thomas will take over as deputy.
Hartman previously commanded the Cyber National Mission Force and has served in intelligence, cyberspace operations and infantry roles during deployments around the world. Thomas most recently headed NSA's cryptologic partnership with the U.K. and served as director of engagement and policy at NSA.
TRUMP CONFIRMS NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL FIRINGS AS WALTZ'S SIGNAL CHAT WOES SNOWBALL
Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh was let go from his role as director of the National Security Agency. (U.S. Air Force website)
The shake-up comes as some right-wing figures have turned against members of Trump's national security team. Far-right provocateur Laura Loomer met with Trump this week to share her "research" on officials she believes should be fired.
As Loomer pointed out on X, both Haugh and Noble were Biden appointees. She seemingly took credit for the firing, claiming Haugh had "no place" in the Trump administration because he was "hand-picked" by former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley.
"Why would we want an NSA Director who was referred to Biden after being hand selected by Milley," Ms. Loomer wrote. "Why would we want Milley's hand picked choice for NSA DIRECTOR? We do not! And he was referred for firing."
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY DIRECTOR GEN. HAUGH FIRED, CIVILIAN DEPUTY DIRECTOR REASSIGNED
Lt. Gen. William Hartman now leads the NSA. (National Security Agency )
The White House and NSA did not respond when asked if Loomer had influenced the president's decision.
Trump also fired several National Security Council (NSC) staffers on Thursday, adding to national security advisor Mike Waltz's recent woes after he accidentally included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal chat about Houthi strikes.
"We're going to let go of people we don't like, or people we don't think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else," Trump told reporters about the firings. He confirmed that NSC members had been fired, but remarked it was not many individuals.
The NSA shuffle also came after Trump recently let go of C.Q. Brown, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, former chief of naval operations.
Sheila Thomas is the civilian deputy lead at the NSA. (National Security Agency )
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The White House has insisted Waltz's job is not under threat.
"As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team," Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media in brief remarks outside the White House's press room on Monday afternoon. "And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned."
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The Trump administration has fired the director and deputy director of the National Security Agency, the United States' powerful cyber intelligence bureau, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation, members of the Senate and House intelligence committees and two former officials familiar with the matter. Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence Beth Sanner weighs in on what this could mean for adversaries of the US.
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FILE- A Lesotho election official makes a phone call as he waits for last minute voters near the eastern Lesotho town of Mokhotlong Saturday May 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, file)
A man walks on the land at Ha Mampho village, Lesotho, June 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
Elderly women leave the poling station after casting their vote in Thaba-Tseka District, 82km east of Maseru, Lesotho, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, file)
A car makes its way towards the Afriski ski resort near Butha-Buthe, Lesotho, Sunday July 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, file)
Matumelo Manosa, center, works in a garment factory in Maseru, Lesotho, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Neo Ntsoma, file )
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — If you have ever bought a pair of jeans from an American brand like Levi's or Wrangler, chances are they were manufactured at a factory in the small southern African nation of Lesotho.
Textile manufacturing is one of Lesotho's key industries, exporting some 75% of its output to the United States.
This is expected to change after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff on imports from Lesotho, the highest among all countries. According to Trump, Lesotho charges a 99% tariff on U.S. goods, but the government said it doesn't know how the U.S. administration calculated that figure. Government officials did not say Thursday what Lesotho's tariffs on U.S. goods are.
Here is what the high tariffs mean for Lesotho:
Trump made fun of Lesotho in a speech in March, calling it a nation that “nobody has ever heard of.” Lesotho's foreign minister reminded him that the U.S. has a diplomatic mission there.
Last year, the landlocked kingdom bordered on all sides by South Africa with a population of 2.3 million people, celebrated 200 years of the founding of the Basotho nation and 58 years of independence from British rule.
Its picturesque scenery and mountainous views draw visitors from Africa and across the world, and during winter, Lesotho becomes one of the most sought-after skiing destinations.
Lesotho does not pay tariffs on exports to Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland since it is a member of regional economic blocs such as the Southern African Customs Union. Main exports include clothing, diamonds, water, power, wool and mohair.
The new tariffs announced by Trump mean that American consumers will pay more for goods made in Lesotho, making them less competitive in the U.S market.
According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, in 2024, U.S.-Lesotho bilateral trade stood at $240.1 million. Apart from clothing, Lesotho's exports also include diamonds and other goods.
Classified as a lower-middle income country by the World Bank, nearly half of Lesotho's 2.3 million population live below the poverty line, while a quarter are unemployed.
Lesotho's Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile said his country will be on the prowl for new markets and use the Africa Continental Free Trade Area to increase exports to favourable destinations in Africa.
The government would also urgently send a delegation to the U.S. to negotiate a workable arrangement. Shelile said he's concerned about the possible closure of textile factories, which employ about 12,000 people in Lesotho.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Miami International Airport, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Cars line the BNSF Railway vehicle storage facility at the Port of Richmond on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Richmond, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A worker displays textiles in the fashion district Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Stacks of lumber are set up on shelves at a local Lowes store Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Cargo containers line a shipping terminal at the Port of Oakland on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Bobby Charmak works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Mike Pistillo Jr., center, works with other traders on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A woman walks past Chinese and United States' national flags on display at a merchandise store in Beijing, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A shopping cart filled with groceries sits in an aisle at an Asian grocery store in Rowland Heights, Calif., Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Employee Lauren Owen points out a variety of flowers imported from Canada for sale at Gethsemane Garden Center, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Employee Lauren Owen holds Azaleas imported from Canada for sale at Gethsemane Garden Center, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Manager Andrew Balfe, left, helps a customer at Gethsemane Garden Center, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's expansive new tariffs reverse a decades-long global trend of lower trade barriers and are likely, economists say, to raise prices for Americans by thousands of dollars each year while sharply slowing the U.S. economy.
The White House is gambling that other countries will also suffer enough pain that they will open up their economies to more American exports, leading to negotiations that would reduce the tariffs imposed Wednesday.
Or, the White House hopes, companies will reverse their moves toward global supply chains and bring more production to the United States to avoid higher import taxes.
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Miami International Airport, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The trade war President Donald Trump promised has begun, but analysts warn that it's Americans who'll really be hit. AP correspondent Donna Warder reports.
But a key question for the Trump administration will be how Americans react to the tariffs. If prices rise noticeably and jobs are lost, voters could turn against the duties and make it harder to keep them in place for the time needed to encourage companies to return to the U.S.
The Yale Budget Lab estimates the Trump administration's tariffs would cost the average household $3,800 in higher prices this year. That includes the 10% universal tariff plus much higher tariffs on about 60 countries announced Wednesday, as well as previous import taxes on steel, aluminum and cars. Inflation could top 4% this year, from 2.8% currently, while the economy may barely grow, according to estimates by Nationwide Financial.
A shopping cart filled with groceries sits in an aisle at an Asian grocery store in Rowland Heights, Calif., Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Investors turned thumbs-down on the new duties Thursday, with the S&P 500 index dropping 4.8% at the close of trading, its worst day since the pandemic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged more than 1,600 points.
Still, Trump was upbeat Thursday when asked about the stock market drop.
“I think it's going very well,” he said. “We have an operation, like when a patient gets operated on and it's a big thing. I said this would exactly be the way it is.”
The average U.S. tariff could rise to nearly 25% when the tariffs are fully implemented April 9, economists estimate, higher than in more than a century, and higher than the 1930 Smoot-Hawley tariffs that are widely blamed for worsening the Great Depression.
“The president just announced the de facto separation of the U.S. economy from the global economy,” said Mary Lovely, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “The stage is set for higher prices and slower growth over the long term.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick argued the policies will help open markets overseas for U.S. exports.
“I expect most countries to start to really examine their trade policy towards the United States of America, and stop picking on us,” he said on CNBC Thursday. ”This is the reordering of fair trade.”
Cars line the BNSF Railway vehicle storage facility at the Port of Richmond on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Richmond, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Bob Lehmann, 73, who stopped by a Best Buy in Portland, Oregon, Wednesday opposed the tariffs. “They're going to raise prices and cause people to pay more for daily living,” he said.
Mathew Hall, a 64-year-old paint contractor, called the tariffs a “great idea” and said potential price increases in the short term were worth it.
“I believe in the long term, it's going to be good,” he said, adding that he felt the U.S. had been taken advantage of.
But a former trade official from Trump's first term, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the impact, suggested that Americans, including those who voted for Trump, may have difficulty accepting the stiff duties.
Americans “have never faced tariffs like this,” the former official said Thursday. “The downstream impact on clothing and shoe stores, it's going to be pretty significant. So we'll have to see how the Trump voters view this ... and how long their support for these policies goes.”
On Thursday, automaker Stellantis, which owns the Jeep, Citroen and Ram brands, said it would temporarily halt production at plants in Canada and Mexico in response to Trump's 25% tax on imported cars. The reduced output means the company is temporarily laying off 900 workers at plants in Michigan and Indiana.
A woman walks past Chinese and United States' national flags on display at a merchandise store in Beijing, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Some exporters overseas may cut their prices to offset some of the tariffs, and U.S. retailers could eat some of the cost as well. But most economists expect much of the tariffs to bring higher prices.
The tariffs will hit many Asian countries hard, with duties on Vietnamese imports rising to 46% and on Indonesia to 32%. Tariffs on some Chinese imports will be as high as 79%. Those three countries are the top sources of U.S. shoe imports, with Nike making about half its shoes last year and one-third of its clothes in Vietnam.
The Yale Budget Lab estimates all Trump's tariffs this year will push clothing prices 17% higher.
On Thursday, the Home Furnishings Association, which represents more than 13,000 U.S. furniture stores, predicted the tariffs will increase prices between 10% and 46%. Vietnam and China are the top furniture exporters to the U.S.
It said manufacturers in Asia are offsetting some of the costs by discounting their products and lowering ocean freight rates, but that won't be enough to avoid price hikes. Even domestically made furniture often relies on imported components.
“While many in the industry support the long-term goal of reshoring manufacturing, the reality is that it will take at least a decade to scale domestic production,” Home Furnishings Association CEO Shannon Williams said in a statement. “Permitting, training a skilled workforce and managing the higher costs of U.S. manufacturing are significant hurdles.”
At Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago, there are Canadian-grown tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs, though only about 5% of center plants are imported. Thousands of lemon cypress trees from Canada are sold year-round and Canadian mums are sold in the fall.
Regas Chefas, whose family has owned Gethsemane for decades, says all the tariffs won't be passed onto customers.
“We're going to absorb some of the increase. The growers will absorb some of the increases and then the customers will pay a little bit higher price,” he said.
The Consumer Brands Association, which represents Coca-Cola, General Mills, Nestle, Tyson and Del Monte as well as Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive, said its companies already make the majority of their goods in the U.S.
But there are critical ingredients and inputs — like wood pulp for toilet paper — that are imported because of scarce domestic availability. Cinnamon is harvested from trees that can't survive in the U.S.. Domestic production of coffee and cocoa is also limited.
“We encourage President Trump and his trade advisers to fine-tune their approach and exempt key ingredients and inputs in order to protect manufacturing jobs and prevent unnecessary inflation at the grocery store,” said Tom Madrecki, the association's vice president of supply chain resiliency.
Outside a Tractor Supply south of Denver, two family members on opposite sides of the political spectrum debated the tariffs.
Chris Theisen, a 62-year-old Republican, said: “I feel a good change coming on, I feel it's going to be hard, but you don't go to the gym and walk away and say, 'God, I feel great.”
Nayen Shakya, a Democrat and Theisen's great nephew, said higher prices are already a hardship. At the restaurant where he works, menu prices have been raised to account for higher ingredient costs.
“It's really easy sometimes to say some things in a vague way that everyone can agree with that is definitely more complex under the surface,” said Shakya. “The burden of the increased prices is already going to the consumer.”
Listening to his nephew, Theisen added: “I understand this side of it, too.”
“I ain't got no crystal ball. I hope it works out good.”
AP Writers Paul Wiseman, Jesse Bedayn, Dee-Ann Durbin, and Claire Rush contributed to this report. Rush reported from Portland, Durbin from Detroit, and Bedayn from Colorado. AP Photographer Erin Hooley contributed from Chicago.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Pro golfer Phil Mickelson joins ‘Fox & Friends' to discuss the LIV Golf tournament in Miami, the rivalry with the PGA Tour, and the latest on potential merger talks.
Phil Mickelson admitted Friday that the tensions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have not completely dissolved, despite ongoing negotiations between the two circuits.
However, the six-time major winner remained adamant that the rival golf league is not going anywhere because of what it offers to golf fans.
Ahead of the first tournament of the year on U.S. soil, Mickelson appeared on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning to discuss the stark differences between the two circuits and how LIV's unique structure taps into a market the PGA Tour has previously been unable to.
Phil Mickelson of the United States plays a shot on the 17th hole during a practice round prior to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 11, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
"I wouldn't say it's gone," Mickelson said of the tension. "We're about growing the game globally, and the PGA Tour has always been about growing the game nationally. So if you look at it like that, there's a lot of criticism that we take in the United States, but if you look globally the way LIV Golf is received, it's incredible."
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The Saudi-backed golf league launched in 2022 and was met with serious backlash after shaking up the golf world by drawing away many of the Tour's biggest stars with lucrative signings.
The fractured relationship between the two circuits appeared to be on the mend after the PGA Tour, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) and the DP World Tour signed a framework agreement in June 2023. However, the parties involved failed to come to any agreement before that deal expired at the end of the year.
Since then, President Donald Trump has gotten involved with the goal of reuniting golf.
President Donald Trump, driven by his son Eric Trump, arrives at Trump National Doral during the LIV Golf Miami tournament on Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Miami. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
TRUMP SAYS PGA-LIV 'MERGE' WOULD BE A 'GREAT THING' AS TALKS BETWEEN TOURS CONTINUE
"There's always a need for traditional golf and traditional competition and the historical events, but we are not appealing to the younger crowd, historically, until now," Mickelson added. "LIV is appealing to a younger crowd and making golf cool again and enjoyable to watch. And when you come out and watch, you have a much more relaxed feel and people are enjoying that vibe.
"There's a need and demand for what LIV Golf provides."
Trump is working to facilitate negotiations with the PGA Tour and PIF in the new commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.
Phil Mickelson of Hyflyers GC celebrates a birdie on the 4th hole on day three of LIV Golf Hong Kong at The Hong Kong Golf Club on March 9, 2025 in Hong Kong. (Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images)
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"Ultimately, hopefully, the two tours are going to merge. That'll be good. I'm involved in that too," Trump said Thursday. "But hopefully we're going to get the two tours to merge. You have the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing."
The PGA Tour reportedly rejected PIF's latest bid to invest into PGA Tour Enterprises. ESPN reported Friday, citing sources, that the tour rejected the $1.5 billion investment bid.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Paulina Dedaj is a Sports Reporter for Fox News Digital.
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Former President Barack Obama told a crowd Thursday night that some sacrifice might be necessary in order to resist President Donald Trump's policies.
Obama spoke at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, on Thursday and accused the Trump administration of trying to destroy the post-World War II international order, according to the Washington Post.
During the speech, Obama called Trump's behavior "contrary to the basic compact we have as Americans" and called on students to do more in order to resist Trump's policies.
"It has been easy during most of our lifetimes to say you are a progressive, or say you are for social justice, or say you are for free speech, and not have to pay a price for it…And now we're in one of those moments when…it's not enough just to say you're for something. You may actually have to do something and possibly sacrifice a little bit," Obama said.
JAMES CARVILLE BLAMES SECRETIVE DEMOCRATIC MANEUVERING FOR 'SELF-ENGINEERED DEFEAT' IN 2024
Former President Barack Obama takes the stage during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Obama also said law firms and universities need to take a more active role in resisting Trump, arguing there would be massive pushback if he tried to sanction law firms.
"It's unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me or a whole bunch of my predecessors," Obama said.
KAMALA HARRIS WAS 'VERY ANNOYED' WITH OBAMA AS SHE SOUGHT HIS ENDORSEMENT, BOOK REVEALS
Former President Barack Obama, left, speaks with then-President-elect Donald Trump before the State Funeral Service for former President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
Obama said he is "deeply concerned with a federal government that threatens universities if they don't give up students who are exercising their right to free speech."
"All of you have grown up in an international order that was created by America after World War II. … This is an important moment because in the last two months, the U.S. government has been trying to destroy that order," Obama said. "Democracy is pretty recent in its vintage. An international order where you cooperate instead of fight is new. It's fragile."
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Former President Barack Obama speaks at a rally. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
The Thursday night speech at Hamilton College was not recorded.
Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.
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Idaho farmer Dean Dimond joins 'Jesse Watters Primetime' to fire back at feds seeking wind turbines in prime livestock region.
A major part of a first-of-its-kind green energy project, which the Biden administration bragged about, is now lying in ruins and polluting some of America's beautiful ocean and seashore in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Exclusive images obtained by Fox News Digital show the shattered remains of what is left of an ocean wind turbine constructed by Vineyard Wind in a green energy project touted by the Biden administration.
The turbine was recently struck by lightning and destroyed just months after one of its blades dangerously fell into the Atlantic Ocean, dropping non-biodegradable fiberglass shards into the water, some of which washed ashore, forcing six Nantucket beaches to close.
EX-BIDEN CAMPAIGN STAFFER SLAMS FORMER PRESIDENT'S TEAM FOR KNOWING HE WAS 'NOT CAPABLE,' FEELS 'LIED TO'
Exclusive images obtained by Fox News Digital show the shattered remains of what is left of an ocean wind turbine constructed by Vineyard Wind in a green energy project touted by the Biden administration.
The Cape Cod Times reported that the broken turbine was hit by lightning on Feb. 27 and "caught fire, and detached."
Today – just a few years after the Biden administration announced the project in 2021 – the turbine sits in ruins with its interior materials being exposed just about 14 nautical miles from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
In May 2021, the Biden-era Department of Interior announced the approval of the construction and operation of the Vineyard Wind project, which it said would be the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States. The administration touted the project as contributing to their green energy goals.
Former President Joe Biden's Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland called the project an "important step toward advancing the Administration's goals to create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change and powering our nation."
EX-BIDEN AIDE SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT WAS 'FATIGUED, BEFUDDLED, AND DISENGAGED' PRIOR TO JUNE DEBATE: BOOK
A major part of a first-of-its-kind green energy project, which the Biden administration bragged about, is now lying in ruins and polluting some of America's beautiful ocean and seashore in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
She said it was "one of many actions we are determined to take to open the doors of economic opportunity to more Americans."
Biden's Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, "This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration's ambitious climate goals, and I'm proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind."
However, after the project went down in literal flames, local residents had much more choice words to say about the Biden administration's "ambitious climate goals."
"Everybody wants a healthy planet, but when the ones advocating for a green planet are the ones damaging it, it makes you pause," Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy, a Nantucket homeowner, told Fox News Digital after the blade detached and fell into the ocean.
‘RUINED BY NEGLIGENCE': DAVE PORTNOY BLASTS NANTUCKET WIND FARM AFTER BROKEN BLADE SHUTS DOWN BEACHES
Boats are pictured along one of Nantucket's wharfs. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Portnoy lamented those who paid good money only to be unable to visit the closed beaches.
"Families save up for years to take a vacation to Nantucket only to have it ruined by negligence," he said.
Mary Chalke, another local resident, posted on X on Mar. 23 that she was continuing to find blade fiberglass debris washing ashore on a Nantucket beach on the south side of the island.
The Vineyard Gazette reported that the broken blade had a manufacturing defect that was not caught during inspections and that there were 66 other blades in the project that could potentially have the same problem. The outlet reported that Vineyard Wind has been ordered to remove all the potentially defective blades.
DEMS MUM ON TRUMP'S COURT FIGHTS DESPITE TRYING TO LIMIT BIDEN-BLOCKING JUDGES
The turbine was recently struck by lightning and destroyed just months after one of its blades dangerously fell into the Atlantic Ocean, dropping non-biodegradable fiberglass shards into the water, some of which washed ashore, forcing six Nantucket beaches to have to be closed. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
The outlet said that as of January, only one turbine of the 62 planned was running.
A source familiar with the project said its catastrophic failure is a "shining example of how these failed green energy projects pose a hazard to the environment."
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"It wasn't by chance that this wind turbine was struck by lightning just months after it fell apart into the ocean," the source said.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump paused new or renewed approvals, rights-of-way, permits, leases or loans for offshore wind projects pending a review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices. He also issued a memorandum temporarily withdrawing the Outer Continental Shelf from offshore wind leasing.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday at NATO headquarters in Belgium that the U.S. has to 'reset the global order of trade.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed Friday that the U.S. has "to reset the global order of trade" and that President Donald Trump is "absolutely right to do it."
Rubio, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, made the remark after taking issue with a reporter's claim that world economies are "crashing" in the wake of Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs.
"We have to be a country to think we're the largest consumer market in the world, and yet the only thing we export is services, and we need to stop that," Rubio said. "We need to get back to a time where we are a country that can make things, and to do that, we have to reset the global order of trade."
"So the president rightly has concluded that the current status of global trade is bad for America and good for a bunch of other people. And he's going to reset it, and he's absolutely right to do it," Rubio added.
WORLD LEADERS REACT TO TRUMP'S SWEEPING TARIFFS: ‘TUMULTUOUS TIMES' AHEAD
Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool)
The secretary of state said the "worst thing" the U.S. could do is leave the global trade system "the way it is forever."
"I mean, this is, just can't continue. We can't continue to be a country that doesn't make things. We have to be able to make things to provide jobs for Americans... it's that simple," he said. "China, as an example. I mean, it's outrageous. I mean, they don't consume anything. All they do is export and flood and distort markets in addition to all the tariffs and barriers they put in place."
SENATE APPROVES RESOLUTION AGAINST TRUMP'S CANADA TARIFFS HOURS AFTER ‘LIBERATION DAY' EVENT
President Donald Trump holds a chart as he delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden titled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
Rubio added, "If you're a company and you make a bunch of your products in China and all of a sudden shareholders or people that play the stock market realize that it's going to cost a lot more to produce in China, your stock is going to go down, but ultimately the markets, as long as they know what the rules are going to be moving forward, and as long as you can sustain where you're going to be, the markets will adjust."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the U.S. has "to reset the global order of trade." (AP/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool)
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"Businesses around the world, including in trade and global trade, they just need to know what the rules are. Once they know what the rules are, they will adjust to those rules," he said. "So I don't think it's fair to say economies are crashing. Markets are crashing because markets are based on the stock value of companies who today are embedded in modes of production that are bad for the United States."
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
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Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.
Former NFL player Clint Bruce, who decided to serve the U.S. by becoming a Navy SEAL after his football career, travels around the country sharing word of wisdom about leadership with athletes.
Bruce graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned Aloha Bowl MVP honors in 1996. He was inducted into the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium Hall of Fame in 2009.
Bruce went on to have stints in the league with the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints. He is currently a successful motivational speaker. In an exclusive sit-down with Fox News Digital, Bruce shared what motivates him to help today's athletes in any way he can.
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Former Navy SEAL Clint Bruce (Hold Fast HQ)
"I'm always going to go visit with athletes, because athletes … I think always have an extraordinary amount of pressure on them, always trying to prove someone right, prove somebody wrong," Bruce told Fox News Digital.
"And I just remember what it was like to be an athlete. I remember how meaningful it was for me when I had an opportunity to learn from people who have been from where I said I wanted to go."
Ohio State coach Ryan Day entered this past season under considerable pressure. The criticism of the coach ramped up after the Buckeyes once again failed to defeat their top rival, the Michigan Wolverines, in late November. Day ultimately sent a strong message to the doubters as he guided Ohio State to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day hoists the trophy with his players after defeating Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship on Jan. 20, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Bruce said he "could tell" how good the 2024 Buckeyes were going to be early on.
"That team … I think I can tell how good someone's going to be based on who asked the questions and what the questions are. And one of the things I always say is, if your best and your youngest are curious, [then] you're going to win, it's just a question of when," Bruce said.
"Curiosity is a catalyst. … So what was interesting about this team is who was curious and how curious they were. Their best players were asking the hardest questions, and they weren't [just] football questions."
Bruce said having the courage to ask questions was something he learned during his military service days.
"In the special operations community, when your senior enlisted [members] are curious [and they] start asking questions, everybody who is afraid to ask a question now has permission to ask it. On the battlefield, you don't want to learn out there … you want to learn before we go out there."
Bruce said he has been repeatedly asked by the players and coaches to return and speak to the team. Next week, he will deliver the keynote speech at the 2025 Ohio State coaches clinic, Day announced on Wednesday.
The clinic will also feature a wide receiver roundtable with Joey Galloway, Brian Hartline, Santonio Holmes and Carnell Tate. The event is scheduled for April 10-12.
During an appearance on the "The Triple Option" podcast last month, Day credited the Navy SEALs for providing the Buckeyes with some added motivation during their run to the national title.
NAVY SEAL COACHING PROGRAM OFFERS ‘FULL RESET' IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS: 'NOTHING SHORT OF LIFE-CHANGING'
"He's been really good for me in the process of understanding what it means to be a leader," Day said in reference to the mutual respect he shares with Bruce.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day reacts after defeating Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship on Jan. 20, 2025. (Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
"The soldiers are doing all the fighting. It's your job as a head coach, leader and captain to look along the horizon and figure out what's coming next. There are so many parallels between the military and coaching. He and I would share a lot of conversations."
Day credited Bruce for delivering an "unbelievable talk" to the Buckeyes before their playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns in January.
"We played down in Dallas, and just by chance, the fort he is stationed at was like five minutes from our hotel," Day said. "He just came over and gave our team an unbelievable talk. He talked about how when the SEALs go to a hot spot in Afghanistan or different places, they set up shop, take a few days to get regulated with the area, then they create a storm, wreck and then leave. That was what we were doing. It was really cool. I'm just trying to find as many people who are in the top 1% of the top 1% as possible and put them in my life as possible."
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Last month, Day was rewarded with a contract extension that will tie him to the football program through the 2031 season. Day also became the second-highest-paid coach in college football, trailing only Georgia's Kirby Smart.
Since leaving the Navy, Bruce remains active with his company, HoldFast. The organization focuses on leadership and showcases transitioning veterans as speakers and professional executive coaches.
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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
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The White House has fired multiple administration officials, including at least four National Security Council staffers, three sources familiar with the move told CNN.
The firings came after Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who once claimed 9/11 was an inside job, urged President Donald Trump during a Wednesday meeting to get rid of several members of his National Security Council staff, including his principal deputy national security adviser, claiming that they are disloyal.
One of the sources said Loomer had compiled a list of roughly a dozen names, and that the subsequent firings were a direct result of the meeting with Loomer, who was an influential voice around Trump during his 2024 campaign last fall.
Trump defended letting people go when talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday. “Always, we're going to let go of people – people that we don't like, or people that we don't think can do the job, or people that may have loyalties to someone else,” Trump said. But he said Loomer was not involved in Wednesday's firings, calling her “a very good patriot.”
The Trump administration also fired the director and deputy director of the National Security Agency, CNN reported late Thursday.
Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong was not among those who had been dismissed on Wednesday. However, one White House official speculated to CNN Thursday that Wong could be out as soon as later that day, though a final decision had not been made.
Wong was one of the advisers specifically targeted by Loomer, who publicly questioned his loyalty to Trump and criticized him privately as a “Never Trumper.”
One of the sources speculated that National Security Adviser Michael Waltz may have been reluctant to fire Wong because he has been embroiled in the controversy surrounding the leak of controversial Signal messages related to military strikes on Yemen that Waltz and his team have been under fire for initiating.
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The four officials fired include Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence and a former top staffer for now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as Waltz's legislative director in Congress; David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security who served in the State Department during Trump's first administration; and Maggie Dougherty, senior director for international organizations.
“NSC doesn't comment on personnel matters,” NSC spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement to CNN.
All of the officials who were fired went through the same vetting process in the last several months — which included questions about loyalty to Trump's agenda — that was run by the now-director of the Presidential Personnel Office, Sergio Gor.
Trump praised Loomer Thursday, saying that while she has recommended firing people in the past, “yesterday, she recommended some people for jobs.”
“She is a very strong person, and I saw her yesterday for a little while and she has her, she makes recommendations of things and people,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “And sometimes I listen to those recommendations, like I do with everybody, I listen to everybody, and then I make a decision.”
Loomer didn't offer details on the meeting but said she'd “continue reiterating the importance of strong vetting.”
“Out of respect for President Trump and the privacy of the Oval Office, I'm going to decline on divulging any details about my Oval Office meeting with President Trump,” Loomer told CNN earlier Thursday. “It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my findings, I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of strong vetting, for the sake of protecting the President and our national security.”
The Oval Office meeting with Loomer, which was first reported by The New York Times, took place as the president and his economic team were preparing the tariff announcement in the Rose Garden.
Waltz had been in the Oval Office for other meetings when Loomer arrived for an audience with Trump and stayed as the president met with Loomer.
It came as Waltz has faced increased criticism from Trump administration officials and those close to the president for creating the Signal chain where sensitive information regarding an impending US attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen was shared. While Trump has publicly said he is standing by Waltz, and top White House officials insist he has no plans to fire him, multiple sources familiar with behind-the-scenes conversations tell CNN that Trump is waiting to see how it all plays out.
Waltz traveled with Trump to Miami on Thursday ahead of the LIV Golf tournament at the president's Doral club, two sources familiar with his schedule said, including departing the White House with the president on Marine One.
Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff who was among the advisers who worked to control Loomer's access to Trump during the campaign, was present for the Wednesday meeting, sources familiar with the meeting said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was seen greeting Loomer before she left the White House campus, was in the meeting for part of it. Communications Director Steven Cheung and Vice President JD Vance also attended, sources said.
GOP Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, a fierce defender of Trump who was also present for the meeting, brought a list of staff concerns to discuss with the president, one source told CNN. However, he was not initially scheduled to meet with the president alongside Loomer.
It was unclear when the Loomer meeting was placed on the schedule, but one aide said the presence of Wiles and Gor underscored that it was a sanctioned meeting. Gor, who is seen as one of the president's most loyal aides, has been among the advisers who has been fielding complaints from MAGA world about Waltz.
This is not the first time that an activist has been linked to the firing of national security officials, underscoring the influence those voices hold in Trump's second administration.
Christopher Rufo, an activist, published internal logs that showed staffers allegedly exchanging explicit messages in National Security Agency chat rooms; Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard within days announced that she had fired people over the revelations. Rufo was known for amplifying false allegations that Haitian immigrants were eating residents' house pets in Ohio during the campaign by announcing a $5,000 bounty for evidence of the claims that it was happening in Springfield in a post on X that was viewed more than 4.6 million times.
After publication, Rufo said that “I said the opposite,” pointing CNN to a blog post he wrote claiming to have found evidence that “some migrants in Ohio appear to have been ‘eating the cats,' though not exactly in the manner [then-candidate Donald] Trump described” in a presidential debate. He claimed to have found evidence that African migrants in Dayton, Ohio, had barbecued a cat.
“If this occurred in Dayton, where the migrant population is relatively small, it could be going on down the road in Springfield, where it is relatively much larger,” Rufo wrote in the 2024 blog post.
Loomer, who twice ran for Congress unsuccessfully in Florida, has made a career out of courting controversy.
Rising out of the radical right-wing online ecosystem, she has regularly tested the willingness of internet companies to enforce their terms of service. She once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and tweeted in 2018 that “someone needs to create a non Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver.” She was eventually banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, now known as X. (Loomer told CNN last fall she is not “anti-Muslim.”)
Loomer — who once posted a video on social media claiming that the attack on the World Trade Center towers was an “inside job” — appeared with Trump last fall when he mingled with firefighters to observe the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.
During the campaign, Loomer often appeared at events where Trump was speaking and her bombastic social media posts sometimes appeared to preview Trump's next line of attack. Some saw it as no coincidence that during his debate with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump talked about immigrants “eating the pets” of Ohioans, referencing the rumor circulated online, including by Loomer, who was seen deboarding Trump's private plane ahead of the debate.
Loomer also said during the campaign that if Harris, who is half Indian, won, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.”
This story has been updated with additional developments, comments from President Donald Trump, additional context surrounding claims that migrants were eating pets in Ohio and to clarify the timing of Lutnick's greeting with Loomer at the White House on Wednesday.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
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President Donald Trump has reportedly fired National Security Agency Director Timothy Haugh, who also leads U.S. Cyber Command, and NSA Deputy Director Wendy Noble.
The Trump administration fired National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh and civilian Deputy Director Wendy Noble, a senior defense official confirmed to Fox News.
The reasons for the firing remain unclear as of early Friday. They were first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday.
Haugh also served as commander of the U.S. Cyber Command – a position from which he was also dismissed. Noble was reassigned to serve in the office of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, according to the Post.
Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees, reacted to the alleged firings late Thursday night.
TRUMP ADMIN MOVES TO MORE EASILY FIRE FEDERAL WORKERS AT 2 AGENCIES: REPORT
President Trump reportedly fired National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh, who also commanded U.S. Cyber Command, and reassigned civilian Deputy Director Wendy Noble. (U.S. Air Force website)
Himes, a ranking member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he is "deeply disturbed" by Haugh's dismissal.
"I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first—I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this Administration," he said in a statement, adding an "immediate explanation" is needed for this decision.
Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, described Haugh's firing as "astonishing" in a statement.
TRUMP CONFIRMS NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL FIRINGS AS WALTZ'S SIGNAL CHAT WOES SNOWBALL
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, described President Trump's decision to fire Gen. Timothy Haugh as "astonishing" in a statement. (Reuters)
"General Haugh has served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years. At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyber threats, as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored, how does firing him make Americans any safer?" Warner said.
The senator described Haugh as a "nonpartisan, experienced leader" and said it is astonishing that President Donald Trump would fire him before holding "any member of his team accountable for leaking classified information on a commercial messaging app."
He continued, "even as he apparently takes staffing direction on national security from a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office."
Sen. Mark Warner accused President Trump of making national security firings based on the guidance of far-right activist Laura Loomer. (Getty Images)
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Warner is appearing to refer to Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who reportedly presented Trump with a list of disloyal National Security Counsel staff members who should be fired.
An undisclosed number of NSC employees were dismissed on Thursday, but Trump has said Loomer was not involved in those firings.
Fox News Digital reached out to the NSA for comment but was referred to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
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State Department warns of popular tourist destination due to recent crime. Travel safety expert Kevin Coffey joins 'Fox & Friends' with tips to prepare for a trip abroad.
A criminal drug ring in Mexico that frequently terrorized a resort near Cancún popular with American tourists was dismantled following an undercover sting operation by law enforcement.
The state attorney general's office in Quintana Roo reported that the undercover operation, carried out in a hotel located in Costa Mujeres, in the Continental Zone - aka the Hotel Zone - nabbed a criminal drug-dealing gang, whose members, they say, "constantly came to this establishment to demand services and threaten staff and sell drugs."
The agency said that upon arriving at the lodging center in the pool's bathroom area, police agents were attacked by two alleged members of the gang, who were carrying firearms.
One of the alleged criminals lost his life after attempting to attack the agents, while another was arrested.
JUDGE OFFICIALLY CLEARS JOSHUA RIIBE IN PITT STUDENT SUDIKSHA KONANKI'S SPRING BREAK DR DISAPPEARANCE
Members of the attorney general's office in Mexico on a beach in Cancún. (iStock/Fiscalía General QR)
Investigators also seized two firearms, one of them described as exclusive to the military.
Following the altercation, police searched to find the other gang members.
Reports show the incident allegedly happened at the Riu Palace hotel in Costa Mujeres, though the resort would not confirm if this was related to its establishment.
YOUNG AMERICAN TOURISTS' CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED AFTER THEY WERE FOUND 'MOTIONLESS' AT BEACH RESORT
Aerial panoramic view of Cancún city hotel zone in Mexico. (iStock)
"Due to this case being under investigation and due to the prosecutor's office being the one who sent the official statement, we just can share its own statement," the resort shared in a statement with Fox News Digital.
"This was an isolated situation, it was solved. The only person who lost his life was a suspected criminal."
This latest incident comes after a University of Pittsburgh student vanished off a beach at the Riu Republica hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, during a spring break trip in March.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Loudoun County, Virginia, was last seen walking on a beach outside the five-star resort in the early morning hours of March 6.
OKLAHOMA COLLEGE STUDENTS SAY THEY WERE DRUGGED AT CANCUN RESORT POOL BAR IN VACATION NIGHTMARE
Members of the National Guard patrol a beach in the Hotel Zone of Cancún, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, in 2021. (Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It was later revealed that the college student went swimming during a red-flag warning with a male hotel guest, who was considered a witness in Konanki's disappearance, but has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.
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The parents of Konanki sent a letter to La Policia Nacional, the Dominican national police force, nearly two weeks following their daughter's disappearance, stating that "Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned."
Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.
Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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President Donald Trump, center, arrives on Air Force One at Miami International Airport, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top congressional Democrats on Thursday protested the reported firing of Gen. Tim Haugh as director of the National Security Agency, with one lawmaker saying the decision “makes all of us less safe.”
The Washington Post reported late Thursday that Haugh and his civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, had been dismissed from those roles. Haugh also headed U.S. Cyber Command, which coordinates the Pentagon's cybersecurity operations. The Post report cited two current U.S. officials and one former U.S. official who requested anonymity.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement: “General Haugh has served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years. At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyber threats ... how does firing him make Americans any safer?”
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said he was “deeply disturbed by the decision.”
“I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first — I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this Administration,” Himes added. “The Intelligence Committee and the American people need an immediate explanation for this decision, which makes all of us less safe.”
Earlier Thursday, President Donald Trump said he had fired “some” White House National Security Council officials, a move that came a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty.
Loomer during her Oval Office conversation with Trump urged the president to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently loyal to his “Make America Great Again” agenda, according to several people familiar with the matter. They all spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel manner.
“Always we're letting go of people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he made his way to Miami on Thursday afternoon. “People that we don't like or people that we don't think can do the job or people that may have loyalties to somebody else.”
The firings come as Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz continues to fight calls for his ouster after using the publicly available encrypted Signal app to discuss planning for the sensitive March 15 military operation targeting Houthi militants in Yemen.
Warner said Thursday night, “It is astonishing, too, that President Trump would fire the nonpartisan, experienced leader of the National Security Agency while still failing to hold any member of his team accountable for leaking classified information on a commercial messaging app — even as he apparently takes staffing direction on national security from a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office.”
Haugh met last month with Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has roiled the federal government by slashing personnel and budgets at dozens of agencies. In a statement, the NSA said the meeting was intended to ensure both organizations are “aligned” with the new administration's priorities.
Haugh had led both the NSA and Cyber Command since 2023. Both departments play leading roles in the nation's cybersecurity. The NSA also supports the military and other national security agencies by collecting and analyzing a vast amount of data and information globally.
Cyber Command is known as America's first line of defense in cyberspace and also plans offensive cyberoperations for potential use against adversaries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently ordered the office to pause some offensive cyberoperations against Russia, in another sign of how Trump's administration is transforming the work of the nation's intelligence community.
Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller and David Klepper contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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US District Judge James Boasberg said Thursday that he is looking at whether “probable cause” exists to hold Trump administration officials in contempt for violating his orders halting the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.
The comments from Boasberg mark a significant escalation in a standoff between the administration and the chief judge of the trial-level court in Washington, DC, over deportation flights it allowed to continue last month despite his orders that the government turn the planes around immediately pending a legal challenge to Trump's use of the sweeping wartime authority.
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The case has emerged as one of the highest-profile and most contentious court battles of President Donald Trump's second term, with the president calling for Boasberg's impeachment over his handling of the matter, leading to a rare rebuke of the rhetoric from Chief Justice John Roberts.
Boasberg signaled repeatedly during a hearing Thursday afternoon that he was inclined to move forward with contempt proceedings, including, potentially, with witness testimony from government officials – though the judge added that he won't make a decision on whether to do so until next week at the earliest. At the start of the hearing, he told Justice Department attorney Drew Ensign that there was a “fair likelihood” that the government didn't comply with his orders but that he was open to be persuaded otherwise.
Thursday's hearing lasted less than an hour, but much of it featured tense exchanges between Boasberg and Drew Ensign, a Justice Department attorney whose answers to the judge's questions about the government's actions last month seemed to irk the court.
Ensign at times stonewalled Boasberg, claiming that he couldn't answer some of the judge's questions because the information sought was covered by attorney-client-privilege. And the lawyer appeared exasperated as he ticked through the individuals within the Trump administration whom he quickly told about the judge's orders on March 15.
But his non-answer on certain questions central to the defiance issue drew some of the most notable responses from the judge.
“You standing here have no idea who made the decision to not to bring the planes back or have the passengers not be disembarked upon arrival?” Boasberg asked at one point after Ensign said he didn't know who made those calls.
”As we proceed with potential contempt proceedings, that may become relevant,” the judge added.
Throughout the hearing, the judge appeared visibly frustrated with Ensign. He threw his glasses onto the table in front of him in frustration as he questioned the attorney, who stuttered through some of his responses, declaring that he had no knowledge of the operational details of the flights headed to El Salvador.
The judge's questions revealed his belief that the government rushed to deport migrants under the Alien Enemies Act proclamation to get ahead of a potential court order that would block the administration from doing so.
Noting that, even before Trump's proclamation was released, government officials were organizing flights that would ultimately remove the migrants under the authority, Boasberg said the “only inference” was that preparations were being made to quickly deport people under the 1798 law once it was announced. Once the proclamation was released, prompting an overnight challenge from the ACLU, the government continued to move forward with deportation plans, Boasberg pointed out.
“Why wouldn't the prudent thing be to say, ‘Let's slow down here. let's see what the judge says?'” Boasberg asked.
The tension in the courtroom was palpable – onlookers never took their eyes off the judge as he pressed Ensign on whether he truly did not know that people were still being put on the planes carrying deportees on March 15, including Kilmar Armando Abrego-Garcia, whom the Trump administration has admitted was sent to El Salvador due to an “administrative error.”
Lawyers from the Justice Department looked visibly concerned during the proceedings, with one placing his hand on his forehead and looking down as the questioning intensified.
At the center of the case is Trump's invocation of the sweeping wartime authority in a 1798 law to let his administration quickly carry out the deportations. Shortly after, civil rights group representing the Venezuelans mounted a legal challenge, and Boasberg said from the bench during a March 15 hearing that any planes carrying migrants deported under the authority must immediately return to the US.
But two such flights carrying more than 100 migrants continued to El Salvador the day of the hearing, and Boasberg promptly embarked on a fact-finding mission about the flights, vowing to “get to the bottom of whether they violated my order – who ordered this and what the consequences will be.”
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Attorneys for the Trump administration have argued that Boasberg's oral command “did not amount to a binding injunction” and that a written order he issued shortly after the proceedings is the controlling ruling in the matter.
That written order contained no such language about the planes and instead just said the administration was enjoined from removing the migrants subject to Trump's proclamation invoking the law while the judge's temporary restraining orders remained in effect.
Lawyers from the ACLU and Democracy Forward, which are representing the Venezuelans challenging Trump's proclamation, counter that the judge's written order on March 15 encompassed his oral order by including the language, “As discussed in today's hearing,” and argue that there's no question that the administration violated the court's orders.
“The purpose of the Court's order was unmistakable – to keep individuals from being handed over to a foreign government,” they told Boasberg in court papers. “And counsel for Defendants stated that he ‘understood' on March 15 that the Court had orally directed the government to turn planes around immediately.”
This story and headline have been updated after Thursday's hearing.
CNN's Angelica Franganillo Diaz contributed to this report.
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Declaring martial law in a stable and boisterous democracy was an audacious gamble – and one that backfired spectacularly for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
With Friday's guilty impeachment verdict from the country's Constitutional Court, the former prosecutor and conservative firebrand's political career is likely over, especially because Yoon still faces criminal charges that could land him in prison for life.
Dramatic scenes from South Korea one Tuesday night in December showed military helicopters landing near the National Assembly in the capital Seoul, soldiers breaking through windows to try to prevent lawmakers from gathering, and protesters confronting riot police.
But the declaration was unsuccessful. TV stations and news media continued to report unhindered, people traveled freely and there were no mass arrests. When lawmakers voted to overturn Yoon's surprise decree, security forces backed away.
In the months since, life in the South Korean capital essentially returned to normal. Businesses and restaurants were busy, streets crowded with residents and the city's usual throngs of tourists – though large, loud demonstrations for and against Yoon were frequent as the court considered his case.
Despite that return to normalcy, Yoon's short-lived declaration of martial law felt like an attack to the heart of the country's democracy. As they peacefully marched through Seoul in December, protesters expressed revulsion at the move, describing Yoon's actions to CNN as a “betrayal” and “an embarrassment,” demanding his resignation and arrest.
At one rally in the capital shortly after Yoon's late-night declaration, teacher Kyung-soo said Yoon's attacks on his opponents – including calling them “communist forces” – were “the behavior of a dictator and clearly clashes with the wishes of the people.”
Two years ago, Yoon was serenading then United States President Joe Biden with a rendition of “American Pie” by Don McLean at a White House state dinner and toasting their “ironclad” relationship.
His extreme decision surprised even the US – which has a decades-old mutual defense treaty with South Korea – with one senior Biden administration official telling CNN they were “seriously concerned by what we are seeing develop.”
As a nation still tries to understand why Yoon chose the extreme option of martial law, many are relieved that the fiasco may well be remembered as when democracy was threatened in South Korea, but ultimately survived.
Yoon, a political newcomer, took office in 2022 with the conservative People Power Party, winning the presidential election by a margin of less than 1%.
He had spent almost 30 years as a prosecutor, leading high-profile investigations into corruption scandals that included a graft probe against former President Park Geun-hye that led to her impeachment and landed her in prison.
On the campaign trail, Yoon appealed to the country's growing anti-feminist movement, and committed to abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which he claimed is unfair to men.
And while his predecessor Moon Jae-in favored dialogue with North Korea, Yoon took a tougher stance, promising to bulk up the South's military, and even hinting he would launch a preemptive strike if he saw signs of a launch against Seoul.
In office, Yoon clashed fiercely with the opposition. Last year, opposition parties overwhelmingly won elections seen as a referendum on Yoon's rule and took control of the National Assembly.
This left him a lame-duck president prevented from moving forward on legislation to cut taxes and ease business regulations, as his main rivals in the Democratic Party used parliament to impeach key cabinet members and hold up a budget bill.
It was this gridlock that Yoon used to try to justify his fateful decree.
In his speech declaring martial law, he labeled the opposition's actions “clear anti-state behavior aimed at inciting rebellion” and referenced “threats posed by North Korea's communist forces,” vowing to “eliminate anti-state elements.”
Former foreign minister Kyung-wha Kang told CNN that the idea of communist sympathizers or anti-state agents scheming to overthrow the government was “completely unrelated to anything I can see happening in the country.”
While Yoon had previously “claimed to advocate for fairness and common sense” as president, “his words and actions reflect a dictator's,” said Park Sung-min, analyst at Min Consulting in Seoul.
“It seems like a political suicide.”
But Yoon's eventual decision to rescind the decree showed he was “not a man who's trying to seize power, or create a second term, or prolong his rule,” said Sydney Seiler, senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“From the ruling party's perspective, (he's) trying to get the ball moving. He probably thought he had much more support within the ruling party for his actions than he actually did.”
Observers say Yoon's decision to declare martial law may have been more self-serving.
After taking office, he faced plummeting approval ratings over economic issues and a series of scandals involving his wife and political appointments that prompted calls for him to resign.
First Lady Kim Keon Hee was accused in 2023 of accepting a $2,200 Christian Dior bag as a gift – a potential violation of anti-graft laws. A secretly filmed video that surfaced online purported to show Kim receiving a cloud-blue “Lady Dior Pouch” from a Korean-American pastor.
The first lady is no stranger to controversy. Over the past few years, she has apologized for resumé-padding and has faced allegations ranging from academic plagiarism to stock manipulation, which the presidential office has repeatedly denied.
The main opposition Democratic Party accused Yoon of “concealing suspicions” surrounding his wife, and the mounting public backlash even caused a rift between Yoon and senior members of his party.
“Yoon tends to act more on instinct than rationality, embodying a reckless ‘lonely hero' persona,” said Ahn Byung-jin, professor at the global academy for future civilizations at Kyung Hee University.
“He perceives the current situation as an existential crisis, especially with attempts to impeach members of his cabinet, cut the budget, and push for special investigations against his wife. He believes he is seriously cornered.”
Yoon is now the second president to be ousted by the Constitutional Court – and the shortest-serving elected leader in the nation's democratic history.
And his legal troubles are not over. In a separate case, Yoon was arrested in January on charges of leading an insurrection, then released in March after a court canceled his arrest warrant – though it did not drop the charges.
Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges a president does not have immunity from – and is punishable by life imprisonment or death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades.
The indictment had alleged that Yoon's imposition of martial law – during which he sent troops to parliament, with commanders testifying they were ordered to “drag out” lawmakers – was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest politicians and election authorities.
For some South Koreans, such as pastor Kwak Dong-seok, Yoon has worked to address economic issues, and is correct in his claims of “anti-state” forces in the country.
“Martial law is often criticized as excessive, but in some cases, it has been justified as a measure to prevent the establishment of a communist regime,” said Kwak, who organizes regular conservative rallies and political activities.
But others say Yoon's decision shows how far removed he was from public sentiment.
“Korean democracy started late, but we made it by ourselves and are very proud of it,” said school principal Kim Hyeon. Yoon's attempt at martial law demonstrates that “the president's way of thinking doesn't match our society,” she said.
Many say the botched martial law and subsequent democratic proceedings show that South Korean democracy is alive and well.
“Korean democracy has the awareness and capability to prevent any impulsive actions by a dictator,” said Park from Min Consulting.
CNN's Brad Lendon, Hanna Park, Eunseo Jeong, Jessie Yeung, Rebecca Wright, Ivan Watson, Nectar Gan, Gawon Bae, Yoonjung Seo, and Antoinette Radford contributed reporting.
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Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Mexico celebrated Thursday being excluded from the general tariffs applied by the United States to the entire world and that the North American free trade agreement (USMCA) will remain in force. “There are no additional tariffs, not even for Canada,” said President Claudia Sheinbaum. “And that is good for our country.”
Mexico may have avoided further tariffs from the U.S, however its auto industry has still been affected. (AP/ Christian Torres, Fernanda Pesce, Martín Silva Rey and Alexis Triboulard)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum gives her morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
An employee works at a plant that produces parts for large electric vehicles in Mexico City, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Bundles of copper cables sit at a plant that produces parts for large electric vehicles in Mexico City, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A worker cuts cables at a plant that produces parts for large electric vehicles in Mexico City, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Workers arrive at the Stellantis car assembly plant in Toluca, Mexico, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Cars are parked outside of the Stellantis car assembly plant in Mexico City, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
A worker sands metal at a plant that produces parts for large electric vehicles in Mexico City, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico celebrated Thursday having dodged the latest round of tariffs from the White House taking aim at dozens of U.S. trading partners around the world, but was also quickly reminded that in a global economy the effects of uncertainty can't be entirely avoided.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said the free-trade agreement signed by Mexico, Canada and the U.S. during Trump's first administration had shielded Mexico.
Now her government will focus on the existing 25% U.S. tariffs on imported autos, steel and aluminum, while accelerating domestic production to safeguard jobs and reduce imports.
“During my last call with President Trump, I said that, in the case of reciprocal tariffs, my understanding was that there wouldn't be tariffs (on Mexico), because Mexico doesn't place tariffs on the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard noted that despite having free-trade agreements with the U.S., many countries were targeted by the tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday on what he dubbed “Liberation Day.” Trump framed the tariffs as a way to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
Noting that Mexico escaped the latest round of tariffs, Ebrard said swaths of Mexican exports including agricultural products like avocados, clothing and electronics will continue to enter the U.S. without import duties.
Ebrard said it wasn't a given that the free-trade agreement would be preserved, “because in a new commercial order based on tariffs it's very hard for a free-trade agreement to survive.” The fact that it did, puts Mexico at a competitive advantage, because “it's going to be cheaper to produce in Mexico than in any other part of the world.”
Oscar Ocampo, a specialist in foreign trade at the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, a think tank, said “the United States is closing off to the rest of the world and in relative terms closing off less with Mexico and that is an opportunity.”
Sheinbaum is seeking to use that opportunity to encourage companies producing in Mexico who had not been exporting under the free-trade agreement for various reasons to take the necessary steps to qualify. She cited major German auto producers as an example.
Qualifying for the free-trade agreement could involve anything from doing paperwork to making adjustments to the sourcing of a product.
Despite Trump's latest tariffs not being imposed on Mexico, the uncertainty they created and the interconnectedness of the North American auto supply chains meant it didn't take long for the effects to touch Mexico.
Stellantis, maker of auto brands including Dodge and Jeep, announced that it would pause production at its assembly plant in Toluca west of Mexico City for the month of April while it assesses the tariffs' impact on its operations. The company has more than 15,000 employees in Mexico. A similar temporary production halt was scheduled for an assembly plant in Canada and some 900 workers were to be temporarily laid off across several plants in the United States.
That uncertainty is part of the reasons why Sheinbaum is pushing Plan Mexico, an initiative to promote and cultivate more domestic production.
As an example, she cited a collaboration between her government, local universities and Mexican companies Megaflux and Dina to produce electric buses for public transportation.
Ebrard said recently that the buses represent not only a technological advance in Mexico, but also a “strategic decision” in favor of Mexico's industrial sovereignty.
At a factory in Mexico City, the electric buses called Taruk — trail-runner in the Indigenous Yaqui language – are already in production. Megaflux Director General Roberto Gottfried said the company hopes to deliver some 200 by year's end.
He noted that some 70% of the Taruk's components are produced in Mexico, including its motor, but the lithium batteries that power them come from China.
In a country where one out of every three people use public transportation every day, developing this sector domestically is critical, Gottfried said.
Despite the global economic challenges presented by the uncertainty caused by tariffs, he said, Mexico's large internal market gives the initiative a competitive advantage to develop and weather the storm.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2025 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
Turning Point USA at UC Davis was hosting an event with guest speaker Brandon Tatum when masked protesters showed up. (Credit: Turning Point USA)
A group of conservative students were assaulted and had their equipment destroyed on Thursday when masked protesters attacked them before an event on a California university campus.
Turning Point USA at UC Davis, a registered student organization, was hosting a "Prove me Wrong" event with Brandon Tatum, a guest speaker, when protesters destroyed camera gear, a tent, event signage, flipped tables, and assaulted group staff, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, wrote on X.
"While our people were under attack, police stood aside and did nothing," he wrote. "Our team is understandably shaken up, but they assure me they will not back down."
VIDEO SHOWS ARREST OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY STUDENT FOR ALLEGEDLY SUPPORTING HAMAS
Protesters violently disrupted a conservative student event at the University of California, Davis on Thursday. (Turning Point USA )
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the university said protesters disrupted the event at Memorial Union Quad by confronting members of the student organization and others.
"The UC Davis Police Department took one report of an assault," the school said. "No one requested medical aid. The event with the guest speaker took place on schedule and was completed without further incident. The university protected the free speech rights of the campus community throughout the event."
Protesters seen at the University of California, Davis. (Turning Point USA )
The student group invited Tatum, a former police officer known for his popular YouTube Channel, to speak on the campus at 1 p.m. An hour before the event began, about 30 people approached the tent and table staffed by supporters of the event.
One demonstrator struck someone who approached the table with a cell phone, the school said. Other demonstrators pulled down the tent and engaged in shoving with those staffing the tent and others nearby. The protesters left the area before returning minutes later and trying to remove a tent.
ICE DETAINS TUFTS UNIVERSITY STUDENT AMID TRUMP ADMIN'S CRACKDOWN
The UC Davis logo with a soccer game and bike riders in the background. University of California at Davis. Davis, California. Taken February 2, 2015. (Getty Images)
No one has been arrested.
Videos of the chaos posted online show protesters holding a large banner with "ACAB," an acronym for "All Cops Are Bastards," as they approached the event area.
Kirk criticized the university, which he called the "most militant school in the country, with the largest Antifa presence."
"When I spoke there in March of 2023, Antifa foot soldiers vandalized the school, smashed windows and fought the police," he said. "What we have is a pattern, with no signs of improvement."
Reacting to the news of the incident, Elon Musk wrote on X that "the left is the party of violence & hate."
Charlie Kirk speaks during Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee in July 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
A video posted by Tatum online shows him defending himself as the protesters appeared to destroy a TPUSA tent and tables.
"This is what mostly peaceful looks like," he wrote.
Kirk called for the arrest of those involved and that failing to do so will result in "radical anarchists" resorting to "more and more violence if they think doing so will stop conservatives from speaking."
Brandon Tatum (Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images)
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He urged UC Davis to show its willingness to protect free speech and freedom of assembly on a public campus.
"If they won't, then the Trump Administration should investigate their continued receipt of federal taxpayer dollars," he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Turning Point USA.
Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.
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As the stock market continues to fall, some investors are eager to "buy the dip," or purchase assets at temporarily lower prices. Financial advisors, however, urge clients to stick with long-term investing plans amid the latest volatility.
U.S. stocks plunged on Thursday after President Donald Trump issued sweeping tariffs on more than 180 countries and territories. The sell-off continued Friday after China unveiled plans to impose a 34% retaliatory tariff on all goods imported from the U.S.
As of Friday afternoon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 1,700 points following a 1,679.39 drop on Thursday. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 was off 4.8% after losing 4.84% the previous day. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid by 4.9% after plummeting 5.97% on Thursday.
More from Personal Finance:'You're running out of time' to claim an IRS stimulus check, tax expert saysDisability advocates sue Social Security and DOGE to stop service cutsJean Chatzky: Amid tariff turmoil, 'you do not want to time the market'
If you're looking for buying opportunities while assets are down, here are some things to consider, according to financial advisors.
When asset values fall, there's often chatter in online communities like Reddit about whether to "buy the dip." Typically, investors aim to buy at a discount and expect an eventual recovery, which could lead to future gains.
While buying cheaper investments isn't a bad idea, the strategy can be tricky to execute since, of course, no one can predict stock market moves, experts say.
"We never recommend timing the market, mostly because it is impossible to do without simply getting lucky," said certified financial planner Eric Roberge, CEO of Beyond Your Hammock in Boston.
Instead, you should "stick to a thoughtful, rules-based investment strategy designed to get you through to your long-term goals," he said.
When buying assets during a market downturn, you need a "disciplined approach," according to CFP Jay Spector, co-chief executive officer of EverVest Financial in Scottsdale, Arizona.
For example, some investors linger in cash while waiting for rock-bottom prices. But no one can predict the bottom of the market, experts say.
Waiting on the sidelines can be costly because the best returns can follow the biggest dips, according to research from Bank of America.Rather than trying to time the bottom, you should consider "dollar-cost averaging," which systematically invests your money at set intervals, Spector said. The strategy can capture lower prices while reducing risk, he said.
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This is CNBC's coverage of how U.S. trade partners, industries and employers respond to President Donald Trump's historic tariffs.
What you need to know
CNBC's reporters are covering the tariffs and their effects, live on air and online from our bureaus in Washington; London; Singapore; San Francisco; and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "Trump is using tariffs in the dumbest way possible."
"Trump slapped tariffs on penguins, but not on Putin," said Schumer, D-N.Y., from the Senate floor during Friday debate of the Republican budget resolution.
"Yep, that's true. He sanctioned the Heard and McDonald islands, only inhabited by penguins, but he left Putin's evil Russia alone. That's what happens when you have no clue to what you're doing."
Schumer noted that there are smart ways use tariffs but said, "Donald Trump is using tariffs in the dumbest way possible."
— Dan Mangan
Klarna and StubHub are delaying their long-awaited debuts on the public markets because of market turbulence, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.
Neither of the companies, which had filed their IPO prospectuses in recent weeks, have a timeline for when they will pursue an offering, the person said.
The announcements are a major blow for venture capital firms, who were counting on a reinvigorated IPO market in the Trump administration after a miserable last few years for big exits.
Digital physical therapy startup Hinge Health filed its IPO prospectus in March, and Circle, the company behind the USDC stablecoin, disclosed its plans to go public earlier this week. It's unclear if the companies will adjust their IPO plans as the market continues to digest the impact of Trump's tariffs plan.
— Annie Palmer
Hyundai Motor on Friday said it will not raise prices on its current lineup of vehicles because of potential increases in costs due to tariffs as part of a new "customer assurance" program through June 2.
The South Korean automaker said during the roughly two-month "protection window," the manufacturer's suggested retail price, or MSRP, of its Hyundai and Genesis vehicles will remain as they are, despite Trump's 25% auto tariffs on imported vehicles taking effect Thursday.
"We know consumers are uncertain about the potential for rising prices and we want to provide them with some stability in the coming months," Hyundai CEO José Muñoz said in a statement.
— Michael Wayland
Stellantis is joining its Detroit rival Ford Motor in offering employee discounts on new vehicles to all consumers in the wake of auto tariffs.
The owner of brands such as Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep on Friday said the employee-pricing deal will run through April 30.
"This week we launched aggressive and consistent incentive and marketing support for April, including an exciting and competitive enhancement that will allow our customers 'America's Freedom of Choice' between Employee Price or current cash incentives," Stellantis said in an emailed statement.
U.S. auto sales in the first quarter came in higher than expected as consumers flocked to buy cars ahead of auto tariffs taking effect, which many expect will lead to elevated vehicle prices.
The employee pricing is viewed as a way to support dealers and company sales amid potential price increases and economic uncertainty due to Trump's tariffs.
— Michael Wayland
The White House put out a statement saying, "President Trump's Tariffs Are Already Delivering Wins for Americans," as the benchmark S&P 500 index dropped by 4.5%.
"Americans are already seeing the early results of President Donald J. Trump's bold declaration earlier this week that the days of economic surrender are over," the White House said.
The statement touted moves by U.S. automakers on the heels of the tariffs announcement.
"Nissan announced it will maintain two shifts at its Tennessee production facility — a reversal of the automaker's earlier plan to eliminate one of the shifts," the statement said. "General Motors announced it will increase truck production at its Indiana assembly plant."
"Ford Motor Company and Stellantis both announced they will offer U.S. consumers employee pricing on their vehicles."
"That's on top of the trillions in investment announced in recent weeks as companies from around the world anticipated President Trump's tariffs, ultimately benefiting the American people," the White House said.
— Dan Mangan
Technology stocks fell for a second session Friday and the tech-heavy Nasdaq headed for its worst week in five years after Trump's tariff policy sparked global market turmoil and trade war fears.
Tesla and and Nvidia led the decline among the so-called Magnificent Seven group, dropping about 9% and 7%, respectively. Apple and Meta Platforms fell 4% each.
The Nasdaq is coming off its worst trading day since 2020. During Thursday's session, the Magnificent Seven stocks lost a collective $1 trillion in market value.
— Samantha Subin
Nintendo said Friday that preorders for the company's hotly anticipated game console, Switch 2, would be delayed while the company assesses how Trump's tariffs will affect the market.
"Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," a Nintendo representative told CNBC. "Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged."
The delay is one of the highest-profile examples of Trump's reciprocal tariffs impacting the business plans of electronics companies, which primarily manufacture in Asian countries. It's also a sign that Trump's tariffs could cause uncertainty for consumers.
Nintendo did not say if it would raise the price of the console, which it announced earlier this week as $450 in the United States. IPC, a trade group focused on electronics manufacturing, estimated on Friday that game console prices could rise by 50% due to the tariffs announced on Wednesday.
— Kif Leswing
Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein believes Trump should let countries negotiate his newly announced "reciprocal" tariff rates.
"The switchboard at the WH must be burning up with gov'ts trying to surrender in this trade war. Why not give them a chance?" Blankfein said Friday in a post on X.
He added that Trump should allow the 10% baseline tariff to remain but delay the "reciprocal" tariffs by six months.
"Take the win! The Prez said he'd make us tired of winning…I'm there now!" he also said.
— Sean Conlon
Building airplanes is going to get more expensive under Trump's new tariffs and additional reciprocal measures from other countries, industry members warned.
The aerospace and defense industry, which helps soften the U.S. trade deficit to the tune of about $100 billion a year in exports, said it wants the Trump administration to uphold a 1980 agreement that has allowed for mostly duty-free trade for that sector.
"The line is certainly long" for requests to the White House, aid Dak Hardwick, vice president of international affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents Boeing, GE Aerospace, Airbus and dozens of other aerospace and defense companies.
Read the full story here.
— Leslie Josephs
Klarna is reportedly holding off on its planned initial public offering following Trump's wide-sweeping tariff plan that has rattled financial markets over the last two trading sessions.
The financial technology company has reportedly pushed off plans to start marketing shares Monday, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Klarna declined CNBC's request for comment.
— Samantha Subin
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday he expects Trump's tariffs to raise inflation and lower growth, creating a "highly uncertain outlook."
However, Powell indicated that the central bank won't move on interest rates until it gets a clearer picture on the ultimate impacts. His comments came shortly after Trump urged the Fed to "stop playing politics" and cut interest rates because inflation is down.
"Our obligation is to keep longer-term inflation expectations well anchored and to make certain that a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem," Powell said in prepared remarks. "We are well positioned to wait for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance. It is too soon to say what will be the appropriate path for monetary policy."
— Jeff Cox, Yun Li
Streaming now: Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaking live about interest rates and tariffs.
Nike shares rose after Trump said he spoke to a key Vietnamese official about a potential agreement to reduce tariffs.
The footwear and apparel giant's stock climbed about 5% in late-morning trading.
Nike manufactures about 25% of its footwear in Vietnam. Its shares plummeted Thursday after Trump announced a new 46% tariff on goods from the country.
