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Trump's baseline 10% tariff on all imports from many countries has begun, with higher levies on 57 trading partners to start next week
Here is a summary of the latest developments so far:
Donald Trump on Saturday doubled down on the sweeping tariffs he unleashed on countries around the world, warning Americans of pain ahead, but promising historic investment and prosperity. “We have been the dumb and helpless ‘whipping post', but not any longer. We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “This is an economic revolution, and we will win,” he added. “Hang tough, it won't be easy, but the end result will be historic.”
Trump's 10% tariff on UK products came into force on Saturday, as global stock markets continued to fall in response to the imposition of import taxes. The FTSE 100 plummeted on Friday in its worst day of trading since the start of the pandemic, while markets on Wall Street also tumbled. Australia, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are also among the countries first hit with the 10% tariff.
The initial 10% “baseline” tariff took effect at US seaports, airports and customs warehouses at 12.01am ET (0401 GMT). Many other countries will see their tariff rates increase above that next week – including the EU, which will be hit with a 20% rate. A 25% tariff imposed on all foreign cars imported into the US came into effect on Thursday.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed it will “pause” shipments to the US in April as it works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump's tariffs.
The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is expected to spend the weekend speaking to foreign leaders about the tariffs, after calls with the prime ministers of Australia and Italy on Friday in which the leaders agreed that a trade war would be “extremely damaging”.
Downing Street said that Starmer had “been clear the UK's response will be guided by the national interest”. A spokesperson said officials will “calmly continue with our preparatory work, rather than rush to retaliate”.
Ralph Goodale, the high commissioner for Canada in the UK, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday that “action taken by the US government is completely illogical”. He added: “It will damage the United States itself.”
The Italian economy minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti, warned on Saturday against the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on the US in response to Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs on trade partners. Speaking at a business forum near Milan, Giorgetti said Italy was aiming for a “de-escalation” with the US. “We should avoid launching a policy of counter-tariffs that could be damaging for everyone and especially for us,” Giorgetti said.
The stock market plunge has more to do with the emergence this year of China's DeepSeek artificial intelligence tool than with Trump's policies, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said in an interview released on Friday that signalled little concern about the ongoing nosedive. “For everyone who thinks these market declines are all based on the president's economic policies, I can tell you that this market decline started with the Chinese AI announcement of DeepSeek,” Bessent told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Bangladesh's interim leader called an emergency meeting on Saturday after textile leaders in the world's second-largest garment manufacturing nation said US tariffs were a “massive blow” to the key industry. Trump on Wednesday slapped punishing new tariffs of 37 % on Bangladesh, increasing duties from the previous 16% on cotton and 32% on polyester products.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to visit the White House on Monday to discuss recently announced tariffs with Trump, three Israeli officials said on Saturday. As part of a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, unspecified Israeli goods exports to the US face a 17% tariff.
China has taken and will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, the foreign ministry said on Saturday, citing a Chinese government stance on opposing US tariffs. The US should “stop using tariffs as a weapon to suppress China's economy and trade, and stop undermining the legitimate development rights of the Chinese people”, the ministry said.
Nissan Motor is considering shifting some domestic production of US-bound vehicles to the US, the Nikkei reported on Saturday. As early as this summer, Nissan plans to reduce production at its Fukuoka factory in western Japan and shift some manufacturing of its Rogue SUV to the US to mitigate the impact of Trump's tariffs, the business newspaper said, without citing the source of its information.
The president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, met tech executives on Saturday to discuss how to respond to new US tariffs, promising to ensure Taiwan's global competitiveness and safeguard its interests. Lai met the executives at his official residence to discuss the response to “the global economic and trade challenges brought about by the reciprocal tariff policy”, his spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement. She did not say which companies were present, only that there were several representatives from the information and communications technology, or ICT, industry.
“Today, America is not only humiliating Iran, but also the world,” the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said on Saturday, in an apparent reference to recent policies adopted by Trump, including imposing tariffs on imported goods. Pezeshkian said his country was willing to engage in dialogue with the US as equals, without clarifying whether Tehran would participate in direct talks.
China has said “the market has spoken” in rejecting Trump's tariffs, and called on Washington for “equal-footed consultation” after global markets plunged in reaction to the trade levies that drew Chinese retaliation. Trump introduced additional 34% tariffs on Chinese goods as part of steep levies imposed on most US trade partners, bringing the total duties on China this year to 54%.
Away from tariff news, left-leaning organisations in the US say that more than 500,000 people are expected to take to the streets to protest in Washington DC, Florida and elsewhere around the country on Saturday to oppose Donald Trump's “authoritarian overreach and billionaire-backed agenda”. MoveOn, one of the organisations planning the day of protest they're calling Hands Off along with dozens of labour, environmental and other progressive groups, said that more than 1,000 protests are planned across the US, including at state capitols.
Donald Trump on Saturday doubled down on the sweeping tariffs he unleashed on countries around the world, warning Americans of pain ahead, but promising historic investment and prosperity. “We have been the dumb and helpless ‘whipping post', but not any longer. We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “This is an economic revolution, and we will win,” he added. “Hang tough, it won't be easy, but the end result will be historic.”
Trump's 10% tariff on UK products came into force on Saturday, as global stock markets continued to fall in response to the imposition of import taxes. The FTSE 100 plummeted on Friday in its worst day of trading since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, while markets on Wall Street also tumbled. Australia, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries also hit with the 10% tariff.
The initial 10% “baseline” tariff took effect at US seaports, airports and customs warehouses at 12.01am ET (0401 GMT). Many other countries will see their tariff rates increase above that next week – including the EU, which will be hit with a 20% rate. A 25% tariff imposed on all foreign cars imported into the US came into effect on Thursday.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed it will “pause” shipments to the US in April as it works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump's tariffs.
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron discussed their “concerns about the global economic and security impact, particularly in South East Asia” in the wake of Donald Trump's tariffs, Starmer's office said. In a post on X, Macron, said: “A trade war is in no one's interest. We must stand united and resolute to protect our citizens and our businesses.”
Elon Musk said he hoped in future to see complete freedom of trade between the US and Europe. He spoke via video-link at a congress in Florence of Italy's right-wing League party, which is part of the ruling coalition, Reuters reports. “At the end of the day, I hope it's agreed that both Europe and the United States should move, ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” said Musk.
Ralph Goodale, the high commissioner for Canada in the UK, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday that the “action taken by the US government is completely illogical”. He added: “It will damage the United States itself.”
The Italian economy minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti, warned on Saturday against the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on the US in response to Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs on trade partners. Speaking at a business forum near Milan, Giorgetti said Italy was aiming for a “de-escalation” with the US. “We should avoid launching a policy of counter-tariffs that could be damaging for everyone, and especially for us,” Giorgetti said.
The stock market plunge has more to do with the emergence this year of China's DeepSeek artificial intelligence tool than with Trump's policies, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said in an interview released on Friday that signalled little concern about the ongoing nosedive. “For everyone who thinks these market declines are all based on the president's economic policies, I can tell you that this market decline started with the Chinese AI announcement of DeepSeek,” Bessent told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Bangladesh's interim leader called an emergency meeting on Saturday after textile leaders in the world's second-largest garment manufacturing nation said US tariffs were a “massive blow” to the key industry. Trump on Wednesday slapped punishing new tariffs of 37 % on Bangladesh, increasing duties from the previous 16% on cotton and 32% on polyester products.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to visit the White House on Monday to discuss recently announced tariffs with Trump, three Israeli officials said on Saturday. As part of a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, unspecified Israeli goods exports to the US face a 17% tariff.
China has taken and will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, its foreign ministry said on Saturday, citing a Chinese government stance on opposing US tariffs. The US should “stop using tariffs as a weapon to suppress China's economy and trade, and stop undermining the legitimate development rights of the Chinese people”, the ministry said.
Nissan Motor is considering shifting some domestic production of US-bound vehicles to the US, the Nikkei reported on Saturday. As early as this summer, Nissan plans to reduce production at its Fukuoka factory in western Japan and shift some manufacturing of its Rogue SUV to the US to mitigate the impact of Trump's tariffs, the business newspaper said, without citing the source of its information.
The president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, met tech executives on Saturday to discuss how to respond to new US tariffs, promising to ensure Taiwan's global competitiveness and safeguard its interests. Lai met the executives at his official residence to discuss the response to “the global economic and trade challenges brought about by the reciprocal tariff policy”, his spokesperson, Karen Kuo, said in a statement. She did not say which companies were present, only that there were several representatives from the information and communications technologyindustry.
“Today, America is not only humiliating Iran, but also the world,” the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said on Saturday, in an apparent reference to recent policies adopted by Trump, including imposing tariffs on imported goods. Pezeshkian said his country was willing to engage in dialogue with the US as equals, without clarifying whether Tehran would participate in direct talks.
China has said “the market has spoken” in rejecting Trump's tariffs, and called on Washington for “equal-footed consultation” after global markets plunged in reaction to the trade levies that drew Chinese retaliation. Trump introduced additional 34% tariffs on Chinese goods as part of steep levies imposed on most US trade partners, bringing the total duties on China this year to 54%.
Keir Starmer is preparing to rethink key elements of the government's economic policy in an emergency response to Donald Trump's tariff blitz, amid growing concern in Downing Street that the US president's trade war could do lasting damage to the UK, writes Toby Helm and Phillip Inman.
The prime minister believes, say allies, that “old assumptions should be discarded” in the UK's response, suggesting he and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, may be preparing to raise taxes again – despite having promised not to do so – or even possibly change their “iron clad” fiscal rules to allow more borrowing and fire up economic growth at home in the event of recession.
Almost $5tn (£4tn) was wiped off the value of global stock markets after Trump launched his tariff offensive last Wednesday on the rest of the world, including a 10% base tariff on imports into the US from the UK.
On Friday, the FTSE 100 closed more than 7% lower than last Monday, after what was its worst week since the height of panic over the Covid pandemic in March 2020.
Underlining the potential impact on UK businesses of a global trade war, Britain's luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said on Saturday that it would “pause” shipments to the US in April as it considered how to respond. “As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions, including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans,” said JLR.
This week, Starmer, who has refused to criticise Trump or his tariffs directly, will focus on how to frame an economic response to a global economic shock that protects working people, and their incomes and jobs – as well as the UK's public services.
He believes that the last few days have ushered in a “new era”, that the “world has changed” and that a global trade war risks “undermining a proud, hard-working nation”.
In a post on X, France's president, Emmanuel Macron, said: “In these times of upheaval, one certainty remains: in the face of the world's great shocks, we must move forward together.
“Today, I spoke with British Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer, following my conversation two days ago with President @vonderleyen.
“As the global economy feels the impact of the tariffs imposed by the United States, we reaffirmed our determination to closely coordinate our positions in the ongoing discussions with President Donald Trump.
“A trade war is in no one's interest. We must stand united and resolute to protect our citizens and our businesses.”
Elon Musk said on Saturday he hoped in future to see complete freedom of trade between the US and Europe.
Musk spoke via video-link at a congress in Florence of Italy's right-wing League party, which is part of the ruling coalition, Reuters reports.
“At the end of the day, I hope it's agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” Musk said.
Under Trump's plans announced on Wednesday, Italy, which has a large trade surplus with the US, will be subject to a general tariff of 20% along with other EU countries.
Interviewed by League leader Matteo Salvini, Musk, who has repeatedly expressed support for right-wing parties across Europe, said he also hoped to see greater freedom of movement between Europe and the US.
“If people wish to work in Europe or wish to work in North America, they should be allowed to do so in my view,” Musk said, adding that this “has certainly been my advice to the president”.
The US president wants to revive the manufacturing sector with a mix of protectionist policies, tax cuts and deregulation. Higher tariffs on foreign imports are supposed to encourage investment by US companies and overseas businesses that want to avoid the tariffs.
The cash generated by the tariffs will be the source of funds for tax cuts, unlike Trump's first administration when tax cuts were funded, Liz Truss-style, by extra borrowing.
Rightwing groups that bankrolled Trump in 2024 want him to bring down debts, insisting the president work harder to balance the books. That's also the rationale behind cutting government staff numbers.
There is much more to Trump's tariff scheme. He has yet to apply tariffs to pharmaceuticals and rare-earth minerals. He also intends to end a “de-minimis” rule that allowed goods worth less than $800 (£620) into the US tariff free. The rule is widely considered to be something Chinese makers of household goods and clothes, such as Shein, exploit.
These extra tariffs are expected to be tailored so they hit China and affiliated countries the hardest.
A prolonged downturn in the US is a possibility that is rapidly becoming more certain as countries react to US tariffs with countermeasures of their own. China's rapid response, which was to impose a like-for-like 34% increase in import charges on US goods from 10 April, could be the start of a broader tit-for-tat that harms all major trading nations, including the UK.
Rachel Reeves cannot know the outcome for the UK because such sweeping protectionist policies have not been tried in the modern era. In the 1930s, most economic activity was generated by manufacturing and activities like mining, but today 75% of the UK economy is services, which are untouched directly by tariffs.
Still, there is the potential for economic growth to take a battering from the short-term shock and the uncertainty caused by the on-off tariff policy. Slower growth will undoubtedly force the government to review its tight spending rules.
If Keir Starmer rebuffs calls for retaliatory tariffs, inflation may fall. Oil and gas traders have already cut futures prices in the belief that there will be lower demand. Goods suppliers shut out of the US could look to redirect sales to the UK at a discounted rate. The government will be wary of allowing China and other badly hit countries in east Asia to dump goods, but it should, nonetheless, keep prices from rising.
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to visit the White House on Monday to discuss recently announced tariffs with the US president, Donald Trump, Reuters reports.
The impromptu in-person visit could mark the first by a foreign leader to meet with Trump and try to negotiate a deal to remove tariffs.
Netanyahu's office has not confirmed the visit that would also include discussions on Turkey's growing influence in neighbouring Syria, Iran, and Israel's war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, one of the officials said.
The visit was first reported by Axios.
Among the protesters in London was Clarke Reinstein, 73, from Rhode Island, who told the PA news agency he was “disappointed in my fellow Americans” over the election of Donald Trump.
“I've been in London for two months and I like being over here because people think a little differently,” he said.
“They made a mistake over Brexit – but they didn't fall over like the Americans have.”
A 37-year-old woman from Philadelphia was draped in the American flag that had been presented to her second world war veteran grandfather.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, told PA she was protesting because of the “absolute, mind-blowing insipidness” of Trump's presidency.
“I don't want to alienate the rest of the world,” she said.
“It's not going to be useful for anyone in the long run. I felt powerless and I needed to come out and say something.
“I have friends in the United States who are marching in protest, and I wanted to march with them in solidarity.”
Brent Robertson, 56, from Albuquerque, criticised Trump's tariffs.
Robertson said: “Stupid is not the word.
“He is shooting himself and all of us as Americans, just so he can make himself look like a tough guy.”
Some 1,200 demonstrations are planned across the US on Saturday in what organisers expect to be the largest single day of protest against president Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk since they launched a rapid-fire effort to overhaul government and expand presidential authority.
Thousands were streaming into downtown Washington DC as the protests got underway. Organisers told Reuters that more than 20,000 people were expected to attend the rally at the National Mall.
The protests in the US will give Trump opponents an opportunity to demonstrate their displeasure en masse in response to Trump's raft of executive orders.
Some 150 activist groups have signed up to participate, according to the event's website. Protests are planned in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Mexico and the UK.
Protesters were lining Connecticut Avenue in Washington DC, awaiting buses to take them downtown. They were carrying signs with slogans such as “No Kings in the USA” and “Deport Musk”.
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist from Princeton, New Jersey, was among hundreds who gathered early in front of the stage below the Washington Monument.
She said she drove down to attend the rally to protest Trump's policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education”.
“I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is,” she added.
David Madden, a 75-year-old army veteran and retired trial lawyer, said he flew from Dayton, Ohio, to demonstrate against “the injustice that is dominating this country, the institutions that are being stolen from the American people, the confusion in the courts, the fact that we have a population that I believe is essentially racist”.
Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs are roiling global financial markets, with stocks tumbling across the board from New York to London.
Wall Street suffered its worst week since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis five years ago as investors worldwide balked at the US president's risky bid to overhaul the global economy with the vast tariffs.
Experts are all but unanimous that the impact on global growth of Wednesday's extraordinary Rose Garden press conference will be negative – but just how bad remains highly uncertain.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will pause shipments of its UK-made cars to the US for a month as it considers how to mitigate the cost of Donald Trump's tariffs.
The 25% tariff imposed by the US on imported cars and light trucks took effect on 3 April.
A JLR spokesperson said: “The USA is an important market for JLR's luxury brands. As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are enacting our short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid to longer-term plans.”
JLR, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, is one of Britain's biggest producers, selling 400,000 Range Rover Sports, Defenders and other models annually.
Exports to the US account for almost a quarter of those sales and JLR is at the centre of Britain's car industry, accounting for £1 in every £8 of the country's exports.
The Sunday Times reported that JLR is thought to have a couple of months' supply of cars already in the US, which will not be subject to the new tariffs. Shipping vehicles across the Atlantic takes about 21 days.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in central London as part of global demonstrations against Donald Trump's administration.
Crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square on Saturday afternoon with banners that read “No to Maga hate” and “Dump Trump”.
The rally is one of hundreds of so-called “hands off” demonstrations around the world – including in cities across the US, Paris and Berlin.
The movement has been organised by more than 150 groups, including civil rights groups and trade unions.
A 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into America came into force on Thursday, and a wider “baseline” 10% tariff on goods imported from around the world kicked in on Saturday morning.
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron discussed their “concerns about the global economic and security impact, particularly in South East Asia” in the wake of Donald Trump's tariffs, Starmer's office said.
The UK's prime minister spoke to the French president on Saturday, the latest in a series of calls with world leaders following the announcement of the US levies.
Issuing a readout of the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke with President Macron following this week's announcement that the US will impose additional tariffs. They agreed that a trade war was in nobody's interests but nothing should be off the table and that it was important to keep business updated on developments.
“The prime minister and president also shared their concerns about the global economic and security impact, particularly in South East Asia.
“Following discussions between military planners in Ukraine this week, they discussed the good progress that has been made on the Coalition of the Willing.
“The prime minister and president agreed to stay in close contact over the coming weeks.”
Here is a summary of the latest developments so far:
Donald Trump on Saturday doubled down on the sweeping tariffs he unleashed on countries around the world, warning Americans of pain ahead, but promising historic investment and prosperity. “We have been the dumb and helpless ‘whipping post', but not any longer. We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “This is an economic revolution, and we will win,” he added. “Hang tough, it won't be easy, but the end result will be historic.”
Trump's 10% tariff on UK products came into force on Saturday, as global stock markets continued to fall in response to the imposition of import taxes. The FTSE 100 plummeted on Friday in its worst day of trading since the start of the pandemic, while markets on Wall Street also tumbled. Australia, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are also among the countries first hit with the 10% tariff.
The initial 10% “baseline” tariff took effect at US seaports, airports and customs warehouses at 12.01am ET (0401 GMT). Many other countries will see their tariff rates increase above that next week – including the EU, which will be hit with a 20% rate. A 25% tariff imposed on all foreign cars imported into the US came into effect on Thursday.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed it will “pause” shipments to the US in April as it works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump's tariffs.
The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is expected to spend the weekend speaking to foreign leaders about the tariffs, after calls with the prime ministers of Australia and Italy on Friday in which the leaders agreed that a trade war would be “extremely damaging”.
Downing Street said that Starmer had “been clear the UK's response will be guided by the national interest”. A spokesperson said officials will “calmly continue with our preparatory work, rather than rush to retaliate”.
Ralph Goodale, the high commissioner for Canada in the UK, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday that “action taken by the US government is completely illogical”. He added: “It will damage the United States itself.”
The Italian economy minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti, warned on Saturday against the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on the US in response to Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs on trade partners. Speaking at a business forum near Milan, Giorgetti said Italy was aiming for a “de-escalation” with the US. “We should avoid launching a policy of counter-tariffs that could be damaging for everyone and especially for us,” Giorgetti said.
The stock market plunge has more to do with the emergence this year of China's DeepSeek artificial intelligence tool than with Trump's policies, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said in an interview released on Friday that signalled little concern about the ongoing nosedive. “For everyone who thinks these market declines are all based on the president's economic policies, I can tell you that this market decline started with the Chinese AI announcement of DeepSeek,” Bessent told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Bangladesh's interim leader called an emergency meeting on Saturday after textile leaders in the world's second-largest garment manufacturing nation said US tariffs were a “massive blow” to the key industry. Trump on Wednesday slapped punishing new tariffs of 37 % on Bangladesh, increasing duties from the previous 16% on cotton and 32% on polyester products.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to visit the White House on Monday to discuss recently announced tariffs with Trump, three Israeli officials said on Saturday. As part of a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, unspecified Israeli goods exports to the US face a 17% tariff.
China has taken and will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, the foreign ministry said on Saturday, citing a Chinese government stance on opposing US tariffs. The US should “stop using tariffs as a weapon to suppress China's economy and trade, and stop undermining the legitimate development rights of the Chinese people”, the ministry said.
Nissan Motor is considering shifting some domestic production of US-bound vehicles to the US, the Nikkei reported on Saturday. As early as this summer, Nissan plans to reduce production at its Fukuoka factory in western Japan and shift some manufacturing of its Rogue SUV to the US to mitigate the impact of Trump's tariffs, the business newspaper said, without citing the source of its information.
The president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, met tech executives on Saturday to discuss how to respond to new US tariffs, promising to ensure Taiwan's global competitiveness and safeguard its interests. Lai met the executives at his official residence to discuss the response to “the global economic and trade challenges brought about by the reciprocal tariff policy”, his spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement. She did not say which companies were present, only that there were several representatives from the information and communications technology, or ICT, industry.
“Today, America is not only humiliating Iran, but also the world,” the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said on Saturday, in an apparent reference to recent policies adopted by Trump, including imposing tariffs on imported goods. Pezeshkian said his country was willing to engage in dialogue with the US as equals, without clarifying whether Tehran would participate in direct talks.
China has said “the market has spoken” in rejecting Trump's tariffs, and called on Washington for “equal-footed consultation” after global markets plunged in reaction to the trade levies that drew Chinese retaliation. Trump introduced additional 34% tariffs on Chinese goods as part of steep levies imposed on most US trade partners, bringing the total duties on China this year to 54%.
Away from tariff news, left-leaning organisations in the US say that more than 500,000 people are expected to take to the streets to protest in Washington DC, Florida and elsewhere around the country on Saturday to oppose Donald Trump's “authoritarian overreach and billionaire-backed agenda”. MoveOn, one of the organisations planning the day of protest they're calling Hands Off along with dozens of labour, environmental and other progressive groups, said that more than 1,000 protests are planned across the US, including at state capitols.
The stock market plunge has more to do with the emergence this year of China's DeepSeek artificial intelligence tool than with Donald Trump's policies, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said in an interview released on Friday that signaled little concern about the ongoing nosedive, reports Reuters.
“For everyone who thinks these market declines are all based on the president's economic policies, I can tell you that this market decline started with the Chinese AI announcement of DeepSeek,” Bessent told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
“If I were to analyse in my old hat, and this is the only time I'm going to talk about it … what's happening with the market I'd say it's more a Mag 7 problem, not a Maga problem,” Bessent, who ran a hedge fund until being tapped as treasury secretary by Trump, said.
“Mag 7” refers to the shares of the “Magnificent 7” – a group of seven high-performing tech stocks that had helped drive the market higher before its recent selloff. Maga refers to Trump's “Make America great again” political slogan.
US stocks have tumbled by about 10% in the two days after Trump announced a new global tariff regime that was more aggressive than analysts and investors had been anticipating.
It is a drop that market analysts and large investors themselves have laid at the feet of Trump's aggressive push on tariffs, which most economists and the head of the Federal Reserve believe risk stoking inflation and damaging economic growth, reports Reuters.
Stocks did take a hit in late January when Chinese startup DeepSeek launched a free AI assistant that it says uses less data at a fraction of the cost of incumbent services. It resulted in a record one-day loss of nearly $600bn in value from the shares of AI chipmaker Nvidia, one of the “Magnificent 7”. But the market soon found its footing again and by mid-February, the benchmark S&P 500 index had regained a record-high level.
Then stocks turned south again starting in late February after a widely followed survey of consumers showed households growing broadly pessimistic about the economy's prospects and fearful that Trump's push for tariffs would drive up inflation, reports Reuters.
A raft of other surveys of businesses and consumers since then have flagged similar concerns, and other data has shown the pace of activity has slowed over the course of the first quarter of 2025. The S&P has lost nearly 14% since 19 February, and nearly $10tn of US stock market value has been erased.
The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, has been dismissive of the drop as well.
Trump himself on Friday retweeted a social media post bearing the caption “Trump is Purposely CRASHING The Market” and featuring images of the president pointing at a large downward red arrow and of him signing executive orders at the White House.
Meanwhile, Bessent also told Carlson the administration retains a “strong dollar” policy and dismissed assertions by some analysts that the tariff drive was a deliberate effort to weaken the dollar to make US goods more competitive on global markets.
“No one should listen to anyone in the markets talk about the US dollar other than President Trump or myself,” Bessent said. “We are the only ones that speak for this administration, the United States government on dollar policy.”
“We have a strong-dollar policy and we are putting in all of the necessary ingredients to make sure the dollar is strong over the long run,” he said.
The dollar has shed nearly 6% of its value against major trading partners' currencies since Trump's inauguration on 20 January, reports Reuters.
Donald Trump on Saturday doubled down on the sweeping tariffs he unleashed on countries around the world, warning Americans of pain ahead, but promising historic investment and prosperity.
The comments came as the US president's widest-ranging tariffs took effect in a move that could trigger retaliation and escalating trade tensions that could upset the global economy.
“We have been the dumb and helpless ‘whipping post,' but not any longer. We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
“This is an economic revolution, and we will win,” he added. “Hang tough, it won't be easy, but the end result will be historic.”
A 10% “baseline” tariff came into place just after midnight, hitting most US imports except goods from Mexico and Canada as Trump invoked emergency economic powers to address perceived problems with the country's trade deficits.
The trade gaps, said the White House, were driven by an “absence of reciprocity” in relationships and other policies like “exorbitant value-added taxes”.
Come 9 April, about 60 trading partners – including the European Union, Japan and China – are to face even higher rates tailored to each economy.
Already, Trump's sharp 34%tariff on Chinese goods, to kick in next week, triggered Beijing's announcement of its own 34% tariff on US products from 10 April.
Beijing also said it would sue the US at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and restrict the export of rare-earth elements used in high-end medical and electronics technology.
“China has been hit much harder than the USA, not even close,” Trump said in his post. “They, and many other nations, have treated us unsustainably badly.”
But other major trading partners held back as they digested the unfolding international standoff amid fears of a recession.
On the topic of garments and Donald Trump's tariffs, my colleague, the Guardian's deputy fashion and lifestyle editor, Chloe Mac Donnell, has written about how from farmers to designers, the entire fashion supply chain will be hit. It is unclear what duties apply to a finished product, she writes in this piece:
Texas senator's comments another sign of Republican unease over ‘reciprocal tariffs' and stock market plunge
Ted Cruz, the US senator from Texas, has warned that his fellow Republicans risk a “bloodbath” in the 2026 midterm elections if Donald Trump's “liberation day” tariffs cause a recession.
Cruz also warned that the president's tariffs, if they stay in place for long and are met by global retaliation on American goods, could trigger a full-blown trade war that “would destroy jobs here at home, and do real damage to the US economy”.
“A hundred years ago, the US economy didn't have the leverage to have the kind of impact we do now. But I worry, there are voices within the administration that want to see these tariffs continue for ever and ever,” he added.
The Texan's comments, made on his Verdict podcast on Friday, were a further sign that the imposition of global “reciprocal” duties on imported goods is causing unease among Republicans.
The Republican US senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa introduced bipartisan legislation on Thursday to grant Congress more power over placing tariffs on US trading nations. The bill, co-sponsored by Democratic senator Maria Cantwell, would “reaffirm” the role of Congress in setting and approving trade policy.
Republican senators Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, Jerry Moran and Thom Tillis have since signed on as co-sponsors. Though the legislation is considered largely symbolic, it telegraphs anxiety over the $5.4tn loss of stock market capitalization over two days and signs of an electoral backlash to Trump administration policies in the form of a defeat at the ballot box by a Wisconsin supreme court race candidate backed by Trump's billionaire business adviser Elon Musk.
In two Florida congressional races, the Republican winners also underperformed.
On his podcast, Cruz warned that tariffs and trade retaliation over the long term could push the US into “a recession, particularly a bad recession – 2026 in all likelihood politically would be a bloodbath”.
“You would face a Democrat House, and you might even face a Democrat Senate,” Cruz said.
“If we're in the middle of a recession and people are hurting badly, they punish the party in power,” Cruz warned, adding he did not share the White House's position that the tariffs would usher in “a booming economy”.
But if “every other country on earth” hits the US with retaliatory tariffs and Trump's so-called reciprocal levies remain in place, “that is a terrible outcome” that “would destroy jobs here at home, and do real damage to the US economy”.
Cruz, nonetheless, held out an olive branch to the administration.
“Look, I want this to succeed … but my definition of succeed may be different than the White House's,” he said, adding that his definition of success “is dramatically lower tariffs abroad and result in dramatically lowering tariffs here”.
“That's success for the American workers, American businesses, American growth, American prosperity,” he continued. “That's a great outcome.”
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 NOx 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.
This article was amended on 5 April 2025. The emissions tests that were falsified by Volkswagen were for nitrogen oxides (NOx), not CO2 as an earlier version said.
Protesters gather at more than a thousand events across the US and in cities abroad, such as London, Berlin and Paris
Here are some images coming from Hollywood, Florida, where demonstrators are protesting against Donald Trump's administration:
Hundreds of protestors – including Americans living abroad – have taken to the streets across major European cities in a show of defiance against Donald Trump's administration.
On Saturday, demonstrators rallied in Frankfurt as part of the “Hands Off” protest organized by Democrats Abroad, Reuters reports.
In Berlin, demonstrators stood in front of a Tesla showroom and the US embassy in protest against Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Some held signs calling for “an end to the chaos” in the US.
In Paris, demonstrators, largely American, gathered around Place de la République to protest the US president, with many waving banners that read “Resist tyrant,” “Rule of law,” “Feminists for freedom not fascism” and “Save Democracy,” Reuters reports.
Crowds in London also gathered in Trafalgar Square earlier on Saturday with banners that read “No to Maga hate” and “Dump Trump.”
Protestors also gathered in Lisbon on Saturday with some holding signs that read “the Turd Reich.”
In addition to large US cities, anti-Donald Trump protests are also taking place through the US's smaller towns, including in red counties.
Here are some photos coming through BlueSky from St. Augustine, a small town in Florida of 14,000 people in a red county:
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Jamie Raskin, a Democratic congressman from Maryland and the party's ranking member on the House justice committee, said today's demonstration was part of a “creative and nimble” strategy to resist Donald Trump.
Talking to the Guardian, he said mass protests needed to be combined with a “smart legislative strategy” to be effective.
Studies of authoritarian regimes abroad had shown that a strategy of either mass protest or legislature resistance did work on their own, he said, in response to a question about the failure of demonstrations to unseat strongman leaders in countries like Hungary, Serbia and Turkey.
Here are some images coming through the newswires from across the country as thousands take to the streets in demonstrations against Donald Trump's administration:
About 600 people registered for the event, billed as a “Hands Off” rally, at the Ventura Government Center on Victoria Avenue in California.
Ventura, with a population of 109,000, is a laidback beach and agricultural community with a vibrant cultural scene, about 65 miles north of Los Angeles.
Leslie Sage, mother of two, drove up from nearby Thousand Oaks and said: “I'm a white woman and I want everyone to know white women don't support Trump.” Sage's sign read: “Russian Asset, American Idiot.”
She came with her friend Stephanie Gonzalez. “As a double lung transplant recipient, I'm outraged that access to medical care and funding for research is at risk. This president is deranged.”
People showed up from Ventura but also Ojai, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Camarillo and Simi Valley.
Harlow Rose Rega, an eight-year old from Ventura, came with her grandmother Sandy Friedman. Harlow made her own sign: “Save my future.”
Friedman is worried about her social security. “I worked my whole life and so did my husband. Now I'm afraid Trump will take it away,” she said.
Signs indicated protesters are worried about a range of issues – racism, national parks, health care, environment, veteran benefits, grocery costs and more. Some people said AI helped with their signage but refused to create anti-Trump slogans specifically so they worked around that.
In Ventura, a chant of “Donald Trump has got to go. Hey hey ho ho!” started amid lots of cheers and honking cars.
A mix of English and Spanish songs is also blasting from the mobile sound system. People are in good spirits and friendly with peacful though loud protests and no evidence of Trump support.
Several hundred vociferous anti-Trump demonstrators converged on a traffic circle in Florida's Fort Lauderdale suburb of Hollywood Saturday morning to vent their rejection of the 47th president's policies and myriad executive orders.
Chanting “hey hey, ho ho, Trump and Musk have got to go,” the predominantly white protestors jeered motorists in Tesla Cybertrucks and hoisted a variety of colorful placards that left little doubt where they stand on the topic of Donald Trump.
“Prosecute and jail the Turd Reich,” read one. Some reserved special ire for the world's richest person: “I did not elect Elon Musk.” Others emphasized the protestors' anxieties about the future of democracy in the U.S.
“Hands off democracy,” declared one placard. “Stop being Putin's puppet,” enjoined another.
“This is an assault on our democracy, on our economy, on our civil rights,” said Jennifer Heit, a 64-year-old editor and resident of Plantation who toted a poster that read, “USA: No to King or Oligarchy.”
“Everything is looking so bad that I feel we have to do all we can while we can, and just having all this noise is unsettling to everyone,” Heit said.
Heit attended a protest outside a Tesla dealership in Fort Lauderdale last week, and the Trump administration's frontal assault on the rule of law and the judiciary has outraged her.
“We're supposed to be a nation of laws and due process,” she said, “and I am especially concerned about the people who are being deported without any due process.”
Hundreds of protesters gathered in central London on Saturday as part of global demonstrations against Donald Trump's administration.
Crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square with banners that read “No to Maga hate” and “Dump Trump”. The rally is one of hundreds of so-called “Hands Off” demonstrations around the world – including in cities across the US, Paris and Berlin.
The movement has been organised by more than 150 groups, including civil rights groups and trade unions.
Among the protesters in London was Clarke Reinstein, 73, from Rhode Island, who told the PA news agency he was “disappointed in my fellow Americans” over the election of Donald Trump.
“I've been in London for two months and I like being over here because people think a little differently,” he said, adding: “They made a mistake over Brexit – but they didn't fall over like the Americans have.”
A 37-year-old woman from Philadelphia was draped in the American flag that had been presented to her second world war veteran grandfather.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, told PA she was protesting because of the “absolute, mind-blowing insipidness” of Trump's presidency.
“I don't want to alienate the rest of the world,” she said, adding: “It's not going to be useful for anyone in the long run. I felt powerless and I needed to come out and say something … I have friends in the United States who are marching in protest, and I wanted to march with them in solidarity.”
Brent Robertson, 56, from Albuquerque, criticised Trump's tariffs saying: “Stupid is not the word … He is shooting himself and all of us as Americans, just so he can make himself look like a tough guy.”
Maxwell Frost, Florida's Democratic representatve, is now adddressing the crowd in Washington DC.
We see the foundations of our society, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, the very safety nets that people have fought for, for generations, to ensure that our country lives up to its promise, are being targeted by the billionaires and the oligarchs and the corporations.
This insidious rise of authoritarianism is fueled by corrupt billionaires and mega corporations who believe that they have the right to control every aspect of our lives, our healthcare, to our schools, to our thoughts, to our very free speech under the false banner of patriotism and freedom …
They would have us believe that if we gave them all the control, everything would be great, but breaking news: they had the control. And look at where we're at right now: massive wealth and inequality in this country.
Jamie Raskin went on to add:
We are not only the liberals who believe in liberty, we are not only the progressives who believe in progress. We are the conservatives who will defend the land, the air, the water, the climate system, the constitution, the Bill of Rights, social cecurity, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Act … the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Clean Water Act …
Everything that their party of nihilists and authoritarians wants to tear down in the next few weeks, we are going to conserve and defend for future generations of America.
We invite all Americans to join us, to join the party in democracy and freedom in solidarity.
Jamie Raskin is calling on the Donald Trump administration to keep its “hands off Greenland. That's an independent country.”
Raskin adds:
Hands off Canada. That's an independent country. Hands off Panama. That's an independent country. Statehood for Washington, DC!”
Moving on, in a special shoutout to Wisconsin, which recently saw the liberal judge Susan Crawford's victory over Elon Musk-backed Brad Schimel, Raskin said:
They showed America that organized people who want nothing but freedom can defeat organized billionaires.
Jamie Raskin, the Democratic representative of Maryland, is now addressing the crowd in Washington DC.
He said:
We've got the right to protest for what is right without being arrested, deported or fired. We've got the right to read the books we want, including 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale … We've even got the right to call the president deranged from crashing our economy, destroying $6tn of wealth and turning our 401(k)s into 201(k)s, and the press has the right to call the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico.
Criticizing the January 6 rioters, Raskin said:
These were monsters who turned the flag of America into a weapon of war against our police. And now, Donald Trump says he wants to set up a fund to compensate them. Mr Trump, if there's got to be a fund to compensate people for January 6, we're going to compensate the police officers and their families. We're going to back the men and women of the blue, not the planners of the coup.
William Barber II, a professor in the practice of public theology and public policy at Yale Divinity School, just addressed the crowd in Washington DC.
Barber said:
“We are not going to bow to the power-drunk neo-fascist extremists. We only bow to God, and so we must stand tall when they attack everyday people… We must stand tall... So stand up to the technocrats. It's time for our pulpits to stand tall. It's time for statesmen…to stand tall. It's time for the people to stand tall, we must mobilize our righteous bodies and our voices and our hearts by the millions.”
Demonstrators from as far afield as New Hampshire and Pennsylvania have gathered on Washington's national monument, in the shadow of the George Washington memorial monument, in advance of the anti-Donald Trump Hands Off rally.
In overcast conditions, protesters displayed a vast array of placards and, in some cases, Ukrainian flags, expressing opposition to administration policies. Some protesters said they hoped the event - the first mass demonstration in Washington DC since Trump took office - would act as an example to inspire others to register opposition. “
The aim is get people to rise up,” said Diane Kolifrath, 63, who had travelled from New Hampshire with 100 fellow members of New Hampshire Forward, a civic society organisation.
“Many people are scared to protest against Trump because he has reacted aggressively and violently to those who have stood up. The goal of this protest is to let the rest of Americans who aren't participating see that we are standing up and hopefully when they see our strength, that will give them the courage to also stand up,” Kolifrath said.