— Jacob Pramuk
Trump said in a social media post that he spoke with the head of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party about potentially cutting stiff new U.S. tariffs on imports from that country down to "zero" if the two nations can negotiate a deal.
On Wednesday, Trump slapped a new tariff of 46% on goods imported from Vietnam, which is set to take effect next week.
"Just had a very productive call with To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, who told me that Vietnam wants to cut their Tariffs down to ZERO if they are able to make an agreement with the U.S." Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"I thanked him on behalf of our Country, and said I look forward to a meeting in the near future," Trump wrote.
Nike's share price rose after Trump's post. About 25% of Nike's footwear is made in Vietnam.
— Dan Mangan
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to convince countries that announce retaliatory tariffs to exempt products that are made in California from their levies.
Newsom said he's "pursuing new strategic partnerships with international trading partners." He also noted that his state has close trade ties with Mexico, Canada and China.
California has a massive economy. The Trade Partnership Worldwide estimated earlier this week that the Golden State would be the hardest hit by Trump's moves.
— Michele Luhn
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now 1,400 points lower as the stock market sell-off picks up speed. The Nasdaq Composite is down 4.7%. If the index closes there, it will be 21% lower than its high in December — what Wall Street considers a bear market. Read all of CNBC's market coverage here.
— Josephine Rozzelle
Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said Trump's global tariffs could force the media giant to slash spending, according to a report in the newsletter Status.
Iger made the assessment during an unannounced stop at a daily editorial meeting at Disney-owned ABC News, as journalists discussed the market plunge sparked by Trump's trade barriers, Status reported. Iger said tariffs on steel imports could raise the cost of two Disney cruise ships currently under construction.
Iger said if prices climb too high, Disney could have to cut spending, according to the report.
The account offers a rare private glimpse into a major CEO's thinking about the escalating global trade conflict. Top executives have so far been hesitant to comment publicly on the turmoil.
— Jacob Pramuk
Fore!
Trump arrived at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, as major stock indexes dropped by more than 3% on the second day of market fallout over his wide-ranging tariff plan.
The president plans to attend a "candlelight dinner" later at his Mar-a-Lago Club.
Trump earlier in the day boasted about "far better than expected" job numbers that were released.
— Dan Mangan
With stocks plunging again Friday as worries of a global trade war intensify, Jim Cramer warned it's not time to abandon stocks.
"Get out now moment? There should never be one," Cramer wrote to his Investing Club on Friday morning. "Treasury yields say recession? Yes. But there are things that can help the economy, such as lower interest rates. The market now sees five Fed rate cuts this year."
Another silver lining: U.S. oil prices have fallen to $61 a barrel. "Lower oil means lower gas prices, which can help bring inflation down," Cramer said. "The Fed is torn between helping economic growth or taming inflation. The market now sees five cuts this year."
Read the rest of Jim's 10 things to watch in the stock market.
— Jeff Nash
Trump hit back at the Beijing administration following China's decision to impose 34% retaliatory tariffs on all U.S. goods in the wake of Washington's own sweeping levies.
"CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED - THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!" Trump said on the Truth social media platform.
This is not the U.S. president's first altercation with Beijing, after entertaining a tenuous trade relationship with China throughout his first term in the White House.
— Ruxandra Iordache
The Dow opened with a 900-point loss, getting crushed for a second day as fears about a global trade war heightened. Markets continued to sink in the first few minutes of trading. Read all of CNBC's market coverage here.
— Elisabeth Cordova
Trump touted a better-than-expected March jobs report as proof of the strength of his agenda.
"GREAT JOB NUMBERS, FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED. IT'S ALREADY WORKING. HANG TOUGH, WE CAN'T LOSE!!!" he wrote on Truth Social.
The latest nonfarm payrolls report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics covers the month ending mid-March — before Trump's latest tariff announcements.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt also celebrated the strong jobs numbers.
"The economy is starting to roar with a strong 228,000 jobs added in the month of March — well ahead of the market's expectation," she said in a statement.
"There was also a sharp increase in transportation, construction, and warehousing employment. The President's push to onshore jobs here in the United States is working. The Golden Age of America is on its way!"
— Kevin Breuninger
The tariffs rolled out by President Donald Trump this week have pushed the odds of a recession this year up to 60% from 40%, according to JPMorgan.
"These policies, if sustained, would likely push the US and possibly global economy into recession this year," Bruce Kasman, head of global economic research, said in a note to clients late Thursday.
Economic projections related to the tariffs will be something of a moving target in the coming weeks as more details emerge about both the U.S. plan and any reaction by trading partners. For example, Kasman's note was published before China's Finance Ministry announced that it would impose its own 34% tariff on U.S. imports in retaliation for the Trump administration's decision.
— Jesse Pound
The toy aisle is about to get more expensive.
For decades, U.S. toy companies have worked with Chinese manufacturers to bring the hottest action figures, dolls and games to retail shelves. Vietnam became a solid secondary market for companies looking to diversify their factory locations amid growing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Trump slapped China with an additional 34% duty Wednesday, bringing the total tax on goods from the nation to 54%, and hit Vietnam with a 46% tariff. The levy is far higher than what toy companies expected and could lead to massive price hikes on toys, industry experts said.
Around 77% of toys imported into the United States come from China, according to data from The Toy Association. Vietnam is third, just behind Mexico.
"You could have anywhere from 35% to potentially even a point-for-point price increase on products depending upon what margin those products run at," Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of The Toy Association, told CNBC. "It may actually just be a 50% price increase, given it's a 54% tariff."
Most toy margins are in the high single digits, he noted. So, there is very little wiggle room for companies to absorb these fees.
"There's no place for it to go, but to the consumer," Ahearn said.
Read the full story here.
— Sarah Whitten
Trump shared a social media video that defends his recent policy decisions by arguing he is deliberately crashing the stock market as a strategic play to force lower interest and mortgage rates.
"Trump is crashing the stock market by 20% this month, but he's doing it on purpose," alleged the video, which Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
The president shared a link to an X post from the account @AmericaPapaBear, a self-described "Trumper to the end." The X post itself appears to be a repost of a weeks-old TikTok video from user @wnnsa11.
"Now here's the secret game he's playing, and it could make you rich," the video says.
"So why is he doing this? To push cash into treasuries, which forces the Fed to slash interest rates in May, and those lower rates give the fed the ability to refinance trillions of debt very inexpensively," it says.
"It also weakens the dollar and drops mortgage rates," the video says. "Now it's a wild chess move, but it's working."
"Now you're probably wondering, what about his tariffs? Well, I'll tell you, it's a genius play. It actually forces companies to build here to dodge them. It also forces farmers to sell more of their products here in the U.S., to bring grocery prices way down."
"Now, remember, 94% of all stocks are owned only by 8% of Americans. So Trump, he's taking from the rich short term and handing it to the middle class through lower prices," it says.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
— Kevin Breuninger
Trump in a Truth Social post encouraged more foreign spending in the U.S., assuring that investors can bet on his economic agenda long term.
"TO THE MANY INVESTORS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES AND INVESTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE," Trump wrote in the all-caps post.
"THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH, RICHER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!"
— Kevin Breuninger
Auto giants have responded to Trump's tariffs by announcing plans to raise prices, impose import fees, pause production and even layoff staff.
The White House on Thursday introduced 25% tariffs on foreign auto imports, noting that it also intends to place tariffs on some auto parts no later than May 3. The measures, which were separate to Trump's sweeping new tariffs on major trading partners, have hit the global automotive industry hard.
German auto giant Volkswagen is said to be planning to add import fees to the sticker prices of its vehicles shipped to the U.S. in response to Trump's tariffs. Europe's biggest carmaker has also reportedly halted all rail shipments of vehicles built in Mexico to the U.S.
Stellantis, meanwhile, announced on Thursday it will pause production at two assembly plants in Canada and Mexico. The move means about 900 workers in the U.S. at supporting plants will be temporarily laid off.
Read the full story here.
— Sam Meredith
Oil prices plunged on Friday as China struck back with 34% tariffs on imported U.S. goods in response to Washington's own duties against Beijing.
The Ice Brent contract with June expiry was trading at $65.42 per barrel at 8:22 a.m. ET, down 6.73% from the Thursday close price. The front-month May Nymex WTI contract was at $62.03 per barrel, lower by 7.35% from the previous session's settlement.
Oil is particularly sensitive to tensions between the two economic powerhouses, given China's status as the world's largest crude importer and the U.S. dollar's role in denominating crude commodities.
Read the latest oil commodity wrap.
— Ruxandra Iordache
Trump's schedule for Friday is clear, save for attending a "Candlelight Dinner" for the super political action committee MAGA Inc., according to the White House.
The dinner is at Trump's Palm Beach club and residence, Mar-a-Lago. Trump arrived there Thursday evening after catching another dinner for the LIV golf tour at his Doral Golf Club in Miami.
— Kevin Breuninger
Snap-on CEO Nick Pinchuk said Friday that the company is "resistant to the effect, not immune" to the tariffs.
The manufacturing company currently has 80% of its products made in America, he said.
"One of the good things about the tariffs, and I don't think there's many good things, is the fact that it puts in rather harsh perspective how hard it is to manufacture," Pinchuk said on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
Pinchuk said the true problem lies in America not having the skilled labor and the weight of regulations.
"The government needs to celebrate manufacturing for the special American calling it's always been, rather than say it's a consolation prize," he said.
Finding the best and cheapest goods can go too far, Pinchuk added, and Americans already understood that reshoring was good. Instead, he said, the tariffs will introduce uncertainty into the grassroots economy.
"I think this could've been implemented in a much more thoughtful way, and actually, we didn't need broad tariffs," he said.
— Laya Neelakandan
China's finance ministry on Friday said it will impose a 34% tariff on all goods imported from the U.S.
The China tariffs take effect April 10.
The move follows Trump's tariff announcement on April 2, where he instituted a 10% baseline tariff on all countries and much higher rates on many others. He put a 34% tariff on China, though combined with preexisting tariffs, the effective rate is 54%.
"China urges the United States to immediately cancel its unilateral tariff measures and resolve trade differences through consultation in an equal, respectful and mutually beneficial manner," the ministry said, according to a Google translation.
Read CNBC's full article here.
— Ruxandra Iordache
The weekend is looking like a breeze for Trump — if not for stock market investors hammered by the fallout from his new tariffs.
The White House posted a tweet showing Trump walking with his hair, tie and suit jacket blown back from the wind, with the italicized message, "Almost Friday."
The tweet's jaunty vibe contrasted with a metaphorical bloodbath on Wall Street, where the major stock indices all suffered big drops.
— Dan Mangan
Nissan Motor's luxury Infiniti brand has indefinitely paused production of two Mexico-built crossovers for the U.S. in response to the newly imposed 25% tariffs on imported vehicles by Trump.
In a memo to the brand's retailers, Infiniti Americas Vice President Tiago Castro said QX50 and QX55 output for the U.S. is halted "until further notice" due to the tariffs, Automotive News reported Thursday.
A company spokesman confirmed the actions Thursday afternoon to CNBC and said the Japanese automaker is reviewing its "production and supply chain operations to identify optimal solutions for efficiency and sustainability."
"We will continue to evaluate the impact, as well as market needs, to make any additional adjustments to production," Nissan said in an emailed statement.
Separately, Nissan on Thursday confirmed it will maintain two shifts of production of the Nissan Rogue crossover at its Smyrna, Tennessee, plant that is free of the new auto tariffs.
Nissan had planned to scale back Rogue production in Smyrna to a single shift starting this month.
— Michael Wayland
President Donald Trump's tariff plan sent ripples through U.S. markets and baffled economists and investors alike. Click here to read CNBC's previous Day 2 coverage.
— Elisabeth Cordova
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In this article
Warren Buffett went on the record Friday to deny social media posts after President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social a fan video that claimed the president is tanking the stock market on purpose with the endorsement of the legendary investor.
Trump on Friday shared an outlandish social media video that defends his recent policy decisions by arguing he is deliberately taking down the market as a strategic play to force lower interest and mortgage rates.
"Trump is crashing the stock market by 20% this month, but he's doing it on purpose," alleged the video, which Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
The video's narrator then falsely states, "And this is why Warren Buffett just said, 'Trump is making the best economic moves he's seen in over 50 years.'"
The president shared a link to an X post from the account @AmericaPapaBear, a self-described "Trumper to the end." The X post itself appears to be a repost of a weeks-old TikTok video from user @wnnsa11. The video has been shared more than 2,000 times on Truth Social and nearly 10,000 times on X.
Buffett, 94, didn't single out any specific posts, but his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway outright rejected all comments claimed to be made by him.
"There are reports currently circulating on social media (including Twitter, Facebook and Tik Tok) regarding comments allegedly made by Warren E. Buffett. All such reports are false," the company said in a statement Friday.
CNBC's Becky Quick spoke to Buffett Friday about this statement and he said he wanted to knock down misinformation in an age where false rumors can be blasted around instantaneously. Buffett told Quick that he won't make any commentary related to the markets, the economy or tariffs between now and Berkshire's annual meeting on May 3.
While Buffett hasn't spoken about this week's imposition of sweeping tariffs from the Trump administration, his view on such things has pretty much always been negative. Just in March, the Berkshire CEO and chairman called tariffs "an act of war, to some degree."
"Over time, they are a tax on goods. I mean, the tooth fairy doesn't pay 'em!" Buffett said in the news interview with a laugh. "And then what? You always have to ask that question in economics. You always say, 'And then what?'"
During Trump's first term, Buffett opined at length in 2018 and 2019 about the trade conflicts that erupted, warning that the Republican's aggressive moves could cause negative consequences globally.
"If we actually have a trade war, it will be bad for the whole world … everything intersects in the world," Buffett said in a CNBC interview in 2019. "A world that adjusts to something very close to free trade … more people will live better than in a world with significant tariffs and shifting tariffs over time."
Buffett has been in a defensive mode over the past year as he rapidly dumped stocks and raised a record amount of cash exceeding $300 billion. His conglomerate has a big U.S. focus and has large businesses in insurance, railroads, manufacturing, energy and retail.
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This is CNBC's coverage of how U.S. trade partners, industries and employers respond to President Donald Trump's historic tariffs.
What you need to know
CNBC's reporters are covering the tariffs and their effects, live on air and online from our bureaus in Washington; London; Singapore; San Francisco; and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Klarna and StubHub are delaying their long-awaited debuts on the public markets because of market turbulence, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.
Neither of the companies, which had filed their IPO prospectuses in recent weeks, have a timeline for when they will pursue an offering, the person said.
The announcements are a major blow for venture capital firms, who were counting on a reinvigorated IPO market in the Trump administration after a miserable last few years for big exits.
Digital physical therapy startup Hinge Health filed its IPO prospectus in March, and Circle, the company behind the USDC stablecoin, disclosed its plans to go public earlier this week. It's unclear if the companies will adjust their IPO plans as the market continues to digest the impact of Trump's tariffs plan.
— Annie Palmer
Hyundai Motor on Friday said it will not raise prices on its current lineup of vehicles because of potential increases in costs due to tariffs as part of a new "customer assurance" program through June 2.
The South Korean automaker said during the roughly two-month "protection window," the manufacturer's suggested retail price, or MSRP, of its Hyundai and Genesis vehicles will remain as they are, despite Trump's 25% auto tariffs on imported vehicles taking effect Thursday.
"We know consumers are uncertain about the potential for rising prices and we want to provide them with some stability in the coming months," Hyundai CEO José Muñoz said in a statement.
— Michael Wayland
Stellantis is joining its Detroit rival Ford Motor in offering employee discounts on new vehicles to all consumers in the wake of auto tariffs.
The owner of brands such as Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep on Friday said the employee-pricing deal will run through April 30.
"This week we launched aggressive and consistent incentive and marketing support for April, including an exciting and competitive enhancement that will allow our customers 'America's Freedom of Choice' between Employee Price or current cash incentives," Stellantis said in an emailed statement.
U.S. auto sales in the first quarter came in higher than expected as consumers flocked to buy cars ahead of auto tariffs taking effect, which many expect will lead to elevated vehicle prices.
The employee pricing is viewed as a way to support dealers and company sales amid potential price increases and economic uncertainty due to Trump's tariffs.
— Michael Wayland
The White House put out a statement saying, "President Trump's Tariffs Are Already Delivering Wins for Americans," as the benchmark S&P 500 index dropped by 4.5%.
"Americans are already seeing the early results of President Donald J. Trump's bold declaration earlier this week that the days of economic surrender are over," the White House said.
The statement touted moves by U.S. automakers on the heels of the tariffs announcement.
"Nissan announced it will maintain two shifts at its Tennessee production facility — a reversal of the automaker's earlier plan to eliminate one of the shifts," the statement said. "General Motors announced it will increase truck production at its Indiana assembly plant."
"Ford Motor Company and Stellantis both announced they will offer U.S. consumers employee pricing on their vehicles."
"That's on top of the trillions in investment announced in recent weeks as companies from around the world anticipated President Trump's tariffs, ultimately benefiting the American people," the White House said.
— Dan Mangan
Technology stocks fell for a second session Friday and the tech-heavy Nasdaq headed for its worst week in five years after Trump's tariff policy sparked global market turmoil and trade war fears.
Tesla and and Nvidia led the decline among the so-called Magnificent Seven group, dropping about 9% and 7%, respectively. Apple and Meta Platforms fell 4% each.
The Nasdaq is coming off its worst trading day since 2020. During Thursday's session, the Magnificent Seven stocks lost a collective $1 trillion in market value.
— Samantha Subin
Nintendo said Friday that preorders for the company's hotly anticipated game console, Switch 2, would be delayed while the company assesses how Trump's tariffs will affect the market.
"Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," a Nintendo representative told CNBC. "Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged."
The delay is one of the highest-profile examples of Trump's reciprocal tariffs impacting the business plans of electronics companies, which primarily manufacture in Asian countries. It's also a sign that Trump's tariffs could cause uncertainty for consumers.
Nintendo did not say if it would raise the price of the console, which it announced earlier this week as $450 in the United States. IPC, a trade group focused on electronics manufacturing, estimated on Friday that game console prices could rise by 50% due to the tariffs announced on Wednesday.
— Kif Leswing
Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein believes Trump should let countries negotiate his newly announced "reciprocal" tariff rates.
"The switchboard at the WH must be burning up with gov'ts trying to surrender in this trade war. Why not give them a chance?" Blankfein said Friday in a post on X.
He added that Trump should allow the 10% baseline tariff to remain but delay the "reciprocal" tariffs by six months.
"Take the win! The Prez said he'd make us tired of winning…I'm there now!" he also said.
— Sean Conlon
Building airplanes is going to get more expensive under Trump's new tariffs and additional reciprocal measures from other countries, industry members warned.
The aerospace and defense industry, which helps soften the U.S. trade deficit to the tune of about $100 billion a year in exports, said it wants the Trump administration to uphold a 1980 agreement that has allowed for mostly duty-free trade for that sector.
"The line is certainly long" for requests to the White House, aid Dak Hardwick, vice president of international affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents Boeing, GE Aerospace, Airbus and dozens of other aerospace and defense companies.
Read the full story here.
— Leslie Josephs
Klarna is reportedly holding off on its planned initial public offering following Trump's wide-sweeping tariff plan that has rattled financial markets over the last two trading sessions.
The financial technology company has reportedly pushed off plans to start marketing shares Monday, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Klarna declined CNBC's request for comment.
— Samantha Subin
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday he expects Trump's tariffs to raise inflation and lower growth, creating a "highly uncertain outlook."
However, Powell indicated that the central bank won't move on interest rates until it gets a clearer picture on the ultimate impacts. His comments came shortly after Trump urged the Fed to "stop playing politics" and cut interest rates because inflation is down.
"Our obligation is to keep longer-term inflation expectations well anchored and to make certain that a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem," Powell said in prepared remarks. "We are well positioned to wait for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance. It is too soon to say what will be the appropriate path for monetary policy."
— Jeff Cox, Yun Li
Streaming now: Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaking live about interest rates and tariffs.
Nike shares rose after Trump said he spoke to a key Vietnamese official about a potential agreement to reduce tariffs.
The footwear and apparel giant's stock climbed about 5% in late-morning trading.
Nike manufactures about 25% of its footwear in Vietnam. Its shares plummeted Thursday after Trump announced a new 46% tariff on goods from the country.
— Jacob Pramuk
Trump said in a social media post that he spoke with the head of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party about potentially cutting stiff new U.S. tariffs on imports from that country down to "zero" if the two nations can negotiate a deal.
On Wednesday, Trump slapped a new tariff of 46% on goods imported from Vietnam, which is set to take effect next week.
"Just had a very productive call with To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, who told me that Vietnam wants to cut their Tariffs down to ZERO if they are able to make an agreement with the U.S." Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"I thanked him on behalf of our Country, and said I look forward to a meeting in the near future," Trump wrote.
Nike's share price rose after Trump's post. About 25% of Nike's footwear is made in Vietnam.
— Dan Mangan
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to convince countries that announce retaliatory tariffs to exempt products that are made in California from their levies.
Newsom said he's "pursuing new strategic partnerships with international trading partners." He also noted that his state has close trade ties with Mexico, Canada and China.
California has a massive economy. The Trade Partnership Worldwide estimated earlier this week that the Golden State would be the hardest hit by Trump's moves.
— Michele Luhn
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now 1,400 points lower as the stock market sell-off picks up speed. The Nasdaq Composite is down 4.7%. If the index closes there, it will be 21% lower than its high in December — what Wall Street considers a bear market. Read all of CNBC's market coverage here.
— Josephine Rozzelle
Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said Trump's global tariffs could force the media giant to slash spending, according to a report in the newsletter Status.
Iger made the assessment during an unannounced stop at a daily editorial meeting at Disney-owned ABC News, as journalists discussed the market plunge sparked by Trump's trade barriers, Status reported. Iger said tariffs on steel imports could raise the cost of two Disney cruise ships currently under construction.
Iger said if prices climb too high, Disney could have to cut spending, according to the report.
The account offers a rare private glimpse into a major CEO's thinking about the escalating global trade conflict. Top executives have so far been hesitant to comment publicly on the turmoil.
— Jacob Pramuk
Fore!
Trump arrived at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, as major stock indexes dropped by more than 3% on the second day of market fallout over his wide-ranging tariff plan.
The president plans to attend a "candlelight dinner" later at his Mar-a-Lago Club.
Trump earlier in the day boasted about "far better than expected" job numbers that were released.
— Dan Mangan
With stocks plunging again Friday as worries of a global trade war intensify, Jim Cramer warned it's not time to abandon stocks.
"Get out now moment? There should never be one," Cramer wrote to his Investing Club on Friday morning. "Treasury yields say recession? Yes. But there are things that can help the economy, such as lower interest rates. The market now sees five Fed rate cuts this year."
Another silver lining: U.S. oil prices have fallen to $61 a barrel. "Lower oil means lower gas prices, which can help bring inflation down," Cramer said. "The Fed is torn between helping economic growth or taming inflation. The market now sees five cuts this year."
Read the rest of Jim's 10 things to watch in the stock market.
— Jeff Nash
Trump hit back at the Beijing administration following China's decision to impose 34% retaliatory tariffs on all U.S. goods in the wake of Washington's own sweeping levies.
"CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED - THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!" Trump said on the Truth social media platform.
This is not the U.S. president's first altercation with Beijing, after entertaining a tenuous trade relationship with China throughout his first term in the White House.
— Ruxandra Iordache
The Dow opened with a 900-point loss, getting crushed for a second day as fears about a global trade war heightened. Markets continued to sink in the first few minutes of trading. Read all of CNBC's market coverage here.
— Elisabeth Cordova
Trump touted a better-than-expected March jobs report as proof of the strength of his agenda.
"GREAT JOB NUMBERS, FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED. IT'S ALREADY WORKING. HANG TOUGH, WE CAN'T LOSE!!!" he wrote on Truth Social.
The latest nonfarm payrolls report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics covers the month ending mid-March — before Trump's latest tariff announcements.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt also celebrated the strong jobs numbers.
"The economy is starting to roar with a strong 228,000 jobs added in the month of March — well ahead of the market's expectation," she said in a statement.
"There was also a sharp increase in transportation, construction, and warehousing employment. The President's push to onshore jobs here in the United States is working. The Golden Age of America is on its way!"
— Kevin Breuninger
The tariffs rolled out by President Donald Trump this week have pushed the odds of a recession this year up to 60% from 40%, according to JPMorgan.
"These policies, if sustained, would likely push the US and possibly global economy into recession this year," Bruce Kasman, head of global economic research, said in a note to clients late Thursday.
Economic projections related to the tariffs will be something of a moving target in the coming weeks as more details emerge about both the U.S. plan and any reaction by trading partners. For example, Kasman's note was published before China's Finance Ministry announced that it would impose its own 34% tariff on U.S. imports in retaliation for the Trump administration's decision.
— Jesse Pound
The toy aisle is about to get more expensive.
For decades, U.S. toy companies have worked with Chinese manufacturers to bring the hottest action figures, dolls and games to retail shelves. Vietnam became a solid secondary market for companies looking to diversify their factory locations amid growing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Trump slapped China with an additional 34% duty Wednesday, bringing the total tax on goods from the nation to 54%, and hit Vietnam with a 46% tariff. The levy is far higher than what toy companies expected and could lead to massive price hikes on toys, industry experts said.
Around 77% of toys imported into the United States come from China, according to data from The Toy Association. Vietnam is third, just behind Mexico.
"You could have anywhere from 35% to potentially even a point-for-point price increase on products depending upon what margin those products run at," Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of The Toy Association, told CNBC. "It may actually just be a 50% price increase, given it's a 54% tariff."
Most toy margins are in the high single digits, he noted. So, there is very little wiggle room for companies to absorb these fees.
"There's no place for it to go, but to the consumer," Ahearn said.
Read the full story here.
— Sarah Whitten
Trump shared a social media video that defends his recent policy decisions by arguing he is deliberately crashing the stock market as a strategic play to force lower interest and mortgage rates.
"Trump is crashing the stock market by 20% this month, but he's doing it on purpose," alleged the video, which Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
The president shared a link to an X post from the account @AmericaPapaBear, a self-described "Trumper to the end." The X post itself appears to be a repost of a weeks-old TikTok video from user @wnnsa11.
"Now here's the secret game he's playing, and it could make you rich," the video says.
"So why is he doing this? To push cash into treasuries, which forces the Fed to slash interest rates in May, and those lower rates give the fed the ability to refinance trillions of debt very inexpensively," it says.
"It also weakens the dollar and drops mortgage rates," the video says. "Now it's a wild chess move, but it's working."
"Now you're probably wondering, what about his tariffs? Well, I'll tell you, it's a genius play. It actually forces companies to build here to dodge them. It also forces farmers to sell more of their products here in the U.S., to bring grocery prices way down."
"Now, remember, 94% of all stocks are owned only by 8% of Americans. So Trump, he's taking from the rich short term and handing it to the middle class through lower prices," it says.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
— Kevin Breuninger
Trump in a Truth Social post encouraged more foreign spending in the U.S., assuring that investors can bet on his economic agenda long term.
"TO THE MANY INVESTORS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES AND INVESTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE," Trump wrote in the all-caps post.
"THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH, RICHER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!"
— Kevin Breuninger
Auto giants have responded to Trump's tariffs by announcing plans to raise prices, impose import fees, pause production and even layoff staff.
The White House on Thursday introduced 25% tariffs on foreign auto imports, noting that it also intends to place tariffs on some auto parts no later than May 3. The measures, which were separate to Trump's sweeping new tariffs on major trading partners, have hit the global automotive industry hard.
German auto giant Volkswagen is said to be planning to add import fees to the sticker prices of its vehicles shipped to the U.S. in response to Trump's tariffs. Europe's biggest carmaker has also reportedly halted all rail shipments of vehicles built in Mexico to the U.S.
Stellantis, meanwhile, announced on Thursday it will pause production at two assembly plants in Canada and Mexico. The move means about 900 workers in the U.S. at supporting plants will be temporarily laid off.
Read the full story here.
— Sam Meredith
Oil prices plunged on Friday as China struck back with 34% tariffs on imported U.S. goods in response to Washington's own duties against Beijing.
The Ice Brent contract with June expiry was trading at $65.42 per barrel at 8:22 a.m. ET, down 6.73% from the Thursday close price. The front-month May Nymex WTI contract was at $62.03 per barrel, lower by 7.35% from the previous session's settlement.
Oil is particularly sensitive to tensions between the two economic powerhouses, given China's status as the world's largest crude importer and the U.S. dollar's role in denominating crude commodities.
Read the latest oil commodity wrap.
— Ruxandra Iordache
Trump's schedule for Friday is clear, save for attending a "Candlelight Dinner" for the super political action committee MAGA Inc., according to the White House.
The dinner is at Trump's Palm Beach club and residence, Mar-a-Lago. Trump arrived there Thursday evening after catching another dinner for the LIV golf tour at his Doral Golf Club in Miami.
— Kevin Breuninger
Snap-on CEO Nick Pinchuk said Friday that the company is "resistant to the effect, not immune" to the tariffs.
The manufacturing company currently has 80% of its products made in America, he said.
"One of the good things about the tariffs, and I don't think there's many good things, is the fact that it puts in rather harsh perspective how hard it is to manufacture," Pinchuk said on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
Pinchuk said the true problem lies in America not having the skilled labor and the weight of regulations.
"The government needs to celebrate manufacturing for the special American calling it's always been, rather than say it's a consolation prize," he said.
Finding the best and cheapest goods can go too far, Pinchuk added, and Americans already understood that reshoring was good. Instead, he said, the tariffs will introduce uncertainty into the grassroots economy.
"I think this could've been implemented in a much more thoughtful way, and actually, we didn't need broad tariffs," he said.
— Laya Neelakandan
China's finance ministry on Friday said it will impose a 34% tariff on all goods imported from the U.S.
The China tariffs take effect April 10.
The move follows Trump's tariff announcement on April 2, where he instituted a 10% baseline tariff on all countries and much higher rates on many others. He put a 34% tariff on China, though combined with preexisting tariffs, the effective rate is 54%.
"China urges the United States to immediately cancel its unilateral tariff measures and resolve trade differences through consultation in an equal, respectful and mutually beneficial manner," the ministry said, according to a Google translation.
Read CNBC's full article here.
— Ruxandra Iordache
The weekend is looking like a breeze for Trump — if not for stock market investors hammered by the fallout from his new tariffs.
The White House posted a tweet showing Trump walking with his hair, tie and suit jacket blown back from the wind, with the italicized message, "Almost Friday."
The tweet's jaunty vibe contrasted with a metaphorical bloodbath on Wall Street, where the major stock indices all suffered big drops.
— Dan Mangan
Nissan Motor's luxury Infiniti brand has indefinitely paused production of two Mexico-built crossovers for the U.S. in response to the newly imposed 25% tariffs on imported vehicles by Trump.
In a memo to the brand's retailers, Infiniti Americas Vice President Tiago Castro said QX50 and QX55 output for the U.S. is halted "until further notice" due to the tariffs, Automotive News reported Thursday.
A company spokesman confirmed the actions Thursday afternoon to CNBC and said the Japanese automaker is reviewing its "production and supply chain operations to identify optimal solutions for efficiency and sustainability."
"We will continue to evaluate the impact, as well as market needs, to make any additional adjustments to production," Nissan said in an emailed statement.
Separately, Nissan on Thursday confirmed it will maintain two shifts of production of the Nissan Rogue crossover at its Smyrna, Tennessee, plant that is free of the new auto tariffs.
Nissan had planned to scale back Rogue production in Smyrna to a single shift starting this month.
— Michael Wayland
President Donald Trump's tariff plan sent ripples through U.S. markets and baffled economists and investors alike. Click here to read CNBC's previous Day 2 coverage.
— Elisabeth Cordova
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Bad news, gamers — you're going to have to wait a bit longer to preorder the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo has blamed Trump's tariffs for a delay in when Americans can preorder its highly anticipated Switch 2 game console.
The company is pushing back preorders from April and will announce the new preorder date "at a later date," per a company statement shared with Business Insider.
"Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," the statement read. "Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged."
Previously, Nintendo said that North American customers would be able to preorder from "participating retailers" on April 9. The company also had plans to allow preorders directly from its website starting May 8, but the statement didn't say whether this date was also subject to change.
Nintendo said it still plans to launch the Switch 2 on June 5, with a price of $449.99.
The company previously moved some production of its original Switch from China to Vietnam due to economic tensions between China and the US.
This week, Vietnam was hit with a 46% reciprocal tariff, while China saw a 34% reciprocal tariff.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday that he expects President Donald Trump's tariffs to raise inflation and lower growth, and indicated that the central bank won't move on interest rates until it gets a clearer picture on the ultimate impacts.
In a speech delivered before business journalists in Arlington, Virginia, Powell said the Fed faces a "highly uncertain outlook" because of the new reciprocal levies the president announced Wednesday.
Though he said the economy currently looks strong, he stressed the threat that tariffs pose and indicated that the Fed will be focused on keeping inflation in check.
"Our obligation is to keep longer-term inflation expectations well anchored and to make certain that a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem," Powell said in prepared remarks. "We are well positioned to wait for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance. It is too soon to say what will be the appropriate path for monetary policy."
The remarks came shortly after Trump called on Powell to "stop playing politics" and cut interest rates because inflation is down.
There's been a torrent of selling on Wall Street following the Trump announcement of 10% across-the-board tariffs, along with a menu of reciprocal charges that are much higher for many key trading partners.
Powell noted that the announced tariffs were "significantly larger than expected."
"The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth," he said. "The size and duration of these effects remain uncertain."
While Powell was circumspect about how the Fed will react to the changes, markets are pricing in an aggressive set of interest rate cuts starting in June, with a rising likelihood that the central bank will slice at least a full percentage point off its key borrowing rate by the end of the year, according to CME Group data.
However, the Fed is charged with keeping inflation anchored with full employment.
Powell stressed that meeting the inflation side of its mandate will require keeping inflation expectations in check, something that might not be easy to do with Trump lobbing tariffs at U.S. trading partners, some of whom already have announced retaliatory measures.
A greater focus on inflation also would be likely to deter the Fed from easing policy until it assesses what longer-term impact tariffs will have on prices. Typically, policymakers view tariffs as just a temporary rise in prices and not a fundamental inflation driver, but the broad nature of Trump's move could change that perspective.
"While tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation, it is also possible that the effects could be more persistent," Powell said. "Avoiding that outcome would depend on keeping longer-term inflation expectations well anchored, on the size of the effects, and on how long it takes for them to pass through fully to prices."
Core inflation ran at a 2.8% annual rate in February, part of a general moderating pattern that is nonetheless still well above the Fed's 2% target.
In spite of the elevated anxiety over tariffs, Powell said the economy for now "is still in a good place," with a solid labor market. However, he mentioned recent consumer surveys showing rising concerns about inflation and dimming expectations for future growth, pointing out that longer-term inflation expectations are still in line with the Fed's objectives.
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President Donald Trump on Friday called for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates, even as his tariff blitz roiled markets and raised fears of a rebound in inflation.
"This would be a PERFECT time for Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to cut Interest Rates. He is always 'late,' but he could now change his image, and quickly," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Energy prices are down, Interest Rates are down, Inflation is down, even Eggs are down 69%, and Jobs are UP, all within two months - A BIG WIN for America. CUT INTEREST RATES, JEROME, AND STOP PLAYING POLITICS!"
Trump's post comes as global equity markets are selling off sharply. The president's new tariff policy, unveiled Wednesday, has raised concerns about a global economic slowdown.
The new trade policies may also be a barrier that keeps the Federal Reserve from cutting. The central bank has paused its rate cuts in recent meetings, in part because progress on reducing inflation appeared to have plateaued. The new tariffs could lead to a widespread rise in prices, at least temporarily, that further complicates the inflation picture.
On Friday, Powell told business journalists in Arlington, Virginia, that the Fed was "well positioned to wait for greater clarity" before making changes like rate reductions. He also said that the tariffs announced were "significantly larger than expected."
Market-based interest rates have already fallen sharply this week, with the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield now below 4%. Treasury yields often fall when investors are worried about a potential recession.
Movement in the fed funds futures market implies that traders now expect at least four rate cuts of 0.25 percentage point from the central bank this year, according to the CME's FedWatch tool. At a meeting last month, central bankers projected just two rate reductions.
Trump has downplayed concerns about this week's market volatility, at one point comparing the reaction to a patient who undergoes surgery.
When asked about those comments Friday, Powell said, "I make it a practice not to respond to any elected officials comments, so I don't want to be seen to be doing that. It's just not appropriate for me."
Trump regularly commented on central bank policy during his first term as president and was often at odds with Powell. That has led to speculation that he might look to remove the Fed chair before his term ends next year. Trump said in December that he does not intend to fire Powell, and the Fed chair has said he doesn't think the president is legally allowed to do so.
The Fed has two main goals in promoting price stability and maximizing employment. The March nonfarm payrolls report released Friday showed a slight increase in unemployment to 4.2%, but the rise of 228,000 jobs was more than expected.
Friday's jobs report does not reflect any impact of the tariffs announced this week.
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China's Finance Ministry on Friday said it will impose a 34% tariff on all goods imported from the U.S. starting on April 10, following duties imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration earlier this week.
"China urges the United States to immediately cancel its unilateral tariff measures and resolve trade differences through consultation in an equal, respectful and mutually beneficial manner," the ministry said, according to a Google translation.
It further criticized Washington's decision to impose 34% of additional reciprocal levies on China — bringing total U.S. tariffs against the country to 54% — as "inconsistent with international trade rules" and "seriously" undermining Chinese interests, as well as endangering "global economic development and the stability of the production and supply chain," according to a Google-translated report from Chinese state news outlet Xinhua.
Separately, China also added 11 U.S. firms to the "unreliable entities list" that the Beijing administration says have violated market rules or contractual commitments. China's Ministry of Commerce also added 16 U.S. entities to its export control list and said it would implement export controls on seven types of rare earth-related items, including samarium, gadolinium and terbium.
Beijing has also filed a formal complaint against the U.S. with the World Trade Organization, the Ministry of Commerce confirmed in a Google-translated release, saying Washington's tariffs policy "seriously violates WTO rules, seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and the international economic and trade order."
"CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED - THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!" Trump said on his Truth Social media platform.
Beijing, which also entertained a tenuous trade relationship with Washington under Trump's first term, had warned that it would take "resolute counter-measures" to safeguard its own interests after the White House disclosed its latest sweeping tariffs on Wednesday.
Other U.S. trading partners had held off from announcing retaliatory tariffs amid hopes of further negotiations, with the European Union nevertheless voicing a readiness to respond.
The mutual U.S.-China levies are set to impact a trade relationship worth $582.4 billion in goods in 2024, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Analysts expect the U.S.' protectionist trade policies to steer China toward other trading partners and see it implement further stimulus measures in an effort to galvanize the economy. China has been battling a property crisis and weak consumer and business sentiment since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
China's retaliatory tariffs announced Friday exacerbated declines in global markets which had already been thrust into turmoil by fears of inflationary, recessionary and global economic growth risks following the White House's tariffs.
U.S. stock futures fell to their session lows after China announced the retaliatory levies. Contracts tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 900 points, or 2.2%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 2.3% and 2.6%. respectively.
European stocks also declined sharply on the news. The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index was 4.5% lower by 11:27 a.m. London time, extending earlier losses, with Europe's banking sector falling more than 9.5%.
— CNBC's Katrina Bishop and Fred Imbert contributed to this report.
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Melanie Moroz now has enough makeup, skincare, and hair care products to last two years.
Moroz told Business Insider that while she's been stocking up for a couple of months, efforts by the White House to dismantle the Department of Education put her into "hyper-gear stockpiling mode" because she's fearful she could lose a teaching job she's held for about 25 years.
"I'm not purchasing anything that's not an absolute necessity," she said. Moroz, who lives in Morgantown, West Virginia, said she's now saving funds that once went to DoorDash, shopping, and dining out.
With the US edging closer to what could amount to a widening trade war, Moroz plans to work through a list of things she expects she'll need. That includes buying meat to freeze and upgrading her aging iPhone 11 to a newer model sometime this month so she can stay ahead of what she expects will amount to "major price hikes."
Moroz isn't alone in thinking about what she might alternatively accumulate or cut back on amid fears that tariffs will make much of what Americans buy more expensive. (If you're interested in what BI reporters and editors are choosing to spend on and why, you can read about that here.)
While President Donald Trump has repeatedly flip-flopped in his tariff announcements, he signed an executive order Wednesday to impose a 10% baseline tariff on all countries that would go into effect on Saturday. Following the news, Mark Cuban advised Americans to "buy lots of consumables now."
Some US consumers, worried about the economy's prospects and experiencing flashbacks to pandemic-era supply-chain kinks, are wasting no time.
For months, Elizabeth Blackstock and her husband have been "keeping an eye on" price changes resulting from tariffs. Following Wednesday's announcement, though, their priority is stocking up on food and medication for their six rescue cats, some of whom, Blackstock said, require special diets because of illnesses.
Beyond that, the couple is looking to grab extras of everyday items like hair products and meat they could store in their deep freezer.
Blackstock, who lives in San Antonio, said that even though they're doubling down on essentials, she still feels unsettled because of seesawing tariff announcements.
"We've prepared, but it's impossible to feel prepared," she said.
She said the couple is now considering other potentially big-ticket purchases, like a new transmission for the Mazda she drives.
"It was like, 'Is that going to be heavily tariffed now?' because we have to get that."
Felix Tintelnot, an associate professor of economics at Duke University, told BI that if you're in a secure position, it doesn't hurt to stock up on goods likely to become more expensive. Moroz did this with beauty products she knows she'll use.
In 2024, the US imported $7.59 billion worth of beauty goods, including makeup and skincare products, according to government figures.
Tintelnot said worries that the economy will falter under the new trade rules might prompt more people to focus on saving.
"The risk of a recession in the US has increased," he said.
Tintelnot said that's one reason some people might want to consider setting aside funds instead to prepare for potential shocks.
He also said if a recession does happen, not everyone would be hit equally, in part because job security differs across industries. So, Tintelnot said, people who are new in a role might want to take extra precautions because those are often the jobs that are the first to go in a downturn.
Some people are already preparing for bumps and discussing their moves online in forums such as Reddit.
One Reddit user who said he lives in Illinois told BI that much of his spending would come to "a complete standstill" for things that aren't essential.
Items the US imports, like fruit, avocados, and tea, "are all a luxury now," he said, adding that he plans to switch to canned fruits to satisfy his "sweet cravings" or buy fresh fruit when it's in season from local vendors.
A tea lover who plans to take the train to Chicago to attend the city's tea festival in mid-April, he said he might stop buying tea in bulk to replenish his supplies. Ordinarily, he said, he spends between $100 and $300 every few months on a new batch of tea. But now, tariffs combined with international shipping rates could stop that.
"I just can't afford an additional $100 in fees," he said.
Another Reddit poster, who said they live in Florida, messaged BI that they plan to buy a variety of spices, basmati and jasmine rice, dry beans, and olive oil "to ride this out and have a buffer."
The user pointed to a jump in the price of chlorine for swimming pools during the depth of pandemic lockdowns. Too often, they said, price increases stick.
That's another reason to collect what they can, the person said.
"If prices are going to jump 10-30%, that's a better ROI than the stock market," they wrote.
Global markets tumbled on Thursday, with the S&P 500 losing 4.8% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling 1,679 points, or 4%.
A Reddit user who said they live in Arkansas told BI that between the tariffs and what could happen with gas prices, they're stocking up on shelf-stable goods like freeze-dried fruit to have snacks their kids will eat on hand.
The person said they've often heard that companies will stop raising prices when customers can't afford to pay them.
"That has never been my experience as an Arkansan," they wrote. "People just learn to live without."
Do you have a story to share about your reaction to tariffs? Contact these reporters at aaltchek@businessinsider.com or tparadis@businessinsider.com.
Jump to
Melanie Moroz now has enough makeup, skincare, and hair care products to last two years.
Moroz told Business Insider that while she's been stocking up for a couple of months, efforts by the White House to dismantle the Department of Education put her into "hyper-gear stockpiling mode" because she's fearful she could lose a teaching job she's held for about 25 years.
"I'm not purchasing anything that's not an absolute necessity," she said. Moroz, who lives in Morgantown, West Virginia, said she's now saving funds that once went to DoorDash, shopping, and dining out.
With the US edging closer to what could amount to a widening trade war, Moroz plans to work through a list of things she expects she'll need. That includes buying meat to freeze and upgrading her aging iPhone 11 to a newer model sometime this month so she can stay ahead of what she expects will amount to "major price hikes."
Moroz isn't alone in thinking about what she might alternatively accumulate or cut back on amid fears that tariffs will make much of what Americans buy more expensive.
While President Donald Trump has repeatedly flip-flopped in his tariff announcements, he signed an executive order Wednesday to impose a 10% baseline tariff on all countries that would go into effect on Saturday. Following the news, Mark Cuban advised Americans to "buy lots of consumables now."
Some US consumers, worried about the economy's prospects and experiencing flashbacks to pandemic-era supply-chain kinks, are wasting no time.
For months, Elizabeth Blackstock and her husband have been "keeping an eye on" price changes resulting from tariffs. Following Wednesday's announcement, though, their priority is stocking up on food and medication for their six rescue cats, some of whom, Blackstock said, require special diets because of illnesses.
Beyond that, the couple is looking to grab extras of everyday items like hair products and meat they could store in their deep freezer.
Blackstock, who lives in San Antonio, said that even though they're doubling down on essentials, she still feels unsettled because of seesawing tariff announcements.
"We've prepared, but it's impossible to feel prepared," she said.
She said the couple is now considering other potentially big-ticket purchases, like a new transmission for the Mazda she drives.
"It was like, 'Is that going to be heavily tariffed now?' because we have to get that."
Felix Tintelnot, an associate professor of economics at Duke University, told BI that if you're in a secure position, it doesn't hurt to stock up on goods likely to become more expensive. Moroz did this with beauty products she knows she'll use.
In 2024, the US imported $7.59 billion worth of beauty goods, including makeup and skincare products, according to government figures.
Tintelnot said worries that the economy will falter under the new trade rules might prompt more people to focus on saving.
"The risk of a recession in the US has increased," he said.
Tintelnot said that's one reason some people might want to consider setting aside funds instead to prepare for potential shocks.
He also said if a recession does happen, not everyone would be hit equally, in part because job security differs across industries. So, Tintelnot said, people who are new in a role might want to take extra precautions because those are often the jobs that are the first to go in a downturn.
Some people are already preparing for bumps and discussing their moves online in forums such as Reddit.
One Reddit user who said he lives in Illinois told BI that much of his spending would come to "a complete standstill" for things that aren't essential.
Items the US imports, like fruit, avocados, and tea, "are all a luxury now," he said, adding that he plans to switch to canned fruits to satisfy his "sweet cravings" or buy fresh fruit when it's in season from local vendors.
A tea lover who plans to take the train to Chicago to attend the city's tea festival in mid-April, he said he might stop buying tea in bulk to replenish his supplies. Ordinarily, he said, he spends between $100 and $300 every few months on a new batch of tea. But now, tariffs combined with international shipping rates could stop that.
"I just can't afford an additional $100 in fees," he said.
Another Reddit poster, who said they live in Florida, messaged BI that they plan to buy a variety of spices, basmati and jasmine rice, dry beans, and olive oil "to ride this out and have a buffer."
The user pointed to a jump in the price of chlorine for swimming pools during the depth of pandemic lockdowns. Too often, they said, price increases stick.
That's another reason to collect what they can, the person said.
"If prices are going to jump 10-30%, that's a better ROI than the stock market," they wrote.
Global markets tumbled on Thursday, with the S&P 500 losing 4.8% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling 1,679 points, or 4%.
A Reddit user who said they live in Arkansas told BI that between the tariffs and what could happen with gas prices, they're stocking up on shelf-stable goods like freeze-dried fruit to have snacks their kids will eat on hand.
The person said they've often heard that companies will stop raising prices when customers can't afford to pay them.
"That has never been my experience as an Arkansan," they wrote. "People just learn to live without."
Do you have a story to share about your reaction to tariffs? Contact these reporters at aaltchek@businessinsider.com or tparadis@businessinsider.com.
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Artificial intelligence is projected to reach $4.8 trillion in market value by 2033, but the technology's benefits remain highly concentrated, according to the U.N. Trade and Development agency.
In a report released on Thursday, UNCTAD said the AI market cap would roughly equate to the size of Germany's economy, with the technology offering productivity gains and driving digital transformation.
However, the agency also raised concerns about automation and job displacement, warning that AI could affect 40% of jobs worldwide. On top of that, AI is not inherently inclusive, meaning the economic gains from the tech remain "highly concentrated," the report added.
"The benefits of AI-driven automation often favour capital over labour, which could widen inequality and reduce the competitive advantage of low-cost labour in developing economies," it said.
The potential for AI to cause unemployment and inequality is a long-standing concern, with the IMF making similar warnings over a year ago. In January, The World Economic Forum released findings that as many as 41% of employers were planning on downsizing their staff in areas where AI could replicate them.
However, the UNCTAD report also highlights inequalities between nations, with U.N. data showing that 40% of global corporate research and development spending in AI is concentrated among just 100 firms, mainly those in the U.S. and China.
Furthermore, it notes that leading tech giants, such as Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft — companies that stand to benefit from the AI boom — have a market value that rivals the gross domestic product of the entire African continent.
This AI dominance at national and corporate levels threatens to widen those technological divides, leaving many nations at risk of lagging behind, UNCTAD said. It noted that 118 countries — mostly in the Global South — are absent from major AI governance discussions.
But AI is not just about job replacement, the report said, noting that it can also "create new industries and and empower workers" — provided there is adequate investment in reskilling and upskilling.
But in order for developing nations not to fall behind, they must "have a seat at the table" when it comes to AI regulation and ethical frameworks, it said.
In its report, UNCTAD makes a number of recommendations to the international community for driving inclusive growth. They include an AI public disclosure mechanism, shared AI infrastructure, the use of open-source AI models and initiatives to share AI knowledge and resources.
Open-source generally refers to software in which the source code is made freely available on the web for possible modification and redistribution.
"AI can be a catalyst for progress, innovation, and shared prosperity - but only if countries actively shape its trajectory," the report concludes.
"Strategic investments, inclusive governance, and international cooperation are key to ensuring that AI benefits all, rather than reinforcing existing divides."
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In this article
British oil major BP on Friday said its chair Helge Lund will soon step down, kickstarting a succession process shortly after the company launched a fundamental strategic reset.
"Having fundamentally reset our strategy, bp's focus now is on delivering the strategy at pace, improving performance and growing shareholder value," Lund said in a statement.
"Now is the right time to start the process to find my successor and enable an orderly and seamless handover," he added.
Lund is expected to step down in 2026. BP said the succession process will be led by Amanda Blanc in her capacity as senior independent director.
Shares of BP traded 2.2% lower on Friday morning. The London-listed firm has lagged its industry rivals in recent years.
BP announced in February that it plans to ramp up annual oil and gas investment to $10 billion through 2027 and slash spending on renewables as part of its new strategic direction.
Analysts have broadly welcomed BP's renewed focus on hydrocarbons, although the beleaguered energy giant remains under significant pressure from activist investors.
U.S. hedge fund Elliott Management has built a stake of around 5% to become one of BP's largest shareholders, according to Reuters.
Activist investor Follow This, meanwhile, recently pushed for investors to vote against Lund's reappointment as chair at BP's April 17 shareholder meeting in protest over the firm's recent strategy U-turn.
Lund had previously backed BP's 2020 strategy, when Bernard Looney was CEO, to boost investment in renewables and cut production of oil and gas by 40% by 2030.
BP CEO Murray Auchincloss, who took the helm on a permanent basis in January last year, is under significant pressure to reassure investors that the company is on the right track to improve its financial performance.
"Elliott continues to press BP for a sharper, more clearly defined break with the strategy to pivot more quickly toward renewables, that was outlined by Bernard Looney when he was CEO," Russ Mould, AJ Bell's investment director, told CNBC via email on Friday.
"Mr Lund was chair then and so he is firmly associated with that plan, which current boss Murray Auchincloss is refining," he added.
Mould said activist campaigns tend to have "fairly classic thrusts," such as a change in management or governance, higher shareholder distributions, an overhaul of corporate structure and operational improvements.
"In BP's case, we now have a shift in capital allocation and a change in management, so it will be interesting to see if this appeases Elliott, though it would be no surprise if it feels more can and should be done," Mould said.
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JPMorgan's chief global economist has a bleak outlook on President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policy: "There will be blood."
In a research note to clients published on Thursday, JPMorgan's Bruce Kasman, along with several other company economists, warned that the risk of the global economy falling into a recession has increased from 40% to 60% in response to Wednesday's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement.
Trump on Wednesday announced sweeping 10% tariffs on goods from any country imported into the United States, and even higher tariffs for 60 trading partners with a persistent trade deficit with the US.
The wide-reaching "Liberation Day" tariffs impact countries including China and Japan, as well as the European Union, and territories near Antarctica inhabited only by penguins. They are in addition to existing tariffs against the United States' top trade partners, Canada and Mexico.
"Disruptive US policies has been recognized as the biggest risk to the global outlook all year," JPMorgan's research note reads. "The latest news reinforces our fears as US trade policy has turned decisively less business-friendly than we had anticipated."
The banking giant's economists describe tariffs "at a basic level" as a functional tax increase on US household and business purchases of imported goods. Economists and supply chain experts previously told Business Insider the increased import costs caused by Trump's tariff plan are expected to result in higher prices for everything from pantry staples like coffee and sugar to apparel and larger purchases like cars and appliances.
JPMorgan's analysts found that this week's announcement, on the heels of earlier tariff increases, raises the US average tax rate "by roughly 22%-pts to an estimated 24%," equivalent to roughly 2.4% of the total value of all goods and services produced within the country, or GDP.
"A hike of this size would be on par with the largest tax hike since WWII," the JPMorgan research note reads. Its effects could be magnified "through retaliation, a slide in US business sentiment, and supply chain disruptions."
"We thus emphasize that these policies, if sustained, would likely push the US and possibly global economy into recession this year. An update of our probability scenario tree makes this point, raising the risk of a recession this year to 60%," the note continues.
But a nationwide or global recession "is not a foregone conclusion," JPMorgan's economists offered as a potential silver lining.
"Beyond the obvious point that policy actions may be changed in the coming weeks, we continue to emphasize that the US and global expansions stand on solid ground and should be able to withstand a modest-sized shock."
For now, though, the note indicates JPMorgan's economists "view the full implementation of announced policies as a substantial macroeconomic shock" — one not easily recovered from, should Trump's policies persist.
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LAMY (NASDAQ: LMMY), an e-learning technology company, has announced a strategic partnership with an unnamed renowned family to enhance its TwoPlus1® platform. The collaboration focuses on three key initiatives:
Development of a virtual Art Museum within the TwoPlus1® metaverse featuring the family's historic art collectionsRelease of -edition NFT art collectibles based on the family's cultural archivesCreation of a cultural heritage curriculum focusing on world heritage and global citizenship
The partnership aims to merge financial literacy education with artistic expression and cultural identity. CEO Zhang Shengwu emphasized that this collaboration will connect past, present, and future through immersive learning. The initiative is expected to enhance brand reputation, increase user engagement, and establish a new revenue model through NFT integration and digital cultural assets in the TwoPlus1® virtual economy.
LAMY (NASDAQ: LMMY), un'azienda di tecnologia e-learning, ha annunciato una partnership strategica con una rinomata famiglia non nominata per migliorare la sua piattaforma TwoPlus1®. La collaborazione si concentra su tre iniziative chiave:
Sviluppo di un Museo d'Arte virtuale all'interno del metaverso TwoPlus1® che presenta le collezioni d'arte storiche della famigliaRilascio di collezionabili d'arte NFT in edizione basati sugli archivi culturali della famigliaCreazione di un curriculum sul patrimonio culturale incentrato sul patrimonio mondiale e sulla cittadinanza globale
La partnership mira a unire l'educazione alla finanza con l'espressione artistica e l'identità culturale. Il CEO Zhang Shengwu ha sottolineato che questa collaborazione collegherà passato, presente e futuro attraverso un apprendimento immersivo. L'iniziativa dovrebbe migliorare la reputazione del marchio, aumentare il coinvolgimento degli utenti e stabilire un nuovo modello di reddito attraverso l'integrazione di NFT e beni culturali digitali nell'economia virtuale di TwoPlus1®.
LAMY (NASDAQ: LMMY), una empresa de tecnología de e-learning, ha anunciado una asociación estratégica con una reconocida familia no nombrada para mejorar su plataforma TwoPlus1®. La colaboración se centra en tres iniciativas clave:
Desarrollo de un Museo de Arte virtual dentro del metaverso TwoPlus1® que presenta las colecciones de arte históricas de la familiaLanzamiento de coleccionables de arte NFT en edición basada en los archivos culturales de la familiaCreación de un currículo sobre patrimonio cultural enfocado en el patrimonio mundial y la ciudadanía global
La asociación tiene como objetivo fusionar la educación financiera con la expresión artística y la identidad cultural. El CEO Zhang Shengwu enfatizó que esta colaboración conectará el pasado, el presente y el futuro a través del aprendizaje inmersivo. Se espera que la iniciativa mejore la reputación de la marca, aumente la participación de los usuarios y establezca un nuevo modelo de ingresos a través de la integración de NFT y activos culturales digitales en la economía virtual de TwoPlus1®.
LAMY (NASDAQ: LMMY)는 e-learning 기술 회사로, 이름이 밝혀지지 않은 유명한 가족과 전략적 파트너십을 체결하여 TwoPlus1® 플랫폼을 향상시키겠다고 발표했습니다. 이 협력은 세 가지 주요 이니셔티브에 초점을 맞추고 있습니다:
가족의 역사적인 예술 컬렉션을 특징으로 하는 TwoPlus1® 메타버스 내 가상 미술관 개발가족의 문화 아카이브를 기반으로 한 NFT 예술 수집품 발매세계 유산과 글로벌 시민권에 중점을 둔 문화 유산 커리큘럼 작성
이 파트너십은 재정 교육과 예술적 표현, 문화적 정체성을 결합하는 것을 목표로 합니다. CEO 장셴우는 이 협력이 몰입형 학습을 통해 과거, 현재, 미래를 연결할 것이라고 강조했습니다. 이 이니셔티브는 브랜드 평판을 향상시키고 사용자 참여를 증가시키며, TwoPlus1® 가상 경제에서 NFT 통합과 디지털 문화 자산을 통해 새로운 수익 모델을 구축할 것으로 기대됩니다.
LAMY (NASDAQ: LMMY), une entreprise de technologie d'e-learning, a annoncé un partenariat stratégique avec une famille renommée non nommée pour améliorer sa plateforme TwoPlus1®. La collaboration se concentre sur trois initiatives clés :
Développement d'un musée d'art virtuel dans le métavers TwoPlus1® présentant les collections d'art historiques de la familleLancement de collections d'art NFT en édition limitée basées sur les archives culturelles de la familleCréation d'un programme éducatif sur le patrimoine culturel axé sur le patrimoine mondial et la citoyenneté mondiale
Le partenariat vise à fusionner l'éducation financière avec l'expression artistique et l'identité culturelle. Le PDG Zhang Shengwu a souligné que cette collaboration reliera le passé, le présent et le futur à travers un apprentissage immersif. L'initiative devrait améliorer la réputation de la marque, augmenter l'engagement des utilisateurs et établir un nouveau modèle de revenus grâce à l'intégration de NFTs et d'actifs culturels numériques dans l'économie virtuelle de TwoPlus1®.
LAMY (NASDAQ: LMMY), ein Unternehmen für E-Learning-Technologie, hat eine strategische Partnerschaft mit einer namenlosen renommierten Familie angekündigt, um seine TwoPlus1® Plattform zu verbessern. Die Zusammenarbeit konzentriert sich auf drei zentrale Initiativen:
Entwicklung eines virtuellen Kunstmuseums im TwoPlus1® Metaversum mit den historischen Kunstsammlungen der FamilieVeröffentlichung von NFT-Kunstsammlerstücken in limitierter Auflage, die auf den kulturellen Archiven der Familie basierenErstellung eines Lehrplans zum kulturellen Erbe, der sich auf das Welterbe und die globale Bürgerschaft konzentriert
Die Partnerschaft zielt darauf ab, finanzielle Bildung mit künstlerischem Ausdruck und kultureller Identität zu verbinden. CEO Zhang Shengwu betonte, dass diese Zusammenarbeit Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft durch immersives Lernen verbinden wird. Die Initiative wird voraussichtlich das Markenimage verbessern, die Nutzerbindung erhöhen und ein neues Einnahmemodell durch die Integration von NFTs und digitalen Kulturgütern in die virtuelle Wirtschaft von TwoPlus1® etablieren.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK / ACCESS Newswire / April 4, 2025 / LAMY Inc. (NASDAQ:LMMY), an innovative technology company dedicated to transforming children's financial literacy education through gamified and immersive e-learning experiences, today announced a strategic partnership with a renowned family. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in LAMY's global expansion, integrating art, cultural heritage, and digital innovation into its flagship product, TwoPlus1®.
Fusion of Art, Culture, and Education in the Metaverse
This strategic partnership will introduce world-class cultural resources and educational innovation into the TwoPlus1® ecosystem through three key initiatives:
Launch of the Virtual Art Museum:LAMY will co-develop a virtual "Art Museum" with the renowned family within the TwoPlus1® metaverse. This interactive and gamified experience will feature curated exhibits inspired by the family's historic art collections, sparking curiosity and cultural exploration in children.
Jointly Curated NFT Art Collections:LAMY will release a series of limited-edition NFT art collectibles based on the family's cultural archives. These NFTs will serve as educational assets within the TwoPlus1® virtual economy, enabling the digitization of art, interactive knowledge engagement, and tokenization of assets - creating new opportunities for ownership and revenue.
Development of Cultural Heritage Curriculum:Leveraging the family's longstanding commitment to philanthropy and education, LAMY will co-develop curriculum centered on world heritage, global citizenship, and humanitarian values. This content will enrich the platform's educational modules and foster humanistic literacy and social responsibility in young learners.
A Vision for the Future: Merging Financial Literacy and Global Culture
"We are redefining the future of education by combining financial literacy with artistic expression and cultural identity," said Zhang Shengwu, CEO of LAMY. "This collaboration with a renowned family allows us to offer users a new dimension of value, connecting the past, present, and future through immersive learning."
Investment Highlights
Brand Elevation: Strategic partnership with a renowned family, including branded virtual art museum and NFT curation projects, enhances global brand reputation and long-term investor confidence.
Content Expansion: Multi-dimensional modules on art, cultural heritage, and social responsibility significantly increase user engagement and platform stickiness.
Commercial Innovation: Integration of NFTs and digital cultural assets into the TwoPlus1® virtual economy establishes a strong new revenue model, enabling a closed-loop system where content becomes assets and education becomes transactions.
About LAMY Inc.
LAMY Inc. (NASDAQ: LMMY) is a next-generation edtech company committed to reshaping how children learn about finance, resource management, and global citizenship through gamified education. Its flagship product, TwoPlus1®, combines artificial intelligence, virtual economies, and interactive storytelling to deliver dynamic, personalized learning experiences. By bridging gameplay and real-world skills, LAMY aims to nurture a new generation of global citizens empowered with knowledge, creativity, and social responsibility.
Safe Harbor Statement
This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflect management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify, develop, and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, including codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
Contact Information
Zhang ShengwuCEOlmmyceo@163.com
SOURCE: LAMY
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The country of Kyrgyzstan and the founder of the world's leading crypto exchange just inked a deal to advance crypto technologies in the Central Asian nation.
In a post on social media platform X, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov says that Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and the National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic just signed a memorandum of agreement representing their intent to cooperate in the development of a cryptocurrency and blockchain technology ecosystem.
“This includes providing infrastructural, technological support, technical expertise, and consulting services on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies, as well as implementing educational initiatives.”
Zhaparov says the partnership can strengthen technological infrastructure, implement innovative solutions and prepare highly qualified specialists in blockchain technologies, virtual asset management and cybersecurity.
“In light of the rapid global evolution of digital technologies, such initiatives are crucial for the sustainable growth of the economy and the security of virtual assets, ultimately generating new opportunities for businesses and society as a whole.”
Zhao says he is working to drive crypto adoption one country at a time. Says the Chinese-born Canadian businessman in a post on X,
“I officially and unofficially advise a few governments on their crypto regulatory frameworks and blockchain solutions for gov efficiency, expanding blockchain to more than trading. I find this work extremely meaningful.”
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As the crypto market heats up, many investors are looking for the best altcoins to buy. They hope to find tokens that could soar in value during the next market surge, often called a bull run. While predicting the future is impossible, certain types of altcoins tend to get a lot of attention when the market is optimistic. In this article we will explore why altcoins, especially innovative ones, can offer exciting potential and take a deep dive into Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) – a unique project blending AI technology with fun meme culture .
Why do altcoins often capture so much attention during crypto bull runs? History shows these periods are marked by optimism and increased investment interest. While Bitcoin often leads the charge, smaller cap projects can offer even greater ROI for several reasons:
Finding the best altcoins to buy involves identifying projects with solid fundamentals positioned to benefit from these bull run dynamics. While many projects emerge, focusing on those with unique technology, strong community backing, and clear market validation – like demonstrated presale success in $DAGZ pre-sale can improve the odds.
Let's take a look at 3 of the most promising altcoins as of March 2025.
Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) is generating significant excitement by uniquely combining two of the most powerful forces in crypto today: Artificial Intelligence and meme coin hype. This positions it as a potentially explosive candidate and arguably one of the best altcoins to buy now for investors seeking innovation and high growth potential.
While Dawgz AI tackles the AI-meme niche, Render (RNDR) addresses a fundamental need in the rapidly expanding worlds of AI and digital content creation. It functions as a decentralized marketplace for GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) computing power . As AI models grow increasingly complex and demand for high-fidelity graphics in gaming and the Metaverse escalates, the need for accessible and powerful GPU resources is soaring. Render connects those needing this power with a global network of providers, offering a potentially more efficient and scalable solution than centralized cloud services.
In the world of decentralized finance (DeFi), speed kills – or rather, lack of speed kills opportunity. Sei (SEI) was built from the ground up to address this, positioning itself as one of the fastest blockchains specifically optimized for trading . It aims to provide the ultra-low latency and high throughput required for decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and other DeFi applications to function at peak performance, rivaling centralized platforms. As DeFi continues to grow , the need for specialized, high-performance infrastructure like Sei becomes critical.
Finding the best altcoins to buy now involves looking beyond the current market noise to identify projects with strong fundamentals and the potential to capture massive attention during the next major upswing. While many options exist, focusing on innovation and key market trends is crucial. Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) offers a unique and compelling blend of cutting-edge AI utility and viral meme energy, backed by strong presale validation. Not only that but what makes it the best out of all others is the phase it is in. While still at a pre-sale price your investment is set to multiply before it even launches to the major exchanges . Don't waste your time looking for other altcoins, go to the Official Website and secure your place in the Dawgz AI community !
FAQs Section :
Look for altcoins blending innovation and market trends; Dawgz AI ($DAGZ), with its unique AI and meme coin approach, is frequently cited as having high growth potential.
Predicting explosions is hard, but low-priced tokens with strong utility or viral appeal, like Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) which combines both AI features and meme energy, are often watched closely.
Yes, projects like Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) often enter the market post-presale at accessible prices but possess strong fundamentals like AI integration, offering potential value.
Achieving 1000x is rare and risky, but investors often look at innovative low-caps; some suggest Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) fits this high-potential profile due to its unique AI-meme combination.
Editor-in-Chief of CoinCentral and founder of Kooc Media, A UK-Based Online Media Company. Believer in Open-Source Software, Blockchain Technology & a Free and Fair Internet for all. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. Contact Oliver@coincentral.com
Finding the best cheap crypto poised for massive growth is a goal for many investors.…
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Investors hoping for a sizable dovish pivot from the Fed following the president's Wednesday tariff announcement and subsequent two-day plunge in stock prices will have to wait at least a bit longer.
"We are well positioned to wait for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance," said Fed Chair Jerome Powell in prepared remarks at the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing Annual Conference. "It is too soon to say what will be the appropriate path for monetary policy."
Noting that the tariffs are "significantly larger" than expected, Powell said it's the Fed's job to make sure what is sure to be a temporary rise in inflation does not become persistent.
Bouncing a bit ahead of the Powell speech perhaps in the hope he would take a more dovish stance, bitcoin (BTC) has retreated back below $83,000, roughly flat from 24 hours ago. The crypto is doing far better than stocks, with the Nasdaq now lower by 4.2% following yesterday's 6% tumble.
Minutes ahead of the Powell speech, the president threw down the gauntlet for the Fed chair.
"This would be the perfect time for Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates," Trump said in a Truth Social posting. "He is always 'late,' but he could now change his image, and quickly ... Cut interest rates, Jerome, and stop playing politics."
Stephen is CoinDesk's managing editor for Markets. He previously served as managing editor at Seeking Alpha. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Stephen went to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, majoring in finance. He holds BTC above CoinDesk's disclosure threshold of $1,000.
About
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Vilnius, Lithuania, April 4th, 2025, Chainwire
Crypto card users mirror traditional payment habits, as the global market aims to reach USD 220.46 billion by 2033.
By 2026, nearly 1 in 5 cryptocurrency owners are projected to use their holdings for payments, up from just 14.2% in 2024, indicating a shift toward real-world crypto adoption. As of 2025, over 560 million people globally own cryptocurrencies, suggesting a substantial user base for crypto payment solutions.
WhiteBIT, the largest European cryptocurrency exchange by traffic, has recorded over 1 million transactions with its recently launched Visa-enabled card for crypto payments, WhiteBIT Nova, proving the growing role of digital assets in everyday spending.
Crypto Cards vs. Traditional Payment Methods
While global debit and credit card transactions continue to dominate financial markets, crypto cards are emerging as strong competitors. They provide features including privacy-focused design, the ability to transact across borders, and integration with cryptocurrency-based reward systems. The global crypto credit card market, valued at USD 1.3 billion in 2024, is projected to skyrocket to USD 220.46 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period.
The convenience of crypto cards lies in the ability to instantly convert crypto to fiat at the point of sale, making digital assets more practical for everyday purchases.
How Consumers Are Using Their WhiteBIT Nova Crypto Card
WhiteBIT's latest data shows that its crypto card users are engaging in spending patterns similar to conventional cardholders, with purchases spanning everyday essentials, entertainment, and luxury goods.
WhiteBIT's latest data shows that its crypto card users are engaging in spending patterns similar to conventional cardholders, with purchases spanning everyday essentials, entertainment, and luxury goods.
Cashback Rewards: A Key Driver of Crypto Card Adoption
Cashback is consistently rated as the most desired credit card reward by consumers. Crypto cashback is becoming a key incentive for WhiteBIT Nova card users as well. The top categories for cashback benefits include:
BTC and WBT continue to be the leading options for cashback rewards, with user data indicating an increasing inclination toward WBT.
Digital-First: The Rise of Virtual Crypto Cards
Reflecting global trends in digital payments, 88.52% of WhiteBIT Nova card users prefer the virtual card, while only 11.48% opt for the physical version. This aligns with a broader trend where the number of global digital wallet users is expected to grow by 53% since 2022 to reach 5.2 billion, or over 60% of the global population by 2026.
Bridging the Gap Between Crypto and Traditional Finance
The rise of crypto cards like WhiteBIT Nova highlights how blockchain technology is making inroads into the traditional financial system. With over a million transactions processed, the WhiteBIT Nova card is proving that digital assets are not just for trading but can be seamlessly integrated into everyday consumer spending.
About WhiteBIT
WhiteBIT is the largest European cryptocurrency exchange by traffic, offering over 730 trading pairs, 330+ assets, and supporting 9 fiat currencies. Founded in 2018, the platform is a part of WhiteBIT Group, which serves more than 35 million customers globally. WhiteBIT collaborates with Visa, FACEIT, FC Barcelona, Trabzonspor, the Ukrainian national football team, and Lifecell. The company is dedicated to driving the widespread adoption of blockchain technology worldwide.
This material does not pertain solely to the company's European transactions but applies to the activities of all WhiteBIT Group companies globally.
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Riot Platforms (RIOT) reported strong operational performance in March 2025, highlighted by continued expansion into the artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) sector.
The company's bitcoin (BTC) production last month rose to 533 BTC, the most since the reward halving almost a year ago. The figure represents a month-on-month increase of 13% and 25% more than a year before. Bitcoin holdings grew to 19,223 BTC.
Riot said it plans to "aggressively pursue" development of its Corsicana facility to capitalize on rising demand for compute infrastructure used in AI and HPC.
A recently completed feasibility study by industry consultant Altman Solon confirmed the significant potential of the site to support up to 600 megawatts of additional capacity for AI/HPC applications. Key advantages include 1.0 gigawatt of secured power, 400 MW of which is already operational, 265 acres of land with substantial development potential and close proximity to Dallas — a major hub for AI and cloud computing.
The study noted the site's ability to support both inference and cloud-based workloads, strengthening its appeal to AI/HPC tenants.
Riot maintained a steady deployed hash rate of 33.7 EH/s, while its average operating hash rate grew 3% month-over-month to 30.3 EH/s—representing a 254% increase year-over-year. Although power credits declined due to seasonal factors, Riot kept its all-in power cost low at 3.8 cents per kWh, and improved fleet efficiency to 21.0 J/TH, a 22% improvement from the previous year.
Riot's shares fell 5.5% Friday, while the Nasdaq 100 index dropped 2.8%. They have lost 35% year-to-date.
Disclaimer: This article was generated with AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy. This article may include information from external sources, which are listed below when applicable.
James Van Straten is a Senior Analyst at CoinDesk, specializing in Bitcoin and its interplay with the macroeconomic environment. Previously, James worked as a Research Analyst at Saidler & Co., a Swiss hedge fund, where he developed expertise in on-chain analytics. His work focuses on monitoring flows to analyze Bitcoin's role within the broader financial system.
In addition to his professional endeavors, James serves as an advisor to Coinsilium, a UK publicly traded company, where he provides guidance on their Bitcoin treasury strategy. He also holds investments in Bitcoin, MicroStrategy (MSTR), and Semler Scientific (SMLR).
“AI Boost” indicates a generative text tool, typically an AI chatbot, contributed to the article. In each and every case, the article was edited, fact-checked and published by a human. Read more about CoinDesk's AI Policy.
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In 2025, tariff uncertainty has weighed heavily on the crypto market. Since February, when U.S. tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China were announced, cryptos across the board have taken a beating, with some major cryptocurrencies down 20% or more.
And now "Liberation Day" on April 2, which is when reciprocal tariffs on nations around the world are expected to go into effect. As might be expected, the crypto market is bracing for impact. So how will the world's three largest cryptocurrencies — Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) and XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) — be affected?
In theory, tariffs on, say, wine or automobiles should have little to no impact on Bitcoin. After all, it's not like nations are using Bitcoin to pay for these purchases. Moreover, Bitcoin is a global digital currency and does not belong to any sovereign nation.
The original thinking, in fact, was that Bitcoin might actually benefit from the tariffs. If investors began to view Bitcoin as a true haven asset, completely insulated from the chaos of the traditional financial markets, they might ramp up their purchases.
But here's the thing: there's nothing the market likes less than uncertainty. It's one thing to impose tariffs decisively. But it's another thing entirely to announce tariffs, then cancel them, then adjust them, then add new ones, then retaliate when other nations announce their own tariffs, then back off, then call for a pause, and then strike back with new tariffs.
Quite frankly, it all seems a bit chaotic. And that's forcing investors to back away from assets such as Bitcoin. Buying Bitcoin is simply too risky right now because nobody really knows what's going to happen next.
In short, the crypto market is suffering from fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) right now, and that's not good for Bitcoin. Since Feb. 1, Bitcoin is down 10%. That shouldn't be happening, given how much effort President Donald Trump has put into becoming a pro-Bitcoin president. However, investors shouldn't expect much to change with Bitcoin until there is some real clarity on what's happening with tariffs.
If you think Bitcoin has taken a beatdown as a result of tariffs, just look at what is happening with Ethereum. It's down 20% since Feb. 1, and shows no signs of rebounding anytime soon.
So, why has Ethereum been hit harder than Bitcoin? In many ways, it's due to the fact that Ethereum is both a digital currency and a blockchain ecosystem. Ethereum is the base layer for everything that can be built using blockchain technology, including decentralized exchanges and Web3 applications.
As a result of ongoing uncertainty, tariffs are putting the entire Ethereum blockchain ecosystem at risk. It might sound simplistic, but blockchain projects won't get funded, and builders won't build if there's uncertainty. And that puts Ethereum's future growth very much in doubt.
The longer the tariff drama drags on, the harder Ethereum will continue to get hit. That's really a shame because the Trump administration has made Ethereum a centerpiece of its future plans for decentralized finance (DeFi), and members of the Trump inner circle — including Trump himself — have publicly stated their support for Ethereum.
Of the three biggest cryptocurrencies, XRP has been the most resistant to the impact of tariffs. Since Feb. 1, it is actually up a modest 2%. You can view this in one of two ways.
If you're a glass-half-full type of person, you'll say that XRP's role in powering cross-border payments using the XRP blockchain is tariff-proof. After all, countries will continue to move money around the world. As they find other nations to buy their goods, they will need the XRP blockchain payment network to make that happen.
If you're a glass-half-empty type of person, though, you'll simply say that all of XRP's gains have come from the lifting of regulatory uncertainty. In March, the Securities and Exchange Commission finally dropped its long-running case against Ripple, the company behind the XRP token.
In many ways, the crypto market had been pricing that in since November, when Trump was elected on a campaign platform that promised to end the SEC's war on crypto. So, it's uncertain just how much more of a lift XRP will get now that the Ripple case is finally settled.
If you're a crypto investor, you need to circle the date April 2 on your calendar. What's announced on that date by the Trump White House as part of its Liberation Day tariff plans could impact the fate of crypto for the next few months, if not the next few years.
Expect much more volatility in coming months, along with a tightening of the correlation between the crypto market and the equity market. That has been the trend thus far in 2025, and it is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.
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Editor's note: For more Web3 coverage, visit Crunchbase's Web3 Tracker, where we track startups, investors and funding news in the Web3, cryptocurrency and blockchain space, powered by Crunchbase's live, comprehensive data.
Venture funding to crypto and blockchain startups more than doubled in the first quarter as crypto enthusiasts seem ready to embrace easing regulations.
However, the total dollar figures were heavily skewed by a large $2 billion raise by a crypto exchange with ties to White House.
Overall, venture funding to startups in the crypto and blockchain space — also called Web3 for our purposes here — rocketed to $3.8 billion in 220 deals in Q1, per Crunchbase data. The dollar figure represents a 138% jump from the previous quarter, which saw only $1.6 billion go to Web3 startups in 242 deals.
It also represents about twice the amount of cash such startups raised in Q1 2024.
However, before any grand announcements of a crypto rebound are made aloud, a deeper look at the numbers shows that that dollar figure was propped up by one big round.
Last month, cryptocurrency exchange Binance received a massive $2 billion investment from Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX. The deal is the single largest investment into a crypto company, beating out FTX's $1 billion Series B and NYDIG's $1 billion private equity round in 2021 — both deals raised during the salad days of venture and crypto.
Setting that round aside, Web3 startups raised $1.8 billion last quarter — similar to Q3 and Q4 last year and less than Q2 2024.
Deal flow also continues to shrink, with Q1 seeing fewer than half the number of deals closed during the same quarter a year ago.
That's not to say there were not some large deals. San Francisco-based Phantom, a crypto wallet startup, raised a $150 million round led by Paradigm and Sequoia Capital that valued the startup at $3 billion, and Paris-based Flowdesk, a crypto-financial service company building a trading infrastructure, raised a $91.8 million venture round.
The new White House has energized the Web3 environment — especially in crypto. President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a U.S. strategic bitcoin reserve, and most expect regulation in the crypto industry to ease up substantially under his administration.
However, that has not translated into price jumps in the market. Bitcoin was down 9% in Q1, while Ether tumbled 43%.
Ironically, the White House may also soon have ties to the newly funded Binance, which pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws in 2023. The same day that round was announced it was reported President Trump's family may take a financial stake in the company, according to The Wall Street Journal. Also that same day, Bloomberg reported that Trump-linked crypto bank World Liberty Financial is in talks with Binance to launch a dollar-pegged stablecoin.
Despite some starts and stops for Web3 in general and crypto in particular, it seems like there is mounting momentum. Some crypto firms even seem to be ready to jump into the tepid IPO waters. Stablecoin issuer Circle filed this week for an offering, and eToro, which operates a trading platform for stocks, cryptocurrencies and other assets, filed for an IPO last month.
Investors likely will watch those offerings closely as the Web3 sector continues its ups and downs.
For Web3 funding numbers, we analyze investments made into VC-backed startups in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry group.
Illustration: Dom Guzman
Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the
Crunchbase Daily.
This was a week right out of the free-spending days of 2021. Huge rounds were abundant — led by the biggest of them all as OpenAI's massive $40...
Alphabet spinoff SandboxAQ — an AI and quantum computing startup — added another $150 million to its Series E from the likes of Google and Nvidia.
New York-based Runway raised $308 million in a new round at about double its valuation from less than two years ago. The new round was led by General...
The Nasdaq Composite Index was down a staggering 4.8% in midday trading today, following President Trump's decision to impose sweeping tariffs on...
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Risk sentiment worsened during the European hours Friday after China announced retaliatory tariffs on all goods, responding to Trump's Wednesday decision to boost the overall levy on Chinese goods to 54%.
Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency by market value, fell by $1,600 to $83,000, erasing the early rise to $84,600, CoinDesk data shows. Other tokens like XRP, ETH, SOL and DOGE also reversed early gains to trade largely flat on the day.
Meanwhile, futures tied to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell over 2% amid escalating global trade tensions.
"China's response is not only negative for the U.S. but it is also impacting the global outlook," ForexLive's analyst Justin Low wrote in a market update.
Omkar Godbole is a Co-Managing Editor on CoinDesk's Markets team based in Mumbai, holds a masters degree in Finance and a Chartered Market Technician (CMT) member. Omkar previously worked at FXStreet, writing research on currency markets and as fundamental analyst at currency and commodities desk at Mumbai-based brokerage houses. Omkar holds small amounts of bitcoin, ether, BitTorrent, tron and dot.
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Scientific Reports
volume 15, Article number: 11558 (2025)
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rising as a significant concern for the healthcare sector around the world. Researchers have applied multiple traditional approaches to making healthcare systems find new solutions for the CVD concern. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain are emerging approaches that may be integrated into the healthcare sector to help responsible and secure decision-making in dealing with CVD concerns. Secure CVD information is needed while dealing with confidential patient healthcare data, especially with a decentralized blockchain technology (BCT) system that requires strong encryption. However, AI and blockchain-empowered approaches could make people trust the healthcare sector, mainly in diagnosing areas like cardiovascular care. This research proposed an explainable AI (XAI) approach entangled with BCT that enhances healthcare interpretability and responsibility to cardiovascular health medical experts. XAI is significant in addressing cardiovascular prediction issues and offers potential solutions for complex communication and decision-making in cardiovascular care. The proposed approach performs better, with the highest accuracy of 97.12% compared to earlier methods. This achievement shows its ability to tackle complex issues, accessible during healthcare sector communication and decision processes.
Chatbots1 are AI programs that understand human language. They answer questions and help people. Chatbots are very useful for customer service. They can quickly solve problems and make the user experience better. But chatbots also help in other areas like healthcare and education. They can do repetitive tasks automatically. It makes processes more efficient. Chatbots use machine learning (ML)2 to keep improving. They adapt to how users communicate and learn new language patterns. Chatbots increase productivity and make information more accessible. People can use technology and get services more efficiently with chatbots.
Chatbots work using complex AI systems. They employ natural language processing (NLP)3 to grasp users' words. NLP helps chatbots comprehend context, tone, and intent. This allows more natural conversations. Also, chatbots leverage ML algorithms4,5. ML enables chatbots to learn from interactions. They can then modify responses based on feedback and trends. The ability to learn dynamically improves chatbot skills. It ensures responses stay relevant and personalized. Chatbots combine cutting-edge tech to make information accessible. They transform how people engage digitally. Healthcare widely adopts chatbots nowadays.
Healthcare6 keeps people healthy. It combines science, caring, and technology. Healthcare aims to help people and communities. It prevents sickness, identifies illness, gives treatment, and offers ongoing support. Today, Healthcare faces challenges. More people are born7. People live longer8. Medical knowledge overgrows9. So, Healthcare must change to improve. It must offer better care. Care must be easier to access. Care must be more efficient10. Healthcare isn't just about curing illness. It helps society progress. It helps people thrive. New technology promises better Healthcare. Telemedicine connects patients and doctors remotely. Smart medical equipment makes care more personalized11, effective, and accessible. Healthcare is undergoing a shift, with patient-centered care and equal access to resources taking center stage. This field strives to push boundaries, merging advanced tech and empathy to foster well-being for everyone. Chatbots are renovating patient engagement, offering real-time assistance, appointment booking, and more services. The sector's evolving mindset prioritizes redefining what's achievable by blending cutting-edge innovations and compassion for optimal health outcomes.
Healthcare chatbots12,13,14 have become important in the medical industry. They utilize AI and NLP to talk with patients in real time. They offer easy access to healthcare information, appointments, and answers. They enhance patient experience by providing quick help, reducing wait times, and promoting smooth communication. They also boost efficiency in admin work. It allows healthcare professionals15 to focus more on patient care. The chatbots help create an efficient, patient-focused healthcare system. They improve patient involvement, encourage proactive health management, and leverage technological advancements. However, they still face some security issues and BCT can resolve these issues.
BCT's distributed, secure platform16,17 is a game-changer in the healthcare industry. Patient data protection is crucial in digital health, and BC offers a clear ledger. Since BC is also distributed, medical chatbots built on this technology have a distributed network or network of networks. This minimizes the risk of a single point of failure and boosts security against cyber attacks. Transactions become more visible and traceable, further strengthening private health information's privacy. Cryptographic principles18 nurture the trust of patients and healthcare chatbots in each other. In medicine, where the field is ever-changing and emerging, healthcare chatbots become the platform for ensuring the confidentiality of information, faithfulness and general security, thus contributing to a more reliable and effective medical environment.
Integrating XAI into healthcare chatbots marks a significant step toward secure and transparent healthcare systems. This study introduces a novel approach by combining XAI's interpretability with BC technology to enhance data security and trust in medical diagnostics. Unlike previous models, this framework not only provides explainable diagnostic results but also ensures tamper-proof storage of medical records19,20,21. This unique combination improves transparency, reliability, and patient trust, addressing key challenges in AI-driven healthcare applications.
The combination of BC and XAI in medical chatbots introduces a novel approach to healthcare delivery. This study uniquely integrates BC for secure data storage with XAI to enhance the transparency of AI-based diagnostic decisions. Unlike previous studies, this framework addresses both data security and interpretability, ensuring that medical information remains protected while being understandable to all stakeholders. This innovation fosters greater trust in AI-powered healthcare systems, promoting wider acceptance among users.
This paper explores the integration of blockchain-assisted chatbots with XAI to enable responsible CVD screening. While existing studies have separately addressed AI-based diagnostics and blockchain for secure data management, limited research combines both technologies to enhance transparency and trust in healthcare applications. This work bridges the gap by proposing a novel framework that ensures secure data storage while offering interpretable diagnostic outcomes. The study aims to guide future advancements in ethical and transparent AI-driven healthcare systems.
Numerous researchers have earlier applied BCT and XAI approaches to develop chatbots in the healthcare sector. Some of their study are mentioned in this portion.
The researchers22 explained that AI chatbots provide multiple advantages to patients in Healthcare. One main usage is for the primary screening and suggestion of interventions. In this scenario, a disease-affected person can engage with a chatbot that inquires about their indications and hearing history, subsequently offering sanctions for self-management, further assessment, or treatment built on the patient's input. This proves especially valuable when individuals are uncertain about experiencing hearing loss, reluctant to seek medical attention, or facing profound hearing impairments hindering communication with a clinician. Chatbots can also serve as teaching tools, supporting self-management and identifying circumstances related to social demands. Patients are also provided with health information, safety tips, and advice on how best to manage medical problems, while chatbots also offer advice on how to use management tools and suggest strategies for addressing common problems. Conversely, the risk of bad advice from chatbots poses problems, such as providing incorrect guidance and prompting patients to treat themselves inappropriately, delaying cure, or leading to more harmful outcomes.
This research23 demonstrated how a chatbot quickly assists patients, medical staff, and the hospitalization of individuals with critically ill renal disease. When powered with innovative AI algorithms, chatbots can support patients and physicians 24/7, as each common and frequently raised question/issue is worked out instantly, which validates that the before- and after-hours patients with the condition receive correct information and help, thus significantly enhancing the recipients' utility of Healthcare24. Chatbots may become vital tools for kidney health-related individuals due to quick advice and relieving anxiety.
In this research25, the authors highlighted that typical medical chatbots rely on AI and NLP to understand a patient's words, predict what they mean, and produce an answer that fits. Then, the chatbot's programmers modify it every so often based on the patients' real questions, their satisfaction, and some language performance metrics. These systems are governed by a developer for the chatbot, who cares for a human-legible, human-moderated database. In contrast, ChatGPT's advanced AI technology deviates from fetching internet-based data, which may cause readers to wonder just how accurate and current medical data it access could be. Filling its database by this method may be easy, but ChatGPT will require slow teaching from all of the people its clients, a process it could only allow a medical team to do, as any client can affect the AI's learning, and hence its ensuring errors. Because ChatGPT's responses can be unexpected and can vary depending on the corpus it's trained on, it was paramount to rigorously test and evaluate its performance. A robust quality assurance framework will have to be established, with systematic tracking of database changes and preservation, to ensure that what ChatGPT delivers online is accurate. Creating a custom dataset and working with a team of healthcare experts to review and validate the training dataset significantly heightens the accuracy and importance of ChatGPT's healthcare data. As a healthcare chatbot, ChatGPT must be constantly updated and improved to maintain current relevance and consistently offer new and accurate data.
The authors of this study argued that medical chatbots advanced by dedicated healthcare professionals may not have the same degree of accuracy as ChatGPT. Over time, healthcare chatbots, enriched with AI functionalities like NLP, have evolved to concentrate on specific functions, such as addressing user queries across diverse medical subjects26,27. Developers of these chatbots can construct the foundational software, integrate it with a well-maintained database, and readily adjust both the conversational structure and data as needed.
In this research28, the authors emphasize elevating awareness about cyber threats and stimulating organizations' cybersecurity by honing in on the frailest connection, the human factor layer. They also propose the deployment of an AI-driven conversational bot, functioning as a personalized support to augment awareness of cyber threats and disseminate the latest data and training to company employees. Designed explicitly for communication via WhatsApp, the bot can maintain individual records for each employee, assess their progress, and recommend training measures to mitigate vulnerabilities. Implementation of this bot has demonstrated significant positive effects on employees, enabling the system to update its database in the event of a security.
breach and suggest appropriate actions during an attack. However, the article underscores cybersecurity's dynamic nature, emphasizing the need to incorporate new features into the bot to stay abreast of emerging threats. Proposed enhancements include a feature for validating procedural applications, immediate notification to the IT team in case of a severe attack, the integration of voice generation for employee focus, and linking the bot to the latest security webpages and databases to promptly inform employees and the IT department about new threats.
The authors29 presented that the Honest Chain system utilizes both BCT and chatbot functionalities to facilitate secure, expedited, and standards-compliant sharing of health information. Employing a consortium blockchain approach, Honest Chain ensures efficient data sharing by incorporating reputation value calculations for both Requesters and Providers. Furthermore, it uses risk valuation for each operation through computerization, ensuring auto-assurance and auto-audibility. The effectiveness of the Honest Chain process hinges on the computerization of distributed trust. The serviceability of the chatbot, depending upon requester supervision, may either enhance or impede the process of reducing Loss of Value and Loss of Chance challenges. Additionally, our method grants access to secure data sets, but their investigation requires the corporation of several systematic tools and visualizations, for example, Jupyter notebooks, by users.
Numerous previous studies have tackled the issue of trust deficits in the sharing of secured healthcare data. For instance, in30, they propose a brokering architecture focused on building trust and fostering disease-affected person-centric cloud medical facilities. This approach actively pursues patient feedback and introduces auditability by monitoring communications via the BC solution. Brokering processes incorporating BCT have demonstrated the potential to enhance the quality of patient care and reduce healthcare costs through targeted and secure data sharing, as evidenced in31. They are addressing the shortcomings of centralized architectures in medical data exchange, which include high reliance on web connection and vulnerability to one point of disaster. In32, ML is primarily categorized into supervised learning and unsupervised learning. In supervised learning, algorithms are trained on labeled data by comparing predicted outcomes with actual results to improve accuracy for future predictions. In another study33, the researchers highlighted that Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have revolutionized CVD prediction by storing comprehensive patient information in digital form. These records contain vital data such as medical history, demographics, and laboratory results, playing a crucial role in forecasting disease progression. The rich dataset in EHRs enhances the accuracy of predicting patient outcomes and supports early diagnosis.
The authors explained that the utilization of BCT is undergoing a conceptual evolution in Healthcare, delivering significant value to information management functions through enhancements in efficiency, access control, technical innovation, privacy protection, and security. Research findings indicate that existing limitations primarily revolve around Approach performance, implementation constraints, and associated costs34. The term “blockchain” is derived from its methodology of maintaining transaction data in sequentially connected “blocks.” These blocks, forming a continuous “chain,” grow in length alongside the increasing volume of transactions. Each interaction is logged in a personal ledger, with entries stored as blocks on the chain. The fundamental components of a block include the data or information segment, the hash, and the preceding hash. Blockchain encompasses features such as a peer-to-peer network, cascaded encryption, a distributed database, transparency with pseudonymity, and irreversible records. Significant applications of BC in healthcare span drug development, clinical trials, medical data management, and security35.
The authors presented that three distinctive features of BCT: immutability, cybersecurity, and interoperability can effectively support comprehensive data secrecy, loading, and management at the lowest cost and hazard36. A method was implemented to remotely detect and treat cancer tumours for selected disease-affected persons, utilizing a BC Approach for telemonitoring medical and dermatologic challenges37. It is emphasized that rules should be established to employ conventions containing BCs, which may validate information generated at medical services and by distinct inhabitants. BCT has found application in gerontology, chronic disease management, and Healthcare and pharmacological firms for study and medical practice38.
The authors39 highlighted that AI chatbots, also known as conversational agents, utilize dialog systems to engage in natural language conversations with users through speech, text, or a combination of both. In terms of conceptualization, the fundamental technical capability of AI chatbots differs from that of personified virtual conversational representatives, which focus on making multimodal motions to pretend face-to-face human talk. This study concentrates on the emerging main feature of natural language discussion in AI chatbots, aiming to help more adaptable data sharing among people and the chatbot. The conversational capacity may vary, ranging from constrained to unconstrained discussion (where users can respond naturally by inputting their conversational lines).
The authors presented that AI chatbots may be implemented in the shape of mobile applications on smartphones, ensuring their availability around the clock. The rapid evolution of AI chatbots has led to significant transformations in various sectors, encompassing business40, governance41, education42, and healthcare43. Amazon Alexa boasted over 100,000 programs as a prominent platform for chatbot progress. Facebook Messenger had over 300,000 active chatbots as of 2019, with a substantial portion dedicated to Healthcare and well-being. An illustrative example is the WHO's launch of a chatbot on Facebook Messenger in April 2020, aimed at combating misinformation and providing immediate and correct data related to COVID-1944.
In45, the authors describe that Telehealth and telemedicine systems aim to provide remote healthcare services to alleviate the transmission of COVID-19. These systems are crucial in efficiently managing limited healthcare resources and addressing the overwhelming load of COVID-19 disease-affected people in hospitals. Nevertheless, many current telehealth and telemedicine processes exhibit a unified structure, lacking essential features such as information security, privacy, decision-making power, operational transparency, health records immutability, and traceability. These shortcomings pose challenges in detecting and preventing fraudulent activities related to disease-affected persons' insurance privileges and surgeon credentials.
In46, the authors explain that the evolution of electronic information technology has led to the widespread adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) as a conventional method for storing patient data in hospital settings. Patient records are dispersed across various hospital databases, even on the same individual. Consequently, constructing a merged and summarized EMR for a single patient from multiple hospital databases is challenging due to concerns related to security and privacy. They also highlight that existing EMR systems lack a standardized data management and sharing policy. This absence of a general policy poses difficulties for pharmaceutical scientists striving to develop precise medicines, as they must contend with data obtained under different policies. In response to these challenges, they have introduced MedBlock, a blockchain-assisted information management system designed to address patient information issues; this system has no decision-making power, transparency, or accountability. However, a blockchain-assisted AI chatbot is an intelligent information system that uses BC for secure data storage and AI for delivering transparent and reliable healthcare recommendations.
In47, researchers propose implementing a secure BCT system to protect electronic healthcare records (EHR). This framework integrates sensors, the Internet of Things (IoT), databases, and other computing resources. By employing this framework to secure EHR, the authors anticipate an overall security and privacy enhancement compared to traditional healthcare systems. However, the study does not explicitly address data purity, transparency, and accountability concerns.
The authors49 developed and assessed a novel evidence-based health information tool called PROSCA, a chatbot designed for the field of Prostate Cancer (PC). This tool shows great promise in raising awareness, assisting patients with knowledge, and providing support. Its primary goal is to give targeted help for doctor-patient communication. The study discovered that a medical chatbot with an early PC detection emphasis helps patients by providing them with an extra educational resource. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that authors avoided discussing responsibility and transparency in their work.
The authors' research50 emphasizes certain aspects of the question-answering system (QAS) that are now utilized in the healthcare industry. According to their research, people view conversational bots as practical and easy to use. These agents show promise regarding time and resource savings but also have issues with data integrity, secure communication, accountability, and transparency.
Despite significant advancements, previous studies have not sufficiently addressed the simultaneous integration of model interpretability, scalability, and data privacy in AI-based healthcare systems. This gap limits the ability of these models to provide transparent and secure solutions. The proposed approach leverages blockchain-assisted AI to overcome these limitations and deliver more reliable healthcare diagnostics.
Existing studies have explored the integration of BCT in healthcare, primarily focusing on secure data storage, patient data management, and decentralized access control. These implementations provided enhanced data security and privacy but often lacked the capability to offer transparent and interpretable AI-based decision-making. Moreover, many of these studies struggled with scalability issues and failed to ensure seamless integration with AI diagnostic systems. The proposed blockchain-assisted AI chatbot addresses these limitations by not only securing patient data through decentralized ledgers but also offering explainable predictions and scalable solutions, fostering greater trust and reliability in healthcare diagnostics.
Several limitations have been observed in the previous research regarding healthcare chatbots. Previous healthcare chatbots face challenges such as insecure communication, lack of decision-making authority, and poor transparency. Sensitive patient data may be exposed to breaches without robust security measures. Limited decision-making capacity can lead to suboptimal healthcare support. Blockchain-assisted AI chatbots address these issues by providing secure, transparent, and decentralized data storage, enhancing both trust and decision-making reliability. Some previous publications' work with the proposed system is shown in Table 1.
Table 1 highlights various limitations from the literature review, including a lack of performance regarding secure communication systems, decision-making power, and transparency and accountability. This proposed research work addresses these critical issues by incorporating innovative technologies. The integration of BCT ensures secure communication and protects patient data, while machine learning algorithms enhance decision-making with accurate, personalized responses derived from comprehensive healthcare data analysis. XAI raises transparency and accountability through clear, interpretable explanations for chatbot recommendations, fostering trust and understanding in user interactions and overcoming prior limitations to enhance secure, intelligent, and accountable healthcare chatbot systems.
The dataset used for CVD prediction consists of several attributes, each representing a different health-related feature. These attributes are numerical and categorical, and they provide essential information about the patient's physical condition. The structure of the dataset is as follows: it includes attributes such as “id,” “age,” “gender,” “height,” “weight,” “ap_hi” (systolic blood pressure), “ap_lo” (diastolic blood pressure), “cholesterol” (cholesterol level), “gluc” (glucose level), “smoke” (whether the patient smokes), “alco” (whether the patient consumes alcohol), “active” (whether the patient is physically active), and “cardio” (target attribute, indicating whether the patient has cardiovascular disease or not). The “cardio” attribute is binary (0 or 1), where 1 indicates the presence of cardiovascular disease, and 0 indicates the absence. The dataset structure is shown below in Table 2.
Table 2 represents that the dataset for CVD prediction is a comprehensive collection of clinical and lifestyle attributes that provide critical insights into a patient's cardiovascular health. Key features such as age, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and lifestyle habits like smoking and alcohol consumption offer a holistic view of potential risk factors. The target variable, “cardio,” serves as an indicator of whether CVD is present, enabling predictive modeling and analysis. This structured data allows researchers and clinicians to identify patterns and make informed decisions to improve patient outcomes.
This research proposes a system that leverages historical data for predictive analysis, as depicted in Fig. 1 It incorporates Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) to determine the necessity of preprocessing and to detect any outliers in the data. The preprocessing phase addresses issues such as missing values, duplicate records, outliers, and class imbalance to ensure data quality. Subsequently, the dataset is partitioned into training and testing subsets, with 70% allocated for training and 30% for testing. The model is trained and evaluated on these subsets, employing metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and a confusion matrix to identify the optimal model. Finally, the selected model is utilized for accurate outcome prediction, with interpretability achieved through applying SHAP & LIME.
Figure 1 depicts the workflow of a healthcare prediction model integrating ML and XAI techniques. The process starts with data collection, followed by EDA and preprocessing to prepare the dataset. An XGBoost model is trained on the processed data, and its predictions are explained using SHAP and LIME to enhance interpretability. Positive predictions are flagged for further medical review, ensuring transparency and efficiency in healthcare delivery.
System block diagram.
The step-by-step pseudo code for the prediction of HD is shown below in Table 3.
Table 3 presents a structured pseudo-code for processing healthcare data and predicting CVD. It begins with loading the dataset, performing EDA, handling missing values, and using SMOTE to balance classes. The data is split for training an XGBoost model, and XAI techniques are applied to enhance prediction transparency, aiding informed healthcare decisions.
With technological advancement, various fields have adopted autonomous systems, with chatbots emerging as a prominent application. Chatbots have gained much popularity, especially in the healthcare sector, as vital guides to patients and health-related inquiries. Nonetheless, these chatbots face several problems, including patient medical records issues, insecure communication, and failure to give clear and accurate answers.
Knowing the need to address these challenges has led to an increasing demand for developing intelligent approaches that can yield better results. Therefore, this research aims to design an intelligent approach for chatbot development using BCT and XAI. It sets out to mitigate prevailing challenges around chatbots in general with special emphasis on the healthcare industry to ensure that secure communications are implemented while providing clear responses and retrieving accurate information from patient records. The proposed responsible healthcare chatbot using machine learning is shown in Fig. 2. Figure 1 represents the proposed approach, which comprises the training and validation phases. During the training phase, initially, patient data is acquired from the patient through a chatbot and undergoes a BC for secure and tamper-proof transactions, thereby enhancing data integrity and transparency within healthcare systems. The tamper-proof transactions are then forwarded to the preprocessing layer, involving normalization, handling missing values, and moving averages, and the processed data is then divided into training and testing sets, with respective ratios of 70% and 30%. Subsequently, the approach is trained on 70% of the data for predictive analysis using a ML algorithm (XGBoost). The predictions are directed to XAI for comprehensive output explanations. If the output aligns with the predefined learning criteria, the results are stored in the cloud; otherwise, they are returned to the approach if the learning rate is not achieved.
In the validation phase, patient data is directly compared with the imported data stored in the cloud. If the criteria are met, indicating the presence of CVD, the system displays as “yes”. On the other hand, if the criteria are not met, signifying the absence of CVD, the system is discarded.
Proposed responsible healthcare chatbot approach.
This research proposed a responsible healthcare chatbot using ML approach and implemented it on the dataset51 containing 5391 samples. The data were distributed into 70% training (3774 samples) and 30% validation (1617 samples). As the equations state, this approach finds the result using multiple statistical measures as shown below.
It is shown in Table 4 that the proposed responsible healthcare chatbot approach predicts the CVD during the training period using XGBoost. During training, 3774 samples are divided into 1535, 2239 positive, and negative samples. 1505 true positives are successfully forecasted, and no CVD is recognized, but 30 records are mistakenly predicted as negatives, indicating the CVD is recognized. Likewise, 2239 samples are obtained, with negative showing CVD is identified and positive indicating no CVD. With 2200 samples correctly identified as negative, showing the CVD is recognized, and 39 samples inaccurately foreseen as positive, representing no CVD is identified despite the presence of the CVD.
Figure 3 shows that the charts compare the model's performance in identifying CVD in the training and validation datasets. The left chart shows the counts of true positives (CVD correctly identified) and false negatives (CVD missed) during training, while the right chart displays the same for validation. High true positive counts indicate good detection, but false negatives suggest some cases of CVD were missed, highlighting areas for improvement.
‘CVD found' in the training and validation phase.
‘CVD Not found' in the training and validation phase.
It is shown in Table 5 that the proposed responsible healthcare chatbot approach predicts the CVD during the training period using XGBoost. During validation, 1617 samples are divided into 922, 695 positive, and negative samples. 900 true positives are successfully forecasted, and no CVD is recognized, but 22 records are mistakenly predicted as negatives, indicating the CVD is recognized. Likewise, 695 samples are obtained, with negative showing CVD is identified and positive indicating no CVD. With 675 samples correctly identified as negative, showing the CVD is recognized, and 20 samples inaccurately foreseen as positive, representing no CVD is identified despite the presence of the CVD.
Figure 4 shows that the charts illustrate the model's ability to identify cases where CVD is not found. The left chart (training data) shows true negatives (correctly identified as no CVD) and false positives (incorrectly predicted as CVD). Similarly, the right chart represents these metrics for validation data. The high true negative counts indicate strong performance, but false positives highlight instances where CVD was incorrectly flagged, requiring attention for further refinement.
It is shown in Fig. 5 that the correlation matrix illustrates the relationships between various features in the dataset. Attributes like age, cholesterol, and weight show moderate positive correlations with the target variable cardio (presence of CVD). Features such as smoke, alco, and active exhibit minimal correlation with cardio, indicating limited direct influence. This matrix helps identify key predictors and their interactions, aiding in feature selection for model building.
Correlation matrix.
Correlation heatmap of selected features.
Figure 6 is showing that the correlation between ap_hi (systolic blood pressure) and cholesterol is minimal, as indicated by a near-zero value in the heatmap. This suggests that changes in blood pressure levels have little to no direct association with cholesterol levels in this dataset. Both features may independently contribute to cardiovascular risk but do not show a strong relationship with each other.
Figure 7 shows that the ROC curve is a graphical representation of the model's ability to predict CVD. It plots the true positive rate (sensitivity) against the false positive rate (1-specificity) at various threshold levels. A higher area under the curve (AUC) indicates better model performance, with an AUC close to 1 signifying excellent discrimination between patients with and without CVD. It provides a clear visual of the trade-off between correctly identifying CVD cases and minimizing false alarms.
ROC curve.
Distribution of predicted probabilities.
Figure 8 presents the distribution of predicted probabilities for CVD prediction, representing the spread of likelihoods that individuals in the dataset will develop CVD based on model predictions. Typically, these probabilities range from 0 (no risk) to 1 (high risk). Visualizing this distribution helps in understanding the overall risk profile of the population, identifying areas with higher or lower probabilities, and assessing the model's ability to distinguish between high-risk and low-risk individuals effectively. A balanced distribution often indicates good model calibration.
Figure 9 shows that SHAP interaction values in CVD prediction explain how pairs of features work together to influence the model's predictions. They highlight not just the individual contribution of a feature but also how its effect changes in the presence of another feature. For example, the interaction between age and cholesterol levels might reveal nuanced insights into cardiovascular risk. These values provide deeper interpretability by uncovering complex relationships within the data.
Figure 10 describes how the SHAP values measure the impact of each feature on the model's prediction for an individual's CVD risk. They quantify how much a specific feature, such as age or blood pressure, pushes the prediction towards higher or lower cardiovascular risk. This ensures transparency by breaking down the contribution of each feature to the model's output.
SHAP interaction value.
SHAP value (Impact on model output).
Figure 11 highlights that a decision model in CVD prediction explains how the model combines different features to arrive at a prediction. It shows the sequence and importance of features (like age, blood pressure, and cholesterol) influencing the final output, helping to visualize the reasoning process behind high or low cardiovascular risk predictions.
Decision model.
Feature importance.
Figure 12 illustrates that the feature importance in CVD prediction highlights which factors, such as age, cholesterol levels, or blood pressure, have the greatest influence on the model's predictions. By ranking these features, it provides insights into the key drivers of cardiovascular risk, aiding in model interpretation and aligning predictions with medical knowledge.
Figure 13 explains how SHAP values for the “age” feature in CVD prediction quantify how an individual's age impacts the model's output. Age often shows high feature importance, as older individuals typically have a higher cardiovascular risk. This insight underscores age's critical role in shaping predictions and aligns with its established relevance in medical risk assessment.
SHAP value for age.
SHAP summary plot for the training phase.
Figure 14 presents that the SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) summary plot for the training phase in CVD prediction highlights the importance and impact of each feature on the model's predictions. It visually represents how individual features (e.g., age, blood pressure) contribute to increasing or decreasing the likelihood of CVD across the dataset. The plot helps identify the most influential factors, aiding in model interpretability and ensuring key predictors align with domain knowledge about cardiovascular health.
It is shown in Fig. 15 that the SHAP summary plot for the validation phase in CVD prediction shows how well the model generalizes to unseen data by illustrating the influence of features on predictions for the validation set. It highlights whether the most important features identified during training remain consistent in the validation phase. This helps verify the stability and reliability of the model's feature importance, ensuring its applicability to new data and alignment with expected CVD risk prediction patterns.
SHAP summary plot for the validation phase.
Table 6 shows that the proposed responsible healthcare chatbot using ML approach performance in terms of accuracy sensitivity, specificity, miss rate, and precision during training using XGBoost provides 98.17, 97.47, 98.65, 1.83, and 98.05, respectively. The suggested approach yields 97.40, 97.83, 96.84, 2.60, and 97.61 during the validation phase's accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, miss rate, and precision. Furthermore, the proposed responsible healthcare chatbot using ML approach yields 1.35, 72.2, 0.019, and 98.26 in terms of fall-out likelihood positive ratio, likelihood negative ratio, and negative predictive value during training and 3.16, 30.96, 0.027, 97.12 in terms of validation.
Proposed responsible healthcare chatbot approach explanation with CVD prediction (No).
According to Fig. 16, the Proposed responsible healthcare chatbot using ML approach with the XAI shows a high level of confidence, about 97.12%, in predicting the forecasting of normal cardiovascular conditions. This confidence is influenced by several factors, including the presence of id, age, education, sex, is_smoking, cigsPerDay, BPMeds, prevalent stroke, prevalent Hyp, diabetes, totChol, sysBP, diaBP, BMI, heart Rate, glucose, exng, caa, Triglyceride, hdl_cholestrol, ldl_cholestrol, CPK_MB_Percentage and TenYearCHD. These factors contribute to a higher likelihood of classifying the cardiovascular as normal.
According to Fig. 17, the proposed responsible healthcare chatbot using ML approach with the XAI shows high confidence, about 97.12%, in predicting abnormal cardiovascular conditions. This confidence is influenced by several factors, including the presence of id, age, education, sex, is_smoking, cigsPerDay, BPMeds, prevalent Stroke, prevalent Hyp, diabetes, totChol, sysBP, diaBP, BMI, heart rate, glucose, exng, caa, Triglyceride, hdl_cholestrol, ldl_cholestrol, CPK_MB_Percentage and TenYearCHD. These factors contribute to a higher likelihood of classifying the cardiovascular as normal.
Proposed responsible healthcare chatbot approach explanation with CVD prediction (Yes).
Table 7; Fig. 18 compare the performance of the proposed responsible healthcare chatbot approach with previous ML approaches to predict CVD. It is clearly shown that this approach is better than the previous results in terms of accuracy and miss rate.
Graphical representation of the previous approaches with the proposed approach.
The proposed blockchain-assisted chatbot powered by XAI demonstrates significant strengths in ensuring secure data storage, transparency, and reliable CVD screening57. The integration of BC enhances data privacy and trust, while XAI improves the interpretability of diagnostic decisions. However, the approach may face limitations in terms of computational complexity and response time, particularly in real-time medical consultations. Future improvements could focus on optimizing the system's efficiency, scalability, and seamless integration with existing healthcare infrastructures to enhance overall performance and user experience.
Healthcare systems increasingly incorporate AI into their systems, but it is not a solution to all difficulties. Healthcare data, complete with sensitive patient information, demands strong protections against breaches and unauthorized access. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been readily adopted to solve all healthcare industry issues better. This is one of the vital areas to bother about data security, including health data, which is very sensitive since it is patients' private information. Patient data privacy is now exposed by data breaches and unauthorized access, which are now the biggest threat to healthcare, putting both security and privacy at the forefront. The inherent decentralization of the BC58 entails the use of powerful encryption methods and access controls, which lead to data integrity and privacy preservation, but become a key issue. The vast potential of AI is constrained by a trust issue that rises because of AI work like a black box, that is, can't be explained. Integrating XAI demonstrates the deployability of the Chatbot to the users where they will be comprehending the rationale behind the answers provided and the advice given. It may cause the responsible and ethical behaviors of the patients so that they can make the informed decision and this in turn may help in the utilization of health services. It is obvious, XAI is likely to become an integral part of patient-territorialization and de-monopolizing of healthcare information, making clinical decision support systems more sufficient for better patient outcomes and the overall provision efficiency improvement in general.
The development of a responsible healthcare chatbot framework integrated with XAI components represents a transformative advancement in healthcare technology. The proposed approach demonstrates notable performance metrics, achieving 97.40% accuracy, 97.83% sensitivity, 96.84% specificity, and a 2.60% miss rate. The method outperforms previous strategies by attaining the highest precision of 97.12%, underscoring its efficacy in addressing complex health communication challenges and facilitating informed decision-making. Future research directions may involve scaling the proposed solution or integrating it with emerging technologies to optimize care delivery efficiency and enhance patient outcomes.
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.
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Department of Computer Science, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
Salman Muneer
Department of Computer Science, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Alkhobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sagheer Abbas
Department of Computer Science, Kateb University, Kabul, Afghanistan
Asghar Ali Shah
Department of Computer Science, College of Computer Engineering and Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, 11942, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia
Meshal Alharbi
Computer Science Department, College of Science and Humanities, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, 31961, Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Haya Aldossary
Department of Computer Science, Lahore Garrison University, Lahore, Pakistan
Areej Fatima
Department of Networks and Cybersecurity, Hourani Center for Applied Scientific Research, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan
Taher M. Ghazal
Department of Software, Faculty of Artificial Intelligence and Software, Gachon University, Seongnam-si, 13557, Republic of Korea
Khan Muhammad Adnan
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Salman Muneer, Asghar Ali Shah, Sagheer Abbas, Meshal Alharbi and Haya Aldossary, have collected data from different resources and contributed to writing—original draft preparation. Khan Muhammad Adnan., Areej Fatima and Sagheer Abbas performed formal analysis and Simulation, Taher M. Ghazal, Asghar Ali Shah, Meshal Alharbi and Haya Aldossary; writing—review and editing, Asghar Ali Shah, and Khan Muhammad Adnan; performed supervision, Salman Muneer, Sagheer Abbas, Asghar Ali Shah, Ahmad Alshamayleh and Meshal Alharbi.; drafted pictures and tables, Khan Muhammad Adnan, Haya Aldossary and Areej Fatima; performed revisions and improve the quality of the draft. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Muneer, S., Abbas, S., Shah, A.A. et al. Responsible CVD screening with a blockchain assisted chatbot powered by explainable AI.
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“Investors are bracing for signs of softness in the U.S. labour market,” Singapore-based QCP Capital said in a Telegram broadcast earlier Friday. “ A weaker-than-expected print would bolster the case for further Fed rate cuts this year, as policymakers attempt to cushion a decelerating economy.”
Data shows markets are pricing in four rate cuts in 2025 — 0.25 bps each in June, July, September and December. Rate cuts occur when a central bank, like the Federal Reserve, lowers interest rates to stimulate economic growth by making borrowing cheaper.
Bitcoin, and the broader market, tend to react positively to rate cuts, as lower rates reduce the appeal of traditional investments like bonds, driving investors toward alternatives like BTC. Additionally, a weaker dollar can enhance BTC's value as a hedge against inflation or currency devaluation.
QCP Capital said it continues to observe elevated volatility in the short term, with more buyers of downside protection.
“That said, with positioning now light and risk assets largely oversold, the stage may be set for a near-term bounce,” the fund said.
Shaurya is the Co-Leader of the CoinDesk tokens and data team in Asia with a focus on crypto derivatives, DeFi, market microstructure, and protocol analysis.
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Real Vision's Jamie Coutts is watching June for a potential altcoin market recovery but says traders should treat network activity as the “north star” for crypto investing.
Altcoins may have just one last rally this cycle, but only those with real utility and strong network activity will see price gains, according to an analyst.
“I think there will be one more breadth thrust from altcoins. The question is, is it a sustained rally that we will see for six to twelve months,” Real Vision chief crypto analyst Jamie Coutts told Real Vision co-founder Raoul Pal on an April 3 X livestream.
“At this stage, I am not too sure, but I do believe that quality altcoins where activity returns, activity drives prices …we will definitely see a recovery in some of these more high-quality names,” Coutts said.
Cointelegraph reported in January that there were over 36 million altcoins in existence. However, Ethereum still holds the majority share of total value locked (TVL) with 55.56%, followed by Solana (6.89%), Bitcoin (5.77%), BNB Smart Chain (5.68%), and Tron (5.54%), according to CoinGecko data.
Coutts said traders should watch where the network activity “is gravitating” and use that as their “north star” for how to trade in crypto, adding he sees an altcoin market upswing within the next two months.
On March 28, Coutts told Cointelegraph that Bitcoin could reach all-time highs before the end of Q2 regardless of whether there is more clarity on US President Donald Trump's tariffs and potential recession concerns.
The total crypto market cap is down around 8% over the past 30 days. Source: CoinMarketCap
Blockchain network activity across the board has recently experienced sharp declines amid a broader crypto market downturn. On Feb. 21, Cointelegraph reported that the number of active addresses on the Solana (SOL) network fell to a weekly average of 9.5 million in February, down nearly 40% from the 15.6 million active addresses in November 2024.
Meanwhile, several key indicators the crypto industry uses to determine an incoming altcoin season suggest it's still nowhere in sight.
Capriole Investments' Altcoin Speculation Index has dropped to 12%, down 53% since Dec. 25, the same period during which Ether fell 49% from $3,490, according to CoinMarketCap data.
Related: When will altseason arrive? Experts reveal what's holding back altcoins
CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season Index, which measures the top 100 cryptocurrencies against Bitcoin's performance over the past 90 days, is reading a score of 14 out of 100, leaning toward a more Bitcoin-dominated market, referring to it as “Bitcoin Season.”
The Altcoin Season Index Chart is sitting at 14 at the time of publication. Source: CoinMarketCap
However, while Bitcoin dominance — a level often watched for retracements that signal an altcoin season — sits at 62.84%, some analysts argue it's no longer as relevant as a signal for altcoin season.
CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Yu recently said that Bitcoin Dominance “no longer defines altseason — trading volume does.”
Magazine: New 'MemeStrategy' Bitcoin firm by 9GAG, jailed CEO's $3.5M bonus: Asia Express
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Manish Chhetri
FXStreet
Bitcoin (BTC) price is hovering around $83,000 on Friday after it failed to close above the $85,000 resistance level earlier this week. Ethereum (ETH) failed to find support around its key level, eyeing lower levels not seen since 2023. Meanwhile, Ripple (XRP) retests its critical support level, a firm close below its aim for its yearly low.
Bitcoin was rejected by the 50% Fibonacci retracement (drawn from its November low of $66,835 to its all-time high of $109,588 in January) at $88,211 and declined 3.10% on Wednesday. Moreover, BTC failed to close above its daily resistance level of $85,000. This daily level coincides with the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) and a descending trendline, making it a key resistance zone. BTC stabilized at around $83,000 the next day. At the time of writing on Friday, it trades slightly below around $83,000.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator on the daily chart reads 44 after being rejected from its neutral level of 50 on Tuesday, indicating slight bearish momentum. If the RSI continues to slide downwards, the bearish momentum will increase, leading to a sharp fall in the BTC price.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) lines coil against each other, indicating indecisiveness among traders.
If BTC continues to find rejection from the daily resistance at $85,000, it could extend the decline to retest its next support level at $78,258.
BTC/USDT daily chart
However, if BTC recovers and closes above its daily resistance at $85,000, it could extend the recovery rally to the key psychological level of $90,000.
Ethereum price recovered and closed above the daily support of $1,861 on Tuesday but failed to maintain above this level and declined nearly 6% the next day. ETH stabilized around $1,800 on Thursday. At the time of writing, it trades slightly down to around $1,790.
If ETH continues its downward trend, it could extend its decline to retest its important psychological level of $1,700, which it has not seen since October 2023.
The RSI on the daily chart reads 37, below its neutral level of 50 and points downward, indicating strong bearish momentum.
ETH/USDT daily chart
Conversely, if ETH breaks and finds support around the $1,861 level, it could extend the recovery to its March 24 high of $2,104.
XRP price closed below its 100-day EMA at $2.30 last week and declined 12.40%. At the start of this week, it stabilized around the $2.14 level but was rejected by its 100-day EMA on Wednesday. XRP bounced off after retesting its daily support level at $1.96 the next day. At the time of writing on Friday, it trades slightly down toward the daily level of $1.96.
If XRP continues correcting and closes below $1.96, it could decline to test its February 3 daily low of $1.77, which is also the lowest level this year.
The RSI on the daily chart reads 39, below its neutral level of 50, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, indicating bearish momentum.
XRP/USDT daily chart
On the other hand, if the daily level at $1.966 holds and XRP recovers, it could extend the recovery to its previously broken 100-day EMA at $2.30.
Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a virtual currency designed to serve as money. This form of payment cannot be controlled by any one person, group, or entity, which eliminates the need for third-party participation during financial transactions.
Altcoins are any cryptocurrency apart from Bitcoin, but some also regard Ethereum as a non-altcoin because it is from these two cryptocurrencies that forking happens. If this is true, then Litecoin is the first altcoin, forked from the Bitcoin protocol and, therefore, an “improved” version of it.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to have a stable price, with their value backed by a reserve of the asset it represents. To achieve this, the value of any one stablecoin is pegged to a commodity or financial instrument, such as the US Dollar (USD), with its supply regulated by an algorithm or demand. The main goal of stablecoins is to provide an on/off-ramp for investors willing to trade and invest in cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins also allow investors to store value since cryptocurrencies, in general, are subject to volatility.
Bitcoin dominance is the ratio of Bitcoin's market capitalization to the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies combined. It provides a clear picture of Bitcoin's interest among investors. A high BTC dominance typically happens before and during a bull run, in which investors resort to investing in relatively stable and high market capitalization cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. A drop in BTC dominance usually means that investors are moving their capital and/or profits to altcoins in a quest for higher returns, which usually triggers an explosion of altcoin rallies.
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Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
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Supra's 25% surge on Friday calls attention to lesser-known cryptocurrencies as Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP struggle. Cosmos Hub remains range-bound while bulls focus on a potential inverse head-and-shoulders pattern breakout.
Bitcoin price remains under selling pressure around $82,000 on Friday after failing to close above key resistance earlier this week. Donald Trump's tariff announcement on Wednesday swept $200 billion from total crypto market capitalization and triggered a wave of liquidations.
Maker is back above $1,300 on Friday after extending its lower leg to $1,231 the previous day. MKR's rebound has erased the drawdown that followed United States President Donald Trump's ‘Liberaton Day' tariffs on Wednesday, which targeted 100 countries.
Gold gains nearly 20%, reaching a peak of $3,167, while Bitcoin nosedives nearly 12%, reaching a low of $76,606, in Q1 2025. In Q1, the World Gold ETF's net inflows totalled 155 tonnes, while the Bitcoin spot ETF showed a net inflow of near $1 billion.
Bitcoin's price has been consolidating between $85,000 and $88,000 this week. A K33 report explains how the markets are relatively calm and shaping up for volatility as traders absorb the tariff announcements. PlanB's S2F model shows that Bitcoin looks extremely undervalued compared to Gold and the housing market.
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Binance founder Changpeng Zhao has agreed to advise Kyrgyzstan on blockchain and crypto-related matters to strengthen the country's government and economy.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao will begin advising the Kyrgyz Republic on blockchain and crypto-related regulation and tech after signing a memorandum of understanding with the country's foreign investment agency.
“I officially and unofficially advise a few governments on their crypto regulatory frameworks and blockchain solutions for gov efficiency, expanding blockchain to more than trading,” the crypto entrepreneur said in an April 3 X post, adding that he finds this work “extremely meaningful.”
His comments came in response to an earlier X post from Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov announcing that Kyrgyzstan's National Investment Agency (NIA) had signed a memorandum with CZ to provide technical expertise and consulting services for the Central Asian country.
The NIA is responsible for promoting foreign investments and assisting international companies in identifying business opportunities within the country.
Source: Changpeng Zhao
“This cooperation marks an important step towards strengthening technological infrastructure, implementing innovative solutions, and preparing highly qualified specialists in blockchain technologies, virtual asset management, and cybersecurity,” Zhaparov said.
The Kyrgyzstan president added: “such initiatives are crucial for the sustainable growth of the economy and the security of virtual assets, ultimately generating new opportunities for businesses and society as a whole.”
Kyrgyzstan, which officially changed its name from the Republic of Kyrgyzstan to the Kyrgyz Republic in 1993, is a mountainous, land-locked country.
It is considered well-suited for crypto mining operations due to its abundant renewable energy resources, much of which is underutilized.
Over 30% of Kyrgyzstan's total energy supply comes from hydroelectric power plants, but only 10% of the country's potential hydropower has been developed, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.
Malaysia also recently tapped CZ for guidance on crypto-related matters, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim meeting him personally in January.
CZ has also met with officials in the UAE and Bitcoin-stacking country Bhutan — however, it isn't clear what those meetings entailed.
Related: Is Bitcoin's future in circular economies or national reserves?
CZ's latest pursuits come a little over six months after he was released from a four-month prison sentence in the US for violating several anti-money laundering laws.
Since being released, CZ has made investments in blockchain tech, artificial intelligence and biotechnology companies.
CZ also recently donated 1,000 BNB (BNB) — worth almost $600,000 — to support earthquake relief efforts in Thailand and Myanmar after the natural disaster in late April.
Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It's time to dream big again
Whoever they were, they were definitely in Pompeii's upper crust.
In 79 A.D., the sky above the city of Pompeii, Italy, turned gray. But it wasn't snow that began falling—it was ash. Mount Vesuvius was erupting. For 12 hours, the volcano rained ash and pumice on the city, and soon the eruptions would worsen. Mount Vesuvius began spewing hot gas and lava fragments (part of multiple pyroclastic surges), killing many of the 20,000 citizens living in Pompeii and nearby Heracleum. Today, both the tragedy and the region more broadly are still a major area of study.
Archaeologists recently excavated the Porta Sarno necropolis in Pompeii and discovered a funerary relief featuring statues of a life-sized man and woman. The statues, likely a husband and wife, are part of a larger monumental tomb, consisting of a large wall with several niches. The statues' archaic features and carving quality suggest they were likely made during the late Republic Period—a time of immense social inequality, with elites making their power known through funerary monuments.
The presence of the funerary relief and other details on the statues lead researchers to believe that the husband and wife were influential in high society. For instance, the man is depicted wearing a toga that reaches his mid shin. Researchers suggest this was to show off his “calcei patricii,” a type of footwear worn by upper class Romans. The ring on his left hand and intricacy of his eyes and curls were also indicators of high status. Findings from the archaeological dig were published in the E-Journal of the Excavations of Pompeii.
Interestingly, some of the woman's accessories suggest she may have been a priestess of Ceres, goddess of fertility, motherly relationships, and agriculture. She is depicted wearing a necklace with a crescent moon in the middle called a lunula. These amulets were typically worn by girls before marriage, but the presence of a lunula on a married woman suggests that she is a priestess, as Ceres was often symbolically connected to the moon. The statue of the woman also showed her holding a laurel asperigillum—a ceremonial tool used to bless spaces.
The excavation effort is a joint effort between the University of Valencia and the Pompeii Archaeological Park, one that began in July 2024 and is part of the larger research project Investigating the Archaeology of Death in Pompeii.
This is not the first time the Porta Sarno necropolis has been explored, however. The area was also excavated in the 90s for construction of the Circumvesuviana, a railway network in Italy. According to a press release, the 1998 excavations revealed more than 50 cremation monuments marked by stelae and funerary arches, functioning similarly to modern-day headstones.
The statues have since been moved to Palestra Grande at the excavation site for restoration. In the future, the statues will be displayed as a part of the larger Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii exhibition, set to open on April 16. The public will be able to view live-time restoration of the statues as a part of the exhibit.
“This campaign is a precious opportunity to expand research and enhancement activities in the area outside the walls of Pompeii” Gabriel Zuchtriegel—Director of the Park—said in the translated press release.
Emma Frederickson is a Pace University student by day, journalist by night. She enjoys covering anything from pop culture to science to food. Her work appears in several publications including Biography.com and Popular Mechanics. When she's not writing, Emma can be found hopping between coffee shops on the hunt for the world's best oat milk cappuccino.
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Some experts think it could be a “goldmine” for new antibiotics.
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The human immune system is a remarkable evolutionary tool that is often taken for granted—until, that is, something gets past its cellular defenses. However, this complex system of cells, organs, and proteins is even more complicated than we originally thought. Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have found a novel mechanism of our immune system we never knew existed.
This new piece of the immunity puzzle centers around cellular structures known as proteasomes. These structures are found in every cell in the body, and they're tasked particularly with recycling old proteins. Typically, proteasomes chop up old proteins into smaller chunks by producing chemical reactions that break down peptide bonds. This ensures cellular help and cuts down on the build up of “junk” proteins that are damaged or otherwise unneeded. But in a new study, published in the journal Nature, scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science discovered that proteasomes perform another important immunological role.
Simply put, proteasomes leave behind short protein sequences that helped the immune system identify threats. In this new study, Yifat Merbl and her team discovered that these peptides had the ability to actually kill bacteria on their own. In fact, the researchers say that proteasomes increase the production of bacteria-killing peptides when encountering bacterial infections.