Here are some images coming through the newswires of the Hands Off protests in Washington DC:
Several congressional members are expected to make apperances and deliver speeches at the Hands Off protest in Washington DC today.
They include Democrats Jamie Raskin and Glenn Ivey of Maryland, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Katherine Clark of Massachussetts and Don Beyer of Virginia, as well as Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
Good morning,
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Washington DC and other major cities across the US in a show of defiance against Donald Trump's “authoritarian overreach and billionaire-backed agenda”.
The “Hands Off” protests – of which more than 1,000 events are planned across the country – are expected to be the largest single day of action since Trump was sworn into office for a second term.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, MoveOn, one of the organizations planning the protests, said:
This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy and our basic rights – enabled by Congress every step of the way.
It went on to add:
They want to strip America for parts – shuttering social security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections and gutting Medicaid – all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam. They're handing over our tax dollars, our public services and our democracy to the ultra-rich.
If we don't fight now, there won't be anything left to save.
Stay tuned as we bring you live updates throughout the day of the protests from across the country.
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A video has emerged showing the final moments of more than a dozen Palestinian emergency workers shot dead by Israeli troops in Gaza last month, casting doubt on Israeli claims that soldiers opened fire on vehicles “advancing suspiciously.”
The video is filmed from the front of a vehicle and shows a convoy of clearly marked ambulances moving along a road at dawn, with headlights and flashing emergency lights on.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says the video was found on the phone of one of the 15 ambulance and relief team members killed by the Israeli military.
Their bodies were found in a mass grave more than a week after they were reported as missing. Eight of the 14 bodies recovered from the site in the southern Rafah area were identified as members of the PRCS, five as civil defense, and one as a UN agency employee, PRCS said in a statement.
The deaths sparked international condemnation, and the footage appears to contradict the assertion by the Israeli military that some vehicles were moving suspiciously without lights.
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Bodies of missing aid workers found in Gaza ‘mass grave' following Israeli attacks
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) asserted last week that “several uncoordinated vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals. IDF troops then opened fire at the suspected vehicles.”
After the video emerged, the IDF repeated that the incident was being investigated.
“All claims, including the documentation circulating about the incident, will be thoroughly and deeply examined to understand the sequence of events and the handling of the situation,” it said Saturday.
The video shows the convoy stopping when it comes across another vehicle at the side of the road – which the PRCS says was an ambulance that had been sent earlier to help injured civilians. Two of the rescuers who get out of the vehicles are wearing uniforms. A fire truck and an ambulance at the scene are marked with the PRCS insignia.
Almost immediately there is intense gunfire, which can be heard hitting the convoy. The video ends, but the audio continues for five minutes.
The paramedic filming, identified by the PRCS as Rifaat Radwan, is heard repeatedly saying the “shahada,” which Muslims recite when facing death. He asks God for forgiveness and says he knows he is going to die.
At one point he says: “Forgive me mom, this is the path I chose – to help people – I swear I didn't choose this path but to help people.”
The voices of others in the convoy can also be heard, as well as those of people shouting commands in Hebrew. It's not clear who they are or what they are saying.
The IDF said on April 1 that “following an initial assessment, it was determined that the forces had eliminated a Hamas military operative, Mohammad Amin Ibrahim Shubaki, who took part in the October 7 massacre, along with 8 other terrorists from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.”
The IDF did not offer proof of the identity of the alleged terrorists. CNN has obtained from the PRCS the names of 14 of those killed; none is identified as Mohammad Shubaki. The PRCS said the name of the fifteenth man killed – an UNRWA employee – was withheld out of respect for his family but was not the name given by the Israeli military.
The IDF added that it was “not surprising that terrorists are once again exploiting medical facilities and equipment for their activities.”
But the next day, the IDF said the incident was being investigated.
An Israeli military official told CNN last week that Israeli forces buried the bodies of the workers because they expected it would take time to coordinate their retrieval with the PRCS and the United Nations.
Satellite imagery from March 23, first published by Al Jazeera Arabic and analyzed by CNN, shows Israeli army vehicles surrounding a cluster of five ambulances from the PRCS and Civil Defense.
Another satellite image, also published by Al Jazeera and analyzed by CNN, dated March 25, shows an Israeli tank, an excavator, and other military vehicles at the same location. Where the ambulances once stood, remnants of vehicles protruded from disturbed ground.
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Editor's note: Dr. Josh Green is the governor of Hawaii. Before being elected governor in 2022, he worked as an emergency room doctor and family physician in Hawaii for over 20 years. While serving as lieutenant governor, he led an emergency medical mission to help stop the measles epidemic in Samoa and led Hawaii's vaccination campaign during the Covid-19 pandemic, ranked as one of the most effective in the nation.
America's children are in danger. Measles outbreaks are spreading in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and beyond, threatening lives, overwhelming health-care resources and exposing vulnerable communities. Texas alone has confirmed more than 400 measles cases and the death of the first child from measles in our country in more than a decade: the heartbreaking loss of a school-age child in Gaines County. The outbreaks continue to spread, gaining momentum and posing a threat to children across our country — with one public health official in Texas fearing that the outbreak there could last an entire year.
But this tragic outcome we can see coming doesn't have to happen. We can prevent it if we act now.
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Measles vaccination rate may be even lower than estimated, leaving kids vulnerable amid outbreak
Measles is an extremely contagious virus that hospitalizes as many as 1 in 5 of those it infects and kills 1 in every 1,000. Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the United States saw hundreds of thousands of cases every year, many resulting in complications like pneumonia, encephalitis and death.
Twenty-five years ago, nationwide vaccination efforts had virtually eliminated the disease in the United States by achieving vaccination rates of 95% across the country, establishing herd immunity and preventing the disease from spreading. Today, vaccination rates have been allowed to fall in many states. Experts fear that the elimination of the disease is at risk and that measles may again become a threat.
Vaccination campaigns save lives during outbreaks of deadly viruses. I have witnessed the lifesaving power of vaccines firsthand. During the Covid-19 pandemic – when I was serving as lieutenant governor – we vaccinated over a million people in Hawaii, saving thousands of lives and achieving the lowest infection and mortality rates in the country.
In 2019, a measles outbreak swept through the island nation of Samoa. The spread of antivaccine misinformation in the previous year had caused fear and uncertainty, which kept many families from vaccinating their children against measles. The result was a devastating outbreak that infected more than 5,000 people and killed 83, mostly children. In December of 2019, I led an emergency medical mission from Hawaii to vaccinate 37,000 people in Samoa over 36 hours, rapidly raising the vaccination rate and helping to end the deadly outbreak.
According to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report from October, there are 14 states in the US where measles vaccination rates among kindergartners have fallen to dangerously low levels under 90%.
Communities with vaccination rates below the 95% threshold necessary to maintain herd immunity become fertile ground for measles outbreaks. In Gaines County, Texas, almost 1 in 5 kindergartners entering the school system is unvaccinated against measles.
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The CDC buried a measles forecast that stressed the need for vaccinations
Declining vaccination rates are fueled by the troubling spread of antivaccine misinformation, skepticism and complacency. The top public health official in America, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has suggested that the MMR vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella is not safe. This is false. The measles vaccine has saved an estimated 94 million lives worldwide over the past 50 years, and the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the MMR vaccine as safe and effective since 1971.
Kennedy also continues to cloud these facts by describing vaccination as a “personal choice” and promoting vitamin A supplementation as a primary response to the measles outbreak. Let me be clear: Vitamin A may lessen measles complications once infection has occurred, but it does not prevent the disease. To suggest otherwise, even implicitly, distracts from the proven, lifesaving effect of vaccines and puts children at risk.
As to vaccination being a “personal choice,” I strongly disagree with Kennedy, and I regard this equivocation as dangerous and irresponsible. It's much more than a personal choice; it's a choice to protect not only ourselves but our entire community. As a physician, a governor and a father, I believe it is our moral responsibility to protect vulnerable people by contributing to herd immunity against viral infections through safe and effective vaccination.
In the face of the current outbreaks, I urge the US Department of Health and Human Services, under Kennedy's leadership, to act swiftly and decisively. The department must mount an extensive, science-based vaccination campaign to halt the spread of measles and prevent future tragedies. This campaign must focus on four essential pillars: education, community engagement, accessibility and responsible public policy.
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford downplays concerns over RFK Jr.'s handling of the worsening measles outbreak but urges people to get vaccinated.
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First, education is paramount. We must aggressively counter misinformation by providing clear, factual and scientifically grounded information. This approach involves transparent communication regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness and should engage trusted local voices such as health-care providers, educators, faith leaders and community advocates.
Second, we must emphasize genuine community engagement. Communities should be active participants in this public health effort, not merely passive recipients. When we engage respectfully, listening to local concerns and responding thoughtfully, we build trust and improve public health outcomes. Community-based approaches have repeatedly proved effective at increasing vaccination rates, and they should guide our current response.
Third, accessibility to vaccines must be prioritized. In regions with limited health-care infrastructure, innovative solutions — such as mobile vaccination units, community health fairs and partnerships with local organizations — can bridge gaps and ensure vaccines reach everyone. No one should face barriers of affordability or convenience when it comes to vaccination.
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Some measles patients in West Texas show signs of vitamin A toxicity, doctors say, raising concerns about misinformation
Finally, we need strong, responsible public policy that balances individual liberties with our collective responsibility. Policies that require vaccination for school entry, excepting legitimate medical exemptions, have historically maintained high immunization rates and protected community health. These regulations must be enforced firmly yet compassionately, recognizing that public safety is paramount.
Now is not the time for equivocation or delay. We must take urgent action to protect our families and communities. It is our collective moral responsibility to prevent more infection, more suffering and more deaths of American children through our commitment to safe and effective vaccines and public health education.
We can stop the deadly spread of measles in our country by launching a sustained emergency vaccination campaign, starting in the states and communities with the lowest vaccination rates and the greatest vulnerability. We have the data. We have the resources. Now we must find the compassion, the strength and the will to do what we know is right and protect America's children.
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EPA bids to change chemical risk evaluations, which could expose public to higher levels of PFAS and other pollutants
The Trump administration is quietly carrying out a plan that aims to kill hundreds of bans on highly toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” and other dangerous compounds in consumer goods.
The bans, largely at the state level, touch most facets of daily life, prohibiting everything from bisphenol in children's products to mercury in personal care products to PFAS in food packaging and clothing.
If successful, the public would almost certainly be exposed to much higher levels of chemicals linked to a range of serious health issues such s cancer, hormone disruption, liver disease, birth defects, and reproductive system damage, the plan's opponents say.
The Trump Environmental Protection Agency move involves changing the way the agency carries out chemical risk evaluations, which would also pre-empt state laws that offer the one of few meaningful checks on toxic chemicals in consumer products.
The plan could also largely undo California's effective Proposition 65 law, and could spell the end of meager federal prohibitions, including an early 2024 ban on asbestos.
“This will increase health risks to consumers by exposing them to toxic chemicals,” said an EPA employee who spoke to the Guardian on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
“It also allows the market for toxic chemicals to continue, because it maintains the financial incentive for them to be made for all these consumer products.”
Although the risk presented by most chemicals in individual consumer products is often low, the public is typically exposed to a wide range of toxic substances throughout the day, and those combined daily exposures over the long term present a serious health risk.
Industry has largely succeeded in heading off federal limits on chemicals in consumer products, in part because, public health advocates say, it has captured parts of the EPA. Still, under Joe Biden, the agency began putting in place some bans, such as on the use of formaldehyde in consumer goods, including leather.
PFAS are among the most widely used and toxic chemicals in consumer products, and many states have zeroed in on the chemical class. Maine in 2021 passed a ban on PFAS for all non-essential uses, while across the country about 15 states have enacted a patchwork of prohibitions for clothing, menstruation products, cookware, food packaging, playground equipment, and cosmetics, among other goods.
Massachusetts and Connecticut banned PFAS in firefighting turnout gear after firefighters demanded action in response to high cancer rates likely connected to the chemicals.
Beyond PFAS, Washington prohibited lead in cookware; Nevada banned flame retardants in children's toys; and Maryland prohibited some phthalates in cosmetics, among other actions.
“The states are on the front lines and they've been stepping up because communities want these laws,” said Sarah Doll, the national director of Safer States, which pushes for state level restrictions on toxic chemicals. “People don't want toxic chemicals in their homes. Firefighters don't want to be exposed to PFAS in firefighting foam.”
The state laws are also effective because they create pressure on industry to stop using dangerous chemicals. PFAS is banned for use in clothing in California, Colorado and other states, so it makes logistical sense for producers to stop using the chemicals instead of producing some clothing treated with it and some untreated.
Chemical giant 3M announced it would stop making PFAS in part because state laws banning the chemicals complicates their use.
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The laws' effectiveness and pressure have put them on industry's hit list, and the Trump EPA submitted a rule that reworks how risk evaluations are performed.
The Biden EPA approach stated that if any specific use of a chemical – clothing, cosmetics, or food packaging, for example – presents an “unreasonable risk”, the entire chemical should be considered a risk. States can regulate chemicals that are considered an unreasonable risk.
The Trump EPA's new rule would require the agency to evaluate whether a chemical presents a risk for each intended use. Formaldehyde, for example, has 63 uses. The agency plans to claim most chemicals do not present an “unreasonable risk” in consumer goods because they make up such a small part of products, the EPA employee said.
Industry scored a major victory in a 2016 rewrite of the nation's laws around toxic chemicals by working in a provision that says if the EPA finds that a substance does not present an “unreasonable risk” then states cannot write laws banning or limiting its use.
“They are going to exclude a huge number of consumer products from being considered for risk management,” the EPA employee said.
They added that an individual television may contain a small amount of PFAS, “but when you produce 50m televisions, it adds up” – especially for the environment, or for workers producing them.
However, the laws will not go into effect overnight. The EPA, with its limited staff, has to regulate one chemical at a time, and the process for each could take as much as three years. In the meantime, more state laws will be passed, and pressure on goods producers to move away from toxic chemicals will continue to mount, Doll said.
“The market is moving, adapting and innovating … and in three years it will to great effect have already shifted,” Doll added. “It's a potential threat, but I don't think it's going to have a chilling effect on states responding to demands from communities on the ground who are saying, ‘We are dealing with this challenge.'”
Missile attack on Kryvyi Rih left 61 injured including three-month-old baby and elderly residents
Eighteen people, including nine children, have been killed in a Russian missile strike on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's home city, a Ukrainian official has said.
A further 61 people were injured in the attack on Kryvyi Rih on Friday, including a three-month-old baby and elderly residents, the regional governor, Serhii Lysak, said. Forty remain in hospital, including two children in critical condition and 17 in a serious condition.
“The missile struck an area right next to residential buildings – hitting a playground and ordinary streets,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
He blamed the daily strikes on Russia's unwillingness to end the war: “Every missile, every drone strike proves Russia wants only war,” he said, urging Ukraine's allies to increase pressure on Moscow and bolster Ukraine's air defences.
“The United States, Europe, and the rest of the world have enough power to make Russia abandon terror and war,” he said.
“There can never be forgiveness for this,” said Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city's defence council. “Eternal memory to the victims.”
The UK's Europe minister, Stephen Doughty, said attacks on civilian infrastructure were “a sobering reminder that Putin continues to wage his barbaric war against Ukraine”.
He added: “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims. As the prime minister has said, Russia could choose to accept a ceasefire but instead continues to bombard Ukraine and its population.”
Local authorities said the strike damaged about 20 apartment buildings, more than 30 vehicles, an educational building and a restaurant.
The Russian defence ministry claimed on Friday it had carried out a high-precision missile strike with a high explosive warhead on a restaurant where a meeting had taken place with unit commanders and western instructors.
Russian military claimed the strike had killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers and destroyed 20 vehicles. The military's claims could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian General Staff rejected the claims.
A later drone strike on Kryvyi Rih killed one woman and wounded seven other people.
The head of the British armed forces, Adm Sir Tony Radakin, met Zelenskyy on Friday alongside the leader of the French armed forces, Gen Thierry Burkhard.
“Britain and France are coming together and Europe is stepping up in a way that is real and substantial, with 200 planners from 30 nations working to strengthen Ukraine's long-term security,” Radakin said.
The UK and France have been at the forefront of planning for a “coalition of the willing” made up of nations that could help to keep Ukraine secure in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
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The massive tariffs that President Donald Trump announced for dozens of trading partners Wednesday were pitched as “reciprocal,” simply aiming to match the tariffs other countries charge the United States.
But the methodology behind Trump's attempt to rebalance trade has nothing to do with the tariff rate that foreign countries impose on the US.
The Trump administration instead used a grossly oversimplified calculation that it said factored in a broad set of issues such as Chinese investment, alleged currency manipulation and other countries' regulations. The administration's calculation divided a country's trade deficit with the US by its exports into the country times 1/2. That's it.
The president is essentially taking a sledgehammer to address a litany of grievances, using the trade deficit that other countries have with the US as a scapegoat. And the vague calculation could have broad implications for countries America depends on for goods — and the foreign companies that supply them.
“There does not appear to have been any tariffs used in the calculation of the rate,” said Mike O'Rourke, chief marketing strategist at Jones Trading, in a note to investors Wednesday. “The Trump administration is specifically targeting nations with large trade surpluses with the United States relative to their exports to the United States.”
The actual figures are probably closer to the “average Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) applied tariff rate,” which is essentially a ceiling of import taxes that more than 160 nations of the World Trade Organization have agreed to charge each other, though they can vary by sector. And for countries with trade agreements in place, there could be lower or no tariffs at all.
Trump has frequently said his trade policy is rooted in one simple motto: “They charge us, we charge them.” It turns out it's not that simple.
“A lot of the issues that the administration highlighted, that they're concerned about, are not really with tariff rates,” Sarah Bianchi, chief strategist of international political affairs and public policy at Evercore ISI, said Thursday during a panel discussion hosted by the Brookings Institution.
The MFN tariff rates were born out of negotiations among WTO members in the 1990s, when the organization was first founded.
The European Union's MFN rate is 5%, but the Trump administration said it's more like 20% because “US exports suffer from the uneven and inconsistent” customs rules across the currency zone and because “EU-level institutions do not provide transparency in decision-making,” the US Trade Representative's office said.
Meanwhile, Vietnam's MFN tariff rate is 9.4%, as of the latest data from 2023, but the Trump administration chalked it up to 46% because of non-trade barriers, according to a report from the USTR's office released this week. Non-trade barriers can include import quotas and anti-dumping laws that are aimed at protecting domestic industries.
Vietnam's top trade official on Thursday called Trump's new tariff on the country “unfair,” pointing to the MFN rate.
India and China also have some non-trade barriers, noted Sung Won Sohn, professor of finance and economics at Loyola Marymount University and chief economist at SS Economics. For example, India has sanitary measures for agricultural imports and China has state subsidies favoring domestic companies, he wrote in commentary issued earlier this year.
But “Liberation Day” was still not the right approach to addressing non-tariff measures from other countries, said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at markets insight firm RSM, told CNN in an interview.
“If you look at the formula the White House put forward for how they established the new tariff levels, they had nothing to do with non-tariff barriers,” he said, adding: “It looked to me as if it was an ad hoc effort of punishing countries because they had large trade balances with the United States.”
That bilateral trade balance the US runs with other countries, he said, is “simply a function of saving and spending in the United States.”
On a call with reporters Wednesday, a senior White House official referred to the deficits as a national emergency that must be addressed to retain factories and jobs in the US.
But is it a terrible thing that countries run such deficits with the US? Not necessarily.
Many countries run a trade deficit with the US, according to trade data. The United States runs $230 billion more in imports than exports to the EU, and nearly $300 billion more to China.
“When I go to the store and buy groceries with cash, I run a trade deficit with my grocery store, but does that mean that I'm worse off? Obviously not,” John Dove, an economics professor at Troy University, told CNN. “Those are goods that I want, and I don't need to provide a reciprocal good or service in return. That's not necessarily a good or a bad thing. It just is.”
Still, the Trump administration has pointed to tariffs aimed at fixing trade deficits as a potential source of government revenue to pay down the national debt and fund tax cuts. But that's a risky gamble that could prove disastrous if countries band together to retaliate.
“The more concerning issue is that these large across-the-board tariffs incentivize our trading partners to retaliate against us,” Dove said.
If other countries renegotiate their own trade policies, the US “could very quickly end up in a situation where you have 25% of the world economy up against the other 75%,” he said, “and I can tell you who's going to come out ahead there.”
CNN's David Goldman contributed to this report.
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From the first moments, the Labor leader has shown confidence in the party's positive message in contrast to his opponent's more negative style
Anthony Albanese's first appearance of the federal election campaign – a carefully planned, staged-managed roadshow – was not planned at all.
As the prime minister's vehicle moved through the Murrumba Downs shopping centre car park, a snap decision was made to hop out and greet gym goers on their Saturday morning workout. It was a risk, exposing Albanese to hecklers, or worse.
This wasn't just any shopping centre; it was in Peter Dutton's seat of Dickson in Brisbane's northern suburbs. But as he strode into Fitstop gym, the Labor leader was received not as an intruder but a celebrity.
“Let's go defend Medicare!” he shouted to raucous cheers.
The interaction will be a footnote in the history of the 2025 campaign. But it was instructive because it showed something so lacking on the opening day of Albanese's 2022 campaign: confidence.
At a press conference at a nearby Medicare urgent clinic, he demonstrated a quality that has betrayed him so often in the past three years: sharpness.
Albanese had found his groove. And after rushing surprise new income tax cuts through parliament on election eve, in the face of Coalition resistance, he found his message, too.
“Peter Dutton will cut everything except your taxes.”
In the sheltered cocoon of the campaign trail, the travelling media don't get much chance to consume much beyond what's happening in front of you.
That's partly by design of the advancers and advisers designing the campaign schedule, endlessly moving from one place to another but never really having any time to see beside what they want you to see; but it has been striking to see, even at a distance, how different Albanese's campaign events have been from Dutton's.
In Dutton's first, he has interacted outside with the general public just twice: once at an Assyrian cultural festival in Fairfield, then chatting to a few motorists at a Sydney petrol station.
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Every other event has been closed off, in private areas: an empty brewery on a quiet Saturday, two factories in fenced industrial areas, an empty function room in a far-flung winery, a private dining room in a Chinese restaurant, two rooms full of supporters on his Dickson home turf.
Partly it's security reasons: as evidenced by two Rising Tide protesters gatecrashing events on day one, and his phalanx of burly security heralding his arrivals.
The same group gatecrashed Albanese's visit to Maitland hospital on Thursday, one of two incursions into his highly controlled campaign after a far-right agitator disrupted his opening-day conference.
Dutton may be able to stay out of the public eye, but he can't avoid media scrutiny as easily, and this week was marked by another more significant development.
It was the first time in three years of Liberal leadership that Dutton faced sustained, day-after-day pressure to answer questions, to expand on policies and thought bubbles, to flesh out the half-answers and sledges that he casually drops in the middle of sentences, which has become a hallmark of his communication style.
He was also not really saying anything. A week into the campaign, he is not really talking about his policies or making compelling arguments beyond general criticism of the government, leaving himself open to be challenged on details and past remarks.
Albanese and senior Labor strategists didn't panic as the Coalition inched ahead in the opinion polls midway through 2024. They were confident the contest would tighten and turn in their favour when voters were confronted with the “choice” of a Dutton or an Albanese government.
Their task, then, was to define what that “choice” was.
The prime minister believes the fatal error in Kamala Harris's US presidential campaign was a failure to offer a substantial policy alternative to counter Donald Trump's America-first agenda.
Since August last year Albanese and his team have been devising what's described internally as the “offer”, a second-term agenda built on investments in Medicare, education and childcare.
The pitch to voters in 2025 would also frame the “risk”, highlighting the supposed threat a Dutton government poses to those essential services.
The two aims have converged around Labor's central campaign commitment to “strengthen” the Medicare universal health system.
After that first event in Dickson, Albanese and the health minister, Mark Butler, visited hospitals or healthcare clinics in Perth, Adelaide and Burnie, pledging new funding, spruiking Labor's promises and warning it would all be in jeopardy if Dutton won on 3 May. That the Coalition has matched each of Labor's health commitments has done little to dampen the attacks.
“Under our prime minister, you'll get lower taxes and stronger Medicare. Under Peter Dutton, you're going to get higher taxes and a gutted Medicare,” Butler told a press conference at Adelaide's Flinders Medical Centre.
Butler was a fixture in the campaign's first week, travelling with Albanese along with the prime minister's chief-of-staff, Tim Gartrell, media chief, Fi Sugden, and principal private secretary, David Epstein.
Butler's presence was logical given the health focus. But he served another purpose as one of Albanese's closest confidantes, offering a calming influence in the pressure-cooker of a campaign's opening round.
So too was Penny Wong. The foreign minister was at Albanese's side for much of the first week as the spectre of Donald Trump's “liberation day” hung over the campaign.
As Albanese dined with Greg Norman in Melbourne on Wednesday night, he was resigned to what the golfing legend's friend, Trump, was about to inflict on Australia and the rest of the world at 7am the next morning.
The prime minister had danced around Trump and tariffs in the days prior, refusing to pre-empt the announcement or Australia's response.
At 8.21am on Thursday, the dancing stopped. “This is not the act of a friend,” Albanese said.
If Albanese dances, Dutton bobs and weaves like a boxer.
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It's hard to pick him up on inconsistencies or outright falsehoods (like his repeated claim that he wants to cut “Labor's 41,000 new public servants in Canberra” – less than a quarter live in the nation's capital) because he drops a crumb and then barrels on to the next thing, in his signature flat, calm monotone. He doesn't get mad or agitated, as Albanese sometimes does; he doesn't screw up his face at a question he doesn't like.
We asked on Thursday whether he still believes Donald Trump is a “big thinker” who brings “gravitas” to international affairs, as he said in February. Dutton countered that his comment was about Trump's efforts to negotiate an agreement for Hamas to release Israeli hostages: close, but not quite, we interject mid-answer, saying his comments were actually in relation to Trump's plan to take over and redevelop Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Dutton barely pauses, not deviating from his answer, even when confronted in real-time that he's either misremembering or stretching the truth.
Dutton gives little away, in fact. He listens quietly to the questions and answers the way he wants. He doesn't get snippy or cranky. Even confronted with inconsistencies, he simply rolls on, unhurried and outwardly unfazed.
He is under pressure, though, and facing a ticking clock on questions he refuses to answer – there's only so much longer he can promise that the gas modelling will come “soon”, that he will announce his public service cuts “at an appropriate time”. He's getting questions on this nearly daily, and even joking that the “anticipation” of journalists will soon wear off.
The only visible measure of stress in the week was in a warm brickworks in McMahon, his back to a hot oven, when a large bead of sweat dripped conspicuously down his forehead as he declined to give details of his gas plan, his public service cuts, his nuclear details, and three floated-then-quickly-popped proposals for referendums.
Filomena was restless.
The Canberra nonna's daughter, Ren Knerr, had opened her home in the suburb of Downer to Albanese and the travelling media pack, providing a backdrop for an announcement to “outlaw” supermarket price gouging.
Filomena put on a generous spread, including shortbread, a cheesecake and a pile of struffoli, a doughnut-like desert from her native southern Italy. She doesn't bake as much as she used to. She can't afford to.
But the prime minister was running late, possibly taking a private moment to decompress after an interview on ABC's Insiders earlier that morning.
“Where is the prime minister?” Filomena asked one of Albanese's staffers, to which they replied “he'll be here soon”.
“Yes, so will Christmas!”
Albanese showed up moments later, greeting the family before tucking into the morning tea. The Labor leader cut out carbs to slim down ahead of the 2022 campaign but was happy to indulge this time.
“I'm trying to keep fit on the campaign and I'm breaking all the rules,” he joked.
Albanese is campaign-fit this time. He's been in election mode since the first week of January.
He's confident, too. A YouGov poll, published just hours before morning tea in Canberra's inner-north, showed Labor on track to fall just one seat short of a majority, a dramatic turnaround from one month earlier. But Albanese, both publicly and privately, is adamant Labor can retain power in its own right.
He spent the first week on the offensive, campaigning in the Liberal-held seats of Dickson in Brisbane, Deakin in Melbourne, Sturt in Adelaide and Braddon in northern Tasmania.
The Labor camp is pleased with how smooth things are running. But the veteran political hard-heads close to Albanese and inside campaign HQ know campaigns are long, unexpected disruptions will occur and Dutton will rebound from a bad first week.
The cost-of-living pressure on households, an incumbent killer during the global inflation crisis, won't ease with a single rate cut, a $150 energy rebate and $5-a-week tax cut in 15 months' time.
Labor remains deeply worried about Melbourne's outer suburbs, where discontent with Jacinta Allan's state government threatens half a dozen seats.
After the popular premiers Roger Cook and Peter Malinauskas appeared with Albanese in Western Australia and South Australia, Allan was conspicuously absent from the prime minister's two Melbourne press conferences.
Albanese has had stumbles. One, literally, on stage after he addressed a mining union conference in the New South Wales Hunter Valley on Thursday afternoon.
Another at a press conference in Perth, when he said he couldn't rule out forming a coalition with the Greens – the opposite of what he intended to say.
Albanese could have tripped up again on Friday, when asked at a Daily Telegraph-hosted event in Blacktown for one word to sum up the politically charged subject of migration.
The prime minister paused, hesitated and then replied: “Balanced.” It was a safe and measured response, avoiding a trap that may have so easily ensnared him in 2022.
Albanese won the week. Even Dutton may admit that. But it's just one week.
“I'm not getting ahead of myself,” Albanese said. “Elections are hard to win, and there are four weeks left in this campaign.”
Guardian Australia political reporters Dan Jervis-Bardy and Josh Butler have been travelling with the Albanese and Dutton campaigns
‘Groundbreaking' tool aims to help tree-planting efforts and identify areas to create nature-rich habitats
England's non-woodland trees have been mapped for the first time, using cutting-edge methods of laser detection and satellite imagery.
Tree scientists at the UK's Forest Research agency have built a comprehensive picture of trees in urban and rural areas in a “groundbreaking” map that goes live on Saturday.
The tool will allow conservation groups and local authorities to target tree-planting efforts more accurately by pinpointing lone trees that could be connected to nearby wooded areas, bolstering habitats for wildlife, they said.
The environment department, Defra, said this would support the government's pledge to expand nature-rich habitats and help to achieve its legally binding target to increase England's woodland canopy to 16.5% of total land area by 2050.
The forestry minister, Mary Creagh, said: “Our precious street trees improve air quality, mark the changing seasons and provide us with peace, shade and joy. Their value simply cannot be overstated.
“This groundbreaking new tree census will not only help us better understand our current tree canopy cover, but allow us to identify areas where we can create more nature-rich habitats for wildlife and people to enjoy as part of our plan for change.”
Sir William Worsley, the chair of the Forestry Commission, said: “This has been a real endeavour by the team – the results are spectacular and will be invaluable to us as we strive to meet our legal target to increase tree-planting cover.
“The map fills critical data gaps about our national tree assets, helping us understand this natural resource and the benefits it brings, including carbon storage. Many people – from citizens to governments – will use the map to make evidence-based decisions to improve management and protection of our trees.”
Freddie Hunter, the head of remote sensing at Forest Research, said: “This is an exciting moment. By using the latest technology, we have been able to pinpoint all tree cover across England, including trees outside of woodland for the first time.
“This laser technology measures the Earth's surface using satellite imagery, which we can use to capture tree canopy cover to form a comprehensive picture across the breadth of the country, and will be vital in informing future tree-planting.”
The map shows single trees make up 30% of England's tree cover. They could play an important role in storing carbon, regulating temperatures and mitigating against climate change impacts, such as flooding and overheating in towns and cities, Defra said.
The trees can also help to improve health and wellbeing in urban areas by boosting nature and reducing the impacts of air pollution.
The map, which is fully automated and can be updated regularly to capture changes in tree canopy cover, was funded by Defra's natural capital and ecosystem assessment (NCEA) programme.
It comes as part of wider government efforts to boost woodlands, including recent announcements of a new national forest, increasing timber in construction to boost forestry and sustainable housebuilding, and a dedicated tree-planting taskforce.
Alarm over ‘the health of the nation's children' follows federal workforce cuts by health secretary RFK Jr
Multiple maternal and child health programs have been eliminated or hollowed out as part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) layoffs, prompting alarm and disbelief among advocates working to make Americans healthier.
The fear and anxiety come as a full accounting of the cuts remains elusive. Federal health officials have released only broad descriptions of changes to be made, rather than a detailed accounting of the programs and departments being eviscerated.
“Pediatricians, myself included, are losing sleep at night – worried about the health of the nation's children,” said Dr Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The one that stands out to me is the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. There is no way to make our country healthier by eliminating expertise where it all starts, and it all starts at maternal and child health.”
The health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, announced HHS would eliminate 10,000 jobs as part of a restructuring plan. Together with cuts already made by Elon Musk's unofficial “department of government efficiency”, HHS is likely to lose 20,000 workers – roughly one-quarter of its workforce.
“We aren't just reducing bureaucratic sprawl,” Kennedy said. “We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic.”
Piecemeal and crowd-sourced information, which has filled the vacuum left by a lack of information from the health department, appears to show maternal health programs slated for elimination, many without an indication of whether they will be reassigned. The Guardian asked HHS to comment on the cuts but did not receive a response.
The picture of cuts was further muddied on Thursday when Kennedy told reporters, according to Politico: “We're going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstalled, because we'll make mistakes.”
In the aftermath of the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, there's been much conservative criticism of public health agencies, particularly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pandemic policy continues to be an animating force within the Republican party, whose supporters are cynical about the value of federal public health programs following federal vaccine mandates.
The cuts to maternal health programs may serve a second purpose for Republicans.
Such programs have come under fire in some conservative states, in part because the experts involved investigate deaths that could have been prevented with abortion services – now illegal or severely restricted in nearly two dozen conservative states.
As part of the restructuring, the administration announced 28 divisions would be folded into 15, including the creation of a new division, called the “Administration for a Healthy America”, or “AHA”.
The administration argued the “centralization” would “improve coordination of health resources for low-income Americans and will focus on areas including, primary care, maternal and child Health, mental health, environmental health, HIV/Aids and workforce development”.
Meanwhile, experts in HIV/Aids, worker health and safety, healthcare for society's most vulnerable, and experts in maternal and child health have received “reduction in force” notices, a federal term for layoffs, or have been placed on administrative leave with the expectation of being eliminated.
“It certainly appears there was a particular focus on parts of HHS that dealt with women's or reproductive health,” said Sean Tipton, chief policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, about the cuts.
He added: “How in the world you can justify the CDC eliminating the division of maternal mortality is beyond me.”
Among the divisions hard-hit was the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an operating division of HHS like the CDC, which housed the the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. HRSA lost as many as 600 workers.
The CDC's division of reproductive health, which studies maternal health, appeared to have been nearly eliminated, according to multiple reports, with some of the division's portfolio also expected to be folded into AHA.
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The entire staff of a gold-standard maternal mortality survey, a program that was called the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, was also put on leave, Stat reported. The epidemiologist in charge of the CDC survey, Jennifer Bombard, wrote to colleagues on Tuesday: “[T]he entire CDC PRAMS team, including myself, has received the Reduction in Force (RIF) notice from HHS today.”
A HRSA hotline that had fielded calls from new moms seeking mental health support was also cut, Stat reported. Layoffs at the Administration for Children and Families have jolted providers of federally backed high-quality childcare for low-income families, a program called Head Start.
The CDC's only experts on infertility were laid off, just days after Trump described himself as the “fertilization president” at an event marking Women's History Month. The team had collected congressionally mandated statistics on fertility clinics' success rates. Without the workers, it is unclear who at the department will help fertility clinics comply with the law.
“I'm astounded, sad, perplexed,” said Barbara Collura, president of Resolve: The National Infertility Association. “Infertility impacts one in six people globally, and now we don't have anybody at the CDC who knows anything about infertility and IVF?”
A division of the CDC called the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention also appeared to be gutted, with the director Jonathan Mermin placed on administrative leave. Among the center's many tasks, it worked to curb the spread of congenital syphilis, a debilitating disease that is on the rise in the US.
The March of Dimes, an influential non-profit whose mission is to improve the health of mothers and babies, said the cuts “raise serious concerns” at a time when maternal mortality rates remain “alarmingly high”.
“As an OB-GYN and public health leader, I can't overstate the value these resources and programs – and our partners across CDC, HRSA, and NIH – have brought to families and frontline providers,” said Dr Amanda Williams, the interim chief medical Officer at the March of Dimes.
“We rely on the data, research, clinical tools and partnerships built by the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) and HRSA to protect maternal and infant health – especially in communities hit hardest.”
Heads of National Institutes of Health (NIH) centers were also forced out – and, apparently, offered reassignment to the Indian Health Service to be stationed in Alaska, Montana or Oklahoma, the journal Nature reported. Such large-scale reassignments are unprecedented, according to Stat.
Among those to be placed on leave was one of the federal government's pre-eminent leaders of research, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr Jeanne Marrazzo. Marrazzo had expertise in sexually transmitted infections and women's reproductive tract infections – a background that gave health advocates hope of curbing the US's sky-high STD rates. Dr Diana Bianchi, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, was also forced out.
“These cuts are significant,” Kressly said. “And the policy and program changes that are made because the cuts impact real people in real communities, and I'm not just talking about the people who lost their jobs.”
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Ilona Maher is among the most popular rugby players, if not athletes, on the planet, and within her fan club happens to be someone who blazed a trail before her.
Ruby Tui, a two-time Olympic medalist and Women's Rugby World Cup winner with New Zealand, has been watching closely as her American counterpart has taken rugby by storm, amassing legions of followers on social media.
A little-known entity this time last year, Maher's popularity soared at the Paris Olympics, where she won bronze with Team USA. Her larger-than-life persona quickly made her the most followed rugby player on the internet, earning appearances on “Dancing With the Stars” and the cover of Sports Illustrated's “Swimsuit Edition.”
For Tui, who spent time in the United States playing in the Premier Rugby Sevens competition, such success hasn't happened by chance. Rather, it's a consequence of the time that Maher invests on and off the rugby field.
“People think she was just random or an accident,” Tui tells CNN Sports' Amanda Davies. “Nah, that woman puts work into her rugby, that woman puts work into her branding. That whole USA team really does.
“I guess that's why I chose to have my sabbatical in the US. I was like, ‘How do these guys know so much about just the entertainment world?' They're just world leaders at entertaining, and that's what sport is at the end of the day.
“I'm such a fan of her. I'm a fan of anyone who's willing to put the work in and step up for a cause that they truly believe in, that aligns with their values. And she's always been a vibe.”
In four months, Maher and Tui could both be appearing on their sport's biggest stage at the Women's Rugby World Cup in England – Tui as a reigning champion with New Zealand and Maher as a first-timer with the US.