“Before now, we knew nothing about the connection between proteasome products and the production of these peptides,” Merbl, senior author of the study, said in a press statement. “In light of our findings, we conducted an extensive series of experiments demonstrating that the proteasomes are key to this defense system.”
To pinpoint this new immunization strategy, scientists inhibited human cells from producing proteasomes in one group while leaving them untouched in another, and then infected each cell culture with salmonella. The infection thrived in the former, and died in the latter.
Similarly, the scientists destroyed the peptides produced to fight the infection, and found similar results. Then, the team tested the idea on mice infected with a life-threatening bacteria that can cause sepsis and pneumonia. When treated with a peptide-derived treatment, the mice contained less of the bacteria, experienced a decline in tissue damage, and increased their overall chances of survival.
The team drilled down even further to figure out what was causing the change in the proteasome's peptide-producing abilities. and pinpointed a control unit called PSME3. In subsequent tests, they confirmed that this subunit was responsible for the increased production of bacteria-fighting peptides.
“We saw that infection causes the proteasome to change its protein-cutting mode, ‘favoring' the production of peptides with antibacterial properties,” Merbl said in a press statement. “This peptide database opens a new frontier for developing personalized treatments against infections and other medical conditions.”
While experts unaffiliated with the study tell the BBC that such medicinal interventions could be many years away and require immense experimentation, they won't argue that nature has once again provided an opportunity to learn from its incredible immunological powers.
Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. You can find his previous stuff at Gizmodo and Paste if you look hard enough.
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April 4, 2025
3 min read
Mathematicians Solve Decades-Old Spinning Needle Puzzle
For a long time, the Kakeya conjecture, which involves rotating an infinitely narrow needle, kept mathematicians guessing—until now
By Manon Bischoff edited by Daisy Yuhas
Sean Gladwell/Getty Images
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It is rare to read about “spectacular progress” or a “once-in-a-century” result in mathematics. That's for good reason: if a problem has not had a solution for many years, then completely new approaches and ideas are usually needed to tackle it. This is also the case with the innocent-looking “Kakeya conjecture,” which relates to the question of how to rotate a needle in such a way that it takes up as little space as possible.
Experts have been racking their brains over the associated problems since 1917. But in a preprint paper posted in February, mathematician Hong Wang of New York University and her colleague Joshua Zahl of the University of British Columbia finally proved the three-dimensional version of the Kakeya conjecture. “It stands as one of the top mathematical achievements of the 21st century,” said mathematician Eyal Lubetzky of N.Y.U. in a recent press release.
Suppose there is an infinitely narrow needle on a table. Now you want to rotate it 360 degrees so that the tip of the needle points once in each direction of the plane. To do this, you can hold the needle in the middle and rotate it. As it rotates, the needle then covers the surface of a circle.
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Amanda Montañez
But if you are clever, the needle can make its 360-degree journey while taking less space. In 1917 mathematician Sōichi Kakeya wanted to investigate the smallest area required to rotate the needle. For example, by rotating not only the outer end of the needle but also its center, you can obtain an area that corresponds to a triangle with curved sides.
Amanda Montañez
Years later, mathematician Abram Besicovitch made an unexpected discovery. If you keep moving the needle back and forth like a complex parallel parking maneuver, the surface that the infinitely narrow needle covers can actually have a total area of zero.
From there, experts began to wonder what dimension this “Kakeya surface” has. Usually surfaces in a plane, such as a rectangle or a circle, are two-dimensional. But there are exceptions: fractals, for example, can also have fractional dimensions, meaning they can be 1.5-dimensional, for instance.
Because the Kakeya surfaces can look very jagged, the question of dimensionality is an obvious one. In fact, it has implications for many other areas of mathematics, including harmonic analysis, which breaks down complicated mathematical curves into sums of simpler functions, and geometric measure theory.
In fact, in 1971 mathematician Roy Davies was able to prove that the Kakeya surface is always two-dimensional, even if its area vanishes. But in mathematics, people are interested in general results. The experts wanted to solve the problem in n dimensions—does a needle that is rotated along all n spatial directions always cover an n-dimensional volume? This hypothesis is now known as the Kakeya conjecture.
The three-dimensional case proved to be an extremely hard nut to crack. Over the decades, experts have been able to rule out the possibility that a rotating needle covers a volume with less than 2.5 spatial dimensions, but that was as far as they got.
Wang and Zahl were not discouraged, however, and worked their way forward step by step. Through painstaking effort, they gradually managed to eliminate all cases in which the covered volume would have a dimension of less than three.
In this way, they were finally able to prove the Kakeya conjecture in three spatial dimensions, showing that the volume covered by the needle is always three-dimensional. In the recent press release, mathematician Guido de Philippis of N.Y.U. commented, “I am expecting that their ideas will lead to a series of exciting breakthroughs in the coming years.”
This article originally appeared in Spektrum der Wissenschaft and was reproduced with permission.
Manon Bischoff is a theoretical physicist and an editor at Spektrum der Wissenschaft, the German-language sister publication of Scientific American.
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The “Anti-Stratfordians” are putting their faith in an AI authorship test.
This story is a collaboration with Biography.com
William Shakespeare is undeniably one of the most famous writers in human history. The 39 shows attributed to the “Bard of Avon” have been performed, adapted, and studied innumerable times in the centuries since they debuted, and his 154 sonnets are some of the most quoted poems in the world.
The very name Shakespeare has become synonymous with the dramatic arts. But for a segment of the literary community some might call “conspiracy theorists,” it shouldn't be.
Not because they believe the plays themselves, like Hamlet and Julius Caesar, are incorrectly placed within the literary canon. Rather, they think they're simply incorrectly labeled; specifically, on the author page.
This contingency, known as the Anti-Stratfordians (in reference to Shakespeare's home of Stratford-upon-Avon), argue that The Bard's lack of education and modest upbringing don't square with the vast vocabulary on display in Shakespeare's celebrated plays. “They note that both of Shakespeare's parents were likely illiterate,” Biography.com states in further explaining the stance of the Anti-Stratfordians, “and it seems as if his surviving children were as well, leading to skepticism that a noted man of letters would neglect the education of his own children.”
The Anti-Stratfordians also claim that “none of the letters and business documents that survive give any hint of Shakespeare as an author,” and raise questions like “Why was there no public mourning for him when he died?”
But these claims can all be refuted to one degree or another by those who believe in Shakespeare's authorship. Shakespeare's modest background? It's ultimately not dissimilar to that of Christopher Marlowe, a peer of Shakespeare's whose authorship of celebrated plays like Doctor Faustus has never been in doubt. In response to the claim of a lack of contemporary records, Biography.com notes that “Tudor officials responsible for ascertaining authorship of plays attributed several works to Shakespeare.” And the claim of a lack of mourning is undercut by no less than Jacobean author Ben Jonson, whose esteemed poem “To the Memory of My Beloved the Author, William Shakespeare” reads:
These debates of authorship tend to treat inference as evidence, and as such, can never really be conclusive. But a new study published by Oxford University Press offers new insight into the authorship debate. And it does so by taking the human element out entirely.
The study from Zeev Volkovich and Renata Avros, titled “Comprehension of the Shakespeare authorship question through deep impostors approach,” decided to see if a deep neural network could do what centuries of scholars could not: conclusively identify works attributed to, but not written by, William Shakespeare.
The duo refer to their methodology for the analysis as “Deep Imposter”:
After a process which converted these text segments into numerical signals, the tested texts were clustered into two groups, which can be simplified into a score of 1 or 2. Those texts in cluster 1 would be those determined to be “imposter texts” not composed by the author in question.
When Shakespeare's works were run through the aforementioned CNN neural network, a staggering fifteen titles were placed into cluster 1. Those included not just the usual suspects of “Shakespeare Apocrypha” (works with no clear author sometimes attributed to Shakespeare) like A Yorkshire Tragedy and Arden of Faversham, but also some of the most beloved staples of the Shakespeare canon like The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
But before you go scribbling out Shakespeare's name from your copy of King John, understand that this isn't an ironclad system, nor do the study's authors claim it is. Instead, they note that this study was intended to introduce “a novel methodology for investigating the stylistic fingerprints of authorship” in a way that “goes beyond analyzing isolated words, encompassing intricate patterns across multiple linguistic structures.”
Earlier tests they cite in their study show that a work appearing in cluster 1 doesn't mean with absolute certainty that it's not written by its attributed author. For example, an early test fed the neural network some works by the authors Charles Dickens and John Galsworthy. “The distribution of works within the clusters accurately reflects their original authorship,” the team behind the study wrote wrote. “Specifically, two of the three sections of ‘A Christmas Carol' are attributed to Charles Dickens. In contrast, only one of the six parts of ‘Flowering Wilderness' is included in this category.” But nobody should come away from reading this study becoming a “one-third of A Christmas Carol” truthers or anything like that. Dickens' authorship of that famous story isn't in doubt, nor is the aforementioned Galsworthy's of Flowering Wilderness.
So, what could be causing this misidentification? The study cites another test run, this one feeding the neural network the works of essayist Francis Bacon and playwright Christopher Marlowe. This found a number of Bacon's essays falling into cluster 1. Their explanation? Not some second, false author posing as Bacon, but rather Bacon's own “literary journey.” Bacon reworked and refined his Essays from 1597 to 1625, such that they “span a spectrum of styles, from the straightforward and unadorned to the epigrammatic.” Therefore, a departure in literary style from one work to another doesn't necessarily mean a different authorial hand, but rather an artistic development playing out over years of trial and error, as well as personal growth.
Few authors with any prolific volume will sound identical to themselves from years earlier, especially if their work undergoes heavy revisions over time. Particularly in the case of a dramatist, revisions, rewordings, and entire reworkings of plays can occur based on rehearsals, collaborator suggestions, and audience reactions. So, while this method can point out that A Midsummer Night's Dream is linguistically distinct from the bulk of Shakespeare's other work, it can't say for sure whether that's because the play was written by a secret second author, or just a case of throwing in a riff on Apuleius' The Golden Ass to get an extra giggle or two out of an audience—even if it wasn't Shakespeare's usual style.
Michael Natale is a news editor for the Hearst Enthusiast Group. His stories have appeared in Popular Mechanics, Best Products, and Runner's World.
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Ice-sheet mass loss is one of the clearest manifestations of climate change, with Antarctica discharging mass into the ocean via melting or through calving. The latter produces icebergs that can modify ocean water properties, often at great distances from source. This affects upper-ocean physics and primary productivity, with implications for atmospheric carbon drawdown. A detailed understanding of iceberg modification of ocean waters has hitherto been hindered by a lack of proximal measurements. Here unique measurements of a giant iceberg from an underwater glider enable quantification of meltwater effects on the physical and biological processes in the upper layers of the Southern Ocean, a region disproportionately important for global heat and carbon sequestration. Iceberg basal melting erodes seasonally produced winter water layer stratification, normally forming a strong potential energy barrier to vertical exchange of surface and deep waters, while freshwater run-off increases and shoals near-surface stratification. Nutrient-rich deeper waters, incorporating meltwater loaded with terrigenous material, are ventilated to below this stratification maxima, providing a potential mechanism for alleviating critical phytoplankton-limiting components. Regional historical hydrographic data demonstrate similar stratification changes during the passage of another large iceberg, suggesting that they may be an important pathway of aseasonal winter water modification.
The global ocean is warming at approximately triple the historical rate1, forcing increases in ice-shelf melting and iceberg calving2,3. Such calving accounts for approximately half the mass discharge (1,300 Gt yr−1) from Antarctic ice sheets, with 90% passing through the western Weddell Sea via ‘iceberg alley'4. Implicated in climate fluctuations, including the modulation of glacial–interglacial cycles5 and Heinrich events6, the hydrographic impact of icebergs is poorly understood and not represented explicitly in climate models, largely due to the sparsity of field measurements of melt rates, spreading and entrainment of iceberg-derived freshwater.
Iceberg deterioration and dissolution can cause an appreciable freshwater flux into near-surface layers, strongly modifying upper-ocean stratification7 and near-surface biological productivity8. Differential temperatures and velocities create a turbulent boundary layer for heat transfer9,10, causing side and basal melting, the instigator of substantial upwelling of water from below9,11. Horizontally, meltwater plumes can extend tens of kilometres12,13, with many studies showing noteworthy water and biomass modification within 2 km of the iceberg14,15,16,17,18. Such plumes can supply terrigenous nutrients that can promote phytoplankton growth19,20,21,22. Upwelling can generate an episodic vertical nutrient transport11,16,23, producing a spatially heterogeneous environment with respect to ocean productivity, with algal stock increases often delayed by 6–10 days after iceberg passage, probably due to the interaction of physical and biological processes14,15,16,18.
In July 2017, A-68 calved from the Larsen-C ice shelf in the Weddell Sea24, the sixth largest iceberg on record at the time4, with an area of 5,800 km2. Subsequently, A-68 tracked northwards across the Scotia Sea (Fig. 1a), with the largest fragment (named A-68A) losing approximately one-third of its size as it approached South Georgia (SG). As A-68A recirculated to the southeast of SG, it fragmented further, probably triggered by ocean-current shear mechanisms25. Surface meteoric water concentrations exceeded 4% close to SG due to meltwater from A-68A26, with 152 ± 61 Gt of freshwater fluxed within 300 km of SG between November and March 2021 (ref. 27), 27 times that of the annual freshwater outflow from SG28,29.
a, The trajectory of iceberg A-68A across the Scotia Sea from 21 January 2020 to 12 February 2021. The iceberg shapes are coloured according to date49. b, The trajectory of iceberg A-68A from 14 February to 22 March 2021 when the glider–iceberg separation was <75 km. The glider was trapped from 14 February to 4 March (transparent). Each coloured triangle (iceberg) and corresponding coloured square (glider) are temporally matched, with the minimum separation distance between the glider and iceberg edge shown below. For both panels, the bathymetry (GEBCO Compilation Group, 2023) is shown with 1,000 m and 0 m isobaths illustrated as blue and black, respectively, and the ACC fronts are overlain using the SEANOE dataset50. SAF, subantarctic front; PF, polar front (PF); SACCF, Southern Antarctic circumpolar current front; SB, southern boundary.
In summer, this region of the Southern Ocean (SO) has a highly distinctive density structure with a surface mixed layer (ML) above a winter water (WW) temperature inversion (minima ~125 ± 25 m) caused by the presence of a cold subsurface winter remnant. This acts as a potential energy (PE) barrier to the warm, nutrient-rich circumpolar deep water ((CDW) temperature maxima ~500 m) below30,31. Overcoming this PE barrier can entrain heat, salt and nutrients into the ML, impacting primary productivity and air–sea gas exchange between the deep ocean, surface layers and the atmosphere. These physical changes have direct and indirect impacts on ecosystems and the cycling of nutrients and carbon.
Here, we report results from an innovative underwater glider deployment close to, and under, A-68A. When combined with shipboard and satellite measurements, the observations provide sufficient resolution to disentangle the effects of iceberg-derived meltwater from variability induced by the complex hydrographic, frontal and eddy structure of the region, allowing us to interpret and quantify iceberg-influenced ocean properties. Quantification of basal meltwater is compared with satellite-derived estimates, and shipboard data elucidate possible mechanisms of meltwater dispersion. Biogeochemical impacts in the wake of A-68A are examined and we conclude with assessment of historical hydrographic data to assess the regional impacts of meltwater from other giant iceberg transit events. We find consequential impacts from iceberg-induced mixing on stratification and the vertical supply of nutrients, with strong implications for globally important SO processes.
To investigate the impact of A-68A meltwater on upper-ocean physics, productivity and biogeochemistry, the RRS James Cook conducted a series of conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) and lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) profiles in close proximity to A-68A. On 14 February 2021 a Slocum glider was deployed, 23 km from A-68A. Equipped with sensors for physical (temperature, salinity and pressure) and bio-optical (chlorophyll-a and backscatter) measurements, this glider tracked within 75 km of A-68A for 49 days, collecting 265 vertical profiles up to 1 km in depth (Fig. 1).
This study focuses on the first 19 days of the deployment, where the glider approached A-68A from the ‘upstream' side relative to the current. Two days after deployment, the glider became trapped under the thinner side of the iceberg relative to its calving edge at a depth of 163 m; this reduced to 112 m after 12 h, likely illustrating the uneven bottom of this giant iceberg. Using satellite altimetry27, the average of draft of A-68A on the 17 February was calculated to be 141 m. Combining these drafts, we obtain an estimated iceberg depth of 139 m.
Ocean conditions around SG are characterized by strong interannual variability and high biological productivity, with the surrounding ocean sitting more generally in the high nutrient low chlorophyll SO (regions of the SO where micronutrient iron has been shown to limit phytoplankton growth32). The Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF) and the Southern Boundary (SB) loop anticlockwise around the island from the south (Fig. 1), with numerous mesoscale meanders and eddies. Variability in transport and location of these fronts means isolating the effects of iceberg melt within this region can be challenging. The fronts and eddies obfuscate local hydrography, while iceberg fragments, growlers and brash ice follow current cores identified by sea surface height (SSH) contours, with fragments observed to rotate in eddies identified by circular SSH maxima (Fig. 1b).
To differentiate iceberg signals from background hydrography, a gravest empirical mode (GEM) parameterization33 was calculated from historical data (Methods). The temperature and salinity profiles at all glider–iceberg separations are significantly different to that of the GEM (Fig. 2). The profiles are classified into three distinct regimes with average glider to iceberg separations of 15.2 ± 5.3 km (far), 2.6 ± 0.22 km (near) and 0.28 ± 0.21 km (adjacent) (Fig. 2). The stratification (N2) mean for each classification is plotted in Fig. 2c.
a,b, The glider realizations of conservative temperature (a) and absolute salinity (b) approaching A-68A from left to right, along with the GEM historical hydrography (black) with bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals (shaded grey) matched by dynamic height. Overlain are the individual glider profiles, coloured according to classification with blue (far), magenta (near) and red (adjacent)), with a running mean (dotted cyan) overlain. The mean glider–iceberg separation for each dynamic height group and classification is shown between a and b. The horizontal green line shows the mean iceberg draft. The data are staggered by an incremental offset for illustration. c, Buoyancy frequency (N2) calculated from the running mean of each glider classification, with appreciable maximal stratification accentuated with horizontal lines (top and bottom are identical). d, The Ri estimated using ship-borne CTD and LADCP (the locations of which are illustrated in Fig. 1), with the vertical dashed green line showing the 0.25 threshold for criticality (top and bottom are identical). The grey shading in c and d is the quantified extent of upwelled basal meltwater (see Basal meltwater contribution).
A fresh cold water cap is evident in the adjacent and near profiles at ~9 m and ~16 m depth, respectively. This subducts the warmer saltier surface water, leading to a second peak in stratification at ~44 m and ~63 m depth for adjacent and near profiles, respectively.
The far profiles, although offset from the GEM with warmer, saltier surface waters and cooler fresher water to ~200 m, exhibit a similar-shaped profile with a single broad stratification peak at ~73 m depth. In adjacent profiles, this WW layer is eroded, with stratification increasing above and below this well-mixed layer. Near profiles fall between these regimes. The eroded WW layer is also apparent in glider profiles when escaping the trapping event (not shown), but the highly recirculatory flow combined with the presence of numerous iceberg fragments means these profiles cannot be categorized by ‘distance from iceberg' and are excluded from analysis.
The WW erosion can be used to quantify the basal meltwater contribution of A-68A when considered in temperature–salinity (T–S) space (Fig. 3, with the inset highlighting the extreme sea surface salinities and temperatures on exiting the trapping event, the slope of which matches that of a freshwater run-off line). Water masses affected by meltwater are apparent in the form of intrusions, where the T–S profiles depart from the classic WW temperature minima. These intrusions are warmer and saltier along isopycnals, consistent with the upwelling of warm and saline water below the WW layer11,34.
A T–S diagram, with cast coloured by the distance from A-68A. The contours show the potential density at 0.5 kg m−3 intervals. The red circled cast, at 2.4 km from A-68A, highlights a prominent meltwater intrusion with the associated Gade line (in green) overlain. Density classes indicating WW and CDW are labelled.
With A-68A estimated to be moving at a velocity of 0.13 m s−1 in a geostrophic flow of 0.26 m s−1 (Methods), turbulent basal melting will occur, generating a small amount of fresh, cold water, which mixes with a much larger volume of ambient ocean water. This produces water with a characteristic slope in T–S space, known as the Gade line35 (Methods). This water is positively buoyant compared with in situ properties and thus upwells, creating T–S intrusions. Water constrained by ridges/keels under the iceberg may intermittently ‘spill', entraining water as it rises to attain a new level of neutral buoyancy. Such complex interacting processes may result in multiple intrusions in a single profile or variability in their shape.
Here, we quantify the meltwater content within intrusions by determining the relative proportions of ambient and Gade line water masses along isopycnals, following ref. 11 (Methods). The mean depth of the ambient T–S source of the intruded waters was 238 ± 7.8 m, with a maximum of 250 m to a minimum of 230 m as the glider moved within 2 km of A-68A, possibly impacted by internal waves induced by the wake of the iceberg. The mean volume of water upwelled was 72.8 ± 15.3 m3 m−2, with a mean meltwater content of 0.52 ± 0.1 m3 m−2 over a mean vertical extent of 106 ± 7.8 m from 197 m up to 91 m (Fig. 2c,d), influencing depths greater than the iceberg draft.
Intrusions cease at distances between 2.71 and 5.5 km from A-68A. Assuming the mean meltwater content is advected over an area of 3 km, integration yields an estimated basal meltwater contribution of 1.9 × 108 m3 (Methods). Taking the limits of iceberg and geostrophic flow speed, we obtain advection rates of 6.9 × 108 m3 day−1 and 1.4 × 109 m3 day−1, respectively. Quantifying the freeboard change over time27 yielded 1.7 × 109 m3 day−1 for basal melting, meaning satellite estimates of melt rate are between 1.25 and 2.49 times our in situ estimates. The satellite and in situ estimates of basal melt are thus in broad agreement, especially considering the assumptions and inherent differences in measurement.
To understand whether iceberg meltwater is vertically distributed within the water column via turbulent mixing, the Richardson number ((Ri) the ratio of potential to kinetic energy; Methods) is quantified using three ship-borne CTD and LADCP profiles, two at 4.5 km and one at 2 km from A-68A (Fig. 1). When the Ri falls below one-quarter (Fig. 2d, vertical green line), shear is considered sufficient to overcome the stability of stratification and turbulent mixing will likely occur. Buoyant meltwater creates an unstable water column and shear is likely to increase at the boundaries of stable stratification36. Ri is minimal when N2 is small, at the fringes of the stratification maxima in adjacent and near profiles. Active mixing is observed beneath the fresh cold water cap where warmer waters are subducted, and closest to the fully mixed temperature and salinity profiles. There is also active mixing near the base of the meltwater intrusions (grey shading), possibly signifying a boundary layer dragged by the iceberg. The locations of the peaks in Ri suggest that the change in stratification as the distance from the iceberg increases is due to turbulent mixing, likely generated by the upwelling plume, sidewall melt, surface water run-off and iceberg wake, with an influence extending below that of the iceberg draft.
SG and its immediate surroundings are situated in a micronutrient-limited region of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), with trace metal sources derived from the deep ocean, shelf sediments and glacial flour released from its melting glaciers37. Stratification changes induced by A-68A, the potential for micronutrient injection, loss by cell lysis, grazing, dilution or mixing with deeper marine waters or meltwater could have pronounced biogeochemical impacts that may affect the productivity of the region14.
Figure 4b shows low near-surface chlorophyll adjacent to A-68A whereas the backscatter is relatively high, likely illustrative of meltwater releasing particulates while simultaneously diluting in situ standing stocks and/or increased turbidity causing lower light penetration and growth limitation.
a, A MODIS Aqua satellite image (see Acknowledgements) from 16 February 2021, overlain with A-68A outlines in February, before (blue) and during (coloured by date) the experimental campaign, with the day shown. The glider positions are coloured by date, except the red point (the last measurement before becoming trapped, 15 min before image acquisition). b, Glider-derived estimates of chlorophyll-a and backscatter plotted against glider–iceberg separation. c, Outlines of A-68A from 14 to 16 February are overlain on satellite altimetry SSH contours, indicating the geostrophic flow direction. From 8 to 12 February, the flow direction is consistent, all coloured blue. Subsequently, as the flow direction backs, the colours follow those of a. The overlain glider positions are coloured by integrated chlorophyll over the top 100 m, with quivers illustrating the full depth mean velocities (quiver key, top right in c).
At greater glider–iceberg separations, the near-surface increases in both chlorophyll and backscatter are apparent. Surface chlorophyll maxima at ~16.7 km, when scaled with iceberg velocity, suggest a peak occurring ~36 h after the passage of A-68A. Maximal biomass growth rates at these ocean temperatures are 0.5–1.5 doublings per day38. Using changes in integrated chlorophyll over the top 100 m (Fig. 4c) as a proxy for growth rate yields growth rates at or below these levels, indicating that the localized high biomass could be due to the passage of A-68A and is not suggestive of large advection.
Biological production can be enhanced in regions where marine and iceberg-derived nutrients are injected into nutrient-limited near-surface waters, with delays documented in the wake of iceberg passage14,15,16,18, potentially as a result of meltwater dilution and/or upper-ocean layer modifications. With strong near-surface stratification (Fig. 2) and freshwater surface run-off within 1 km of A-68A (Fig. 3), phytoplankton standing stocks could first be diluted by meltwater before stimulation of primary production and new growth occurs.
The SG region is known for high heterogeneity in the timing, location and magnitude of phytoplankton blooms39. Therefore, it is not possible to unambiguously attribute the patterns of chlorophyll discussed to the presence of the A-68A iceberg. Moreover, the relation to iceberg aspect is complex owing to the route of the iceberg before measurement and the fragments and brash ice present in the area (Fig. 4a). Nevertheless, the glider depth mean flow is consistent with that of the geostrophic flow direction deduced from the satellite SSH (Fig. 4c), with flow from a predominantly ice clear region to the west for at least 7 days before measurement. This strongly suggests that the biological response is related to the iceberg passage.
Figure 5a illustrates the climatological median of the cumulative buoyancy frequency across the WW layer for the South Atlantic region, obtained from historical hydrographic data from January to April (Methods). Historically, this region features relatively high WW stratification, thus recurrent iceberg-driven WW ventilation could be regionally important.
a, The climatological median of the WW cumulative buoyancy frequency for January–April 2005–2021 (2015 and 2021 omitted, see text), overlain on bathymetry (GEBCO Compilation Group, 2023). The pink and blue box extents (areal extents given in Methods) illustrate the spatial and temporal overlap between the iceberg and hydrographic profiles. b–g, Conservative temperature (CT) (b and e), absolute salinity (SA) (c and f) and N2 (d and g) coloured accordingly for each month's profiles (February 2021, b–d and April 2015, e–g), with the climatology overlain in grey. The shading illustrates the s.d.
Large icebergs transited the region during these months in years 2004, 2015 and 2021. Climatologies that spatiotemporally match these iceberg and/or fragment locations are available for years 2015 and 2021 (see the spatial extents in Fig. 5a), and are shown in Fig. 5b–g, respectively, overlain on the historical climatologies for these extents. The mean separation of iceberg to climatological data profiles was 69.5 ± 10.4 km (minimum 58 km) and 14.5 ± 11.8 km (minimum 1.9 km) for 2015 and 2021, respectively. Thus, 2015 separation is more reflective of the larger separations seen in Fig. 2 compared with that of 2021, and have been coloured accordingly.
Appreciable similarities in historical iceberg proximal data to the high-resolution glider data are observed. Stratification maxima is elevated and shallower than the climatological median when icebergs are present (Fig. 5d,g). As the iceberg/measurement separation increases, the maxima deepen and surface waters, initially cooler and fresher than the climatology, become fully mixed. Elevation in stratification due to iceberg passage is also observed below the WW core, possibly due to basal meltwater influence.
Through an unprecedented set of high-resolution measurements, the impact of a giant iceberg on the upper water column stratification and biogeochemistry within the ACC has been documented. The results demonstrate the following:
Surface meltwater release induces a shallow peak in stratification, pushing warmer and saltier surface waters to greater depths.
The WW stratification is eroded, with turbulent mixing transporting a consequential amount of warm and salty CDW from below the iceberg draft. This CDW, containing remineralized and preformed marine nutrients, in addition to nutrient-rich terrigenous material from the iceberg, is upwelled into shallower waters under the shoaled stratification maximum.
Between 2.7 and 5.1 km from the iceberg, this cold and fresh surface run-off layer turbulently mixes and the WW profile below reforms, leaving a warmer, saltier surface layer and cooler fresher water below, with a shallower and stronger stratification peak compared with the climatological mean (Fig. 6).
Within 2 km of the iceberg, surface chlorophyll is diminished while backscatter remains high. As separation increases, algal standing stocks increase.
A schematic illustrating the buoyancy field approaching A-68A. The colour contours are a manual linear colour scale application for each vertical stratification layer and the horizontal profile/iceberg separation in T and S, which are overlain to produce the buoyancy colouring. The T and S line profiles are drawn to scale with 1 °C and 0.5 g kg−1 separation shown. The region of basal meltwater influence is represented with grey shading.
These results have widespread implications. First, the SO is a major sink for anthropogenic carbon, regulating climate change by slowing the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere40. A key control on the subduction of carbon is the strength of stratification at the base of the ML, with recent research41 suggesting that the global density contrast across this interface has increased in the past five decades. Iceberg melting and subsequent lateral mixing has been hypothesized to contribute to the WW structure42. This work provides observational evidence that giant icebergs increase stratification at the base of the ML in the SO.
Second, the stratification changes around the WW layer, and associated turbulent mixing, provide an important mechanism for modifying WW properties outside of winter. Iceberg modelling studies in Greenlandic fjords43,44,45 support the view that meltwater release drives an overturning circulation, upwelling warmer waters. Here, we build upon this by observing directly the changes at intermediate depths in the SO. These changes will ultimately set the vertical stratification, temperature and salinity that persist in the WW layer into the following season.
Third, our results underline the complex impacts of iceberg melt on marine productivity. Key controls include, but are not limited to, micronutrient delivery from the iceberg and upwelled CDW, spatial dilution impacts and changes in stratification from meltwater; shoaling the ML and conceivably enabling storm/front or euphotic zone interactions. The nature of resource limitation is pivotal, with algal population structure influencing cell-size distribution, ecosystem functioning and carbon export, all affecting the marine biosphere21,46.
In the coming century, it is likely that the number of deep-drafted icebergs in the SO will increase, particularly in West Antarctica47,48. Since our fieldwork was conducted, the giant iceberg A-76A has transited the region49, and the similarly sized iceberg A-23 reached the northern end of the Weddell Sea, exiting into the Scotia Sea. Individual icebergs vary in draft, translation speed, distance and micronutrient loading. With considerable uncertainty remaining on future freshwater fluxes from icebergs, our study underlines the need to better observe and model the physical and biogeochemical processes. Only through understanding these processes will their impact on both physical and biological carbon pumps be accurately quantified and future estimates of carbon fluxes be refined and represented effectively in both regional and global ocean models.
A-68A satellite images (NASA Worldview and Modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2021/Sentinel Hub) with a resolution of 250 m were manually delineated using QGIS software when cloud cover permitted. The centroid of the QGIS polygon shape files were obtained and utilized to estimate the speed and direction of the iceberg. The polygon edge points were then interrogated to obtain the glider separation from the closest point of the iceberg, with interpolation in time and space when no direct measurements were possible due to satellite overpass times or cloud cover.
The Teledyne Webb Research Slocum G2 glider (serial number 405) incorporated a pumped Sea-Bird SBE 41 CTD, alongside optical measurements of chlorophyll-a and backscatter. T and S were bin averaged onto 1 dbar levels, the turning points and trapping events of the glider identified and the vertical profiles were obtained. No despiking was undertaken in these quality control steps as it was found that despiking routines erroneously identified outliers that were in fact the iceberg signal, particularly when close to the iceberg edge.
To test for thermal lag effects, sequential upwards and downwards temperature profiles were compared using the SOCIB glider toolbox51. Owing to the CTD being pumped, thermal lag effects were very small and corrections were minimal. The corrected data were compared with high-quality CTDs obtained on RRS James Cook (JC211) at the start of the deployment. A small temperature (0.013 °C) and conductivity (0.0335 S m−1) offset was applied, with salinities recalculated. Finally geostrophic flow was estimated using the depth-averaged velocity estimation from each glider profile52.
The historical vertical temperature and salinity fields of the region were calculated by applying a GEM projection following ref. 33, utilising data from ship-borne CTDs at the locations shown in Fig. 1. Optimal interpolation of the CTD data53 north of 58° S over the period 1995–2020 was used to produce vertical temperature and salinity fields at 5 dbar levels, as a function of integrated water column density (for example, dynamic height). The dynamic height was extracted relative to 990 dbar, with no seasonal correction for residuals to incorporate all surface variance. These time-invariant GEM fields produce T–S profiles for each dynamic height at each longitude. The 300 m reference level was extracted, then matched with glider positional referenced altimetry derived SSHs (EU Copernicus Marine Service information)54 for T–S comparisons. Ship-borne CTD data with no points between 21 m ≥ x ≤ 1,500 m depth range were excluded, leaving 113 casts for this analysis.
CTD casts were collected from RRS James Cook using a Sea-Bird Scientific SBE911plus system, with additional sensors for dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetically active radiation and other parameters. In the vicinity of the iceberg, most casts were to 1,000 m, or to 10 m above the seabed if shallower. Water samples were collected to calibrate the conductivity and dissolved oxygen, and for additional biological and biogeochemical parameters. Salinities were analysed with a Guildline Autosal 8400B, calibrated against IAPSO standard seawater batch P164.
The CTD rosette was fitted with upwards- and downwards-looking Teledyne RDI Workhorse Monitor 300 kHz LADCPs. These were used to calculate current profiles for each cast using the inverse method55, using LDEO_IX software version 13 available from ref. 56.
Three ship-borne CTD and LADCP profiles were used to calculate the Ri, the ratio of potential to kinetic energy, defined as
where N2 is the Brunt–Väisälä frequency, or buoyancy frequency, and (dU/dz)2 is the velocity shear. The locations of these casts are illustrated in Fig. 1 as red stars filled in blue, two at 4.5 km ship to iceberg separation and one at 2 km separation.
Turbulent entrainment of meltwater at the iceberg's base was calculated following ref. 11 by identifying warm, salty anomalies in T–S space compared with background levels, which are taken to be the profiles at greater glider–iceberg separation that exhibit a well-defined WW layer.
For each cast, a Gade line57 is estimated, defined by
where ΔT (°C) is the elevation of ambient temperature above the freezing point of water at salinity S (psu), L = 334 kJ kg−1 is the latent heat of fusion of water, and Cp = 4.2 × 103 J kg−1 °C−1 is the specific heat capacity of water.
The slope of this meltwater mixing line is the mean Gade estimations over the top 300 m. It is placed at a tangent to the maximum temperature in the T–S intrusion, representing the upper bound of Gade water contribution. This linear approximation is then projected back to find the source depth, which represents the minimum T–S required for the basal melting to produce the observed anomaly, located in the permanent thermocline where there is a minimum in absolute difference of Gade T–S to the ambient T–S. The upper and lower bounds of the intrusion's deviation from the background T–S are noted for each cast, giving the upper and lower limits of the upwelled water. The relative contribution across density levels of ambient water and basal meltwater at each point along the intrusion in T–S space is calculated, that is, if a T–S point lies midway between the ambient water and the basal meltwater estimation, one deduces relative contribution of 50%.
The basal meltwater concentration for each equivalent density level point is calculated, and the two of these are multiplied to produce a meltwater fraction at the T–S intrusion density level. The relative contributions are integrated over the vertical extent of the intrusion to obtain the amount of upwelled water content in the intrusion. The meltwater fraction at each T–S intrusion density level is integrated over the vertical extent of the intrusion to obtain the integrated meltwater content. Each cast contribution was then averaged to obtain the estimated mean volume of upwelled water and the mean meltwater content. All casts within 2.71 km of A-68A exhibited intrusions, with four casts on the approach to A-68A deep enough for this T–S analysis to be undertaken. Casts further than 5.5 km did not exhibit intrusions.
To quantify a melt rate from the iceberg, a number of assumptions are required. These included a uniform melt rate around the circumference of A-68A, that the iceberg is flat bottomed without pockets of meltwater stored in crevasses beneath and that all melting emanates from the base. The ice density at the base of the iceberg is taken as 915 kg m−3 (ref. 58). Given the observation of intrusions up to 3 km from the edge of the berg, we assume this band is the ‘influence area'; integrating this and the mean meltwater content in the profiles yields an estimated basal meltwater contribution of 1.9 × 108 m3. Assuming only advection of the meltwater (and no diffusion), using limits of 0.13 m s−1 from the iceberg speed and 0.26 m s−1 from the glider depth mean flow speed, we obtain advection rates of 6.9 × 108 m3 day−1 and 1.4 × 109 m3 day−1, respectively.
As noted above, satellite altimetry estimates of melt rate are between 1.25 and 2.49 times our in situ estimates. For the altimetry-based meltwater estimate, the measurements were extrapolated into summer and include the meltwater release from all children icebergs that calved from A-68A after 28 November 2020. The glider estimate, in contrast, refers to meltwater only around the remaining biggest piece in February 2021. While altimetry detects thickness change and therefore meltwater when it is created, oceanographic methods detect meltwater when it is released and distributed into the water column. Moreover, for the glider, the antecedent differential meltwater due to wake influence, leading edge melt, stratification depth influence, meltwater ‘shading' (where meltwater pools on the downstream side of an iceberg) and the glider being trapped and released from the shallower side of the once grounded glacier will affect the assumption of uniform melt rate around the circumference of A-68A.
Manufacturer calibrations were used to derive bio-optical properties. The volume scattering function (in m−1 sr−1) data were filtered according to ref. 59. Values of volume scattering function above 0.001 m−1sr−1, negative values and profiles of anomalously low-volume scattering function (maximum value of 0.0001 m−1 sr−1 or less) were removed from the dataset. The volume scattering function values were smoothed using a five-point median and seven-point mean filter. The optical particle backscattering (bbp) was calculated by correcting for scattering within a seawater medium (assuming an angle of 124° and for the wavelength of 650 nm) and integrating across all backwards angles using an assumed angular dependency for marine particles60,61. The chlorophyll data from each profile were despiked (to remove negative values and outliers above 10 mg m−3), before being dark-corrected by subtracting the median chlorophyll below 300 m from each value62. The chlorophyll data were corrected for quenching from all daylight profiles (local sunrise to sunset plus 2.5 h) based on published methods63. Briefly, quenching was assumed to occur above the depth of the maximum chlorophyll-a:bbp ratio within the ML, and was corrected for at each depth above that by multiplying the maximum chlorophyll-a:bbp with the corresponding bbp value, assuming that the algal population involved has a constant chlorophyll-a:bbp ratio.
Hydrographic profiles south of 40° S for the period 2004 to 2021 (ref. 64) were compiled from the combined datasets, Argo floats65, tagged marine seals66, ship-based CTD casts and glider profiles67.
We detected the presence of WW in each hydrographic profile following the definition in ref. 68, where a temperature inversion of less than 2 °C lies below the ML, and WW bounds are defined as the position of the maximum temperature gradients above and below the temperature minima. We computed the cumulative buoyancy frequency of WW as the sum of \({N}^{2}=-\frac{g}{\rho }\frac{\updelta \rho }{\updelta z}\) across the WW layer, which is proportional to the PE of the water column, and grid onto 0.5° × 0.5° median climatologies for the months of January, February, March and April. Subsequently, data from the years 2004, 2015 and 2021 were extracted from the dataset, since they sample years of known large iceberg proximity9,27,48,49,69,70.
The box extents of large icebergs and/or fragments in this region are defined as 34–37° W, 55.5–57.5° S for February 2021 (3° × 2° coverage due to extreme fragmentation and distribution of A-68's constituents49) and 34.5–35.5° W, 53–54° S for April 2015 (1° × 1° coverage coinciding with iceberg B-17a)69. No data coincided with the iceberg pathway in 2004. In these box extents, hydrographic profiles comprised 16 ship-based profiles during February 2021 and 2 Argo float profiles during April 2015. The climatological data for the same regions contained 70 profiles (constituting 27 Argo profiles, 16 ship-based CTDs and 27 Marine Mammals Exploring the Oceans Pole to Pole profiles) for 2021 and 7 Argo profiles for April 2015.
Satellite images are available from the NASA Worldview and Modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2021/Sentinel Hub via the NASA Worldview application at https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/, part of the NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). Glider data are available via the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC), National Oceanography Centre at https://platforms.bodc.ac.uk/deployment-catalogue/, with data provided under the UK Open Government Licence (OGL). The ship-borne dataset is available via the BODC at https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/bodc_database/nodb/cruise/17790/, with the JC211 cruise inventory page available at https://www.bodc.ac.uk/resources/inventories/cruise_inventory/report/17790/. A-23 section data used for GEM are available via CLIVAR and the Carbon Hydrographic Data Office (CCHDO) at https://cchdo.ucsd.edu/search?q=A23. SSHs are available via EU Copernicus Marine Service information at https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00149. Hydrographic profiles for WW estimations are from Argo floats65, tagged marine seals66 and ship-based CTD casts and glider profiles67.
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Cruise JC211 was in part supported by NERC National Capability Science (Antarctic Logistics and Infrastructure) programme and through grants NE/N018095/1 and NE/V013254/1. Further funding for sampling around iceberg A-68 was provided by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the UK Government Blue Belt Programme. Time dedicated to analysis and presentation of this work has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 821001 (SOCHIC, 10.3030/821001), and a Wallenberg Academy Fellowship (WAF 2015.0186) and the Swedish Research Council (VR 2019-04400) grant. We thank the officers and crew of RRS James Cook and the scientists and technicians from the National Oceanography Centre for their invaluable assistance with conducting the cruise and collecting these data. We thank the officers and crew of MV Pharos SG for assistance recovering the glider. We thank G. Stephenson for his assistance applying the T–S intrusion analysis. We acknowledge the use of imagery from the NASA Worldview application (https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/), part of the NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). Finally, we thank the reviewers for their invaluable contributions to help strengthen this paper.
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Natasha S. Lucas, J. Alexander Brearley, Katharine R. Hendry, E. Povl Abrahamsen, Michael P. Meredith & Geraint A. Tarling
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The Arctic University of Norway (UiT), Tromso, Norway
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N.S.L.: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, software, validation, visualization and writing—original draft preparation. J.A.B.: conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, resources, supervision, validation and writing—review and editing. K.R.H.: formal analysis, investigation, validation and writing—review and editing. T.S.: data curation, investigation, methodology and software. A.B.-F.: formal analysis and validation. E.P.A.: investigation, data curation, formal analysis and investigation. M.P.M.: conceptualization, investigation, project administration, resources, supervision, validation and writing—review and editing. G.A.T.: conceptualization, investigation, funding acquisition, project administration, resources, supervision, validation and writing—review and editing.
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The authors thank Barncancerfonden, J. Vallon-Christersson, M. Friedman, U. Landegren and others in the precision medicine and multi-omics community in Sweden and abroad for invaluable discussions that have contributed to the ideas formulated here. The authors receive research and infrastructure funding from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Society for Medical Research, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Vinnova, Forskningsrådet i Sydöstra Sverige, Region Östergötland, the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Brain Foundation, the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund, Region Skåne, the European Research Council, Region Stockholm, the Sjöberg Foundation, Radiumhemmets forskningsfonder, SciLifeLab, National Institutes of Health, the Erling Persson Foundation, Uppsala University, the Mrs. Berta Kamprad Foundation and the Göran Gustafsson Foundation.
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Department of Gene Technology, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Sanna Gudmundsson, Valtteri Wirta & Tuuli Lappalainen
Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
Sanna Gudmundsson
Clinical Genomics, SciLifeLab, Linköping, Sweden
Colum P. Walsh
Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
Colum P. Walsh
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Kerstin Lindblad-Toh
SciLifeLab, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Åsa Johansson, Adam Ameur, Tove Fall, Jessica Nordlund, Mia Wadelius, Päivi Östling & Tobias Sjöblom
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
Kerstin Lindblad-Toh
Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Åsa Johansson, Anna Clareborn, Adam Ameur, Daniel Eriksson, Ulf Gyllensten & Tobias Sjöblom
Department of Clinical Genetics, Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
Anders Edsjö, Thoas Fioretos & Hans Ehrencrona
Division of Pathology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Anders Edsjö
Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Thoas Fioretos & Hans Ehrencrona
Clinical Genomics, SciLifeLab, Lund, Sweden
Thoas Fioretos
Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Tove Fall, Jessica Nordlund, Johan Sundström & Mia Wadelius
Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Helsingborg, Sweden
Paul W. Franks
Precision Health University Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
Paul W. Franks
The Swedish Network Against Cancer, Stockholm, Sweden
Margareta Haag
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, NBIS, SciLifeLab, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Anna Hagwall & Bengt Persson
Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Janne Lehtiö & Päivi Östling
Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Yi Lu & Patrik K. E. Magnusson
Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Erik Melén
Department of Diagnostics and Intervention, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Beatrice Melin & Bethany Van Guelpen
Medical Epidemiology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Karl Michaëlsson
Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
Ann Nordgren & Per Sikora
Department of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Ann Nordgren
Division of Oncology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Lao H. Saal
Department of Protein Science, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Jochen M. Schwenk
Bioinformatics and Data Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Per Sikora
The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Johan Sundström
Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Bethany Van Guelpen
Centre for Inherited Metabolic Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
Anna Wedell
Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Valtteri Wirta
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Bo Jacobsson
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Western Health Care Region, Gothenburg, Sweden
Bo Jacobsson
Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Division of Health Data and Digitalisation, Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
Bo Jacobsson
New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
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Correspondence to
Richard Rosenquist, Anna Lindstrand or Tuuli Lappalainen.
T.F. is co-founder, board member and scientific advisor to Qlucore and Lead Biologics and co-founder and scientific advisor to Cantargia. P.F. is a paid member of advisory boards for Novo Nordisk, Sidra Health, Zoe and ABC Labs; has received research funding (paid to institution) from numerous pharmaceutical companies as part of the Innovative Medicines Initiative of the European Union; and is co-chair of the Precision Medicine in Diabetes Initiative and the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Working Group of Council on Heterogeneity in Diabetes. L.S. is co-founder and shareholder of SAGA Diagnostics and advisor to DoMore Diagnostics and has received honoraria from AstraZeneca. J.S. has conducted contract research (paid to institution) for Capitainer and Luminex and has received speaker/travel fees from Roche Diagnostics, Olink and Luminex. E.M. has received advisory board or lecture honoraria from ALK, AstraZeneca, Chiesi and Sanofi. J.S. has direct or indirect stock ownership in companies (Anagram kommunikation, Sence Research, Symptoms Europe and MinForskning) providing services to companies and authorities in the health sector, including Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer, Eli Lilly, Gilead, GSK, Göteborg University, Itrim, Ipsen, Janssen, Karolinska Institutet, LIF, Linköping University, Novo Nordisk, Parexel, Pfizer, Region Stockholm, Region Uppsala, Sanofi, STRAMA, Takeda, TLV, Uppsala University, Vifor Pharma and WeMind. B.V.G. has received speaker honoraria from AstraZeneca. T.S. is co-founder, shareholder and board member of Oncodia. R.R. has received honoraria from AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Illumina, Janssen, Lilly and Roche. A.L. has received speaker honoraria from Illumina and Pacific Biosciences. T.L. is a scientific advisor to and has equity in Variant Bio and has received speaker honoraria from Abbvie and Merck.
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Kämpe, A., Gudmundsson, S., Walsh, C.P. et al. Precision Omics Initiative Sweden (PROMISE) will integrate research with healthcare.
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Double white dwarf binaries are a leading explanation of the origin of type Ia supernovae, but no system exceeding the Chandrasekhar mass limit (1.4 M⊙) has been found that will explode anywhere close to a Hubble time. Here we present the super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarf WDJ181058.67+311940.94 whose merger time (22.6 ± 1.0 Gyr) is of the same order as a Hubble time. The mass of the binary is large, combining to 1.555 ± 0.044 M⊙, while being located only 49 pc away. We predict that the binary will explode dynamically by means of a double detonation that will destroy both stars just before they merge, appearing as a subluminous type Ia supernova with a peak apparent magnitude of about mV = −16 (200,000 times brighter than Jupiter). The observationally derived birth rate of super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarfs is now at least 6.0 × 10−4 yr−1 and the observed rate of type Ia supernovae in the Milky Way from such systems is approximately 4.4 × 10−5 yr−1, whereas the predicted type Ia supernova rate in the Milky Way from all progenitor channels is about sixty times larger. Hence, WDJ181058.67+311940.94 mitigates the observed deficit of massive double white dwarfs witnessed in volume-complete populations, but further evidence is required to determine the majority progenitors of type Ia supernovae.
Binaries comprising at least one white dwarf are the progenitors of type Ia supernovae1,2. Type Ia supernovae show an absence of hydrogen in their spectra and are caused by the thermonuclear explosion of a carbon–oxygen white dwarf. Nuclear fusion transforms a substantial amount of, or the entire, white dwarf into heavier elements and ejects them into the interstellar medium. However, the stellar type of the companion to the white dwarf in type Ia progenitors remains largely unclear (see, for example, refs. 3,4,5).
The substantial population size of double white dwarf binaries has naturally led to them being one of the leading progenitor candidates to explain the abundance of type Ia supernovae6,7. These systems form on compact orbits with an orbital period on the timescale of hours to days8 (orbital separations of hundredths to tenths of astronomical units) following a series of mass transfer events9. The gradual loss of orbital angular momentum through gravitational wave radiation draws the two stars closer until the orbital period of massive double white dwarfs is a couple of minutes, initiating unstable mass transfer and leading to the demise of the system10.
Although many compact double white dwarfs have been discovered on the brink of coalescence (see, for example, refs. 11,12,13), we have had no direct evidence that these systems exist in nearby, volume-complete populations14,15,16, which casts doubt on whether double white dwarfs can account for a large percentage of the observed type Ia supernova rates. Current synthetic models of the population indicate that super-Chandrasekhar mass limit double white dwarfs are indeed suspected to be scarce17,18,19. However, based on the models of ref. 17 we expect about 150 compact double white dwarf binaries to have total masses that exceed 1.5 M⊙ within 100 pc, about one quarter of which merge in under a Hubble time. There has been only one super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarf binary discovered (NLTT 12758) (ref. 20), but its 1.15 d period means that the two stars will come into contact in about 10 Hubble times. There are a handful of other candidate subluminous type Ia progenitors that are double white dwarfs that have total masses smaller than the Chandrasekhar mass limit (see, for example, refs. 21,22,23,24,25,26), two white dwarf+hot subdwarf systems that exceed 1.4 M⊙ and have an impending supernova fate27,28, and one other white dwarf+hot subdwarf that is also a strong candidate29,30.
Growing observational evidence supports hot subdwarfs as some of the products of binary evolution31, but, although more super-Chandrasekhar mass systems have been discovered, the binaries much less densely populate the Galaxy32. The observed rate of type Ia supernovae initiated from the white dwarf+hot subdwarf channel is expected to be at least (1.5–7) × 10−5 yr−1 (ref. 27), whereas the rate of type Ia supernovae in the Galaxy from all progenitors is about 2.8 ± 0.6 × 10−3 yr−1 (refs. 4,19,33,34) as inferred through observations of explosions in other galaxies of similar redshift. Multiple other evolutionary scenarios have been suggested as causes for normal and peculiar type Ia supernovae4 having different companion compositions, but the extent to which they contribute towards the missing fraction of type Ia supernovae is unclear. This ambiguity on the nature of type Ia progenitors is cosmologically problematic. A primary reason is that, until we confirm the leading progenitors of a type Ia, supernova, systematic errors in the distances derived to other galaxies could lead to inaccurate measurements, which is particularly troublesome for galaxies at high redshifts34,35. In addition, the details of the ejecta velocity and its constituents are important for star formation36 and the dynamics of gas in galaxies37. Not only does the discovery of a local, compact, super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarf have the ability to resolve the dearth of systems in the observed sample, but a sample of such systems has the power to reduce the uncertainty of this cosmologically fundamental event.
WDJ181058.67+311940.94 was first discovered as part of the DBL survey26 which searches for double-lined double white dwarfs using medium-resolution spectra (R ≈ 8,000–9,000). Fits to these identification spectra indicated the source to be a double white dwarf binary with a high total mass. Afterwards, we launched an observational campaign to acquire time-series spectroscopy of the source to confirm the masses derived through the atmospheric parameters and resolve the orbital period. We obtained phase-resolved radial velocities of WDJ181058.67+311940.94 with the following instruments and telescopes: the Intermediate-dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System (ISIS) on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT); the Intermediate Dispersion Spectrograph (IDS) on the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope; the Fibre-fed Echelle Spectrograph (FIES) and Alhambra Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (ALFOSC) on the 2.56 m Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT); and a continuous observing window of 4.5 h using the UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the 8.2 m Very Large Telescope (VLT).
The UVES data was used for an improved accuracy of the atmospherically derived masses from spectral fits because of its full visible coverage. Precise radial velocity measurements of the target were simultaneously obtained and with this an unambiguous determination of the orbital period. As a further test for consistency of the atmospheric solution with a unique dataset, we also fitted a two-star solution to a previously published Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) spectrum38. The resultant stellar parameters found by fitting each dataset are quoted in Table 1 and spectral fits to the optical and ultraviolet data are plotted in Fig. 1. Considering the measurements from all datasets, we find stellar parameters of \({T}_{{\rm{eff}},1}=17,26{0}_{-880}^{+1380}\) K, log g1\(=8.35{0}_{-0.052}^{+0.066}\) dex, M1 = 0.834 ± 0.039 M⊙ for the primary (more massive) star and Teff,2 = \(20,00{0}_{-2000}^{+400}\) K, log g2 =\(8.16{4}_{-0.030}^{+0.027}\) dex, M2 = 0.721 ± 0.020 M⊙ for the secondary (less massive) star, leading to a total system mass of MT = 1.555 ± 0.044 M⊙. Teff, log g and M refer to the effective temperature, the surface gravity and the mass of each component, respectively.
Left, the HST/COS ultraviolet spectrum with the synthetic spectrum from the hybrid HST/COS with Pan-STARRS photometry fit for a two-star model overlaid in red. The corresponding atmospheric parameters of the DA white dwarfs are Teff,1 = 18,630 K, log g1 = 8.307 dex, Teff,2 = 18,010 K, log g2 = 8.178 dex. Middle, a single UVES spectrum from Hα to H8 with the synthetic spectral model for atmospheric parameters Teff,1 = 17,230 K, log g1 = 8.408 dex, Teff,2 = 20,190 K, log g2 = 8.151 dex, overplotted in red. We remind the reader that all Balmer lines up to H11 were fitted but are omitted from the plot for clarity. Right, the observed fluxes in Pan-STARRS (black circles) and the synthetic photometry in each filter for the same atmospheric parameters (orange crosses). The percentage flux residual between the data and the combined flux is found below. The fluxes contributed from the more massive (red) and less massive (green) stars are included for the ultraviolet (dashed) and optical (solid line) fits. The Gaia parallax measurement with a Gaussian prior was an independent variable to scale the observations from an Eddington to an absolute flux perceived in the Solar System.
All other data was used exclusively for radial velocity measurements at Hα to precisely quantify the motion of the stars across all orbital phases and to improve the precision of the period. A Lomb–Scargle periodogram of all radial velocity measurements, which was optimized for physical limits of the system, revealed one clear peak representing the orbital period. The binary parameters are quoted in Table 2 and our phase-folded radial velocity (RV) curve with the best-fit orbital solution is depicted in Fig. 2. The best-fitting orbital parameters were orbital period P = 14.23557 ± 0.00002 h, semi-amplitudes K1 = 93.9 ± 2.0 km s−1 and K2 = 95.7 ± 2.1 km s−1, and velocity offsets γ1 = 50.0 ± 1.5 km s−1 and γ2 = 53.5 ± 1.6 km s−1. Being double lined, the mass ratio was independently solvable without knowledge of the orbital inclination using q = M2/M1 = K1/K2, such that the orbitally derived value was q = 0.98 ± 0.03. This result is in best agreement with the star masses derived from the HST/COS spectrum, which was q = 0.90 ± 0.02. Our derived masses from the VLT/UVES spectra yielded a lower q = 0.82 ± 0.02, with the mass of the less massive star being near identical to the ultraviolet, and the adopted value, taking into account all measurements, indicated a mass ratio of q = 0.86 ± 0.04. The surface gravity of the hotter, less massive star was nearly identical across fits to all datasets. This is unsurprising given that it contributes more flux than the cooler white dwarf, whereas its temperature difference between the ultraviolet and optical datasets primarily arises from the fitting of the slope of the spectral energy distribution across the ultraviolet. Forcing the orbitally derived q = 0.98 ± 0.03 in the atmospheric fit led to an increase in the surface gravity of the secondary and a decrease in the surface gravity of the primary, to fit the broadness of the Balmer line profiles well. The secondary would thus be more massive, and the primary less massive, and as such, including a mass ratio of approximately one, all evidence points towards WDJ181058.67+311940.94 being a super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarf.
The hotter star (black) and the cooler star (red). The RV curves are plotted showing the velocity of the two stars across a full orbit, binned into 80 evenly spaced phase bins. In faded colours and with crossed markers are the RVs that were masked in searching for an orbital solution, which are also listed in Supplementary Table 1. One-sigma error bars are given as the standard deviation of 1,000 bootstrapping iterations.
The critical time at which the two stars reach closest approach can be calculated using39
where a0 is the semimajor axis of the binary at the present day and, for WDJ181058.67+311940.94, a0 = 0.01601 ± 0.00015 A.U. This indicates that the stars will come into contact in 22.6 ± 1.0 Gyr, whereas the less massive component will begin Roche lobe overflow and initiate mass transfer approximately 100 yr before the demise of binary.
To understand the fate of the binary system, we simulated its interaction when it was just about to merge using the star masses obtained through spectral fits to the VLT/UVES data. Videos of this simulation are presented in the Supplementary Information (Supplementary Videos 1 and 2). The spectral fits indicate that carbon–oxygen cores are appropriate for both white dwarfs, so we consider it highly unlikely that an accretion induced collapse will occur. This would require the more massive white dwarf to have a mass higher than 1.2 M⊙ with an oxygen–neon core to avoid dynamical ignition before or during the merger. We used the moving-mesh code AREPO40,41,42 in a similar set-up to previous work43. The stars were given realistic composition profiles and placed in corotation before applying an accelerated inspiral term that removed angular momentum in the same way as gravitational waves. We switched on a live nuclear reaction network with 55 isotopes43,44 at an orbital period of 39 s as the temperature of the accretion stream at the impact spot approached that required for a thermonuclear runaway. We show an overview of the dynamic evolution of the binary system in Fig. 3. The interaction of the accretion stream with the surface of the primary white dwarf ignites a helium detonation close to the point of interaction (second column of Fig. 3). The helium detonation then wraps around the primary white dwarf and sends a shock wave into its core that converges at a single point. This ignites a second detonation that completely destroys the primary white dwarf. When the shock wave of its explosion hits the secondary white dwarf, the double detonation mechanism repeats itself. The shock wave from the detonation of the primary ignites a helium detonation near the surface of the secondary which drives a shock wave into its core. It is sufficient to ignite the core detonation, destroying the secondary white dwarf as well.
The first column shows the time when we stop the accelerated inspiral and continue to evolve the binary system self-consistently. The second and third columns show the time when the helium detonation ignites on the surface of the primary white dwarf, and the time when the shock wave that is driven into the core of the primary by the helium detonation converges in a single point. The fourth column shows the same shock convergence in the core of the secondary white dwarf. The top row shows slices of density in the plane of rotation and the three below are zoomed insets at the point of interest. Top to bottom, density, temperature and kinetic energy density. The shock convergence points in both white dwarfs occur at densities high enough to be very likely to ignite a carbon detonation and destroy the white dwarf.
There is no bound remnant and the ejecta of the explosion contain the total mass of the initial binary, having a total explosion energy of 1.2 × 1051 erg. We show the structure and composition of the ejecta in Fig. 4. The outermost layers of ejecta are the ashes of the helium detonation of the primary white dwarf. They consist mostly of intermediate mass elements, dominated by silicon, sulfur and argon. Below them sit the ashes of the carbon–oxygen core of the primary white dwarf. Again they consist mostly of intermediate mass elements, but also contain 0.13 M⊙ of iron group elements, in particular, 0.10 M⊙ of radioactive 56Ni that will power the light curve. The resulting supernova has a maximum brightness in the B band of MB = −16.4 (mB = −14.7) and a maximum brightness in the V band of MV = −17.8 (mV = −16.1), and is most likely to appear as a subluminous type Ia supernova.
Slices of density (left column) and mean atomic weight (right column) of the supernova ejecta in homologous expansion for a time (texp) 100 s after ignition of the first helium detonation. The top row shows slices in the original plane of rotation and the bottom row shows slices perpendicular to it. The outer layers are close to spherically symmetrical, although significant deviations from spherical symmetry exist in the plane of rotation. The iron group elements (including 56Ni) are essentially all produced in the explosion of the primary white dwarf and form a half-sphere around the ejecta of the secondary white dwarf.
We can use WDJ181058.67+311940.94 to observationally predict the number of super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarfs in the Milky Way. We start by assuming that WDJ181058.67+311940.94 and NLTT 12758 are the only two within 49 pc and make the rudimentary assumption that double white dwarfs are evenly scattered around the Milky Way having a cylindrical disk with radius Rmax = 15 kpc and scale height hz = 300 pc. The white dwarf birth rate is estimated to be approximately 1.4 × 10−12 pc−3 yr−1 (ref. 45). There are 1,076 white dwarfs within the volume-complete 40 pc Gaia sample16 and extrapolated to 49 pc we would have 1,978 white dwarfs. This means that the birth rate of super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarfs in the Galaxy becomes greater than approximately 6.0 × 10−4 yr−1.
Moreover, we can also calculate an observed rate of type Ia supernovae arising from super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarfs using WDJ181058.67+311940.94 (Tc = 22.6 ± 1.0 Gyr) and NLTT 12758 (Tc = 139 ± 9 Gyr). The frequency of the two events combined imply a supernova rate of about once every 19 Gyr within 49 pc or (1.04 ± 0.04) × 10−16 yr−1 pc−3. When fully extrapolated with the cylindrical disk approximation, the observed rate of type Ia supernovae from super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarfs in the Milky Way hence becomes at least (4.4 ± 0.2) × 10−5 yr−1, although the quoted uncertainty does not account for uncertainties on the Galactic model. This result serves as a minimum based on the 49 pc population as it remains possible that other systems exist within the same radius.
Evidently, the magnitude of super-Chandrasekhar mass systems approaches the (2.8 ± 0.6) × 10−3 yr−1 rate predicted for all evolutionary channels leading to a type Ia (refs. 4,33,34), but we must recall that these two systems are set to come together in more than a Hubble time and consider that the present observed supernova rate from these systems is about sixty times smaller. As such, the rates from Milky Way progenitors through the hot subdwarf binary channel and the double white dwarf channel are about the same, together accounting for about 3% of the Galactic rate. Synthetic populations suspect that around 60% of the Galactic birth rate of type Ia progenitors comes from the double degenerate channel46,47, as is the case for WDJ181058.67+311940.94. The large missing fraction is especially mysterious given the high completion rate of the 40 pc sample of white dwarfs16. Contribution to the double white dwarf type Ia rate from sub-Chandrasekhar mass limits detonation could at least be a partial solution to make up for the deficit, where a mass–period distribution of double white dwarfs in a volume/magnitude limited sample serves as a means to put this to the test26. To date, there have been no sub-Chandrasekhar mass type Ia progenitor candidates inside a 50 pc radius, so ongoing efforts are crucial to properly quantify the number of massive double white dwarf binaries in our local neighbourhood and the Milky Way.
We have presented a compact, super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarf binary which will merge in close to a Hubble time, having an orbital period of 14.24 h. With a total mass of 1.555 ± 0.044 M⊙, WDJ181058.67+311940.94 is the most massive double white dwarf binary confirmed to date. We predict it to explode as a quadruple detonation and be destroyed completely. With all the mass ejected and a total explosion energy of 1.2 × 1051 erg, but only 0.1 M⊙ of 56Ni in the ejecta, it will appear as a subluminous type Ia supernova with a peak apparent magnitude of approximately mB = −14.7 and mV = −16.1.
The lack of observational evidence of compact and massive double white dwarf binaries has long troubled the theory that double white dwarfs are the dominating evolutionary channel of type Ia detonations3. WDJ181058.67+311940.94 provides tentative observational evidence that super-Chandrasekhar mass systems with short merger times do exist in the Milky Way, and when combined with the close proximity of 49 pc the rate of super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarfs born in the Milky Way is at least 6.0 × 10−4 yr−1. This draws closer the disparity between the observed and predicted birth rates of super-Chandrasekhar mass systems, although the observed rate is still approximately two times smaller. However, there remains a large deficit in the rate of type Ia supernovae from the progenitor systems. A small fraction of the Milky Way rate is accounted for, now with an equal contribution from double white dwarf and white dwarf+hot subdwarf binaries.
Being discovered through a medium-resolution search of overluminous double white dwarfs26, which up to a magnitude limit of G < 17 mag is approximately 20% complete, it is entirely plausible that more super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarfs reside in our Galactic neighbourhood and that we have the spectroscopic ability to resolve the formation channel of type Ia supernovae. Deeper completeness through photometric and spectroscopic surveys in the coming years, as well the inauguration of space-based gravitational wave detectors in the next decade, will be pivotal in detecting ultracompact binaries on the cusp of detonation48,49. Combined efforts surveying type Ia progenitors across the full range of orbital periods will be the ultimate means to accurately quantify the contribution of double white dwarfs to type Ia supernovae.