The latter only recently switched from seven to 15-a-side rugby and spent the first part of this year with English team Bristol Bears Women, drawing a club record crowd on her first home appearance. The World Cup is now the next goal in the 28-year-old's burgeoning career.
“I can't wait for Ilona Maher to come over to the 15s game on a World Cup stage and see what kind of storm she can start,” says Tui. “Like, let's go – I'm keen for all of it. I think more champions, more characters for the game is nothing but good.”
Like Maher, Tui also made her name in rugby sevens, winning a silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics before upgrading to gold in Tokyo five years later. And like Maher, she too has achieved internet stardom, delivering an iconic speech after the 2022 World Cup final and leading the 45,000-strong Auckland crowd in song.
Soon after, Tui would give her winner's medal to a young fan who had recently recovered from leukemia and was dreaming of playing for New Zealand.
That offered just a brief snapshot into the warmth and generosity of an athlete who constantly inspires, though Tui's bubbly, eccentric exterior belies her challenging and often traumatic journey to the top of international rugby.
Her father was an alcoholic, while her mother, separately, was in an abusive relationship, eventually leading Tui to find a home at a women's refuge.
Not afraid to speak about her difficult childhood, Tui can empathize with others going through what she calls “dark, dark times.” With that in mind, she is supporting a new campaign by Bupa and New Zealand Rugby – “Human After All: The Alternative Team Photo” – which is about normalizing health conversations worldwide.
“All I can say is, the journeys you get through and the mountains you climb transform into your purpose and your reason for giving back,” says Tui. “I've just seen nothing but good things come from being vulnerable, being open to it. I think that's why this campaign is so important because we are seen as these physically superior rugby machines, but the truth is, we're human as well.”
Today, Tui is grateful for the way that sport changed the course of her life. She is currently focused on playing for Chiefs Manawa in Super Rugby Aupiki – the top-flight of women's rugby union in New Zealand – and leads the competition's try-scoring charts with five. Beyond that, she might be helping the Black Ferns to defend their Women's World Cup title in England later this year.
Tui's spot on the team is not guaranteed, but even the mention of inspiring her country to a third-consecutive World Cup crown gets her in a feverish state of anticipation.
“That sounds juicy when you say it like that,” says Tui. “That sounds like some sort of heavenly dish you get once in your life kind of thing.”
It would be a full-circle moment of sorts for the explosive winger, who remembers watching on TV in 2010 as New Zealand won a fourth-straight World Cup against England at Twickenham, where this year's final will also be held.
“Just imprinted in my brain was the huge accomplishment of the Black Ferns, and how super power the Black Ferns were,” says Tui. “And I just remember thinking, ‘Why are these guys not at sold-out stadiums? Why doesn't every young girl want to be in this team? This team's amazing.'”
To win again this year, New Zealand will have to overcome a dominant and near-unstoppable England team, which hasn't lost since that World Cup final defeat against New Zealand three years ago.
Tui acknowledges that the Red Roses are “well out in front” of their rivals at the moment and “setting the benchmark” in the women's game. But she is also hopeful that an upset at this year's tournament could earn the Black Ferns another visit to the British royal family at Buckingham Palace.
The team's last visit ahead of a game against England six months ago took a comical turn when some of the players shirked royal protocol and hugged King Charles, who jokingly said that he had been “flattened by the scrum.”
“That was sensational, that was just so out of the blue,” Tui says of meeting Charles, adding that she would love to see him embrace this year's tournament, especially with the final being held just a few miles west of Buckingham Palace.
“I hope he gets amongst it,” she says. “He's got a really big backyard, he could probably set up a big screen or something, invite all his royal mates around and have a real good time with it, if they don't want to come to the games.”
Two visits to the king's residence in the space of a year would be a sure sign that people are starting to sit up and take notice of the Black Ferns – just as Tui always dreamed they would.
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Nine children among the dead in strike on Kryvyi Rih residential area as Kyiv says Moscow's claim it targeted military gathering is false. What we know on day 1,137
A Russian missile strike killed at least 18 people, including nine children, in a residential area of Ukraine's central city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, local officials said – one of Moscow's deadliest attacks this year in the war. The strike in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's home town damaged residential blocks and sparked fires, the regional governor said on Telegram. More than 30 people, including a three-month-old baby, were in hospital, Serhiy Lysak said. At least 50 people were wounded, the emergency services said, adding that the figure was growing. Zelenskyy said rescue efforts were still under way and called on the west to exert greater pressure on Moscow. “All Russian promises end with missiles, drones, bombs or artillery,” he said in his nightly video address. “Diplomacy means nothing to them.”
Russia's defence ministry said the strike on Kryvyi Rih was targeted at a military gathering, a claim the Ukrainian military denounced as “false information”. “The missile struck a residential area with a playground,” the military's general staff said on Telegram. The city's military administrator said after the strike that Russian drones had later attacked private homes there, triggering fires at four sites. Oleksandr Vilkul said an elderly woman had died in her home and five others were injured.
The US secretary of state said Donald Trump was not “going to fall into the trap of endless negotiations” with Russia over Ukraine, adding Washington would know within weeks whether Moscow was serious about pursuing peace. “We're testing to see if the Russians are interested in peace,” Marco Rubio told journalists in Brussels on Friday after talks with Nato allies. “Their actions – not their words, their actions – will determine whether they're serious or not, and we intend to find that out sooner rather than later.” Pjotr Sauer reports that Rubio also appeared to strike a more sympathetic tone towards Kyiv, saying the Ukrainians “have shown a willingness to enter, for example, into a complete ceasefire”.
The Kremlin said on Friday that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had no plans to talk after a visit to Washington by the Russian president's investment envoy as wider negotiations over a Ukraine truce appeared stalled. According to NBC News on Thursday, Trump's inner circle was advising him not to speak to Putin again until the Russian leader commits to a full ceasefire in Ukraine.
Ukraine and Russia accused each other of fresh attacks on energy infrastructure, in breach of a US-brokered moratorium. Zelenskyy said Moscow launched a drone attack on a thermal power plant in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson on Friday, while Russia's defence ministry accused Kyiv of attacking Russian energy facilities six times in the past 24 hours.
Ukrainian air defences shot down 51 out of 92 drones launched by Russia in overnight attacks on Ukraine on Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said. Damage was recorded in the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions, it said. Thirty-one other Russian drones were “lost”, usually a reference to them being intercepted or blocked electronically.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that European military planners could be ready within a month with details of a foreign troop contingent in Ukraine seen as critical to ending the war with Russia. Speaking to reporters in Kyiv after meeting British and French military chiefs, the Ukrainian president said many other countries would also contribute to the effort, which envisages foreign troops patrolling Ukrainian land, sea and airspace. “I think the teams need about a month, no longer, and we will be fully ready with an understanding of this infrastructure.”
The Vatican's foreign minister spoke with his Russian counterpart on Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine and plans to stop the fighting, the Vatican said. Russia's foreign ministry later said the phone call between Sergey Lavrov and Archbishop Paul Gallagher had been initiated by the Vatican and that they had discussed “ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis with the obligatory reliable elimination of its root causes”.
‘Baseline' 10% import levy takes effect at US seaports, airports and customs warehouses on Saturday, with some higher tariffs to begin next week
Donald Trump's 10% tariff on all imports from many countries, including the UK, has come into force after 48 hours of turmoil.
US customs agents began collecting the unilateral tariff at US seaports, airports and customs warehouses at 12.01am ET (04:01 GMT), with higher levies on goods from 57 larger trading partners due to start next week – including from the EU, which will be hit with a 20% rate.
Keir Starmer was expected to spend the weekend speaking to foreign leaders about the tariffs, after calls with the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni, on Friday in which the leaders agreed that an “all-out trade war would be extremely damaging”.
Starmer was “clear the UK's response will be guided by the national interest” and officials would “calmly continue with our preparatory work, rather than rush to retaliate”, a No 10 spokesperson said.
Up until now, UK ministers have avoided voicing any criticism of Trump as they sought to secure a trade agreement with the US – hoping for some exemption from the tariffs. However, the UK government has drawn up a list of products that could be hit in retaliation, and was consulting with businesses on how any countermeasures could affect them.
Ralph Goodale, the high commissioner for Canada in the UK, told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme that the US needed to “feel the pain” and Canada would stand firm.
He said: “The action taken by the US government is completely illogical. It will damage the United States itself. It will raise costs in the United States. It will eliminate jobs in the United States, it will reduce growth in the United States and we have to make it abundantly clear not just that that is going to happen rhetorically, but the US has to feel the pain, because ultimately it will be Americans who will persuade their government to stop this foolishness.”
Trump's announcement of the tariffs on Wednesday shook global stock markets to their core, wiping out $5tn in stock market value for S&P 500 companies by Friday's close, a record two-day decline. The prices of oil and commodities plunged, as investors fled to the safety of government bonds.
“This is the single biggest trade action of our lifetime,” said Kelly Ann Shaw, a trade lawyer at Hogan Lovells and former White House trade adviser during Trump's first term.
While speaking at a Brookings Institution event on Thursday, Shaw said she expected that over time the tariffs would evolve as countries started negotiating lower rates for themselves, but she called the change “huge”.
Shaw said: “This is a pretty seismic and significant shift in the way that we trade with every country on Earth.”
Australia, the UK, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among countries initially hit with the 10% tariff.
At 12.01 ET on Wednesday, Trump's higher “reciprocal” tariff rates of 11% to 50% are due to take effect. EU imports will face a 20% tariff, while Chinese goods will be hit with a 34% tariff, bringing Trump's total new levies on China to 54%.
Canada and Mexico were exempt from Trump's latest duties because they are still subject to a 25% tariff related to the US fentanyl crisis for goods that do not comply with the US-Mexico-Canada rules of origin.
Reuters contributed to this report
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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 Chinese military officials in brown uniforms fan out around rows of young trees, shoveling soil into freshly dug pits. The camera pans to the most senior leaders one by one, in order of rank. But one prominent face is conspicuously absent.
The news segment, aired Wednesday night on China's state broadcaster, features a tree-planting event in the outskirts of the capital Beijing – an annual springtime tradition for the country's military leadership spanning more than four decades.
But Gen. He Weidong, the second-highest-ranking uniformed officer in the People's Liberation Army, was nowhere to be seen. Nor was he named as a participant in a report by the official state news agency.
Gen. He's absence from the high-profile event has fueled ongoing speculation that the second-ranking vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) may have become the latest – and most senior – casualty in leader Xi Jinping's purge of the military's top ranks.
As Xi's No.2 general, He shares a long-standing relationship with the Chinese leader, dating back decades to the early days of their careers in the coastal province of Fujian.
Rumors about an investigation against He first surfaced among the Chinese dissident community following China's annual political meetings last month. The 67-year-old hasn't appeared in public for three weeks since the closing ceremony of the country's rubber-stamp legislature on March 11.
The Chinese government has offered little in the way of clearing the air.
When asked about He's situation at a news briefing on March 27, Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said: “There is no information on this matter, and we are not aware of the situation.”
It is now unclear what has happened to He, who also sits on the Communist Party's 24-member Politburo.
Three weeks out of the public eye is not unheard of for a top general without a public-facing role and there is always a chance he resurfaces. But his no-show at a well-choreographed annual propaganda event stands out in a political system deeply attuned to the importance of symbolism.
“Clearly the absence of one CMC vice chair is important symbolically,” said James Char, a longtime PLA expert and assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
Similar to the Communist Party Congresses and annual “two sessions” political gatherings, “it's important for all the major figures that the rest of the world know of to show up to be in the same picture, because it helps to demonstrate the power and – more importantly – the unity of the party,” Char said.
In the opaque world of Chinese politics, observers have long leaned on arcane signals of Communist Party traditions and protocol to interpret what is going on behind the scenes. The discipline, known as “tea-leaf reading,” has become more relevant than ever in Xi's era as he centralizes power into his own hands and makes the decision-making process even more obscure.
And now, some experts are scouring this week's events for clues on the fate of one of Xi's top generals.
The annual ritual began as part of a nationwide tree-planting campaign launched by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in late 1981, following devastating floods he blamed on rampant deforestation. It was billed as a patriotic, selfless undertaking in “greening the motherland, building socialism and benefiting future generations.”
The following spring, Deng, then chairman of the CMC, planted the first tree of the campaign, setting a tradition that has since been carried on by successive Chinese leaders and military top brass.
Wednesday marked “the 43rd consecutive year the CMC leadership has collectively participated in the voluntary tree-planting activity in the capital,” said Xinhua, the state news agency.
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Since Xi came to power in late 2012, his two vice chairmen on the CMC had led military officers to plant trees without fail every spring – until He's rare absence on Wednesday.
The first-ranking CMC vice chairman, Gen. Zhang Youxia, attended the event, so did two other generals on the commission, Liu Zhenli and Zhang Shengmin.
The only other uniformed CMC member who did not show up was Adm. Miao Hua, who was suspended under investigation in November for “serious violations of discipline” – a common euphemism for corruption and disloyalty.
“I think He's absence is quite telling, but again, no one can be absolutely sure,” Char said. “There's another school of thought, which is He Weidong was involved in the last two weeks with the preparations for the military exercises around Taiwan.”
Starting from Tuesday, combined forces of the PLA's Eastern Theater Command held surprise exercises around Taiwan for two straight days, testing capabilities to blockade the self-ruling island, simulate strikes on its ports and other critical infrastructure, and launch long-range live-fire strikes.
The commander of the Eastern Theater Command from 2019 to 2022 was He. It was during his tenure that the Eastern Theater Command staged massive military drills and fired missiles around Taiwan in August 2022, in retaliation against then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei.
A prolonged absence from public view does not always signal trouble for Chinese officials. Some have resurfaced and resumed their duties. It's also not uncommon for officials to be taken in for questioning by graft busters to assist investigations into colleagues.
Last November, Defense Minister Dong Jun was reported to be under investigation for corruption by the Financial Times, citing US officials. China's Defense Ministry dismissed the report as a “sheer fabrication.” Dong reemerged in public a week later. The minister was also seen attending Wednesday's tree-planting event on the state broadcaster.
After coming to power, Xi consolidated control over the world's largest military by taking down powerful generals from rival factions and replacing them with allies and loyal proteges.
But a decade on, having structurally overhauled the People's Liberation Army and stacked its top ranks with his own men, Xi is still knee-deep in his seemingly endless struggle against graft and disloyalty – and is increasingly turning against his own handpicked loyalists.
Since the summer of 2023, more than a dozen high-ranking figures in China's defense establishment have been ousted in a sweeping purge that focused on the country's nuclear force and equipment procurement, including two defense ministers promoted to the CMC by Xi.
The ongoing turmoil roiling the senior ranks of the PLA has raised questions over Xi's ability to end systemic corruption in the military and enhance its combat readiness at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.
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“Recurring purges of the senior-most PLA leaders indicate that Xi Jinping distrusts his officer corps,” said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the RSIS.
“The constant removal of so many senior officers, as well as the extent of corruption running to the very top undoubtedly has an effect on the PLA's morale, and likely also its military capabilities,” Thompson added.
But some analysts noted that by this point, the PLA may have well become accustomed to the shake-ups in its high command.
“Leadership purges in the PLA seem to have become normalized to a point that it's just part and parcel of being the PLA,” said Collin Koh, another research fellow at RSIS.
The Chinese military may have started to grow accustomed to the purges – to a point where it is able to isolate them from its daily operational activities and go on with business as usual, Koh noted.
“It does not necessarily mean that because of the purges, the PLA has started to relent on readiness. These purges might potentially have the effect of reminding the PLA to do their work better – if anything, if you want to escape the purges, then one way to do that is to obey what the party is telling you, which is to be prepared for conflict,” he said.
Like Miao, He is widely believed to have forged close personal ties with Xi during their overlapping years in Fujian, where the future Chinese leader was rising through the ranks as a local official in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Both He and Miao spent most of their early career serving in the former 31st Group Army in Fujian, which became a major power base for Xi. A string of military officers hailing from the 31st Group Army have been fast-tracked for promotion since Xi took power in late 2012.
Gen. He was no exception. In 2013, he was promoted to commander of Jiangsu Military District; less than a year later, he became commander of the Shanghai Garrison. In 2016, he was promoted yet again to command ground forces of the Western Theater Command, which oversees China's border with India.
He was promoted to full general in 2017, when he became commander of the Eastern Theater Command, responsible for leading any military invasion or blockade of Taiwan.
But the ultimate sign of Xi's trust in He came at the 20th Party Congress in 2022, when He landed the CMC vice chairmanship – an unusually rapid rise for an official who hadn't served on the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party.
During that leadership reshuffle, Xi stacked the CMC with six loyalists. If confirmed to be under investigation, He would be the powerful military body's first sitting vice chairman to be purged by Xi and the third member on the current CMC to fall from grace.
The last time a sitting CMC vice chair was purged was more than three decades ago, when then-Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang was ousted for sympathizing with student protesters in the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement.
“What happens finally to He Weidong gives us a window into how the political system in China is being restructured further under Xi Jinping,” Char said, noting the PLA's reform of its rigid political structure.
“I don't think anyone in the system now is irreplaceable,” he said. “This is what a political strong man does. He's ruthless… he's continuously purging his own ranks to keep his generals on their toes.”
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CNN's Erin Burnett talks with Dr. Peter Marks, the former head of vaccines for the FDA, who says he was pushed out for not agreeing to spread misinformation about vaccines.
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Over 1,400 protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are expected across all 50 states on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms.
The “Hands Off!” mass-action protests will take place at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security's headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers say.
“Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers state. “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”
Nearly 600,000 people have signed up to attend the events, some which will also take place in other countries, according to Indivisible, one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women's rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates.
Organizers say they have three demands: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”
CNN has reached out to the White House for a statement.
During the Hands Off! protest in Washington, DC, multiple representatives took to the podium to speak about the Trump administration, including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who said there is no future with a president who has “the politics of Mussolini and the economics of Herbert Hoover.”
“Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,' the preamble says ‘We the people,'” Raskin said in front of a crowd of hundreds holding signs slamming the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost urged people to take action by protesting, donating to mutual aid, participating in direction action and focusing on legislative strategies.
“Throughout human history, authoritarians, they're never satisfied with the power they have, and so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they're quiet or if they're loud,” said Frost.
Since Trump took office, his administration has been vocal about its efforts to cut federal spending, regardless of who it may harm. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or issued immediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk's plan to downsize the federal government.
And Musk, the world's richest man, has aggressively pushed policies to reduce spending as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, all while repeatedly misleading the public about federal spending.
He has also boasted that he put USAID — an agency that feeds some of the world's poorest, most desperate people and has saved millions of lives — “in the wood chipper.”
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They dismantled foreign aid programs that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy.
The Social Security Administration, responsible for monthly benefits to around 73 million Americans, is now in turmoil after a massive reorganization, including cutting thousands of employees.
Trump and his team have also taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration, aggressively pressuring ICE to pick up the pace of migrant arrests and touting mass deportation plans despite the administration making multiple missteps in recent weeks, including mistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man.
“They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they're the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go and union bust,” said Frost.
“They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they're the ones dismantling public education. They're the ones denying the climate crisis. They're the ones poisoning our planet. They're the ones doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence,” Frost added.
The Trump administration has frequently questioned climate science and said it will roll back major climate policies, including rules that target pollution from vehicles and power plants, in a major blow to America's progress on clean air, clean water and climate action. Trump has also ordered the federal government to re-evaluate its gun policies and all ongoing litigation that could restrict Americans' gun rights.
Frost called the current state of politics in America an “insidious rise of authoritarianism” fueled by “corrupt billionaires and mega corporations” who think they have a right to control all aspects of the lives of their citizens, including freedom of speech.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian refugee whose green card was revoked over his involvement in demonstrations at Columbia University, has raised chilling questions about whether people can truly exercise their constitutionally protected right to free speech.
“Our communities are paying the price while the Trumps and Musks of the world cash in. It's not just about money – it's about power,” Hands Off! organizers wrote. “This administration is targeting everybody who isn't part of the 1% – veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people, and political opponents. All to consolidate power and reward their allies.”
Two federal employee union presidents spoke out on Saturday against Trump and his policies targeting federal workers at the protest in DC.
“(The) Trump administration is absolutely destroying public services in this country. That's right. They claim to be making government more efficient,” said National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy Erwin. “That is a joke, people. That is a cruel joke. They're doing the exact opposite.”
NFFE and the American Federation of Government Employees are a part of a coalition of unions that filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in San Francisco this week seeking to stop the Trump administration from ending collective bargaining rights for many federal employees.
“They thought we were easy targets. But let me tell you something about union members and veterans. We will not be intimidated. I'm a veteran myself. I'm an Army veteran. We will not be silenced. We will not bow down. We'll stand up and say hands off our union. We'll stand up and say hands off our contract,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said.
Erwin called the move by the Trump administration “the biggest assault on collective bargaining that we have ever seen in this country.”
“AFGE has been in the courts, in the media, in Congress, and here with you on the street. And not only are we in the court, but we are kicking their behind while we're in the court, and we're going to continue to kick their behind,” Kelley said.
Since taking office, Trump has sought to reshape the federal workforce. In one of his earliest moves, he ended remote work for government employees and agencies were provided guidance on how they can override union collective bargaining agreements on telework and remote work.
At least 121,361 workers have been fired from federal agencies so far, as of CNN's latest tally on March 28.
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Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Demonstrators hold up signs during a “Hands Off!” protest against President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators hold up signs during a “Hands Off!” protest against President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Pro-Palestinian protesters carrying a depiction of President Donald Trump gather at a rally before marching toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Demonstrators hold signs during a “Hands Off!” protest against President Donald Trump in Portsmouth, N.H., Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
A demonstrator twirls a ribbon during a “Hands Off!” protest against President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators hold up signs during a “Hands Off!” protest against President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Beth Maddox, of Calhoun, Ga., right, participates in a civil rights demonstrators, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Opponents of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rallied across the U.S. on Saturday to protest the administration's actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights and other issues.
More than 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations were planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, D.C., state capitols and other locations in all 50 states.
Pro-Palestinian protesters carrying a depiction of President Donald Trump gather at a rally before marching toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Protesters assailed the Trump administration's moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut federal funding for health programs.
Musk, a Trump adviser who owns Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in government downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign advocacy group, spoke at the Washington protest, criticizing the Trump administration's treatment of the LBGTQ+ community.
“The attacks that we're seeing, they're not just political. They are personal, y'all,” she said. “They're trying to ban our books, they're slashing HIV prevention funding, they're criminalizing our doctors, our teachers, our families and our lives. This is Donald Trump's America and I don't want it y'all. We don't want this America, y'all. We want the America we deserve, where dignity, safety and freedom belong not to some of us, but to all of us.”
Thousands of people marched in New York City's midtown Manhattan. In Massachusetts thousands more gathered on Boston Common holding signs including “Hands off our democracy,” “Hands off our Social Security” and “Diversity equity inclusion makes America strong. Hands off!”
In Ohio, hundreds rallied in the rain at the Statehouse in Columbus.
Roger Broom, 66, a retiree from Delaware County, Ohio, said at the Columbus rally that he used to be a Reagan Republican but has been turned off by Trump.
“He's tearing this country apart,” Broom said. “It's just an administration of grievances.”
Hundreds of people also demonstrated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a few miles from Trump's golf course in Jupiter, where he spent the morning at the club's Senior Club Championship. People lined both sides of PGA Drive, encouraging cars to honk and chanting slogans against Trump.
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Archer Moran from Port St. Lucie, Florida, said, “They need to keep their hands off of our Social Security.”
“The list of what they need to keep their hands off of is too long,” Moran said. “And it's amazing how soon these protests are happening since he's taken office.”
The president plans to go golfing again Sunday, according to the White House.
Asked about the protests, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump's position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats' stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
Activists have staged nationwide demonstrations against Trump or Musk multiple times since Trump returned to office. But the opposition movement has yet to produce a mass mobilization like the Women's March in 2017, which brought thousands of women to Washington, D.C., after Trump's first inauguration, or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted in multiple cities after George Floyd's killing in 2020.
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
An activist waves an American flag upside down during a “Hands Off!” demonstration in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
In Charlotte, North Carolina, protesters said they were supporting a variety of causes, from Social Security and education to immigration and women's reproductive rights.
“Regardless of your party, regardless of who you voted for, what's going on today, what's happening today is abhorrent,” said Britt Castillo, 35, of Charlotte. “It's disgusting and as broken as our current system might be, the way that the current administration is going about trying to fix things — it is not the way to do it. They're not listening to the people.”
“All they're doing is making sure that they have a parachute for them and their rich friends, and everybody else here that lives here — that makes the gears turn for this country — are just screwed at the end of the day,” she said.
Associated Press writers Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, and Fatima Hussein in West Palm Beach, Florida, and video journalist Guillermo Gonzalez in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Vehicles wait in line to cross the border into the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two U.S. border inspectors in Southern California have been charged with taking thousands of dollars in bribes to allow people to enter the country through the nation's busiest port of entry without showing documents, prosecutors said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers Farlis Almonte and Ricardo Rodriguez were assigned to immigration inspection booths at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. They were charged after investigators found phone evidence showing they had exchanged messages with human traffickers in Mexico and discovered unexplained cash deposits into their bank accounts, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday.
Surveillance video showed at least one instance in which a vehicle with a driver and a passenger stopped at a checkpoint but only the driver was documented as having entered the country, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said the officers waved dozens of vehicles carrying people without documents. They said both men were paid thousands for each vehicle they waved through.
It wasn't immediately known if Almonte has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. The National Border Patrol Council, the union representing Border Patrol officers, didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.
Rodriguez's attorney, Michael Hawkins, said the case was still in the “infant stages” and that Rodriguez has the presumption of innocence.
“We look forward to working through the current situation,” Hawkins said in an email in which he described Rodriguez as hardworking and loyal.
The investigation on Almonte and Rodriguez started after three migrant smugglers who were arrested last year told federal investigators they had been working with U.S. border inspectors, federal prosecutors said.
While Almonte was in custody, investigators allegedly seized nearly $70,000 in cash they believe his romantic partner was trying to move to Tijuana. Prosecutors wrote in a court filing that Almonte is potentially facing additional charges for money laundering and obstruction of justice, The San Diego Union Tribune reported.
“Any Customs and Border Protection agent who aids or turns a blind eye to smugglers bringing undocumented immigrants into the U.S. is betraying their oath and endangering our national security,” Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden told the newspaper in a statement.
There have been five U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the San Diego area to face similar corruption charges in the last two years.
Last year, former U.S. border inspector Leonard Darnell George was sentenced to 23 years in prison for taking bribes to allow people and drug-laden vehicles to enter the country through the San Ysidro border crossing. Two other former border officers at the Otay Mesa and Tecate ports of entry were charged last year with similar charges. They are expected to go on trial this summer.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Archer Moran, from Port St. Lucie, Fla., protests President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Activists protest President Donald Trump, who was a few miles away at his Trump National Golf Club, during a “Hands Off!” demonstration Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans in protest to the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across from the Federal Building in the Westwood section of Los Angeles, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Civil rights demonstrators hold signs and speak to passing vehicles, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A man in a vehicle cheers as civil rights demonstrators hold signs and speak to passing vehicles, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Civil rights demonstrators hold signs and speak to passing vehicles, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A U.S. flag flies during a civil rights demonstration, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Greg McCollum, of Rome, Ga., participates in a civil rights demonstrators, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Beth Maddox, of Calhoun, Ga., right, participates in a civil rights demonstrators, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Civil rights demonstrators hold signs and speak to passing vehicles, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Opponents of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rallied across the U.S. on Saturday to protest the administration's actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights and other issues.
More than 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations were planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, D.C., state capitols and other locations in all 50 states.
Protesters assailed the Trump administration's moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut federal funding for health programs.
Musk, a Trump adviser who owns Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in government downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
Speaking at the Washington protest, Paul Osadebe, a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a labor union steward, criticized Trump, Musk and others in the administration for not valuing the work federal employees do in creating “a baseline of economic security and power for working people.”
“Billionaires and oligarchs don't value anything other than profit and power, and they sure as hell don't value you or your life or your community,” he said. “And we're seeing that they don't care who they have to destroy or who they have to hurt to get what they want.”
In Massachusetts, thousands of people gathered on Boston Common holding signs including “Hands off our democracy,” “Hands off our Social Security” and “Diversity equity inclusion makes America strong. Hands off!” In Ohio, hundreds rallied in rainy conditions at the Statehouse in Columbus.
Roger Broom, 66, a retiree from Delaware County, Ohio, said at the Columbus rally that he used to be a Reagan Republican but has been turned off by Trump.
“He's tearing this country apart,” Broom said. “It's just an administration of grievances.”
Hundreds of people also demonstrated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a few miles from Trump's golf course in Jupiter, where he spent the morning at the club's Senior Club Championship. People lined both sides of PGA Drive, encouraging cars to honk and chanting slogans against Trump.
Archer Moran from Port St. Lucie, Florida, said, “They need to keep their hands off of our Social Security.”
“The list of what they need to keep their hands off of is too long,” Moran said. “And it's amazing how soon these protests are happening since he's taken office.”
The president plans to go golfing again Sunday, according to the White House.
Asked about the protests, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump's position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats' stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
Activists have staged nationwide demonstrations against Trump or Musk multiple times since Trump returned to office. But the opposition movement has yet to produce a mass mobilization like the Women's March in 2017, which brought thousands of women to Washington, D.C., after Trump's first inauguration, or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted in multiple cities after George Floyd's killing in 2020.
Associated Press writers Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, and Fatima Hussein in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
President Donald Trump reads a The NY Post as he arrives at Trump National Golf Club, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump departs after signing an executive order at an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In this image provided by Senate Television, Sen, Cory Booker, D-N.J. speaks on the Senate floor, Tuesday morning, April 1, 2025. (Senate Television via AP)
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump reads The NY Post as he arrives at Trump National Golf Club, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Not even 24 hours after his party lost a key Wisconsin race and underperformed in Florida, President Donald Trump followed the playbook that has defined his political career: He doubled down.
Trump's move on Wednesday to place stiff new tariffs on imports from nearly all U.S. trading partners marks an all-in bet by the Republican that his once-fringe economic vision will pay off for Americans. It was the realization of his four decades of advocacy for a protectionist foreign policy and the belief that free trade was forcing the United States into decline as its economy shifted from manufacturing to services.
The tariff announcement was the latest and perhaps boldest manifestation of Trump's second-term freedom to lead with his instincts after feeling his first turn in the Oval Office was restrained by aides who did not share his worldview. How it shakes out could be a defining judgment on his presidency.
The early reviews have been worrisome.
Financial markets had their worst week since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign trade partners retaliated and economists warned that the import taxes may boost inflation and potentially send the U.S. into a recession. It's now Republican lawmakers who are fretting about their party's future while Democrats feel newly buoyant over what they see as Trump's overreach.
Democratic activists planned to participate in rallies across the country Saturday in what was shaping up as the largest demonstrations since Trump returned to office in January. “The winds are changing,” said Rahna Epting, who leads MoveOn, one of many organizing groups.
Trump is unbowed.
He has promised that the taxes on imports will bring about a domestic manufacturing renaissance and help fund an extension of his 2017 tax cuts. He insisted on Thursday as the Dow Jones fell by 1,600 points that things were “going very well” and the economy would “boom,” then spent Friday at the golf course as the index plunged 2,200 more points.
In his first term, Trump's tariff threats brought world leaders to his door to cut deals. This time, his actions so far have led to steep retaliation from China and promises from European allies to push back.
Even some Trump supporters are having their doubts.
Frank Amoroso, a 78-year-old resident of Dewitt, Michigan, said he is concerned about short-term rising interest rates and inflation, although he believes the tariffs will be good for the country in the long run.
Amoroso, a retired automotive engineer who voted for Trump, said he would give the president's second-term performance a C-plus or B-minus. “I think he's doing things too fast,” he said. “But hopefully things will get done in a prudent way, and the economy will survive a little downfall.”
Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., in a telephone town hall with constituents on Thursday night, expressed reservations about the broad nature of the tariffs.
Hill, who represents a district that includes Little Rock, said he does not back tariffs on Canada and Mexico. He said the administration should instead focus on renegotiating a U.S. trade agreement with its two neighbors.
“I don't support across-the-board tariffs as a general matter, and so I don't support those, and I will be urging changes there because I don't think they will end up raising a bunch of revenue that's been asserted,” Hill said. “I wish I thought they did, but personally I don't think they will. But I do support trade diplomacy.”
Still, much of Trump's “Make America Great Again” coalition remains publicly supportive.
Doug Deason, a prominent Texas-based Republican donor, said he loves the president's tariff plan, even if it causes some economic disruption.
“He told us during the election there would be pain for every American to get this ship turned around,” Deason said. “It is hard to watch our portfolios deteriorate so much, but we get it. We hope he holds course.”
As Trump struggles with the economy, Democrats are beginning to emerge from the cloud of doom that has consumed their party ever since their election drubbing in November.
They scored a decisive victory in Wisconsin's high-profile state Supreme Court election on Tuesday, even after Elon Musk and his affiliated groups poured more than $20 million into the contest. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker then breathed new life into the Democratic resistance by delivering a record 25-hour-long speech on the Senate floor that centered on a call for his party to find its resolve.
Booker told The Associated Press afterward that a significant political shift has begun even as his party tries to learn from its mistakes in the 2024 presidential election.
“I think you're seeing a lot more energy, a lot more determination, a lot more feeling like we've got to fight,” Booker said. “You can't sit back any more. You can't sit on the sidelines. There's a larger, growing movement.”
Booker, a 2020 presidential candidate, acknowledged he is not ruling out a 2028 run, although he said he is focused on his 2026 Senate reelection for now.
There is broad agreement among Democrats — and even some Republicans, privately at least — that what Trump has unleashed on the global economy could help accelerate the Democratic comeback.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of the progressive resistance group known as Indivisible, has been critical of Democratic officials' response in recent weeks to Trump's leadership. But on Friday, he was somewhat giddy about the political consequences for Trump's GOP after the tariffs announcement.
“Raising prices across the board for your constituents is not popular,” Levin said. “It's the kind of thing that can lead to a 1932-style total generational wipe out of a party.”
Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Isabella Volmert in Dewitt, Michigan, contributed to this report.
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.
A group of Democrats from the House and Senate spoke to the press about a pair of new companion bills they are introducing to prevent the Trump administration from relocating federal agencies outside the nation's capital. (Nicholas Ballasy)
A cohort of Democratic representatives and senators are proposing legislation aimed at stalling President Donald Trump's efforts to relocate federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C., something the president has taken steps to start doing.
Guidance issued in February from the Trump administration instructed federal agencies to submit any proposed relocation of agency bureaus and offices by April 14, instructions that were tied to the president's broader efforts to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government.
The pair of companion bills from Democrats in the House and Senate seeks to require agencies to conduct and share a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis with Congress and the public prior to any relocations.
ELON MUSK SAYS DOGE WILL INVESTIGATE ‘STRANGELY WEALTHY' LAWMAKERS: ‘NOBODY CAN EXPLAIN THAT'
A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign outside its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
"Everyone standing here, every one of my colleagues, wants to get rid of fraud, waste and abuse… but that rhetoric [from the administration] is a cover for an agenda that is perverse and contrary to the interests of the United States of America," Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said during a press conference held at the Capitol announcing the new legislative effort.
"All of this is targeted at depleting the federal workforce and nullifying the government of the United States," Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., added. "That is the philosophy that is driving this entire thing."
ELON MUSK AND DOGE TEAM SIT DOWN WITH BRET BAIER IN ‘SPECIAL REPORT' EXCLUSIVE
Maryland Democrats have introduced a pair of bills in the House and Senate aimed at stalling President Trump's efforts to relocate federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C. (Getty Images/Fox News)
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Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen previously introduced "The COST of Relocations Act" in 2020, and again in 2023.
"We hoped [the bill] wouldn't be necessary again, but it is," Van Hollen stated at the press conference. "It's necessary in order to stop Donald Trump and Elon Musk from wasting American taxpayer dollars by sabotaging services that the American public depends on."
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• Final Four action got started: It's the biggest weekend of the year in college basketball and it got started in Tampa, Florida, with the women's NCAA Final Four.
• South Carolina beats Texas: The South Carolina Gamecocks are going back to the national championship game after a rout of Texas in the night's opening game. SC won 74-57 after overcoming a slow start against the Longhorns.
• UConn decimates UCLA: The UConn Huskies are headed back to the national title game after making easy work of UCLA. UConn led by 10 after the first quarter and never looked back, rolling past the Bruins for a 85-51 victory.
• National title game is on Sunday: South Carolina and UConn will go on to play in the national championship game at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday. That game will air on ABC.
The matchup for the women's basketball national title game is set, and it's a doozy.
South Carolina and UConn will face off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday in a matchup between two powerhouse programs. The Gamecocks are looking to repeat as national champions and win their third national title in four seasons, while the Huskies are looking for their school's record 12th national title – though it would be their first since 2016.
The matchup will pit two of the sport's most high-profile coaches against one another in SC's Dawn Staley and UConn's Geno Auriemma. It'll also give the college game's most high-profile player, UConn senior Paige Bueckers, one final shot to win an elusive national title before she moves on to the WNBA.
This will be the second time the teams will face off this year, and the Gamecocks will be looking for revenge. The Huskies won in a rout back in February, defeating South Carolina 87-58 on the Gamecocks' home floor.
It'll be the second time in recent years these two teams have faced off in the title game. South Carolina defeated UConn for the title back in the 2022 edition of the national championship game. If the Gamecocks are victorious, they'll be the first team to repeat as champions since UConn won four straight titles between 2013 and 2016.
The game will be shown on ABC on Sunday afternoon.
South Carolina 74, Texas 57
Reigning champs South Carolina are heading back to the national championship game after defeating Texas 74-57.
The Gamecocks, who are in the title game for the third time in four years, are looking for their fourth title in program history.
South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao scored a team-high 14 points in the win, with freshman Joyce Edwards adding 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
After the game, Edwards gave credit for her and her teams performance to South Carolina alumnus and WNBA superstar A'ja Wilson.
“The reason we are here is because of her,” Edwards told the ESPN broadcast with Wilson watching on at the Amalie Arena. “It's crazy for her to see a full circle how her legacy is inspiring other girls just like me to come out here and play.”
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who has never lost in a title game, told reporters it is not a statistic to which she pays much attention.
“I don't even bring it up,” Staley said. “It's just singularly focused on winning a game. Nothing that happened prior to here is going to help us on Sunday – nothing. … I think playing in the game and seeing how the game is being played out, it's the only thing that's going to help us.
“Saying that we're undefeated in national championship games, it's not – I wish it helped, I wish it would spot us 10 points because we're undefeated. I'd feel really good about that.”
The No. 1 seeded Longhorns did not play up to par. Texas finished with 14 total turnovers and struggled from 3-point range, making only four out of 10 attempts.
Longhorns star forward Madison Booker struggled with fouls all game despite finishing with 11 points.
The more impressive statistic from the first of two games on Final Four Friday was that South Carolina have now won 104 straight games when they lead at halftime.
UConn 85, UCLA 51
The No. 2 Huskies secured a return to the NCAA tournament's national championship game with a dominant 85-51 win over No. 1 UCLA in the second game of the women's Final Four.
UConn's dynamic frontcourt duo of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd lit up the Bruins, who were the top overall seed in the tournament, combining to score 41 of the Huskies' 85 points.
Freshman-sensation Strong led the charge with a team-high 22 points, etching her name in history as only the third UConn freshman to drop 20 in a Final Four game.
With the victory, the Huskies punched their ticket to the title game for the first time since 2022. They will square off against No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday, aiming for a record 12th national championship in women's program history.
The opponent the last time UConn got to the national title game? South Carolina. The Gamecocks handed Geno Auriemma, the all-time winningest coach in women's basketball history, his only defeat in a national title game in that showdown.
Paige Bueckers, the senior star for the Huskies, said she's not putting much stock in her team's performance in Columbia earlier this year and what it means for Sunday.
“At this point, anything you did prior to the season means nothing,” Bueckers said on the key to winning against the Gamecocks. “The record is 0-0, teams are trying to go 1-0 in the final game.”
For UCLA, Friday night's loss closes the curtain on a groundbreaking season. The top-seeded Bruins, making their first-ever Final Four appearance, couldn't find their rhythm despite a valiant 26-point effort from standout center Lauren Betts. Plagued by 19 turnovers and a dismal 4-of-16 from beyond the arc, UCLA's historic run ends in heartbreak.
Bueckers said keeping Betts in check was the key to their game planning.
“They got the best post player in the country, she draws so much attention, she's very physical she gets to her spot, and they just did a tremendous job on her,” Bueckers said on how the UConn frontcourt defended Betts.
“They've been working extremely hard to practice. You can't beat her, but you can do your best to try to be like her, but they just did a wonderful job in the paint.”
Two powerhouse schools will meet on Sunday to determine the national champion - South Carolina and UConn.
However, Friday saw two Final Four games that showed why these two teams were destined to meet in the title game.
The No. 1 seeded Gamecocks defeated No. 1 seed Texas 74-57 while the No. 2 seed Huskies blew out No. 1 UCLA 85-51.
See some of the best pictures from tonight's matchups:
See more pictures from the NCAA tournament.
The No. 2 Huskies have secured a return to the NCAA tournament's national championship game after a dominant 85-51 win over No. 1 UCLA in the Final Four at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
UConn's dynamic frontcourt duo of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd lit up the Bruins, combining to score 41 of the Huskies' 85 points.
The freshman sensation Strong led the charge with a team-high 22 points, etching her name in history as only the third UConn freshman to drop 20 in a Final Four game.
With the victory, the Huskies punch their ticket to the title game for the first time since 2022. They will square off against No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday, aiming for a record 12th national championship in women's program history.
For UCLA, Friday night's loss closes the curtain on a groundbreaking season. The top-seeded Bruins, making their first-ever Final Four appearance, couldn't find their rhythm despite a valiant 26-point effort from standout center Lauren Betts. Plagued by 19 turnovers and a dismal 4-of-16 from beyond the arc, UCLA's historic run ends in heartbreak.
Final score: UConn 85, UCLA 51
UCLA's head coach Cori Close said her team needs to play with more toughness and togetherness if they want to mount any kind of comeback.
“We got to play with more toughness and togetherness,” Close told the ESPN broadcast. “You know, we've been reacting the entire game. When we have executed together on defense or on offense, we've gotten good stuff and played to our identity.
“We have just not done that on a consistent basis. We have not been the tougher, more together team.”
Score: UConn 66, UCLA 39
Inside the paint, from beyond the arc, and mid-range, the No. 2 Huskies have scored every which way, leaving no doubt who will advance to the national championship – unless there's a major change in the final 10 minutes.
UConn outscored UCLA 18-15 in the third quarter and further extended their lead to 23 points heading into the final stanza.
Paige Bueckers, who scored six points in the first half, has come alive for the Huskies, scoring six points in the thrid quarter alone.
Score: UConn 60, UCLA 37
UConn continue to hold a steady advantage over UCLA.
Paige Bueckers' latest bucket has the Huskies ahead by 22 points, as UCLA try to climb back into this one.
Bueckers has struggled on offense for most of the night, but it hasn't come back to haunt UConn.
Lauren Betts continues to be one of the lone bright spots for the Bruins, scoring four of the Bruins' eight points so far in the quarter
Score: UConn 50, UCLA 28
We are back underway in Tampa! No. 2 UConn and No. 1 UCLA have taken the court as we tipoff for the second half of the Final Four matchup.
UConn sit comfortably with a 20-point advantage, just two quarters away from a return to the national championship game.
Meanwhile, the Bruins will look to flip the script and mount a comeback in their hunt for a maiden title game appearance.
Will the Huskies hang one and prevail? Tune in!
The No. 2 Huskies stormed out the gate and never took their foot off the pedal, taking a 42-22 lead over No. 1 UCLA at the break in Tampa, Florida.
Azzi Fudd has almost single-handily matched the Bruins score, dropping 19 points, while shooting 7-of-11 from the field.
“This is something, when you're in the Final Four, there is no off,” Fudd told the ESPN broadcast. “Like you got to be on, whether shots are going in or not, that's a mindset that you're on.”
Meanwhile, the Bruins struggled to maintain possession of the ball, committing 14 turnovers leading to 19 of the Huskies' points.
UConn are 24-1 when Fudd scores 15+ points, including 21 straight. Will they make it 25-1?
Score: UConn 42, UCLA 22
Azzi Fudd is on a heater! The UConn forward is up to 19 points, as she continues to keep the Huskies ahead against UCLA.
UConn's frontcourt duo of Fudd and Sarah Strong have combined to score 27 of the Huskies' 42 points.
The Bruins are still struggling with turnovers, but are also being hurt by their lack of scoring from beyond the arc. UCLA have shot a combined 1-of-5 from range.
Score: UConn 42, UCLA 22
It's been all Connecticut in this one, as the top-seeded UCLA are being haunted by turnovers.
As we approach the midway point of the second quarter, the Bruins have committed 10 turnovers, which have led to 14 Huskies points. UCLA have more turnovers (10) than made field goals (eight) so far in this contest.
Score: UCLA 29, UCLA 17
Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma liked what he saw from his squad in a dominant first quarter.
“Well, I think defensively we're doing a pretty good job of getting some pressure on the ball,” Auriemma told the ESPN broadcast.
“The key is we're making them play defense, we're making them have to adjust to different things, and we're getting open looks. Now, it's just a matter of being able to contain that for four quarters.”
Azzi Fudd, who struggled in the team's Elite Eight game, leads UConn with 11 points, including shooting 4-for-5 from the field.
Meanwhile, the Huskies have forced the Bruins to commit 10 turnovers as we cross the six minute mark of the second quarter.
Score: UConn 27, UCLA 15
We are through the first quarter with No. 2 UConn holding a comfortable 23-13 lead over No. 1 UCLA.
UConn got off to quick start, jumping to a quick 4-0 lead, but UCLA weathered the early Huskies onslaught.
The Huskies stayed a step ahead of the Bruins, while mostly neutralizing standout center Lauren Betts.
Holding a 9-8 lead, UConn strung together a 6-0 run to take a seven-point advantage as they began to impose themselves on UCLA.
But Betts stopped the run with a much-needed layup and foul for the and-1. That score turned out to be more of a Band-Aid than a solution as UConn added six more points on back-to-back threes from Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd.
At the quarter's buzzer, UConn star Paige Bueckers nailed a 3-pointer with the horn sounding to give her team a 10-point lead after 10 minutes of play.
Score: UConn 23, UCLA 13
We are underway in Tampa, Florida, for the second Final Four matchup on Friday night.
The No. 2-seed UConn and No. 1 UCLA have tipped off as they square off with a berth in the national championship game on the line.
UConn will be led by Paige Bueckers, who has averaged 29 points per game while shooting 58.7% and 58.3% from three. After advancing to the NCAA Final Four for a record 24th time, the Huskies are looking to return to the national championship game and capture a 12th title in women's program history.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded UCLA are making their first Final Four appearance in program history. The Bruins will be led by standout center Lauren Betts, who led the team with 20 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
History favors the Huskies, who hold a 7-1 edge all-time against the Bruins, including 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
The winner will play against South Carolina in the national championship on Sunday.
Friday's second Final Four game is also a clash of two teams with vastly different recent histories.
UCLA is playing in its first Final Four while for UConn, it is a 24th appearance at this stage of the women's NCAA tournament.
UCLA, the No. 1 overall seed in this year's tournament, has been the Associated Press' top-ranked team in the country for most of the year and is seeking to cap off a special season by going one step further on Friday.
Although they are in an uncharted position, Bruins head coach Cori Close isn't surprised at all: “We expected and believed that we would be in Tampa. And that being said, we're really grateful, but we are ready to compete.”
Despite historically being a benchmark team in the women's game, the 11-time national champion Huskies are seeking to return to the top of the mountain having not won a title since 2016.
They are looking to go one step further than last year having lost to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Final Four. And with Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd leading the team, UConn could be well positioned to do so.
The Huskies have better scoring, defense, three-point percentage, ball security and free throw percentage than UCLA and produced a brilliant display in the Elite Eight to comfortably beat No. 1 Southern California, which was missing Naismith and AP national women's player of the year JuJu Watkins through injury.
Bueckers – who has averaged 30.5 points per game in the Huskies' last three outings – highlighted the danger Betts will pose when the two teams face off on Friday, while also talking about the weight that comes with playing for UConn as they seek to bring a 12th national championship back to Storrs.
“I think before you even get here, you kind of know the pressures that exist by committing to UConn. So by making that decision to want to come here and try to live up to that and be a part of a legendary program, it's a decision you have to make even before you step on campus,” the 23-year-old, who is playing in her final college season, said.
“And once you walk inside the practice facility, you see all the history, all the names, all the banners, it's just motivation. Obviously, there's expectations here, and anything less than a national championship is really a disappointment. As players, that's what you play for and what you want to live up to. And the expectations and the pressure, it's a privilege. So we all look at it as such.”
The emergence of Lauren Betts as a star has been a key component in the Bruins' success this season, having recorded two 30-point performances so far this tournament already.
The 6-foot-7-inch center leads the team in points and rebounds per game and has 19 double-doubles, which puts her in the top 10 in the country.
When speaking to the media on Thursday, Betts puts her outstanding season in large part down to the “mental work” she's put in recently, having opened up about her mental health struggles in an article with ESPN where she talked about being bullied for her height.
“I think one of the reasons why I wanted to come out with the story is because I felt like I was finally in the right place to do so,” Betts told reporters. “I think that I just had done a lot of healing since then. I was like: ‘You know what, I just don't feel like I have to really hide this anymore.'
“I think the responses that I've had since then have truly just validated what I did and what I put out. To help young girls who, I guess, just didn't really have anyone to look up to, personally, I had mentors and I'm really thankful, but I know there's a lot of young girls who don't. I think just for me to be an outlet and to kind of validate their feelings and to know there's someone out there who is dealing with the same thing that I am is, I think, is just really important.”
Reigning champs South Carolina are heading back to the national championship game after defeating Texas 74-57.
The Gamecocks, who are in the title game for the third time in four years, are looking for their fourth title in program history.
SC guard Te-Hina Paopao scored a team-high 14 points in the win, with freshman Joyce Edwards adding 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
After the game, Edwards gave credit for her and her teams performance to South Carolina alumnus and WNBA superstar A'ja Wilson.
“The reason we are here is because of her,” Edwards told the ESPN broadcast with Wilson watching on at the Amalie Arena. “It's crazy for her to see a full circle how her legacy is inspiring other girls just like me to come out here and play.”
The Gamecocks will face the winner of the upcoming Final Four game between UConn and UCLA on Sunday at 3 p.m ET.
Final score: South Carolina 74, Texas 57
South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao has been the stabilizer the team needs to start the fourth quarter.
While the Gamecocks are holding onto a 13-point lead, Texas has stayed in the game with timely shots.
The senior guard Paopao stopped the Longhorns momentum with a clutch 3-pointer.
Texas has seven minutes to come back.
Score: South Carolina 61, Texas 48
The third quarter was all South Carolina.
The Gamecocks ended the quarter on an 11-3 run and outscored Texas 20-9 to jump out to a 14-point lead.
Joyce Edwards has been the X-factor for SC, scoring 12 points off the bench – a breakout game for a freshman who has struggled in the tournament to this point..
The Gamecocks are 10 minutes away from advancing to the national championship game on Sunday, where they would face the winner of UConn-UCLA.
Score: South Carolina 58, Texas 44
South Carolina has found some calm air so far in the second half.
The Gamecocks are holding onto an 11-point lead with just under four minutes to go in the third quarter.
Joyce Edwards has led the way with 10 points off the bench.
Texas needs to do everything in their power to keep Madison Booker out of foul trouble.
The star forward has a team-high 11 points but has three fouls.
The Longhorns are also struggling from three, making only one attempt up to this point.
Score: South Carolina 52, Texas 41
With a blink of an eye, South Carolina leads Texas by six points and we're just under two minutes into the second half.
Bree Hall knocked down a 3-pointer, taking a (luckily harmless) tumble much to the delight of coach Dawn Staley, and Chloe Kitts swished a jumper, forcing the Longhorns to call an early timeout to regroup.
Score: South Carolina 43, Texas 37
It was a sloppy but back-and-forth showdown between SEC rivals South Carolina and Texas.
Can both teams clean it up with a spot in Sunday's national championship hanging in the balance?
The second half is underway at Amalie Arena!
Score: South Carolina 38, Texas 35
What a recovery South Carolina in the second quarter.
The Gamecocks are taking a 38-35 into the half after outscoring Texas 20-16 in the period.
SC guard Te-Hina Paopao is leading the starters with eight points but their bench play has been vital to the turnaround.
Joyce Edwards has eight points and MiLaysia Fulwiley added seven off the bench.
While turnovers have been a huge story of the game so far, so has foul trouble.
Longhorns star Madison Booker has spent a good chunk of the first half on the bench with three fouls, despite her seven points.
South Carolina has won in 103 straight games while leading at the half, according to ESPN.
Can Texas snap that streak?
Score: South Carolina 38, Texas 35
We've got 17 combined turnovers and many lead changes as the game hit the halfway mark of the second quarter between South Carolina-Texas.
A minute into the quarter, Gamecocks guard Te-Hina Paopao hit a 3-pointer to give them their first lead of the game.
Just as it appeared SC had all the momentum, the Longhorns kept responding and a layup from guard Bryanna Preston gave Texas the lead right back.
The turnover issues for both squads haven't affected them too much yet with halftime looming.
Score: Texas 28, South Carolina 27
South Carolina has shown a lot of resilience after the brutal start.
The Gamecocks found their rhythm to end the first quarter, cutting into the deficit to make it a 19-18 game.
After Texas came out on fire, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley turned to her bench for a spark and found it.
Forward Joyce Edwards scored a team-high six points and guard MiLaysia Fulwiley added five points.
With Longhorns star forward Madison Booker on the bench with early foul trouble, can the Gamecocks continue to take advantage into the second quarter?
Score: Texas 19, South Carolina 18
Well … this hasn't gone to plan for the defending national champs to open the game.
The Gamecocks find themselves down 12-4 to Texas with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter.
South Carolina has been sloppy out of the gates, turning it over four times and shooting a measley 25% from the field.
Longhorns forward Madison Booker is leading the way with six points.
Score: Texas 12, South Carolina 4
And just like that, the women's Final Four is a go at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The first of two matchups on the docket Friday sees the reigning national champions and No. 1 seed South Carolina face fellow No. 1 seed Texas.
The SEC rivals are playing each other for the fourth time this season.
The Gamecocks are looking to become the first team to win consecutive titles since UConn won four straight from 2013-2016.
In the face of a potential uphill battle against South Carolina, Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said his priority is making sure his players come away from this year's tournament with no regrets.
“For my kids, I want them to enjoy this. You guys don't know this, every time they walk in a room somewhere, there's something there waiting for them,” the Texas head coach told reporters on Thursday. “It's a box. It's a pair of shoes. It's warm-ups. It's a bag. They can't wait to leave here go back to the hotel because they think there's going to be something there for them.
“They need to enjoy this. It's hard to get here, and yet it is a business trip. They're good enough. I want them to know that. And for me, there's so much joy seeing their face, seeing them happy because I know how hard they work. Our kids, they work hard. They embrace toughness. They know we talk about it all the time, and I'm always talking about it.
“It's one thing to talk it. It's another thing to walk it. And they don't like to be told they've been punked. They take great pride in not getting punked. When I tell them they've gotten punked, they do not like it. So they work hard. So you want them to enjoy it.”
A national title would be Dawn Staley's fourth since joining South Carolina, having already lifted the trophy in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
The Basketball Hall of Fame player-turned-coach has been able to maintain South Carolina's success on the court despite inevitably losing players to the WNBA, and she explained that building trust between her and her squad is the most important aspect in remaining a winning team.
“You have to condition young people to handle real communication. Because if it just happens once, they're not going to get it,” the 54-year-old said. “If it happens once and then another, a month later, they really aren't connecting the two.
“So you have to address everything that's happening in front of them in real time. And then they'll get used to it. They may not like what you're saying, they may like what you're saying at times. That's what builds trust. It's not: ‘Oh, I'm the head coach, listen to me.' That's old parenting. It's the new-age parenting that's out here that kids have a say. They want to be listened to. They have something to offer you. And that is how they're thinking, how they feel and how they want to move and how they want to operate.”
Although Texas' Final Four game against South Carolina will take place far away from Austin, a group of students will be attendance thanks to two of the teams' star players and the head coach.
The Longhorns' Rori Harmon and Madison Booker devised a plan to organize a bus to transport fans across country to cheer their team on.
And with a little bit of help from head coach Vic Schaefer and the school, 25 lucky students will be in Tampa, Florida.
“Me and Madison decided to put our money together to pay for these students' way to come support us,” Harmon told reporters. “I think that just shows we'll do anything to help our students get here and for them to cheer us on. I'm just super glad we have some students coming … I think that's cool.”
The plan to organize the 17-hour bus journey for the students was “ramrodded” by Harmon and Booker, who did most of the logistical planning, according to Schaefer.
“Bought the tickets. Got them some hotel rooms,” Schaefer told reporters. “So we're excited that we're going to be able to have some University of Texas students be able to come to the Final Four and enjoy cheering on their team.”
The Texas Longhorns are in their fourth Final Four and first since the 2002-03 season.
Texas' offense has been a key reason for their run throughout this year's tournament, led by forward Madison Booker who's averaging 16.5 points per game on 50% shooting from the field.
And although Vic Schaefer's team will come in on a wave of positivity, the Longhorns face a stiff test against South Carolina as they look to win their second national championship.
The teams split their two SEC regular season meetings, but Texas lost its two games to the Gamecocks by a combined 36 points, including a 64-45 hammering in the SEC championship game. Both of those loses came in the state of South Carolina – in Columbia and Greenville.
The first Final Four matchup sees last year's champion seeking to continue the defense of its title.
The South Carolina Gamecocks have become the team to beat in women's college basketball in recent years, with head coach Dawn Staley building the team into a perennial winner.
The Gamecocks are aiming to cement their dynasty by winning their third title in four years, thereby becoming the fourth team to win back-to-back national titles, joining Tennessee, Southern California and UConn.
Many of the team's former star players now ply their trade in the WNBA – such as A'ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso – and the current Gamecock squad has been taking advantage of the ties with those talented alums.
“Relationships are important no matter where you go in life. To be able to talk to alumni and former Gamecocks, it helps our program a lot because they've been through it,” guard Te-Hina Paopao told reporters on Thursday.
“They speak life into us. And (Markeshia Grant) helped us during the season with team bonding and just bringing us closer together and just having that involvement with everyone on the team. And it's helped us greatly and we learn from it. And we've continued to use those team-bonding moments to help us in the long run and experience like this.”
It's finally time for the Final Four! Here's the schedule for tonight's action:
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South Carolina guard Bree Hall (23), forward Chloe Kitts (21) and forward Sania Feagin (20) react late in the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
South Carolina guard Raven Johnson (25) reacts during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts (21) brings the ball up the court against Texas during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards (8) and Texas forward Kyla Oldacre (00) battle for a rebound during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts (21), guard Te-Hina Paopao (0) and guard Bree Hall (23) react during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
South Carolina guard Bree Hall (23) reacts after hitting a three point basket against Texas during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley comments to the referee during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Texas head coach Vic Schaefer reacts during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against South Carolina during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Texas forward Taylor Jones (44) and guard Jordana Codio (13) walk off the floor after losing to South Carolina in a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
South Carolina forward Sania Feagin (20) and Texas forward Kyla Oldacre (00) battle for a rebound during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
South Carolina forward Maryam Dauda (30) and Texas forward Kyla Oldacre (00) scramble for a loose ball during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
South Carolina forward Sania Feagin (20) drives against Texas forward Taylor Jones (44) during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Dawn Staley has never lost a national championship game in three trips as South Carolina's coach.
Part of the key to winning those decisive games? Forgetting about what happened the last time she was there. And this time, that was only a year ago.
Staley's defending champion Gamecocks left no doubt they would return to the title game, getting 14 points from Te-Hina Paopao and overwhelming Texas 74-57 on Friday night in the Final Four of the women's NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina guard Bree Hall (23), forward Chloe Kitts (21) and forward Sania Feagin (20) react late in the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
“Nothing that happened prior to here is going to help us on Sunday. Nothing,” Staley said. “Saying that we're undefeated in national championships games — I wish it helped. I wish it would spot us 10 points because we're undefeated. I'd feel really good about that.”
The Gamecocks are a win away from becoming the first team to secure consecutive titles since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. South Carolina will play UConn for the championship on Sunday after the Huskies routed UCLA 85-51 in Friday's second semifinal.
Freshman Joyce Edwards added 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for South Carolina (35-3), which used its experience and poise to weather an early deficit, and then took control with its depth at both ends of the floor.
Three South Carolina players finished in double figures — Bree Hall had 11 points — and the Gamecocks dominated Texas in the post with 40 points in the paint to the Longhorns' 22.
Madison Booker had 11 points with three fouls for the Longhorns (35-4), who were trying to reach their first championship since 1986. They were in the Final Four for the first time since 2003 after a dominant season, which was their first in the Southeastern Conference after coming over from the Big 12.
Texas went 15-1 against the SEC in the regular season and shared the conference title with the Gamecocks.
South Carolina broke open the game in the third quarter with an 11-0 run started by Edwards' driving layup, and Texas never got closer than 10 the rest of the way. Booker, Texas' leading scorer, was held without a basket after making a jumper at the seven-minute mark of the third.
The Longhorns could not match South Carolina's pace as the game went on. They only scored nine points in the third, including bad mid-range misses from Booker and Harmon. Harmon, a senior who returned this season from an ACL injury last year, finished with eight points. Jordan Lee led Texas with 16 points off the bench.
“Not our best night tonight,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said, “but it wasn't because they weren't out there battling and trying. We lost to the better team tonight.”
South Carolina went undefeated during a dominant championship run last year that featured a physical roster no opponent could match up with. This year's journey to the final has been slightly more challenging.
South Carolina forward Sania Feagin (20) drives against Texas forward Taylor Jones (44) during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Without a star like A'ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston or 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso — who led the Gamecocks on their previous title runs — they've relied on a dynamic rotation to reach their third championship game in four years.
South Carolina leads the nation in bench points and got 35 points from its reserves on Friday, including nine points from Tessa Johnson and seven from Milaysia Fulwiley. Former South Carolina greats Wilson, Boston and Allisha Gray cheered them on from the stands.
Booker went to the bench with about three minutes left in the first quarter after picking up two fouls. That allowed South Carolina to climb out of a 12-4 hole before the SEC player of the year came back late in the second, made a free throw and checked back out after picking up her third foul. The Gamecocks outscored Texas by 13 with Booker on the bench and took a 38-35 halftime lead.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Paopao said. “They went on their run. We went on our run. And we came out with the win, so I'm proud of our run.”
This was the teams' fourth meeting this season — the 17th time two women's teams have faced each other that many times in a single season, according to Stats Perform. As first-time conference opponents, they split the regular-season series, with each team winning on its home court, before the Gamecocks blew out Texas in the SEC Tournament championship.
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Former Senior Trump advisor Jason Miller on 'America Reports' Friday reacted to former Vice President Kamala Harris taking a jab at President Donald Trump in her latest speech in California.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris had her "I told ya so" moment at a speech in California Thursday.
"We're seeing people stay quiet. We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing those who are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats. And these are the things we are witnessing. Each day in the last few months in our country. And it understandably creates a great sense of fear. Because you know there were many things we knew would happen," Harris said at the Leading Women Defined Summit in Dana Point, California.
"I'm not here to say I told you so," Harris said, breaking into laughter with the audience. "I swear, I wasn't going to say that."
KAMALA HARRIS WAS ‘VERY ANNOYED' WITH OBAMA AS SHE SOUGHT HIS ENDORSEMENT, BOOK REVEALS
Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday took a jab at President Donald Trump's second term at the Leading Women Defined Summit in Dana Point, California, on Thursday. (Getty Images)
Harris' comments were the first time she took a victory lap of sorts after her crushing defeat in the presidential election.
Several of Trump's initiatives are tied up in the courts and stocks plunged this week as his tariffs rocked global markets.
A new book reports Harris was blindsided by her 2024 election loss to Trump because she "bought the hype" that she would win.
"She was completely shocked, and [Harris' running mate] Tim Walz was shocked," The Hill reporter Amie Parnes said on the podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win with Tara Palmeri," released Thursday.
Parnes discussed reporting in her new book, "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House," which she co-authored with NBC reporter Jonathan Allen. The book tackles the 2024 presidential campaign and the chaos that unfolded after former President Biden withdrew from the race and Harris took his place at the top of the Democratic ticket.
TOP KAMALA HARRIS CAMPAIGN ADVISOR ADMITS SHE WAS FLOORED BY DEMOCRAT'S MAJOR FLUB ON 'VIEW'
A recent report shows Harris was reportedly blindsided by her 2024 election loss to Trump and "bought the hype" that she would win, according to a new book. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Harris in February delivered her first major speech since her election loss in November after several months out of the public spotlight.
While accepting an award from the NAACP Image Awards, Harris took veiled jabs at Trump and Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk.
Fox News' Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program.
Story tips can be sent to joshua.nelson@fox.com and Joshua can be followed on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
The TikTok app logo is shown on an iPhone on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
A TikTok sign is displayed on top of their building in Culver City, Calif., on Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
A TikTok sign is displayed on top of their building in Culver City, Calif., on Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday said he is signing an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 75 days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership.
The order was announced as White House officials believed they were nearing a deal for the app's operations to be spun off into a new company based in the U.S. and owned and operated by a majority of American investors, with China's ByteDance maintaining a minority position, according to a person familiar with the matter.
But Beijing hit the brakes on a deal Thursday after Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs around the globe, including against China. ByteDance representatives called the White House to indicate that China would no longer approve the deal until there could be negotiations about trade and tariffs, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive details of the negotiations.
A TikTok sign is displayed on top of their building in Culver City, Calif., on Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
Congress had mandated that the platform be divested from China by Jan. 19 or barred in the U.S. on national security grounds, but Trump moved unilaterally to extend the deadline to this weekend, as he sought to negotiate an agreement to keep it running. Trump has recently entertained an array of offers from U.S. businesses seeking to buy a share of the popular social media site.
But on Friday it became uncertain whether a tentative deal could be announced after the Chinese government's reversal of its position complicated TikTok's ability to send clear signals about the nature of the agreement that had been reached for fear of upsetting its negotiations with Chinese regulators.
The near-deal was constructed over the course of months, with Vice President JD Vance's team negotiating directly with several potential investors and officials from ByteDance. The plan called for a 120-day closing period to finalize the paperwork and financing. The deal also had the approval of existing investors, new investors, ByteDance and the administration.
The Trump administration had confidence that China would approve the proposed deal until the tariffs went into effect. Trump indicated Friday that he can still get a deal done during the 75-day extension.
“My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress,” Trump posted on his social media platform. “The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days.”
Trump added, “We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal.”
A spokesperson for ByteDance confirmed in a statement that the company has been discussing a “potential solution” with the U.S. government but noted that an “agreement has not been executed.”
“There are key matters to be resolved,” the spokesperson said. “Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law.”
TikTok, which has headquarters in Singapore and Los Angeles, has said it prioritizes user safety, and China's Foreign Ministry has said China's government has never and will not ask companies to “collect or provide data, information or intelligence” held in foreign countries.
A TikTok sign is displayed on top of their building in Culver City, Calif., on Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
Trump's extension marks the second time that he has temporarily blocked the 2024 law that banned the popular social video app after the deadline passed for ByteDance to divest. That law was passed with bipartisan support in Congress and upheld unanimously by the Supreme Court, which said the ban was necessary for national security.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on China and a co-author of the TikTok bill, said Friday there should be no further delay. “Bidders are lined up, and the clock is ticking. No more excuses. It's time to do the work. It's time to comply with the law and save TikTok now,” he said.
Although the decision to keep TikTok alive through an executive order has received some scrutiny, it has not faced a legal challenge in court. That type of pushback is unlikely, legal experts say, due in part to how difficult it is for someone to establish the legal right, or standing, to sue. A plaintiff would have to be able to show harm from the delay in enforcing the law.
Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University's Tech Policy Institute, said she doesn't believe anyone has that standing.
“It would be different if this platform weren't already in place,” she said. “But if you're trying to just continue with the status quo, it's different.”
Still, if the extension keeps control of TikTok's algorithm under ByteDance's authority, the national security concerns that led to the ban persist.
Chris Pierson, CEO of the cybersecurity and privacy protection platform BlackCloak, said that if the algorithm is still controlled by ByteDance, then it is still “controlled by a company that is in a foreign, adversarial nation-state that actually could use that data for other means.”
“The main reason for all this is the control of data and the control of the algorithm,” said Pierson, who served on the Department of Homeland Security's Privacy Committee and Cybersecurity Subcommittee for more than a decade. “If neither of those two things change, then it has not changed the underlying purpose, and it has not changed the underlying risks that are presented.”
The law allows for one 90-day reprieve, but only if there's a deal on the table and a formal notification to Congress. Trump's actions so far violate the law, said Alan Rozenshtein, an associate law professor at the University of Minnesota.
Rozenshtein pushed back on Trump's claim that delaying the ban is an “extension.”
“He's not extending anything. This continues to simply be a unilateral non enforcement declaration,” he said. “All he's doing is saying that he will not enforce the law for 75 more days. The law is still in effect. The companies are still violating it by providing services to Tiktok.
The extension comes at a time when Americans are even more closely divided on what to do about TikTok than they were two years ago.
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that about one-third of Americans said they supported a TikTok ban, down from 50% in March 2023. Roughly one-third said they would oppose a ban, and a similar percentage said they weren't sure.
Among those who said they supported banning the social media platform, about 8 in 10 cited concerns over users' data security being at risk as a major factor in their decision, according to the report.
Terrell Wade, a content creator with 1.5 million followers on TikTok under the handle @TheWadeEmpire, has been trying to grow his presence on other platforms since January.
“I'm glad there's an extension, but to be honest, going through this process again feels a bit exhausting,” he said. “Every time a new deadline pops up, it starts to feel less like a real threat and more like background noise. That doesn't mean I'm ignoring it, but it's hard to keep reacting with the same urgency each time.”
He is keeping up his profile on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook in addition to TikTok.
“I just hope we get more clarity soon so creators like me and consumers can focus on other things rather than the ‘what ifs,'” he said.
——
AP reporters Mae Anderson in New York and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this story.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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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:
Economists say that Trump's tariff formula is based on an underestimation of a key metric, which has resulted in inflated tariff rates for countries nationwide.
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the formula calculating Trump's "reciprocal" tariff plan is the country's trade deficit with the U.S., divided by its exports, then divided by two.
But that formula assumes an elasticity of import prices with respect to tariffs of about 0.25, but the economists say that that number should be closer to 1.0 (0.945), according to senior fellows Kevin Corinth and Stan Veuger at the American Enterprise Institute.
If Trump's formula reflected this, no country's tariff would exceed 14% and most would be at the 10% baseline established by the administration, according to AEI.
For instance, the tariff rate for Lesotho, the country with the highest rate, was 50%. But if adjusted, it would be 13.2%.
— Erin Doherty
A group of high-profile tech and finance leaders is making a trip to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, to "talk common sense" to the president about his sweeping tariffs, several sources told veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher.
"Their million dollar donations to the inauguration is turning into billions and soon trillions in losses," Swisher said in a post on Threads, not indicating which leaders are part of the group.
She added that de facto DOGE chief and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is "in their crosshairs too."
Trump's tariffs sent global markets into a tailspin on Thursday and Friday, wiping out $30.9 billion in net worth for Musk, $23.49 billion for Amazon's Jeff Bezos and $27.34 billion for Meta's Mark Zuckerberg — the world's three richest people — according to Bloomberg.
The tariffs are battering tech stocks due to the industry's heavy dependence on manufacturing, computer chips and IT services from countries like China, India and Taiwan.
— Annika Kim Constantino
Elon Musk took aim at Peter Navarro, as the top Trump trade advisor continues to defend the president's sweeping tariffs.
"The market will find a bottom. It will be soon, and from there, we're going to have a bullish boom, and the Dow is going to hit 50,000 during Trump's term," Navarro said on CNN Saturday.
"A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," Musk wrote in a post on X, responding to a post on the social media platform by a user touting Navarro's qualifications.
Musk — whose DOGE team is engaged in a controversial effort to cut federal spending, including mass layoffs — also said that Navarro hasn't built "s--t."
The billionaire SpaceX founder, who has been an influential voice during the early days of the Trump White House, may be leaving the administration in the coming months, NBC News reported this week.
— Erin Doherty
The British maker of Jaguar and Land Rover cars is pausing shipments to the U.S. as it works to mitigate the impact of a 25% tax on vehicle imports imposed by the Trump Administration.
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive, one of Britain's biggest carmakers, said Saturday that the pause would take place this month.
"The USA is an important market for JLR's luxury brands," the company said in a statement. "As we work to address the new trading terms with out business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid-to-longer term plans."
The U.K. automotive industry is expected to be hit hard by the new tariffs, which come at a time when British carmakers are struggling with declining demand at home and the need to retool their plants for the transition to electric vehicles.
"The industry is already facing multiple headwinds and this announcement comes at the worst possible time," Mike Hawes, chief executive of the U.K.'s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said last week. "SMMT is in constant contact with government and will be looking for trade discussions to accelerate as we need to secure a way forward that supports jobs and economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic."
The number of cars made in the U.K. dropped 13.9% to 779,584 vehicles last year, according to the SMMT. More than 77% of those vehicles were destined for the export market.
— Reuters
Top trade aide Peter Navarro downplayed the sharp market sell-off triggered by Trump's aggressive tariff rollout, vowing stocks will rebound and flourish soon.
"The market will find a bottom. It will be soon, and from there, we're going to have a bullish boom, and the Dow is going to hit 50,000 during Trump's term," he claimed on CNN Saturday. "The S&P 500 is going to have a very broad based recovery, and wages are going to go up, profits are going to go up, and life is going to be beautiful here in America."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2,231.07 points on Friday, the biggest decline since June 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. This follows a 1,679-point decline on Thursday and marks the first time ever that it has shed more than 1,500 points on back-to-back days. The S&P 500 shed 10% in two days, now off more than 17% off its recent high.
— Yun Li
President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that China has been "hit much harder than the USA, not even close," in the escalating trade war.
"They, and many other nations, have treated us unsustainably badly," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "We have been the dumb and helpless 'whipping post,' but not any longer."
He touted his sweeping new tariffs, saying, "We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before."
"Already, more than FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT, and rising fast! THIS IS AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION, AND WE WILL WIN. HANG TOUGH, it won't be easy, but the end result will be historic. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!" Trump wrote.
— Annika Kim Constantino
Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks warned that Trump's decision to impose broad tariffs could ultimately hurt drug research and development in the pharmaceutical industry.
Trump's reciprocal tariffs exempted pharmaceuticals imported to the U.S., bringing a temporary sigh of relief to drugmakers. But industry leaders are still bracing for Trump's plans to impose pharmaceutical-specific tariffs sometime soon.
"We can't breach those agreements, so we have to eat the cost of the tariffs and make trade-offs within our own companies," Ricks told BBC in an interview on Friday. "Typically, that will be in reduction of staff or research and development, and I predict R&D will come first. That's a disappointing outcome."
Eli Lilly has led the industry in building up its U.S. production capabilities, earmarking $50 billion to construct and upgrade new plants since 2020. Those facilities are key to manufacturing the company's blockbuster weight loss and diabetes drugs.
But Eli Lilly also depends mainly on foreign manufacturing, most notably in Ireland, where it employs more than 3,000 and is constructing a new $800 million facility.
Ricks described the tariffs as a watershed moment in the nation's economic history.
"I think it's a pivot in U.S. policy and it feels like it'll be hard to come back from here," he said.
— Annika Kim Constantino
Some automakers are trying to capitalize on the moment amid the tariffs, industry analysts told CNBC. Ford and Stellantis are offering employee-pricing programs, while Hyundai Motor said it would not raise prices for at least two months to ease consumer concerns.
Automakers view the actions as a way to get vehicles off their lots and maintain or increase sales amid uncertain market conditions due to the tariffs.
"We understand that these are uncertain times for many Americans. Whether it's navigating the complexities of a changing economy or simply needing a reliable vehicle for your family, we want to help," Ford said in a statement Thursday morning announcing the program. "We have the retail inventory to do this and a lot of choice for customers that need a vehicle."
— Michael Wayland
China's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said "the market has spoken" following the U.S. imposition of sweeping new tariffs and called for the White House to defuse the escalating trade war through "equal-footed consultation."
U.S. stock markets fell sharply for a second consecutive day on Friday, with all three major indexes dropping by more than 5% as part of a global rout.
Sharing a picture of Friday's U.S. stock market downturn, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, "the trade and tariff war started by the U.S. against the world is unprovoked and unjustified."
— Sam Meredith
With one of the nastiest two-day selloffs in history following President Donald Trump's launch of punitive tariffs on most trading partners, the stock market is in one of those precarious spots: Both tightly coiled for a near-term bounce soon, but not quite priced for the full fundamental implications of this policy as now contemplated.
Bespoke Investment Group gave voice to this uncomfortable moment, in which markets that are built to produce the "wisdom of crowds" through rational, collective price-setting are lashed to the whims a president channeling decades' worth of anti-trade feelings through the executive power to declare "emergency" tariffs.