WDJ181058.67+311940.94 was first discovered as part of the DBL survey26 using medium-resolution spectra (R = 8,800) on the 4.2 m WHT with the ISIS. Two other ISIS exposures were taken on the nights 13 and 14 April 2019 using the R600B and R1200R gratings with a 1.2″ slit resulting in a spectral resolution of R = 3,000 at Hα and these spectra are included in the full orbital analysis of the double white dwarf. The blue and red set-ups had a wavelength calibration accuracy of approximately 3 km s−1 and 2 km s−1, respectively.
We conducted a continued observational campaign to derive phase-resolved RVs of the double white dwarf binary. We utilized the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) with the IDS over the nights 4–7 September 2019 (11 exposures, 1,800 s each) and 24 September 2019 (4 exposures, 900 s each) with the Red+2 detector and a 1. 2″ slit width, resulting in a spectral resolution of R = 6,300. Further phase-resolved spectra were taken with the INT on the nights 25 and 26 August 2024 with the H1800V grating at a resolution of R = 9,400 (20 exposures, 1,500 s each). An arc lamp exposure was taken every 45 min of observing time and the science images were wavelength calibrated by interpolation of the nearest two arcs. The wavelength calibration accuracy per frame was approximately 2 km s−1.
Bias, flat field and spectrophotometric flux standard star images were taken on all nights and applied in the reduction. All data from the WHT and the INT were reduced using the MOLLY suite50 using an optimal extraction algorithm51.
These data were supplemented with 18 exposures of length 1,500 s on the 2.56 m NOT using the FIES in low-resolution mode (R = 25,000), having a wavelength calibration accuracy of approximately ±150 m s−1. Observations were obtained through a staff queue at random times, typically being two consecutive exposures, and through a NOT fast-track proposal. All FIES data were reduced using its automated data reduction pipeline, FIEStool52. We also obtained five exposures with the NOT ALFOSC with a 0.5″ slit width, producing spectra at R = 10,000 with wavelength range 6,330–6,870 Å on 1 and 2 June 2024. The data were reduced with the PYPEIT Python package53.
A continuous observing window of 4.5 h was obtained through directors discretionary time on the 8.2 m VLT with the UVES. Each exposure lasted for 730 s with a readout time between exposures of 45 s, totalling 20 exposures. We employed an observing set-up of the dichroic 1 mode with central wavelengths of 3,900 Å and 5,640 Å for the blue and red arms, giving a wavelength range that covered the full visible spectrum apart from gaps of 80 Å at 4,580 Å and 5,640 Å. A slit width of 1.0” and a 2 × 2 binning granted a spectral resolution R = 20,000 and the wavelength calibration accuracy was approximately 200 m s−1 (refs. 54,55).
In deriving final RV errors for these data (Supplementary Table 1), the wavelength calibration error was added in quadrature to the statistical error.
We used the package WD-BASS56 to fit atmospheric parameters to the spectra from VLT/UVES. For synthetic spectra, we utilized the 3D-NLTE model grid introduced in ref. 26, which was constructed using the 3D-LTE models of ref. 57 with a further NLTE correction factor applied using the NLTE and LTE synthetic spectra described in ref. 58. The two stars were scaled using temperature–log g–radius relationships with the evolutionary track models of ref. 59 when M ≤ 0.393 M⊙, of ref. 60 when 0.393 < M < 0.45 M⊙, and the hydrogen-rich envelope evolutionary sequences of ref. 61 otherwise. These boundaries come from the expectation that a white dwarf with a mass below 0.45 M⊙ has a helium core and those larger have a carbon–oxygen core. The model spectra were converted from an Eddington flux to that observed at Earth and reddened with an extinction coefficient A(V) = 0.0312 mag (ref. 62) and colour excess E(B − V) = A(V)/3.1 using the reddening curves of ref. 63.
We applied an atmospheric fitting technique that is very similar to that described in ref. 26 by linearly normalizing and fitting the Balmer spectral lines of the UVES data using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, maximizing the likelihood for a best-fit solution. We also utilized Pan-STARRS photometry64 to perform a hybrid fit using both datasets simultaneously. With high signal-to-noise ratio data, we were able to fit all Balmer lines from Hα to H11. Furthermore, to give the photometric and spectroscopic data a similar weight, we applied an extra weighting (×1,000) to the photometric fit. Without this weighting, the spectra would have overdominated the best-fit solution. Only spectra taken at the times where a distinct double-line splitting was evident at Hα were modelled to avoid fitting degeneracies between the two stars, of which there were 10 each (a total of 20). In deriving errors, we individually fitted each red-arm spectrum that revealed a double-lined Hα split along with the nearest-in-time blue-arm spectrum while weighting the photometry by ×100. Then we took the standard deviation of all measurements to be the error in the star's surface gravity and temperature. The new best-fit atmospheric parameters are stated in Table 1, which are entirely consistent with previous values26.
We performed an independent spectroscopic fit using a previously published HST spectrum38. WDJ181058.67+311940.94 was observed for a single 1,000 s exposure using the COS on 19 February 2022. The observation had a central wavelength of 1,291 Å with the G130M grating, giving a resolution of R = 12,000–16,000 and a wavelength range of 1,130–1,430 Å with a gap at 1,278–1,288 Å due to the positioning of the two detector segments. Given the vastly different methods and the fact that WDJ181058.67+311940.94 is not double lined at Lyman-α in the ultraviolet data, no RVs were extracted, but the predicted RVs of the two stars at the centre of exposure (−37.8 km s−1 for the more massive and 139.6 km s−1 for the less massive star, respectively) were fixed in the fitting procedure.
Our spectral fitting method was identical to that presented in ref. 38 with the only exceptions being that a second hydrogen-rich atmosphere white dwarf is included in the model, in which we adopt A(V) = 0.0312 mag and in which the mid-exposure RV of the two stars is considered. A hybrid (spectroscopic and photometric) fit was performed with no extra error weighting applied using the HST/COS spectrum and photometry from Pan-STARRS g, r, i, z, y (ref. 64), fixing the distance to Gaia DR3 parallax. Updated model atmospheres65 with a white dwarf mass–radius relationship61 were used to fit the absolute fluxes. In addition, strong absorption lines affecting the continuum were masked in the COS spectrum38. To address the inconsistencies reported between ultraviolet and optical parameters38, a systematic offset of 1% in Teff and 0.1 dex in log g were added to the ultraviolet values of both stars in the hybrid fitting, whereas trial values in the optical were unchanged. The best-fit model to the spectra are shown in Fig. 1, and the results of our atmospheric fitting are given in Table 1 and compared with the optical solution. We found a total mass of 1.537 ± 0.018 M⊙ through this analysis, which again is consistent with previous values26.
To provide a final adopted value from the atmospheric fitting inclusive of the results from the optical and the ultraviolet datasets, we concatenated the distributions obtained for each parameter to then quote the median and 68% confidence interval on the Teff and log g and interpolated these parameters to obtain masses. The adopted values are quoted in Tables 1 and 2.
WD-BASS56 was again used to obtain RVs for all of the optical spectra. The best-fit synthetic spectrum agrees with the data extremely well (Fig. 1), but even with the correction of NLTE effects to the model gridline cores, the synthetic model flux is overpredicted in the line cores of Hα. To obtain the most accurate template for RV extraction possible, we fitted a Gaussian model to the Hα line cores of both stars combined with a four-term polynomial to model the broader wings of Hα, all within 10 Å of the Hα centre. The centre of a Hα absorption was isolated as the splitting of the two stars is most apparent around the non-thermal equilibrium line cores and hence the stars are most easily disentanglable. This method best modelled the shape of the spectral area around the line cores for the high signal-to-noise ratio and high resolution UVES spectra, but not for all other data sources. Instead, we took the result of the best-fit synthetic spectrum and added an extra Gaussian component at the line cores of Hα for both stars (following the method described in Section 4.4 of ref. 26), which improved the line-core shape significantly. The Gaussians were fitted to all relevant spectra simultaneously and this final template spectrum was then used for RV extraction in WD-BASS. We started by fitting the RV of both stars to each spectrum by taking the median of 1,000 bootstrapping iterations and taking errors as the standard deviation of this bootstrapped posterior distribution.
With the full set of 82 RV measurements (Supplementary Table 1), we then searched for an orbital period, P, by minimizing the χ2 of equation (2) for trial semi-amplitudes (K1, K2) and velocity offsets (γ1, γ2) of each star using a least squares algorithm, where
Upper bounds on the semi-amplitudes Kmax,1 and Kmax,2 were set for a trial period by applying an edge-on (i = 90∘) inclination for a 1.4 M⊙ + 0.15 M⊙ double white dwarf in a Keplerian orbit (the maximum and observed minimum mass of a white dwarf, respectively). There is no indication of eccentricity from the RVs, so the orbit was assumed to be circularized (e = 0). In the process, we noticed a deviation from Keplerian motion around conjunction which is caused by degeneracy in the fitted RVs as the stars spectrally overlap. This is unsurprising as the velocity resolution of the ALFOSC, ISIS and IDS data was around 30–40 km s−1, whereas in the higher resolution FIES spectra a lower signal-to-noise ratio led to the same degeneracies. We decided to ignore these RVs when fitting the orbital motion by masking measurements that were within 15 km s−1 of the RV of each star at conjunction. All RVs from the UVES spectra within this range were utilized as its high signal-to-noise combined with twice the velocity resolution did not cause any noticeable deviation. With the final periodogram, two prominent peaks appeared at very similar solutions; we adopted the solution with a 14.2356 h period and another at 14.2308 h, but the second one could be rejected owing to a gravitational redshift difference that would be a strong outlier from that expected in the atmospheric solution.
Returning to equation (2) with the final orbital solution and taking into account all combinations of masses from the atmospheric analysis, we conclude that WDJ181058.67+311940.94 has an inclination i ≈ 35–45 deg. We analysed the TESS66 light curve of WDJ181058.67+311940.94 in all cadences to search for any photometric signature of photometric variability with Lomb–Scargle67,68 and boxed-least-squares periodograms but found no variation on the orbital period. For an eclipse to be witnessed in this system, the inclination would have to be above 89.64 deg and photometric variability from ellipsoidal modulation or irradiation is minute for a system with 14.24 h orbital period. The Doppler beaming from the two stars is nullified by their opposing motion of near-identical RV amplitudes and a similar flux contribution69, and hence non-eclipsing forms of variability are not expected.
We created two white dwarfs from the premain sequence phase using the stellar evolution code MESA70,71,72,73,74,75, evolving them to carbon–oxygen white dwarfs of 0.87 M⊙ and 0.71 M⊙. These masses align with observations from VLT/UVES spectra fitting. Compared with previous merger simulations, using self-consistent models evolved in MESA allowed us to start from realistic composition profiles. In particular, the two white dwarfs have a helium shell of 8 × 10−3 M⊙ (for the 0.71 M⊙ white dwarf) and 3 × 10−3 M⊙ (for the 0.87 M⊙ white dwarf).
We then created two three-dimensional white dwarfs in hydrostatic equilibrium with the same masses and abundance profiles in AREPO. We resolved the white dwarfs with cells with a roughly constant mass of 10−7 M⊙ and used a passive scalar to resolve the helium shells of both white dwarfs even better with a mass resolution of 10−8 M⊙. We relaxed both white dwarfs in isolation for ten dynamical timescales, actively dampening any gas velocities for the first half of this time. The density and composition profiles of the relaxed white dwarfs, in particular close to the surface, well resembled the initial one-dimensional profiles obtained from MESA.
We put both white dwarfs into a binary system in corotation with an initial period of 73 s. At this period, the separation is about 1.5 times larger than the separation where the secondary white dwarf will fill its Roche lobe. We applied an accelerated inspiral term that removes angular momentum in the same way as gravitational waves, but on a much faster timescale. In this way, we obtained a binary system in equilibrium when mass transfer started on a scale that we could resolve in the simulation. At this time, the physical system would have transferred mass at a low rate for possibly hundreds of years, but the total mass transferred is likely to be negligible. The secondary white dwarf eventually started filling and then overfilling its Roche lobe, and we stopped the accelerated inspiral when the density at the inner Lagrange point between the white dwarfs reached 2 × 104 g cm−3. Only then did the density in the accretion stream become large enough to dynamically affect the surface of the primary white dwarf43,76,77.
The binary system had now shrunk to a separation of 0.03 R⊙ and an orbital period of 39 s. We then continued to evolve the binary system conservatively and switched on a live nuclear reaction network with 55 isotopes43,44. After evolving the binary system conservatively for 55 s, the interaction of the accretion stream with the surface of the primary white dwarf ignited a helium detonation close to the point of interaction (second column of Fig. 3), which is consistent with previous simulations of more massive white dwarf binaries77,78,79. As in the classic double detonation scenario where the helium detonation is caused by instabilities in a massive helium shell80,81, the helium detonation wraps around the primary white dwarf. It sends a shock wave into the core of the white dwarf, that converges in a single point at a density of 9.6 × 106 g cm−3. Because of a lack of numerical resolution, the simulation does not self-consistently ignite a carbon detonation there, but resolved ignition simulations indicated that, at this density, we expect a detonation to form at the convergence point82,83. To model the ignition of the detonation when the shock converges in the simulation, we set the temperature of 178 cells that contained 1.8 × 10−5 M⊙ around the convergence point to 5 × 109 K. This injected 4.8 × 1046 erg (which is negligible compared with the energy release of the whole simulation) and ignited the detonation. The detonation completely destroyed the primary white dwarf. When the shock wave of its explosion hit the secondary white dwarf, the double detonation mechanism repeated itself. The shock wave ignited a helium detonation that drove a shock wave into the core and converged at a density of 8.5 × 106 g cm−3. In this case, carbon burning started at the convergence point, but not strongly enough to start a detonation. We again ignited a detonation at the convergence point by setting the temperature of 708 cells that contained 6.9 × 10−5 M⊙ to 6 × 109 K, which injected 8.2 × 1047 erg and was sufficient to ignite the detonation that then destroyed the secondary white dwarf as well.
The total explosion energy was 1.2 × 1051 erg. The core of the secondary white dwarf ignited 4.2 s after the core of the primary white dwarf. At this time, the ashes of the primary white dwarf had already expanded far beyond the secondary white dwarf. So when the latter exploded as well, its ejecta expanded into and remained in the centre of the ejecta of the primary white dwarf43. The outermost layers of ejecta were the ashes of the helium detonation of the primary white dwarf. The centre of the ejecta consisted of the ashes of the secondary white dwarf, which contained 0.25 M⊙ of oxygen, 0.4 M⊙ of intermediate mass elements and only 0.01 M⊙ of iron group elements, with a roughly equal fraction of 56Ni and 54Fe.
We obtained preliminary synthetic light curves from spherically averaging the ejecta and computing light curves with the Monte Carlo radiation transport code ARTIS84,85. The resulting supernova had a maximum brightness in the B band of MB = −16.4 (mB = −14.7) and a maximum brightness in the V band of MV = −17.8 (mV = −16.1), which is consistent with traditional double detonation models of single white dwarfs with a similar mass to our primary white dwarf, because the secondary white dwarf does not produce any significant amount of radioactive 56Ni (refs. 86,87,88). That said, our explosion is likely to have avoided the imprint of thick helium shells on light curves and spectra88,89,90. It most likely appeared as a subluminous type Ia supernova. However, the obvious large-scale asymmetries visible in Fig. 4 indicate that three-dimensional synthetic observables will be needed to make any reliable statement about the expected display of this supernova79,88. These will be presented and discussed as part of a larger sample of merger simulations in the future. This new simulation also supports previous work which suggests that both stars will explode in massive double white dwarf binaries that are about to merge43,91,92.
All spectra and photometric survey measurements are available through the respective data archives, which are publicly available, or upon request to the authors. The observed RVs are published in Supplementary Table 1.
The fitting package WD-BASS that was used to determine atmospheric parameters and radial velocities is available at https://github.com/JamesMunday98/WD-BASS.
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We thank S. Geier for their insightful comments during the study. J.M. was supported by funding from a Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) studentship. I.P. acknowledges support from The Royal Society through a University Research Fellowship (URF/R1/231496). D.J. acknowledges support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU/AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with reference PID-2022-136653NA-I00 (https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033). D.J. also acknowledges support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU/AEI) and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR with reference CNS2023-143910 (https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033). This research received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme no. 101002408 (MOS100PC). S.T. acknowledges support from the Netherlands Research Council NWO (grant VIDI 203.061). A.B. is a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. The study was based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO programme 113.27QU. The Isaac Newton Telescope and the William Herschel Telescope are operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. The study was also based on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope, owned in collaboration by the University of Turku and Aarhus University, and operated jointly by Aarhus University, the University of Turku and the University of Oslo, representing Denmark, Finland and Norway, the University of Iceland and Stockholm University at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Spain, of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. The data presented here were obtained in part with ALFOSC, which is provided by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucia (IAA) under a joint agreement with the University of Copenhagen and NOT. In addition, this research was based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope obtained from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5–26555. These observations are associated with programme 16642.
Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
James Munday, Ingrid Pelisoli, Snehalata Sahu, Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay, Mark Magee & Antoine Bédard
Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Garching, Germany
Ruediger Pakmor & Abinaya Swaruba Rajamuthukumar
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Spain
David Jones
Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
David Jones
Nordic Optical Telescope, Rambla José Ana Fernández Pérez, Breña Baja, Spain
David Jones
Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Gijs Nelemans
Institute for Astronomy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Gijs Nelemans
SRON, Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
Gijs Nelemans
Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Silvia Toonen
Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, USA
Tim Cunningham
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J.M. and R.P. carried out most of the modelling and analysis and wrote the majority of the paper. S.S. performed spectral fitting for the ultraviolet data. A.S.R. performed MESA modelling for accurate stellar compositions. I.P. and P.-E.T. supervised the project. D.J. played an integral part in obtaining spectra of the target. G.N., M.M., S.T., A.B. and T.C. provided much insight and many discussions throughout all stages of the project. All authors contributed with comments to the writing of the paper.
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James Munday.
The authors declare no competing interests
Nature Astronomy thanks Dongdong Liu and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Table 1.
The simulated type Ia detonation of WDJ181058.67+311940.94. The orbital period at the start of this animation is 39 s. A detonation first occurs on the surface of the accretor. The convergence of the helium shell detonation sends a shock wave towards the star's core, causing the detonation and complete destruction of the white dwarf. The mechanism then repeated on the secondary white dwarf, ultimately destroying both stars.
The simulated type Ia detonation of WDJ181058.67+311940.94 viewed in the co-rotating reference frame. From top to bottom, the panels show the density, temperature and kinetic energy density.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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Munday, J., Pakmor, R., Pelisoli, I. et al. A super-Chandrasekhar mass type Ia supernova progenitor at 49 pc set to detonate in 23 Gyr.
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Groundbreaking research by physicists at The City College of New York is being credited for a novel discovery regarding the interaction of electronic excitations via spin waves. The finding by the Laboratory for Nano and Micro Photonics (LaNMP) team headed by physicist Vinod Menon could open the door to future technologies and advanced applications such as optical modulators, all-optical logic gates, and quantum transducers. The work is reported in the journal Nature Materials.
The researchers showed the emergence of interaction between electronic excitations (excitons -- electron hole pairs) mediated via spin waves in atomically thin (2D) magnets. They demonstrated that the excitons can interact indirectly through magnons (spin waves), which are like ripples or waves in the 2D material's magnetic structure.
"Think of magnons as tiny flip-flops of atomic magnets inside the crystal. One exciton changes the local magnetism, and that change then influences another exciton nearby. It's like two floating objects pulling toward each other by disturbing water waves around them," said Menon. To demonstrate this, the Menon group utilized a magnetic semiconductor, CrSBr which the group had previously shown to host strong light-matter interaction (Nature, 2023).
Post-doctoral fellows Biswajit Datta and Pratap Chandra Adak led the research along with graduate students Sichao Yu and Agneya Dharmapalan in collaboration with the groups at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, University of Chemistry and Technology -- Prague, RPTU -- Kaiserslautern, Germany and NREL, USA.
"What is especially exciting about this discovery is that the interaction between excitons can be controlled externally using a magnetic field, thanks to the tunable magnetism of 2D materials. That means we can effectively switch the interaction on or off, which is hard to do with other types of interactions," said Datta.
"One particularly exciting application enabled by this discovery is in the development of quantum transducers -- devices that convert quantum signals from one frequency to another, such as from microwave to optical. These are key components for building quantum computers and enabling the quantum internet." said Adak, another lead author of this work.
The work at CCNY was supported by U.S. Department of Energy -- Office of Basic Energy Sciences, The Army Research Office, The National Science Foundation and The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
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A protester interrupted Microsoft's Copilot-focused keynote Friday afternoon, calling attention to the company's reported dealings with the Israeli military.
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This week, President Donald Trump imposed at least 54% tariffs on nearly all imported Chinese goods, and Beijing hit back with 34% duties for goods from the U.S. In addition to these taxes, Bloomberg reported that China is restricting the export of seven rare earth metals as part of its move against Washington.
The Ministry of Commerce for the People's Republic of China is sanctioning the following materials: samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium. Although these resources aren't widely known to the public, they're crucial for producing some of our most advanced technologies. For example, some of these materials are used in the magnets found in the motors of electric vehicles, while others are used for creating superconductors. Some are also used in storage media to improve efficiency and performance, and several more are found in nuclear reactors.
This announcement occurred several days before the additional levies Trump announced would take effect on April 9. China usually announces retaliatory actions against the U.S. after these taxes are already being charged on imports, giving the White House a chance to back down. However, it seems the country also made this countermove just one day before the April 5 deadline for TikTok to find an American buyer or face a ban in the U.S. It's speculated that China made this move so it can have some aces up its sleeve during subsequent bilateral negotiations between the two companies.
Computer chips and copper are exempt from the newly announced tariffs, at least for now, which is great news for PC manufacturers. However, these levies affect the equipment and materials required for American-made processors, making building chips in the U.S. more expensive. When combined with China's ban on rare earth metals that companies use, many chip makers will have to increase their prices as they scramble to find alternative sources (which are likely more expensive).
China's average tariff rate on U.S. goods before this announcement was 17.8%, which is significantly less than the 32.8% rate it applies. However, Trump justified the jump in tariff rates for China as an answer to the non-tariff barriers it allegedly places on U.S. goods. We can only watch from the sidelines as almost all imports into the U.S., including silicon semiconductors, become more expensive due to these taxes. Hopefully, these companies and their customers can adjust to this new reality to ensure their survival.
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Nintendo is officially pushing the preorder date for Switch 2 customers in the U.S. The company cited uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs as the main cause for the delay, though the legacy Japanese game maker promised the June 5 launch date is still in effect.
In a statement sent to Gizmodo, Nintendo said “Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025, in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”
Nintendo shared all the details about the $450 Switch 2's features, price, and launch date during the official Switch 2 Direct on April 2, the same day that Trump announced sweeping tariffs hitting practically every country in the world, including Nintendo's reported hardware manufacturing bases of Cambodia and Vietnam, as identified by The Financial Times. Some analysts who spoke to Gizmodo previously said Nintendo likely calculated the cost of tariffs into its Switch 2 price point. Still, the company was hit hard by Trump's arbitrary import tax scheme. President Donald Trump put a 46% tariff on Vietnam and a 49% tariff on Cambodia.
Nintendo has repeatedly promised investors it has prepared its manufacturing to have enough Switch 2 units to beat scalpers. The new question is if it needs to adjust pricing to make up for the absolute skyrocketing price of shipping units to the U.S. Some analysts claimed Nintendo has brought close to 400,000 units to the U.S. before the tariffs hit, but preorder numbers could easily eclipse that, and just in the U.S. alone.
Nintendo sold 13.4 million original Switch systems globally during its release year in 2017, according to Omdia data. The analytics firm forecasted the company would sell 14.7 million Switch 2s this year, though that wasn't accounting for the impact of tariffs.
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The ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming Wifi is a well-rounded solution packed with AI and DIY features, robust, plentiful, and fast hardware, in a sub-$500 package.
Surplus of USB Type-A and C ports
3x PCIe 5.0 M.2 sockets
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The Asus ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming Wifi is an upper-mid-range offering you can find on Asus' webstore (at the time of this writing) for $499.99, which is also the launch price. You know if it says ROG Strix, it will pack a lot of features, along with a signature premium appearance. The latest E Gaming model introduces an additional M.2 socket, faster networking, various AI and DIY-friendly “Q” features, and a refreshed aesthetic compared to the X670E version, enhancing or updating elements almost universally.
For under $500, Asus offers a variety of AI features, including AI Overclocking (an easy performance upgrade), AI Cooling II (one-click fan tuning), and AI Networking II (optimize network performance) to maximize the potential of the installed hardware. A multitude of EZ PC DIY functionality is also included, covering the M.2 sockets (Q-Release/Slide/Latch), troubleshooting (Q-LED/Code), Wi-Fi (Q-Antenna), and the slim PCIe Slot Q-Release.
Asus has improved its design, refining an already high-end aesthetic. The large VRM heatsinks enhance the look with a dot-matrix-like RGB-backlit ROG symbol and an Asus tagline on top. While it's not significantly different from the previous generation, the design looks less busy, and better supports warm-running PCIe 5.0 M.2 devices.
In terms of connectivity and pwerr, there's also a lot to like. With 13 USB ports on the rear I/O (10 Type-A and 4 Type-C), five M.2 sockets (3 PCIe 5.0), robust power delivery, and fast networking, there isn't much that could improve speed without spending significantly more money. Performance of the ROG Strix X870E-E across our testing suite with default settings was average in most tests. It also proved to be a competent gaming option, demonstrating its all-around capability against the other motherboards we've evaluated on this platform.
Below, we'll examine the board's details and determine whether it deserves a spot on our Best Motherboards list. But before we share test results and discuss details, we'll list the specifications from Asus' website.
Socket
AM5 (LGA 1718)
Chipset
X870E
Form Factor
ATX
Voltage Regulator
22 Phase (18x 110A SPS MOSFETs for Vcore)
Video Ports
(2) USB 4 (Type-C) (1) HDMI (v2.1)
USB Ports
(2) USB 4.0 (40 Gbps) Type-C (1) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C (30W PD Fast-charge) (10) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
Network Jacks
(1) 5 GbE
Audio Jacks
(2) Analog + SPDIF
Legacy Ports/Jacks
✗
Other Ports/Jack
✗
PCIe x16
(1) v5.0 (x16)** (1) v4.0 (x4) Varies by CPU type
PCIe x8
✗
PCIe x4
✗
PCIe x1
✗
CrossFire/SLI
✗
DIMM Slots
(4) DDR5-8000+(OC)*, 192GB Capacity * For 9000 series. DDR5-8400+(OC) for 8000 series
M.2 Sockets
(3) PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) / PCIe (2x 80mm, 1x 100mm) (2) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm) (Supports RAID 0/1/5/10 for 9000 series)
SATA Ports
(4) SATA3 6 Gbps
USB Headers
(1) USB v3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) Type-C (2) USB v3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) (3) USB v2.0 (480 Mbps)
Fan/Pump Headers
(8) 4-Pin (CPU, CPUOPT, AIO Pump, Chassis)
RGB Headers
(3) aRGB Gen 2 (3-pin)
Diagnostics Panel
(1) Q-Code (1) Q-LED
Internal Button/Switch
(1) Start button (1) Flex button (1) Alternate PCIe smode swtich
SATA Controllers
✗
Ethernet Controller(s)
(1) Realtek 8126 (5 GbE)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
Wi-Fi 7 (6.5 Gbps) 2x2- 320 MHz, 6 GHz, BT 5.4
USB Controllers
ASMedia ASM4242, ASM1074
HD Audio Codec
Realtek ALC4082 w/Savitech SV3H712 Amp
DDL/DTS
✗ / ✗
Warranty
3 Years
Asus includes several accessories to help ease your building experience. From SATA cables to Wi-Fi antennas, it's enough to get you going without a trip to the store. Below is a complete list of the extras.
The board's overall design doesn't change considerably from the previous version. However, it still exudes premium vibes and fits the profile of a premium motherboard. On the all-black, 8-layer PCB, oversized heatpipe-connected VRM heatsinks display an RGB ROG symbol shining through. Three larger heatsinks are positioned over the three PCIe 5.0 M.2 drives at the bottom. A plate-style heatsink with diagonal slats and hints of brushed aluminum covers the remaining M.2s, along with the chipset heatsink. A second RGB lighting strip concealed below illuminates the bottom of the board. Once again, we appreciate the enhancements over the previous generation, and there's no doubt this setup will look impressive inside almost any chassis.
In the left corner, we see the two Dual Procool II 8-pin EPS connectors powering the CPU. The oversized VRM heatsinks have no issues keeping the powerful VRMs below in spec. The ROG Symbol design splits up the dual-finished (matte and smooth aluminum) cover top, along with the “For Those Who Dare” branding that you'll find on both parts of the heatsink.
Moving right, we run into the Nitropath-equipped DRAM slots with locking mechanisms on both sides. Asus lists capacity up to 256GB with DDR5-8400+(OC) speeds for 8000 series APUs, while 7/9000 series desktop processors are slightly lower at DDR5-8000+(OC). Our DDR5-8000 kit didn't work out of the box (ut wasb;t ib the QVL), but our Team Group DDR5-7200 kit worked without issue. The board also features Asus' AEMP feature that helps get the most out of memory kits without XMP profiles.
Above the DRAM slots, we find the first four of the seven 4-pin fan headers. Each header supports PWM- and DC-controlled devices, with a total output across all headers of 1A/12W. Although this is low compared to other motherboards, which typically offer at least one 2/3A header, you would only need to worry if you carelessly piggyback a couple of fans on the same header. Control over these devices is managed through Armory Create and AI Cooling II, which includes one-click fan tuning via a proprietary Asus algorithm.
Next are a couple of LED displays to aid in troubleshooting. At the top is the Q-Code LED, which shows more detailed codes, while the simpler Q-LED display is below. Both features function during the POST process, indicating the specific area (Q-LED - CPU, DRAM, VGA, BOOT) where the issue lies, and providing additional information (via Q-Code). These are always beneficial when problems arise, and especially important if you enjoy tweaking and pushing your system.
We encounter the first (of three) 3-pin ARGB headers along the right edge. Control over any integrated devices and those connected to the headers is managed through the Aura Sync software, which can be accessed via the Armory Crate. Below is the start button and the Flex Key (reset), which you can configure for quick access features like Safe Boot or toggling the LEDs on and off with the button. Next, there is the 24-pin ATX connector to power the board, a front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) Type-C header, and finally a 19-pin front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) header.
Power delivery on the X870E-E Gaming features 22 phases, 18 dedicated to Vcore. Power flows from the EPS connector(s) to a Digi+ ASP2205 PWM controller. Next are 18 Vishay Sic850A 110A SPS MOSFETs utilizing Asus' “teamed” power configuration we're used to seeing these days. The available 1,980 Amps can easily support overclocked flagship-class processors, even with sub-ambient overclocking methods. Ultimately, the only limitation is CPU cooling on such a well-built board. If this sounds familiar, it's the same solution on the more expensive ROG Maximus X870E Hero.
Hiding under the SupremeFX shield at the bottom left corner is the current-generation Realtek ALC4080 audio codec. Helping things out are several premium dedicated audio capacitors (yellow), audio line shielding, and a Savitech SV3H712 Amp. Most users will be pleased with the audio solution.
In the middle of the board are two PCIe slots: The top one is CPU-connected and runs at PCIe 5.0 x16 speeds, while the bottom one, through the chipset, runs at PCIe 4.0 x4. Both slots are reinforced, with the top slot featuring Q-Release Slim technology for easily extracting your graphics card without needing a button. The card is secured with a standard (perhaps broader) clip that is spring-loaded and remains open by default, locking in place when the GPU is pushed down. As long as your graphics card is secured to the PC case, there's no risk of it coming loose. To remove it, pull it up on the IO side of the card to dislodge it from the front (left) part of the slot. Additionally, the top slot can bifurcate and supports up to four x4 M.2s (or x4/x4/x8) using an add-in card.
Mixed in among the PCIe slots are five M.2 sockets. The top three sockets, M.2_1/2/3, are all CPU-connected and operate on PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps), supporting devices up to 80mm (M.2_3 supports 110mm). The bottom two slots accommodate 80mm modules but connect through the chipset, running at PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps). You have plenty of speed and sockets available. The first socket also has a multi-size connector for easier installation. There is lane sharing; when M.2_2 and M.2_3 are enabled, the primary PCIe slot reduces to x8. The E Gaming supports NVMe RAID0/1/5/10 with 9000 series processors.
Along the right edge, past the chipset, are four horizontal SATA ports (also supporting RAID0/1/5/10) and another 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) header.
Across the bottom of the board are several exposed headers. You'll find the typical stuff here, including additional USB ports, RGB headers, and more. Below is a complete list, from left to right.
The rear IO on the X870E-EGaming is extremely busy with 14 total USB ports, dominating the space. Starting on the left is the HDMI video output followed by two USB4 (40 Gbps) Type-C ports. Two more Type-C ports line the bottom edge, and between those are the Clear CMOS and BIOS Flashback buttons. Above all of that are 10 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports and the Realtek RTL8126 5 GbE. On the right are the Wi-Fi 7 module, the quick connect Q-Antenna, and the 2-plug plus SPDIF audio stack.
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RTX 4060 is now the top GPU on Newegg despite ludicrous $500 price tag
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Our hierarchy says Newegg's $210 RX 6600 makes a lot more sense if you need something right now.
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Nvidia's most affordable RTX 40-series desktop graphics card is starting to push toward $500 at U.S. retailers. Yet, despite its horrific pricing, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 currently tops the best seller GPU chart on Newegg US, with an MSI Ventus model listed at $460 (and it "ships from Hong Kong"). Further down the chart, the only other RTX 4060 model in the top 20 is a triple-fan Gigabyte Eagle model at $455 (which ships from the US). These prices seem ridiculously high, but Newegg is still seeing enough demand to make this MSI model its best seller.Of course, it's likely more of a statement on the lack of GPU supply rather than high demand for these graphics cards. The Blackwell RTX 50-series GPUs, along with AMD's RDNA 4 RX 9000-series and Intel's Battlemage Arc B-series, have all been rather difficult to find at anything approaching MSRPs. Inventory on the previous generation graphics cards also dried up late last year, with only the lower tier cards like the RTX 4060, RX 7600, Arc A750, and RX 6600 still remaining in stock at reasonable prices. We can scratch the 4060 off the "reasonable" list now, however.
When the RTX 4060 was launched at $299 in June 2023, it was panned by reviewers and enthusiasts for its significant compromises. Benchmarks showed that the intergenerational performance increase wasn't exciting, and its 8GB VRAM and 128-bit interface meant the RTX 4060 suffered a significant VRAM and bus width deficit vs the previous 12GB RTX 3060. (Of course, Nvidia also released an RTX 3060 8GB late in the Ampere life cycle that perhaps made the 4060 look a little less terrible.)
Normally, when Nvidia is due to unleash the next-generation replacements for a graphics card family, consumers have a chance at a rare bargain. This is not the case in 2025, as the launch date for the RTX 5060-class GPUs approaches. Leaks and indications of a lift in 60-class pricing don't help exert downward pressure on the RTX 4060 series. For example, Chinese etailers recently listed RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards for between $463 and $528 (prices converted for Chinese Yuan and minus local sales tax).
Another reason the RTX 4060 desktop price seems so high is that you can grab full gaming laptop systems featuring the RTX 4060 laptop GPU for bargain prices. Of course a mobile variant isn't equivalent to a desktop PC model, but a couple of weeks ago we spotted an RTX 4060 packing MSI Thin A15 for $729. That's just $270 more than the desktop GPU alone, and if you were starting out in PC gaming, that bargain laptop features a powerful Ryzen 9 8945HS processor, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, as well as the laptop screen, keyboard etc. – in a portable form factor.That's not a direct substitute for a desktop graphics card if that's what you want/need, but it illustrates the silly desktop card pricing. We must also comment that, unlike other Nvidia desktop/laptop GPU comparisons, the RTX 4060 laptop GPU actually offers relatively similar performance — the only major differences are clocks speeds and power limits.
The law of supply and demand is a very powerful force in economics, and we frequently see this reflected in the PC components market. In the graphics card arena, the supply/demand balance has been unfortunate for PC DIYers and enthusiasts for several months now, chiefly due to AI, and we've seen similar issues in the past (e.g. due to cryptomining and Covid). It's not looking like things will be rectified shortly.Having said that, we do feel that these RTX 4060 prices can't be sustained. Nvidia and AMD are preparing to fill this market with new gen ‘60' cards shortly, and they are usually supplied in good quantities, as they are mainstream mass-market products. Faced with RTX 4060 cards approaching $500, we would definitely suggest waiting a few weeks for the next-gen 4060/9060, with potential replenishments and restocks of ‘70' series GPUs helping out, too.
If you're in a pinch, check out our graphics card hierarchy for the comparative performance of lesser-known GPUs from AMD and Intel. Perhaps, for your intended purposes, an AMD Radeon RX 7600/XT or Arc B580, B570, A770, or A750 might be a satisfactory substitute for an RTX 4060. Check our reviews and see how alternatives work in your favorite games and apps. As a stopgap, the Newegg fourth place AMD Radeon RX 6600, at $210, isn't a terrible choice, either.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
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Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, is ostensibly a tech company that operates a middling social media platform. In practice, it's something closer to a way for opportunistic investors to suck up to the President. But it appears Trump may be ready to cash out. According to the Financial Times, a recent filing by the company to the Securities and Exchange Commission indicates that the trust Trump stashed his shares in is now permitted to sell his stake. According to the filing, the mix of shares will be sold off “from time to time in one or more offerings.”
Trump holds nearly 115 million shares of TMTG, which accounts for about 53% of the total shares in the company. With the stock hovering between $18 and $19 a share—frankly, an absurd share price for a company that basically just runs a social media platform designed to receive posts from Trump—the President's stake is worth more than $2 billion. Following the 2024 election, Trump shifted those shares into the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, theoretically taking control out of his hands… except the trust is controlled by Donald Trump Jr., who is not exactly an independent operator.
The President has also insisted on multiple occasions that he won't sell his shares in the company, which he's technically been allowed to do since September of last year. Fears that he'll sell have historically sent the stock into a tailspin because the real value of the company seems to be the ability to cozy up to Trump. Experts have warned that the publicly traded company offers easy avenues for special interests and foreign investors to do some unofficial favor trading. There is really no rational reason to invest in TMTG other than being a Trump bud or fanatic. The tech sucks and it reported a loss of more than $400 million last year.
Whether any outside sources have tried to use the stock to manipulate anyone or not, it has certainly been a place where Trump loyalists have come to profit. Attorney General Pam Bondi owns about $2 million worth of shares in TMTG. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon serves as director of TMTG and was gifted $826,000 worth of shares in January 2025. FBI Director Kash Patel got his own “gift” of $826,000 worth of shares at the start of the year, too—after he filed his financial disclosures to the government. Intelligence Board nominee Devin Nunes is currently the CEO of TMTG and is sitting on more than $20 million worth of stock holdings—plus, he gets a salary and bonus from the company, which netted him $1.6 million last year.
TMTG argued that its recent filing, which also shows that Bondi and Nunes are looking to sell some of their stake in the company, was just a routine filing and that “Legacy media outlets are spreading a fake story suggesting that a TMTG filing today is paving the way for the Trump trust to sell its shares in TMTG…In fact, there currently is no open window for any affiliate to sell shares.” But odds are some of these folks are going to want to turn their theoretical cash into the real stuff at some point.
Donald TrumpDonald Trump Jr.Pam BondiStocksTruth Social
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Loomer is suing Bill Maher for defamation after the comedian said she was sleeping with the president.
Yes, America's fascist president is destroying the U.S. economy. But that ironic tweet isn't real.
Temporary layoffs show the real-world impact of the uncertainty Trump has created.
The Trump ally says he wants to "ensure Congress has a voice in trade policy."
The 10% baseline tariffs will hit April 5, with the larger tariffs coming into effect April 9.
"Elon Musk should become Donald Trump's special envoy for midterm elections," said one Democratic Party leader.
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Screenwriter Jonathan Tropper assures us all that Shawn Levy's Star Wars movie is still happening. Jurassic World Rebirth teases its big new mutant dino. Plus, what's coming on Yolo: Rainbow Trinity. To me, my spoilers!
According to Deadline, Meryl Streep is “in talks” to play a gender-swapped version of Aslan the Great Lion in Greta Gerwig's The Chronicles of Narnia, but parties involved are “not quite at the offer stage yet.”
During his recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, when asked about the potential for a Spider-Man/Kingpin showdown, Vincent D'Onofrio confirmed that due to legal reasons, Wilson Fisk can only appear on television for the time being.
The only thing I know is not positive, it's a very hard thing to do for Marvel to use my character. It's a very hard thing to do because of ownership and stuff. Right now, I'm only usable for television series, different kinds of series, whatever it is, but not even a one-off Fisk movie or anything like that. It's all caught up in rights and stuff. I don't know when that would work out, or if it would ever work out at all, actually, really…
Speaking with Collider, screenwriter Jonathan Tropper confirmed Shawn Levy's Star Wars movie is still in development.
That gig is something I've dreamed about my whole life. We're still working on it. For various reasons, I can't say anything about it. But we're working on it.
As reported by Variety, Jurassic World Rebirth footage recently screened at CinemaCon saw Scarlett Johansson and company attempting to steal Quetzalcoatlus eggs before being attacked by a mosasaur and “some kind of mutated dinosaur that basically looks like a steroidal T-Rex.”
Footage from The Black Phone 2 screened at Cinema Con (via Screen Rant) also revealed the Grabber returns from beyond the grave as a Freddy Krueger-esque phantom able to “target kids after his death.”
According to Bloody-Disgusting, Bring Her Back has been rated “R” for “strong disturbing bloody violent content, some grisly images, graphic nudity, underage drinking and language.”
Likewise, David F. Sandberg's Until Dawn has also been rated “R” for “bloody horror violence, gore and language throughout.” [Bloody-Disgusting]
A woman awakens a “supernatural beast” after killing her husband in the trailer for The Severed Sun, a new folk horror movie starring Emma Appleton and Toby Stephens.
Finally, murder is afoot in a clip from this Sunday's episode of YOLO: Rainbow Trinity.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
chronicles of narniaJurassic World RebirthMorning SpoilersStar WarsWilson Fisk
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Plus, Shudder is picking up the film adaptation of Joe Hill's Van Helsing tale, Abraham's Boys,
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld will continue Lucasfilm's animated anthology series on May 4.
Plus, get a new look at 28 Years Later.
Now through May 11, you can enjoy themed eats and sips inspired by the galaxy far, far away.
Plus, Lanterns gets itself another member of the Green Lantern Corps, with a little help from the Superman movie.
Speaking during an interview for the Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, the Star Wars sequels star discussed people's reactions to characters like Finn being positioned beyond supporting roles.
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As President Trump pushes his massive global tariffs into effect, America's former trading partners are designing their own, retaliatory tariffs, that are sure to have a walloping effect on Americans' pocketbooks.
On Thursday, the recently elected prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, announced a new 25 percent tariff on American-made automobiles. The tariffs will apply to all vehicles that do not comply with the USMCA, the trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. that was signed into law several years ago. However, the tariffs don't apply to car parts. Carney said he thought Canada would earn approximately $5.7 billion from the new measures.
The U.S. has already levied multiple tariffs against Canada, including on the nation's steel and aluminum, and on Canadian exports. Canada and Mexico were exempted from the far-reaching tariffs that Trump announced this week (dubbed “reciprocal” tariffs) which were aimed at dozens of countries all over the world—though the previous measures remain.
“Our response to these latest tariffs is to fight, to protect, and to build,” Carney said, during a press conference. “We will fight the U.S. tariffs with retaliatory trade actions of our own that will have maximum impact in the United States and minimum impacts here in Canada.”
“We take these measures reluctantly,” Mr. Carney told reporters. He went on: “We can do better than the United States. Exactly where that comes out depends on how much damage they do to their economy.”
Carney took the opportunity to point out that Trump was effectively violating the trade agreement that his own administration had negotiated during his first term in office. Indeed, the USMCA was put into place in 2020, towards the end of Trump's first tenure at the White House. Carney also pointed out that Trump's trade war would ultimately hurt many Americans and that he, therefore, believed the tariffs would be rescinded eventually.
“Given the prospective damage to their own people, the American administration should eventually change course,” Carney said. “Although their policy will hurt American families until that pain becomes impossible to ignore, I do not believe they will change direction, so the road to that point may indeed be long. And will be hard on Canadians just as it will be on other partners of the United States.”
Carney also spoke pessimistically about U.S.-Canadian relations: “The global economy is fundamentally different today than it was yesterday. The system of global trade anchored on the United States… is over. Our old relationship of steadily deepening integration with the United States is over. The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of economic leadership…is over.”
“This is a tragedy,” he added. “It is also the new reality. We must respond with both purpose and force.”
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High-speed 64GB RAM modules are finally here.
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Today, G.Skill announced two new high-speed and high-capacity DDR5 memory kits to compete against the best RAM. Tailored toward enthusiasts under the Trident Z5 RGB and Z5 Royal Neo series, the latest offerings include what G.Skill claims is the world's first 128GB (64GBx2) memory kit running at DDR5-8000 speeds alongside a 64GB (32GBx2) DDR5-9000 offering for those prioritizing speed. There's no word on pricing and availability, though we expect more details to be unwrapped in the future.
128GB memory kits, typically configured as 64GBx2 for optimal speed, are widely available with speeds ranging from DDR5-5600 to DDR5-6000. G.Skill's latest Trident Z5 Royal Neo 64GB modules fill this gap in the market. They are advertised to hit DDR5-8000 speeds when overclocked.
The "Neo" designation indicates that this memory kit is designed and optimized for AMD's AM5 platform. Likewise, the 32GB DDR5-9000 modules are intended for Intel's Arrow Lake platform. However, the press release doesn't specify if these kits are CUDIMM-based.
G.Skill prepped a test bench featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X on an Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Apex motherboard. The attached validation screenshot shows the 128GB Trident Z5 Royal kit running at DDR5-8000 CL44-58-58 speeds. If tighter timings are your priority, G.Skill recently introduced a 96GB DDR5-6400 kit with CL30 latency. However, they haven't explicitly stated support for AMD's EXPO technology.
Moving over to the Intel setup that was outfitted with the Core Ultra 7 265K and the Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Apex, the 64GB Trident Z5 RGB counterpart operates at an impressive 9000 MT/s with CL48-64-64 timings under MemtestPro 4.0. Intel's Arrow Lake processors officially support DDR5-5600 for standard DIMMs and DDR5-6400 for CUDIMM. Anything above that is out of JEDEC specifications and might require some tuning to ensure stability.
Likewise, Raphael and Granite Ridge work best at DDR5-6000 and DDR5-6400 speeds, respectively. Achieving DDR5-8000 on AM5 typically requires a 1:2 ratio, with the UCLK running at half the MCLK frequency. Your mileage may vary depending on your motherboard and CPU's memory controller, but these are impressive results. When purchasing high-end kits, ensure your motherboard is on the Qualified Vendor List of your RAM kit for compatibility. Keeping your BIOS up to date can also enhance stability.
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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he's not working, you'll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.
Chinese DRAM maker reportedly mulls DDR4 hike prices
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It's all too easy to lose time on the internet. Scrolling through social media, falling down algorithm-led rabbit holes on YouTube, and clicking on bad news story after bad news story. We know too much screen time is bad for us, but acknowledging the problem and doing something about it are two different things.
Browser maker Opera has an idea for cultivating a healthier relationship with the web and our computers, and it's a new browser called Opera Air. Now available for Windows and macOS, its reason for being is to “actively improve your well-being” by encouraging breaks, exercises, and meditations.
When it comes to improving your user experience, Opera Air starts with the basic building blocks of the browser interface: It's all round corners and frosted glass effects, and Opera itself describes it as a "minimalist Scandinavian design." (Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway.) It's all designed to be as relaxing and as gentle as possible—though the amount of relaxation you'll feel does still to some extent depend on the sites you choose to look at.
"The web is beautiful, but it can be chaotic and overwhelming," says Mohamed Salah, the senior director of product at Opera. "We decided to look at science-backed ways to help our users navigate it in a way that makes them feel and function better."
Even the wallpaper inside the browser is designed to be calming.
To that end you've got a choice of background sounds and a choice of exercises to work with, both easily accessible from the main browsing screen. You can also set up reminders to take a break at regular intervals, and it's likely Opera will add more over time—the current version of the browser is labeled “early access.”
To research the need for a calming tool like Opera Air, the company conducted a survey of 7,000 people across seven countries. It found that 58 percent of respondents “sometimes feel overwhelmed or stressed while browsing the web,” while 83 percent of respondents said they would like a “web browser made them feel better as they went about their day.”
The initial setup for Opera Air won't take you long to work through. You'll need to choose a wallpaper backdrop, and there are a variety of soothing images and looping videos to pick from. You're also able to import data such as bookmarks and browsing history from another browser.
After that, you get to the Speed Dial quick links page borrowed from the main Opera browser. If you've used Opera before, you'll notice some of the browser's distinctive features: The choice of workspaces on the left, for example, where you can separate groups of tabs, and the integrations with the Aria AI, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Boosts are customized sounds to help you work.
The two key well-being tools in Opera Air are on the left sidebar. Explore Boosts (the flower icon) leads you to a series of binaural background beats, with names like Emotional Navigation, Focused Calm, and Creativity Boost. Pick the one that matches the mood you're looking for.
For each selection, you can click the three dots to tweak the mix. You're able to choose the frequency of the beats, the ambient sound, and the music track that all work together to produce the sounds you're listening to. (There are a multitude of combinations to go through.) You can also set a fixed time for the boost audio before clicking Start.
Breaks are guided exercises you can use regularly.
The other main feature here is Take a Break, which is the icon that looks like three wavy lines. You've got four options: Breathing, Neck Exercise, Meditation, and Full Body Scan (which "tunes you into your body and surroundings"). You'll be talked through each step of each exercise, and they take between three and 15 minutes to complete.
Click the three dots to the top right of the Take a Break screen and you can pick the voice you want to use for the narration. You can also turn break reminders on or off; Opera Air can nudge you to take some time away from the web at regular intervals of between 45 and 180 minutes. What's more, if you have a webcam, there's the option to use it for some of the exercises to make sure you're stretching correctly. Opera doesn't make any specific reference to a privacy policy when it comes to this feature, but we can't see any indication that any kind of permanent recordings are made, and generally speaking, Opera is a privacy-focused browser.
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Digital notebooks is a category that still divides opinion. For those who use them, they couldn't be without them. For those that don't, the idea of using an electronic device to re-create the experience of writing on paper only brings up one question—why not just use actual paper?
Well, there are a few compelling reasons. For one thing, digital tablets generally offer some kind of syncing, meaning you can write something down on your digital tablet and then easily pull it up later on your computer or phone. And then there's handwriting recognition, which allows you to turn your written notes into text you can copy into digital documents. All of these are compelling features, which we pointed out while reviewing the reMarkable 2 Tablet and its color upgrade reMarkable Paper Pro.
But there's another, perhaps underappreciated, reason: the ability to use any kind of paper you want without having to keep that paper in stock. Want lined paper? Sure thing. Need graphing paper for some math problems? You've got that too, along with dotted paper and even blank sheets if that's your thing.
Which brings me back to reMarkable. My main problem with its devices has been that it really doesn't offer that many kinds of digital paper. Search the internet for “reMarkable templates” and you'll find all sorts of third parties trying to fill this niche, some free and some for a fee. Most of these are PDF files, while some require you to jailbreak your device to add them as templates. I've used some of these workarounds, and their existence points to how many people are looking for more kinds of paper out of their reMarkable tablet.
Thankfully, it seems someone at reMarkable is paying attention. Recently the company launched reMarkable Methods, which is now part of the reMarkable Connect subscription. This offers a collection of both templates for reMarkable notebooks and purpose-built PDF files. To get started you need only head to the website and browse.
The collection offers 14 PDF workbooks and 27 templates, all of which you can install to your device in just one click. Workbooks will show up in My Files while templates are offered when you create a new notebook—or switch templates in an existing notebook—under the new rM Methods section.
The templates offer much nicer day and week planners than those that came included, as well as dedicated templates for keeping track of tasks. There's one for the Eisenhower method, for example, allowing you to sort tasks based on their relative urgency and importance. There's also a simple kanban template, allowing you to sort tasks in columns. And there are multiple templates for taking notes, all with a different methodology in mind.
The PDF workbooks are more like the purpose-built journals or planners you can buy and vary from full calendars to an official Bullet Journal built by the team at BulletJournal.com.
The new calendar template is a good example of how this format can work. It includes a yearly calendar overview and focused pages that split this down by month, week, and day, with handy links on each page that make it easy to jump between views. This means it is easy to open this week's calendar, jot down your priorities, then tap the current day so you can fill in hourly details on a timeline.
These templates and notebooks aren't going to be useful for everyone, and it's unlikely to make anyone on the fence about these kinds of devices finally go out and buy one. But if you've already got a reMarkable tablet (and the required reMarkable Connect subscription), they're a nice addition worth checking out that will make your device even better.
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A major hit on domestic chipmakers?
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Although the new import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration do not tax semiconductor imports, they do tax imports of wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) made outside of the U.S. and used by American chipmakers. As a result, companies like Intel, GlobalFoundries, Samsung Foundry, and TSMC will have to pay at least 20% more for chipmaking tools in the U.S. than they do in other countries, which will likely affect the prices of chips made in America.
Although the U.S.-based Applied Materials, KLA, and Lam Research control about 50% of the chipmaking tool market, producers of fab tools from China, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan command the remaining 50%. U.S.-based chipmakers hardly use tools made in China, but they certainly use lithography, etching, and deposition equipment produced in the EU, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Starting from April 9, they will have to pay a 20% to 32% import tax (depending on the origin of the equipment) when buying semiconductor production equipment from companies in these countries, which will inevitably affect their costs in the U.S.
Given that equipment costs determine the costs of chips more than anything else, expect a tangible increase in production costs in America. Then again, if the Trump administration imposes additional tariffs on chips made elsewhere, this will somewhat level the costs of chips produced overseas and domestically. However, this will not make chips made in the U.S. more competitive on the global market.
The 20% import tax on lithography tools made by ASML will probably have the biggest impact on American chipmakers as ASML does not really have U.S.-based rivals when it comes to advanced immersion DUV litho tools as well as Low-NA EUV and High-NA EUV litho machines. While a 20% rate seems modest compared to the 54% tariffs on Chinese imports, they apply to extremely costly equipment.
ASML's advanced immersion DUV (ArF) machines used for sub-10nm fabrication processes cost $82.5 million per unit on average (based on the company's Q4 FY2024 results), a Low-NA EUV system is priced around $235 million depending on configuration, and its upcoming High-NA EUV tool is expected to cost $380 million. With the new import duties, those same tools will cost American chipmakers $99 million per Twinscan NXT:2000i-series DUV machine, $282 million per Twinscan NXE:3800E Low-NA EUV system, and $456 million for next-generation Twinscan EXE:5000-series High-NA EUV tool.
It is noteworthy that ASML produces not only lithography scanners but also metrology and inspection tools, which will also become more expensive for American chipmakers. In fact, some of ASML's HMI eScan e-beam tools are assembled in Taiwan, and they will be 32% more expensive for American buyers. The good news is that ASML can expand the production of HMI tools in San Jose, California.
In addition, there are other European fab equipment makers, such as ASM International, which makes atomic layer deposition (ALD) and epitaxy tools, and Aixtron, which makes deposition equipment for compound semiconductors (GaN, SiC, etc.), which are also produced in the U.S. (by companies like Macom and X-Fab).
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Speaking of cleaning, coating, deposition, and etching tools, tools from Japan-based companies like Tokyo Electron and Screen Holdings are quite popular on the market, and they are set to get 24% more expensive for American companies.
Given that wafer fab equipment from Europe and Asia has just gotten 20% to 32% more expensive for American buyers, a natural question is whether these tools can be replaced with ones produced in the U.S.
ASML has only two big rivals — Canon and Nikon — and they are based in Japan and do not produce EUV systems or advanced DUV scanners anyway, so American fabs will have to pay 20% extra for ASML tools in the foreseeable future. The actual impact of ASML's tools on production costs will be determined by whether a particular product is more lithography intensive (DRAM, logic), or etching and deposition intensive (3D NAND).
As for cleaning, coating, deposition, and etching tools, Applied Materials, KLA, and Lam Research build world-class machines for these steps. However, if a particular process technology and production flow already integrates a certain system from Tokyo Electron, then switching to a different tool is extremely complicated and takes time. Also, some tools are unique and are designed for a very specific process or flow, which makes their replacement even more complicated.
In general, this sudden increase undermines the significant capital investment plans of companies like Intel, TSMC, and Samsung Foundry, all of which are building or expanding advanced fabs that cost tens of billions of dollars in the U.S. The impact will not be limited to leading-edge nodes. Companies using mature and specialty manufacturing technologies, including GlobalFoundries and Texas Instruments, will also pay more for their needed equipment. In the end, the added costs will push up the price of chips produced domestically.
Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom's Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.
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7/10
In my 17 years of being married to my husband, I have learned that it's wise to take a few precautions. First, always wear sensible shoes. Second, always have a full water bottle and some snacks—even if we're supposedly just walking the dogs for an hour. Third, panicking never helps. You might not know what's going to happen or how you got here, but we're going to figure it out.
Unfortunately, my daughter has only lived with my husband for 10 years, compared to my 17. On a recent spring break trip, we were off-roading up a steep hill in our Toyota Tundra when we started sliding backwards in a slippery mix of snow and mud. Immediately, high-pitched shrieks erupted from the back seat. “Babe! Panicking never helps!” I reached into the glove box and pulled out an Anker power bank, a USB-C cable, and the HMD OffGrid. “We can always call someone. It's going to be OK!”
She calmed down, giving my husband and me enough time to figure out how to get out of this mess. (It will surprise no one who has gone overlanding that it involved a combination of 4WD, chains, and a lot of rocking back and forth.) Back at the cabin, I opened my computer and subscribed to the Overwatch X Rescue 24/7 emergency SOS service. My husband made fun of me, but I'm not the one plowing us into melting 2-foot snow berms for fun.
The US is a big country, and cell service is woefully inadequate. In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission reported that most service providers did not meet the minimum service provided in coverage maps. Coverage is even worse if you recreate outdoors, and especially in the American West. My family and I spent the week in the Washington Cascades, and while Verizon's coverage map shows that we were supposed to get service, we did not. Not a single bar until we drove into town.
There are a lot of satellite messengers, but most people don't want to spend through the nose on a dedicated device, plus subscriptions, for something they'd only use a few times a year. The HMD OffGrid addresses that gap. It's tiny, durable, and relatively affordable. Most of all, the OffGrid's yearly subscription fee is reasonably priced and includes Overwatch X Rescue. It doesn't do you very much good to have a satellite communicator with SOS if it doesn't summon some people to rescue you.
HMD OffGrid Satellite Communicator
Rating: 7/10
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Overwatch X Rescue provides end-to-end crisis response management. Most importantly, a subscription covers the costs of the response for only $80 per year. This is insanely affordable for a fully funded service that covers everything from search and rescue to transportation of your dependent children if you're injured.
In contrast, something like the Garmin inReach messenger ($250) is more expensive and requires both a minimum $15 per month inReach satellite subscription to trigger the SOS, as well as $40 per year search and rescue (SAR) insurance to pay for the costs involved in extracting you from whatever mess you're in. Let's be honest: If you love high-risk outdoor sports and need a rescue, this would be a bargain. But most of the time, you won't.
I tried the review unit of the OffGrid on my family's spring break. (Don't worry, I didn't make my kids suffer—at least, not for work. We made these plans long before I got the OffGrid to test.) The device is palm-sized, 3.7 inches high, and weighs less than 3 ounces. It looks a lot like the Motorola Defy. There's a hole at the top for a lanyard, which I didn't have, but it easily fit in my pants pocket.
It charges via USB-C and is compatible with Android and iOS. It's not a stand-alone device, so you'll need a smartphone to use it. It's simple to operate, as any device you use to call for help in the backcountry should be—just two buttons, a power button, and an exposed yellow SOS button. It feels like it might be too easy to trigger, but you have to hold the SOS down firmly for a few seconds, which makes an accidental press less likely. (Yes, I did push the SOS button and text Overwatch. I told them to stand down. I did it for you, and yes, it was embarrassing.)
HMD OffGrid Satellite Communicator
Rating: 7/10
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The activation process is quick—you turn it on, charge it, and download the HMD OffGrid app on your phone. Once connected, the app walks you through the settings. I charged it for about an hour to get it to 100 percent, and the battery lasted from Monday through Thursday and got to about 35 percent. However, none of our outdoor excursions lasted longer than four hours, so the OffGrid probably doesn't have enough battery life to live-track a weekend backpacking trip. (Then again, your phone doesn't either.)
The OffGrid has a few different capabilities, along with the aforementioned SOS service and live tracking. You can text via satellite messaging and check in on the HMD OffGrid app. In the Washington Cascades, it took about eight minutes to connect to satellites under tree cover, but it was a lot quicker from a lakeshore under clear skies.
It's IP68-rated and has been tested to military specs, which means you can treat it with a reasonable amount of abuse. I did kick it around in and out of bags and dropped it in an alpine lake, and it continued working.
The device uses the same L-band frequencies that all GPS systems use to triangulate your position as you crawl about the surface of planet Earth. But while Garmin uses the Iridium satellite network for telecommunications, HMD has partnered with Skylo and Viasat, which does make me a little nervous. Most satellite messengers I've tested use Iridium, and Skylo and Viasat seem less reliable. However, my texts to my dad and location tracking with my husband went back and forth with reasonable promptness.
For a long time, if you wanted to go off-grid, your choices were Garmin or nothing. Now options are abundant, even within this specific niche—someone who recreates in the backcountry frequently but is never really that far from an outlet or a power bank to keep their phone and the device charged.
The OffGrid is far from your only choice. The Motorola Defy is cheaper, but it's less hardy and doesn't have Overwatch X Rescue. If you want better battery life for a whole week or weekend, stick with a Garmin. Or get a personal locator beacon ($380), which doesn't require a subscription and has a battery that will last 5 years or until you have to use it.
HMD OffGrid Satellite Communicator
Rating: 7/10
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The main value proposition offered by the OffGrid is that the subscription plan is ridiculously cheap and includes Overwatch X Rescue. However, it's worth noting here that Overwatch X Rescue does have a stand-alone app that works with newer iPhones and Android devices with satellite capabilities.
If you have a newer phone, you might want to skip getting the OffGrid altogether. But if you're not someone who upgrades your phone constantly—and many people who like to vacation in the backcountry don't—then HMD is a useful, affordable, and possibly lifesaving satellite communicator.
HMD OffGrid Satellite Communicator
Rating: 7/10
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When the audience was handed 3D glasses as we walked into the final presentation at CinemaCon 2025, it could only mean one thing: we were going back to Pandora. And, sure enough, Disney presented the first footage ever from Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third film in James Cameron's epic fantasy franchise.
Cameron wasn't there in person, but he put the presentation in the capable hands of Neytiri herself, Zoe Saldaña. The footage began with the water tribe, the Metkayina, as characters swim through some kind of wreckage (maybe from the end of the last movie?), followed by scenes of the kids like Lo'ak, Kiri, Tsireya hanging about.
“The strength of your ancestors is here,” Tsireya says to Lo'ak as she touches his chest.
The Wind Traders show up, and all of the Metkayina are excited. It's friendly. People are cheering, and some of the younger characters like Kiri and even Spider are riding with them. Cameron films these scenes with a real love for these people. These are basically flying pirate ships with sails made up of almost translucent material. Members of the tribe bark out orders around the ship like you'd see in an old pirate movie but the ships just keep gliding along. This is peaceful. This is beautiful. This is nice.
The ships slowly float through the mountains with some other Na'vi, like Neytiri, riding alongside on her Ikran. Spider playfully dangles his foot off the side. Again, everything is quiet and calm. But not for long. Neytiri spots something watching them from the sky and screams for Jake. It's the Ash tribe and they have a much more menacing presence than the Na'vi people we know, thanks in large part to the bright red war paint they wear and the sparks coming off the back of their Ikrans.
The Ash tribe swoops down and attacks our heroes in a massive midair battle. Jake fires his gun. Neytiri fires her bow and arrow. But the Ash tribe shoots arrows with fire, which start to burn down the Wind tribe's ships.
We see Jake seemingly trekking across Pandora by himself, walking by massive volcanoes and eventually arriving at what looks like the gate of the Ash tribe with his hands in the air, giving himself up. He and Neytiri are having problems with Lo'ak and tell him, “You can't live in hate!” They hug him.
Tonowari, leader of the water tribe, says that they can't defeat enemies that come from the stars. We then see the Ash tribe seemingly teaming up with Quaritch and the rest of the human army.
Neytiri is in the hospital and screams for her children. A raid is happening. There's a quick shot of the eye of a Tulkun. Things end with a massive battle that's happening on what looks like floating rocks. They seem to be in the middle of some kind of floating wreckage from a battle that's still happening. Neytiri and the leader of the Ash tribe, who we've seen throughout the trailer, are fighting but Neytiri's snarls come up against her flame thrower type weapon. “Your goddess has no dominion here,” the Ash woman says, confirming they don't believe in Ewa. And that's the end.