— Michael Santoli
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House on Monday to discuss recently announced tariffs with Trump, three Israeli officials and a White House official said on Saturday.
The impromptu in-person visit could mark the first by a foreign leader to meet with Trump and try to negotiate a deal to remove tariffs.
Netanyahu's office has not confirmed the visit, that would likely also include discussions on Iran and Israel's war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. The visit was first reported by Axios.
The surprise invite by Trump came in a phone call on Thursday with Netanyahu, who is presently on a visit to Hungary, when the Israeli leader raised the tariff issue, according to the Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
As part of a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, unspecified Israeli goods exports to the United States face a 17% tariff. The U.S. is Israel's closest ally and largest single trading partner.
An Israeli finance ministry official said on Thursday that Trump's latest tariff announcement could impact Israel's exports of machinery and medical equipment.
Israel had already moved to cancel its remaining tariffs on U.S. imports on Tuesday. The two countries signed a free trade agreement 40 years ago and about 98% of goods from the U.S. are now tax-free.
— Reuters
Before Wednesday, President Donald Trump's tariffs were expected to be a problem for markets and the economy, but a manageable one. What actually emerged, though, has been economic and geopolitical mayhem.
It started with Trump's Rose Garden news conference Wednesday after the market close, when the president slapped 10% tariffs on every U.S. trading partner starting Saturday, with individualized rates for 60 other countries that would begin in a week. Virtually overnight, the effective U.S. tariff rate was set to spring from 2.5% to well past 20%.
China retaliated with 34% tariffs on all goods, European Union leaders also are considering countermeasures.
Markets recoiled at the developments, sending stocks into a vicious two-day sell-off that put the Nasdaq Composite, home to powerhouse Silicon Valley names that Trump has been courting in the early days of his second term, into a bear market.
— Jeff Cox
President Donald Trump's tariff plan sent shockwaves throughout global markets, leaving investors reeling and economists scratching their heads. Click here to read CNBC's previous Day 3 coverage.
— Terri Cullen
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President Donald Trump announced his "Liberation Day" tariffs on Wednesday — and people have been reacting as global markets take a hammering.
Here's what big names in business and economics have been saying:
Joshua Bolten, the CEO of Business Roundtable, an association that represents more than 200 CEOs, said in a statement the tariffs "run the risk of causing major harm to American manufacturers, workers, families and exporters." He added: "Damage to the US economy will increase the longer the tariffs are in place and may be exacerbated by retaliatory measures."
He said the Business Roundtable "supports President Trump's goal of securing better and fairer trade deals with our trading partners" but called on him to introduce "additional reasonable exemptions" and a "transparent, predictable exclusion process."
"Never before has an hour of Presidential rhetoric cost so many people so much," Larry Summers, a former Treasury secretary, wrote on X. "The best estimate of the loss from tariff policy is now closer to $30 trillion."
Summers added that the tariffs were the most expensive and "masochistic" the US had imposed in decades.
"The price action in global financial markets in the immediate aftermath of the US tariff announcement points to major worries about global economic growth," Mohamed El-Erian, the former CEO of bond giant PIMCO and the chief economic advisor at Allianz, said on X.
"These tariffs will cause inflation in the United States; they will cause lower consumer power of US workers. The estimates are between $1,700 to $5,000 per family in terms of the costs of these tariffs," Mariana Mazzucato, an economics professor at University College London, told ITV's "Peston" program.
Boaz Weinstein, Saba Capital Management's founder, doesn't expect Trump to change course, posting on X: "I'm often wrong, but I don't see him doing a u-turn. This is not a buy-the-dip opportunity. It's a sell the dip opportunity."
"So, this tariff file is now being labeled 'Make America Wealthy Again'? What is with that adverb 'again' which is defined as 'returning to a previous condition'? The previous condition, I can tell you, was not nearly as good as the current condition, seeing as US net national net worth just reached a record level of $157 TRILLION (a cool $1.2 million per household … too bad we don't all live at the average!)," David Rosenberg, the founder and president of Rosenberg Research & Associates, said on X.
"Have tariffs really stood in the way of wealth creation in America? I think the title should simply be the truth: 'Let's Make the World Poor Again' (and then we can buy it at a discount)," Rosenberg added.
Nouriel Roubini, a professor emeritus of the NYU Stern School of Business, said the "Liberation Day" label was "Orwellian doublespeak."
"Whatever the consequences of these tariffs will be — ie lower growth and higher inflation and how much of it depending on the eventual size of these tariffs post-negotiations that will be ugly and long-drawn. There is absolutely no 'liberation' at all in them: not for US consumers, workers and businesses, let alone for the rest of the world," he said on X.
"I guess it's just possible that when we get details about the Trump tariffs they will be lower than what he just announced, but based on what he said, he's gone full-on crazy," Paul Krugman, a Nobel Memorial Prize-winning economist and former MIT and Princeton University professor, wrote in his Substack newsletter.
"If you had any hopes that Trump would step back from the brink, this announcement, between the very high tariff rates and the complete falsehoods about what other countries do, should kill them," Krugman added.
"March continued with President Trump's rapid executive orders and policy changes, as tariffs (along with their potential impact on the economy), inflation, employment and consumer spending became the main concerns of the market, which pulled back with increased trading on strong negative breadth," wrote Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst of S&P Dow Jones Indices, in a S&P Global column.
"Adding to the concern were Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) government employment reductions, as well as US layoffs, which have increased (along with retail warnings)," he added.
"The price level from all 2025 tariffs rises by 2.3% in the short-run, the equivalent of an average per household consumer loss of $3,800 in 2024$. Annual losses for households at the bottom of the income distribution are $1,700," wrote the Yale Budget Lab in a new analysis published on April 2, shortly after Trump's blanket tariff announcement.
"True, the United States is a large and dominant country. And it is a relatively closed country, meaning we depend less on trade than most other countries," said Jared Bernstein, former chief economist, in his newsletter. "That means, as Trump has correctly argued, we can hurt them more than they can hurt us. He fails to give a coherent rationale for why we need to start a trade war with Canada, Mexico, Japan, Europe, and other traditionally reliable trading partners."
"First, though they've been explicitly cavalier about the pain they're causing, higher inflation, slower growth, lower investment, falling stock prices — as of this moment, the Dow is down 1,200 points — and higher recession chances could force them to recant. But, at least so far, that may have been the way of Trump 1; it's not the way of Trump 2," he added.
"Monstrously destructive, incoherent, ill-informed tariffs based on fabrications, imagined wrongs, discredited theories and ignorance of decades of evidence. And the real tragedy is that they will hurt working Americans more than anyone else," said Justin Wolfers, economics professor at University of Michigan and public policy scholar, on BlueSky.
"If these tariffs were more targeted and on specific goods, I wouldn't be so sure we would have stagflation. But these appear to be extremely broad, so I expect higher inflation and lower or even negative economic growth," said Daryl Fairweather, Redfin chief economist, on BlueSky.
"Home construction was already going to be weak this year, but these tariffs (combined with labor problems from immigration policy) will mean fewer homes built," she added.
The latest set of tariffs is "a similar event to going off the gold standard in 1971. It's an epic event. It's not something where you can time quickly for a market bottom. It's something that we're going to have to live with as long as President Trump continues with this stance," Bill Gross, the cofounder of Pimco, told CNBC.
"I don't think he's going to back down. President Trump, to be very blunt, is a macho male, and this macho male is not going to back down tomorrow simply because the Nasdaq's down 5%," said Gross, who's also known as "Bond King."
Gross said it's not a time for investors to bottom fish, likening it to "catching a falling knife."
"Tariffs attack US trading partners but, in effect, attack US corporate profit margins first," wrote Steven Blitz, the chief US economist at GlobalData.TS Lombard. "The 40-odd years of profits rising relative to GDP has ended. The macro risk hitting markets is real, but only accentuates the devaluation process."
"Further exacerbating market volatility is redirection of foreign capital from the US to wherever multiple expansion appears more promising," Blitz wrote.
Jim O'Neill, former chief economist at Goldman Sachs, told BBC News on Friday that the "sensible" thing to do would be for the UK to speak to other members of G7, aside from the US, about lowering trade barriers between each other, particularly for cross-border services.
He said this would be "very healthy for all those countries because it's the one area of global trade that most countries haven't done enough in."
If the US wants to continue down this "kamikaze path," the UK will have to respond, O'Neill added. "It is the US which is going to be hurt more, especially in the short-term, from these rather insane moves."
"Just had a journalist ask me to explain "Liberation Day," Stephanie Kelton, author of The Deficit Myth, wrote in a post on X. "I told him it's about liberating Americans from some of the cash in their wallets."
George Saravelos, a Deutsche Bank analyst, said in a Friday note that markets were pricing in a global recession.
"This is a US-centric fiscal shock driven by the Trump administration and it is fiscal policy that can unwind it. The countries that respond the quickest and most forcefully to this shock are those whose currencies will likely be the most resilient. And, on the flipside, the more the US fiscal strategy under the Trump administration lacks visibility, the more the market will punish the dollar and US assets.
"One last point: don't expect a reluctant-to-cut Fed to support the dollar. Remember that during the European supply-shock of 2022, the ECB turned hawkish. The euro sold-off regardless because real rates and growth expectations collapsed."
Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, warned that US tariffs posed a "significant risk" to the global economy.
"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," she said in a statement on Thursday.
Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, told Ireland's Newstalk that the tariffs would be "negative the world over."
She said Trump's move "will not be good for the global economy and it will not be good for those who inflict the tariffs and those who retaliate."
Lloyd Blankfein, the former Goldman Sachs CEO, posted on X on Friday:
"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? Make the 10pct min tariff immediate but defer the "reciprocal" part 6 mos. Take the win! The Prez said he'd make us tired of winning…I'm there now!"
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday said that the scope of Trump's tariffs actions surpassed all expectations.
"While uncertainty remains elevated, it is now becoming clear that the tariff increases will be significantly larger than expected," Powell said at a conference for business journalists. "The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth."
The central bank president repeatedly said it was too early to tell what the Fed's response might be.
"We've taken a step back and we're watching to see what the policies turn out to be and the ways in which they will affect the economy, and then we'll be able to act, he said."
Kevin Corinth, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning, DC-based think tank, wrote in an article published Friday that the formula behind Trump's tariffs, which puts heavy emphasis on trade deficits, makes "no economic sense."
"The trade deficit with a given country is not determined only by tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers, but also by international capital flows, supply chains, comparative advantage, geography, etc," Corinth wrote. "But even if one were to take the Trump Administration's tariff formula seriously, it makes an error that inflates the tariffs assumed to be levied by foreign countries four-fold."
In a post on X on Thursday, Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, warned that a recession could "hit imminently and extend until next year" should Trump continue with his tariffs and other countries retaliate.
"Real GDP will fall close to 2% peak to trough, and unemployment will increase from its current 4% to 7.5% at its peak next year. I attach a 15% probability to this dark scenario," he predicted.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV, veteran analyst Ed Yardeni said he hoped the "message that the stock market is sending to the administration is being heard."
"The market is giving a big thumbs down to this tariff policy," he added.
Brad Setser, former senior advisor to the US trade representative and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the latest round of tariffs will be "painful."
"I think what the announcement on Wednesday showed is that the decision of the administration, not surprisingly, was to follow President Trump's instincts, not the instincts of his more moderate advisors, to go all in," Setser said on Bloomberg's Odd Lots podcast.
Setser said the goal is to "radically restructure the US and global economies using tariffs as a tool, with some flexibility perhaps to negotiate at the edges. But fundamentally, this is a test of what you can and cannot do with tariffs, and there was very little restraint, I would say, apart for, strangely enough, Canada and Mexico, USMCA, on the level of the tariffs."
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President Donald Trump may hope his tariffs jump-start a renaissance in manufacturing in the United States, but the reality is not so simple, according to experts.
The president announced sweeping tariffs Wednesday, including a baseline 10% levy across the board on all imports. He also targeted specific countries with steep tariffs, such as 34% on China, 20% on the European Union and 46% on Taiwan.
Trump said "jobs and factories will come roaring back."
"We will supercharge our domestic industrial base, we will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers and ultimately more production at home will mean stronger competition and lower prices for consumers," he said during his news conference.
The U.S. has lost about 6 million jobs over the last four or five decades as companies moved operations overseas, largely because business could be done cheaper elsewhere, said Harry Moser, president of the nonprofit Reshoring Initiative.
He said the tariffs are a good start to overcoming that problem but that dealing with a strong dollar and building up the workforce is the best solution.
Moser said he would have preferred lower levies than those Trump announced.
"Smaller would be easier to defend, but still enough to drive reshoring and FDI [foreign direct investment] in excess of our ability to build and staff factories," he said.
He said he expects Trump's initial salvos to result in negotiations.
"As long as he convinces the other countries that he will keep attacking the problem until it's solved, then they will come forward and maybe let their currency go up a little bit," Moser said. "Maybe they'll lower their tariff barriers to our products. Maybe they'll encourage their companies to put factories here in the United States."
Still, there are a number of issues to overcome to bring companies back to the United States, including uncertainty around the tariffs and how long they will stay in place, experts said.
"Given the unpredictable nature of the path forward and the long lead times to build industrial capacity, we expect most businesses to proceed cautiously following this announcement," Edward Mills, Raymond James' Washington policy analyst, said in a note Wednesday. "New capacity can be added where feasible, but without certainty on longer-term policy, larger investments are more difficult."
"These are investments, and as a businessman you've got to justify them and rationalize it," said Panos Kouvelis, professor of supply chain, operations and technology at Washington University in St. Louis. "If there's significant uncertainty, you might make some investments, but rather conservative, because you would like to see how it's going to play out."
Kouvelis' research on Trump's 2018 targeted tariffs found that they did not have a big impact on reshoring or the return of jobs to the U.S. He said there was a negative effect for manufacturers, who had to pay more for raw materials, with reduced demand and capacity in some cases. Finished goods was a mixed story, depending on demand, he said.
The latest levies are seen as "fluid and fickle" because they are based on executive orders from the president and were not done through Congress, said Christopher Tang, distinguished professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
"A lot of companies, then, are not sure really how to redesign the supply chain when the trade policy is unclear, and also what happens four years down the road," Tang said. "So because these are many, many billions of dollars in investments, they cannot change on a lurch."
Morgan Stanley analyst Chris Snyder said he thinks tariffs are a "positive catalyst" for reshoring but that he doesn't expect a massive wave of projects returning to the U.S. in the near term. Right now, he expects small, quick turnaround investments that could boost output by about 2%, he said.
"When we talk to corporations, there is a lot of uncertainty about what policy will be in three months," he said.
In addition, consumer confidence has taken a hit — and that will be a factor in business' decisions on whether and when they will reshore, said Manish Kabra, Societe Generale's head of U.S. equity strategy. The Conference Board's monthly consumer confidence index hit a 12-year low in March.
"When you have crisis of confidence, the confidence of global companies that have announced investments in the U.S., they are going to pause," Kabra said. "Unless we solve the crisis of confidence, the potential investments, the announced investments will not happen at a fast pace. It will slow down."
A lot needs to happen before manufacturing can really ramp back up again in the U.S., experts said.
"The United States is not ready to reshore. We don't have the infrastructure, we don't have enough workers, and also, we need to examine how many Americans are willing to work in the factory," Tang said. "If you rush it, it could be rather risky and dangerous."
He said he expects some companies to return as a result of Trump's tariffs but that there are still a lot of barriers for many. Executives are under pressure to show short-term results in quarterly earnings, he said, and managing an American workforce can be complicated.
"There's so many regulations, so many laws, and also the cost is quite high, so the incentive for them to come back is not high," Tang said.
There also needs to be a significant investment in training America's workforce, Moser said.
Trump's tariff program "will fail unless the nation commits to a vastly increased recruiting and training program for skilled manufacturing workers and engineers," he said. "We need to go from 'College for all' to 'A great career for all.'"
Morgan Stanley's Snyder said he believes when companies are ready to build their next project, they will now be more likely to turn to the U.S.
"The U.S. is in the best position to get the incremental factories than it has been in the last 50 years," he said. Plus, the wave of manufacturing starts that has occurred since the pandemic has stalled and the tariffs will give them more urgency to finish, he said.
Companies have announced investments worth $1.4 trillion since the election, according to Societe Generale's Kabra. That adds up to about 200,000 new jobs, he said.
Hyundai tops the list with its $21 billion dollar investment in U.S. facilities, including a $5.8 billion plant in Louisiana.
Automobile makers are likely among the industries that will reshore, experts said. Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imported cars and has also vowed to tax key auto parts.
Manufacturers of gas-powered cars will have to weigh their options, since they already have a very streamlined supply chain, said University of Washington's Kouvelis.
"The gas-powered car industry is in trouble with hard-to-adjust supply chains and not enough incentive to do it," he said.
Electric vehicles are a different story, because they have fewer parts, the battery being the most important, so those companies are more likely to shift operations, he said.
"Everybody understands the U.S. market is lucrative to lose, and the competitors with an advantage [such as Chinese companies] more or less are kept out," Kouvelis said.
Snyder also said that EVs are among those likely to come to the U.S., but because they will need more capacity. His thesis is that industries that need to expand — rather than close up shop in another country and move — will be the ones that return to the U.S. That includes industrial equipment and semiconductors, he said.
While semiconductors and pharmaceuticals were exempt from the tariffs, they may still be targeted at a later date. Experts said they expect both industries to reshore.
Semiconductor manufacturers got the incentive to return after Congress passed the CHIPS Act in 2022, which provided financial assistance and tax credits to those building and expanding facilities nationally. The computer and electronic products industry saw the most reshoring jobs announced in 2024, according to the Reshoring Initiative.
"Those are high tech, high-end technology and a lot of automation. They don't need that many workers," said Tang.
With pharma companies, just some of the supply chain may come back, Kouvelis said.
"The question is, where are you going to apply the tariff? Will you apply to the final or to the chemicals? Because right now, you want the chemicals and the active ingredients to be sourced from China," Kouvelis said.
Formulation and packaging, however, can be done in the U.S., if that's enough to avoid tariffs, he said.
"If you want them to bring all of the supply chain, you got to be very aggressive on how you apply tariffs on everything in the supply chain," Kouvelis said.
Some pharma companies, including Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson, already began expanding in the U.S. before Trump took office.
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As President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs announcement sent shockwaves across Wall Street, the world's richest people lost billions of dollars in net worth almost overnight.
On Wednesday, Trump announced a baseline 10% tariff for imported goods from all countries set to take effect on April 5, and "individualized" tariffs as high as 50% on a series of specific countries and regions. The announcement sparked a stock market meltdown: The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each fell by more than 5% on Friday, following similar losses on Thursday.
Collectively, the two-day drop wiped out $30.9 billion in net worth for Elon Musk, $23.49 billion for Jeff Bezos and $27.34 billion for Mark Zuckerberg — the world's three richest people, in that order — according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. The world's 500 richest people experienced the biggest two-day loss ever recorded by the index, according to Bloomberg.
Much of the top trio's net worth comes from the value of their respective companies: Tesla, Amazon and Meta. The newly announced tariffs are hitting tech stocks particularly hard, due to the industry's reliance on manufacturing, computer chips and IT services from countries like China, India and Taiwan.
Trump's announcement included a 32% tariff rate on Taiwan, a 26% rate on India and an increase on China that brings its total rate to 54% on imported goods. A decrease in American economic growth could also damage advertising revenue for Amazon and Meta, CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer noted on Thursday.
Musk, who works closely with Trump as a senior advisor and de facto head of the administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was already experiencing losses to his net worth in 2025. Tesla announced sales of 336,681 cars in this year's first quarter on Wednesday, a 13% drop compared to last year, marking its worst quarter since 2022.
In total, Musk's fortune has taken a hit of $130 billion so far this year, the Bloomberg index says. His current estimated net worth of $302 billion remains well ahead of that of Bezos, at $193 billion, and Zuckerberg at $179 billion.
Not all billionaires lost money on Thursday and Friday's rout. Rocket Mortgage co-founder and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert gained $1.91 billion on Friday, giving him a net worth of $32.4 billion, according to Bloomberg's index. Mexican businessman Carlos Slim got $2.9 billion richer on Thursday — before losing $5.48 billion on Friday, the index says.
Slim, 85, who was named the world's richest person by Forbes from 2010 to 2013, got his start as a stock trader in Mexico in the 1960s. His estimated net worth of $80 billion comes primarily from holdings in his longtime industrial conglomerate Grupo Carso and Latin American telecom firm América Móvil, according to Forbes.
Slim predicted that the Trump administration's tariffs will be temporary, and primarily used as a negotiation tactic, he told Bloomberg in an interview that published on Tuesday. On Thursday, Trump said he'd be open to negotiating tariff rates with other countries, despite White House aides insisting the opposite.
"The U.S. doesn't have any other alternative rather than changing how it does things,'' Slim said.
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Chinese automaker BYD is rapidly seizing the title of the world's leading name in electric vehicles.
It passed Tesla in global revenues in 2024 — though it sold slightly fewer EVs. Including hybrids, BYD's volume is about twice that of its American rival.
Shares are up more than 40% since the beginning of 2025. Tesla's have declined by roughly the same amount in the same period.
But perhaps more importantly, BYD has over the past several years released a slew of new technologies and features that are shifting its reputation from low-cost manufacturer to innovator.
"When Western automakers talk about an existential threat coming out of China, they're definitely talking about this company called BYD," said Michael Dunne, a China auto market researcher, and CEO of Dunne Insights. "They have so many components in their arsenal. They have scale. They make their own batteries, some of the best batteries in the world. They're low cost. They're innovating. They're designing better-looking cars all the time. They have cars that are priced from $10,000 to $230,000. I mean, across the board, they check all the boxes. And that's why people are scared. Terrified of BYD."
The latest of these is a platform that the company said can charge up to about 250 miles of range in about 5 minutes — only a bit longer than it takes to fill a gas tank.
Part of what makes this potentially so threatening to rivals is BYD's history of delivering technology at low prices.
The company recently made headlines for offering a robust driver assistance system for free across its range. This is in contrast to Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" system, which carries an extra charge.
"Tesla, right now, it's definitely not for all. BYD is trying to do it for all," said Lei Xing, a China EV market analyst.
If it pans out, BYD would be able to roll out cars that can charge in half the time of far more expensive vehicles, such as the rapidly charging Lucid Air. That model charges to about 200 miles of range in 12 minutes.
But some EV analysts are skeptical of the new innovation, saying there are some technical hurdles, as well as potentially high costs. In addition, the case for fast charging might not be as strong as it seems.
Watch the video to learn more.
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Silicon Valley executives and financiers publicly opened their wallets in support of President Donald Trump's 2024 presidential run. The early returns in 2025 aren't great, to say the least.
Following Trump's sweeping tariff plan announced Wednesday, the Nasdaq suffered steep consecutive daily drops to finish 10% lower for the week, the index's worst performance since the beginning of the Covid pandemic in 2020.
The tech industry's leading CEO's rushed to contribute to Trump's inauguration in January and paraded to Washington, D.C., for the event. Since then, it's been a slog.
The market can always turn around, but economists and investors aren't optimistic, and concerns are building of a potential recession. The seven most valuable U.S. tech companies lost a combined $1.8 trillion in market cap in two days.
Apple slid 14% for the week, its biggest drop in more than five years. Tesla, led by top Trump adviser Elon Musk, plunged 9.2% and is now down more than 40% for the year. Musk contributed close to $300 million to help propel Trump back to the White House.
Nvidia, Meta and Amazon all suffered double-digit drops for the week. For Amazon, a ninth straight weekly decline marks its longest such losing streak since 2008.
With Wall Street selling out of risky assets on concern that widespread tariff hikes will punish the U.S. and global economy, the fallout has drifted down to the IPO market. Online lender Klarna and ticketing marketplace StubHub delayed their IPOs due to market turbulence, just weeks after filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and fintech company Chime is also reportedly delaying its listing.
CoreWeave, a provider of artificial intelligence infrastructure, last week became the first venture-backed company to raise more than $1 billion in a U.S. IPO since 2021. But the company slashed its offering, and trading has been very volatile in its opening days on the market. The stock plunged 12% on Friday, leaving it 17% above its offer price but below the bottom of its initial range.
"You couldn't create a worse market and macro environment to go public," said Phil Haslett, co-founder of EquityZen, a platform for investing in private companies. "Way too much turbulence. All flights are grounded until further notice."
CoreWeave investor Mark Klein of SuRo Capital previously told CNBC that the company could be the first in an "IPO parade." Now he's backtracking.
"It appears that the IPO parade has been temporarily halted," Klein told CNBC by email on Friday. "The current tariff situation has prompted these companies to pause and assess its impact."
During last year's presidential campaign, prominent venture capitalists like Marc Andreessen backed Trump, expecting that his administration would usher in a boom and eliminate some of the hurdles to startup growth set up by the Biden administration. Andreessen and his partner, Ben Horowitz, said in July that their financial support of the Trump campaign was due to what they called a better "little tech agenda."
A spokesperson for Andreessen Horowitz declined to comment.
Some techies who supported Trump in the campaign have taken to social media to defend their positions.
Venture capitalist Keith Rabois, a managing director at Khosla Ventures, posted on X on Thursday that "Trump Derangement Syndrome has morphed into Tariff Derangement Syndrome." He said tariffs aren't inflationary, are effective at reducing fentanyl imports, and he expects that "most other countries will cave and cave rapidly."
That was before China's Finance Ministry said on Friday that it will impose a 34% tariff on all goods imported from the U.S. starting on April 10.
At Sequoia Capital, which is the biggest investor in Klarna, outspoken Trump supporter Shaun Maguire, wrote on X, "The first long-term thinking President of my lifetime," and said in a separate post that, "The price of stocks says almost nothing about the long term health of an economy."
However, Allianz Chief Economic Advisor Mohamed El-Erian warned on Friday that Trump's extensive raft of import tariffs are putting the U.S. economy at risk of recession.
"You've had a major repricing of growth prospects, with a recession in the U.S. going up to 50% probability, you've seen an increase in inflation expectations, up to 3.5%," he told CNBC's Silvia Amaro on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.
Meanwhile, executives at tech's megacap companies were largely silent this week, and their public relations representatives declined to provide comments about their thinking.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was in the awkward position on Friday of celebrating his company's 50th anniversary at corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Alongside Microsoft's prior two CEOs, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, Nadella sat down with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin for a televised interview that was planned well before Trump's tariff announcement.
When asked about the tariffs at the top of the interview, Nadella effectively dodged the question and avoided expressing his views about whether the new policies will hamper Microsoft's business.
Ballmer, who was succeeded by Nadella in 2014, acknowledged to Sorkin that "disruption is very hard on people" and that, "as a Microsoft shareholder, this kind of thing is not good." Ballmer and Gates are two of the 12 wealthiest people in the world thanks to their Microsoft fortunes.
C-suites may not be able to stay quiet for long, especially if the recent turmoil spills into next week.
Lise Buyer, who previously helped guide Google through its IPO and now works as an adviser to companies going public, said there's no appetite for risk in the market under these conditions. But there is risk that staffers get jittery, and they'll surely look to their leaders for some reassurance.
"Until markets settle out and we have the opportunity to access valuation levels, public company CEOs should work to calm potentially distressed employees," Buyer said in an email. "And private company managements should refine plans to get by on dollars already in the treasury."
— CNBC's Hayden Field, Jordan Novet, Leslie Picker, Annie Palmer and Samantha Subin contributed to this report.
WATCH: Chime is reportedly delaying its IPO
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The U.S. Senate approved a Republican budget blueprint early on Saturday that aims to extend trillions of dollars worth of President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts and sharply reduce government spending.
The vote, following an all-night legislative session, unlocks a maneuver that will allow Republicans to bypass the Senate's filibuster and pass the tax cuts later this year without Democratic votes.
Non-partisan analysts say the measure, if enacted, would add about $5.7 trillion to the federal government's debt over the next decade. Senate Republicans contend the cost is $1.5 trillion, saying that the effects of extending existing tax policy that was scheduled to expire at the end of this year should not be counted in the measure's cost.
The measure also aims to raise the federal government's debt ceiling by $5 trillion, a move Congress has to make by summer or risk defaulting on $36.6 trillion in debt. It aims to partly offset the deficit-raising costs of tax cuts by cutting spending. Democrats have warned that Republican targets would imperil the Medicaid health insurance program for low-income Americans.
Republican Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, warned that allowing the 2017 tax cuts to expire would hit Americans hard.
"The average taxpayer would see a 22% tax hike. A family of four making $80,610, the median income in the United States, would see a $1,695 tax increase," Graham said. The 2017 cuts, Trump's signature legislative achievement in his first term, cut the top corporate tax cut to 21% from 35%, a move that is not set to expire.
The balance of the cuts, for individual Americans, were set to expire, a decision made to limit the 2017 bill's deficit-raising effects.
"The Republican bill that now sits before the Senate is poison," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said on Friday. "But as Americans learn that Republicans are doing it simply to give tax cuts to the ultra-rich, an electric shock is going to go through the American people."
Hanging over the debate, which began late on Thursday, was a brutal stock market sell-off following Trump's sweeping new trade tariffs, which economists warned will drive up prices and could trigger a recession.
Democrats offered dozens of amendments on matters ranging from protecting Social Security retirement benefits to shielding care for veterans. They were mainly blocked by Republicans.
It is now up to the House to debate and possibly tinker with this complicated measure.
Several hours into Friday's debate, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky — a rare Republican opponent of the measure — summarized the feelings of conservative deficit hawks.
"On the one hand, it appears as if all this great savings is happening. But on the other hand, the resolution before us will increase the debt by $5 trillion. So, which is it? Are we cutting spending or are we expanding the debt?"
There likely will be spending cuts by the time the dust settles, as bills are passed to enforce the budget plan. The most controversial one, arguably, would be if Republicans end up including $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid.
That, said independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats, "would make a bad situation worse by throwing millions of kids off the health care that they have."
Republicans have maintained that Medicaid would not be cut. Instead, they say they would achieve savings by making the program more efficient.
If House Republicans get their way, there could be net spending cuts in the range of $2 trillion.
The budget blueprint would also make room for increased security measures at the southwest border with Mexico and administration efforts to significantly ramp up immigrant deportations.
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China's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said "the market has spoken" following the U.S. imposition of sweeping new tariffs and called for the White House to defuse the escalating trade war through "equal-footed consultation."
U.S. stock markets fell sharply for a second consecutive day on Friday, with all three major indexes dropping by more than 5% as part of a global rout.
The market turmoil was exacerbated on Friday when China's Finance Ministry announced it would impose a 34% tariff on all goods imported from the U.S. starting on April 10.
Beijing's response ratcheted up investor fears of inflationary, recessionary and global economic growth risks.
"The market has spoken," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in a post on Facebook on Saturday morning.
Sharing an image referencing Friday's U.S. stock market downturn, Guo said, "the trade and tariff war started by the U.S. against the world is unprovoked and unjustified."
He called on the White House to resolve differences with trading partners through "equal-footed consultation."
A White House spokesperson was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced far-reaching new levies as part of a "reciprocal tariff" policy, including a 10% tariff on almost every country and much steeper duties on many.
The U.S. president targeted China with 34% of additional reciprocal tariffs, bringing total U.S. tariffs against the world's second-largest economy to 54%.
Trump on Friday appeared unfazed by the market backlash to his tariff rollout, posting on Truth Social that "big business" is not worried about the tariffs and that his "policies will never change."
— CNBC's Ruxandra Iordache contributed to this report.
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Babies, homes, retirement, and business ventures — all major moves Americans have told BI they're putting on hold as the US reels from economic uncertainty.
Tariffs are set to raise prices on everything from groceries to cars, and sweeping cuts to federal spending have many concerned about their livelihoods. Federal student loan limbo is also leaving millions wondering how they will pay off their debt.
"I feel like I just got done building a life out here," said a Washington DC 28-year-old who resigned from her government job and may have to move due to finances. "I was actually trying to own a home."
Some are even worried about a recession. While the US isn't in one yet, a major indicator of consumer sentiment hit a three-year low in March, and consumer spending was weaker than expected last month. Meanwhile, a closely watched inflation metric has seen its highest jump in a year. Economists have said these conditions are making people less likely to make major purchases and take financial risks.
While some Americans also told BI they support Trump's recent cost-cutting measures and don't plan to make any adjustments to their jobs or savings, six shared stories about holding off on major milestones.
Florence Thompson feels stuck. The 39-year-old wants to buy a home and have a baby, but she's not sure what her future monthly student-loan payments will look like. She said she hopes they'll stay in the low hundreds.
Thompson is enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years of qualifying payments. Trump is taking steps to limit eligibility for the program, which could bar some borrowers from future relief.
Thompson is also on the SAVE plan, created by President Joe Biden to give borrowers more affordable monthly payments. Since July, she and 8 million enrolled borrowers have been stuck in forbearance after SAVE was blocked in court. Thompson has not been able to make payments or earn PSLF credit while the lawsuit plays out. Now, Thompson isn't sure when she will have to add loan payments back into her budget — and how much those payments will be. The Trump administration's recent decision to dismantle the Department of Education has heightened this uncertainty, she said. It's complicating her plans to buy a home and start a family.
"I have the money to pursue IVF, I have the money to buy a home," Thompson said. "But it's like the sword hanging above your head where you don't know when your monthly costs are going to increase and by how much. It's just a real uncertainty, and I know people are in much more difficult positions than myself. It's just not fair, not right."
Until she knows what will happen with her student debt, Thompson is conflicted. "It's really causing me to have to save money rather than spend it on the things that I'd like to spend it on," she said.
Ashley Shannon submitted her resignation letter last month. The 28-year-old was an attorney in her second year at the Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Prisons. She said her job felt meaningful — her work helped combat mass incarceration disproportionately impacting Black and brown people.
But, as news flooded in about the firings of federal probationary workers, Shannon made the tough decision to leave her role.
"Higher up in the agency, they pretty much told us it's either you leave or you're going to likely get fired and pushed out," she said.
The career paths for Black women in private-sector law are more limited than in the federal workforce, and Shannon had been excited to build a career in the public interest. She had been making $100,000 a year and was building her life in Washington DC — hoping to buy her first home soon. Now, Shannon has been unemployed since March 5. If she can't find a job by the end of April, she will have to move back to Chicago to live with her parents.
"That is a very defeating feeling as a very new attorney," she said. "I would have to move back in with my family, find another job, and pretty much restart my entire life."
Last fall, Bri O. moved back in with her parents. The 23-year-old works a finance job in Charlotte, North Carolina. She didn't picture spending her young adult years in her childhood home, but said it's her best option to save money.
Bri knew she wanted to live abroad at some point in her life — it's an opportunity to experience new cultures and she has her eyes set on Spain. However, she said Trump's return to the Oval Office has accelerated her timeline: She's now trying to save $50,000 by 2026 so that she can move out of the US, maybe permanently.
As a young, queer woman, Bri said she doesn't feel safe living under the Trump administration, especially if she someday chooses to get married or start a family. The government "enacting policies against us in the queer community is having an effect on our lives," she said.
She said she's sacrificing some of her independence by living with family right now, but it's worth it for her finances. Being at home is allowing her to put the money she would be spending on rent and other expenses into savings for her eventual move.
"I'd love to stay in the country where all my friends and my family are," she said, adding, "It's disheartening that I'm leaving because of fear."
Margarita Sdoukos, 49, thought she was going to retire early. She was confident that she and her husband would have a strong enough nest egg to stop working in six years. Due to living below their means, savvy investments, and careful saving habits, the couple felt financially comfortable.
Now, Sdoukos isn't sure she will ever fully retire. The Illinois resident told BI that she and her husband have lost "tens of thousands" of dollars in the stock market since Trump took office in January, and they're shifting to safer investments for their 401(k), even if they are less lucrative. She cashed out her teacher's pension and placed it in an IRA due to "uncertainty in the government." She's concerned about potential changes to Social Security, and now expects to continue working for as long as possible.
"We don't even think about retirement right now," she said.
Jessica Deseo, 40, has been in the design industry for nearly two decades. She's a California-based, first-generation immigrant and mother who is balancing her own LLC with her role as a 1099 employee for a fellow creative.
With economic policy changing quickly under Trump, Deseo is at a crossroads with her career: go solo with her business or balance her job and freelancing.
"I'm right in the middle of figuring that out, and it's really, really hard," she said.
Deseo said she wants to put energy and money into growing her own business, but it comes with sacrifices. She's worried that potential clients won't have the extra budget to hire her as a freelancer and said that going out completely on her own would be an even bigger financial risk. Right now, she's being cautious about spending and saving as much as she can.
"You see the economy around you and you're just like, 'Jesus, everyone is getting laid off,"' she said.
Kathy Heller, 67, hoped to move out of her studio apartment in Pennsylvania and buy a new house. However, due to recent changes in the stock market and her fears about the future of Social Security, she said that may no longer be possible.
"I've been wanting to move for the last couple of years, and I just can't now," Heller said. "Everything's changed."
Heller, who worked as a legal secretary, ate through some of her retirement savings while caring for her husband, who was ill for two decades. She works nearly full-time as a real estate agent to supplement her over $3,000 monthly Social Security survivor benefits. She said she's had to wait for four hours on the phone to contact a Social Security representative, and she said she's worried about what her finances may look like a few months from now, especially if Social Security is disrupted in any way.
"My plan is to save $1,000 a month out of my Social Security check, but I live alone," Heller said. "If you don't have savings or a monthly income, you're screwed now."
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PayPal has added chainlink (LINK) and solana (SOL) to its growing list of supported cryptocurrencies, giving users of both PayPal and Venmo the ability to buy, hold, sell and transfer the tokens directly from their accounts.
The move reflects the payments giant's continued push into the cryptocurrency space after first launching crypto support in 2020. The new tokens will roll out to U.S. users over the next few weeks.
“Offering more tokens on PayPal and Venmo provides users with greater flexibility, choice, and access to digital currencies,” said May Zabaneh, PayPal's Vice President of Blockchain, Crypto, and Digital Currencies, in a press release.
The company, which has also launched its own U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, has last year moved to allow its business clients access crypto directly form their accounts in the U.S.
Francisco is a reporter for CoinDesk with a passion for cryptocurrencies and personal finance. Before joining CoinDesk he worked at major financial and crypto publications. He owns bitcoin, ether, solana, and PAXG above CoinDesk's $1,000 disclosure threshold.
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President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariff unveiling had led to a $5.4 trillion U.S. equities market wipeout in just two days as the S&P 500 index dropped to its lowest level in 11 months and the Nasdaq 100 entered bear market territory.
Yet, amidst the chaos, cryptocurrency prices are showing resiliency, with bitcoin (BTC) dropping roughly 6% since the tariffs were unveiled, compared to the Nasdaq's 11% drop. The broader crypto market, as measured by the CoinDesk 20 (CD20) index, dropped by roughly 4.9% over the same period.
To put the sell-off figures into perspective, the total crypto market cap is around $2.65 trillion, according to data from TheTie. In the last 24-hour period, bitcoin dropped 0.3% to $82,619.77, while the broader CD20 went up by roughly 0.2%. At the market close on Friday, most crypto-related stocks fell as well, but some actually moved up.
Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings (MARA) rose 0.6%, while Core Scientific (CORZ) saw a 0.4% upward move. Strategy (MSTR), the largest corporate holder of bitcoin with 528,185 BTC on its balance sheet, rose 4%. It significantly outperformed the Nasdaq on Friday, which plunged 5.8%.
Cryptocurrency prices are likely to remain resilient. Given their accessibility through traditional investment products, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and their performance, they could be “useful as a TradFi hedge,” according to Standard Chartered's Geoffrey Kendrick.
“Over the last 36 hours I think we can also add 'US isolation' hedge to the list of bitcoin uses,” Kendrick wrote in an email dated April 4, adding in a chart showing that among the Magnificent 7 stocks, only Microsoft outperformed BTC during the sell-off.
The resilience is also coming as the crypto community celebrated the purported birthday of bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. The date is based on the bitcoin creator's profile with the P2P Foundation.
The date, some speculate, isn't real but instead symbolic. It coincides with the anniversary of Executive Order 6102, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 5, 1933. The order required Americans to turn in their gold to the Federal Reserve.
Read more: Bitcoin Begins to Decouple From Nasdaq as U.S. Stocks Crumble
Francisco is a reporter for CoinDesk with a passion for cryptocurrencies and personal finance. Before joining CoinDesk he worked at major financial and crypto publications. He owns bitcoin, ether, solana, and PAXG above CoinDesk's $1,000 disclosure threshold.
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As the scandal continues to unfold and experts examine just how severely top officials have compromised US national security in that Signal chat leak—and embarrassed themselves through controversial post-statements—I want to take a closer look at one particular episode from the story.
At first, the White House denied that the chat ever existed. But when it became clear that there was too much evidence to refute, they shifted tactics, denying that the chat ever contained any classified information of national security significance. And indeed, what proof can journalist Jeffrey Goldberg present after leaving that chat? Moreover, the chat was set to self-destruct messages after a period of time. So imagine a court hearing where parties are required to present evidence, and the only available proof consists of screenshots—in other words, virtually nothing, as such evidence is almost impossible to verify.
The answer is rather simple—if the journalist had taken care to properly preserve such evidence. He could prove that he had access to sensitive information at a time when he should not have, by publishing cryptographic hash sums of that information. Had he not been in the chat, he would not have known when and where they were planning to strike Yemen, who the target was, and so forth. Certain details may become public later, but not at the time the chat occurred—correct?
The solution lies in a cryptographic method known as proof of existence without disclosure. It involves two basic elements: cryptographic hashes and reliable timestamps. This can be done on blockchain manually—if one knows the process—or through a variety of applications and services offering blockchain-based timestamping proofs.
Here's how it works: you write a message (for example, by copying and pasting from the chat), generate a hash sum of the message, publish it on a blockchain, and save the private key for the address used to publish it. You'll later need this private key to prove that it was your address (i.e., you personally) that published the hash, and thus that you had knowledge of the original message at that time. A social media account might also serve a similar function, but remember that social platforms are centralised systems—vulnerable and, unlike blockchains, not immutable.
So, there it is—a note for all journalists who may one day need to prove the existence of a fact without revealing its contents.
This process creates an undeniable, timestamped record confirming that a specific original message existed and was known to the publisher at the time the blockchain transaction was confirmed—all without revealing the content publicly until the journalist chooses to do so.
Read more about
Rexas Finance Presale
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Note to Jeffrey Goldberg and all journalists: How to prove facts using blockchain | Opinion
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Trump's crypto reserve needs a privacy layer | Opinion
Is Dogecoin hype dead? Elon Musk says DOGE not in US plans
Digital shift in Swiss economy shows ‘substantial opportunity' for Swiss stablecoin, Bitcoin Suisse says
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Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news' editorial.
As the scandal continues to unfold and experts examine just how severely top officials have compromised US national security in that Signal chat leak—and embarrassed themselves through controversial post-statements—I want to take a closer look at one particular episode from the story.
At first, the White House denied that the chat ever existed. But when it became clear that there was too much evidence to refute, they shifted tactics, denying that the chat ever contained any classified information of national security significance. And indeed, what proof can journalist Jeffrey Goldberg present after leaving that chat? Moreover, the chat was set to self-destruct messages after a period of time. So imagine a court hearing where parties are required to present evidence, and the only available proof consists of screenshots—in other words, virtually nothing, as such evidence is almost impossible to verify.
The answer is rather simple—if the journalist had taken care to properly preserve such evidence. He could prove that he had access to sensitive information at a time when he should not have, by publishing cryptographic hash sums of that information. Had he not been in the chat, he would not have known when and where they were planning to strike Yemen, who the target was, and so forth. Certain details may become public later, but not at the time the chat occurred—correct?
The solution lies in a cryptographic method known as proof of existence without disclosure. It involves two basic elements: cryptographic hashes and reliable timestamps. This can be done on blockchain manually—if one knows the process—or through a variety of applications and services offering blockchain-based timestamping proofs.
Here's how it works: you write a message (for example, by copying and pasting from the chat), generate a hash sum of the message, publish it on a blockchain, and save the private key for the address used to publish it. You'll later need this private key to prove that it was your address (i.e., you personally) that published the hash, and thus that you had knowledge of the original message at that time. A social media account might also serve a similar function, but remember that social platforms are centralised systems—vulnerable and, unlike blockchains, not immutable.
So, there it is—a note for all journalists who may one day need to prove the existence of a fact without revealing its contents.
This process creates an undeniable, timestamped record confirming that a specific original message existed and was known to the publisher at the time the blockchain transaction was confirmed—all without revealing the content publicly until the journalist chooses to do so.
Read more about
Rexas Finance Presale
Deep Dives
Note to Jeffrey Goldberg and all journalists: How to prove facts using blockchain | Opinion
The secret to a high-performing portfolio? Automation | Opinion
Chart of the week: ATOM gears for double-digit gains with staking support
Circle files IPO amid declining profits and stiffening competition — will this shake Tether's stablecoin dominance?
Solving the payment problem for AI in web3 | Opinion
Nasdaq Composite on track for biggest one-day percentage drop since 2020, will Bitcoin survive the crash?
EXCLUSIVE: Datagram unveils decentralized backend for scalable DePIN networks
Trump's crypto reserve needs a privacy layer | Opinion
Is Dogecoin hype dead? Elon Musk says DOGE not in US plans
Digital shift in Swiss economy shows ‘substantial opportunity' for Swiss stablecoin, Bitcoin Suisse says
Related News
The secret to a high-performing portfolio? Automation | Opinion
Ripple to pilot RLUSD for drought relief in Kenya
Solving the payment problem for AI in web3 | Opinion
Get crypto market analysis and curated news delivered right to your inbox every week.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
PR Newswire
NEW YORK, April 5, 2025
NEW YORK, April 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --
Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of Game of Silks non-fungible tokens ("NFTs"), including Silks Avatar NFTs, Silks Horse NFTs, and Silks Land NFTs, and who were damaged thereby, of the important April 25, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline.
So what: If you purchased Game of Silks NFTs you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
What to do next: To join the Game of Silks class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=35918 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for more information. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 25, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
Details of the case: According to the lawsuit, Game of Silks created a metaverse game that brought real-life horse racing to the blockchain, allowing users to invest in virtual versions of real racehorses and earn money based on the real-world performance of those horses. The complaint further alleges that the Game of Silks NFTs, which were first sold beginning in April 2022, are securities as defined by the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"), and as such required registration statements, which were never filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Game of Silks violated the Securities Act by selling and soliciting the sale of unregistered Game of Silks NFT securities.
Further, the complaint also alleges that the defendants made material misstatements and omissions in connection with the sale of the Game of Silks NFTs, including failing to disclose critical financial information about Game of Silks' business model and sustainability.
To join the Game of Silks class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=35918 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
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Offering stability and long-term value growth, Bitcoin continues to remain the king of the crypto market, while Solana keeps its position as an excellent investment option due to its fast transactions, even more growing DeFi ecosystem, and high-speed Solana blockchain technology. The most important innovation in today's market is artificial intelligence and blockchain integration, a hybrid that receives the most attention and money from the institutions.
In the past few months, AI-powered crypto-assets have dominated other assets, outperforming them by far. Ozak AI is emerging among the spectrum of projects that are innovating and they clearly are doing something right. Ozak AI is taking the lead by using AI technology on multiple angles like enhancing crypto trading, smart contracts, predictive analytics and establishing itself as the most attractive crypto investment.
Ozak AI is currently in its presale stage, with its value pegged at $0.003 per $OZ token. This offers an unparalleled chance for early buyers to maximize their profits because even a small appreciation to $0.10 would return huge profits. In the instance Ozak AI hits its anticipated $1 mark with its planned listing price of $0.05, it would be considered one of the most opportunistic investments out in the market at the moment.
Ozak AI's impressive market reach is clear given that over $900,000 has already been raised during the presale phase. The project's unique approach has really served to grab the attention of casual investors and institutions alike and make sure that the AI-crypto space remains a strong investment. Ozak AI is still in its early stage and allows for early investment with massive growth potential, unlike Bitcoin and Solana, which have already been over-inflated.
Ozak AI blends traditional predictive market analytics with AI and decentralized network technologies for a groundbreaking solution. Ozak Stream Network (OSN) enables high-speed transmission of information, improving timely trading and investment decisions. Also, with the increase of security and resilience brought by the Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN), Ozak AI has become one of the most dependable AI blockchain platforms offered.
The platform's advanced Prediction Agents (PAs) use sophisticated machine learning models that are capable of deriving accurate investment insights from real-time and historical data.
With secure data storage solutions provided by Ozak Data Vaults, investors benefit from enhanced data integrity and availability. These innovations cater to both retail and institutional markets, positioning Ozak AI as a leader in AI-powered financial analytics.
Apart from individual traders, Ozak AI assists companies in strategically predetermining and mitigating potential risks with advanced AI solutions. The businesses and financial companies that use Ozak's predictive instruments will create enormous demand for the $OZ token, which will further increase its value. Also, Ozak AI possesses far more tangible value in the realm of financial analytics as compared to Bitcoin, which serves primarily as a value holder, and Solana, which is the engine of DeFi applications.
To entice early adopters, Ozak AI is running a $1 million giveaway campaign, where 100 major prizes are awarded. To win, participants are required to take actions in the platform's marketing campaign while keeping at least $100 in $OZ Tokens. This project seeks to reward early adopters by increasing thrust in users that help propel the project.
Even though Bitcoin and Solana tend to remain powerful investment choices, Ozak AI stands out because of its unique blend of advanced AI implementation, tactical market placement, and lucrative price. What makes Ozak AI truly unique is its usage of artificial intelligence to augment blockchain structural functioning and financial market forecasting.
For those investors looking for limitless earning possibilities within the AI-crypto ecosystem, Ozak AI is the best bet right now. With its technological innovations, growing investor interest, and real-world applications, it has the potential to outperform both Bitcoin and Solana in terms of returns in the coming years.
Website: https://ozak.ai/
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Bitcoin's resilience to the record $5 trillion sell-off signals an “evolution in Bitcoin's market positioning” that may fortify Bitcoin's status as a hedge against financial instability.
Bitcoin is gaining renewed attention as a hedge against financial instability after holding relatively steady during a record-breaking stock market downturn that saw $5 trillion wiped from the S&P 500.
The S&P 500 posted a $5 trillion loss in market capitalization over two days, its largest drop on record, surpassing the $3.3 trillion decline in March 2020 during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 5 report by Reuters.
The record sell-off occurred after US President Donald Trump announced his reciprocal import tariffs on April 2. The measures aim to shrink the country's estimated trade deficit of $1.2 trillion in goods and boost domestic manufacturing.
S&P 500 record $5.4 trillion loss. Source: Zerohedge
Bitcoin's (BTC) dip after the tariff announcement was significantly smaller than traditional markets, proving Bitcoin's growing maturity as a global asset, according to Marcin Kazmierczak, co-founder and chief operating officer of RedStone blockchain oracle firm.
“What we're potentially witnessing is an evolution in Bitcoin's market positioning,” the co-founder told Cointelegraph, adding:
“Bitcoin's fixed supply architecture inherently contrasts with fiat currencies that may face inflationary pressure under tariff-driven economic changes,” he added.
Related: 70% chance of crypto bottoming before June amid trade fears: Nansen
While stocks plunged, Bitcoin dipped just 3.7% over the same two-day period, trading at around $83,600 as of April 5, according to TradingView data.
BTC/USD, 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
Despite the $5 trillion sell-off in traditional markets, “BTC shows its worth, staying above its $82,000 key support level — a sign that structural demand remains intact even amid forced selling and elevated volatility,” Nexo dispatch analyst Iliya Kalchev told Cointelegraph.
Related: Michael Saylor's Strategy buys Bitcoin dip with $1.9B purchase
Despite Bitcoin's decoupling from traditional stocks, its initial plunge in price signals that some investors still see Bitcoin as a risk asset, according to James Wo, the founder and CEO of venture capital firm DFG.
“With Bitcoin ETFs enabling greater institutional exposure, it is now even more influenced by macroeconomic trends,” Wo told Cointelegraph, adding:
Despite the current lack of momentum, analysts are confident in Bitcoin's upside potential for the rest of 2025.
BTC projected to reach $132,000 based on M2 money supply growth. Source: Jamie Coutts
The growing money supply could push Bitcoin's price above $132,000 before the end of 2025, according to estimates from Jamie Coutts, chief crypto analyst at Real Vision.
Magazine: Bitcoin ATH sooner than expected? XRP may drop 40%, and more: Hodler's Digest, March 23 – 29
ByBilly Bambrough
ByBilly Bambrough,
Senior Contributor.
Bitcoin and crypto prices have been rocked by U.S. president Donald Trump's barrage of tariffs—with the Federal Reserve poised to blow up the bitcoin price.
Front-run Donald Trump, the White House and Wall Street by subscribing now to Forbes' CryptoAsset & Blockchain Advisor where you can "uncover blockchain blockbusters poised for 1,000% plus gains!"
The bitcoin price dropped sharply after China sparked fears of a “crisis scenario” but has bounced back, breaking its correlation with the stock market.
Now, as the chief executive of BlackRock calls bitcoin potentially a “safer bet” than the U.S. dollar, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has declared bitcoin an emerging “store of value”—comparing it to gold.
Sign up now for the free CryptoCodex—A daily five-minute newsletter for traders, investors and the crypto-curious that will get you up to date and keep you ahead of the bitcoin and crypto market bull run
“Bitcoin is becoming a store of value, gold's has historically been a store of value,” Bessent told podcaster Tucker Carlson, adding there are “a lot of different stores of value over time.”
Bessent's comments come as stock markets around the world fall sharply in the aftermath of Trump's so-called Liberation Day of trade tariffs that saw the U.S. implement a global baseline import tax of 10% and much higher rates for goods from dozens of countries.
“As risk assets continue to sell off, investors may increasingly rotate into traditional hedges like bonds and gold—or into bitcoin, which has shown notable resilience relative to equities in recent days," David Hernandez, crypto investment specialist at bitcoin and crypto investment company 21Shares, said via email.
Gold, a traditional safe haven asset, is up around 15% so far this year as traders and central banks buy it to hedge against economic and geopolitical uncertainties.
“Bitcoin's price action this week has been a true testament to its investment case as an emerging store of value and potential for uncorrelated returns," Hernandez said.
The U.S. stock market has plummeted by around 10% since Trump followed through with his well-telegraphed global tariff regime that was more aggressive than traders had anticipated.
Trump himself shared a social media post with a caption reading: “Trump is purposely crashing the market."
The bitcoin price has, however, climbed over the course of the week, breaking its recent correlation with the stock market—specifically the tech heavy Nasdaq and the so-called Magnificent 7 stocks that includes Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia and Tesla.
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"What's happening with the market I'd say it's more a Mag 7 problem, not a MAGA problem," Bessent told Carlson, referring to the Trump administration's Make American Great Again series of policies that are focuses on rebuilding the country's manufacturing base.
“The Trump tariffs have unleashed volatility, notably shaking the U.S. equity markets, but with this, bitcoin's unique reaction deserves attention,” Joe Burnett, director of market research crypto financial company Unchained, said in emailed comments.
"Recalling March 2020, bitcoin rapidly bottomed and recovered first (before U.S. equities), a pattern potentially repeating today as bitcoin hasn't made new lows since March 11th. This resilience could signal a strategic entry point for long-term investors. Of course, if stocks continue falling aggressively over the coming weeks, it's reasonable to expect that bitcoin could experience another leg down too.”
On April 6, 2025, from 8 PM to midnight (UTC+8), the luxurious and vibrant Zuma Hong Kong—a celebrated Japanese dining destination—will host an extraordinary evening: the XT.COM HK VIP Party. Powered by XT.COM, this exclusive event promises not only a forward-looking exploration of blockchain's transformative power but also a deep dive into the cherished musical heritage that has shaped generations.
For countless fans across Hong Kong and Mainland China, the music of Beyond brings back memories of an era defined by heartfelt lyrics, unforgettable guitar riffs, and anthems that echoed the hopes and dreams of a generation. At this VIP party, Paul Wong, Beyond's iconic lead guitarist, will rekindle the spirit of the band's legendary performances. As his electrifying guitar solos fill the air, guests will be reminded of a time when rock music in Hong Kong became a rallying cry for self-expression and cultural unity.
Nestled in Central Hong Kong, Zuma strikes a perfect balance between sophisticated Japanese cuisine and a lively, cosmopolitan ambience. With its modern flair and inviting atmosphere, Zuma sets the stage for a seamless fusion of musical nostalgia and cutting-edge blockchain innovations, offering attendees a night to indulge in exquisite tastes and ignite conversations about the future of entertainment.
In the rapidly evolving world of crypto, longevity is a mark of true dedication. Although cryptography's roots stretch back centuries, it was Bitcoin's debut in 2009 that sparked today's global fascination with digital assets. Amid market booms and downturns, XT.COM has persevered for seven years, guiding users through the ever-changing landscape with innovation, expertise, and community-driven principles.
Just as Beyond's hits once united fans from diverse backgrounds, this VIP event will bring together music industry veterans, Web3 innovators, and opinion leaders to discuss how new digital engagement strategies are transforming the entertainment landscape. Covering topics such as immersive fan experiences and digital content distribution, the discussion will spotlight how time-honored musical legacies can evolve alongside cutting-edge technologies and innovative collaborations.
If you're captivated by nostalgia, fascinated by the boundless potential of blockchain, and eager to see how these worlds intersect, then don't miss the XT.COM HK VIP Party. This is more than just an event—it's a celebration of legacy and progress, where Paul Wong's timeless riffs resonate alongside XT.COM's unwavering commitment to innovation.
XT.COM's past events have consistently drawn remarkable audiences and attention, making headlines around the globe:
Join us in continuing this legacy of exceptional experiences and industry impact.
For registration and more details, please visit: https://lu.ma/3gqniu8q.
Join us for a night where past memories meet future innovation, as XT.COM continues to expand the boundaries of blockchain—together, beyond trade.
Founded in 2018, XT.COM has consistently pushed the boundaries of blockchain adoption, offering secure, efficient, and professional digital asset services. More than just a technology, blockchain represents a vision—one that empowers artists, creators, and communities by breaking traditional barriers.
Our #BeyondTrade initiative embodies this belief, reinforcing our commitment to driving the integration of blockchain and real-world applications. Through collaborations with industry leaders and cultural icons, XT.COM is expanding the reach of blockchain technology, demonstrating its ability to revolutionize not only financial markets but also the creative industries.
This publication is provided by the client. Cointelegraph does not endorse and is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy, quality, advertising, products, or other materials on this page. Readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company. Cointelegraph is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods, or services mentioned in the press release.
Crypto analyst and trader Ali Martinez is leaning bearish on one large-cap altcoin as he offers his outlook for Bitcoin (BTC) and the native token of the blockchain oracle Chainlink (LINK).
Martinez tells his 134,800 followers on the social media platform X that payments altcoin XRP (XRP) could plummet by around 37% from the current level after forming a head-and-shoulders pattern on the daily time frame.
A head-and-shoulders is a bearish pattern suggesting that an asset is losing bullish momentum after failing to print new highs with its right shoulder.
XRP, the fourth-largest crypto asset by market cap, is trading at $2.05 at time of writing.
Next up is Bitcoin. The analyst and trader says Bitcoin could flip bullish if the crypto king manages to retest a key price level as support. Specifically, Martinez says he's keeping a close watch on BTC's short-term holder (STH) realized price, a metric that tracks the average price at which all STHs acquired their coins.
STHs are defined as wallets that have held their coins for 155 days or less.
“The first signal that Bitcoin is ready to resume its bull run is reclaiming the short-term holder realized price at $90,570!”
Bitcoin is trading at $83,300 at time of writing.
The crypto analyst and trader also says that there are “signs of profit-taking” in the Bitcoin market as older coins return to crypto exchanges. Citing data from the blockchain analytics platform CryptoQuant, Martinez says that more than 1,058 BTC, worth slightly over $88 million at the current price, were moved by long-term holders in just one day.
Long-term holders are entities that have kept their coins inactive for more than 155 days.
Looking at Chailink, Martinez warns that LINK could turn bearish as it tests an ascending trendline on the weekly chart that has kept the altcoin bullish since July 2023.
Chainlink is trading at $12.63 at time of writing.
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Ethereum (ETH) showed resilience heading into the weekend, trading above $1,800 on Saturday despite the impact of Trump's tariff announcements sparking heavy losses across the stock market and in precious metals.
While ETH — like most top cryptos — held steady heading to the weekend, the S&P 500 fell nearly 6%, stretching its market capitalization decline to $5.06 trillion in the past two days. The Nasdaq-100 and Dow Jones saw heavy corrections, down 20% and 10%, respectively, from their all-time highs recorded in December. Gold and Silver also declined, dropping by 2.5% and 7.1%, respectively.
The losses across the financial market accelerated after Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Powell's hawkish statements at the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing conference in Virginia. Powell stated that the "larger-than-expected" tariffs could heighten inflation and slow growth, adding that the Fed will employ a "wait-and-see" approach to policy decisions.
"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," said Powell.
The statement increased expectations of recession, hence, the decline across stocks.
The resilience seen in Ethereum, and by extension, the crypto market, indicates investors are seeking a hedge for which crypto may be suited.
Ethereum was one of the top-performing assets in the brief COVID-induced recession of 2020, even outperforming Bitcoin (BTC) with a 460% gain. As a result, ETH could see a turnaround in the next few weeks if crypto holds steady amid global trade war tension — especially with the Pectra mainnet upgrade set for May 7.
ETH has been suffering from weak sentiments in the past months, underperforming top cryptos, including Bitcoin, XRP and Solana (SOL), during the recent post-election crypto rally. It also declined faster after the market saw a correction in late January, dropping nearly 55%, while BTC only declined by ~27%.
Ethereum saw $43.24 million in futures liquidations in the past 24 hours, per Coinglass data. The total amount of long and short liquidations is $20.84 million and $22.41 million, respectively.
Buyers are attempting to defend the support level near $1,800, quickly pushing prices back above it within the past few hours after briefly dropping to $1,760.
ETH/USDT daily chart
If bulls continue defending this level, ETH could test a descending trendline resistance extending from March 24. A firm move above the trendline that establishes it as support could help ETH regain bullish momentum and test the $2,069 key resistance.
On the downside, ETH could fall to $1,500 if bulls fail to hold the $1,800 support.
The Stochastic Oscillator (Stoch) is in the oversold region, indicating dominant bearish momentum and a potential for a reversal. Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) histogram is just above its neutral level. ETH could see a recovery if the Stoch exits oversold conditions and the histogram bars remain above their neutral level.
Ethereum is a decentralized open-source blockchain with smart contracts functionality. Its native currency Ether (ETH), is the second-largest cryptocurrency and number one altcoin by market capitalization. The Ethereum network is tailored for building crypto solutions like decentralized finance (DeFi), GameFi, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), etc.
Ethereum is a public decentralized blockchain technology, where developers can build and deploy applications that function without the need for a central authority. To make this easier, the network leverages the Solidity programming language and Ethereum virtual machine which helps developers create and launch applications with smart contract functionality.
Smart contracts are publicly verifiable codes that automates agreements between two or more parties. Basically, these codes self-execute encoded actions when predetermined conditions are met.
Staking is a process of earning yield on your idle crypto assets by locking them in a crypto protocol for a specified duration as a means of contributing to its security. Ethereum transitioned from a Proof-of-Work (PoW) to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism on September 15, 2022, in an event christened “The Merge.” The Merge was a key part of Ethereum's roadmap to achieve high-level scalability, decentralization and security while remaining sustainable. Unlike PoW, which requires the use of expensive hardware, PoS reduces the barrier of entry for validators by leveraging the use of crypto tokens as the core foundation of its consensus process.
Gas is the unit for measuring transaction fees that users pay for conducting transactions on Ethereum. During periods of network congestion, gas can be extremely high, causing validators to prioritize transactions based on their fees.
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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 (BTC) price remains under selling pressure and trades near $84,000 when writing on Friday after a rejection from a key resistance level earlier this week.
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Key Points
Do you experience FOMO, or the fear of missing out? I do, and I'm betting you do, too. It's a risky motivator that can have you doing things you wouldn't normally consider doing, and Wall Street is a treacherous place when it comes to FOMO. One of the big investing trends today is cryptocurrency, which is why I've had my eye on the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT 2.47%). But is this exchange-traded fund an easy way to crypto riches, or is it just too risky to bother with? I tried to clear away the FOMO and find out the answer for myself.
The investment objective of the iShares Bitcoin Trust is to "reflect generally the performance of the price of Bitcoin." Its largest holding is, as you would expect given the exchange-traded fund's (ETF) name, Bitcoin. There's a little bit of cash on the ledger, too, but it isn't material. The iShares Bitcoin Trust is an easy way for people to invest in Bitcoin without having to go through the headaches of directly owning cryptocurrencies.
Image source: Getty Images.
If you have been thinking about jumping into crypto, this is a pretty attractive way to do it. That said, the expense ratio is a bit high for an ETF at 0.25%. But given the specialization of the product, that cost probably isn't unreasonable. And investors have been rewarded well, with the iShares Bitcoin Trust rising roughly 85% since its inception in early 2024. That, however, is where the problem comes in for an investor like me.
IBIT data by YCharts.
The chart above looks fairly reasonable. There are ups and downs, but the trend is generally higher and to the right. However, if you switch the chart to look at the drawdowns, you can see that there are some pretty sizable performance swings going on here. The chart below highlights that fact pretty clearly.
However, the swings aren't really the biggest problem with this graph. It is the time period. The graph covers the iShares Bitcoin Trust since it was created on Jan. 5, 2024. All that volatility occurred over a period of just 15 months or so. That's a shocking amount of volatility, but it's pretty much normal for the crypto market.
IBIT data by YCharts.
That is why I simply don't have what it takes to buy the iShares Bitcoin Trust. I am a conservative, income-oriented investor. I like stocks that are boring and reliable and that reward me for sticking around with regular, and preferably growing, dividend checks. None of that is on offer from the iShares Bitcoin Trust.
While I feel the pangs of missing out on big gains, I recognize that I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I owned the iShares Bitcoin Trust. Buying it would go against just about every investment principle I hold dear. I'm sure there are a lot of people who have made a lot of money with this type of investment. Good for them; I wish them well, and I hope a deep drawdown doesn't wipe out all of their gains. But the iShares Bitcoin Trust doesn't have a place in my portfolio. It's simply too volatile, and it doesn't fit with my income goals.
Although the iShares Bitcoin Trust makes it easy to invest in Bitcoin, investors need to think carefully about what they are actually getting. Is buying the iShares Bitcoin Trust in keeping with your long-term investment plan, or are you thinking of buying it just because you're worried you're missing out? If the answer is FOMO, you probably shouldn't buy it. That's my plan with this strongly performing ETF.
Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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One of the SEC's most vocal crypto critics pushed back on the agency's new stablecoin guidelines, which were welcomed by many in the crypto industry.
US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner and vocal crypto critic Caroline Crenshaw has accused the US regulator of downplaying risks and misrepresenting the US stablecoin market in its newly published guidelines.
However, many in the crypto industry see the new SEC guidelines — which say stablecoins that meet certain criteria are now considered "non-securities" and are exempt from transaction reporting requirements — as a step in the right direction.
In an April 4 statement, Crenshaw, who is widely known for opposing the spot Bitcoin ETFs, said that the SEC's statement on stablecoins contained "legal and factual errors that paint a distorted picture of the USD-stablecoin market that drastically understates its risks."
Crenshaw disputed the accuracy of the analysis made by the SEC in arriving at that decision. She pushed back on the SEC for reiterating issuer actions "that supposedly stabilize price, ensure redeemability, and otherwise reduce risk."
Source: David Sacks
The SEC said that "albeit briefly, that some USD-stablecoins are available to retail purchasers only through an intermediary and not directly from the issuer."
Crenshaw argued this was misleading. She said:
"Over 90% of USD-stablecoins in circulation are distributed in this way," Crenshaw added.
Meanwhile, many in the crypto industry expressed optimism over the clearer guidance on stablecoins.
Token Metrics founder Ian Ballina said it “feels like a clear step in focusing on what really matters in the crypto space.”
Vemanti CEO Tan Tran said he wished the SEC reached this point three years ago, while Midnight Network's head of partnerships Ian Kane said it “feels like progress for crypto folks trying to play by the rules.”
Crenshaw said it is "also grossly inaccurate" for the SEC to reassure users that an issuer can handle unlimited redemptions just because its reserves match or exceed the value of the supply.
Related: Stablecoins' in bull market'; Solana sputters: VanEck
"The issuer's overall financial health and solvency cannot be judged by the value of its reserve, which tells us nothing about its liabilities, risk from proprietary financial activities, and so forth," Crenshaw said.
She explained that stablecoins always carry some risk, particularly during market downturns.
It comes only weeks after stablecoin issuer Tether was reportedly engaging with a Big Four accounting firm to audit its assets reserve and verify that its USDT stablecoin is backed at a 1:1 ratio.
On March 22, Cointelegraph reported that Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the audit process would be more straightforward under pro-crypto US President Donald Trump.
Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple a 'bad actor' with no crypto legal precedent set
Bitcoin is showing signs of decoupling from gold and stocks after Trump's global tariff announcement, though concerns linger.
Bitcoin (BTC) price could head back toward the $100,000 level quicker than investors expected if the early signs of its decoupling from the US stock market and gold continue.
Source: Cory Bates / X
Bitcoin has shrugged off the market jitters caused by US President Donald Trump's April 2 global tariff announcement.
While BTC initially dropped over 3% to around $82,500, it eventually rebounded by roughly 4.5% to cross $84,700. In contrast, the S&P 500 plunged 10.65% this week, and gold—after hitting a record $3,167 on April 3—has slipped 4.8%.
BTC/USD vs. gold and S&P 500 daily performance chart. Source: TradingView
The fresh divergence is fueling the “gold-leads-Bitcoin narrative,” taking cues from price trends from late 2018 through mid-2019 to predict a strong price recovery toward $100,000.
Gold began a steady ascent, gaining nearly 15% by mid-2019, while Bitcoin remained largely flat. Bitcoin's breakout followed shortly after, rallying over 170% in early 2019 and then surging another 344% by late 2020.
BTC/USD vs. XAU/USD three-day price chart. Source: TradingView
“A reclaim of $100k would imply a handoff from gold to BTC,” said market analyst MacroScope, adding:
The outlook aligned with Alpine Fox founder Mike Alfred, who shared an analysis from March 14, wherein he anticipated Bitcoin to grow 10 times or more than gold based on previous instances.
Source: Mike Alfred / X
Bitcoin may be eyeing a drop toward $65,000, based on a bearish fractal playing out in the Bitcoin-to-gold (BTC/XAU) ratio.
The BTC/XAU ratio is flashing a familiar pattern that traders last saw in 2021. The breakdown followed a second major support test at the 50-2W exponential moving average.
BTC/XAU ratio two-week chart. Source: TradingView
BTC/XAU is now repeating this fractal and once again testing the red 50-EMA as support.
In the previous cycle, Bitcoin consolidated around the same EMA level before breaking decisively lower, eventually finding support at the 200-2W EMA (the blue wave). If history repeats, BTC/XAU could be on track for a deeper correction, especially if macro conditions worsen.
Interestingly, these breakdown cycles have coincided with a drop in Bitcoin's value in dollar terms, as shown below.
BTC/USD 2W price chart. Source: TradingView
Should the fractal repeat, Bitcoin's initial downside target could be its 50-2W EMA around the $65,000 level, with additional selloffs suggesting declines below $20,000, aligning with the 200-2W EMA.
A bounce from BTC/XAU's 50-2W EMA, on the other hand, may invalidate the bearish fractal.
From a fundamental perspective, Bitcoin's price outlook appears skewed to the downside.
Investors are concerned that President Donald Trump's global tariff war could spiral into a full-blown trade war and trigger a US recession. Risk assets like Bitcoin tend to underperform during economic contractions.
Related: Bitcoin ‘decouples,' stocks lose $3.5T amid Trump tariff war and Fed warning of ‘higher inflation'
Further dampening sentiment, on April 4, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell pushed back against expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.
Powell warned that inflation progress remains uneven, signaling a prolonged high-rate environment that may add more pressure to Bitcoin's upside momentum.
Nonetheless, most bond traders see three consecutive rate cuts until the Fed's September meeting, according to CME data.
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.
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Crypto whales have begun to quietly shift their altcoin positions following Trump's Liberation Day tariffs. Uniswap (UNI), Chainlink (LINK), and Ondo Finance (ONDO) have all seen declines in the number of wallets holding between 10,000 and 100,000 tokens.
While the sell-off hasn't been dramatic, the timing and consistency across multiple tokens suggest growing caution or short-term repositioning. As these altcoins face key support and resistance levels, whale behavior could continue to shape their price trajectories in the coming days.
The number of Uniswap (UNI) addresses holding between 10,000 and 100,000 tokens has been steadily declining, a trend that began before Trump's so-called Liberation Day and has continued in its aftermath.
Between April 2 and April 3 alone, this group of crypto whales dropped from 825 to 821, signaling a slight but notable reduction in confidence or positioning from a segment often seen as strategically reactive.
While this decline may seem modest, it reflects a broader sentiment of caution among larger UNI holders, which often precedes or reinforces price weaknesses.
Currently, UNI price remains in a clear downtrend, with growing risks of a drop toward the $5.50 level or even below it if bearish momentum continues. However, if the trend begins to reverse, the token could first test resistance at $5.97.
A successful breakout from there could push Uniswap higher toward $6.23, a level that would suggest a stronger recovery is underway.
For now, though, the decrease in whale-sized wallets and prevailing bearish momentum place the asset in a vulnerable technical position.
While the number of Chainlink (LINK) whale addresses—those holding between 10,000 and 100,000 LINK—only slightly declined after Trump's Liberation Day, falling from 2,859 to 2,855, the context leading up to that matters more.
From March 29 to April 1, this group was actively accumulating, with the number of crypto whales rising from 2,852 to 2,860. This short burst of accumulation suggested growing confidence in LINK's upside potential heading into the month.
The recent dip may simply reflect mild profit-taking or caution during the current correction rather than a broader shift in sentiment.
Technically, LINK is at a critical point. If the ongoing correction deepens, the token could fall below $12 for the first time since November 2024, with $11.85 as the key support to watch.
However, if the trend shifts and buyers regain control, LINK could first test resistance at $13. A break above that level would likely open the door for a move toward $13.45.
ONDO is showing a trend similar to Chainlink, with whale accumulation taking place between March 26 and March 29 as the number of addresses holding between 10,000 and 100,000 ONDO grew from 376 to 390.
This wave of accumulation pointed to growing interest and confidence from larger holders. However, after peaking, the number of whales started to drop, falling from 374 to 371 following Trump's Liberation Day.
This decline, while subtle, may indicate a pause in optimism or a cautious shift in positioning among key players.
From a price perspective, ONDO now sits at an important moment. If it can regain the bullish momentum seen last month, it could push through the resistance at $0.82, with the potential to climb further toward $0.90 or even $0.95 if strength persists.
However, if momentum continues to fade, downside risks increase, with support levels around $0.76 and $0.73 likely to be tested.
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In line with the Trust Project guidelines, this price analysis article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. BeInCrypto is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice. Always conduct your own research and consult with a professional before making any financial decisions. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
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Nature Communications
volume 16, Article number: 3262 (2025)
Cite this article
Metrics details
Optimizing molecular design across expansive chemical spaces presents unique challenges, especially in maintaining predictive accuracy under domain shifts. This study integrates uncertainty quantification (UQ), directed message passing neural networks (D-MPNNs), and genetic algorithms (GAs) to address these challenges. We systematically evaluate whether UQ-enhanced D-MPNNs can effectively optimize broad, open-ended chemical spaces and identify the most effective implementation strategies. Using benchmarks from the Tartarus and GuacaMol platforms, our results show that UQ integration via probabilistic improvement optimization (PIO) enhances optimization success in most cases, supporting more reliable exploration of chemically diverse regions. In multi-objective tasks, PIO proves especially advantageous, balancing competing objectives and outperforming uncertainty-agnostic approaches. This work provides practical guidelines for integrating UQ in computational-aided molecular design (CAMD).
The exploration of novel chemical materials is a pivotal scientific endeavor with the potential to significantly advance both the economy and society1,2,3,4. Historically, the discovery of innovative molecules has led to major breakthroughs in various fields, including the development of enhanced medical therapies5, innovative catalysts for chemical reactions6, and more efficient carbon capture technologies7. These discoveries have traditionally resulted from labor-intensive experimental processes characterized by extensive trial and error.
In response to the limitations of these traditional experimental approaches, computational-aided molecular design (CAMD) has emerged as a crucial innovation. By conceptualizing material design as an optimization problem, where molecular structures and their properties are treated as variables and objectives, CAMD harnesses computational power to efficiently predict and identify promising materials. The advent of sophisticated machine learning algorithms has marked a paradigm shift from conventional knowledge-based methods, such as the group contribution method8,9,10, to advanced learning-based strategies11. Among these, deep learning has demonstrated exceptional accuracy and flexibility, modeling complex interrelations between chemical structures and properties that challenge traditional theoretical approaches12. For example, graph neural networks (GNNs) have emerged as powerful tools for representing molecular structures13. Unlike traditional models that rely on fixed molecular descriptors, GNNs operate directly on molecular graphs, capturing detailed connectivity and spatial relationships between atoms. This graph-based approach enables GNNs to model molecular interactions with high fidelity14,15, making them particularly well-suited for applications in molecular design, where accurate structural representation is critical. Furthermore, GNNs offer scalability16, enabling efficient processing of large datasets, which is essential for exploring the expansive chemical spaces required in CAMD.