So you have the serenity of the Wind tribe, the kinetic energy of the Ash tribe and in the middle, the water people, which now includes the Sully family. We have a feeling not everyone is going to make it out alive.
Avatar: Fire and Ash opens December 19, and Cameron is still working on it.
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Out of 206 fourth-grade students, 19 met criteria for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. This was found in a pilot study conducted at the University of Gothenburg. The results indicate that birth defects caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy may be as common in Sweden as in several other European countries.
The study ran at six schools in western Sweden and constituted an add-on to the regular health check-up for all fourth-grade students. The participants underwent a physical examination, review of medical records and psychological tests of memory, attention, and problem-solving ability. Parents and teachers described the children's behavior and school performance, and the mothers were interviewed about their dietary habits and alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Of the 206 participants examined, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) were found in 19 children. Ten had alcohol-related neurobehavioral disorder, four had partial fetal alcohol syndrome, and five had the most severe variant, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The overall prevalence of FASD in the study group was 5.5 percent, of which 2.4 percent concerned FAS.
"Conducting the study in school as an add-on to the regular health check-up proved feasible. Our study is small, so a large-scale national study is needed to obtain a fuller picture. If the results are replicated, it would indicate that Sweden is on a par with many other European countries", says Valdemar Landgren, researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, who is affiliated with the university's Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre and is the study's first author.
There are no prior studies investigating the prevalence of FASD in Sweden. According to nationwide statistics from Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare, only about 60 children receive such a diagnosis each year.
Today, these conditions are rarely diagnosed in Swedish healthcare. One reason may be that physicians don't assess for conditions of which they are unaware or believe to be very rare. Empirical knowledge about the actual prevalence is of importance for medical education and diagnostics, and for society to be able to work preventively."
Valdemar Landgren, researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders range from mild to severe and can affect learning, concentration, memory, impulse control, and motor skills. Some children also have distinctive facial features and low birth weight.
The prevalence of FASD is estimated at 4.8 percent in Ireland, 4.5 percent in Italy, and 5.3 percent in Croatia.
University of Gothenburg
Landgren, V., et al. (2025). Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study in Western Sweden. Acta Paediatrica. doi.org/10.1111/apa.70059.
Posted in: Child Health News | Medical Research News
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Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics.
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Automation and machine learning are transforming antibody discovery at LabGenius, with the EVA™ platform enabling rapid, high-throughput experimental processes.
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New research explores whether routine hormonal contraception after childbirth may be quietly fueling a rise in postpartum depression — and what it means for millions of mothers.
Study: Postpartum Hormonal Contraceptive Use and Risk of Depression. Image Credit: sweet_tomato / Shutterstock.com
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open investigates whether the use of hormonal contraception (HC) increases the risk of postpartum depression.
HC has previously been identified as a risk factor for depression. However, the impact of HC use on the development of depression during the postpartum period, which already increases the risk of mental health disorders, remains unclear.
Over the past 20 years, HC prescriptions during the postpartum period have risen, with the duration between delivery and the initiation of these medications becoming increasingly shorter. In fact, current estimates indicate that about 40% of mothers in Denmark will initiate HC within the first year after delivery.
This raises the issue of whether the routine practice of HC initiation in the postpartum period inflates the already heightened risk of depression.”
The current study obtained data from Danish national registries on all women who gave birth for the first time between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2022. None of the women included in this analysis had a history of depression within the 24 months preceding delivery.
HC was stratified into combined oral contraceptives (COCs), combined nonoral contraceptives (CNOCs), progestogen-only pills (POPs), and progestogen-only nonoral contraceptives (PNOCs).
The cohort included 610,038 primiparous mothers, 41% of whom began using a form of HC within 12 months of childbirth. The mean age of HC users was 27.6 years as compared to 29.6 years for non-users.
Among women who were prescribed HC during the postpartum period, 24% used COCs, 1% CNOC, 11% POP, and 5% PNOC. Less than 1% of the study cohort was lost to follow-up.
Approximately 50% of women initiated HC use between seven and 10 weeks postpartum. Within 12 months of childbirth, 1.5% of women developed depression, with a crude rate of 21 depression cases for every 1,000 person-years in postpartum mothers prescribed HC as compared to 14 for every 1,000 person-years among non-users.
The absolute risk for postpartum depression among non-users was about 36% above the baseline risk. However, this risk increased to 54% above baseline with HC use, which equated to an 18% increase in absolute risk.
Overall, the risk of postpartum depression rose by 50% among HC users as compared to non-users during the first 12 months after childbirth. This increased risk was observed when all types of HC were considered, except for POPs. When POPs were examined, an initial reduction in depression risk was followed by a late rise in depression rates after eight months postpartum.
After adjusting for lifestyle, sociodemographic factors, and smoking, a 72% increased risk of developing depression was observed for women prescribed COCs, whereas CNOCs like vaginal rings and patches increased the risk of developing depression by 97%. The risk of depression was also higher by 40% among women prescribed PNOCs like implants, depot injections, and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine systems (LNG-IUS).
Women with no history of mental illness were 63% more likely to develop postpartum depression as compared to 32% of women who had a history of mental health issues.
The timing of HC initiation was also inversely related to the rate of depression. Depression rates increased over the first seven months among those who started HC early compared to non-users.
The early postpartum period may be an especially vulnerable time for depressive changes in women. This association is multifactorial, as the postpartum period is often accompanied by extreme changes in hormone levels, combined with various psychological stressors during this period.
In the current study, the risk of developing depression was observed for all types of HC, except for POPs. Women who breastfeed during the postpartum period are often advised to take progestogen-only contraceptives, as combined hormonal contraceptives can have a negative impact of lactation. Thus, additional research is needed to determine whether the current study findings are affected by selection bias and elucidate the role of breastfeeding in the risk of developing depression postpartum.
These findings raise the issue of whether the incidence of depression postpartum may be inflated by routine HC initiation, which his important information to convey at postpartum contraceptive counselling.”
Posted in: Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News | Women's Health News | Healthcare News
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Dr. Liji Thomas is an OB-GYN, who graduated from the Government Medical College, University of Calicut, Kerala, in 2001. Liji practiced as a full-time consultant in obstetrics/gynecology in a private hospital for a few years following her graduation. She has counseled hundreds of patients facing issues from pregnancy-related problems and infertility, and has been in charge of over 2,000 deliveries, striving always to achieve a normal delivery rather than operative.
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Antibiotic resistance tends to stabilize over time, according to a study published April 3, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Sonja Lehtinen from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and colleagues.
Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern, contributing to an estimated 5 million deaths per year. Understanding long-term resistance patterns could help public health researchers to monitor and characterize drug resistance as well as inform the impact of interventions on resistance.
In this study, researchers analyzed drug resistance in more than 3 million bacterial samples collected across 30 countries in Europe from 1998 to 2019. Samples encompassed eight bacteria species important to public health, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
They found that while antibiotic resistance initially rises in response to antibiotic use, it does not rise indefinitely. Instead, resistance rates reached an equilibrium over the 20-year period in most species. Antibiotic use contributed to how quickly resistance levels stabilized as well as variability in resistance rates across different countries. But the association between changes in drug resistance and antibiotic use was weak, suggesting that additional, yet unknown, factors are at play.
The study highlights that continued increase in antibiotic resistance is not inevitable and provides new insights to help researchers monitor drug resistance.
Senior author Francois Blanquart notes: "When we looked into the dynamics of antibiotic resistance in many important bacterial pathogens all over Europe and in the last few decades, we often found that resistance frequency initially increases and then stabilises to an intermediate level. The consumption of the antibiotic in the country explained both the speed of initial increase and the level of stabilization."
In this study, we were interested in whether antibiotic resistance frequencies in Europe were systematically increasing over the long-term. Instead, we find a pattern where, after an initial increase, resistance frequencies tend to reach a stable plateau."
Sonja Lehtinen, University of Lausanne
PLOS
Emons, M., et al. (2025). The evolution of antibiotic resistance in Europe, 1998–2019. PLOS Pathogens. doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012945.
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Today, the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) launched its first Insights Paper, "The convergence of healthcare and pharmaceuticals with quantum computing: A new fronter in medicine", exploring how quantum computing could enable a step-change in medicine and healthcare delivery over the coming decades. The paper examines the potential of quantum computing to address some of the most complex and pressing challenges facing healthcare systems, both nationally and globally. While quantum computing remains an emerging technology, with most applications currently at the research and development stage, early evidence from proof-of-concept studies highlights its potential to transform areas where conventional computing may reach its limits.
Drawing on extensive engagement with stakeholders across the healthcare and life sciences sectors - including workshops, bilateral consultations, and expert interviews - alongside deep technical analysis, the paper provides a comprehensive review of the current landscape. It identifies near-term opportunities and long-term challenges associated with the adoption of quantum computing in healthcare and pharmaceuticals and reflects key insights and recommendations gathered from a diversity of sector stakeholders.
Our engagement with the sector highlights a growing appetite for coordinated, mission-led initiatives to unlock the potential of quantum computing in healthcare and pharmaceuticals. This paper provides actionable insights for industry leaders, policymakers, and funders to realize the opportunities that quantum computing presents for patient outcomes and healthcare innovation."
Dr Simon Plant, Deputy Director for Innovation, NQCC
Conventional computing has already enabled remarkable advances in healthcare - today artificial intelligence aids diagnostics, high-performance computing accelerates drug development, and machine learning supports personalized treatment. However, bottlenecks remain for solving increasingly complex computational problems, with a need for ever greater speed, accuracy and efficiency.
Quantum computing offers an opportunity to surpass these barriers in the future - providing new ways to tackle biological complexity and high-dimensional data - areas where traditional computing methods struggle to scale. The paper highlights that more than 40 proof-of-concept use cases have already been explored in the literature, indicating promising areas for future development, including:
These opportunities align with national priorities set-out in the NHS Long Term Plan and support the objectives of the UK National Quantum Strategy - particularly Mission 1 (Quantum Computing) and the Quantum Healthcare Mission, which seeks to integrate quantum-enabled solutions into every NHS Trust by 2030.
The report highlights the sector's appetite in pursuing large-scale, international Grand Challenges - similar in ambition to the Human Genome Project - as a mechanism to coordinate effort, accelerate progress, and deliver real-world impact from quantum healthcare applications.
While the opportunities are considerable, the report identifies several critical challenges that must be addressed to realize quantum computing's potential in healthcare, including:
As the field evolves, regulatory and ethical considerations will also become increasingly important, including data privacy, regulatory compliance, and the responsible use of quantum-enhanced healthcare decision-making systems.
The Insights Paper underscores the importance of early engagement with healthcare stakeholders - particularly end-users, as well as the development of open innovation forums and dedicated testbeds to foster knowledge exchange and the co-development of quantum healthcare solutions. Identification of near-term impactful use-cases remains a priority with the sector emphasizing collaboration as a key mechanism for progress.
The publication comes at a time of growing global momentum. Leading initiatives - such as the Cleveland Clinic's partnership with IBM, which established the world's first quantum computer dedicated to healthcare research, and the Wellcome Leap Quantum for Bio (Q4Bio) program - are pioneering the use of quantum technologies in drug discovery, genomics, and precision medicine. These efforts complement partnerships announced by leading quantum computing developers and pharmaceutical companies worldwide, focused on addressing practical healthcare challenges.
As quantum hardware and algorithms continue to advance, the NQCC anticipates a shift from proof-of-concept demonstrations to real-world impact, with the prospect of accelerating drug development, enhancing diagnostics, personalizing treatments, and optimizing healthcare operations in the future.
NQCC
Posted in: Drug Discovery & Pharmaceuticals | Genomics | Healthcare News
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
APA
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MLA
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Rutgers Health researchers have developed an oral antiviral drug candidate for COVID-19 that could overcome major limitations of Paxlovid, currently the most prescribed oral treatment.
As with its predecessor, the new drug candidate, Jun13296, targets a different viral protein than Paxlovid does and works alone rather than in combination with another drug called ritonavir. But Jun13296 beats the same lab's first effort on several crucial metrics.
This new compound is more potent than our first-generation candidate. In animal studies, our second-generation inhibitor still provides 90% protection at just one-third the dose of our initial compound and significantly outperforms it in reducing viral loads in the lungs."
Jun Wang, senior author of the study published in Nature Communications and professor of medicinal chemistry at Rutgers' Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
It also addresses Paxlovid's major limitation: drug interaction-induced side effects.
"Most people who are at high risk of COVID-induced complications already take medications for diseases like high blood pressure or diabetes," Wang said. "A large percentage of them cannot take Paxlovid because of drug-drug interaction problems."
Wang's team designed the new compound to target a structure in the virus called its papain-like protease (PLpro) rather than the main protease targeted by Paxlovid.
In laboratory testing, Jun13296 remained effective against Paxlovid-resistant strains of the virus.
"We have data to confirm that our PLpro inhibitor retains potent inhibition against all the variants we have tested," Wang said.
The collaborator Xufang Deng's lab from the Oklahoma State University tested the compound in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Five-day survival rates were 90% for mice given Jun13296, 40% for those given the same low dose of the first-generation compound Jun12682 and 0% for untreated mice.
The drug also significantly reduced inflammation and viral levels in the lungs. At 75 milligrams per kilogram, Jun13296 provided strong inflammation protection, while the first-generation compound Jun12682 showed only moderate efficacy at this reduced dosage.
Most promising is that Jun13296 worked at comparable or lower doses than Paxlovid in similar animal models.
"If you look at the animal model which people have conducted with Paxlovid, they need to treat the mice with like 150 or even up to 300 milligrams per kilo to achieve similar efficacy," Wang said.
Efficacy at lower doses helps patients because it reduces the chance that a drug will have serious side effects, Wang said.
Unlike Paxlovid, Jun13296 shows no inhibition of major drug-metabolizing CYP450 enzymes in laboratory tests, suggesting it would not interfere with other medications and does not need to co-administer with ritonavir, thereby circumventing the drug interaction-induced side effects.
Significant contributions to this study were made by Eddy Arnold's Lab at Rutgers' Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM), which solved the X-ray crystal structures of PLpro-critical for structure-based drug design.
Moving the drug toward human trials faces significant hurdles, primarily funding. Wang estimated the next phase will cost "tens of millions of dollars" beyond what academic labs can typically secure.
"Moving forward to investigational new drug application-enabling studies and human clinical trials, it can cost tens of millions of dollars," Wang said. "That's basically beyond what we can do in academia."
His team is looking to partner with pharmaceutical companies or non-profit organizations to advance the compound through the required pre-clinical studies and eventually to Food and Drug Administration applications.
The development comes as COVID-19 continues to evolve, including variants resistant to existing treatments. Wang said having multiple treatment options remains crucial for pandemic preparedness. Even if not immediately commercialized, completing early-stage clinical trials would mean reducing the time to get the treatment approved if SARS-CoV-2 evolves and causes another epidemic or pandemic.
The methodologies developed by the research team are broadly applicable to other infectious diseases beyond COVID-19. Wang's lab specializes in developing antivirals against multiple respiratory viruses, including influenza and enteroviruses.
Rutgers University
Jadhav, P., et al. (2025). Design of quinoline SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease inhibitors as oral antiviral drug candidates. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56902-x.
Posted in: Drug Discovery & Pharmaceuticals | Medical Research News | Disease/Infection News
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Dr. Jian
Dr. Yifan Jian explores the evolution of OCT, challenges in retinal imaging, and AI's potential in biophotonics, shaping the future of ophthalmic diagnostics.
Mohammad Aklaq
Automation and machine learning are transforming antibody discovery at LabGenius, with the EVA™ platform enabling rapid, high-throughput experimental processes.
Conversations on AFM: Exploring the nanomechanics of living cells
In this interview Prof. Dr. Kristina Kusche-Vihrog speaks about the nanomechanics of living cells and their implications for cardiovascular disease.
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SEATTLE—On Thursday, April 3rd, the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ Local Organizing Committee (SeattleFWC26) announced the winner of the Official FIFA World Cup 26™ Seattle Host City Poster contest during the Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk.
Winner is Shogo Ota (center w/ glasses) who said his art was inspired by Seattle's landscape. Lynnwood Times | Kienan Briscoe.
The poster is one of 16 posters that will be unveiled over the next month, as each Host City for the FIFA World Cup 26™ will reveal artwork to their region to celebrate the tournament. This is the first time that a FIFA World Cup™ has worked with local artists specific to each Host City to design each location's poster.
During Seattle's unveiling, attendees heard from Shogo Ota, the winning designer, and celebrated the community contest that saw dozens of Washington artists share their portfolios, concepts, and designs to capture the region's vibrant culture, history, and passion for soccer. Ota, hailing originally from Japan, has called the Pacific Northwest home for more than a decade and owns and operates Tireman Studio from Camano Island, Washington.
Seattle's official poster will be shared internationally as a lasting symbol of Seattle's role in the world's biggest sporting event, showcasing our city's unique identity to fans across the globe.
Source: Seattle World Cup Organizing Committee
A nine-person panel of volunteers narrowed forty entries to four finalists, each from a different city in Washington. To learn more about the Seattle poster contest and three runners-up, please visit http://www.seattlefwc26.org.
“The City of Seattle is proud to be one of 16 host cities in North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games, and even more proud to welcome the world to the Pacific Northwest region,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are hard at work preparing to ensure the region is ready to both host a once-in-a-lifetime experience for locals and visitors from across the globe and showcase the rich history, vibrant culture, and beauty of our region and our communities. This poster is a reflection of who we are and what makes our region special.”
“Our poster contest received so many wonderful entries from across Washington” said Leo Flor, Chief Legacy Officer of Seattle FWC26. “We love how Shogo's design includes fun local Seattle references, including some of our iconic arches like the historic Chinatown Gate, the Pacific Science Center, and the Stadium, all under the watch of our most Sacred Mountain. We're thrilled to share with the world our Seattle design and the community behind it.”
“I am so excited for visitors and residents alike to experience the good energy of this event in beautiful Seattle,” said Shogo Ota, winning artist of Seattle FWC26 Host City Poster Contest. “My design highlights our beautiful landscapes and that we welcome all people. I hope people make good memories while they're here, and I also hope people find the small details in the poster that say so much about who we are in Seattle and Washington.”
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
The poster is one of 16 posters that will be unveiled over the next month, as each Host City for the FIFA World Cup 26™ will reveal artwork to their region to celebrate the tournament. This is the first time that a FIFA World Cup™ has worked with local artists specific to each Host City to design each location's poster.
During Seattle's unveiling, attendees heard from Shogo Ota, the winning designer, and celebrated the community contest that saw dozens of Washington artists share their portfolios, concepts, and designs to capture the region's vibrant culture, history, and passion for soccer. Ota, hailing originally from Japan, has called the Pacific Northwest home for more than a decade and owns and operates Tireman Studio from Camano Island, Washington.
Seattle's official poster will be shared internationally as a lasting symbol of Seattle's role in the world's biggest sporting event, showcasing our city's unique identity to fans across the globe.
Source: Seattle World Cup Organizing Committee
A nine-person panel of volunteers narrowed forty entries to four finalists, each from a different city in Washington. To learn more about the Seattle poster contest and three runners-up, please visit http://www.seattlefwc26.org.
“The City of Seattle is proud to be one of 16 host cities in North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games, and even more proud to welcome the world to the Pacific Northwest region,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are hard at work preparing to ensure the region is ready to both host a once-in-a-lifetime experience for locals and visitors from across the globe and showcase the rich history, vibrant culture, and beauty of our region and our communities. This poster is a reflection of who we are and what makes our region special.”
“Our poster contest received so many wonderful entries from across Washington” said Leo Flor, Chief Legacy Officer of Seattle FWC26. “We love how Shogo's design includes fun local Seattle references, including some of our iconic arches like the historic Chinatown Gate, the Pacific Science Center, and the Stadium, all under the watch of our most Sacred Mountain. We're thrilled to share with the world our Seattle design and the community behind it.”
“I am so excited for visitors and residents alike to experience the good energy of this event in beautiful Seattle,” said Shogo Ota, winning artist of Seattle FWC26 Host City Poster Contest. “My design highlights our beautiful landscapes and that we welcome all people. I hope people make good memories while they're here, and I also hope people find the small details in the poster that say so much about who we are in Seattle and Washington.”
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
During Seattle's unveiling, attendees heard from Shogo Ota, the winning designer, and celebrated the community contest that saw dozens of Washington artists share their portfolios, concepts, and designs to capture the region's vibrant culture, history, and passion for soccer. Ota, hailing originally from Japan, has called the Pacific Northwest home for more than a decade and owns and operates Tireman Studio from Camano Island, Washington.
Seattle's official poster will be shared internationally as a lasting symbol of Seattle's role in the world's biggest sporting event, showcasing our city's unique identity to fans across the globe.
Source: Seattle World Cup Organizing Committee
A nine-person panel of volunteers narrowed forty entries to four finalists, each from a different city in Washington. To learn more about the Seattle poster contest and three runners-up, please visit http://www.seattlefwc26.org.
“The City of Seattle is proud to be one of 16 host cities in North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games, and even more proud to welcome the world to the Pacific Northwest region,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are hard at work preparing to ensure the region is ready to both host a once-in-a-lifetime experience for locals and visitors from across the globe and showcase the rich history, vibrant culture, and beauty of our region and our communities. This poster is a reflection of who we are and what makes our region special.”
“Our poster contest received so many wonderful entries from across Washington” said Leo Flor, Chief Legacy Officer of Seattle FWC26. “We love how Shogo's design includes fun local Seattle references, including some of our iconic arches like the historic Chinatown Gate, the Pacific Science Center, and the Stadium, all under the watch of our most Sacred Mountain. We're thrilled to share with the world our Seattle design and the community behind it.”
“I am so excited for visitors and residents alike to experience the good energy of this event in beautiful Seattle,” said Shogo Ota, winning artist of Seattle FWC26 Host City Poster Contest. “My design highlights our beautiful landscapes and that we welcome all people. I hope people make good memories while they're here, and I also hope people find the small details in the poster that say so much about who we are in Seattle and Washington.”
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
Seattle's official poster will be shared internationally as a lasting symbol of Seattle's role in the world's biggest sporting event, showcasing our city's unique identity to fans across the globe.
Source: Seattle World Cup Organizing Committee
A nine-person panel of volunteers narrowed forty entries to four finalists, each from a different city in Washington. To learn more about the Seattle poster contest and three runners-up, please visit http://www.seattlefwc26.org.
“The City of Seattle is proud to be one of 16 host cities in North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games, and even more proud to welcome the world to the Pacific Northwest region,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are hard at work preparing to ensure the region is ready to both host a once-in-a-lifetime experience for locals and visitors from across the globe and showcase the rich history, vibrant culture, and beauty of our region and our communities. This poster is a reflection of who we are and what makes our region special.”
“Our poster contest received so many wonderful entries from across Washington” said Leo Flor, Chief Legacy Officer of Seattle FWC26. “We love how Shogo's design includes fun local Seattle references, including some of our iconic arches like the historic Chinatown Gate, the Pacific Science Center, and the Stadium, all under the watch of our most Sacred Mountain. We're thrilled to share with the world our Seattle design and the community behind it.”
“I am so excited for visitors and residents alike to experience the good energy of this event in beautiful Seattle,” said Shogo Ota, winning artist of Seattle FWC26 Host City Poster Contest. “My design highlights our beautiful landscapes and that we welcome all people. I hope people make good memories while they're here, and I also hope people find the small details in the poster that say so much about who we are in Seattle and Washington.”
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
A nine-person panel of volunteers narrowed forty entries to four finalists, each from a different city in Washington. To learn more about the Seattle poster contest and three runners-up, please visit http://www.seattlefwc26.org.
“The City of Seattle is proud to be one of 16 host cities in North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games, and even more proud to welcome the world to the Pacific Northwest region,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are hard at work preparing to ensure the region is ready to both host a once-in-a-lifetime experience for locals and visitors from across the globe and showcase the rich history, vibrant culture, and beauty of our region and our communities. This poster is a reflection of who we are and what makes our region special.”
“Our poster contest received so many wonderful entries from across Washington” said Leo Flor, Chief Legacy Officer of Seattle FWC26. “We love how Shogo's design includes fun local Seattle references, including some of our iconic arches like the historic Chinatown Gate, the Pacific Science Center, and the Stadium, all under the watch of our most Sacred Mountain. We're thrilled to share with the world our Seattle design and the community behind it.”
“I am so excited for visitors and residents alike to experience the good energy of this event in beautiful Seattle,” said Shogo Ota, winning artist of Seattle FWC26 Host City Poster Contest. “My design highlights our beautiful landscapes and that we welcome all people. I hope people make good memories while they're here, and I also hope people find the small details in the poster that say so much about who we are in Seattle and Washington.”
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
“The City of Seattle is proud to be one of 16 host cities in North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games, and even more proud to welcome the world to the Pacific Northwest region,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are hard at work preparing to ensure the region is ready to both host a once-in-a-lifetime experience for locals and visitors from across the globe and showcase the rich history, vibrant culture, and beauty of our region and our communities. This poster is a reflection of who we are and what makes our region special.”
“Our poster contest received so many wonderful entries from across Washington” said Leo Flor, Chief Legacy Officer of Seattle FWC26. “We love how Shogo's design includes fun local Seattle references, including some of our iconic arches like the historic Chinatown Gate, the Pacific Science Center, and the Stadium, all under the watch of our most Sacred Mountain. We're thrilled to share with the world our Seattle design and the community behind it.”
“I am so excited for visitors and residents alike to experience the good energy of this event in beautiful Seattle,” said Shogo Ota, winning artist of Seattle FWC26 Host City Poster Contest. “My design highlights our beautiful landscapes and that we welcome all people. I hope people make good memories while they're here, and I also hope people find the small details in the poster that say so much about who we are in Seattle and Washington.”
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
“Our poster contest received so many wonderful entries from across Washington” said Leo Flor, Chief Legacy Officer of Seattle FWC26. “We love how Shogo's design includes fun local Seattle references, including some of our iconic arches like the historic Chinatown Gate, the Pacific Science Center, and the Stadium, all under the watch of our most Sacred Mountain. We're thrilled to share with the world our Seattle design and the community behind it.”
“I am so excited for visitors and residents alike to experience the good energy of this event in beautiful Seattle,” said Shogo Ota, winning artist of Seattle FWC26 Host City Poster Contest. “My design highlights our beautiful landscapes and that we welcome all people. I hope people make good memories while they're here, and I also hope people find the small details in the poster that say so much about who we are in Seattle and Washington.”
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
“I am so excited for visitors and residents alike to experience the good energy of this event in beautiful Seattle,” said Shogo Ota, winning artist of Seattle FWC26 Host City Poster Contest. “My design highlights our beautiful landscapes and that we welcome all people. I hope people make good memories while they're here, and I also hope people find the small details in the poster that say so much about who we are in Seattle and Washington.”
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
“Pioneer Square has long been a place where culture, creativity, and community converge,” said Lisa Howard, Executive Director of Pioneer Square Alliance. “From murals and art installations to game-day energy, our neighborhood embodies the intersection of artistic expression and a passion for sports. As the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Host City Poster offers a powerful opportunity to showcase that spirit — both around Pioneer Square and to a global audience.”
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
Fans can visit www.FIFAWorldCup.com to view posters for all 16 host cities, discover the story behind each design, and learn more about the artists. Fans will also be able to immediately own these pieces of FIFA World Cup™ history, as posters will be available for purchase on the site on April 19th. Additional merchandise, inspired by the posters, will be available in the months ahead.
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
About Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ (SeattleFWC26)
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
SeattleFWC26 is the local organizing committee for Seattle's participation as one of the 16 host cities selected for the FIFA World Cup 26™. As a not-for-profit organization, SeattleFWC26's vision is to foster a positive legacy for our region, guided by the spirit of soccer, innovation, and inclusion. To keep updated on the latest news and involvement opportunities with SeattleFWC26, please sign up at http://www.seattlefwc26.org/get-involved.
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
About FIFA World Cup 26™
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest international sporting event ever staged, with three Host Countries, 16 Host Cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches uniting an entire continent to showcase a momentous new tournament format. With more countries, cities, teams, and games, FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the most inclusive tournament ever, engaging millions of fans across 16 unique stadiums and billions worldwide. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026. For the latest FIFA World Cup 26™ information, please visit the FIFA World Cup 26™ website.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
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The Chiefs' loss in Super Bowl LIX set a record with 127.7 million U.S. viewers across television and streaming platforms.
But as FIFA president Gianni Infantino noted this week, those numbers won't come close to the viewership expected for the 2026 World Cup final. More than a billion people watched Argentina's win over France.
But Infantino thinks those Super Bowl TV numbers will be seen on each day of the tournament leading up to the final.
“I mean, look at the Super Bowl, which is fantastic, right? It has what, 120, 130 million viewers, right?” Infantino said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “The World Cup has 6 billion viewers. So a World Cup is 104 Super Bowls in one month. It's three Super Bowls a day. And this happens from here, and this can happen every week if you have the best league in the world.”
With Kansas City set to play host to four group stage matches and a round-of-32 game and a quarterfinal, that would be six Super Bowl-type audiences, using Infantino's math.
That's unlike any worldwide attention that has ever been paid to Kansas City.
World Cup organizers in Kansas City also estimate 650,000 visitors will attend the six games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium or visit the FanFest site.
Infantino made the viewership comment when talking about how the World Cup can help soccer become more popular in the United States. He believes kids will see soccer as a sport worth pursuing once they get older.
“It is growing everywhere,” Infantino said of soccer. “It's growing in the Middle East. It's growing in East Asia. But I think the big surprise will be the growth here in North America. When you see every child, girl or boy, now plays soccer, what happens (now) is that the most talented players, they go to other American sports because they maybe don't see a path to glory. But they will see it now, this year with the Club World Cup, with the best teams in the world, next year, with the World Cup, with the best countries in the world, they will see that there is a path to glory, a path to something incredible. And this will make a big difference.
“When the U.S. organized the 94 World Cup, 85% of the Americans a couple of months before (the tournament started) didn't know that the World Cup was happening. Today is the other way around. 85% of Americans, they know that the World Cup is coming already one year ahead. So these are signs that things are changing. Plus one more thing, if I may, you are the United States of America, right? The greatest country in the world. You are No. 1 in kind of everything you do. You cannot be satisfied to be No. 20 in the No. 1 sport. You want to be No. 1 in the No. 1 sport. So let's go for it.”
The U.S. men's team is currently 16th in FIFA's rankings, but Infantino's zeal for making America a world power is interesting. The U.S. men's team hasn't gotten past the round of 16 in a World Cup in nearly a century.
But a strong showing next year could boost the game's popularity here, and Infantino seems eager to see it happen. It's why Infantino was in Los Angeles this week with Argentine star Lionel Messi and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for Adidas' 2026 World Cup kickoff.
Infantino explained that soccer's growth in the United States is a win around the globe.
“What is important is that what happens here in America has an impact all over the world,” Infantino said. “So the growth figures cannot just be measured in the United States, but all over the world. And when it comes to both women's football and men's football, whenever we do something here, it has such an important global impact that is just incredible for the game.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 10:48 AM.
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Sport's highest court said Friday it will hold fast-track appeals next month as Mexican soccer club León tries to overturn a Fifa decision to expel it from the Club World Cup in the United States.
The court of arbitration for sport (Cas) said León and its sibling club Pachuca have separately filed appeals against a Fifa ruling last month that barred León from the Club World Cup because the clubs have the same owner.
“Club León filed an additional appeal against the decision by the Fifa secretary general to be reinstated in the competition,” the court said in a statement, adding that the expedited appeals will be heard during the week of 5 May.
No target was given for a verdict in the case that will decide the final place in the 32-team lineup for the month-long tournament. The Mexican clubs qualified by winning the continental club championship for the Concacaf region in different years.
Fifa revealed plans this week for a one-game qualification playoff between Los Angeles FC and the Mexican team América if its ruling is upheld at Cas.
In a separate Cas process, the Costa Rican club Alajuelense is arguing its case to get the final entry, which will be worth a minimum $9.55m payment plus an additional share of the $1bn tournament prize fund based on results. The tournament starts on 14 June.
Alajuelense's case is being heard 23 April in Madrid, though its importance is secondary to the León appeal.
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León was included by Fifa in the tournament draw in December despite the pending multi-club ownership issue. It was drawn in a group with Chelsea, Esperance from Tunisia and Flamengo of Brazil. Whichever club wins the spot, they will open the tournament with a game against Chelsea in Atlanta.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney may look to "sell sooner rather than later", it is being claimed, with questions asked of Wrexham's long-term plan.
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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Sport's highest court said Friday it will hold fast-track appeals next month as Mexican soccer club Leon tries to overturn a FIFA decision to expel it from the Club World Cup in the United States.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said León and its sibling club Pachuca have separately filed appeals against a FIFA ruling last month that since they have the same owner they can't both play at Club World Cup.
“Club León filed an additional appeal against the decision by the FIFA secretary general to be reinstated in the competition,” the court said in a statement.
“The appeals will be expedited and heard during the week of May 5,” CAS said.
No target was given for a verdict in the case that will decide the final place in the 32-team lineup for the month-long tournament. The Mexican clubs qualified by winning the continental club championship for the CONCACAF region in different years.
FIFA revealed plans this week for a one-game qualification playoff between Los Angeles FC and Mexican team America if its ruling is upheld at CAS.
In a separate CAS process, Costa Rican club Alajuelense is arguing its case to get the final entry, which will be worth a minimum $9.55 million payment plus an additional share of the $1 billion tournament prize fund based on results. The tournament starts June 14.
Alajuelense's case is being heard April 23 in Madrid, though its importance is secondary to the León appeal.
León was included by FIFA in the tournament draw in December despite the pending multi-club ownership issue. It was drawn in a group with Chelsea, Esperance from Tunisia and Flamengo of Brazil.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Their upcoming double-header will be the 42nd and 43rd meetings between these two sides.
A fierce football rivalry will once again be ignited this month as the United States Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) take on Brazil across two games.
It will be the first time these sides have locked horns since their gold medal showdown at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Despite a valiant effort from the South Americans to send legendary Marta into international retirement with top honours, it was their opponents who were victorious in a nervy 1-0 encounter.
Brazil have been in fine form since then, and aiming to extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
The U.S., meanwhile, will be looking to return to winning ways after suffering their first defeat of the Emma Hayes managerial era at the hands of Japan last time out.
The 2-1 loss prevented them from lifting the SheBelieves Cup for an eighth time.
Their upcoming double header will mark the 42nd and 43rd instalment of this fixture's history – read on to find out how each side has fared over the years…
The most recent meeting between these sides came last year in the ultimate showdown.
It was the fight for gold at the Olympic Games – something the U.S. had won four times previously, while the Brazilians had finished runners-up on two prior occasions.
Mallory Swanson's second-half strike would ultimately prove the difference for Hayes's team, clinching their first major title mere months into her tenure.
Their 41st meeting marked the second final the pair contested last year, having come face-to-face in the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup finale, where the Americans also took the honours, winning 2-1.
An upcoming friendly double header will see Brazil become the USA's fifth-most-played opponent, holding only a better record against Mexico in the top five.
Mallory Swanson's golden moment at Paris 2024.
Their next two meetings may just be friendlies, but these rivals are no strangers to big games on the world stage.
It has been an ongoing match-up for the last 38 years, with their first encounter taking place in 1986.
Since then, they have played three Olympic finals – all of which were won by the USA – and a further three knockout ties in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
The fixture has been utterly dominated by the USWNT. In their 41 meetings to date, the US have won a staggering 33 times.
Five draws have been played out, while Brazil have won just three times.
There are a handful of places to watch the games live. These include: TNT Sports, TruTV, Telemundo, Universo, Max (formerly HBO Max), and Peacock for livestreaming in North America.
Harry Winks has been 'axed' from Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City squad after a 'heated row' about refusing to compromise on his 100-mile commute.
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Cristiano Ronaldo will always be a Real Madrid legend, but shock takeover talk has suggested that he could become a La Liga rival to Los Blancos.
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Kevin De Bruyne's impending departure from Manchester City after a decade at the club was the story of the day
The 33-year-old Belgian midfielder, arguably one of the greatest and most influential players to grace the English top flight, has posted a message on X announcing that he will leave Manchester City after a decade at the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
“Seeing this, you probably realise where this is heading,” it reads. “So I'll get straight to it and let you all know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player. Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.
“Football led me to all of you – and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life. This City. This club. These people… gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what – we won everything.
“Whether we like it or not, it's time to say goodbye. Suri, Rome, Mason, Michele, and I are beyond grateful for what this place has meant to our family. ‘Manchester' will forever be on our kids' passports – and more importantly, in each of our hearts. This will always be our HOME.
“We cannot thank the city, club, staff, teammates, friends, and family enough for this 10-year ride. Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter. Let's enjoy these last moments together!
“Much love, KDB.”
That's your lot. I'll be back at 6.45pm for England v Belgium, LIVE, in the Women's Nations League. Don't miss it.
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“The BBC and ITV have declined to pursue the chance to televise this summer's Club World Cup, leaving Fifa increasingly concerned about the visibility of its flagship new tournament in a key market.
The streaming platform Dazn agreed this year to pay $1bn for global Club World Cup rights in a deal which involved the company pledging to make all 63 matches available free-to-air on its app.”
Virtually the final word to Ange Postecoglou, who said the following about his seemingly ever-worsening relationship with Tottenham fans:
“At times it oversteps. When it oversteps, I am not going to stand for it, because I'm a bit old school like that … but they have every right [to protest] … I still can't get away from the fact we have got a massive opportunity for ourselves between now and the end of the season … irrespective of how fans feel about me, I just hope the fans get behind the players and the team in those games, because they can make a huge difference.”
Here, in chronological order, are the football pieces we've published today thus far:
What does the Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner make of German media, in particular, linking him with the RB Leipzig manager's job?
“I'm very happy [at Crystal Palace] but I'm not happy with all the stories. I told you I don't read all these stories.
“But my Mum messaged me and said – ‘I have to read so much, I don't know where to start and where to end'. She can't sleep anymore.
“I said come on, you're in your 70s, and it's not worth to read all this stuff. So nothing to tell from my side. The only guy I was talking to in the last weeks was [Crystal Palace chairman] Steve Parish. I don't really recognise it, because I don't read all the things.”
Also, replying to a question about VAR, Glasner declared: “I am a friend of justice, and that's why I am a friend of VAR.”
When Fabian Hürzeler called Oliver Glasner a few days after his appointment by Brighton last June, he found the Crystal Palace manager was only too happy to offer a few pointers about life in the Premier League. “He is very helpful and open-minded,” Hürzeler later said. “He is a role model, I think, in how he acts and how humble and grounded he is.”
Although Glasner and Hürzeler were managers in Germany at the same time at Eintracht Frankfurt and St Pauli respectively, they worked in different divisions and had not come face to face until Ismaïla Sarr scored twice in a 3-1 Palace victory at the Amex in December. The Austrian had warned his Brighton counterpart in one of their frequent chats that their friendship would be put aside for the afternoon as arch-rival clubs met in the fixture some outsiders have taken to referring to as the “A23 derby”.
His Majesty's Premier League have only gone and edited together two minutes of De Bruyne assists.
“Delicious whip,” as Peter Drury correctly states.
Two minutes of Kevin De Bruyne assists 🤤 pic.twitter.com/5uiKoUxpqO
Barry Glendenning is here with Football Daily:
“Obviously there are so many great memories of de Bruyne in blue over the last decade, but my favorite is Manchester City 5-1 Wolves 1, KdB 4 (May 11, 2022),” writes Kyron. “The game opened with a pretty standard de Bruyne goal in the seventh minute: a low shot across the keeper to the far right corner. But then, Wolves tied the match with a shot from the top of the box - a goal that only happens because Kevin loses his man, the scorer [Leander] Dendoncker, while watching the ball carrier take it in before crossing it back to the top of the box.
“You can actually see the switch flip in Kevin's head as Wolves celebrate. Whenever I watch the highlights, I'm reminded of the line from The Usual Suspects: “Then he showed these men of will what will really was.” I don't think I've ever seen one player set out to dominate the other team AND THEN DO IT the way Kevin did after that moment. To quote the commentator after he scored his third, “Stop it, Kevin, stop it! I'm running out of superlatives for you!””
Don't forget, England Women are in Nations League action tonight. They meet Belgium at Ashton Gate, kicking off at 8pm … I'll be bringing you the MBM.
Tom Garry previews the action here:
If you missed it earlier, this is what the Everton manager David Moyes said about that tackle by James Tarkowski:
“He made what I thought, at the time, was a really good tackle. Looking at it again, it was a bit reckless.”
“Is there a match that better capture's De Bruyne's talents than his return for City against Newcastle last year?” writes David Wall. “If I remember correctly he came off the bench with City 2-1 behind and soon scored the equaliser by passing the ball into the bottom corner from about 20-25 yards out.
“Not content with that he conjured the winner in stoppage time with a pass from midway in Newcastle's half to Oscar Bobb standing around the edge of the six-yard box that was biblical in its precision (in that it would have been easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for the ball to get through the gap De Bruyne played it).
“Guardiola reacted on the touchline like someone who had just had brilliant magic trick played on him and couldn't understand how it had been done. Oh, and Bobb's finish was quite nice too. I'm not a City fan but I will be sad when De Bruyne is no longer creating the highest of Premier League highlights every week.”
Crikey, you're not wrong. I was away at the time and hadn't seen either this sublime De Bruyne finish or ludicrous assist.
“The problem with running a modern top-flight football club is that raising revenue is hard to do. Once you've grabbed your slice of league-wide media rights, made a vaguely colonial-sounding pre-season tour of the “Far East,” stitched up some sponsorship deals with a gambling company or a country's tourism agency, and shipped as many shirts as the global merch market can handle, you hit the ceiling of your earning capacity. At that point, as a club, what do you do?”
Thanks David. I saw De Bruyne at Selhurst Park last season and (despite apparently being in decline) he completely bossed it. Physically he looked strong too.
De Bruyne's performance that day prompted Pep to say more nice things.
“The numbers, presence, consistency have been amazing … He is one of the best players in the history of Man City. The goals, assists, the lot. What can I say? The first goal is unbelievable and so is the assist for Erling [Haaland].”
I also saw De Bruyne in the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2023 although he had a less obvious impact in a tight affair. Player of the match then, for me, was Francesco Acerbi who more or less marked Haaland out of the game.
“I was lucky enough to see De Bruyne play just once,” emails David. “A Chelsea-supporting friend invited me to a game against City at Stamford Bridge a few years ago. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it genuinely looked like De Bruyne was operating on a different level to every other player on the pitch that afternoon. It reminded me of the first time I saw Patrick Vieira at Highbury and thought, ‘Ok, this guy is something else.' Out of the countless hours of football I've watched, it's moments like those that really stick with you.”
Time to recap on the De Bruyne love-in. Here is some of what Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager, said earlier after the Belgium international announced his intention to leave the club this summer:
“His assists, his goals, his vision in the final third is so hard to replace,” Guardiola said. “How many years, how many games? It makes him unique. Any person can discuss that his performance has been outstanding.
“He is part of the club ... the doors are open to him for the rest of his life. He's part of the family of this club. The impact of some players transcend what they do on the pitch, and Kevin is one of them.
“Apart from holidays, days off, every single day we were together ... now it's going to be over? Come on ... We are going to enjoy the last two months here together. But emotionally it's tough, it's difficult.
“It's immaculate, what he's done on and off the pitch, and this we will remember forever.”
Will there be De Bruyne a statue at Manchester City? “I don't know,” Guardiola said. “But I'd bet a lot of money that it's going to happen.”
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Antonio Rüdiger have been fined for misconduct after their Champions League win over Atlético Madrid and handed one-game bans, suspended for a year, leaving them free to play against Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
Rüdiger was fined €40,000 while Mbappe was fined €30,000. However, their one-match suspensions are “not immediately enforced” and are subject to a probationary period of one year, Uefa said on Friday.
Uefa had opened an investigation into a possible breach of disciplinary regulations against the duo as well as Dani Ceballos and Vinícius Jr. after Real Madrid knocked out derby rivals Atlético on penalties.
The players celebrated in front of the fans and video footage showed them dancing and making gestures towards the Atlético supporters, who responded by throwing objects. Ceballos was also fined €20,000 while no disciplinary proceedings were opened against Vinícius.
Arsenal host Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-final on Tuesday, with the second leg on April 16. (Reuters)
Leaders Celtic meet St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. Brendan Rodgers just had a chat with Sky Sports News, firstly about the 3-0 win against Hearts last Saturday.
“We scored three excellent goals against a Hearts team who have been doing well,” says the former Liverpool gaffer. “But we need to keep the concentration at same level, and take that into this game.”
The goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who has a shoulder injury, was expected to be out for five or six weeks. But Rodgers thinks he may leave the medics baffled by coming back sooner.
“Medically they've said he should be back for the Cup final,” Rodgers said. “That's what we are told from the scans. He could be back earlier than that … but that's the timeline we've been given. He can still manoeuvre and work technically, but working with his hands and diving, not yet.
“He's rarely been injured in his career so it's a new experience … but he's a real leader, and it's great to have him on the training pitch with us,” says Rodgers.
Now, what's all this about the SPL changing in size?
“I certainly wouldn't want it to be smaller,” says Rodgers. “I think ideally, for me, if you could increase it it would be better … there's financial ramifications and the number of games you would play. My general feeling is it doesn't need to be smaller.
Three wins will secure the title for Celtic…
“It's day on day,” insists Rodgers. “The weather we've had can make you feel relaxed, but in fairness the players have been brilliant. They are really focused. The finish line is there. But it's there in the distance. Concentrate each day, work hard and take that into each game.”
Sport's highest court said Friday it will hold fast-track appeals next month as Mexican soccer club León tries to overturn a Fifa decision to expel it from the Club World Cup in the United States.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) said León and its sibling club Pachuca have separately filed appeals against a Fifa ruling last month that barred León from the Club World Cup because the clubs have the same owner.
What a free-kick that is from the Swedish third tier, by the way.
The Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will be without Wesley Fofana and Roméo Lavia for Sunday's trip to Brentford, as injuries continue to hamper his side's efforts to finish in the top four. Both players featured regularly for Maresca early in the season, but their progress has been interrupted by injuries.
Chelsea moved fourth after Thursday's 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. French defender Fofana, 24, recently returned from an extended period on the sidelines due to a muscle injury but only played two league matches before being left out of the squad against Spurs.
“Fofana had a muscle problem a few days ago and we are waiting for more checks,” Maresca said.
Lavia has played only two Premier League games since early December and recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. Maresca confirmed that Lavia will not play against Brentford.
“No, for Sunday, he is out. We don't know yet how long he will be unavailable for,” he said. “We are waiting for both. Roméo looks a little bit better injury compared to Wes (Fofana), in terms of probably Romeo can be back earlier than Wes.”
Despite having played only 13 matches in all competitions for Chelsea this season, Maresca says the 21-year-old Belgian midfielder is central to the club's plans.
“If you compare Romeo's games this season to last season, he's already improved,” Maresca said. “Because this season it was difficult to go the other way. But the target with Romeo is just to try to keep him fit as much as we can. The next year he'll play more games than this season.” (Reuters)
KDB is off, I hear. Good little player wasn't he? Or a good medium-to-large sized player. Email me with your top De Bruyne memories.
Thank you for that heartfelt handover, Will. I did spend a delightful morning at Lord's watching Middlesex v Lancashire before diverting to the subterranean live blogging cave. Swings and roundabouts, but not much swing for the Lancashire bowlers after the strange decision to insert their hosts in north London. Enjoy the sunshine. Anyway, football!
Right, that's it from me. While I get out and enjoy the sunshine, spare a thought for Luke McLaughlin, who is now having to descend into the subterranean live blogging cave under the Guardian offices. Them's the breaks. Over to you, Luke.
Leon Bailey faces a late fitness test before Aston Villa welcome Nottingham Forest in tomorrow's late kick-off, while Ross Barkley could also return. “Bailey is getting better but we'll check this afternoon how he's progressing,” Unai Emery said. “Barkley is working with the team this week.
“We can feel happy because now we are recovering players and not getting players injured. I will decide this afternoon how the players are for the match tomorrow.”
In other Manchester City news, via PA Media, details of the club's legal challenge to the Premier League's updated rules on commercial deals have been shared with their top-flight rivals.
City launched arbitration proceedings on January 20 against the validity of the league's amended associated party transaction (APT) rules, which seek to ensure deals struck between clubs and entities linked to their ownership are for fair market value.
The league is understood to have emailed clubs on Thursday to inform them of a statement of claim from City, which is dated March 27. The claim sets out the detail of City's argument against the rules. The Times reports that it criticises the Premier League's treatment of shareholder loans under the new APT rules, saying that it is “distorting economic competition” between clubs. The Times reports that the claim names Arsenal, Brighton, Everton and Leicester as clubs who have had an unfair advantage as a result of how shareholder loans have been treated.
The APT rules were originally introduced in December 2021, following the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle earlier that year. Those rules were successfully challenged by City last year, with a tribunal finding them unlawful on multiple grounds, including the fact that they excluded shareholder loans from fair market value assessments.
That led to the Premier League consulting with clubs on amendments to the rules, with 16 teams voting in favour of the amended rules at a meeting last November. City launched a challenge to those amended rules in January, with the statement of claim shared with clubs on Thursday linked to that challenge. City and the Premier League have declined to comment.
The intention of the rules is to prevent clubs inflating the value of sponsorship and other deals in order to artificially boost revenue, which would effectively increase a club's spending power. City's challenges to the APT rules sit separate to more than 100 charges the club face over alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018, all of which they deny.
Amorim has also reserved some high praise for De Bruyne ahead of the Belgian's last Manchester derby. “He was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League,” said the United manager. “The time passes to everyone so it is a natural thing. He improved the league.
“He was on the wrong side of Manchester so I wish him good luck. It was a pleasure to see him in Portugal a lot of times.”
We've got some more injury news coming through on the wireless, this time from Radio Old Trafford. Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo are back in contention for Manchester United, but Matthijs de Ligt is a doubt for Sunday's Manchester derby. “[Mount] can start, but we have to manage his minutes still,” said Ruben Amorim of the England international, who has not started since December's 2-1 win at the Etihad.
“I think Kobbie is returning to training, so we'll see and assess for this game already. Of course, he cannot play a full game, he's a long time without training. I think Matta [de Ligt] has an issue. He has something during the game [at Nottingham Forest] and we have to assess. I think the rest is normal.”
David Raya has also been doing the press rounds before Arsenal's trip to Goodison Park. Unsurprisingly, he's delighted that Bukayo Saka is on the comeback trail after his long injury layoff. “It's so good to have Bukayo back and especially scoring after seven minutes [against Fulham in midweek] is incredible,” he said. “It's what we wanted from him as well and I think for him it was what he needed to feel like he's back and feel ready to go.”
While the loss of Gabriel Magalhães until next season is a major setback for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has some tentative good news regarding his other defensive injuries. “Ricky [Calafiori] is not fit, in the last week or so we lost four players, and that's obviously a big task, but let's see how Ben [White] and Jurriën [Timber] are for tomorrow [against Everton],” he said. “There is a chance [they might be available]. We're going to have to decide this evening or tomorrow very early in the morning which players we can play and for how long.”
Arteta was also asked about De Bruyne and, given their time together at City, it was no surprise that the Arsenal manager was full of praise. “I rank him up there. He is one of the best players in the Premier League. [I've] never seen a player that can deliver that precisely at that high speed.”
Let's have some more from Guardiola, shall we? Asked about De Bruyne's greatest assets, he said: “His assists, his goals. His vision in the final third is so difficult to replace. Everyone can make actions and assists but how many years and how many games makes him unique.
“We have won a lot of trophies and he has been involved in every single one. He is part of the club. The door is open for the rest of his life at the club. He is part of the family of this club. The impact of some players transcend even the impact that they have done on the pitch and he is one of them.”
Other managers are starting to weigh in on De Bruyne's impact on the Premier League. “I'm a little bit shocked,” said Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager, when told of the Belgian's impending departure. “I can only praise him. One of the best midfielders in the Premier League ever. There's a few good ones, but let's say the more offensive central midfielders, let's say [Frank] Lampard, [Steven] Gerrard, of course iconic England ones in the centre of the pitch, [David] Beckham … I think De Bruyne is up there. I think he is a top player, an almost complete player.”
Posting on Instagram, Jack Grealish has paid homage to De Bruyne. “One of the reasons I joined City was to play alongside you brother,” he wrote. “The best I've ever had the pleasure of playing with for sure. Legend!”
Elsewhere, the Matildas have secured a morale-boosting 1-0 win over South Korea in the buildup to the 2026 Women's Asian Cup. Here's the report.
The De Bruyne tributes continue to pour in, including to my inbox. “Hello Will. KDB – what a player!” writes Krishna Moorthy. “It is not a coincidence that he is leaving at the same time that the fortunes of City are waning … Pep will follow in my opinion, as City without KDB will be like Barça without Messi for Pep.”
Asked about De Bruyne's legacy, Guardiola has ranked him among the best players to grace the Best League In The World™. “In the Premier League he is one of the greatest midfielders in this country and top of the club,” he said. “Great, if not the greatest. Always have respect for the players who play many roles and are incredible players to play 20 or 30 years in this club.”
Real Madrid are staring at a grave goalkeeping crisis as Andriy Lunin joined Thibaut Courtois on their growing injury list.
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History is in danger of repeating itself for the Whites after an alarming dip in form at the worst possible time
On March 17, 2024, Leeds United went top of the Championship after a comfortable 2-0 win over Millwall at Elland Road. That result extended their unbeaten run to 13 games, with just one draw included in that sequence, and at that stage it seemed a decent bet that Daniel Farke's side would secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Unfortunately, everything changed after the international break. Leeds were held to a 2-2 draw away at Watford in their first game back, and only won two of their next seven matches, with the biggest low point coming in the form of a 4-0 hammering at QPR.
Leeds had to settle for the play-offs in the end, and that process just brought more heartbreak. After seeing off Norwich City impressively in the semi-finals, the Whites choked in the final at Wembley, losing 1-0 to Southampton, and were subsequently unable to keep hold of star trio Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray and Georginio Rutter.
Speculation over Farke's future was rife, too, especially after the German admitted "it will be difficult to come back stronger", but Leeds stuck with the man they'd handed a four-year contract to the previous year. Fast-forward to the present, though, and supporters must be feeling like cast members in 'Groundhog Day'.
Leeds are very much back in the mix for a top-two finish, but their form has dropped off a cliff again when it really matters. Now, Farke must galvanise his troops before it's too late, with his job very much on the line entering a season-defining seven-game period...
Among the new pieces featured in Seattle's First Thursday Art Walk was the city's poster for the FIFA men's World Cup. A blend of abstract and recognizable images in hues of blue with chartreuse, black and white accents provide a visual imprint of Seattle for the global soccer stage.
Shogo Ota was the winning designer of four finalists. His untitled artwork will be known as the Seattle Official Host City Poster. It was unveiled Thursday at the Pioneer Square offices of the city's World Cup organizing committee — SeattleFWC26.
The quadrennial tournament will take place in 16 cities across Mexico, Canada and the U.S. beginning in June 2026. Each host city collaborated with a local artist to create a commemorative poster that are all being revealed this month. All posters will be available for purchase beginning April 19.
“I'm really happy about it,” said Ota, who's originally from Japan and currently lives on Camano Island, where he runs his Tireman Studio. “It's really hard because a poster doesn't talk. You have to express. From the poster, you have to explain the event, explain the community and everything, so I think I did an OK job.”
Ota said his process started at a coffee shop near his home where he wrote down the words “World Cup” and “Washington” and allowed his imagination to lead him. The result is the black fins of an orca commanding space in the middle of the poster as it rises from Puget Sound. The edge of the fins mirror the design of Lumen Field's roof with Mount Rainier in the background and a soccer ball in the upper right corner.
The city's skyline, including the Space Needle, and a ferry stretch across the middle of the poster. In the foreground are swirls that look like waves in teal, pink and chartreuse. The intricate pattern on the orca's fins is a loose aerial map of Seattle. Some of the waves have the markings of cedar leaves to celebrate Native American culture.
Lumen Field will host four World Cup group-stage and two knockout-round matches. The U.S. men's national team received an automatic berth as one of the host countries, and they'll play a group-stage match at Lumen on June 19, 2026.
SeattleFWC26 solicited the help of Sounders keeper Stefan Frei and Reign defender Lu Barnes to reveal the poster to a crowd of dignitaries, art goers and soccer fans, including children. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell addressed the crowd that was sprawled around a stairway, and Ota took a moment to speak.
“It's super cool,” said Frei, who's a budding artist. “It's always awesome to be able to chat to the artists as well 'cause there's a lot of hidden details. In the whale's fin, there's even the stadium.”
Ota said his team had two weeks to submit the original design and made tweaks as a panel of nine people from across the state whittled 40 entries to one winner. He's taken months and even years to finish colorful murals, rock band posters and commissioned pieces that can be spotted in New York, Chicago, Idaho and under Interstate 5 in the Chinatown International District.
“It's visual communication, and I really like that,” Ota said.
Sounders winger Pedro de la Vega, who attended the poster unveiling, is expected to make the trip for the club's Saturday road match against San Diego FC. He was on a four- to six-week time frame to return after suffering a quad injury March 8 and made good progress this week to be available to play.
“He's going to be on the bench,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said after training Thursday. He was also at the event. “(De la Vega) is not 90 minutes fit. We always try to stager minutes as he comes back. I need to manage expectations, but we'll get him back out there, back with the group, back with his friends. That's always a positive.”
De la Vega, who's the club's first young designated player signing, arrived with a hamstring injury last year and suffered another, along with a groin injury that caused him to miss a majority of the season.
The Argentine had a dreamlike start this year, scoring three goals against Guatemala's Antigua GFC to help the Sounders advance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. He suffered the quad injury against Los Angeles FC at Lumen Field, three days after playing 67 minutes in a CCC match against Cruz Azul at Lumen.
De la Vega also subbed on for a 45-minute shift against Real Salt Lake in Utah on March 1.
“I'm not going to overcook him his first opportunity, I'll be careful,” Schmetzer said. “I can take some of the responsibility for the last injury he had, playing him on short rest in that week where we had three games in seven (days). I can accept some of that, and I'm not going to do that again.”
Sounders forward Danny Musovski is questionable due to a back injury he suffered against San Jose last week. He wasn't part of training Thursday.
“I don't know if he's going to make the trip,” Schmetzer said. “He's getting better every day. I'll know more (Friday).”
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.
The GIST: Yesterday, FIFA confirmed the hosts for the 2031 and 2035 Women's World Cup (WWC) tournaments in 2031 and 2035 as the U.S. and the UK, respectively. While these nations were the only ones to submit valid bids by the deadline, the confirmation is still a significant milestone for both burgeoning women's soccer markets. Score.
The precedent: Australia saw several significant wins as host of the last WWC, including an attendance record of 1.9M and $570M in revenue, which allowed the WWC to break even for the first time. Plus, 7.13M Aussies tuned in for the England vs. Australia semifinal.
The U.S. scene: The U.S. previously hosted the tournament in 1999 and 2003, but that was before the NWSL existed, which now boasts a $1.46B value for its 14 active clubs. Thanks to this thriving pro soccer landscape, an ideal broadcasting window, and the country's surging soccer fandom, hosting the tournament in the U.S should print money.
The UK scene: While the UK has never hosted the WWC before, it did host the 2022 Women's Euro and saw a total tournament attendance of over 574K. Plus, a record 17.4M UK viewers and 87,192 in-person fans watched the Lionesses take the title.
Final thoughts: With these bids out, companies should immediately start thinking about how they can sponsor the competitions. Brands that activated early leading up to the 2023 WWC — especially those newer to the space like Cadbury, CommBank, Qantas, Priceline, and Subway — reaped the rewards of teaming up with Australia's most marketable sports team.
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Roger Federer dominated tennis during the 2000s, picking up the sport's biggest titles.
The Swiss legend retired from tennis in 2022, leaving behind a one-of-a-kind ATP Tour legacy that saw him win 20 Grand Slam titles.
Federer enjoyed most of his Major success on grass and hard courts: Australian Open (6), Wimbledon (8), US Open (5).
He won just one Grand Slam title on the clay, securing victory at the French Open in 2009.
Over the years, many suggested clay was Federer's least favorite surface, an opinion he disagreed with seven years ago.
Speaking just a few months removed from his 20th and final Major triumph at the 2018 Australian Open, Federer gave his honest opinion on clay courts.
“I am a clay-court player, essentially. I grew up on clay,” he said.
“I played even indoors on clay, that was my court in the winter.”
The 43-year-old then explained why he thinks fans consider clay to be his least favorite surface.
“I was enjoying playing on clay, at the beginning on the Tour it was hard because I lost my first eleven [matches] and then at the French Open it took time to win, and then people thought, he doesn't like clay,” said Federer.
“Maybe because on the other [surfaces] results came easier and faster.”
Overall, Federer was proud of his clay court career, having won 11 titles on the surface, including six at the Masters 1000 level.
“Over time, because you have more success on hard, grass, indoors, you also start to make your schedule a little bit more around that,” he said.
“I think I am a good clay-court player but there are many many better players than me.
“I tried everything, I won a lot of Masters 1000 on clay, also the French Open, I came very close.
“I am really happy with my clay-court career, to be honest.”
Spain's Rafael Nadal was the heavy favorite in Paris 16 years ago, entering the tournament as a four-time defending champion.
Nadal had beaten Federer in the previous three finals, but suffered a rare defeat at Roland Garros in 2009.
In one of the biggest upsets in tennis history, Robin Soderling beat Nadal in the fourth round, handing him his first career French Open defeat.
Number two seed Federer instantly became the favorite for the title and battled hard to return to the final once more.
Having fought his way through two five-set wars, Federer faced off against Nadal's conqueror, Soderling, in the final.
Saving his best tennis for last, the Swiss star dispatched of the young Swede in three sets, 6-1, 7-6, 6-4, finally completing the Career Grand Slam with an emotional victory on Court Phillipe Chatrier.
Three times a losing finalist, Federer was at last a French Open champion, making the most of Nadal's slip up in the fourth round.
Federer returned to the French Open final two years later, losing to Nadal once more, retiring in 2022 as a one-time champion at Roland Garros.
The 2025 French Open is set to begin on Sunday, May 25.
"I've gotten pretty good at the squint," the American says.ByBaseline StaffPublished Apr 04, 2025 copy_link
Published Apr 04, 2025
Emma Navarro needed to dig deep during the heat of the day on Thursday in Charleston to reach the quarterfinals of her home tournament for the first time, turning around her Round of 16 match against her big-hitting American compatriot Ashlyn Krueger from a set and a break down.Navarro slid, slipped and sprinted to defend against the 6-foot-1 Krueger's booming groundstrokes under the midday South Carolina sun, eventually using all the tools in her toolbox to befuddle the 20-year-old in two hours and eight minutes. But no matter how bright the natural light gets, Navarro told reporters afterwards that she will never wear a hat or visor on court—even if you'll often see her off-court accesorizing with her sponsor Red Bull's classic baseball cap.There's a reason for that, the world No. 11 says, and it dates back to when she was playing high-school tennis (a rarity for touring pros) for Charleston's Ashley Hall varsity team.
Navarro slid, slipped and sprinted to defend against the 6-foot-1 Krueger's booming groundstrokes under the midday South Carolina sun, eventually using all the tools in her toolbox to befuddle the 20-year-old in two hours and eight minutes. But no matter how bright the natural light gets, Navarro told reporters afterwards that she will never wear a hat or visor on court—even if you'll often see her off-court accesorizing with her sponsor Red Bull's classic baseball cap.There's a reason for that, the world No. 11 says, and it dates back to when she was playing high-school tennis (a rarity for touring pros) for Charleston's Ashley Hall varsity team.
There's a reason for that, the world No. 11 says, and it dates back to when she was playing high-school tennis (a rarity for touring pros) for Charleston's Ashley Hall varsity team.
The court coverage 🔥Emma Navarro digs deep for our @BetMGM Shot of the Day! #CharlestonOpen pic.twitter.com/AFUmG3F0Yd
"I used to wear a visor when I was really young, and then I switched over to a hat," she said after beating Krueger 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. "But when I was maybe 13 or 14, I stopped wearing anything, because I had this tan line. My forehead was super pale, and the rest of my face was really tan, and ... I was like, 'I can't have this tan line.' So I stopped wearing anything and haven't worn anything since. I've gotten pretty good at the squint, I guess."The seventh time proved the charm for Navarro at the Credit One Charleston Open, who made her WTA main-draw debut at the tournament her father now owns as a wild card in 2019, and hasn't missed any of the tour events held in the city since.While she says she's thought before about what it might be like to hold the trophy on Sunday "before, maybe not a ton this week," she says that despite her standing-room only practices, and fervent crowd support, her 2025 Charleston effort has been different in that she's trying to treat the tournament like every other event.Read more: Emma Navarro's first stop in Charleston, and more “super niche tennis lessons"
The seventh time proved the charm for Navarro at the Credit One Charleston Open, who made her WTA main-draw debut at the tournament her father now owns as a wild card in 2019, and hasn't missed any of the tour events held in the city since.While she says she's thought before about what it might be like to hold the trophy on Sunday "before, maybe not a ton this week," she says that despite her standing-room only practices, and fervent crowd support, her 2025 Charleston effort has been different in that she's trying to treat the tournament like every other event.Read more: Emma Navarro's first stop in Charleston, and more “super niche tennis lessons"
While she says she's thought before about what it might be like to hold the trophy on Sunday "before, maybe not a ton this week," she says that despite her standing-room only practices, and fervent crowd support, her 2025 Charleston effort has been different in that she's trying to treat the tournament like every other event.Read more: Emma Navarro's first stop in Charleston, and more “super niche tennis lessons"
Read more: Emma Navarro's first stop in Charleston, and more “super niche tennis lessons"
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"There's just something about being at home, which is normally our comfort place," she told press ahead of facing Amanda Anisimova in an all-American quarterfinal. "It's the place we go when tournaments are over, and it's a place we can go to kind of de-stress and regroup and just feel the most comfortable and natural."So being home and then having a tournament at home in that normal place of comfort and relaxed quality is definitely weird. ... Definitely have to remind myself when I go to sleep at night, OK, I'm in a tournament. Like, gotta stay focused. Can't totally relax."Read more: Charleston Betting Preview: Amanda Anisimova vs. Emma Navarro"I'm really trying to take it one match at a time and not get too far ahead of myself," she added, admitting she "made this week a little bit more than what it actually is."There's lots of things on the court that I know I can do better and that I hope to do better with each consecutive round. So those are the kind of things that I'm putting a lot of my energy on."