As CAMD has evolved, it has incorporated various generative models and sophisticated optimization strategies that employ surrogate models as objective functions to enhance molecular design. For example, variational autoencoders (VAEs) have been widely used for molecular generation by encoding molecules into a latent space where new structures can be sampled and decoded, facilitating exploration of chemical space17,18. These VAEs are often coordinated with optimization techniques, such as evolutionary algorithms19,20,21, Bayesian optimization (BO)18,22, or Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS)23 to guide the search toward novel molecules with desired properties. Similarly, SMILES-based recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have been employed to generate molecular structures24,25,26. After a pretraining phase, RNNs are often fine-tuned using reinforcement learning, enhancing the model's ability to achieve goal-directed optimization. However, a significant challenge for generative models can be ensuring diversity in the generated molecules, especially if training data is limited or narrowly focused, which may limit their utility for exploring diverse chemical spaces27. Beyond generative models, some approaches apply optimization algorithms directly to molecular representations without requiring latent spaces. For instance, genetic algorithms (GAs) operate on molecular graphs28,29 or SMILES strings30,31, iteratively generating improved candidates through mutation and crossover operations. This approach bypasses the need for a pretrained generative model, making GAs adaptable and accessible for a variety of CAMD tasks. Compared with generative models, GAs can work well even with smaller datasets and may have lower initial computational demands, which can be beneficial for direct exploration and optimization of molecular properties. Additionally, their evolutionary principles naturally maintain diversity, supporting a broad exploration of chemical space and adaptability to specific property objectives32.
Despite the promise of these optimization approaches, a major challenge with data-driven models in CAMD is their tendency to fail in accurately predicting properties for molecules outside their training scope. This limitation underscores the importance of integrating uncertainty quantification (UQ) into CAMD to assess prediction reliability. Previous studies have commonly addressed this challenge through BO frameworks, often using Gaussian process regression (GPR), including Kriging models33. These non-parametric models make predictions with uncertainty estimates based on the posterior distribution, leveraging a kernel function to define the covariance between training data points. However, the matrix inversion required for non-parametric methods can become time-consuming, particularly for large datasets, as the computational complexity scales \({\mbox{O}}\left({n}^{3}\right)\) with the number of training data and \({\mbox{O}}\left(n\right)\) with the dimension of molecular features34,35. As a result, GPR models are typically constrained to smaller training datasets36, limiting the chemical space that can be explored in CAMD37. To alleviate this computational bottleneck and enable the use of larger datasets, several approximation strategies have been proposed for GPR38. Low-rank or sparse methods (e.g., inducing-point approaches) address the \({\mbox{O}}({n}^{3})\) scaling by selecting a small subset of points (inducing points), reducing the effective size of the Gram matrix, and leading to a more manageable \({\mbox{O}}({{nm}}^{2})\) complexity. Random feature expansions—such as random Fourier features—approximate the kernel function by mapping data into a lower-dimensional feature space, converting GPR into an approximately linear model that can be trained in \({\mbox{O}}\left({nD}\right)\) or \({\mbox{O}}({{nD}}^{2})\), where \(D \, \ll \, n\). Distributed or parallel GPs divide the dataset across multiple machines or computational nodes, combining local posteriors to maintain predictive accuracy while managing larger data volumes. These techniques collectively address the high computational burden of Gaussian process models and may expand the applicability of BO-driven CAMD to larger chemical search spaces.
In contrast, parametric models like GNNs offer a scalable alternative, as they maintain a fixed number of parameters regardless of dataset size, allowing efficient handling of larger datasets. UQ has been successfully integrated with parametric models for active learning and virtual screening, enhancing workflow efficiency39,40. However, optimizing over expansive chemical spaces presents distinct challenges, as accurate UQ under domain shifts remains notoriously difficult41,42. To the best of our knowledge, whether UQ integration within parametric models can enable effective optimization across broad, open-ended chemical spaces—and how best to implement this—remains an open question. Such an approach is particularly valuable for CAMD, as it enables exploration across vast and less-characterized chemical spaces essential for discovering novel compounds.
In this work, we address this issue by combining GNNs with GAs for molecular optimization, allowing direct exploration of chemical space without reliance on predefined libraries or generative models. To mitigate errors associated with surrogate model predictions in extrapolated regions, we integrate UQ into our GNN framework43,44,45. Inspired by acquisition functions used in BO46, we systematically investigate different ways to incorporate UQ into CAMD, including probabilistic improvement and expected improvement methods. Our experiments show that the probabilistic improvement optimization (PIO) approach, which uses probabilistic assessments to guide the optimization process, is particularly effective in facilitating exploration of chemical space with GNNs. Given that practical applications often require molecular properties to meet specific thresholds rather than extreme values47,48, the PIO method quantifies the likelihood that a candidate molecule will exceed predefined property thresholds, reducing the selection of molecules outside the model's reliable range and promoting candidates with superior properties.
Our study includes a comprehensive evaluation of uncertainty-agnostic and uncertainty-aware optimization approaches using the Tartarus49 and GuacaMol48 platforms, both open-source molecular design tools addressing a range of design challenges. Tartarus utilizes physical modeling across various software packages to estimate target properties, effectively simulating the experimental evaluations required in molecular design processes, while GuacaMol focuses on drug discovery tasks such as similarity searches and physicochemical property optimization. The benchmarking workflow, illustrated in Fig. 1, starts with datasets from these platforms to develop GNN-based surrogate models using the directed message passing neural network (D-MPNN) implemented in Chemprop50. These models predict molecular properties and their uncertainties, which, when coupled with a GA, optimize molecular structures based on the PIO and other selected fitness functions. Our results indicate that the PIO method substantially improves the likelihood of meeting threshold requirements, especially in multi-objective optimization tasks.
a Schematic diagram illustrating the overall workflow used in this study to evaluate the optimization strategy. b Description of the benchmark tasks comprising three molecular design challenges from the Tartarus suite, which utilize physical modeling across different software packages to estimate target properties, circumventing the need for actual experimental assessments. Seven additional drug discovery tasks were selected from GuacaMol, using similarity metrics and physicochemical descriptor calculations as oracle functions to evaluate molecular properties. c Schematic representation of the genetic algorithm (GA), where the mutation operator randomly modifies molecular structures, and crossover operations generate new molecular structures through recombination. d Construction of a machine learning (ML) surrogate model employing the directed message passing neural network (D-MPNN) architecture, designed to predict molecular properties and their associated uncertainties via either the evidential method or the ensemble with mean-variance estimation (MVE) method. e The PIO fitness function, calculated using probability improvement, generally enhances the likelihood of meeting threshold requirements. TS transition state, logP octanol-water partition coefficient, TPSA topological polar surface area.
In summary, this integration of UQ with GNNs for CAMD represents a pioneering approach, offering a more reliable and scalable strategy for discovering novel chemical materials. Through extensive benchmarking and validation, our work demonstrates the potential of uncertainty-aware GNN algorithms in molecular design, with promising applications across domains such as organic electronics, biochemistry, and materials science.
To effectively evaluate molecular design strategies, tasks must be complex enough to reflect the challenges encountered in real-world applications. Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of different optimization approaches across 19 molecular property datasets, encompassing 10 single-objective and 6 multi-objective tasks (Table 1), derived from the Tartarus49 and GuacaMol48 platforms.
The first platform, Tartarus49, offers a sophisticated suite of benchmark tasks tailored to address practical molecular design challenges within the realms of materials science, pharmaceuticals, and chemical reactions. Utilizing well-established computational chemistry techniques, including force fields and density functional theory (DFT), Tartarus models complex molecular systems with high computational efficiency. The benchmarks encompass a wide array of applications, ranging from optimizing organic photovoltaics and discovering novel organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) to designing protein ligands and pioneering new chemical reactions. This breadth enables a comprehensive evaluation of various molecular design algorithms across multiple real-world simulation scenarios.
Three molecular design categories from Tartarus, comprising seven single-objective and two multi-objective tasks, are listed in Table 1. Each task employs specific computational methods: organic emitter design involves conformer sampling51, semi-empirical quantum mechanical methods for geometry optimization52,53, and time-dependent DFT for single-point energy calculations54. Protein ligand design utilizes docking pose searches to determine stable binding energies55, supplemented by empirical functions for final score calculations56. Reaction substrate design tasks employ force fields for optimizing reactant and product structures57, with transition state structures further refined using the SEAM method58. These methods include stochastic elements such as conformer search and docking site sampling, introducing variability in simulation outcomes due to the inherent randomness of geometry optimization. For multi-objective tasks, a typical approach might involve aggregating multiple objectives into a single composite score. However, this can lead to suboptimal compromises where certain objectives are sacrificed to maximize the overall score. In practical applications, molecules often need to satisfy multiple objectives simultaneously, which can be particularly challenging when these objectives are mutually constraining. To evaluate the efficacy of molecular design strategies under these conditions, we analyzed each objective within multi-objective tasks, choosing scenarios where objectives could potentially conflict. For example, the task of simultaneously minimizing both activation energy and reaction energy was excluded due to their positive correlation, as explained by the Bell–Evans–Polanyi principle59,60. Conversely, we included the task of simultaneously maximizing activation energy while minimizing reaction energy, as it poses a significant challenge by deviating from conventional expectations and thus aligns more closely with the aims of our study. These choices are detailed in Table 1, illustrating the structured approach to assessing molecular design algorithms against complex, real-world criteria.
The second molecular design platform, GuacaMol48, serves as a widely recognized benchmark in drug discovery and is extensively utilized in various molecular optimization studies. The design tasks include marketed drug rediscovery, similarity assessment, median molecule generation, and isomer generation. From these, we selected tasks suitable for molecular property optimization, comprising three single-objective tasks aimed at identifying structures similar to a specific drug and four multi-objective tasks focused on finding median molecules between two drugs or achieving multi-property optimization (MPO), as detailed in Table 1. Unlike the physical simulations in Tartarus, GuacaMol uses deterministic functions implemented in RDKit to compute property values, thereby eliminating data randomness. To simulate real-world scenarios where machine learning (ML) surrogate models are rarely perfect, we downsample the GuacaMol dataset to build ML surrogate models for fitness prediction during the GA process. In this setup, the molecular design process initially relies on a potentially imperfect surrogate model to propose molecular structures, which are subsequently validated using the RDKit-based oracle functions.
In conventional molecular design, the typical single-objective optimization approach focuses on maximizing a specific fitness function \({F}_{{{{\rm{DOM}}}}}\left(m\right)\) without consideration of uncertainty. This naïve approach, referred to as the direct objective maximization (DOM), or greedy method61, is defined as
where \(\mu \left(m\right)\) represents the predicted property value of molecule \(m\) by the surrogate model, and \(\eta\) is the sign factor taking the values of +1 or -1. This factor is assigned a value of +1 when a higher \(\mu\) is desired, and −1 when a lower \(\mu\) is preferred. However, practical applications often do not necessitate driving the property values to their extremes. Instead, it is usually sufficient for the property to meet a certain threshold \(\delta\) that is deemed acceptable for a given application47,48.
In such scenarios, the goal should shift from merely optimizing the property value to ensuring that the property of the molecule \(m\) exceeds this threshold \(\delta\). Assuming the property predicted by the surrogate model follows a Gaussian distribution with mean \(\mu \left(m\right)\) and variance \({\sigma }^{2}\left(m\right)\), the PIO fitness function can be defined as
where \({F}_{{{{\rm{PIO}}}}}\left({m};\delta \right)\) ranges between 0 and 1. In this expression, \({F}_{{{{\rm{PIO}}}}}\left({m};\delta \right)\) quantifies the probability that the property value of molecule \(m\) will exceed the threshold \(\delta\). The PIO approach inherently incorporates the uncertainty (variance) of the prediction and mitigates the risk of extrapolating the surrogate model beyond its reliable range and has been recently adopted in other works utilizing active learning for drug discovery61, co-cured polycyanurates62, organic semiconductors63 and boron–carbon–nitrogen crystal structure design64. By establishing a realistic threshold \(\delta\), this method significantly enhances the practicality and applicability of molecular design optimization in real-world settings.
An alternative approach to incorporating uncertainty into the fitness function is the expected improvement (EI) method, which evaluates the expected magnitude of the improvement46. Assuming the property predicted by the surrogate model follows a Gaussian distribution with mean \(\mu \left(m\right)\) and variance \({\sigma }^{2}\left(m\right)\), the fitness function for EI can be defined as
The primary difference between PIO (Eq. 2) and EI (Eq. 3) lies in whether the integration over possible improvements at a given \(x\) is considered. The PIO method focuses solely on the likelihood of improvement at a specific threshold, making it a unitless probability value, whereas the EI method considers both the probability and magnitude of potential gains, yielding a value with the same unit as the target variable. Both approaches are commonly used as acquisition functions in BO46. In this work, we compare the performance of DOM with both PIO and EI for single-objective optimization tasks. This comparative analysis aims to highlight the advantages of incorporating UQ with GNN in molecular design and to determine the most effective optimization strategy for various practical applications.
When considering multiple properties in molecular design, a common method, known as scalarization, aggregates all objectives into a single value using their corresponding weights. The weights should be carefully chosen to balance the contributions of each property in the objective function. One approach is to use the reciprocal of the standard deviation \(\widetilde{\sigma }\) of each target's distribution in the dataset as weights65, scaling the contribution of each property according to the potential variability of its values:
where \(k\) is the number of properties considered. However, this weighted sum (WS) approach can still lead to suboptimal compromises where certain objectives are sacrificed to enhance the overall score65. In practical scenarios, molecules often need to meet multiple objectives simultaneously, typically represented by thresholds. To address this, we propose calculating the product of individual probabilities that each property surpasses its respective threshold, representing the overall probability of meeting all specified targets:
If any single probability approaches zero, the overall fitness score will also approach zero, regardless of high scores in other targets. This method emphasizes balancing trade-offs and aligns more closely with the complex demands of real-world applications66,67,68.
One limitation of the WS method in Eq. 4 is that it does not account for specific optimization thresholds, which may lead to unbalanced solutions in multi-objective optimization. Inspired by the \(\varepsilon\)-constraint method69, which reformulates additional objectives as constraints with threshold values to ensure feasible trade-offs, this study explores alternative formulations, such as the normalized Manhattan distance (NMD) to the ideal threshold values \(\left({\delta }_{1},{\delta }_{2},\ldots,{\delta }_{k}\right)\) as the objective function70. This approach treats objective values that meet or exceed the thresholds as equally favorable, potentially reducing the risk of overemphasizing certain properties at the expense of others
where \({F}_{{{{\rm{NMD}}}}\,}^{{{{\rm{multi}}}}}\le 0\). Both the NMD and \(\varepsilon\)-constraint methods aim to achieve balanced solutions by incorporating objective-specific limits. However, while NMD minimizes cumulative deviations to treat all objectives meeting thresholds as equally favorable, the \(\varepsilon\)-constraint method enforces strict feasibility by converting secondary objectives into constraints, resulting in a more rigid adherence to specified bounds. A key limitation of NMD, though, is that it restricts further optimization once all thresholds are met. To overcome this, we propose a hybrid fitness function that combines the NMD and the simple WS approach, transitioning form \({F}_{{{{\rm{NMD}}}}\,}^{{{{\rm{multi}}}}}\) to \({F}_{{{{\rm{WS}}}}}^{{{{\rm{multi}}}}}\) once all property values meet their respective thresholds
This hybrid approach (NMD-WS), similar to methods combining \(\varepsilon\)-constraint and weighted sum techniques69, aims to combine the strengths of both methods, achieving a balanced optimization that respects the thresholds while allowing further improvements once the initial conditions are met.
For effective CAMD, it is crucial that the surrogate model accurately represents the molecular properties of interest. To this end, we first assessed the performance of the D-MPNN model along with two UQ methods—deep ensemble combined with mean-variance estimation (MVE)71 and evidential learning72—on the target properties of the design tasks specified in Table 1. Our evaluations revealed that neither UQ method delivered consistent performance across all datasets. Notably, the MVE loss function exhibited a tendency to diverge when training models on the reactivity dataset, which occasionally led to the premature termination of training sessions. In contrast, the evidential loss function faced convergence issues during the training of models for the organic emitter dataset, resulting in reduced accuracy. These challenges in model training may be partly attributed to data noise inherent in the property values, a consequence of the non-deterministic computational procedures used to generate these data, as detailed in the method section and illustrated in Supplementary Figs. S1, S2, and S3. These observations highlight the critical need for further development and refinement of these UQ methods to enhance their robustness. In response to these findings, we selected the deep ensemble and MVE approach for the organic emitter dataset, while applying evidential regression for the other datasets in our molecular design experiments. The efficacy of these approaches was visually assessed using parity plots and confidence-based calibration curves, displayed in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. These figures show that the D-MPNN effectively captures the trends in property values, with the estimated uncertainties generally well-calibrated against the test set.
The color coding of the data points indicates the level of total uncertainty (\({\sigma }_{{{{\rm{total}}}}}^{2}\)) in the model predictions. Uncertainty quantification (UQ) across the panels varies: a–c ensemble and mean-variance estimation (MVE) methods were utilized; d–s the evidential method was applied in panels. The molecular structure similarity is calculated using the Tanimoto similarity metric. Abs. diff. of VEE absolute difference of vertical excitation energy, \({{{{\rm{R}}}}}^{2}\) (coefficient of determination), logP octanol-water partition coefficient, TPSA topological polar surface area. Source data is provided as a Source Data file.
The area under the calibration error curve (AUCE), or miscalibration area106 (gray area in this figure), is calculated, with perfect calibration indicated by an AUCE of 0. Uncertainty quantification (UQ) across the panels varies: a–c ensemble and mean-variance estimation (MVE) methods were utilized; d–s the evidential method was applied. The molecular structure similarity is calculated using the Tanimoto similarity metric. Abs. diff. of VEE absolute difference of vertical excitation energy, logP octanol-water partition coefficient, TPSA topological polar surface area. Source data is provided as a Source Data file.
It is important to recognize that prediction uncertainties may arise from multiple sources, such as data noise and model uncertainty, meaning that the residuals between predicted and reference values may not always follow a Gaussian distribution. Therefore, we validated the Gaussian distribution assumption by examining the actual distribution of residuals. This was achieved by using confidence-based calibration curves (Fig. 3)73,74. These curves assess the proportion of test data points that fall within a confidence interval around their predicted values. The intervals are calculated based on predicted variance under the Gaussian assumption, and the observed proportions are then compared to the expected confidence levels. Ideally, a perfect calibration curve would follow a diagonal line, where predicted probabilities align with observed proportions across various confidence levels. To quantify deviations from this ideal calibration, we calculated the area under the calibration error curve (AUCE), with higher AUCE values reflecting greater deviations from perfect calibration. As shown in Fig. 3, the calibration curves closely follow the diagonal line across all test sets, with AUCE values remaining below 0.1, suggesting that the residual distribution for the test data does not significantly deviate from Gaussian assumptions and aligns well with estimated variance. Nonetheless, further improvement in uncertainty estimation may be achieved through additional recalibration steps75,76 or by employing alternative UQ methods77,78 that do not rely on strong distributional assumptions. Incorporating these enhanced UQ methods with uncertainty-aware optimization presents a promising direction for future research.
This section evaluates the optimization results obtained using DOM (Eq. 1), PIO (Eq. 2), and EI (Eq. 3) fitness functions across ten single-objective tasks, focusing on the hit rate of molecules—i.e., their ability to exceed predetermined threshold values. This metric assesses whether the integration of uncertainty into the fitness function could improve the success rate of generating molecules that surpass these thresholds. As shown in Table 2, the PIO method consistently achieved the highest hit rates for most tasks. Additionally, Fig. 4 illustrates that, under the PIO approach, the top-100 molecules for these tasks exhibit a greater proportion of candidates meeting or exceeding the threshold, compared to those generated by DOM, further demonstrating the benefit of incorporating uncertainty in the optimization process. However, despite integrating uncertainty, the EI method does not consistently outperform the uncertainty-agnostic DOM method.
a–j These plots show direct objective maximization (DOM, brown), expected improvement (EI, purple), and probabilistic improvement optimization (PIO, green) results. The black dotted line represents the cutoff values, while orange arrows illustrate the desired optimization direction. For the final three similarity optimization tasks, the structures of the target molecules are displayed within their respective figures. The molecular structure similarity is calculated using the Tanimoto similarity metric. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
To understand why only the PIO method outperformed its uncertainty-agnostic counterpart while the EI method did not, we generated parity plots of the molecules optimized by each method (Fig. 5). These plots show that the leading molecules selected by EI tend to exhibit the highest uncertainties in the surrogate model compared to those identified by DOM and PIO. Conversely, DOM-selected molecules often display extreme predicted mean values—either lowest or highest for minimization or maximization tasks, respectively. This outcome is expected, as DOM focuses solely on optimizing the predicted mean without considering uncertainty, often pushing optimization toward extrapolative regions where predictions are less reliable. While EI does incorporate uncertainty, its performance in most single-objective optimization tasks was not particularly robust. This outcome likely stems from EI's tendency to favor candidates with high uncertainty when their predicted mean values are similar, as it calculates expected improvements as the fitness function. Such a preference can lead to the selection of molecules with significant prediction uncertainties, which often causes discrepancies between predicted and actual properties, contributing to EI's relatively unstable performance across tasks. It is worth noting that EI is widely used as an acquisition function in BO with Gaussian processes79,80,81,82,83, where it effectively identifies optimal solutions within smaller, more confined search spaces over fewer iterations. However, molecular design requires navigating a much larger chemical space, where D-MPNN surrogate models can assign considerable uncertainty to numerous candidate structures, inflating expected improvements and diminishing EI's effectiveness in our test cases. In contrast, PIO focuses exclusively on the probability of improvement, yielding a bounded fitness value between 0 and 1, which makes it less susceptible to the issues of extreme variance. By emphasizing candidates with a higher probability of exceeding the threshold without overemphasizing uncertain regions, PIO achieves more stable and reliable performance. This balance enables PIO to identify candidates that meet cutoff criteria while maintaining lower uncertainties, leading to more reliable predictions.
a–j These plots show top-50 candidate molecules generated based on the fitness values from direct objective maximization (DOM, brown), expected improvement (EI, purple), and probabilistic improvement optimization (PIO, green). Predictions are presented as means with standard deviations (error bars), capturing both aleatoric and epistemic uncertainty, as estimated by the D-MPNN model. The black dotted line represents the cutoffs, while the orange arrows illustrate the desired direction for optimization. The molecular structure similarity is calculated using the Tanimoto similarity metric. Source data is provided as a Source Data file.
However, certain challenging tasks reveal limitations across all methods—DOM, EI, and PIO—in identifying candidates that surpass thresholds. For example, tasks involving singlet-triplet gap, 1SYH score, and similarity to mestranol demonstrate cases where all of these approaches struggle to find candidates meeting the set criteria, highlighting areas for further improvement. The first limitation arises from the dependency of both PIO and EI on threshold-based guidance during the search process. When thresholds are set too stringently, far beyond the performance range of the current population, the fitness score remains zero regardless of optimization direction, which can impede the search for high-performing molecules. In our study, most thresholds were set near the performance of top molecules within each task's original dataset (as shown in Supplementary Table S5). Consequently, the difficulty of exceeding these thresholds varies depending on the structural diversity in each dataset. The second limitation involves decreased model accuracy in predicting property mean and variance in extrapolated regions. This issue is evident in the mestranol similarity task, where the objective is to identify molecules resembling mestranol's complex polycyclic structure, featuring four fused rings (Fig. 4j). Accurately capturing these complex ring structures remains challenging for D-MPNN, which would benefit from additional structural features—such as ring size indicators—to improve prediction accuracy for complex species in highly extrapolated regions84. Therefore, although D-MPNN performed reasonably well on the test set for this task (Fig. 2k), it struggled to identify similar molecules within the broader chemical space, consistently yielding similarity predictions for recommended candidates that deviated significantly from the true reference values (Fig. 5j). An additional concern is that these predictions frequently showed small uncertainty estimates, suggesting that D-MPNN may have inaccurately assessed uncertainty in these cases. This finding underscores a critical limitation: even well-calibrated models may struggle to generalize accurately during molecular optimization over an extensive chemical space, leading to unreliable predictions not only for mean values but also for variance estimates with current UQ methods. One approach to address these challenges is adaptive modeling, which iteratively incorporates newly validated molecules to refine predictions and improve uncertainty estimates. However, improving the reliability of UQ methods is essential to address these challenges and strengthen the robustness of molecular design workflows.
In this subsection, we evaluate the impact of various fitness function designs on the performance of molecule generation for multi-objective tasks. These designs included uncertainty-agnostic methods such as the WS (Eq. 4), NMD (Eq. 6), and the hybrid approach NMD-WS (Eq. 7), as well as the uncertainty-aware PIO method (Eq. 5), which calculates the product of single-objective probabilities where each indicator exceeds its corresponding cutoff. A molecule was considered a hit in multi-objective tasks if it met all specified property cutoffs.
As detailed in Table 3, the PIO approach emerged as the most effective in identifying molecules that satisfied criteria for multi-objective criteria, achieving the highest hit rates for most tasks. Among the uncertainty-agnostic methods, no single approach demonstrated consistent superiority across all tasks. The NMD method showed higher success rates in generating viable molecules for organic emitter designs and the fexofenadine MPO task, while the hybrid NMD-WS method outperformed other uncertainty-agnostic approaches in the remaining multi-objective tasks. In contrast, the WS method consistently struggled, failing to identify molecules that met all required thresholds in any multi-objective task.
A primary challenge in multi-objective tasks, as opposed to single-objective tasks, lies in balancing the contributions of different properties. For instance, in the organic emitter design task, there is a moderate positive correlation between the singlet-triplet gap and oscillator strength (Supplementary Fig. S24), complicating the task, which demands minimizing the singlet-triplet gap while maximizing oscillator strength, thereby creating conflicting optimization directions. This complexity was exacerbated by the disproportionate emphasis on oscillator strength, whose unbounded maximum value could lead the WS method to overly prioritize this trait, neglecting the other (Fig. 6). Similar challenges were observed in the fexofenadine and ranolazine MPO tasks, which involve maximizing similarity to target molecules while optimizing octanol-water partition coefficient (logP) and topological polar surface area (TPSA). Here, the WS method tended to prioritize logP and TPSA optimization at the expense of similarity scores (Fig. 6). This observation aligns with previous research85, emphasizing the challenge of balancing each target's contribution in the fitness function to prevent bias in multi-objective optimization scenarios. Methods such as NMD and NMD-WS, which incorporate cutoff values into fitness functions, better address this balancing challenge. However, these uncertainty-agnostic methods can still lead to over-optimization in regions beyond the model's predictive range, potentially resulting in discrepancies between predicted and actual outcomes. Consequently, the PIO method generally demonstrates a higher hit rate by incorporating uncertainty information and thus achieving a better balance across all targets.
Each subplot displays molecules generated by the methods: a weighted sum (WS), b normalized Manhattan distance (NMD), c hybrid approach (NMD-WS), and d probabilistic improvement optimization (PIO), organized into six sections arranged from left to right, corresponding to the design tasks for organic emitters, reaction substrates, median molecules 1, median molecules 2, fexofenadine multi-property optimization (MPO), and ranolazine MPO. Blue lines represent molecules that failed to meet all established cutoffs, while orange lines signify those that met all criteria. Black dotted lines across the plots denote the cutoffs. Orange arrows indicate the desired direction for optimization. The molecular structure similarity is calculated using the Tanimoto similarity metric. Abs. diff. of VEE absolute difference of vertical excitation energy, \({{{{\rm{R}}}}}^{2}\) (coefficient of determination) logP octanol-water partition coefficient, TPSA topological polar surface area. Source data is provided as a Source Data file.
Despite the overall success of the PIO method, one task presented challenges for all optimizers: the median molecules 2 task, which aimed to find molecules similar to both camphor and menthol. In this case, none of the optimization methods succeeded in identifying molecules with similarity scores exceeding the cutoff of 0.2. This difficulty is likely due to the low similarity scores in the original dataset, where the majority of scores fall below 0.1 for these target molecules (Supplementary Figs. S17 and S18). This task proved more challenging compared to the median molecules 1 task, where similarity scores with the target molecules (tadalafil and sildenafil) in the original data generally ranged between 0.1 and 0.2, closer to the target value of 0.2 (Supplementary Figs. S15 and S16).
Multi-objective optimization problems are prevalent in fields such as chemical, drug, and material design, where property cutoffs are often required to meet specific commercial objectives. The PIO method achieves the highest hit rates across most multi-objective tasks by integrating uncertainty information and balancing optimization across all targets. In the PIO fitness function (Eq. 5), any molecule deviating significantly from a target threshold receives a lower overall score, guiding the optimization process to consider all objectives equally. When certain objectives are of lower priority, cutoff values for these properties can be relaxed to minimum acceptable levels, reducing their impact on the overall fitness score as long as the values remain within acceptable ranges. Conversely, if a property approaches its minimum acceptable threshold, it appropriately impacts the fitness score, signaling the need for further optimization in that direction.
This study addresses a central challenge in molecular design: optimizing across expansive chemical spaces, where maintaining predictive accuracy is difficult, especially under domain shifts. The PIO method introduced here integrates UQ within molecular optimization frameworks, combining D-MPNNs with GAs to enhance reliability in exploring broad chemical spaces. Our systematic analysis evaluates the strengths and limitations of PIO in comparison to another UQ-integrated method, EI, providing insights into each method's ability to adapt to domain shifts and effectively guide exploration. Previous research has indicated that in virtual screening settings, uncertainty-agnostic acquisition functions can exhibit surprisingly equivalent or even superior performance compared to uncertainty-aware active learning approaches39,86, suggesting that purely exploitative methods can be highly efficient in the well-defined chemical library. In contrast, our experimental setup explores an open-ended chemical space and continuously updates the optimization trajectory using fitness values. Under these conditions, PIO outperforms uncertainty-agnostic methods in most instances, whereas the EI approach proves less effective.
Benchmarking results on the Tartarus and GuacaMol platforms indicate that PIO generally improves optimization success compared to traditional uncertainty-agnostic methods. In single-objective tasks, PIO balances the search between well-understood regions and less-explored areas, reducing the risk of selecting candidates where predictions may be unreliable. This approach contrasts with EI, which often focuses on high-variance areas, leading to inconsistent performance. However, it is important to note that PIO's performance may diminish in tasks where the required properties differ significantly from those represented in the available data. This highlights an area for further methodological improvement.
In multi-objective optimization scenarios, PIO consistently proves advantageous, balancing competing objectives more effectively than weighted scalarization methods, which can skew optimization toward particular properties at the expense of others. By incorporating UQ directly into the fitness function, PIO supports a more balanced approach, generally achieving higher hit rates across multiple objectives. This is particularly relevant in CAMD, where real-world applications often require that multiple property thresholds be met concurrently. The ability of PIO to adapt to varying objectives without overemphasizing any single goal enhances its practical utility in discovering compounds suitable for complex applications.
This study's comparative analysis of UQ-integrated methods also reveals the critical role of UQ calibration in determining optimization outcomes. Our results show that robust UQ calibration is fundamental to the success of UQ-driven methods. When UQ calibration is poor, PIO's advantages are reduced, underscoring the need for more accurate and robust UQ techniques in molecular optimization. This finding suggests a direction for future research, where advancements in UQ methodologies, such as those that dynamically adapt to domain shifts, could further enhance the reliability of PIO and similar approaches in broad chemical spaces. In conclusion, this research provides valuable insights into the role of UQ in optimizing molecular design across diverse chemical spaces, demonstrating that the integration of UQ can mitigate some of the limitations posed by domain shifts. The PIO method presents a promising pathway for exploring large chemical spaces with enhanced reliability, paving the way for uncertainty-informed optimization strategies in CAMD.
The choice of surrogate method is crucial in molecular design, as it directly impacts predictive accuracy and computational efficiency. For this study, we selected D-MPNN, a type of GNN architecture, due to its scalability, computational efficiency, and established performance in predicting both mean properties and associated uncertainties in molecular datasets. Although Bayesian inference-based87 methods offer theoretical advantages, their adoption in molecular property prediction has been limited by challenges such as computational costs, intractability in deep neural networks, and complex implementation requirements41. This has restricted their scalability in large datasets, which is a key requirement for molecular design. To assess the effectiveness of molecular design strategies, we utilized the D-MPNN model, as implemented in Chemprop50, which facilitates the automatic extraction and learning of significant structural features of molecules by leveraging atom and bond information. It updates hidden atom states based on molecular connectivity, ultimately deriving a molecular fingerprint from the summation or averaging of all hidden atomic vectors88. This fingerprint is then utilized as input for subsequent feed-forward neural networks. The D-MPNN model has demonstrated robust performance in various studies focused on the prediction of chemical properties89,90,91.
Various methods have been proposed to quantify uncertainty, such as Bayesian neural networks92, Monte Carlo dropout93, ensemble learning94, MVE71, and evidential learning72,95. Chemprop also incorporates techniques to quantify uncertainty from various sources, categorizing it into aleatoric and epistemic types96. Aleatoric uncertainty, arising from inherent data randomness due to experimental or computational errors, poses challenges for mitigation as it requires enhancements in data accuracy. Conversely, epistemic uncertainty, stemming from model ignorance, can be addressed by enriching the training dataset or improving molecular feature encoding.
One of the UQ methods implemented in Chemprop is the combination of deep ensemble and MVE71. The deep ensemble method estimates epistemic uncertainty, \({\sigma }_{{{{\rm{e}}}}}^{2}\), by training multiple models and evaluating the variance among their predictions94. Specifically, for \(M\) models within Chemprop, with each model's prediction denoted as \(\hat{y}_{i}\), the final prediction \(\widetilde{y}\) is the average of these individual predictions, and the epistemic uncertainty is calculated as:
In this study, we prepared ten models with different initialization seeds to form the deep ensemble. On the other hand, MVE is used to calculate aleatoric uncertainty, \({\sigma }_{{{{\rm{a}}}}}^{2}\), by introducing an additional output neuron that predicts the data-dependent uncertainty, ensuring positivity via the softplus activation. In MVE, the residuals between the predicted value and the reference value are assumed to follow a Gaussian distribution with mean 0 and variance \({\sigma }_{{{{\rm{a}}}}}^{2}\). This assumption justifies the use of the negative log likelihood (NLL) of a Gaussian distribution as the loss function:
where \(y{\mathbb{\in }}{\mathbb{R}}\) is the reference property value. When using the ensemble approach, the aleatoric uncertainties of each model are averaged to derive a composite aleatoric uncertainty value, with each model trained using the NLL as the loss function44.
Additionally, evidential learning, another UQ method in Chemprop, avoids the need for multiple model training by directly predicting the parameters of an evidential distribution72. This approach involves imposing a prior Gaussian distribution on the unknown mean \(\mu \sim {{{\mathcal{N}}}}\left(\gamma,\frac{{\sigma }^{2}}{v}\right)\) and an inverse-Gamma prior on the unknown variance \({\sigma }^{2}\sim {\Gamma }^{-1}\left(\alpha,\beta \right)\). The joint posterior distribution \(p\left(\mu,\,{\sigma }^{2}\right)=p\left(\left.\mu \right|{\sigma }^{2}\right)p\left({\sigma }^{2}\right)\) takes the form of Normal Inverse-Gamma (NIG) distribution:
where \(\Gamma \left(\cdot \right)\) represents the gamma function, and the NIG parameters \(\gamma {\mathbb{\in }}{\mathbb{R}}\), \(v \, > \, 0\), \(\alpha \, > \, 1\), \(\beta \, > \, 0\) determine the mean (\({\mathbb{E}}\left[\mu \right]=\gamma\)) and uncertainty associated with the likelihood function. In Chemprop, four neuron outputs are used to predict the NIG parameters. The softplus activation function is applied to \(v\), \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\), ensuring their outputs are always greater than zero. The aleatoric uncertainty and epistemic uncertainty can be separately derived by:
Ultimately, both deep ensemble with MVE and evidential learning can estimate total uncertainties by combining aleatoric and epistemic uncertainties: \({{\sigma }_{{{{\rm{a}}}}}^{2}+\sigma }_{{{{\rm{e}}}}}^{2}={\sigma }_{{{{\rm{total}}}}}^{2}\)41. The PIO and EI algorithm for molecular design then both use total uncertainty to calculate the probability that a molecule's properties will meet the specified cutoff.
In this study, we employed the GA for molecular optimization. GA is a population-based metaheuristic designed to iteratively refine a pool of candidate solutions, aiming to discover the optimal configuration for complex problems characterized by large search spaces97. Our method utilizes an advanced version of GA, known as Janus98, which specifically manipulates SELFIES99 representations of molecular structures. In contrast to traditional SMILES100 representations, which are limited by stringent syntax rules101, SELFIES ensures that any textual modifications maintain chemical validity, thus preserving the structural integrity of molecules even after random modifications. For further insights into the operational principles and efficiency of the Janus algorithm, readers are encouraged to refer to the foundational work by Nigam et al.98. Within our experiments, all hyperparameters were set according to the default specifications of the Janus package unless otherwise noted.
The data volumes used to develop the D-MPNN model for each prediction task are summarized in Table 1. For the Tartarus dataset, each of the three design tasks was divided into training, validation, and testing subsets using an 8:1:1 random split. Within each task, a multi-task learning strategy was employed, enabling the model to predict all designated targets simultaneously for the given dataset. In the case of GuacaMol, all design tasks utilized the same training, validation, and testing subsets, consisting of 10,000, 2000, and 10,000 data points, respectively. These subsets were randomly downsampled from the platform's original dataset. The distribution of molecular properties for each dataset is illustrated in Supplementary Figs. S4–S22.
In this study, we systematically examine the performance of each fitness function formulation for single (Eqs. 1–3) and multi-objective (Eqs. 4–7) optimization tasks in molecular design. Each design task incorporates a penalty term \(P\left(m\right)\) to ensure that the molecules adhere to specific structural constraints required for each task. The specific definitions of these penalty terms can be found in Supplementary Tables S1–S4, and closely align with the original definitions used in the Tartarus and GuacaMol platforms. In the EI method, \(\sigma \left(m\right)\) is capped at 100 to avoid the situation where a very large uncertainty value could make the EI fitness value infinite. For the median molecules tasks in the GuacaMol dataset, the objective is to identify molecules with high similarity scores to two target molecules simultaneously. Because similarity scores range from 0 to 1 and there is minimal variation across the training dataset, no additional weighting was applied between indicators in the WS, NMD, and NMD-WS methods for these tasks. Specific thresholds for each design task are listed in Supplementary Table S5.