"So being home and then having a tournament at home in that normal place of comfort and relaxed quality is definitely weird. ... Definitely have to remind myself when I go to sleep at night, OK, I'm in a tournament. Like, gotta stay focused. Can't totally relax."Read more: Charleston Betting Preview: Amanda Anisimova vs. Emma Navarro"I'm really trying to take it one match at a time and not get too far ahead of myself," she added, admitting she "made this week a little bit more than what it actually is."There's lots of things on the court that I know I can do better and that I hope to do better with each consecutive round. So those are the kind of things that I'm putting a lot of my energy on."
Read more: Charleston Betting Preview: Amanda Anisimova vs. Emma Navarro"I'm really trying to take it one match at a time and not get too far ahead of myself," she added, admitting she "made this week a little bit more than what it actually is."There's lots of things on the court that I know I can do better and that I hope to do better with each consecutive round. So those are the kind of things that I'm putting a lot of my energy on."
"I'm really trying to take it one match at a time and not get too far ahead of myself," she added, admitting she "made this week a little bit more than what it actually is."There's lots of things on the court that I know I can do better and that I hope to do better with each consecutive round. So those are the kind of things that I'm putting a lot of my energy on."
"There's lots of things on the court that I know I can do better and that I hope to do better with each consecutive round. So those are the kind of things that I'm putting a lot of my energy on."
The Hall of Fame president has put out a new version of Tennis for Dummies, aimed at the sport's growing rec base.BySteve TignorPublished Apr 04, 2025 copy_link
Published Apr 04, 2025
Many Americans heard the name “Paul, Weiss” for the first time in recent months. The New York law firm has been in the news—much more, surely, than it would like. First the company came under fire from Donald Trump; then it was buried in an avalanche of criticism for caving in to his administration's demands.But those of us of a certain age in the tennis world know Paul, Weiss for a different and better reason: The late John McEnroe, Sr.—father of John, Jr. and Patrick—was a partner there.According to Patrick, he and John, along with their middle brother, Mark, have been wondering what their father would make of his old firm's travails. Knuckling under to authority is obviously not in the family tradition.“Mark sent us a text, ‘Dad is probably turning over in his grave,'” Patrick says. “And John wrote back, ‘Yeah, we're just not sure in which direction.'”“Our dad was a pretty hard-core conservative guy; he liked Trump,” Patrick says of McEnroe Sr., who passed away at 81 in 2017. “But he was also very much into total free speech.”
But those of us of a certain age in the tennis world know Paul, Weiss for a different and better reason: The late John McEnroe, Sr.—father of John, Jr. and Patrick—was a partner there.According to Patrick, he and John, along with their middle brother, Mark, have been wondering what their father would make of his old firm's travails. Knuckling under to authority is obviously not in the family tradition.“Mark sent us a text, ‘Dad is probably turning over in his grave,'” Patrick says. “And John wrote back, ‘Yeah, we're just not sure in which direction.'”“Our dad was a pretty hard-core conservative guy; he liked Trump,” Patrick says of McEnroe Sr., who passed away at 81 in 2017. “But he was also very much into total free speech.”
According to Patrick, he and John, along with their middle brother, Mark, have been wondering what their father would make of his old firm's travails. Knuckling under to authority is obviously not in the family tradition.“Mark sent us a text, ‘Dad is probably turning over in his grave,'” Patrick says. “And John wrote back, ‘Yeah, we're just not sure in which direction.'”“Our dad was a pretty hard-core conservative guy; he liked Trump,” Patrick says of McEnroe Sr., who passed away at 81 in 2017. “But he was also very much into total free speech.”
“Mark sent us a text, ‘Dad is probably turning over in his grave,'” Patrick says. “And John wrote back, ‘Yeah, we're just not sure in which direction.'”“Our dad was a pretty hard-core conservative guy; he liked Trump,” Patrick says of McEnroe Sr., who passed away at 81 in 2017. “But he was also very much into total free speech.”
“Our dad was a pretty hard-core conservative guy; he liked Trump,” Patrick says of McEnroe Sr., who passed away at 81 in 2017. “But he was also very much into total free speech.”
Nearly 50 years after McEnroe became a household name, it remains among the most best-known in U.S. tennis. In part that's became of John's enduring fame (and infamy). But it's also because of how many hats Patrick has worn, and continues to wear, in the sport.The Stanford graduate and former ATP pro, who lives in Bronxville, NY, with his wife and three daughters, is the last man to captain a winning U.S. Davis Cup team, in 2007. After that, he spent six years as the head of the USTA's Player Development program, where he and Jose Higueras helped lay the foundation for the ever-growing armada of Top 100 U.S. players we see today.While those jobs are behind him, McEnroe is still multi-tasking at 58. Along with his duties as an ESPN broadcaster during three of the majors, he's the president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and a co-managing director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy.“My five jobs keep me busy,” he jokes.This month, McEnroe is revisiting a project of his from the last century. In 1998, he put out the original version of Tennis For Dummies with tennis.com's Peter Bodo. Twenty-seven years later, he has released an updated version with another tennis.com writer, Jon Levey.
The Stanford graduate and former ATP pro, who lives in Bronxville, NY, with his wife and three daughters, is the last man to captain a winning U.S. Davis Cup team, in 2007. After that, he spent six years as the head of the USTA's Player Development program, where he and Jose Higueras helped lay the foundation for the ever-growing armada of Top 100 U.S. players we see today.While those jobs are behind him, McEnroe is still multi-tasking at 58. Along with his duties as an ESPN broadcaster during three of the majors, he's the president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and a co-managing director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy.“My five jobs keep me busy,” he jokes.This month, McEnroe is revisiting a project of his from the last century. In 1998, he put out the original version of Tennis For Dummies with tennis.com's Peter Bodo. Twenty-seven years later, he has released an updated version with another tennis.com writer, Jon Levey.
While those jobs are behind him, McEnroe is still multi-tasking at 58. Along with his duties as an ESPN broadcaster during three of the majors, he's the president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and a co-managing director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy.“My five jobs keep me busy,” he jokes.This month, McEnroe is revisiting a project of his from the last century. In 1998, he put out the original version of Tennis For Dummies with tennis.com's Peter Bodo. Twenty-seven years later, he has released an updated version with another tennis.com writer, Jon Levey.
“My five jobs keep me busy,” he jokes.This month, McEnroe is revisiting a project of his from the last century. In 1998, he put out the original version of Tennis For Dummies with tennis.com's Peter Bodo. Twenty-seven years later, he has released an updated version with another tennis.com writer, Jon Levey.
This month, McEnroe is revisiting a project of his from the last century. In 1998, he put out the original version of Tennis For Dummies with tennis.com's Peter Bodo. Twenty-seven years later, he has released an updated version with another tennis.com writer, Jon Levey.
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“The publishers approached me a couple of times about doing it over the past 10 years,” McEnroe says. “This seemed like the perfect moment because tennis is doing great from a popularity standpoint.”It's well-known that the pandemic gave tennis—and its built-in social distancing—a boost in participation. Those numbers haven't stopped growing since; according to the USTA, the sport reached an all-time high of 25.7 recreational players in 2025.“We see it first-hand at our academy,” McEnroe says. “We have a thousand kids now. Every court, 29 courts, from 4:00 to 8:00 when kids come home from school, are packed.”Even that seemingly unstoppable juggernaut, pickleball, hasn't been the downfall of tennis that many thought it would be.“Sportime [the academy's owner] has 13 or 14 clubs, and pickleball is part of all of them,” McEnroe says. “But tennis is doing amazing alongside it. A lot of clubs on Long Island took out tennis courts at one point; now they're putting them back in.”“I think pickleball helps tennis get more respect, because people see it, and see that it's harder.”
It's well-known that the pandemic gave tennis—and its built-in social distancing—a boost in participation. Those numbers haven't stopped growing since; according to the USTA, the sport reached an all-time high of 25.7 recreational players in 2025.“We see it first-hand at our academy,” McEnroe says. “We have a thousand kids now. Every court, 29 courts, from 4:00 to 8:00 when kids come home from school, are packed.”Even that seemingly unstoppable juggernaut, pickleball, hasn't been the downfall of tennis that many thought it would be.“Sportime [the academy's owner] has 13 or 14 clubs, and pickleball is part of all of them,” McEnroe says. “But tennis is doing amazing alongside it. A lot of clubs on Long Island took out tennis courts at one point; now they're putting them back in.”“I think pickleball helps tennis get more respect, because people see it, and see that it's harder.”
“We see it first-hand at our academy,” McEnroe says. “We have a thousand kids now. Every court, 29 courts, from 4:00 to 8:00 when kids come home from school, are packed.”Even that seemingly unstoppable juggernaut, pickleball, hasn't been the downfall of tennis that many thought it would be.“Sportime [the academy's owner] has 13 or 14 clubs, and pickleball is part of all of them,” McEnroe says. “But tennis is doing amazing alongside it. A lot of clubs on Long Island took out tennis courts at one point; now they're putting them back in.”“I think pickleball helps tennis get more respect, because people see it, and see that it's harder.”
Even that seemingly unstoppable juggernaut, pickleball, hasn't been the downfall of tennis that many thought it would be.“Sportime [the academy's owner] has 13 or 14 clubs, and pickleball is part of all of them,” McEnroe says. “But tennis is doing amazing alongside it. A lot of clubs on Long Island took out tennis courts at one point; now they're putting them back in.”“I think pickleball helps tennis get more respect, because people see it, and see that it's harder.”
“Sportime [the academy's owner] has 13 or 14 clubs, and pickleball is part of all of them,” McEnroe says. “But tennis is doing amazing alongside it. A lot of clubs on Long Island took out tennis courts at one point; now they're putting them back in.”“I think pickleball helps tennis get more respect, because people see it, and see that it's harder.”
“I think pickleball helps tennis get more respect, because people see it, and see that it's harder.”
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What do the “dummies”—a.k.a., people new to the sport—of 2025 need to know about tennis today that they didn't in 1998? While the book's set-up is largely the same, the equipment and history sections have received 21st century updates. The biggest change of the last 25 years, according to McEnroe, is the sport's velocity.“The speed of the game is the main thing; everything is faster,” he says. “So, there's a little more emphasis on string technology, racquet technology, the speed of the courts, the newer playing styles.”McEnroe cites surface speed as an important shift. When he wrote the first Tennis for Dummies, Wimbledon's grass was still the bumpy, low-bouncing, chewed-up turf of old, and the best way to play on it was to get to the net as early and often as possible. Now there's less difference between the courts at each Slam, and fewer players in the forecourt at any of them.“It's a big reason you see the same players winning on every surface, which didn't used to be true,” McEnroe says. “There's no such thing as a clay-court specialist anymore.”While McEnroe acknowledges the decline of pure serve and volley, he hasn't given up on attacking tennis. Instead of following their serves to net, the players of 2025 look to pound their forehands right away, and close with a high volley.
“The speed of the game is the main thing; everything is faster,” he says. “So, there's a little more emphasis on string technology, racquet technology, the speed of the courts, the newer playing styles.”McEnroe cites surface speed as an important shift. When he wrote the first Tennis for Dummies, Wimbledon's grass was still the bumpy, low-bouncing, chewed-up turf of old, and the best way to play on it was to get to the net as early and often as possible. Now there's less difference between the courts at each Slam, and fewer players in the forecourt at any of them.“It's a big reason you see the same players winning on every surface, which didn't used to be true,” McEnroe says. “There's no such thing as a clay-court specialist anymore.”While McEnroe acknowledges the decline of pure serve and volley, he hasn't given up on attacking tennis. Instead of following their serves to net, the players of 2025 look to pound their forehands right away, and close with a high volley.
McEnroe cites surface speed as an important shift. When he wrote the first Tennis for Dummies, Wimbledon's grass was still the bumpy, low-bouncing, chewed-up turf of old, and the best way to play on it was to get to the net as early and often as possible. Now there's less difference between the courts at each Slam, and fewer players in the forecourt at any of them.“It's a big reason you see the same players winning on every surface, which didn't used to be true,” McEnroe says. “There's no such thing as a clay-court specialist anymore.”While McEnroe acknowledges the decline of pure serve and volley, he hasn't given up on attacking tennis. Instead of following their serves to net, the players of 2025 look to pound their forehands right away, and close with a high volley.
“It's a big reason you see the same players winning on every surface, which didn't used to be true,” McEnroe says. “There's no such thing as a clay-court specialist anymore.”While McEnroe acknowledges the decline of pure serve and volley, he hasn't given up on attacking tennis. Instead of following their serves to net, the players of 2025 look to pound their forehands right away, and close with a high volley.
While McEnroe acknowledges the decline of pure serve and volley, he hasn't given up on attacking tennis. Instead of following their serves to net, the players of 2025 look to pound their forehands right away, and close with a high volley.
I just think he's got more firepower, his technique all around is pretty unbelievable...Fonseca to me looks like he has everything. Patrick McEnroe on Joao Fonseca
“You used to be able to play points where you hit two or three volleys,” he says. “Now, because it's so much easier to hit passing shots with today's racquets, it's pretty much impossible to do that.”McEnroe's other jobs keep him in touch with sport's past and future in equal measures.At the Hall of Fame, 2025 will be a year of transition. Instead of the traditional ATP tournament in July, the grass courts at the Newport Casino will host men's and women's Challenger events. The induction ceremony has also been moved to the weekend before the US Open starts.“We're trying to ramp up what we do with the induction,” McEnroe says. “We've got Roger [Federer] coming in soon, Serena [Williams] the year after that, then Rafa and Murray, all these huge names.”As far as the stars of today go, he's looking forward to Jannik Sinner's return next month.
McEnroe's other jobs keep him in touch with sport's past and future in equal measures.At the Hall of Fame, 2025 will be a year of transition. Instead of the traditional ATP tournament in July, the grass courts at the Newport Casino will host men's and women's Challenger events. The induction ceremony has also been moved to the weekend before the US Open starts.“We're trying to ramp up what we do with the induction,” McEnroe says. “We've got Roger [Federer] coming in soon, Serena [Williams] the year after that, then Rafa and Murray, all these huge names.”As far as the stars of today go, he's looking forward to Jannik Sinner's return next month.
At the Hall of Fame, 2025 will be a year of transition. Instead of the traditional ATP tournament in July, the grass courts at the Newport Casino will host men's and women's Challenger events. The induction ceremony has also been moved to the weekend before the US Open starts.“We're trying to ramp up what we do with the induction,” McEnroe says. “We've got Roger [Federer] coming in soon, Serena [Williams] the year after that, then Rafa and Murray, all these huge names.”As far as the stars of today go, he's looking forward to Jannik Sinner's return next month.
“We're trying to ramp up what we do with the induction,” McEnroe says. “We've got Roger [Federer] coming in soon, Serena [Williams] the year after that, then Rafa and Murray, all these huge names.”As far as the stars of today go, he's looking forward to Jannik Sinner's return next month.
As far as the stars of today go, he's looking forward to Jannik Sinner's return next month.
McEnroe is critical of the decision to suspend world No. 1 Jannik Sinner: "The argument that other players were treated badly, and therefore we should treat him badly, is absurd."
“I don't think he should have been suspended,” McEnroe says of the Italian, who failed a doping test last spring and is serving a three-month ban. “They went through the process exactly as it was meant to go.”“I'm not saying it isn't possible that players have figured out how to beat the system. But if you go by what we know, and what the proper protocols were, he was innocent. The argument that other players were treated badly, and therefore we should treat him badly, is absurd.”Asked for his opinion on the ATP's teenagers of the moment, Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik, McEnroe believes the Brazilian has the brighter future.“I just think he's got more firepower, his technique all around is pretty unbelievable,” he says of the 18-year-old Fonseca. “Mensik's got a little bit more of a funky forehand. He's got amazing speed, but Fonseca to me looks like he has everything.”Will Fonseca be the future, and change the sport over the next 20 years? If so, McEnroe, wearing his many hats, will surely be there for it. He'll talk about Fonseca's game on TV, teach it as his academy, write about it in Tennis for Dummies III, and, if all goes as planned, he may welcome him into the Hall of Fame a couple decades from now.
“I'm not saying it isn't possible that players have figured out how to beat the system. But if you go by what we know, and what the proper protocols were, he was innocent. The argument that other players were treated badly, and therefore we should treat him badly, is absurd.”Asked for his opinion on the ATP's teenagers of the moment, Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik, McEnroe believes the Brazilian has the brighter future.“I just think he's got more firepower, his technique all around is pretty unbelievable,” he says of the 18-year-old Fonseca. “Mensik's got a little bit more of a funky forehand. He's got amazing speed, but Fonseca to me looks like he has everything.”Will Fonseca be the future, and change the sport over the next 20 years? If so, McEnroe, wearing his many hats, will surely be there for it. He'll talk about Fonseca's game on TV, teach it as his academy, write about it in Tennis for Dummies III, and, if all goes as planned, he may welcome him into the Hall of Fame a couple decades from now.
Asked for his opinion on the ATP's teenagers of the moment, Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik, McEnroe believes the Brazilian has the brighter future.“I just think he's got more firepower, his technique all around is pretty unbelievable,” he says of the 18-year-old Fonseca. “Mensik's got a little bit more of a funky forehand. He's got amazing speed, but Fonseca to me looks like he has everything.”Will Fonseca be the future, and change the sport over the next 20 years? If so, McEnroe, wearing his many hats, will surely be there for it. He'll talk about Fonseca's game on TV, teach it as his academy, write about it in Tennis for Dummies III, and, if all goes as planned, he may welcome him into the Hall of Fame a couple decades from now.
“I just think he's got more firepower, his technique all around is pretty unbelievable,” he says of the 18-year-old Fonseca. “Mensik's got a little bit more of a funky forehand. He's got amazing speed, but Fonseca to me looks like he has everything.”Will Fonseca be the future, and change the sport over the next 20 years? If so, McEnroe, wearing his many hats, will surely be there for it. He'll talk about Fonseca's game on TV, teach it as his academy, write about it in Tennis for Dummies III, and, if all goes as planned, he may welcome him into the Hall of Fame a couple decades from now.
Will Fonseca be the future, and change the sport over the next 20 years? If so, McEnroe, wearing his many hats, will surely be there for it. He'll talk about Fonseca's game on TV, teach it as his academy, write about it in Tennis for Dummies III, and, if all goes as planned, he may welcome him into the Hall of Fame a couple decades from now.
One has been banned for life, and four others were given suspensions varying from two to 10 years. The highest ranking any of the players ever achieved was No. 399.ByAssociated PressPublished Apr 04, 2025 copy_link
Published Apr 04, 2025
LONDON (AP) — One low-ranked French tennis player was banned for life from the sport, and four others were given suspensions varying from two to 10 years, for match-fixing linked to a syndicate in Belgium, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said Friday.At least 60 current or former players have been punished for connections to Grigor Sargsyan, the syndicate leader who previously received a five-year custodial sentence in the case.Yannick Thivant, 38, was handed a lifetime ban and fined $75,000 after admitting he fixed 22 matches — including 16 he played in — from 2017 to 2018. Thivant reached a career-high ranking of 590th in 2015.Thomas Setodji, 29, received a 10-year ban and a fine of $20,000 for being found liable of fixing three matches in 2017 and failing to report someone who approached him about corruption the next year. Setodji's best ranking came last year, when he was No. 794.Thomas Brechemier, 28, was suspended for 7 1/2 years and fined after admitting to fixing 11 matches from 2017 to 2018. Brechemir's best ranking was No. 399 in 2017.Gabriel Petit, 29, was banned for 6 1/2 years and fined after failing to respond to charges from the ITIA, which the integrity agency considers an acceptance of liability. Petit, who reached No. 450 in the rankings in 2018, was accused of fixing seven matches in 2017 and 2018.Hugo Daubias, 28, got a two-year suspension and a $15,000 fine after admitting he fixed two matches in 2017. He was ranked a career-high 972nd in 2017.
At least 60 current or former players have been punished for connections to Grigor Sargsyan, the syndicate leader who previously received a five-year custodial sentence in the case.Yannick Thivant, 38, was handed a lifetime ban and fined $75,000 after admitting he fixed 22 matches — including 16 he played in — from 2017 to 2018. Thivant reached a career-high ranking of 590th in 2015.Thomas Setodji, 29, received a 10-year ban and a fine of $20,000 for being found liable of fixing three matches in 2017 and failing to report someone who approached him about corruption the next year. Setodji's best ranking came last year, when he was No. 794.Thomas Brechemier, 28, was suspended for 7 1/2 years and fined after admitting to fixing 11 matches from 2017 to 2018. Brechemir's best ranking was No. 399 in 2017.Gabriel Petit, 29, was banned for 6 1/2 years and fined after failing to respond to charges from the ITIA, which the integrity agency considers an acceptance of liability. Petit, who reached No. 450 in the rankings in 2018, was accused of fixing seven matches in 2017 and 2018.Hugo Daubias, 28, got a two-year suspension and a $15,000 fine after admitting he fixed two matches in 2017. He was ranked a career-high 972nd in 2017.
Yannick Thivant, 38, was handed a lifetime ban and fined $75,000 after admitting he fixed 22 matches — including 16 he played in — from 2017 to 2018. Thivant reached a career-high ranking of 590th in 2015.Thomas Setodji, 29, received a 10-year ban and a fine of $20,000 for being found liable of fixing three matches in 2017 and failing to report someone who approached him about corruption the next year. Setodji's best ranking came last year, when he was No. 794.Thomas Brechemier, 28, was suspended for 7 1/2 years and fined after admitting to fixing 11 matches from 2017 to 2018. Brechemir's best ranking was No. 399 in 2017.Gabriel Petit, 29, was banned for 6 1/2 years and fined after failing to respond to charges from the ITIA, which the integrity agency considers an acceptance of liability. Petit, who reached No. 450 in the rankings in 2018, was accused of fixing seven matches in 2017 and 2018.Hugo Daubias, 28, got a two-year suspension and a $15,000 fine after admitting he fixed two matches in 2017. He was ranked a career-high 972nd in 2017.
Thomas Setodji, 29, received a 10-year ban and a fine of $20,000 for being found liable of fixing three matches in 2017 and failing to report someone who approached him about corruption the next year. Setodji's best ranking came last year, when he was No. 794.Thomas Brechemier, 28, was suspended for 7 1/2 years and fined after admitting to fixing 11 matches from 2017 to 2018. Brechemir's best ranking was No. 399 in 2017.Gabriel Petit, 29, was banned for 6 1/2 years and fined after failing to respond to charges from the ITIA, which the integrity agency considers an acceptance of liability. Petit, who reached No. 450 in the rankings in 2018, was accused of fixing seven matches in 2017 and 2018.Hugo Daubias, 28, got a two-year suspension and a $15,000 fine after admitting he fixed two matches in 2017. He was ranked a career-high 972nd in 2017.
Thomas Brechemier, 28, was suspended for 7 1/2 years and fined after admitting to fixing 11 matches from 2017 to 2018. Brechemir's best ranking was No. 399 in 2017.Gabriel Petit, 29, was banned for 6 1/2 years and fined after failing to respond to charges from the ITIA, which the integrity agency considers an acceptance of liability. Petit, who reached No. 450 in the rankings in 2018, was accused of fixing seven matches in 2017 and 2018.Hugo Daubias, 28, got a two-year suspension and a $15,000 fine after admitting he fixed two matches in 2017. He was ranked a career-high 972nd in 2017.
Gabriel Petit, 29, was banned for 6 1/2 years and fined after failing to respond to charges from the ITIA, which the integrity agency considers an acceptance of liability. Petit, who reached No. 450 in the rankings in 2018, was accused of fixing seven matches in 2017 and 2018.Hugo Daubias, 28, got a two-year suspension and a $15,000 fine after admitting he fixed two matches in 2017. He was ranked a career-high 972nd in 2017.
Hugo Daubias, 28, got a two-year suspension and a $15,000 fine after admitting he fixed two matches in 2017. He was ranked a career-high 972nd in 2017.
Tennis
The turmoil at the top of professional tennis continued Friday, with the ATP Tour revealing that Massimo Calvelli, its chief executive, will step down at the end of June.
“It's been a privilege to serve as CEO of the ATP over the past five years,” Calvelli said in a statement.
“I'm proud of the progress we've made together and deeply thankful to the team I've worked alongside. With new opportunities ahead, I will leave with a sense of pride, and I wish everyone at the ATP continued success in the journey to come.”
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It extends a tempestuous few weeks for the governing bodies of tennis. March 18, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), the organization co-founded by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, issued an antitrust lawsuit naming the ATP and WTA Tours as defendants. It described the tours as a “cartel,” which suppresses wages, player opportunity and rival tournaments “to the harm of players and fans alike.”
The ATP issued a statement in response, describing the PTPA's track record as one of choosing “division and distraction through misinformation over progress”.
“We strongly reject the premise of the PTPA's claims, believe the case to be entirely without merit, and will vigorously defend our position,” it said.
The ATP and WTA then sent the four Grand Slams a 23-page proposal to reinvent the structure of tennis. The plan would reduce the number of ATP and WTA tournaments, inclusive of the Grand Slams, from 118 to somewhere around 75, with a greater focus on the 1,000 and 500-level tournaments, named for the ranking points awarded to their winners. It would also see the four majors centralize some of their economic and political power, in the form of their lucrative media rights.
In response, the leaders of Wimbledon and the Australian, French and U.S. Opens sent a withering one-page, eight-paragraph letter to the organisations's chairmen, Andrea Gaudenzi and Steve Simon.
“Whilst we appreciate the time and effort you have put into articulating your position, it fails to adequately address the essential issues we have repeatedly raised,” the letter, which was reviewed by The Athletic, said.
“Until you feel able to commit to a vision and a plan with respect to these core issues it is difficult to see how our discussions can continue. Should your position change, our door remains open.”
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The battle to reconfigure the sport then took another twist this week, when 19 of the world's top 20 male and female players sent a letter to the Grand Slams asking for them to put a greater proportion of their revenues into player prize money. Annual prize money at each major sits at around 13 to 18 percent of annual revenue, which is a lower proportion than most ATP and WTA events and a significantly lower proportion than other sports leagues like the NFL, MLB and NBA.
The ATP's statement announcing Calvelli's departure spoke of “a historic increase in player compensation — now more than $100 million higher in 2025 compared to 2019 — and record-breaking commercial growth” achieved during his tenure.
Chairman Gaudenzi will take on the chief executive role on a temporary basis, as the ATP tries to navigate the ongoing battle between tennis's various different stakeholders.
(Photo: Hector Retamal / AFP via Getty Images)
Charlie Eccleshare is a tennis writer for The Athletic, having previously covered soccer as the Tottenham Hotspur correspondent for five years. He joined in 2019 after five years writing about football and tennis at The Telegraph. Follow Charlie on Twitter @CDEccleshare
The tennis world was stunned when Novak Djokovic revealed he hired Andy Murray as his new coach for the 2025 season, but the move appears to have had a big impact in one key area of his game.
Djokovic is chasing 100th career title in what may be his final year on the tour, with a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title also in his sights before he calls time on his remarkable career.
Murray's presence in his coaching box seems to have lifted his levels of desire and the Scot may also have had an impact on his former rival's serve.
After years of competing against each other at the highest levels of the game, Djokovic and Murray are now working in tandem and one statistic stands out when comparing this Djokovic year to others.
His first serve percentage for 2025 is a highly impressive 69 per-cent and this is a big step forward from the numbers he was producing when he was at his best and playing against Murray in Grand Slam finals.
Djokovic was in stunning form in 2011 as he won three Grand Slam titles and dominated the men's game, but his first serve percentage for that season was down at 65 per-cent.
Then in 2016, when he also won three Grand Slam titles, his first serve percentage was also at 65 per-cent.
His service percentage was at 65 per-cent when he won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 2021 and at 64 per-cent when he won three Grand Slams two years ago.
While we are only a third of the way through the season, Djokovic's impressive serving displays at the Australian Open and last month's Miami Open have bumped his number of 2025 up to the highest it has been in his career.
A five per-cent leap in service statistics may not seem hugely significant, but that would be the equivalent of a sprinter knocking a quarter of a second off personal best in the 100m or a soccer player adding five goals a season to his total.
At the top end of sport, fine margins are all important and the impressive numbers don't end there for Djokovic on his serve.
In the 203 service games he has played, he has won a massive 76 per-cent of the first points on his serve and 89 per-cent of his service games.
They are impressive numbers for a player who will celebrate his 38th birthday next month, with Djokovic admitting he has surprised himself with the quality of his serving his season.
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“I wouldn't say particularly we paid so much attention to the serve prior to this tournament that it needed to be worked on separately from all the other shots in order to get it to a desired level,” said Djokovic after his win against Grigor Dimitrov in the Miami Open semi-finals.
“I think I've been serving pretty well this year. Maybe some other elements in my game haven't been working particularly well, but the serve was solid.
“I mean, this is a whole different level of serving, obviously. I mean, I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of last match, where I had 83%, and I had 87% today. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that's really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.
“I wouldn't say particularly we paid so much attention to the serve prior to this tournament that it needed to be worked on separately from all the other shots in order to get it to a desired level,” said Djokovic.
“I think I've been serving pretty well this year. Maybe some other elements in my game haven't been working particularly well, but the serve was solid.
“I mean, this is a whole different level of serving, obviously. I mean, I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of the last match, where I had 83%, and I had 87% against Dimitrov. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that's really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.”
It will be fascinating to see if Djokovic can continue this pattern of impressive serving and if he can, a player widely recognised as the greatest returner of serve the game has seen will be a big threat to challenge for glory at the French Open and Wimbledon in the next few months.
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A full breakdown of the 2025 Monte Carlo draw - the first clay court Masters 1000 of the year.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are set to renew their rivalry on European clay courts. Who will come out on top?
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Mar 10, 2025; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Madison Keys (USA) reacts after winning a point against Elise Mertens (BEL) at Indian Well Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Madison Keys' Tennis Future in Peril: Former Coach's High Acclaim Amidst Charleston Defeat
Madison Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion, is facing a tumultuous period in her tennis career after a series of disappointing losses. Despite a strong start to the season with victories in Adelaide and Melbourne, the American player faltered in subsequent tournaments, including defeats to Aryna Sabalenka and 19-year-old Alexandra Eala. Her recent exit from the Charleston Open has raised concerns about her form and consistency on the court.
In a surprising turn of events, Keys was defeated by Russia's Anna Kalinskaya in the R16 of the Charleston Open, marking Kalinskaya's first Top 10 victory of the year. The Russian player expressed her joy and relief at the win, stating, “I needed this for my confidence… It's nice to be back and playing at such a high level.” Kalinskaya's impressive performance has cast further doubt on Keys' ability to compete at the highest level consistently.
Despite mounting questions about Keys' future in tennis, her former coach, Rennae Stubbs, remains steadfast in her support. Stubbs, known for her unwavering belief in Keys, continues to praise the champion player as an “absolute inspiration.” Even in the face of recent defeats, Stubbs stands by Keys, emphasizing her resilience and talent on the court.
Keys' triumph at the 2025 Australian Open has solidified her position as a respected figure in the tennis world. Fellow players, including Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula, have lauded Keys for her achievements and inspirational journey to success. Jabeur remarked, “She inspired us all” following Keys' victory in Melbourne, highlighting the impact of her win on the tennis community.
As Keys navigates through a challenging period in her career, her win-loss record of 20-4 this season demonstrates her competitive spirit and determination to succeed. With the clay court season underway, fans and analysts alike are eager to see if Keys can stage a comeback and showcase her best performance on the court. Despite recent setbacks, the tennis world remains captivated by Madison Keys' journey and eagerly anticipates her next move on the court.
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Aug 18 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning his match against Alexander Zverev of Germany on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
World-renowned tennis sensation, Jannik Sinner, is gearing up for a dramatic return to the court after a 90-day suspension following his Australian Open victory. The Italian powerhouse, currently ranked as the world No. 1, has been a force to be reckoned with, dominating the hard courts with his unparalleled skills. As he prepares to make his comeback just before the Rome Masters, the tennis world is abuzz with anticipation over his performance at Roland Garros.
Sinner's absence has left a void in the tennis scene, allowing his competitors to try and close the gap in the rankings. However, players like Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz have struggled to capitalize on Sinner's break, failing to secure significant wins in his absence. With Novak Djokovic still in the mix, the competition is fierce, but all eyes are on the returning champion to see if he can maintain his momentum and claim victory at Roland Garros.
Despite his success on hard courts, Sinner's performance on clay has been a point of contention. With only one clay-court title under his belt, the Italian is looking to prove his prowess on the surface and add a French Open title to his collection. The Rome Masters will serve as a critical test for Sinner, as he fine-tunes his skills and prepares for the challenges that lie ahead.
As Sinner gears up for his highly-anticipated return, the tennis world is on the edge of their seats, eager to witness if he can solidify his dominance and make a triumphant comeback to the Grand Slam stage. With emerging threats on the horizon, Sinner must stay focused and determined to achieve his goal of completing his Grand Slam collection. The stage is set for an epic showdown, and all eyes are on Jannik Sinner as he enters the final stretch of his suspension and sets his sights on Roland Garros glory.
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Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are among 20 leading tennis players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam tournaments seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called "decisions that directly impact us."
The letter, a copy of which was obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, is dated March 21 and begins with a request for an in-person meeting at this month's Madrid Open between representatives of the players and the four people to whom it was addressed: Craig Tiley of the Australian Open, Stephane Morel of the French Open, Sally Bolton of Wimbledon and Lew Sherr of the U.S. Open.
At the bottom of the message are the handwritten signatures of 10 of the top 11 women in the rankings from the week of March 3 — Elena Rybakina's name is missing — and the full list of the top 10 men that week.
The women are the No. 1-ranked Sabalenka, Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva. The men are the No. 1-ranked Sinner — who is currently serving a three-month doping ban — 24-time major champion Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur.
Of the 20, 15 have won at least one Grand Slam title or reached a major final.
The players outline three areas they want to focus on:
— Grand Slam tournaments should make financial contributions to player welfare programs funded by the two pro tours.
— Prize money should increase "to a more appropriate percentage of tournament revenues, reflective of the players' contribution to tournament value."
— The athletes should have more say in decisions "directly impacting competition, as well as player health and welfare."
News of the letter — which was first mentioned by French sports newspaper L'Equipe — arrives about two weeks after the players' association co-founded by Djokovic filed an antitrust lawsuit against the women's and men's professional tours, the International Tennis Federation and the sport's integrity agency in federal court in New York. Djokovic was not listed as one of the plaintiffs, because he said he wanted to see other players step up.
That suit seeks more money for players, saying too little of the revenues end up in the athletes' hands, and lays out a series of other complaints about the way the sport is run.
The antitrust filing last month included a reference to a report "that the U.S. Open generated more revenue from the sale of one specialty cocktail ($12.8 million) than it paid to the men's and women's champions combined."
The U.S. Tennis Association offered a record total of $75 million in total compensation — which includes prize money and payouts to cover players' expenses — for its Grand Slam tournament in 2024. That represented an increase of about 15% from the $65 million offered in 2023 at the U.S. Open.
Based on currency exchange figures at the times of the events, Wimbledon had about $64 million in prizes last year, with the French Open and Australian Open both at about $58 million.
"The USTA is always available for and welcomes open and direct conversations with players, whether on site at the U.S. Open or at any other point of the year, as we are consistently looking for ways to enhance our event for the benefit of players and fans," spokesman Brendan McIntyre said in a written statement.
"The USTA is incredibly proud of the U.S. Open's leadership in player compensation throughout its history and our support to grow professional tennis not only in the United States but worldwide," he wrote. "This includes offering equal prize money to men and women for more than 50 years and awarding the largest purse in tennis history at the 2024 U.S. Open."
The next Grand Slam tournament is the French Open, with main-draw matches starting in Paris on May 25.
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By Tom Lowe2025-04-04T11:51:00+01:00
Seating to be expanded by 20% with a new pergola and terraced areas
CGI of Allies & Morrison's plans to revamp Henman Hill
1/4
The All England Lawn Tennis Club has unveiled plans by Allies & Morrison to revamp Wimbledon's famous Henman Hill.
Seating at the grassy slope, a popular spot for spectators at the grand slam, will be expanded by 20% and made more inclusive under plans due to be built in time for the 2027 tournament.
Henman Hill, named after former British number one Tim Henman in the late 1990s, attracts crowds of people at each championships who watch matches on a giant screen on the side of No.1 Court.
Known as one of the club's most atmospheric locations during the annual summer grand slam, it has been renamed after successive British champions including Murray Mound, after Andrew Murray, and Raducanu Ridge, after Emma Raducanu, but is still most commonly referred to by its original name.
What Henman Hill looks like currently
The hill's redesign is aiming to make its seating more comfortable by reducing its gradient with a series of new terraces, bordered by low retaining walls, and pathways.
A new pergola with covered seating and a “stunning” new floral display will also be added at the top of the hill.
Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club, commente:, “The redevelopment of our world-famous Hill, in time for The Championships 2027, will allow even more tennis fans to enjoy its unique atmosphere and vantage point.
“I am particularly pleased that these plans will increase the accessibility of The Hill for our guests using wheelchairs or who have additional accessibility requirements.”
The scheme is the club's latest planned improvement following Allies & Morrison's proposals for a major expansion on neighbouring land which would more than triple the size of the club's tightly packed grounds.
The £200m expansion was approved by the Greater London Authority last year but is now facing a judicial review, set for July, after the High Court allowed a legal challenge bought by campaigners concerned about the scheme's use of public land.
The proposals, the largest expansion in the grand slam tournament's history, would add 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat show court on Metropolitan Open Land next to the club's main site.
2025-03-12T12:30:00Z
By Tom Lowe
High Court has accepted all three grounds raised by local campaign group for legal challenge
2025-02-18T11:57:00Z
By Tom Lowe
Judge says campaigners have raised ”arguable grounds” to challenge approval of £200m scheme
2024-09-27T16:32:00Z
By Tom Lowe
Allies & Morrison's plans to treble the size of grand slam tournament's grounds finally approved after year-long planning saga
2025-04-04T11:52:00Z
By Daniel Gayne
Planning uncertainty triggered by proposed Mayoral Development Corporation could be damaging, GLA committee told
2025-04-04T11:52:00Z
By Dave Rogers
Scheme expected to double annual passenger numbers to 32 million
2025-04-04T11:52:00Z
By Tom Lowe
But construction prices could also ease as overseas exporters dump products in the UK to avoid US barriers
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Daria Kasatkina's shock switch of allegiances to Australia gained momentum in a secret catch-up with Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley at this year's Australian Open.
There were informal discussions between Russian-born Kasatkina and TA several years ago about her potentially becoming an Australian, but it became a reality in a meeting in Melbourne in January with Tiley and others in his organisation.
Tennis star Daria Kasatkina has switched allegiances from Russia to Australia.Credit: Getty Images
The world No.12, the only openly gay women's singles player in the top 100, revealed this week that she approached Tennis Australia about the switch a few months ago.
Kasatkina played as an Australian for the first time in Charleston, South Carolina this week, and plans to establish a base in Melbourne. She lost her round-of-16 match, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), to American Sofia Kenin on Friday.
Close friend and fellow naturalised Australian Daria Saville, who lives in Melbourne, has already recommended places that Kasatkina could live. Kasatkina is also friends with the Rodionova sisters, Arina and Anastasia, who, like Saville, changed nationalities from Russia to play tennis for Australia.
“‘Dash' [Saville] is talking non-stop [[since I announced my decision],” Kasatkina said.
“On the phone, she called me, then she keeps sending me some stuff, like the apartments and the houses around her location. She's so excited; I'm scared. She is super happy for me.”
The federal government has approved Kasatkina's application for permanent residency in Australia, and she will now go through the citizenship process.
TA provided Kasatkina with a letter supporting her application “for people who have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in an eligible area”, which includes sport.
A spokesperson told this masthead the Department of Home Affairs could not comment on individual cases.
Daria Saville isn't short of advice for fellow Russian-Australian Daria Kasatkina.Credit: Getty Images
“While the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 provides a number of ministerial discretions that may be applied to assist a person to meet the general residence requirement in specific circumstances,” the spokesperson said, “there is no general power to waive or vary the eligibility requirements for Australian citizenship.”
Kasatkina has not returned to Russia for almost three years since announcing she was gay, and in a relationship with Olympic silver medal-winning figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, in an interview in July 2022. Kasatkina also condemned her birth country's invasion of Ukraine at the time.
Some Russians have branded Kasatkina a “traitor” for her decision to become an Australian.
Novaya Gazeta Europe reported comments from several athletes and politicians who were critical of Kasatkina, including Olympic speed skating champion Svetlana Zhurova, who is also a State Duma political member.
Zhurova said Kasatkina was “Russian by birth, but raised with Western values,” according to an English translation in the independent Meduza publication.
“Kasatkina has special reasons for changing her citizenship. Everyone knows what they are; they just don't say them out loud,” Zhurova said. “People are already calling her a traitor and slapping labels on her. That's why she's afraid to come back to Russia – because of her non-traditional values.”
Russia's Supreme Court outlawed the “international LGBT movement” as an “extremist” organisation in November 2023. Kasatkina said she had little choice but to switch nationalities, given “everything that's going on in my previous country”.
“For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I had to make this step,” she said.
Melisa Ercan (Turkey)
Jarmila Gajdosova (Slovakia)
Maya Joint (United States)
Sacha Jones (New Zealand)
Daria Kasatkina (Russia)
Duje Markovina (Croatia)
Anastasia Rodionova (Russia)
Arina Rodionova (Russia)
Daria Saville (Russia)
Ajla Tomljanovic (Croatia)
“Australia is the place where I feel that I can be myself, and I am really happy to have this privilege to be part of this beautiful country.”
Kasatkina has been living in Dubai and often trains in Barcelona, but the United Arab Emirates also criminalises same-sex sexual activity.
There is a process underway for Kasatkina to potentially receive a special exemption to represent her adopted country in the Billie Jean King Cup. However, it is unclear if she will be successful or how long it will take even if she is.
The International Tennis Federation changed the rules from January 1, 2015 to stop players from representing more than one country in the BJK Cup or Davis Cup, but players and/or federations can request an exemption.
Daria Kasatkina and Natalia Zabiiako.Credit: Instagram/@kasatkina
Kasatkina was a key member of the Russian Tennis Federation's BJK Cup title victory in 2021, when the country was banned from international sport for doping violations.
Any decision on Kasatkina's eligibility for Australia will not be made in time for her to play in next week's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier in Brisbane against Kazakhstan and Colombia.
Part of the exemption request, a source familiar with the situation told this masthead on the condition of anonymity, is based on Kasatkina effectively being “stateless”, a person not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law. This masthead contacted the ITF for comment.
Ajla Tomljanovic, who switched allegiances from Croatia to Australia, successfully appealed the rule change on the basis she applied for an Australian passport before it was implemented.
However, five years passed between her gaining residency in 2014 and the ITF letting her represent Australia in the BJK Cup. She became a citizen in 2018.
Tomljanovic was among the Australians to warmly welcome Kasatkina.
“She's an amazing person, an amazing player, and I just want her to be able to play for us – in the BJK Cup and Olympics,” Tomljanovic said. “She is an incredible addition ... she fits everything Aussie, so I'm excited for her.”
Kasatkina is likely to complete a training block at Melbourne Park at some stage this year, the same source told this masthead.
She shares the same agent, 72 Sports Group's John Morris, as Australia's top-ranked player, Alex de Minaur. Morris also used to represent Nick Kyrgios.
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Copyright © 2025
April 3, 2025
Ricky
Match previews
2
For the first time since 1991, all eight quarterfinalists at an ATP tournament are Americans. Two of the all-American showdowns on quarterfinal Friday are Frances Tiafoe vs. Alex Michelsen and Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. Jenson Brooksby.(5) Alex Michelsen vs. (2) Frances TiafoeOf the eight American quarterfinalists at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship, only three are seeded: Tiafoe, Michelsen, and No. 1 Tommy Paul. Tiafoe did not have to work overly hard to secure a spot in the last eight, as he got a bye and then beat Adam Walton 7-5, 6-3. The world No. 17 could really use a big week considering he is just 7-6 this season and in the relatively near future will have a massive chunk of his points to defend in Cincinnati and at the U.S. Open.
Tiafoe and Michelsen will be facing each other for the second time on Friday, with the 27-year-old having won their only previous encounter 6-4, 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Dallas in 2024. There is not much to take from that result given the surface change and Michelsen's improvement over the past 13 months. The 20-year-old has already won 13 matches this season (two in Houston against Learner Tien and Adrian Mannarino) and is up to 34th in the rankings. Michelsen is in superior form and at an ATP 250 he will likely be the more motivated of the two players.Pick: Michelsen in 3 35WWW: Tiafoe vs. Michelsen? Tiafoe in 2 Tiafoe in 3 Michelsen in 2 Michelsen in 3 (Q) Jenson Brooksby vs. Aleksandar KovacevicKovacevic and Brooksby will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the first time on the main tour. They have not faced each other since 2019, when Brooksby prevailed 6-4, 6-3 at a hard-court Futures event in Champaign. Six years later, Brooksby surely figured to be much higher up the rankings at this point in time–and he would be if not for a 24-month absence due to both wrist surgery and a doping suspension. The 24-year-old American, who comes in at No. 507 in the world, upset Felix Auger-Aliassime in Indian Wells and so far in Houston has dismissed Taro Daniel and Alejandro Tabilo–the latter from triple-match point down.Up to 79th in the rankings, Kovacevic is playing by far the best tennis of his career. The 26-year-old American was the Montpellier runner-up in February, won the Cap Cana Challenger last month, and advanced to the Houston quarterfinals with straight-set victories over Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Corentin Donelly. Brooksby already has four matches in his legs (two in qualifying), so Kovacevic should have the physical edge in this matchup.Pick: Kovacevic in 3 56WWW: Kovacevic vs. Brooksby? Kovacevic in 2 Kovacevic in 3 Brooksby in 2 Brooksby in 3
Tiafoe in 2
Tiafoe in 3
Michelsen in 2
Michelsen in 3
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The Grandstand gets you up close and personal with the ATP Tour, covering men's tennis through previews, recaps, blogs, and discussion in the comments sections. Just like the Grandstand on the grounds of any tournament, this site aims to be the best seat in the house. *Interested in writing for The Grandstand in 2025? Contact Ricky Dimon at [email protected].*
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Bouchard and Young are searching for their first medals on tour, while Sock and Querrey are looking to add some hardware to growing collections.ByLiya DavidovPublished Apr 04, 2025 copy_link
Published Apr 04, 2025
Tennis' favorite pickleball pros are competing this week at the PPA Veolia North Carolina Open, alongside the tour's highest-ranked players.Genie Bouchard, Donald Young and Jack Sock have been competing since Wednesday in their respective singles draws, as well as collectively in the mixed doubles bracket with Sam Querrey, who only registered for mixed and men's doubles.
Genie Bouchard, Donald Young and Jack Sock have been competing since Wednesday in their respective singles draws, as well as collectively in the mixed doubles bracket with Sam Querrey, who only registered for mixed and men's doubles.
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Sock had the earliest defeat in singles, falling to No. 34 seed Max Freeman in the second round, 12-10, 11-8. Young made it one round further, falling to No. 1 seed Federico Staksrud in the round of 16.Just a week ago, it was Sock going up against top seed (and pickleball's No.1 ranked men's singles player) Staksrud, overcoming him in a three-game showdown in the quarterfinals of the PPA Red Rock Open.
Just a week ago, it was Sock going up against top seed (and pickleball's No.1 ranked men's singles player) Staksrud, overcoming him in a three-game showdown in the quarterfinals of the PPA Red Rock Open.
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Bouchard surpassed fellow tennis stars by reaching the quarterfinals of the women's singles draw, including knocking out the top seed in straight sets in the round prior.The Canadian fell to No. 5 seed Lea Jansen in a three-game quarterfinal effort.Jansen, one of the many former college tennis players who now compete on the PPA tour, went onto defeat Querrey the following day in the opening round of the mixed doubles bracket.Bouchard and Young also lost in the opening rounds, with Sock reaching the round of 16 in the bracket.
The Canadian fell to No. 5 seed Lea Jansen in a three-game quarterfinal effort.Jansen, one of the many former college tennis players who now compete on the PPA tour, went onto defeat Querrey the following day in the opening round of the mixed doubles bracket.Bouchard and Young also lost in the opening rounds, with Sock reaching the round of 16 in the bracket.
Jansen, one of the many former college tennis players who now compete on the PPA tour, went onto defeat Querrey the following day in the opening round of the mixed doubles bracket.Bouchard and Young also lost in the opening rounds, with Sock reaching the round of 16 in the bracket.
Bouchard and Young also lost in the opening rounds, with Sock reaching the round of 16 in the bracket.
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The foursome returns on Friday for the men's and women's doubles bracket.Querrey has one mixed doubles gold medal to his name, with Sock recently adding a fourth medal to his collection at the Red Rock Open a week ago. Bouchard and Young are hoping their doubles efforts in North Carolina tomorrow can result in the first of many medals to come.Watch all the action from the North Carolina Open on Pickleballtv, and catch up on the action from the singles and mixed doubles brackets here.
Querrey has one mixed doubles gold medal to his name, with Sock recently adding a fourth medal to his collection at the Red Rock Open a week ago. Bouchard and Young are hoping their doubles efforts in North Carolina tomorrow can result in the first of many medals to come.Watch all the action from the North Carolina Open on Pickleballtv, and catch up on the action from the singles and mixed doubles brackets here.
Watch all the action from the North Carolina Open on Pickleballtv, and catch up on the action from the singles and mixed doubles brackets here.
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“The Amazing Race” famously inspired Mike White to create “The White Lotus” after appearing on the reality series (he also was in “Survivor”), but it turns out that White wasn't the only famous filmmaker who was a fan-turned-contestant. Will Forte revealed to Vulture that he and his “MacGruber” co-star, late actor Val Kilmer, almost joined “The Amazing Race” after both binging the series.
Forte and Kilmer co-starred in 2010 “SNL” spinoff spoof film “MacGruber,” and later lived together in 2011. During their cohabitation, Forte got Kilmer into watching “The Amazing Race.” Kilmer died at age 65 in 2025 after battling throat cancer for more than a decade, and Forte now says that not competing in “The Amazing Race” with him is his “biggest regret.”
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“I used to watch ‘The Amazing Race' and he came back home at some point when I was watching it and was like, ‘What are you watching that garbage for? Come on, that stuff's going to rot your mind.' I said, ‘It's pretty good. You should sit down and watch it. Give it a try before you shit on it.' So he sat down and started watching it and he got really into it,” Forte told said in a tribute to the actor. “Then at a certain point he said, ‘Will, you and I have to go do “The Amazing Race.” We have to. Let's do “The Amazing Race.”‘ And I'm like, ‘I'm so fully in.' We got really excited about it and then we called our respective agents and managers and they were like, ‘There's no way you guys are doing that.' That is, maybe to this day, the biggest regret of my whole career, that I never did ‘The Amazing Race' with Val. I think we would've gotten out very quickly but it just would've been the experience of a lifetime.”
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Kilmer previously shared his “love” for Forte in 2012, when he said on Twitter that living with Forte was a hilarious experience. “I love Will Forte. He let me live in his spare room while I was finding a new home last year,” Kilmer wrote. “God he's funny.”
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Reader, you have been lied to! Film history is littered with unfairly maligned classics, whether critics were too eager to review the making of rather than the finished product, or they suffered from underwhelming ad campaigns or general disinterest. Let's revise our takes on some of these films from wrongheaded to the correct opinion.
In a recent interview, Steven Soderbergh referred to “The Good German” as the “most reviled” film he's ever made, claiming no one has ever brought it up to him in a positive manner. Soderbergh remains baffled by the response, and justifiably so. While the World War II drama was poorly reviewed and failed to find an audience in 2006, it's one of the director's most fascinating, original, and, for viewers able to get on its wavelength, emotionally devastating films.
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Adapted by screenwriter Paul Attanasio from a novel by Joseph Kanon, “The Good German” tells the story of Jake (George Clooney), an American war correspondent in Berlin during the final days of World War II who stumbles onto a murder mystery connected to his ex-lover Lena (Cate Blanchett). In a manner closer to the Nixon-era neo-noirs of the 1970s like “Night Moves” and “The Long Goodbye” than the 1940s war movies from which it borrows its style, “The Good German” depicts its hero's inexorable descent into disillusionment and despair — the closer he gets to solving the mystery, the more horrible the world and the people in it look to him.
What makes “The Good German” so powerful is the complex relationship between the movie's story and style. Soderbergh chose to direct “The Good German” not only as though it takes place in the 1940s but as though it was made in the 1940s, an idea the film adheres to rigorously with one key exception — an exception that's ultimately the key to the film's greatness. This is not merely an instance of shooting period-accurate clothes and props in black-and-white: “The Good German” dissects the entire visual grammar of the classical Hollywood studio system, replicating and subverting it flawlessly.
Certain aspects of Soderbergh's approach are readily apparent from the outset, most notably the black-and-white photography and the choice to shoot in the narrow 1.37:1 aspect ratio of pre-1950s Hollywood. (Not all the home video and streaming transfers respect Soderbergh's dimensions, but the new 4K and Blu-ray editions of “The Good German” hitting the street this month preserve the original frame.) Less obvious are the more subtle — and more difficult from a filmmaking perspective — ways in which he applies 1940s principles of lensing, blocking, lighting, and sound recording.
“The Good German” is extremely sparing in its use of close-ups, for example, in keeping with the style of a film like Michael Curtiz's “Casablanca.” Soderbergh restricts himself to a handful of prime lenses in the film, avoiding zooms and shooting at the wider focal lengths typical of the era; the result is that most scenes are carefully staged in relatively long master shots with multiple actors interacting in the frame. Soderbergh has never been one to shy away from editing as an expressive tool — “The Limey” and “Out of Sight” are two of his best films that gain much of their impact from their self-aware cutting style — but here, the meaning is generated within shots rather than between them.
Just as he restricts himself to lenses and shot sizes typical of the era, Soderbergh (acting as his own cinematographer under the pseudonym Peter Andrews, as usual) also restricts himself in terms of lighting, using only incandescent sources and no modern fixtures like LEDs or fluorescents. There's a heavy reliance on period-faithful wipes and dissolves as transitions, and the sound is all recorded with a boom mike.
The absence of wireless microphones on the actors' bodies not only gives the dialogue a technical quality closer to that of 1940s films but also requires the performers to project in a more dramatic, clearly defined register—yet another way “The Good German” resembles the work of Curtiz or Billy Wilder, whose “A Foreign Affair” provides backgrounds for some of the film's driving sequences.
Most of Soderbergh's choices aren't consciously registered by the viewer, but their cumulative effect is impressive in its flawless evocation of classic Hollywood style. None of this in and of itself makes “The Good German” a great movie, of course, and if all Soderbergh was doing was imitating Curtiz or Raoul Walsh then perhaps “The Good German” would be the well made but hollow exercise described by many of its critics. But Soderbergh is up to something deeper and more profound here; he's using a familiar style to unsettle us via the carefully chosen areas in which he departs from that style to generate new emotions and new contexts for the subject matter.
While Soderbergh largely forces himself to make “The Good German” with the tools and under the conditions under which Warners contract directors would have toiled, there is one major restriction he does not place upon himself: adhering to the censorship limitations of the Production Code. “The Good German” is filled with the kind of language, violence, and sexual content that the Hays Office expressly forbade, especially in war pictures expected to be patriotic and life-affirming.
There's something jarring about this kind of R-rated content being delivered in a package that looks and sounds like the squeaky-clean movies of Hollywood's past, and the incongruity is in keeping with the tensions that exist on a thematic level throughout the story. “The Good German” is one of Soderbergh's most pessimistic movies (which is really saying something), a film in which most of the characters are operating from positions of extreme self-interest, even when — in some cases especially when — those positions get innocent others killed.
Yet it's a story set during the so-called “good war.” We're used to cynical visions of Vietnam, or even, as in the case of Robert Altman's “M*A*S*H,” Korea, but virtually all the studio movies from the era in which “The Good German” is set and whose style it emulates are, with very few exceptions, heroic. “Casablanca” doesn't have a happy ending, but it does have a heroic one, and its romanticism is all the more apparent when contrasted with the final scene of “The Good German.”
As Jake puts Lena on a plane just like the one Humphrey Bogart put Ingrid Bergman on at the end of “Casablanca,” there's no sense of bittersweet romance or selfless sacrifice — only a sense of lives shattered and an awareness of the depths of human evil. When Clooney walks away from the plane, he walks away alone — there's no “beginning of a beautiful friendship” like at the end of Curtiz's film. Lena has been proven to be, as Soderbergh put it in an interview compiled in the book “Steven Soderbergh: Interviews,” both a victim and a monster. This haunting realization lingers not only with Jake but the audience in a way that would have been unthinkable in a Hollywood movie of 1945.
The sense that not only Lena but all the movie's characters are compromised at best and duplicitous or evil at worst is probably, as much as the bold stylistic experimentation, why “The Good German” rubbed so many people the wrong way in 2006 — and maybe why it has never been reappraised in the way that it deserves. It's also what makes “The Good German” so singular among star-driven, Hollywood studio treatments of World War II.
As a dissection of the ethical pitfalls that emerge in a post-war society, “The Good German” is incisive — Attanasio and Soderbergh's deft incorporation of unfortunate real-life malefactions like the immunity given to Nazi scientists gives the film real moral weight and authority. It's also affecting, precisely because Soderbergh's utilization of classical Hollywood tools exposes the contradictions they were meant to conceal. “The Good German” is, like Lena herself, both beautiful and rotten, a superficially elegant portrayal of internal decay.
When the movie came out, the general consensus was that Soderbergh hadn't done himself any favors by inviting comparison to “Casablanca” and other films of its ilk, but its depth and pleasures can only be fully appreciated in dialogue with those movies. This is what makes Soderbergh one of the greatest directors of his generation: his persistent demand that the style of his films says something beyond merely illustrating the points of the script. The fact is that “The Good German” not only invites comparison with “Casablanca,” it earns it — on its own terms it's every bit as perfect as Curtiz's classic.
“The Good German” 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions will be released by Warner Home Video on April 15.
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By Katie Campione
TV Reporter
Guy Ritchie seems to have delivered Paramount+ a certified hit with his latest series, MobLand.
The series premiered March 30 to 2.2 million viewers for the first episode, becoming the streamer's biggest global series launch ever, per Paramount Global.
“MobLand is a runaway success thanks to the visionary work of Guy, Jez, Ronan and David Glasser and brought to life by the exceptional Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren who transport us into a world audiences clearly cannot get enough of,” Chris McCarthy, Paramount Co-CEO and President and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement. “MobLand is yet another proof point for the power of our differentiated model – fewer, bigger, breakthrough series that can cut through the clutter and also builds on our 2024 record success where we finished as the #2 SVOD for Original Series time spent viewing.”
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It now joins 1923 and Landman as the top three launches in Paramount+ history. MobLand claims a spot on that list from Tulsa King.
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MobLand follows Brosnan's character, who is the head of an organized crime family, fighting for power within a global crime syndicate. The series stars Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Lara Pulver, Anson Boon, Mandeep Dhillon, Jasmine Jobson, Geoff Bell, Daniel Betts, Lisa Dwan and Emily Barber.
MobLand is executive produced and directed by Ritchie. It's his first TV series for Paramount+.
The series, which is produced in association with Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, was created and written by Ronan Bennett (Top Boy and The Day of the Jackal) and written by Jez Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari and Spectre). This marks Butterworth's second successful TV series for Paramount+, following The Agency. Both series are part of his exclusive TV overall deal with Paramount+ and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios.
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Country singer Lainey Wilson is feeling the love!
The “Heart Like a Truck” singer is revealing the details of her engagement to Devlin “Duck” Hodges, and her plans for their wedding.
In a TikTok video shared by Nashville television station WTVF, Wilson is asked about the former NFL player's proposal and replies, “I got you girl, I'll spill the tea.”
Spilling the romance tea 💍: Lainey Wilson talked to us about the moments leading up to her proposal and wedding plans in the works ❤ love laineywilson countrymusic #nashville
Wilson then starts unfolding the story of the romantic proposal, saying, “So, I had talked myself into thinking he was going to do it that day. And then I called my sister. I said, ‘He's going to propose to me today' and she was like, ‘I gotta go,' ” Wilson laughed.
“And then I talked myself out of it because I thought, ‘Man I sure would be upset if I talked myself into this and that don't happen,' ” she said.
A post shared by Lainey Wilson (@laineywilson)
But Wilson shouldn't have worried. Her instincts were right on the money.
The country singer explained that she and Hodges had been ”wanting to go see the George Jones estate” that a realtor friend had listed for sale.
“And then as we [pulled] up, I realized that there were different plans,” Wilson shared. “So, he had it all set up. He had the candles and the picture frames, and it could not have been more perfect.”
Lainey posted pictures of the romantic surprise on her Instagram account, showing the pair on the front steps of Jones' house holding hands. A closeup reveals that Duck had decorated the step in front of the home's door with pictures of the couple, candles and red roses.
Wilson captioned the post showing her engagement pictures “4x4xU forever ❤️” in reference to her hit song “4x4xU” off her latest album, “Whirlwind.”
The singer says while she and Duck have been dating for four years, it didn't take nearly that long to know they were meant to be.
Lainey and Duck went public with their romance at the 2023 ACM Awards. But they actually started dating in 2021. And Lainey says both of them knew “pretty much immediately” that they were “going to be in each other's lives” for a long time after they first met. She even texted him pictures of some “big” engagement ring choices.
“It just felt that natural. And as a joke, I had texted him some big rings, being like this is what I like. He was like, ‘Oh Lord. I better start saving now,' ” she laughed in the TikTok video.
In the Instagram post about the engagement, the series of photos ends with a video of Lainey walking down the steps of the George Jones house, pretending her left hand is too heavy to lift. She then flashes the beautiful engagement ring at the camera, laughs and runs away.
A post shared by Lainey Wilson (@laineywilson)
Lainey says while she may have been thinking ahead about the engagement ring, the wedding is another story. The singer admits the couple hasn't started planning the big day. “We really need to sit down and make that a priority. But I'm sure that it'll be something that's just very, very simple, you know?,” she shared in the TikTok video.
The singer will have to find time for wedding planning between tour stops. Lainey Wilson just wrapped up the European leg of her “Whirlwind Tour.” She'll play a series of music festivals across the U.S. and Canada over the summer. Those kick off May 30 at the Gulf Coast Jam in Panama City, Florida. Then she'll kick off the U.S. leg of her “Whirlwind” tour in Phoenix, AZ August 14. The singer will pack in 31 tour stops before wrapping things up November 8 in Orlando, FL.
A post shared by Gulf Coast Jam (@gulfcoastjam)
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Financial markets are taking a nosedive for the second straight day amid global panic and investor anxiety over Donald Trump's implementation of broad tariffs on foreign imports. Economists are warning that the president's actions are putting not just the United States, but the world at risk of a global recession, and that working class Americans will experience acute economic pain. Fret not, says the president, he is apparently playing chess while the world is playing checkers — whatever that means. Even some of his most prominent GOP supporters aren't buying it.
On Friday morning, the president shared a link on Truth Social to what appears to be a partially AI-generated video claiming that he was “Purposely CRASHING The Market.”
The one-minute video — originally shared March 15 on TikTok — predates the president's tariff announcement on Wednesday. It claims that “Trump is crashing the stock market by 20 percent this month, but he's doing it on purpose. […] Here's the secret game he's playing, and it could make you rich.”
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The video proposes that Trump is attempting to “push cash into treasuries, which forces the Fed to slash interest rates in May, and those lower rates give the Fed the ability to refinance trillions of debt very inexpensively. It also weakens the dollar and drops mortgage rates. Now it's a wild chess move, but it's working.”
“What about his tariffs? I'll tell you, it's a genius play,” the video adds. “It actually forces companies to build here to dodge them. It also forces farmers to sell more of their products here in the U.S., to bring grocery prices way down. We've already seen this with eggs. Now, remember, 94 percent of all stocks are owned only by 8 percent of Americans. So Trump, he's taking from the rich short term and handing it to the middle class through lower prices.”
Sound dodgy and completely made up? Don't stress, the video makes sure to point out that super rich guy Warren Buffett “just said [that] Trump is making the best economic moves he's seen in over 50 years.” Only Warren Buffett never said that. He actually called Trump's proposed tariff regime an “act of war.”
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“Over time they're a tax on goods,” Buffett said in March, stressing that tariffs typically end up being paid by consumers as corporations pass along the increased price of goods to the point of sale. “I mean, the tooth fairy doesn't pay them,” he said.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, several close Trump allies and administration officials, who often defend Trump's most fanatical actions, outbursts, or policies, did not or would not even bother defending the wisdom of a president promoting to the world the idea that he is tanking the stock market deliberately.
“I have no idea,” says Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and an informal adviser to Trump, when asked about the video Friday morning and why Trump would promote the view that crashing the stock market on purpose is good policy. “I didn't know he had done it and I have no comment because I literally have no idea.”
Gingrich this week has been casting Trump as a master negotiator amid the massive trade warfare that the president just launched.
Former senior aides in Trump's orbit similarly had no idea why a reasonable person would crash the stock market intentionally. “I saw some posts on social media recently making that crazy claim that Trump is crashing the stock market on purpose,” says Marc Short, who served as Trump's White House legislative affairs director and as a top adviser to Mike Pence. “I suppose one way to induce the Fed to lower rates would be to crash the economy but that seems in line with the viewpoint among the mercantilists in this administration, that crashing our economy is a way to solve the trade deficit. If Americans can no longer afford to buy goods and services it does solve the trade deficit. I'm kind of at a loss for words.”
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One Trump mega-donor — a wealthy person, who cares about things like stocks — simply messages Rolling Stone multiple crying emojis, concluding that the new trade war and Trump's apparent embrace of the message that he's torpedoing the stock market intentionally is “NOT GOOD.”
Another Trump administration official says: “You gotta take the good spin where you find it, and there is very little out there right now.” A longtime Trump associate and ally of the White House was also dumbfounded by the president's public promotion of this policy view, adding: “In all the messaging guidance we received from the administration on this, not once do I recall hearing that ‘President Trump is crashing the market on purpose' is something we should say.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's post.
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As previously reported by Rolling Stone, advisers close to the president say the tariffs were not designed around careful economic calculations, but shock value. “The president isn't a number-crunching guy, per se, but President Trump strongly demanded big numbers that would make other countries treat us fairly. And I think you can see today that those numbers are huge,” one Trump official said.
Most Americans are bracing not for a windfall of riches, but a potentially lengthy period of economic hardship. The stock market is taking a dive, pummeling the working class' retirement savings and 401ks. On Thursday, the global financial firm J.P. Morgan Chase raised its global recession risk indicator to 60 percent. As Fox Business' Stuart Varney put it during his Friday morning coverage of the market selloff: “That's a probability, not a possibility.”
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By Mike Fleming Jr
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Film
EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures Entertainment has fallen hard for Love Everlasting. The film adaptation of the comic book series written by Tom King has Room helmer Lenny Abrahamson attached to direct and Jane Goldman writing the script. Emma Watts and Element's Ed Guiney are producing.
King, the co-creator/EP of Lanterns and whose comic book work is the basis for WandaVision and the upcoming Craig Gillespie-directed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, co-created the Love Everlasting comic series with illustrator Elsa Charretier. It is described as a mix of Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap with sci-fi and horror elements.
The protagonist is Joan Peterson, a heroine who begins in the mold of how women often are portrayed in romance comics: with the major goal to fall in love. Only here, each time she reaches that plateau, Joan finds herself abruptly shifted into a new time period and setting with new obstacles and the task of overcoming them to fall in love with a different man. Finally, she begins to question what she wants out of her life and tries to figure out a way to take control of her own destiny, one that doesn't necessarily require the love of a man to complete her.
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Goldman seems a strong scribe to take Joan on that journey, as her work includes Kingsman, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and the Barbarella remake being fashioned for Sydney Sweeney. Post-Room, the film that brought Brie Larson her Best Actress Oscar, Abrahamson was director and showrunner on Normal People, the series that launched the stars of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Watts adds another IP title to her growing slate that includes Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities and Forbidden Planet. Both are for Warner Bros, with Brian K. Vaughan scripting the remake of the seminal 1956 sci-fi film.
Abrahamson is repped by CAA and Casaratto Ramsay & Associates, Goldman is with WME and Independent Talent Group; King is repped by UTA, Charretier is repped by Rothman and Watts by CAA and Ziffren Brittenham.
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By Anthony D'Alessandro
Editorial Director/Box Office Editor
UPDATED after Thursday night exclusive: We told you that Warner Bros/Legendary‘s A Minecraft Movie was booming and here it is with $10.55 million in previews. That exceeds the $10.3M start for Blumhouse/Universal's Five Nights at Freddy's, making it the all-time preview record for a movie based on a video game (reminder: 2023's The Super Mario Bros Movie from Illumination/Universal/Nintendo did not have previews because it opened on a Wednesday).
Freddy's had close to a $40M first day for its October 2023 bow, on its way to an $80M opening weekend. We'll see how this plays out for A Minecraft Movie, but clearly an $80M+ weekend is in store, if not more.
Social media analytics corp RelishMix is over the moon about the pre-release buzz, saying that with a 772 millon social media universe, the Jared Hess-directed Minecraft is exceeding family live-action genre norms by 2.4x across TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram combined. It also outstrips the social media reach of Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (530M) by 46%. That also includes a robust social network for the game at 94.1M. Big social media stars here with Jack Black's 32.7M fans, Jason Momoa's 20.1M count, and Emma Myers at 9.8M.
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Very high recommend scores from the fan crowd last night on Screen Engine/Comscore's PostTrak for A Minecraft Movie, with overall audiences giving it 63%, kids under 12 65% and 5 stars (they'll nag their parents to go), and 67% recommend from parents and 4 1/2 stars. Last night's demos were 35% kids/parents and 65% general. Demos were 42% guys under 25, 23% women under 25, 17% men over 25, and 11% women over 25. The difference so far is that Freddy‘s had more under-25s than Minecraft Movie, 80%-72%, but we can't deny the momentum from Gen Z here.
Among positive word of mouth for Minecraft per RelishMix: “‘This looks just like how Minecraft should look, so excited for this.' Fans are comping strong titles, “We got a Five Nights at Freddy's, now A Minecraft Movie.'”
The other notable wide entry this frame, Neon's Hell of a Summer, did $215,000 from previews that began at 7 p.m. A $1M take is the outlook for this one, co-written, co-directed and co-starring Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk. Critics aren't impressed at 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 3 stars in last night's PostTrak exits and a 43% recommend from those who watched it. Mostly Wolfhard fans here with 55% female, and 50-50 split in the under/over 25 bunch.
PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE, Thursday PM: “Presales just suddenly popped this week,” an exhibitor remarked Thursday at CinemaCon about the potential mushrooming forecast for Warner Bros/Legendary's A Minecraft Movie.
Get excited. At a time when the domestic box office this year is 11% behind 2024, and on a day when President Donald Trump has just turned the economy upside down with global tariffs, the Burbank, CA lot is looking at a big hit this weekend in A Minecraft Movie. Previews tonight per sources are around $7 million+ after starting at 3 p.m. Conservative projections have risen to $75M+, but everyone is talking crazy forecasts right now because it's been so long since the industry had a box office hit. Only one weekend to date in 2025 exceeded $100M for all titles: February 14-16 ($144M), which was when Captain America: Brave New World posted a $88.8M 3-day and $100M 4-day frame.
At its current level in regards to previews, the movie directed by Jared Hess and starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Coolidge is higher than all previous Sonic the Hedgehog movies (Sonic 1 was $3M, Sonic 2 was $5M and Sonic 3 was $6.5M). Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s previews repped 26% of its $25.4M Friday, which turned into a $60.1M opening, but that was leading into Christmas.
A Minecraft Movie‘s previews are currently under the $10.3M of Universal/Blumhouse's Five Nights at Freddy's from October 2023. That figured repped 26% of its first Friday, that being $39.6M, which turned into an $80M opening. Working in Minecraft Movie‘s favor is its massive fanbase: the Mojang Studios title counts 300 million copies sold and nearly 140M monthly active players. It's a video game loved by generations ala Super Mario Bros (which didn't have previews) and Five Nights at Freddy's.
Reviews for A Minecraft Movie stand at 51% Rotten, but this fan-fave feature take of a video game is critic-proof. Five Nights at Freddy's was 32% Rotten with critics and 86% on the popcorn meter with an A- CinemaScore.
Warner Bros didn't return request for comment regarding our forecasts tonight.
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By Justin Kroll
Film Editor
HBO on Friday released the first images from Jesse Armstrong‘s movie Mountainhead, the follow-up project to his hit series Succession. The film, marking Armstrong's feature directorial debut, is now set to premiere May 31 on HBO and stream on Max as it wraps production this week in Park City, Utah.
Mountainhead stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef. Supporting cast includes Hadley Robinson, Andy Daly, Ali Kinkade, Daniel Oreskes, David Thompson, Ami MacKenzie and Ava Kostia.
Deadline first told you about the project. which follows a group of billionaire friends who get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis. In addition to writing and directing, Armstrong is executive producing along with Frank Rich, Lucy Prebble, Jon Brown, Tony Roche, Will Tracy, Mark Mylod and Jill Footlick.
Armstrong's movie comes two years after Succession ended its four-season run on HBO as one of the most heralded dramas of the past decade. Its awards count includes 75 Emmy nominations and 19 wins, including three Outstanding Drama Series trophies. Armstrong is a seven-time Emmy winner and an Oscar Adapted Screenplay nominee for 2010's In the Loop, a nom he shared with Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche.
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Here are more stills from Mountainhead:
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“Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong is once again satirizing the uber rich, and this time, he's leaning into the bro-ness of billionaires. Armstrong returns to HBO with original film “Mountainhead” about a group of billionaire friends get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis.
“Mountainhead” stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef, and “Saturday Night” scene-stealer Cory Michael Smith as the core friend group. Additional supporting cast members include Hadley Robinson, Andy Daly, Ali Kinkade, Daniel Oreskes, David Thompson, Ami MacKenzie, and Ava Kostia.
“Mountainhead” is Armstrong's feature directorial debut; he writes, directs, and executive produces the film, which finishes production this week in Park City, Utah. The project also reunites seven-time Emmy winner and Oscar-nominated Armstrong with his fellow “Succession” producers Frank Rich, Lucy Prebble, and producer/director Mark Mylod. Both Rich and Armstrong have overall deals at HBO.
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Armstrong wrapped “Succession” in 2023 after four seasons. The series accumulated 75 Emmy nominations and 19 wins. The “Succession” finale also set a series viewership record. While Armstrong has not publicly denied a possible “Succession” spinoff, series alum Matthew Macfadyen previously said at the Emmys that it's “highly unlikely.”
“I would say, ‘Never say never,' but it's highly unlikely,” Macfadyen said of a follow-up. “But it will depend on what [creator] Jesse Armstrong wants to do, but I think Jesse's instinct, and all our instincts, is that it ended in just the right place. And we sort of didn't tie it up, we just left [them]… to carry on in their strange and crappy world. So as nice as it would be to work with everybody again, I do think it would be strange to do a spinoff.”
As for the film side of his career, Armstrong previously landed a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination for his 2009 film “In The Loop,” which he co-wrote with “Veep” creator Armando Iannucci, Simon Blackwell, and Tony Roche, who now is an EP on “Mountainhead.”
“Mountainhead” is executive produced by Armstrong, Rich, Prebble, Mylod, Roche, Jon Brown, Will Tracy, and Jill Footlick.
The “Mountainhead” cast have all had buzzy recent years: Carell is starring in Tina Fey's “The Four Seasons” series, and Schwartzman appeared in 2024's “Between the Temples” and “Queer.”
“Mountainhead” premieres May 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. Check out more first look images below.
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This article is being published in partnership with The Lever, an investigative newsroom. If you like this story, sign up for The Lever's free newsletter.
Last week, Abundance co-author Ezra Klein went viral on social media. In a widely shared video clip from Jon Stewart's podcast, Klein described the maddeningly bureaucratic process for deploying rural broadband funding under the Biden administration's bipartisan infrastructure bill — a procedure so cumbersome that barely any of the entities seeking these grants have even finished the application process, years after the bill's passage.
The anecdote hit hard — Stewart groaned and cursed as Klein elegantly demonstrated the central thesis of his book, Abundance: Red tape and overregulation, allegedly the outgrowth of progressives' obsession with process over outcomes, have become primary drivers of scarcity in America. Boosted by Fox News, Elon Musk, and thousands of retweets, the soundbite was the kind of fable of inefficient liberal government that Ronald Reagan told throughout the 1980s.
There was just one problem with the story's premise: It is demonstrably false.
The Kafkaesque nature of Biden's broadband application process was not, in fact, the result of “everything bagel liberalism,” pressure from doctrinaire leftists, or Democratic politicians' penchant for governing through checklists, which Klein and his co-author, Derek Thompson, frame in Abundance as the key obstacles to housing security, decarbonization, and other critical 21st century needs.
Rather, this burdensome procedure was created at the insistence of vote-withholding Republican senators and their cable industry donors — companies seeking to block funding to upstarts that might challenge their regional telecom monopolies or force them to provide affordable prices for broadband. After they loaded up the funding legislation with a Byzantine process, telecom giants and GOP-led states — not protocol-obsessed lefties or overly rigid bureaucrats — then manufactured a monthslong fight over what constitutes “affordable” rates, delaying quick funding for the build-out.
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There are lessons to draw from this failure — for instance, Democrats' unrequited pursuit of bipartisanship can lead them to undermine their legislative initiatives. But the story Klein shared absolutely doesn't support the thrust of Abundance or the themes of the wider Abundance movement.
In fact, the takeaway from the broadband tale is that the biggest obstacles to efficiency and abundance are often corporate power and its corrupting influence on our politics — factors typically downplayed or unmentioned in the Abundance Discourse.
Censoring such topics from the conversation may get Klein and Thompson platformed by large media outlets, praise from bankrolled politicians, and ever-more book sales, but it also fortifies a narrative that lets corporate power continue to create the very scarcity that Abundance laments.
Take the United States' failure to build out renewable energy infrastructure at the scale and speed required to avert a climate catastrophe. In Abundance, Klein and Thompson ascribe this failure to environmental laws like the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), because, while these regulations are often used by green groups to slow down dangerous oil and gas developments, they can also be misused to disrupt renewable energy projects.
Somehow, this analysis fails to reckon with the central role the fossil fuel industry has played in blocking the clean energy transition.
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Green energy developers will tell you that among the biggest obstacles to new solar or wind projects online are 1) intransigence by gas-dominated utilities that make it practically impossible for renewable developments — which are less profitable for utilities than fossil-fuel infrastructure — to interconnect with the grid, and 2) campaigns by oil and gas front groups that work to gin up opposition to clean energy with deceptive claims like “wind turbines kill whales” and “solar panels cause cancer.”
We could pass all the federal permitting reforms Klein and Thompson could dream of, but if powerful fossil fuel interests continue to call the political shots, we'll never achieve the clean energy build-out we desperately need.
Similarly, when it comes to the scarcity of affordable housing, Abundance primarily blames zoning laws for constraining supply and driving up prices.
It's hardly some new Einstein-level revelation that NIMBY-motivated zoning laws are bad and can exacerbate problems in some markets. Well before the Abundance media tour, many lawmakers — including progressives — have been calling for an end to exclusionary zoning.
But unlike progressives, Abundance Liberals obsessively focus on zoning to the exclusion of most other factors — a sleight of hand that characteristically distracts from systemic corporate-linked drivers of affordable housing scarcity.
Last month, University of California and Federal Reserve researchers found that “constrained housing supply is relatively unimportant in explaining differences in rising house prices among U.S. cities,” conclusions which “challenge the consensus that relaxing regulatory constraints would substantially lower housing prices and meaningfully expand housing quantities.”
Instead, “higher income growth predicts the same growth in house prices” — meaning the housing crisis reflects a more mundane problem that the Abundance Discourse avoids: economic inequality fueled by corporations keeping working-class wages below what's needed to afford a home in locales full of rich people.
In many of those areas, there's no actual scarcity of structures that could be living space. It's just that corporations and oligarchs hoarding wealth and land aren't being compelled by zoning and tax laws to open up the space for housing.
For instance, vacancy rates have hit a 30-year high in commercial buildings, many of which could be converted to housing. In New York City between 2008 and 2014, “30 percent of condo sales in large-scale Manhattan developments have been to purchasers who either listed an overseas address or bought through an entity like a limited-liability corporation.”
Meanwhile, there's also the recurring problem of monopoly. A 2022 Johns Hopkins study spotlighted how more and more local markets are dominated by fewer and fewer housing construction giants. These home-building behemoths are making higher profits while choosing to build fewer homes than they once did, knowing that there aren't as many competitors to fill the gap. In all, the study estimated that corporate concentration has resulted in $106 billion less housing volume every year.
“We have some large, dominant players who do not want to produce as much as they can because they know it will bring down the prices of their other units — so, they intentionally avoid building, or they build over a staggered time period,” said Johns Hopkins economist Luis Quintero. “That's why you see new neighborhoods with only a couple of houses over the span of months or even years. They deliberately keep the housing they're producing scarce.”
At the same time, housing affordability is exacerbated by Wall Street investors buying up existing housing stock, as well as by financial firms algorithmically jacking up rents, allegedly through illegal price fixing.
This trend of corporate monopolies — not construction-hating progressives, anti-growth zealots, or imperious bureaucrats — creating scarcity and blocking pro-abundance government policies is pervasive.
Shortages of affordable baby formula, eggs, prescription medicine, ammunition, airline tickets, hamburgers, medical supplies, and hospital services are all connected to oligarchs and corporate donors using campaign cash to make sure that for decades there was a lack of consistent and robust enforcement of antitrust laws. Those same donors also used their political influence to create a zealous regime of restrictive patents to enforce profit-maximizing scarcity in technology and pharmaceuticals.
And of course, there was Democrats' decision to brush off the idea of a single-payer health care system and instead champion the Affordable Care Act — a move that Klein defended and that strengthened the power of health insurers, whose entire business model is rationing health care into a scarcity product, rather than an abundantly available service.
These examples of scarcity-producing corporate maneuvers should be an abundant topic in the Abundance Discourse, but they are scarcely mentioned, if at all.
When asked why progressives' corporate power analysis finds almost no place in Abundance, Klein told Pod Save America: “There are certain kinds of problems they're willing to see and certain kinds of problems they are unwilling to see.”
But that's the trouble with the Abundance Discourse: It writes America's central scarcity problem — corporate power — out of the economic story, encourages Democrats to focus on the wrong solutions, and elevates deregulatory narratives already being weaponized by the right.
Consider the first few months of Donald Trump's second presidency. His administration has both claimed an unprecedented amount of executive authority to ignore laws and independent agencies, while launching a far-reaching deregulatory campaign to fully dismantle NEPA, eviscerate pollution rules, and kill off financial regulations. The Trump White House says it is aiming to “unleash prosperity.” This is MAGA's own version of Abundance storytelling, and it's now being fortified by liberal pundits similarly pretending we must choose between building and prosperity on one hand, and responsible environmental and health decisions on the other.
“Does it make sense to be asking for special air filtration systems for developments near freeways when the alternative, for many of the would-be residents, is a tent beneath the freeway?” ask Klein and Thompson — implying that in the world's richest country, it is unreasonably anti-development to require real estate developers (like Trump) to make accommodations for breathable air.
It's a reminder that when airport-book narratives are devoted to avoiding any confrontation with corporate power, they help create false oligarch-appeasing choices. In this case, readers are asked to believe that the only possible choice is between forcing working-class citydwellers to inhale toxic tailpipe exhaust, or relegating them to permanent homelessness.
There's a similar dynamic unfolding with Trump's financier, Elon Musk, who's heading the president's so-called Department of Government Efficiency. After a prominent right-wing commentator described Klein's Jon Stewart interview about broadband as “the greatest DOGE ad you'll ever see,” Musk posted: “This shows why regulatory overhaul is necessary.” (The world's richest man did not mention he wants his own company's slower, more expensive satellite Internet service included in the broadband program.)
Musk went on to claim, “The burden of mountains of regulations is why the high speed rail can't get down [sic] in California.”
Again, this is a perfect distillation of how Klein and Thompson's framing provides ammunition to the actual villains blocking abundance. Musk himself played a role in disrupting high-speed rail in California — he admitted to his biographer that he came up with his Hyperloop proposal, which he had no intention of actually pursuing, specifically to undermine support for the rail project.
Like cable monopolies, Big Oil cartels, and consolidated home construction companies, Musk had a direct interest in blocking competition — in this case, selling cars to Californians who might otherwise prefer a bullet train.
But Klein's Abundance narrative lets the Musks of the world cover up their destructive role in government failures while strengthening their claims that government is loaded with waste, fraud, and abuse.
This is not to argue that Klein and Thompson explicitly support Trump and Musk's unconstitutional slash-and-burn assault on the federal government. On their book tour, they have repeatedly criticized DOGE's actions, correctly pointing out that Musk is seeking to destroy the government rather than reform it. But they have decidedly not criticized DOGE's stated premise, arguing instead that we need a more effective DOGE that will pursue government efficiency for positive, rather than destructive, ends.
Though they make this substantive distinction, ultimately, the rhetoric put forward by DOGE and Abundance feature some of the same main villains: red tape, bureaucracy, overregulation, and lefty do-gooderism-gone-wrong.
You don't have to look at The Lorax's denuded truffula groves to know what this kind of storytelling creates when it eschews a focus on regulating and reducing corporate power. You can look at the real world.
It looks like Pittsburgh and Los Angeles choked with smoke and smog in the 1940s.
It looks like the Cuyahoga River catching on fire in 1969.
It looks like an abundance of subprime loans, Wall Street speculation, and slapdash construction in absence of financial regulations and building codes – all of which combined to create the 2008 financial crisis, mass foreclosures, the Great Recession, a cratering of new home construction, and the rise of corporate landlords trapping residents in high-rent dilapidated housing.
It is no accident that the Abundance Discourse effectively absolves oligarchs and corporations from blame for scarcity. We live in a political and media ecosystem that is owned by oligarchs, and that rewards their mouthpieces with media amplification and book sales. So when it comes to Abundance's authors, Upton Sinclair's aphorism seems relevant: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”
What everyone else needs to understand is that misidentifying the villains is one of the primary political objectives of the Abundance project. After all, if there's one thing Trump has proven, it's that villain stories matter in electoral politics. Oligarchs do not want to be the villains in any kind of story told by Democrats heading into the next set of elections, and they're concerned about a growing Democratic consensus that the party needs an economic populist rebrand — one that opposes the billionaires and rapacious corporations making the lives of working people harder.
This sentiment stretches across the party's ideological spectrum. It is embodied by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) wildly successful Fighting Oligarchy Tour, but also by more traditional Democrats, from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to many of the party's highest-performing (and often moderate-identifying) front-line members, like Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) and Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.).
This growing populist coalition understands that in a world where $79 trillion was taken from the bottom 90 percent of households over the last few decades, the central problem isn't a lack of “abundance.” The problem is that abundance is being hoarded by the rich.
Abundance Liberals see their agenda as being in competition with the long-overdue populist approach. Thompson made this contrast explicit at a recent Abundance promotional event when questioned about the antitrust movement. He said, “If you want to understand why Texas builds homes while California does not, ask yourself: What is ‘oligarchy' doing for you? The tool they have used to explain the world fails to do so. At times, it offers a beautiful account of history, but it does a terrible job of describing today's problems.”
Considering the Republican state's housing shortage and other serious scarcity problems, Make America Texas Again is a bizarre message for any liberal to champion. And the attempt to pooh-pooh criticism of oligarchy is equally odd, coming at the very moment the Justice Department alleges that a corporate price-fixing scheme engineered by a Texas company fleeced renters across the country — including in famously de-zoned Houston.
And yet Abundance Liberals' underlying sentiment has plenty of adherents among well-heeled Democratic elites who want to head off the spread of economic populism that centers a critique of corporate power. Matt Bennett, co-founder of Third Way, a centrist think tank that has been a major booster of the Abundance agenda, recently complained that “demanding economic populism is its own form of purity test.”
He argued that Democrats should stop using a “fighting the oligarchs” message — though “fighting the oligarchs,” was the exact message Democrats just centered in Wisconsin to notch a huge win in the first swing-state election since Trump took office, after Musk poured millions into the state Supreme Court race and hosted a town hall where he gave away $1 million checks, yet still lost big.
Groups like Third Way, which are largely funded by billionaires and corporations, have a vested interest in pushing the Democratic Party to focus on overregulation and bureaucracy rather than the parasitism of economic elites. And they're not the only ones — much has been written about the many financial ties the Abundance movement has to crypto, artificial intelligence, Big Tech, and the fossil fuel industry.
But you don't need to see a conspiracy here to understand why, as a political project, the Abundance Agenda presents an electoral danger to the Democratic Party.
In 2024, Kamala Harris rejected a populist message and was lauded by Washington media for specifically running on an Abundance Agenda. Voters who've seen this kind of Democratic bait and switch before ended up trusting Trump more on economic issues — and handed him the presidency. Only months later, Abundance now aims to suppress Democrats' renewed populist zeitgeist, despite how necessary it is for the fight against Trump and Musk.
Right now, the Democratic Party is facing off against the most corrupt administration in history — a government of, by, and for billionaires that is using the rhetoric of “government efficiency” to dismantle popular social programs, fire veterans, let corporations run roughshod over working people, and slash taxes for oligarchs.
Ask yourself: Does it make more sense for Democrats to rebrand as the “fighting the oligarchs” party against corporate-created scarcity, highlighting a clear contrast with the Trump administration's top political vulnerabilities?
Or should they focus instead on the need to streamline bureaucracies and pare down red tape — a message that reifies Trump and Musk's own rhetoric around waste, fraud, and abuse?
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The answer should be abundantly clear.
Aaron Regunberg is a lawyer, contributing editor for The New Republic, and former Rhode Island state representative. David Sirota is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever.
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Haim have shared their second single in a month. “Everybody's Trying to Figure Me Out” is co-produced by Danielle Haim and longtime collaborator Rostam Batmanglij, and Justin Vernon is credited as a writer and composer of the track, alongside the Haim sisters and Rostam. Take a listen below.
Prefacing the song on Instagram yesterday, Danielle Haim wrote that it is her favorite that she has written “in the last couple years. “Writing it,” she added, “has gotten me through some hard times, and we felt this might be of some use to get our vibes right for this summer! I started writing this after a panic attack I had the night I got home from tour. I was very confused because I was SO SO SO happy about our incredible tour, but something about being alone with myself scared the shit out of me. after a lot of reflecting I realized I've let a lot of people try and tell me how I should live my life, but I realized in making everyone else happy, I lost myself. I wrote this as a way to believe in myself again and quit being scared to do what I want. I hope this finds anyone who needs it.”
The new single follows last month's “Relationships,” also produced by Rostam and Danielle Haim. Both songs—their first since contributing “Home” to Barbie the Album—will appear on a forthcoming album, their press releases suggest.
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When people make movies and TV shows about dying, they tend to really be movies and TV shows about living. Sure, one could argue that every story is about death — some are just better at hiding it than others — but death is still a massive bummer. No one wants to think about the agonizing, beat by beat breakdown of our bodies' breaking down, so if we have to get into it, why not do so in a way that inspires the living to live better lives?
Typically, these kind of stories see dying characters thrust into the fight of their life, for their life. Or they set out to right whatever wrongs they've committed (before it's too late). Or, free from the burden of protecting a future they won't get to see, they turn inward to discover who they actually are.
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“Dying for Sex,” Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether's limited series about a 40-year-old woman diagnosed with terminal cancer, lands very much in the latter camp. While there's some peripheral acknowledgement of death's practical difficulties (financial imperatives, bureaucratic time-sucks, unpredictable mental and physical changes), the eight episodes don't let the weight of those debilitating details disrupt the frothy tenor its platonic rom-com prioritizes instead. “Dying for Sex” isn't morbidly fixated on death, like some may fear given its title and subject matter (and others may expect, given those same components). Instead, it's chronically devoted to life, what makes it worth living, who you should live it with, and why our greatest obstacle to happiness is so often ourselves.
Fittingly enough, “Dying for Sex” begins with the bad news: During a couples therapy session with Steve (Jay Duplass), her husband, Molly (Michelle Williams) gets a call from her doctor informing her a recent biopsy on her hip came back cancerous. The disease has already metastasized to her bones, which makes it inoperable and thus incurable. She is going to die. There's no trial drug they can put her on, no emergency procedure that can prolong her life. Molly has less than five years to live, likely much less, and the show doesn't entertain any other possible endings.
So what does she do? First, she abandons her therapy session, calls her best friend, Nikki (Jenny Slate), to come pick her up, and buys a sickly-green bottle of off-brand diet soda from the convenience store across the street. These actions are carried out automatically, without thinking, but they're also revealing. When given an accelerated countdown on your remaining days, some people's impulses may lead them to rash decisions. But Molly's instincts are dead on: Her immediate reaction is a microcosm of the rest of the show — illustrating what she needs, who she needs, and why she needs them.
1.) After leaving Steve with their counselor, she leaves Steve for good. Their marriage has devolved into a sexless space somewhere above mutual disdain but beneath mutual attraction. He's a great caretaker — he proved as much two years prior, during Molly's first bout with cancer — but he clings to that role like a life preserver. When Molly tells Steve her cancer is back, his face conveys a mixture of relief and excitement. It's as if he's thinking, “Finally, no more couples therapy. No more complaints about our nonexistent sex life. No more made-up issues — we've got a real crisis to deal with!” But Molly is desperate to be seen as a person, not a patient, so that's it with Steve.
2.) After asking Nikki to come get her, she asks Nikki to stay by her side. “I told [Steve] I don't want to die with him,” Molly says to her. “I want to die with you.” As sad as that may sound, what Molly's really saying is that she wants to spend whatever time she has left with the person she actually loves the most, not the person society says she's supposed to love the most. Nikki means more to Molly than anyone else in the world, and even though she's “a beautiful flake” — disorganized, undependable, and generally unfit to be trusted with serious matters like her best friend's death — the risks of being looked after by a lesser nurse pale in comparison to the risks of delegating those duties to someone she doesn't want to spend that much time with.
3.) Then there's the ominous green beverage. Typically, buying bottom-shelf soda from a nameless corner store doesn't represent sound judgment, and when Steve sees her sipping it, he acts like she's slurping up literal poison. But Molly isn't trying to hurt herself. (If that was the case, she would've been slamming Four Lokos.) No, Molly is trying to find out what she likes. Something buried deep within her told her to go into that shop, to buy that dubious drink, and to keep drinking it even when the aftertaste proves “unbelievably bad.” The quality isn't what matters here. It's Molly's willingness to listen to what her body tells her it wants, no matter how scary it may seem (and how unpleasant it proves to be).
In the moment, Molly's body wanted a Good Value Diet Soda, but in the long run (or, as long as she's going to get), what Molly's body really wants is an orgasm. Most of “Dying for Sex” is dedicated to her quest to climax with another person — she's never done it before, in large part because she's never been brave enough to discover what she wants, what she likes, and why. To do so now, with the freedom bestowed by her prognosis, means dating apps, random hook-ups, and lots of experimentation. It means clubs and parties, support groups, and sharing the thoughts you're barely brave enough to think. (Molly's inner monologue plays out in selective voiceover, which mostly works.) It means listening to her extremely progressive palliative care social worker, Sonya (Esco Jouléy), who's super eager to help Molly discover her intimate interests.
To say “Dying for Sex” is sex-positive would be an understatement. It draws a direct line between pure physical pleasure and authentic self-actualization; between knowing what you want and understanding who you are. What keeps us from reaching our richest selves, however, isn't as clean-cut. There are basic, universal hurdles to sexual fulfillment — personal and societal shame tend to loom largest — but there are also individual challenges requiring a more targeted psychological excavation. Maybe you were raised by a religion that taught you sex was wrong outside the confines of marriage. Maybe you were raised by toxic male role models. Maybe you were the victim of toxic male role models.
Which brings us back to Molly and how the opening scene of “Dying for Sex” sets up the whole show. In recapping to Nikki how she found out she was dying, Molly doesn't remember why or when she decided to do anything that led her to sitting on some empty crates outside a bodega, sipping Good Value Diet Soda from an non-recyclable plastic jug. Instead, she remembers seeing herself as a 7-year-old girl, dancing in a pink leotard. The adolescent version of Molly was making fun of the adult Molly for wasting her life, which helps explain her sudden urgency to make the most of what she has left.
But there's another reason Molly sees herself at that particular age. That was when her mother's boyfriend abused her. Molly's first sexual experience was a violation of trust and a manipulation of love. She blames him for knowingly taking joy away from her, and she sees him — a vague body with a blurred face — whenever her sexual experiences venture toward vulnerable, loving territory.
If all this sounds like a lot for eight half-hour episodes to juggle, Rosenstock and Meriwether make it look easy. While their preference to punctuate difficult dramatic scenes with silly comedic gags may rub some viewers the wrong way — for instance, one particularly painful recollection ends on a fart joke — but A) the most serious moments are given enough space to resolve on their own, and B) the humor works as a grounding force that keeps the show from discordantly drifting between tones.
Williams deserves a hefty portion of the credit for holding so many emotions together herself. As Molly, she has to perform an interpretive dance that conveys her deepest traumas. She's tasked with make-or-break lines like, “I don't want this virgin on my cancer journey,” and “Oh my god, did I just pretend my vagina has a Scottish accent?” She's sick and sad, ebullient and euphoric, questioning and clear-minded for the first time in her life, and all that's on top of the eclectic sex scenes spanning everything from flippant furry fantasies to achingly earnest love-making. Williams roots Molly's years-long saga in vivid, life-affirming, human characteristics that naturally emphasize the story's central thesis: that getting off together isn't just what makes life worth living; it is life.
Her supporting cast is an embarrassment of riches, starting with Slate, whose screentime and depth nearly make Nikki a co-lead. At ease providing comic support yet just as steadily holding a simmering sadness for her dying friend, Slate's performance slots in nicely next to Williams. Never once do you question their bond, nor how it could've been forged in the years before we meet each friend.
Sissy Spacek swoops in for a daunting confrontation with her daughter. Rob Delaney, flexing his comically curt “Catastrophe” muscles without overpowering his co-stars, exudes slovenly charisma as Molly's unnamed “neighbor guy.” Duplass makes for a pitch-perfect know-it-all Brooklynite, just as David Rasche impeccably plays a well-intentioned doctor whose wanting bedside manner improves along with his affection for Molly. That the finale brings in an absolute ringer for a delicate monologue about death (delivered with the giddiness of a kid on Christmas morning) is the cherry on top of casting director Jeannie Bacharach's sundae.
At times, “Dying for Sex” may mirror various cancer-centered stories that came before it, from broad comedies like “The Bucket List” to Sundance breakouts like “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” not to mention other classic (“Terms of Endearment”) and contemporary weepers (“We Live in Time”). (For me, “50/50” kept coming to mind.) But unlike many of the movies I just mentioned, Molly's femininity isn't filtered through a bereft boyfriend's point of view. (Her break-up with Steve could even be read as taking deliberate distance from such stories.) It's not even open to their typical wallowing.
“No cancer pity face!” Molly thinks to herself during the premiere, not-speaking her disdain for politeness on autopilot into existence. She doesn't have time for that shit. She's got a mission to accomplish, and her journey toward shared satisfaction gives “Dying for Sex” a driving focus. Toss in a few subtle critiques of outdated approaches to end-of-life care and societal prejudice against women, and “Dying for Sex” does more than enough to distinguish itself. Like a life well-lived, it acts as exuberant encouragement for the rest of us to follow Molly's lead — while we still can.
“Dying for Sex” premieres Friday, April 4 on Hulu. All eight episodes will be released at once.
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Val Kilmer's family issued a statement Thursday thanking the public for celebrating the actor's legacy following his death earlier this week at the age of 65.
“Thank you for honoring our extraordinary father's memory,” Kilmer's adult children, Mercedes and Jack, said in the statement (via People). “We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated. At this time, we would like to grieve privately.”
Following Kilmer's death from pneumonia on Tuesday, there has been an outpouring of tributes to The Doors actor from his Hollywood peers and co-stars, including Josh Brolin, Cher, and Jim Carrey, who said of his Batman Forever co-star, “I'm remembering Val Kilmer today with great admiration for him as a man and as a generational talent who left us an enviable legacy of indelible acting performances. His greatest artistic achievements were rivaled only by the grace and courage with which he endured his life's most challenging moments.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kilmer's Tombstone co-star Kurt Russell reminisced about their time on set together. “I thought his performance was one of his best,” Russell said. “We were always in cahoots. We were always thinking the same thing. That was a big part of why I had such a great time working with him. It was a collaboration in a lot of ways that is a wonderful thing to have.”
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On Thursday at Las Vegas' CinemaCon, Tom Cruise, who appeared alongside Kilmer in a pair of Top Gun films, led a moment of silence for the late actor. “I'd like to take a moment before we get started today to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer,” Cruise said.
“I can't tell you how much I admired his work and him as a human being, how grateful and honored I was that he joined Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick. I think it would be really nice if we could just have a moment all together and just take a moment because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us with his performances with his films. If we could just all take a moment and just think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.”
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“Sinners” is about to take a bite out of the spring film calendar in 2025.
Ryan Coogler's ambitious big swing “Sinners” marks the “Black Panther” director's first original project, out from under the weight of I.P., since his 2013 Sundance sensation “Fruitvale Station” put him on the map. The 38-year-old mega talent has had an impressive run directing both “Black Panther” movies along with the Rocky spinoff “Creed” (2015), while also producing that film's two sequels — all major box office coups. But he wrote the Warner Bros. supernatural horror epic “Sinners,” out April 18, from his own idea, and first reactions are already praising a vision that welds classic vampire mythology to the metastasizing racism underlying the mid-century American South.
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“Black Panther” and “Creed” star Michael B. Jordan plays dual roles as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, each representing their own side of a coin of good and corrupt. They're also World War I veterans who return in the 1930s to their Jim Crow-era Mississippi hometown after working for Al Capone in Chicago, where they left behind a gang war in flames.
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But after purchasing an abandoned Mississippi mill from a white supremacist to set up a music hall, they're in for way more than they planned on as supernatural events (which we won't spoil!) throw a planned evening of revelry and bluegrass into bloody, gory chaos. Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Catone, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Delroy Lindo, Lola Kirke, and Saul Williams also lead the cast.
IndieWire's Jim Hemphill wrote, “SinnersMovie is a bold blast, easily one of my favorite studio releases of the last 10 years. Can't wait to see it in 70mm at my favorite first run theater!” — referencing the film's upcoming run at the Vista Theater in Los Angeles.
Next Best Picture editor-in-chief Matt Neglia wrote, “SINNERS is a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience from the mind of Ryan Coogler. What begins as a deep Southern gangster period piece soon transforms into a harrowing fight for survival and spiritual freedom against a ruthless clan of vampires. And it's absolutely awesome!!”
The Wrap senior writer Drew Taylor wrote, “Dear lord I loved this movie. Maybe my favorite Ryan Coogler movie — so scary and thoughtful and emotional and bold. Michael B Jordan is genuinely incredible but the standout is newcomer Miles Canton. Ludwig's score is next level. What an astounding achievement.”
Variety senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay wrote that it's “one of the best and sexiest vampire joints in ages. Miles Caton blew me away and Michael B. jordan is incredible. Ryan Coogler is insanely talented for giving us this film. Ludwig Goransson's score is one of his best. Don't miss this!”
Critic Peter Gray wrote, “#Sinners is exactly the vampire joint you'd expect Ryan Coogler to make. The way he interweaves music to make it its own character is masterful. Michael B. Jordan is superb, Jack O'Connell enjoyably unsettling, Hailee [Steinfeld] a minx in the best way. Gory, horny, relevant.”
Screen Rant's Liam Crowley wrote, “SINNERS is the best film of the year (so far). Coogler + Michael B. got the sauce to a level you can't fathom. Every music number had me breathless – especially that oner. Shoutout authentic Irish tunes one time. WB has a hot new, original franchise on its hands.”
It's worth noting that Coogler — working on a budget of $90 million, staggering these days for an original horror movie — shot “Sinners” with cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw on 65mm film (using both Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX 65mm). She also shot “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” as well as the Gia Coppola films “The Last Showgirl,” “Mainstream,” and “Palo Alto.” Returning here, too, is Oscar-winning “Black Panther” composer Ludwig Göransson for a score as genre-crossing as the movie itself, one that blends a variety of influences that, at times, encompass the entire history of Black music into a single sequence.
How will “Sinners” play for commercially minded audiences? They will for sure turn up for a horror movie on its head that turns out to be so much more. Warners has had a bumpy recent run with filmmaker-driven visions like “Joker: Folie à Deux” and “Mickey 17” failing to land as hoped, and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav allegedly shopping for replacements for film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. “Sinners” is one those filmmaker-forward projects executives embraced and shepherded. On the auteur side, Warners also has Paul Thomas Anderson's “One Battle After Another” coming in the fall.
“Sinners” opens from Warner Bros. April 18.
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Amazon Studios' head of global business operations, Dan Scharf, had an inauspicious start in Hollywood, but he's more than made up for it.
By
Claudia Rosenbaum
One fateful day in 1997, when Dan Scharf was a young attorney working as a public defender in Northern California, he spotted a job listing he thought might change his life. SAG in L.A. was looking for a lawyer. He typed up a résumé, stuffed it in a mailbox and crossed his fingers.
And he might have even gotten a response had he not written the wrong address on the envelope.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is not going to happen,' ” he recalls when he saw “return to sender” on the letter. “But then I decided, ‘Screw it.' I fixed the address and put it back in the mail.”
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It was an inauspicious start to what would ultimately become a stellar legal career in Hollywood. Nearly 35 years later, Scharf is now one of the most successful in-house attorneys in town, serving stints not just at SAG — which finally did get his résumé and hired him the same day — but at a range of studios, from Fox to Disney to Amazon, where for the past 11 years he's been running the legal show, currently as head of global business operations.
“Eleven years is no small feat,” he says, noting that “98.7 percent” of people now working at Amazon Studios “were hired after me.”
Early on, Scharf discovered his training as a public defender was surprisingly useful in the cutthroat world of entertainment law. The only difference was that instead of convincing juries in criminal cases, he had to talk creative executives out of bad decisions and tell agents why they should accept a deal. “I guess I kind of enjoy it,” he says. “There is a pleasure in arguing and convincing someone to your point of view.”
After spending a year at SAG, Scharf moved to Fox TV, then in 2002 to Disney, where two of his first deals were for High School Musical and Hannah Montana. He vividly recalls the day Miley Cyrus came to the office and sang to a group of executives in suits. “We were all like, ‘Who is this girl?' ” he says. “She was so gutsy.”
In 2006, he made the jump to the Jim Henson Co., working as general counsel and handling everything from film production to negotiating toy licenses. It was there that he first encountered Jeff Bezos' fledgling Amazon Studios, which at the time was interested in making a kids show with some of Henson's iconic IP.
“It never got made, but it got me on Amazon's radar,” Scharf says. “I guess I clicked the right box, because I got a job offer.”
When he joined Amazon Studios, he was just one of 40 employees working out of an office in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Scharf knew the job was risky because at the time just about every tech and e-commerce retailer was trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to jump into the content-creation business (even Overstock.com had announced its own streamer). Still, Scharf was willing to take the chance. “I just decided I wanted a change, took a shot and did it,” he says.
Today, he's sharing much tonier offices at Amazon Studios with a staff of more than 2,200. He recently closed the deals with MrBeast's team for Beast Games and for Scott Stuber to bring his shingle to Amazon to reignite the United Artists film label.
“Any time you get a chance to learn something, grab it with both arms,” he says, summing up his career philosophy. “You just don't know what's coming your way.” — C.R.
This story appeared in the April 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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By Diana Lodderhose
International Features Editor
Filmmaker Nia DaCosta said she had always wanted to make a Marvel movie because “she was a big comic book nerd growing up,” but revealed that the reality of directing the mega-budget 2023 studio film The Marvels was a far different experience than she could have imagined.
Speaking at Dublin's second annual screenwriting festival Storyhouse, the Little Woods and Candyman director admits that when she came aboard to direct The Marvels she “stepped into a system” and she had to “lean into the process.”
“They had a date, and they were prepping certain things, and you just have to lean into the process hardcore,” she said during a detailed conversation with filmmaker Kate Dolan. “The way they make those films is very different to the way, ideally, I would make a film, so you just have to lean into the process and hope for the best. The best didn't happen this time but you kind of have to trust in the machine.
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“It was interesting because there was a certain point when I was like, ‘Ok, this isn't going to be the movie that I pitched or even the first version of the movie that I shot' so I realised that this is now an experience and it's learning curve and it really makes you stronger as a filmmaker in terms of your ability to navigate.”
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The Marvels was the lowest grossing film in the MCU after it was released in 2023, with net losses of the film sitting around $237M.
After the experience, DaCosta said she felt compelled to make something that would be almost an antidote to the studio system and the writer-director decided that her next project would be Hedda, her reimagining of Henrik Ibsen's famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler.
“I called my team, and I said that I need to make Hedda,” she said. “I had written it years ago and I said that I really needed to go back to that because this isn't fulfilling in the way I need it to be.”
The film stars Tessa Thompson, whom DaCosta had worked with on her debut feature Little Woods. It also stars Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nina Hoss and Nicholas Pinnock.
Ibsen's Hedda Gabler revolves around Hedda Tesman, a newlywed stifled by societal norms. Frustrated and trpped, she resorts to manipulation and destructive actions. As secrets unravel, the play explores themes of power, gender roles and the tragic consequences of societal expectations in the late 19th century.
DaCosta revealed to the audience that the Orion Pictures production was set to be released this October.
The filmmaker also touched on her other upcoming film, the second instalment of the upcoming 28 Years Later trilogy from Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. “I'm really proud of these movies,” she said, adding that her pitch for 28 Years Later was a “long conversations with producers.”
“I told them that I wasn't going to make a Danny Boyle movie because that would be impossible and also not of interest to me as a filmmaker,” she said, adding that she hopes that she has created a “fresh take” and “individual language” for the film she made.
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Jane Remover has officially shared their new album Revengeseekerz. Having never received an official release date, the singer-producer's 12-track follow-up to 2023's Census Designated includes the singles “JRJRJR” and “Dancing With Your Eyes Closed,” and features Detroit rapper Danny Brown on the track “Psychoboost.” The record is accompanied by a music video for new song “Angels in Camo,” which was directed by Jane Remover and Noah Sellers. Scroll down to watch it.
Jane Remover wrote, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered Revengeseekerz themself. They put out a steady stream of one-off singles throughout 2024—including “Dream Sequence,” “Flash in the Pan,” “How to Teleport,” and “Magic I Want U”—and, in February, shared the album Ghostholding under their new venturing moniker. Later this month, Jane Remover will hit the road for their Turn Up or Die Tour alongside deadAir labelmate Dazegxd. Listen to Revengeseekerz below.
Revisit Sam Goldner's review of “JRJRJR,” which we named Best New Track, and read about Jane Remover's 2021 album Frailty at No. 33 on “The 100 Best Albums of the 2020s So Far.”
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The feature about a rag-tag team of anti-heroes and villains also stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour and Wyatt Russell.
By
Chris Gardner
True to the misfit nature of the characters they play in Thunderbolts, the stars of Marvel's upcoming film — Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hannah John-Kamen and Wyatt Russell — made an unconventional entrance at CinemaCon on Thursday.
Entering from the back of the Colosseum inside Caesars Palace (rather than stage right or left), they meandered down the aisle and blamed a clearly disheveled Russell for the delay, as he was presumably having a little too much fun in Las Vegas. They eventually made it to the stage for some quick banter (and a few adorably flubbed lines from Pugh) before introducing an electric and extended nearly five minute look at the film.
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The cast of #Thunderbolts* arrives at @CaesarsPalace in a certified Red Guardian's Limo Service limo ahead of #CinemaCon! pic.twitter.com/spdOuTwKL4
The #Thunderbolts* had quite the #CinemaCon entrance in Las Vegas! pic.twitter.com/qjIzvCbCGv
Pugh called the crew “our new team of glorious misfits” during her brief comments, and said the film offered her the chance to jump off the second tallest building in the world. “Such a special time with so many unique experiences,” she added. Missing from the main stage were Sebastian Stan, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Edward Pierce.
The footage opens in the city as Bucky Barnes and Red Guardian are driving a truck with Yelena, Ghost and John Walker seated in the back (and trading comments about Walker's hat). Red Guardian tries to convince Bucky of how similar they are and how they could be co-leaders. Then they arrive at their destination and Red Guardian asks for the “secret plan” only to find out very quickly that Bucky's blueprints just call for them to drive straight into the building, crashing through the front door.
They are greeted by a blaze of gunfire as an action sequence unfolds, until Louis-Dreyfus's Valentina says over the loudspeakers that she left the door unlocked for them to come upstairs. Valentina dishes out a number of insults, calling John Walker a “junior varsity Captain America,” telling Yelena that she looks awful and calling Red Guardian and “old Santa.” “You are all so adorable,” she continues. “I send you down there to kill each other, but instead you make nice and form a team.”
Bucky goes to attack Valentina but she says, “I'm not alone.” A villain then comes down the stairs as the Thunderbolts realize they have met a match.
As previously reported, the tagline for the upcoming pic goes like this: “Everyone deserves a second shot.” And that includes its rag tag bunch. The full logline: “Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it's too late?”
Thunderbolts hits on May 2, marking one of three features Marvel to hit big screens in 2025 including Captain America: Brave New World and Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is coming on July 25. The latter film also got a reveal during Disney's CinemaCon presentation.
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Last week, people across the UK were baffled by a bright, spinning orb in the night sky. The unusual sighting sparked speculation about a UFO, with some parents reporting that their children were frightened by the spectacle.
However, experts quickly attributed the phenomenon to the launch of a SpaceX rocket. Photos and videos shared online showed the light spinning across the sky, prompting many to take to social media to ask what it was.
The strange circular light was seen not only in Greater Manchester but also in Derbyshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and other parts of the UK, including the south, causing a stir on social media. Witnesses reacted with a mix of amazement and alarm, with one person exclaiming, "Pretty certain I just saw a UFO. Did anyone else see it?"
A second person asked, "Has anyone else just seen this over Radcliffe in the sky because me and the kids are freaked out." Others described the sight as "Anyone seen the strange moving objects in the sky? 8 pm. One bright thing with white misty rings round it. Moving slow for ages then completely disappeared, moving slow for ages then completely disappeared,"
Some observers joked about the sighting, with one quipping, "It's Batman's new call sign" and another musing, "It's a worm hole to Alpha Centauri. Opens to allow aliens safe passage to earth.", reports the Express.
The sky's mysterious performance sent social media into meltdown, as users were puzzled by the sight. One person exclaimed online: "Did anyone else just see this swirling thing in the sky? It was spinning round and then went off into the distance."
Another flummoxed Twitter user promptly added to the conversation, saying: "What have we just seen??? It was moving and then faded away after about 2 mins, and there were other small what looked like stars moving around it too."
Interestingly, the baffling appearance of the aerial phenomenon matches up with SpaceX's deployment of a US spy satellite last week, providing a plausible reason for the display, as noted by the Manchester Evening News. The secretive payload, termed NROL-69, was sent aloft via a Falcon 9 rocket from the turf of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida shortly after 1:45 pm.
The mission was on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). This isn't the first instance of spiral-caused amazement; back in 2023, a similar extraordinary event captured attention across parts of the USA when a SpaceX rocket shedding unneeded fuel post-launch from California created an unexpected whirl in the sky.
The shedding process resulted in a solidified vapor cloud illuminated by the sun, manifesting the peculiar spectacle known as the spiral anomaly. The terrifying sight come as astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams revealed their real thoughts on staying in space for a whopping 286 days.
FOX News Channel's (FNC) Bill Hemmer did a live interview from the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, just two weeks after Wilmore and Williams touched down back on Earth. The two told Fox about how they managed to stay focused on doing their jobs, still love space, don't blame Boeing, and would "go back."
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The colorful swirls and stripes that characterize China's Rainbow Mountains would have remained hidden without the epic tectonic collision that created the Himalayas.
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Name: Rainbow mountains
Location: Zhangye Danxia National Geopark, Gansu, China
Coordinates: 38.96080921027964, 100.07034421783024
Why it's incredible: The mountains' folded rocks form stunning rainbow patterns.
As the name suggests, China's Rainbow Mountains are multicolored formations in the northwest of the country. The landscape in this region is otherworldly, with vibrant bands that look like they were spray-painted onto the rocks.
The Rainbow Mountains are located in the foothills of the rugged Qilian mountains and likely formed around the same time as the Himalayas, approximately 50 million years ago, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. Land that was once relatively flat was scrunched up and folded into jagged terrain when the Indian tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian plate. This was because these plates have a similar rock density, so neither could slip beneath the other to form a subduction zone, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
But the basis for the mountains' rainbow pattern was laid long before the epic collision.
Related: Massive tectonic collision causing Himalayas to grow may also be splitting Tibet apart
The Rainbow Mountains are made of sandstone and siltstone — sedimentary rocks that form when sand and silt, respectively, are compacted and cemented together over long periods of time. These rocks — with their bands of different colors — were deposited before the Himalayas formed.
The colorful bands are the result of iron and other trace minerals in the stone. Each band has a different composition that determines its pigment. For example, the deep red stripes are rich in iron oxides, the yellow layers contain abundant iron sulfide and the green bands hold more chlorite and iron silicates, according to a 2016 article in Forbes.
Iron and other minerals accumulated in the rock while the sand and silt grains were still cementing together. Groundwater circulating in the pore space between the grains deposited the minerals, coating each grain and further gluing the rocks together.
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The slanted bands we see on the flanks of the Rainbow Mountains today are upturned layers that would have remained buried and horizontal had the Indian and Eurasian plates not smashed into each other. The bunching of the land by plate tectonics was followed by intense erosion, which wiped away any sediment covering the colorful layers. Luckily for modern visitors, there is no vegetation to obscure the striking rainbow pattern.
The Rainbow Mountains are a popular tourist attraction. They are protected as part of the Zhangye Danxia National Geopark, but visitors can climb to the top of the hills and admire the view using wooden stairs and platforms.
Discover more incredible places, where we highlight the fantastic history and science behind some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth.
Sascha is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Southampton in England and a master's degree in science communication from Imperial College London. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and the health website Zoe. Besides writing, she enjoys playing tennis, bread-making and browsing second-hand shops for hidden gems.
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"I touched something slimy and wet. When I tried to retract my hand, there was tension, as though someone were sucking my finger..."
BuzzFeed Staff
"She was looking at pictures of my great-grandparents at the time, and I walked over, got excited, pointed at my great-grandmother, and said she was the 'old lady.' My great-grandmother was the one who played and talked with me earlier that day and found my toy!
My great-grandmother died about 15 years before I was born, but my mother said I was extremely insistent that she was the 'lady.'"
—u/PickleManAtl
"There was always a dim blue light bulb hanging from a tree. Occasionally, someone would blow a whistle, and I would have to wake up and climb into one of the tanks. After several of these 'wake-ups,' I would grab my blanket and crawl into the tank to sleep.
I told my dad about my dream, and he said, 'That was me.' Apparently, I was seeing what he saw during his time in the military — even though he never told war stories."
—u/BobT21
"I turned my head and saw myself lying there with my eyes closed. I lifted my hands and saw they had become transparent. Something in my head said, 'Don't get up. Don't get up,' so I didn't. I laid my transparent self back into my body and jumped out of bed, physically intact. My heart was racing, and I ran out of the room. It has happened only once since then.
To me, it was not a dream. Something strange certainly happened."
—u/ObligationGrand8037
"We were both shocked because we didn't know there was a house on this land. I told my brother to hide behind a tree as I cautiously walked up to the house and peeked in the window.
The house was completely empty. It had wood floors, and I could see the sunlight shining on the floor from an opposite window. I returned to my brother and told him no one lived there, so we returned home and told our parents about it. They told us there were no houses out there, but we insisted there were. Finally, my dad told us to take him to the house. We knew exactly where we had seen it, but when we took my parents there, it was gone. We were so confused! The only thing there was an old garbage dump as if someone had lived there years ago.
We never figured out why we saw a house there, and we never saw it again. My brother and I still talk about it to this day."
—u/WillowsMummy
"The only way to get to her home was by cab. So my sister and I sat in the backseat while the driver, my mother, and my father sat in the front seat. (I was behind the driver).
At one point, the driver took a curb too quickly, and my door flew open. I fell halfway out of the car and could see hundreds of feet down the cliff. I was paralyzed by fear when I felt a man's strong hands pulling me back into the car.
Nearly 60 years later, I don't remember what I thought about it at the time, but when I've reflected on it since then, I can't figure out who pulled me back in. The driver was obviously driving, my father was too far away on the other side of the car to reach me, and in any case, both of them were too tightly wedged in on either side of my mother to be able to turn around, let alone reach the backseat."
—u/Anonymous0212
"I always visited my favorite uncle who lived on the Fox River in McHenry, Illinois, during the summer. The only issue was that there were no kids my age. But luckily, one day, while fishing, I spotted some kids across the river, so I decided to swim over to talk to them.
I was a pretty good swimmer, so I started across. The Fox River had lots of fishing boats, ski boats, and speedboats. When I was about halfway across, I heard that nightmarish buzzing sound and immediately knew what I had to do — swim as down as deep as possible! At that moment, a speedboat raced above me. After that, I didn't have any more buzzing nightmares."
—u/cybeaux
"The next night, I felt safe because whatever had been living in the closet was gone. I was sleeping well when I suddenly heard my (pesky) brother screaming, but I just smiled and went back to sleep. It seemed fair that the monster decided to terrorize my brother, who always terrorized me.
The next day, my brother was ranting and raving about the monster in HIS closet — I was the only one who believed him but said nothing. I don't recall how long the monster lived in his closet, but it must have moved on eventually."
—u/GoldCoastCat
"It was 50 years ago, and my brain still tries to go back and figure out what I saw and how a 'mind wipe' could have happened. I will never speak about it out loud because how could I put that into words without sounding like I believe in 'woo-woo' stuff? I'm very open-minded, but there are things I don't believe."
—u/sugarcatgrl
"The phone rang again (this was 1969, so it was a landline); I repeated, 'Grandpa had a stroke,' and my father got up and answered the phone. His brother was calling to tell him their father had had a stroke.
Puberty apparently switched on my psychic abilities because 55 years later, I have had hundreds of incidents, although I didn't understand what was going on at first. I don't think my father believed in my 'abilities,' but my mother was open-minded about them."
—u/Anonymous0212
"As I lay tossing and turning, I decided to stick my hand into the crack between the bed and the wall — I was probably trying to find a toy that had rolled under the bed earlier in the day.
So I stuck my hand into the crack, as far down as I could reach (which wasn't very far). I didn't feel anything, so I slowly moved my hand along the crack to see if I had any luck there. Suddenly, my finger touched something wet and slimy, and when I tried to retract my hand, there was a bit of tension, as though something was sucking on my finger. I heard a slight pop, and my hand was free. I quickly shoved both hands under my body, didn't move the rest of the night, and said a prayer for the toy that I would never look for again.
No idea what would have been under my bed. We didn't have pets or any other siblings, and my parents were either in the living room or their bedroom."
—u/Bullwinkle932000
"Then, while I was visiting my grandmother once, my mother made my father paint my bedroom pink. I hated it. I continued to dream the same dream and would wake up shaking. Years later, as I was riding my bike up a hill, I looked behind me and saw a German Shepherd behind the screen door of a house. Remembering my dream, I pedaled faster, but it burst through the door, ran up the hill, and bit my leg. I stopped dreaming the dream after the dog bite.
That was the first time I remember dreaming of something that came true. As my life went on, I dreamt about many things that would later happen, so I learned to trust the dreams."
—u/Menemsha4
"It was a clear evening around 4-5 o'clock, but when I asked my sisters if they could see it, both said no and told me I was seeing things.
I know what I saw, and apparently, I was the only one who could see it."
—u/thai-stik-admin
"I never talked about it until my mom was dying; we were talking and got on the topic of dreams, and I brought it up (assuming it was a dream). Suddenly, her eyes got big, and she said, 'I remember that dream!' Then she asked me how I remembered it, and she described that she was holding me, and my dad was standing next to us. We marveled about it and assumed it must have been a memory of something that really happened. I asked her to describe it in more detail, but she told me she was having a hard time remembering. Since she was ill and sleeping a lot, I didn't push her to talk about it further.
To this day, the image is in my memory, and it could possibly still have been just a dream, but my mom said she remembered it, and that freaks me out. Maybe she was messing with me, but under the circumstances, I don't think she was. If it wasn't a dream, then I don't know what the hell it was because it didn't look natural."
—u/RickSimply
"As was typical, my sister and I got into a fight, and she stomped off into the house. I stayed out there by myself and was going to brave it alone. Suddenly, as if a switch had been turned on, there was an incredibly bright light over the tent. There was no way it was a '70s flashlight because it was blinding through the tent. I have no idea what it could have been. There was total silence, as well, so it wasn't a helicopter, and I didn't hear footsteps or our dog. It probably lasted 10-15 seconds, but it felt longer. Then it just turned off.
I think I lay there for a few minutes, stunned, and then sprinted into the house. Super weird."
—u/Daintysaurus
"So, when I was 13, my mother and I walked down, and we were about 10 feet away from the water coming up on a breaker when the light from our flashlight landed on two teens sitting on a pylon. They turned and looked at us, and we instinctively pointed the light to the sand so as not to continue shining it in their face.
When our eyes adjusted and we were nearly even with where they were sitting, no one was there. No one had run away or jumped in, and there weren't any footprints. It was like we caught a glimpse of a moment, and poof, gone. We were only a few steps away from them.
We've rehashed it over the years, but we both know what we saw, what they were wearing, how they moved, and even the shine of the light in the whites of their eyes. It was so brilliantly real."
—u/IWantAStorm
"Fast forward to a few hours later, we were ready to go home because darkness was setting in, so we returned to the tracks. We walked along the same cliff area, and what we saw made us freeze.
At the base of the cliff, there was a glowing blue figure who looked like a gangster from the 1930s. The figure didn't gesture or anything; it just looked at us, but then it started moving towards us. All five of us ran like death itself was chasing us. Finally, we made it to a road crossing with more light and stopped to catch our breath when we all turned to look back and saw the blue figure standing on the tracks, staring at us with its hands on his hips. We continued to run until we got home.
In the years since I've casually discussed this with friends who were with me that evening, and we all agreed that this actually happened. I can only speculate, but I discovered there that in the early days of automobiles, there were many crashes off that cliff."
—u/xgrader
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
After a six-year hiatus, Northside Bizarre is making a long-awaited comeback in October. What can we expect from the community fundraiser?
Written by Maryel Sousa.
For nearly a decade, the kink-and-fetish event hosted by The Laird was a favourite among locals.
As the community rallied together to raise money for Thorne Harbour Health.
In the later years, the Folsom-inspired fundraiser had expanded from the confines of The Laird.
Taking over the adjacent building and the section of Henry Street running between them.
Last month marks five years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted queer events across the country.
Since then, the future of Northside Bizarre has been uncertain.
Communications and Community Engagement Manager at Thorne Harbour Health Cal Hawk is excited to share its return.
“Northside Bizarre was one of those events we simply couldn't produce during COVID,”
“There's no virtual equivalent to the one-day event that brings so many of our tribes together,” Cal said.
The beloved event was an end-of-year highlight, and its absence has been keenly felt.
“Northside Bizarre has always sat at this intersection between the kink community and supporting a community organisation that's committed to our collective wellbeing,” says Cal.
People often ask Northside Bizarre's organisers when the iconic street festival will return, and in 2025, their calls will be answered!
This year's Northside Bizarre promises something for everyone, from enthusiasts to newbies.
Historically folks could expect sausages sizzling at the VicBears BearBQ, the cheekily named ‘Masterbaker' baking comp between Melbourne's LGBTIQ+ sporting clubs and the Dykes on Bikes running the cloak and ID check.
Northside Bizarre is also an opportunity for people of all genders to enjoy a day at The Laird.
Attendees also have a chance to win various items auctioned in support of Thorne Harbour Health.
But the auction house relies on the generous support of local businesses, queer makers, and the like to donate items to go under the hammer.
“Most years we have more than 100 items go under the hammer,” says Cal.
“But that's only possible with the incredible support and donations from the community.”
One of the other popular sections of Northside Bizarre returning in 2025 is ‘Leather & Treasure'.
Where donations of secondhand leather and fetish gear are sold.
An excellent opportunity for curious minds to explore their kinky side for less.
Northside Bizarre will take place at The Laird Hotel and surrounds in Abbotsford.
“One thing that hasn't changed is the incredible partnership we have with The Laird,” says Cal.
“The team at The Laird have helped us raise tens of thousands of dollars over the years.”
“We simply couldn't do this event without them.”
While Northside Bizarre is, first and foremost, a fundraising event, there will certainly be some playful debauchery, too.
Past years have featured a mystery rubber pup collecting coins in his bucket.
Plus the infamous Eagle Leather dunk tank and inventive ways of auctioning off gear (think strip-teasing in a leather kilt).
Whatever this year brings, one thing is certain: Northside Bizarre 2025 will be one for the books.
Interested in getting involved?
Save the date!
Northside Bizarre will return on Saturday, October 11.
While making a good coin donation or bidding on auction items is always appreciated, Northside Bizarre is free to all who'd like to attend.
If you'd like to donate leather gear or something else for the auction, you can drop your items into a donation box at Thorne Harbour Health or The Laird.
Businesses who want to sponsor the event or donate a product to auction can email events@thornerharbour.org.
We look forward to seeing you at Northside Bizarre on Saturday, the 11th of October.
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