For each molecular optimization experiment, we initiated with a pool of the top 10,000 molecules from the datasets, selected based on their performance under DOM or WS fitness functions (Eqs. 1 and 4). This pool underwent 15 independent optimization runs using the GA and the D-MPNN surrogate model, with hyperparameters detailed in the Supplementary Table S6. Each optimization run was structured to update the candidate pool across 10 iterations, introducing 500 new molecules per iteration through mutation and crossover processes. The final candidate molecules from these runs were then amalgamated to minimize variability inherent in the stochastic nature of the GA102. The consolidated list of molecules was subsequently ranked based on their fitness scores.
This procedure was carried out for each fitness function formulation. The top-performing molecules, derived using each fitness function, were then subjected to validation simulations within the Tartarus or GuacaMol frameworks to verify their actual properties. Our primary metric for evaluation was the hit rate of these molecules, particularly their ability to exceed the predefined threshold values. This analysis provides key insights into the optimization strategies that best improve success rates in generating molecules meeting targeted criteria.
Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article.
The datasets for the docking, organic emitter, and reactivity designs within the Tartarus task are available at the Zenodo repository (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8072249)103. The GuacaMol dataset for the drug discovery task is accessible on Figshare (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7322252.v2)104. The molecules and their properties generated in this study are provided in the Source Data file. Source data are provided with this paper.
The code described in this manuscript is publicly available at the Zenodo repository (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14729022)105.
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We are grateful to the National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) and the Computer and Information Networking Center at NTU for the support of computing facilities. L.Y.C. is supported by the Graduate Students Study Abroad Program (113-2917-I-002-018) sponsored by National Science and Technology Council in Taiwan. Y.P.L. is supported by Taiwan NSTC (113-2628-E-002-017-MY3 and 113-2622-8-002-015-SB) and the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan (114L7763). During the preparation of this work, the authors used ChatGPT to correct grammatical mistakes and enhance the fluency of the manuscript. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
Lung-Yi Chen & Yi-Pei Li
Taiwan International Graduate Program on Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology (TIGP-SCST), Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
Yi-Pei Li
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L.Y.C. designed the methodology, performed the formal analysis, and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. Y.P.L. acquired funding, supervised the project, and reviewed and edited the manuscript.
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From toddlers in daycare to seedlings in forests, young organisms tend to get sick more easily than adults -- a phenomenon that has long puzzled parents and scientists alike.
University of Maryland biologists offer new insights into this mysteriously universal pattern in a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on April 4, 2025. The new study on baby plants shows that fighting disease at a young age often comes at a steep cost to growth and future evolutionary fitness -- or their ability to reproduce.
"It's a mystery why young organisms don't evolve stronger disease resistance because getting sick early in life can be deadly," said study co-author Emily Bruns, an assistant professor of biology at UMD. "Our findings suggest that a hidden trade-off is involved, stopping them from being able to completely fight off a disease.
The researchers studied a wild plant called Silene latifolia (commonly known as white campion) and its relationship with a fungal disease called anther-smut that infects it. This disease doesn't kill the plants but prevents them from producing pollen, making them unable to reproduce -- much like a "plant STD," as Bruns describes it.
By testing 45 different genetic variations of the Silene plant under controlled settings, the team discovered that plants with stronger disease resistance as seedlings produced significantly fewer flowers and seeds over their lifetime when grown in a disease-free field. Meanwhile, plants with stronger resistance as adults showed no such penalty.
"We found that young plants paid a higher 'cost' for fighting the disease compared with adult plants," Bruns said. "Trying to fight off the fungus was more difficult and resource-consuming for these baby plants. They only have so much energy to spend. If baby plants spend it on disease defense, they can't put it toward future growth."
Using their findings, the researchers created a mathematical model showing that these costs of fighting off pathogens are high enough to prevent the evolution of stronger disease resistance in younger plants. Without these costs, plant families with stronger juvenile resistance would theoretically be able to eliminate the disease entirely. But because developing resistance is so impactful for young plants, they remain vulnerable to infection.
"Some young plants 'pay the cost' and survive into adulthood, but they make fewer flowers, meaning they're less able to reproduce," Bruns explained. "But most remain susceptible as babies, allowing the disease a toehold."
The team was surprised that these costs didn't show up right away. Plants that invested in disease resistance as seedlings looked fine at first but produced dramatically fewer flowers in their second year when reproduction would normally peak.
Interestingly, the researchers also found that male plants suffered much higher costs for disease resistance than female plants. Bruns noted that this may be because male plants produce many more flowers than females to spread their pollen as widely as possible -- making the cost of diverting resources to disease resistance especially steep for males.
Bruns believes that the team's findings have implications beyond wild plants. Because juvenile susceptibility drives disease epidemics across many species, understanding the evolutionary mechanisms behind this pattern could inform disease management strategies in agriculture, conservation and public health.
Next, Bruns and the team hope to investigate whether disease resistance costs can be reduced by introducing pathogens to plants slightly later in life when plants establish their first true leaves and no longer rely on stored energy. They also plan to explore whether adult plants with higher disease resistance might protect nearby seedlings by reducing the overall presence of disease presence in a specific area.
"Nature is full of infectious diseases," Bruns said. "Understanding the different checks and balances between hosts and pathogens helps us understand how evolution has shaped these relationships over millions of years."
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Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has plans to stage a “hackathon” next week in Washington, DC. The goal is to create a single “mega API”—a bridge that lets software systems talk to one another—for accessing IRS data, sources tell WIRED. The agency is expected to partner with a third-party vendor to manage certain aspects of the data project. Palantir, a software company cofounded by billionaire and Musk associate Peter Thiel, has been brought up consistently by DOGE representatives as a possible candidate, sources tell WIRED.
Two top DOGE operatives at the IRS, Sam Corcos and Gavin Kliger, are helping to orchestrate the hackathon, sources tell WIRED. Corcos is a health-tech CEO with ties to Musk's SpaceX. Kliger attended UC Berkeley until 2020 and worked at the AI company Databricks before joining DOGE as a special adviser to the director at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Corcos is also a special adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Since joining Musk's DOGE, Corcos has told IRS workers that he wants to pause all engineering work and cancel current attempts to modernize the agency's systems, according to sources with direct knowledge who spoke with WIRED. He has also spoken about some aspects of these cuts publicly: "We've so far stopped work and cut about $1.5 billion from the modernization budget. Mostly projects that were going to continue to put us down the death spiral of complexity in our code base," Corcos told Laura Ingraham on Fox News in March.
Corcos has discussed plans for DOGE to build “one new API to rule them all,” making IRS data more easily accessible for cloud platforms, sources say. APIs, or application programming interfaces, enable different applications to exchange data, and could be used to move IRS data into the cloud. The cloud platform could become the “read center of all IRS systems,” a source with direct knowledge tells WIRED, meaning anyone with access could view and possibly manipulate all IRS data in one place.
Over the last few weeks, DOGE has requested the names of the IRS's best engineers from agency staffers. Next week, DOGE and IRS leadership are expected to host dozens of engineers in DC so they can begin “ripping up the old systems” and building the API, an IRS engineering source tells WIRED. The goal is to have this task completed within 30 days. Sources say there have been multiple discussions about involving third-party cloud and software providers like Palantir in the implementation.
Corcos and DOGE indicated to IRS employees that they intended to first apply the API to the agency's mainframes and then move on to every other internal system. Initiating a plan like this would likely touch all data within the IRS, including taxpayer names, addresses, social security numbers, as well as tax return and employment data. Currently, the IRS runs on dozens of disparate systems housed in on-premises data centers and in the cloud that are purposefully compartmentalized. Accessing these systems requires special permissions and workers are typically only granted access on a need-to-know basis.
A “mega API” could potentially allow someone with access to export all IRS data to the systems of their choosing, including private entities. If that person also had access to other interoperable datasets at separate government agencies, they could compare them against IRS data for their own purposes.
“Schematizing this data and understanding it would take years,” an IRS source tells WIRED. “Just even thinking through the data would take a long time, because these people have no experience, not only in government, but in the IRS or with taxes or anything else.” (“There is a lot of stuff that I don't know that I am learning now,” Corcos tells Ingraham in the Fox interview. “I know a lot about software systems, that's why I was brought in.")
These systems have all gone through a tedious approval process to ensure the security of taxpayer data. Whatever may replace them would likely still need to be properly vetted, sources tell WIRED.
"It's basically an open door controlled by Musk for all American's most sensitive information with none of the rules that normally secure that data," an IRS worker alleges to WIRED.
The data consolidation effort aligns with President Donald Trump's executive order from March 20, which directed agencies to eliminate information silos. While the order was purportedly aimed at fighting fraud and waste, it also could threaten privacy by consolidating personal data housed on different systems into a central repository, WIRED previously reported.
The IRS, Palantir, Sam Corcos, and Gavin Kliger did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In February, a memo was drafted to provide Kliger with access to personal taxpayer data at the IRS, The Washington Post reported. Kliger was ultimately provided read-only access to anonymized tax data, similar to what academics use for research. Weeks later, Corcos arrived, demanding detailed taxpayer and vendor information as a means of combating fraud, according to the Post.
“The IRS has some pretty legacy infrastructure. It's actually very similar to what banks have been using. It's old mainframes running COBOL and Assembly and the challenge has been, how do we migrate that to a modern system?” Corcos told Ingraham in the same Fox News interview. Corcos said he plans to continue his work at IRS for a total of six months.
DOGE has already slashed and burned modernization projects at other agencies, replacing them with smaller teams and tighter timelines. At the Social Security Administration, DOGE representatives are planning to move all of the agency's data off of legacy programming languages like COBOL and into something like Java, WIRED reported last week.
Last Friday, DOGE suddenly placed around 50 IRS technologists on administrative leave. On Thursday, even more technologists were cut, including the director of cybersecurity architecture and implementation, deputy chief information security officer, and acting director of security risk management. IRS's chief technology officer, Kaschit Pandya, is one of the few technology officials left at the agency, sources say.
DOGE originally expected the API project to take a year, multiple IRS sources say, but that timeline has shortened dramatically down to a few weeks. “That is not only not technically possible, that's also not a reasonable idea, that will cripple the IRS,” an IRS employee source tells WIRED. “It will also potentially endanger filing season next year, because obviously all these other systems they're pulling people away from are important.”
(Corcos also made it clear to IRS employees that he wanted to kill the agency's Direct File program, the IRS's recently released free tax-filing service.)
DOGE's focus on obtaining and moving sensitive IRS data to a central viewing platform has spooked privacy and civil liberties experts.
“It's hard to imagine more sensitive data than the financial information the IRS holds,” Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future, a digital civil rights organization, tells WIRED.
Palantir received the highest FedRAMP approval this past December for its entire product suite, including Palantir Federal Cloud Service (PFCS) which provides a cloud environment for federal agencies to implement the company's software platforms, like Gotham and Foundry. FedRAMP stands for Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program and assesses cloud products for security risks before governmental use.
"We love disruption and whatever is good for America will be good for Americans and very good for Palantir,” Palantir CEO Alex Karp said in a February earnings call. “Disruption at the end of the day exposes things that aren't working. There will be ups and downs. This is a revolution, some people are going to get their heads cut off."
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For years, U.S.-based tech companies have tapped into India's vast and increasing internet user base for growth. OpenAI is no exception. But while the AI lab claims that India is one of its fastest-growing ChatGPT markets, third-party data suggests that OpenAI may be struggling to turn that momentum into revenue.
According to analytics firm SensorTower, users in India have spent $8 million on ChatGPT subscriptions through in-app purchases since 2023. That doesn't include purchases made through the ChatGPT web app. But notably, it's a fraction of the $330 million SensorTower estimates U.S. users have spent on ChatGPT in-app.
One likely factor is the lack of local pricing for India. OpenAI's cheapest ChatGPT plan in the country costs $20 (more than ₹1,700) per month, which is considered expensive for a digital subscription in India.
When contacted, OpenAI did not share specific details about its growth in India but pointed us to a recent post on X by COO Brad Lightcap, which claims that India is ChatGPT's fastest-growing market.
Low as the revenue might be at present, India may still end up being a major growth driver for OpenAI. The company's CEO, Sam Altman, recently expressed a desire for OpenAI to become a multi-billion-user platform. Tapping into India's over 950 million internet users could help bootstrap that effort.
OpenAI apparently thinks so. The company is reportedly courting an alliance with Reliance Jio, one of India's biggest mobile carriers, to get ChatGPT in front of more users.
In the meantime, ChatGPT continues to grow organically in India.
According to data from app tracker Appfigures, more than 20% of ChatGPT Android app downloads this year so far have been in India. At least a portion of that growth was fueled by the recently released revamped image generator in ChatGPT, which went viral for its ability to create realistic Ghibli-style art.
For context, ChatGPT has more than 500 million weekly users globally.
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A new pilot study from UBC Okanagan and Thompson Rivers University examined how medically supervised cannabis use in a residential recovery home may support people in treatment for substance use challenges.
Participants reported that cannabis helped them manage pain, anxiety, depression and sleep issues-key symptoms that can complicate recovery.
Our findings suggest medical cannabis could play a meaningful role in reducing cravings and improving retention in recovery programs.
Participants clearly indicated benefits in managing both physical and psychological challenges during recovery."
Dr. Zach Walsh, psychology professor at UBC Okanagan and co-lead researcher
Users also reported reduced cravings for opioids and other harmful substances, improved pain management and enhanced mental health and sleep quality.
However, stigma surrounding cannabis use remains a significant barrier, according to the research.
Staff interviews revealed a need for increased education and better integration into the cannabis treatment approach.
"Reducing stigma through targeted education for program staff is critical," says Dr. Florriann Fehr, co-lead researcher and nursing professor at Thompson Rivers University.
"Staff skepticism often comes from misunderstandings about cannabis as a legitimate medical treatment, highlighting a clear opportunity for improvement in recovery support."
The study, recently published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, was conducted by researchers from UBC Okanagan and Thompson Rivers University.
This collaboration between institutions in Kelowna and Kamloops sought to better understand patient and staff experiences with medically supervised cannabis use in a supportive recovery environment.
It examined patient and staff experiences at Maverick Supportive Recovery, a residential recovery centre in the BC interior.
Residential recovery centres provide structured, live-in environments where people receive treatment and support to manage substance use disorders.
While the results are promising, researchers emphasize the need for larger-scale studies to fully assess the benefits and risks of incorporating medical cannabis into substance use recovery programs.
This study was funded by the Interior Universities Research Coalition and the BC Ministry of Health. Dr. Fehr is to present the findings to the International Council of Nurses Congress in Helsinki this June.
TRU is also planning the Medical Cannabis and Recovery forum on Saturday, April 26. The forum is open to the public, health-care professionals and researchers interested in cannabis and recovery solutions.
University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
Fehr, F. C., et al. (2025). Medical Cannabis Use Adjunct to Standard of Care in a Residential Substance Use Recovery Program: A Pilot Study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. doi.org/10.15288/jsad.24-00224.
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In a federally funded study, researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) found that 7% of Medicare patients cross state borders for cancer care, and rates were nearly double for those who lived in rural areas. This has important implications for telehealth policies and physician licensure, says Tracy Onega, PhD, MA, MPAS, MS, senior author of the study, senior director of population sciences at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and professor of population sciences at the U. A key research priority at Huntsman Cancer Institute is working to enhance access to care for cancer patients who live far from a major medical center.
Cancer patients, especially in rural areas, often travel far distances to receive specialized cancer care. But there are limitations on how physicians can follow up with their patients and practice across state lines, virtually, with telehealth. We can use the data from this study to inform policy and practices in order to remove this kind barrier to health care."
Tracy Onega, PhD, MA, MPAS, MS, senior author of the study, senior director of population sciences at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and professor of population sciences at the U
The team-whose research results were published in JAMA Network Open-surveyed over 1 million Medicare beneficiaries with cancer. For patients enrolled in the federal health insurance program, designed to cover health care for Americans over 65, they found that 8.3% of all cancer patients crossed state lines for surgical procedures, 6.7% for radiation therapy, and 5.6% for chemotherapy.
Those figures were much higher for rural patients. Among this population, 18.5% traveled to other states for surgery, 16.9% for radiation therapy, and 16.3% for chemotherapy.
Onega says telemedicine, the delivery of health-related care through virtual conversations with a health care professional, can't replace these types of services provided in a clinical setting. Instead, she says telemedicine can fill in gaps in cancer treatment.
"Patients are traveling across state lines for specialized cancer treatment services that need to be done in a brick-and-mortar clinic-but surgical assessment and follow-ups could be offered by telehealth. A surgeon can follow patients remotely, and they can assess their progress from a distance," says Onega. "This would reduce additional travel burdens for all patients and their caregivers, especially those in rural and frontier areas."
Telehealth in cancer care can also be used to manage treatment-related side effects, clinical trial check-ins, and prevention services.
Onega says access to this service is particularly important for Huntsman Cancer Institute, whose clinicians provide comprehensive cancer care to five largely rural Mountain West states: Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. Many patients travel far distances to access health care, in particular the kind of specialized care that's needed for cancer treatment.
The use of telemedicine in health care has boomed since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 37% of adults over the age of 18 were found to have used telehealth in 2022.
But stumbling blocks remain. The practice of medicine is governed by individual state medical boards and the cross-state licensure policies vary by state. Some states have more favorable telehealth policies, encouraging connected care regardless of location, while others have retained decades-old policies predating telehealth technologies. Unfortunately, for many rural patients, antiquated medical licensure governance prohibits their providers from engaging with them through telehealth.
"Some states have reciprocity, meaning that a doctor licensed in Utah may also be automatically licensed in the next state over. But that is limited," says Onega. "It would be great to expand those options so that we don't have so many of these barriers for physicians to be able to provide services across state lines by telehealth."
Onega says an altered policy could mean better outcomes for patients, their caregivers, provider teams, and insurers.
"The patients are always first. We have so many improvements in cancer care technologies now, many of which are benefiting patient outcomes. People are living longer and better lives after a cancer diagnosis," says Onega. "We want to make sure that people who live far away from an urban area can have all the same benefits."
The research described in this release is supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute including P30 CA042014, and Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Moen, E. L., et al. (2025). Cross-State Travel for Cancer Care and Implications for Telehealth Reciprocity. JAMA Network Open. doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.61021.
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After weeks of speculation, it is now official: Thomas Müller will be leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the 2024/25 season. But to where, one may ask?
Well, dear reader, according to Bild (via @iMiaSanMia), Müller is likely to head stateside if he wants to continue his career.
Bild has reported that FC Cincinnati are interested in the 2014 World Cup winner. Also, newly-formed San Diego FC, who joined Major League Soccer this year, are looking to add Müller to their ranks, most likely for some much needed publicity.
Meanwhile, FC Dallas owner Clark Hunt is also interested in joining the Müller race. Hunt has a partnership with Bayern through the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. It's quite odd how a partnership between an American football team and a football team would result in a player transfer, much less one of Thomas Müller, but there you have it.
As previously reported, Bayern's preferred destination for Müller is none of the above, though. Rather, the Bavarians would like Müller to join Los Angeles FC, as they have a partnership as well. If this move goes down, Müller would be meeting old rival and national teammate Marco Reus in an LA derby, more commonly known to local fans as “El Tráfico.”
Wherever Müller ends up, he will be traveling to the USA sooner rather than later, as a two-week contract extension with Bayern grants him participation in the upcoming Club World Cup. He will also have a testimonial game at Bayern, and will be integrated into the club's management in the future if he wishes it, per Abendzeitung's Maximilian Koch (via @iMiaSanMia).
The Thomas Müller Era at Bayern Munich will end after this season.
How do fans feel about it? How should fans feel about it? Is it just the natural course of a career even for a club legend like Müller — or could something have been done to make it a more palatable exit for fans and the player alike?
One thing is for sure — there is a lot to talk about and discuss regarding the career achievements of a player like Müller and why it has all come to this. Who is at fault? Who should be blamed? Let's talk about all of this and more on this Special Edition of Bavarian Podcast Works.
Support Bavarian Podcast Works on Patreon!
Be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @IredahlMarcus, @enadmo1135, @TommyAdams71 and more.
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Truly the end of an era is upon Bayern Munich fans...
Per a release from its club website, Bayern Munich formally announced that legendary player Thomas Müller will not return for the 2025/26 season.
In the same announcement, the club also stated that is has signed Müller to a short-term extension that will keep him with the team through this summer's Club World Cup tournament being held in the United States:
World Cup winner, two-time treble winner, record appearance maker: FC Bayern and Thomas Müller, 35, have decided together to bring an end to a unique career spanning 25 years and 33 trophies this summer. Bavaria-born Müller joined the FC Bayern academy at the age of 10 in summer 2000, underwent an unparalleled development, made history with the club, won everything there is to win and has become the club's record appearance maker with a total of 743 competitive matches.
The German record champions will honour Müller's magnificent career with, among other things, his own testimonial. It's also been agreed that the two-time treble winner and world champion will play his final games for Bayern at the FIFA Club World Cup, which takes place in the USA from 15 June to 13 July.
Müller made his professional debut for Bayern on 15 August 2008 in a 2-2 draw against Hamburger SV. Since then he's won 12 Bundesliga titles, the DFB Cup six times, the Champions League twice, the Club World Cup twice, the European Super Cup twice and the German Supercup eight times. In September, the attacker overtook Munich goalkeeping icon Sepp Maier as the Reds' record appearance maker and is currently on 743 competitive appearances, in which he's registered 247 goals and 273 assists.
He scored 45 goals in 131 games for the German national team from 2010 to 2024, winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He won the Golden Boot as the joint top goalscorer at his debut World Cup in 2010 and also took part in the tournaments in 2018 and 2022 as well as the European Championships in 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2024.
The following club figures also had formal statements with the release:
President Herbert Hainer: “Thomas Müller is the definition of a Bavarian fairytale career; he grew in Bavaria and with Bayern. From Ammersee to the Allianz Arena, as far as Asia and America. Nobody has won more Bundesliga titles, and 33 trophies in total so far speak volumes. He ranks among the most outstanding personalities in FC Bayern history.”
CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen: “The most important thing is that we've found a mutual solution. Thomas Müller is one of the greatest player personalities this club has produced, and therefore it was important to us to find a fair and amicable agreement. Now we want to work together to ensure that this incredible career is crowned with hopefully three more trophies. There are few players that fans still rave about decades after their career. Thomas Müller will be one of them.”
Board member for sport Max Eberl: “This decision was understandably anything but easy for us. The key factor in the end was simply the squad planning, where we're putting the focus on the future. The talks we conducted with Thomas were open and transparent on both sides. Thomas knows he's held in the highest regard at FC Bayern, and this decision doesn't change that. Now we want to win more trophies together with him. Thomas doesn't play according to the textbook – he writes his own: 25 years with FC Bayern at the highest level.”
Sporting director Christoph Freund: “Thomas Müller: no tricks, no show, just an incredible amount of instinct and extraordinary reading of the game – a pure footballer. There'll never be another one like him, that's for sure, and he internalised FC Bayern from a young age. This decision was extremely hard, as everyone can understand. In the end it was for reasons of squad planning, and the most important thing is that you can look each other in the eye afterwards. That's the case here. Now we will do everything we can to finish with more trophies.”
Müller also had a statement within the release, which we covered here. Below, is a brief video released by the club to celebrate Müller's career:
. We bow to you, Thomas. ❤️#DankeThomas pic.twitter.com/z7CdJoi96t
The Thomas Müller Era at Bayern Munich will end after this season.
How do fans feel about it? How should fans feel about it? Is it just the natural course of a career even for a club legend like Müller — or could something have been done to make it a more palatable exit for fans and the player alike?
One thing is for sure — there is a lot to talk about and discuss regarding the career achievements of a player like Müller and why it has all come to this. Who is at fault? Who should be blamed? Let's talk about all of this and more on this Special Edition of Bavarian Podcast Works.
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Be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @IredahlMarcus, @enadmo1135, @TommyAdams71 and more.
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The U.S. women's national team is back in action and will face Brazil during the April international window. The Stars and Stripes will kick off the two-game series on Saturday when they host the Conmebol side at SoFi Stadium in California. The series will then move to Northern California for a final game on April 8.
U.S. manager Emma Hayes and the coaching staff have been vocal about utilizing the build-up to the 2027-28 cycle as a period of player pool expansion and evaluation. The April roster includes the return of forward Trinity Rodman for the first time since the 2024 Olympic gold medal match. Rodman has been managing a back injury following the conclusion of the 2024 NWSL Championship.
The April camp welcomes forward Ashley Hatch and defender Alana Cook back for the first time since 2023, and the coaching staff made a last-minute adjustment after defender Tierna Davidson tore her ACL during a club game. Gisele Thompson was called into senior camp in her stead.
The group will try and bounce back from a SheBelieves Cup loss to Japan, their first loss after a dominant run in the tournament, after previously winning five consecutive cups.
Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more.
The 2024 Olympic Gold Medal Final: The two teams went head to head last summer during the 2024 Paris Games. It was a closely contested battle between old rivals at a high-stakes major international tournament. Forward Mal Swanson scored the game-winner for the USWNT early in the second half and Alyssa Naeher delivered some late-game heroics with crucial saves down the stretch to ensure the 1-0 score and the gold medal.
As the coaching staff expands the player pool, Hayes is also reshaping the program overall, introducing new philosophies and reintegrating the U23 team. Hayes had dual training camps in January, with two rosters named, meant to serve as an introduction between players and coaches. The April window serves as the first U23 camp held alongside a senior camp tied to games.
"Players that are still with us in the seniors [team], some of them might very well have been in the under 23 program, had there not been sort of key injuries to some of our senior players. But it's another opportunity, and I think our average age is pretty young, and we've got this camp, we've got another one in May, we've got another one in June, where I think we will see a bigger chemistry build," said Hayes.
"But there's still a lot of inexperience, so, I think it's going to chuck up a lot of different things, but one that I feel was so much better positioned than I did [months ago], and I think our roster is going to be stronger as a result of it, even though it might not feel like that all of the time."
Attacking Third dropped some lineup projections and there were differences across the board between analysts. Here's who Darian Jenkins named ahead of game one against Brazil:
USWNT Starting XI: Jane Campbell, Emily Fox, Emily Sams, Emily Sonnett, Crystal Dunn; Sam Coffey, Lily Yohannes, Lindsey Heaps; Yazmeen Ryan, Catarina Macario, Alyssa Thompson
Alyssa Thompson: The Angel City FC forward is off and flying during the opening weeks of the NWSL regular season. She leads her club in goals scored through three games (two) and is second on the team in chances created (five). Her ability to take on defenders and generate offense makes her a dangerous asset against Brazil.
"They match up one v one and they isolate everyone on the field to have numerical advantages [so] to be able to create space for our players will be really important to us. They're a great team and I feel like we're going to put our best foot forward to try and win and just continue to develop as a team," Thompson said on Brazil.
Expanded player pool: After two meetings in 2024 with titles on the line (2024 Gold Cup and Olympics) both sides meet again in an early spring setting. Less pressure in these games, but that doesn't mean that there are no objectives. Hayes and her staff are still in an evaluation process and will utilize the matches as an opportunity to get players meaningful minutes in key areas. While players will want to deliver a response to their failure to win the Shebelieves Cup.
Most two-game friendlies feature a stretch of adjustment during match one so there might be a similar period during this first meeting. Brazil has plenty of key players who play club in NWSL as well and are in the early phases of their season alongside their USWNT counterparts.
The familiarity could lead to another close encounter between the two teams but that doesn't mean there won't be goals as they figure each other out. Pick: USWNT 2, Brazil 1
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Ryan Reynolds has jetted into Wales for Wrexham's League One fixture against Burton as Phil Parkinson's side aim to continue their promotion push.
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The last seven months have seen continuous rotation throughout the United States women's national team squad. Head coach Emma Hayes has assessed a deeper swathe of her player pool, calling in previously overlooked veterans and rising young prospects.
Qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup — achieved by a top-four finish in the Concacaf W Championship — won't commence until November 2026, leaving another year and a half to form a winning squad.
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For the most part, this era of experimentation won't hamper the program. Results have been strong since last summer, with only a draw at Wembley against England and a defeat against Japan in the SheBelieves Cup blemishing Hayes' U.S. record. Double-header friendlies against Brazil, China and the Republic of Ireland, and a one-off against Canada, will provide another 630 minutes to study.
One question begs an answer sooner than the rest: Who will claim the program's storied No. 1 shirt and lead the group as its starting goalkeeper?
It's a distinction that carries tremendous responsibility. The USWNT has had an unusually unbroken litany in between the posts. Across all nine Women's World Cups played, starting in 1991, only four players have served as the team's No. 1 starting goalkeeper.
Mary Harvey began the sequence, leading the United States to the inaugural 1991 trophy. Briana Scurry started in the 1995 tournament, famously coming through in the triumphant 1999 World Cup shootout and again retaining the top spot on the depth chart in 2003. Hope Solo broke through in 2007 and succeeded Scurry (for the most part), starting again in 2011 and during the team's third title in 2015. Alyssa Naeher was up next, overseeing a World Cup repeat in 2019 and starting again in 2023. She retired from international soccer at the end of last year after an Olympic gold medal win.
It's a remarkable run, a testament to each goalkeeper's longevity. It also highlights how the state of USWNT goalkeepers looks far less stable than at any point in recent memory.
A strong No. 1 stops shots and intercepts crosses, commands the back line and brings consistency to the defense. The latter is crucial to any successful team, bringing a cautionary tale.
Less than a year after Scurry played a starring role in the 1999 World Cup, with the team ramping up its preparations for the 2000 Olympics, new head coach April Heinrichs gave 18-year-old Hope Solo her senior debut. Solo went on to earn 202 caps for the United States, more than any goalkeeper in program history.
However, it was too soon to throw her into the first team regularly, with Scurry still in her prime. Solo was left off of the 2003 World Cup squad when only 20 players (only two goalkeepers) were selected, but by 2007, she had proven herself a clear and worthy starter. Solo made the lineup for the team's first four games, keeping three clean sheets across the group's final two games and a 3-0 quarterfinal win over England.
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Unexpectedly, head coach Greg Ryan second-guessed what wasn't broken. With Brazil awaiting the United States in the semifinal, Ryan started Scurry and left Solo to sulk throughout a crucial clash. Scurry could not shake off the rust after failing to play a single minute in the first four games, and Brazil emphatically blew out the USWNT with a Marta double headlining a 4-0 rout.
Solo's friction with the holdovers of the 1999 squad is now well-documented. While Solo did struggle a bit in the group opener, a 2-2 draw against North Korea, her 298 minutes of scoreless soccer were ample evidence that she had forged a functional relationship with her defense.
Hayes is unlikely to make a similar mistake, but it's an example of a coach entering a tournament without full confidence in their first choice. Hayes' task is to find her trusted option to build those connections over the next two years before the 2027 World Cup.
Even in a transitional 2024, there was no anointed successor to Naeher, like Solo two decades earlier. Since Naeher announced the end of her international career, Hayes has called in six goalkeepers (counting her preliminary squad and January training camp), with no clarity on who has the upper hand to start.
Angelina Anderson, Jane Campbell, Claudia Dickey, Mandy McGlynn, Casey Murphy, and Phallon Tullis-Joyce are all in contention going off Hayes' recent selections.
Murphy has the highest cap total of the contenders, having made 20 appearances since debuting in 2021 while keeping 15 clean sheets. The 28-year-old starts regularly for the North Carolina Courage in NWSL. Since the start of 2021, the statistics suggest she has been the best shot-stopper of the hopefuls, preventing 18 goals more than expected when comparing what she's conceded against post-shot expected goals faced. That narrowly outpaces Campbell, 30, and her rate of 16.4 goals prevented, with 28-year-old Tullis-Joyce next at 12.9 in the NWSL and Women's Super League combined.
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Hayes did hint toward a possible debut for Tullis-Joyce, who has kept 12 clean sheets across 18 league games this season for Manchester United.
“She's very introverted, very quiet, and she's got to build the relationships with the players around her because you have to build trust and connections,” Hayes told reporters last week. “She will do that little by little, but this will only be her third camp with us.
“She's in contention to play one of these games but needs a bit more time to do those things.”
McGlynn, 26, is arguably the best sweeper of the group, while 24-year-old Anderson has shown a similar defensive proactiveness in her first 11 NWSL starts. Dickey, 25, Murphy and Tullis-Joyce have similarly robust cross-stopping metrics. Anderson and McGlynn have a narrow edge for their long distribution stats; Anderson and Dickey have worked into the mix in part due to strong short-distance passing acumen.
None of the six has checked every box necessary to be a top goalkeeper just yet — hence the open-competition nature of the position post-Naeher. It's entirely understandable why Hayes wants to see as many options as possible a few times before endorsing one with consistent starts over the rest.
“We have a lot of really good goalkeepers,” Hayes told reporters after the roster was released. “Who will emerge from that as the No 1? I don't know, but they have to take their chances when they get them.”
The intricacies of the goalkeeping role mean that the urgency to find the answer is likely greater than the rest of her ongoing personnel experiments. The age of the players listed above suggests that we may be in for another competition after the 2028 Olympics — a goalkeeper's peak usually comes between the ages of 25 and 34.
Younger alternatives are rising quickly and could crash the competition. Mia Justus, 22, is a touted prospect who signed her first professional contract with Utah Royals this winter, serving as McGlynn's backup. Teagan Wy, 20, came up big throughout the U-20 Women's World Cup last fall and trained with the USWNT as part of Hayes' Futures Camp in January.
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Justus and Wy may someday feature, but it's unlikely to be at the 2027 Women's World Cup. Strong form at the club level could vault dependable starters, such as Jordan Silkowitz, 25, of Bay FC or Katie Lund, 28, of Racing Louisville, into the mix, too.
For now, it's an open question that was inevitable once Naeher called time. Hayes has previously told CBS she plans to have her core by June, so we'll see if the upcoming seven friendlies provide enough evidence for Hayes to find her new top option in goal.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
Jeff Rueter is a senior soccer writer for The Athletic who covers the game in North America, Europe, and beyond. No matter how often he hears the Number 10 role is "dying," he'll always leave a light on for the next great playmaker. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffrueter
The All England Lawn Tennis Club has announced that the famous 'Henman Hill' is to undergo a makeover. The facelift will allow better viewing points and will transform wheelchair access to The Hill's various tiers, including the Orchard and Pergola areas, at the top of The Hill.
The plans will also see more seating iunstalled via a number of new low retaining walls which will maxmise visibility of the Centre Court large screen by reducing the gradient of the existing tiers. These changes will allow for an expanded capacity with a 20 per cent increase in guests enjoying use of the space.
The environment in and around The Hill will be enhanced by removing existing paths and replacing them with permeable pathways, as well as introducing sun shading and rain cover via a new pergola. The work is meant to begin after the The Championships next year and the new-look Hill will be ready to welcome guests at The Championships 2027.
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This project forms part of the All England Club's plans to mark the 150th anniversary of the first Championships in 1877. There has been a focus on improving biodiversity including a stunning new floral display on the uppermost tier of The Hill and the use of flowers to replace existing permanent signage.
A consultation event for local residents to learn more will take place on Thursday, April 10, before the planning application is submitted to the London Borough of Merton.
Chair of the All England Club Deborah Jevans CBE said: “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.
“It is an exciting opportunity as we look towards 2027 and the 150th anniversary of the first Championships.” Ruth Hopkins General Manager & Head of Access at Level Playing Field said: “I am delighted that Level Playing Field has played an important role in working with the All England Club to enhance their world-famous Hill to be an inclusive and accessible space for everyone attending Wimbledon. These plans will deliver significant improvements for all guests but particularly for those with accessibility requirements.”
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Tallon Griekspoor stands on the brink of completing the ATP Tour title surface set.
The top seed overcame qualifier Kamil Majchrzak 7-5, 7-6(3) on Saturday at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech to reach his maiden tour-level championship match on clay. Griekspoor rallied from 3-5 in the first set to take control of the semi-final clash. He saved the only three break points of the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, before completing his one-hour, 48-minute triumph in a tie-break.
With his victory, Griekspoor reached his fourth ATP Tour final. He has won two titles, both in 2023: one on hard courts in Pune and one on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. He is the seventh Dutchman to reach tour-level finals on all three surfaces in the Open Era.
“I'm very happy with the win. Obviously, it's aways nice to qualify for a final, it doesn't happen every week,” said Griekspoor. “I'm happy with the performance today, it was a very tough match. I was a break down in the first set, saved a couple of break points deep in the second. I'm very pleased with the way I played and the win today.”
Big smile for a first ATP final on clay 😁@Griekii edges past Majchrzak 7-5 7-6(3)! 🫡#GrandPrixHassanII pic.twitter.com/8VKlj6MBbE
Griekspoor, who is also bidding to become the first Dutch champion in Grand Prix Hassan II history (since 1984), will take on Luciano Darderi in Sunday's title match. The seventh-seeded Italian earlier downed 2023 winner and 2024 finalist Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-2.
The 23-year-old Darderi has now won eight of his past nine matches, after he also reached the final at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Naples last week. With his run in Morocco so far, he has risen six spots to No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, and Darderi would rise to No. 48 if he can claim his second ATP Tour title (after 2024 Cordoba).
Griekspoor enters Sunday's final with a 2-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Darderi. The Dutchman prevailed twice against the Italian in 2024, both in straight sets, at Roland Garros and the Rolex Paris Masters respectively.
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Alexander Zverev believes players should get a chance to hold talks with leaders of the four Grand Slam tournaments after putting his name on a letter asking for more prize money. The world No. 2 is among 20 top ATP and WTA stars who have asked the Major tournaments for a greater share of revenue and to have a say in decisions that “impact” them.
Zverev has now addressed the bombshell letter, which was also signed by Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, conceding that players will not get a 50/50 split of the Slams' funds. The German also suggested that players be nominated to sit down with the Grand Slams to find a solution.
The letter, which was addressed to Craig Tiley of the Australian Open, Stephane Morel of the French Open, Sally Bolton of Wimbledon and Lew Sherr of the US Open, requested that prize money should be increased to reflect “a more appropriate percentage of tournament revenues”, according to AP.
The players also asked for the four Grand Slam tournaments to financially contribute to player welfare programmes funded by the ATP and WTA Tours, and said they should have more say in decisions “directly impacting competition, as well as player health and welfare.”
As one of the 20 players who signed the memo, Zverev has now expressed his hope of receiving a bigger prize pot that reflects the money generated by the tournaments.
“It's never going to be 50/50. The ATP Tour is not 50/50 even, so it's not about that. But I think we're getting, what, between seven and eight per cent right now from the men's side and seven and eight per cent from the women's side,” he said ahead of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
“I'm not going to go into details because there's a lot more work and I have a great relationship with all the tournament directors and all the staff members from all the Grand Slams.”
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The three-time Grand Slam finalist would also like to hold talks with tournament officials to find a resolution.
He continued: “And I think it's going to be beneficial if the top players maybe choose one or two players in the men's side and one or two players from the women's side, and they sit down with the Grand Slams and maybe try to find a solution.
“But yeah, I mean, it's no secret we have the lowest revenue share in professional sport from the Grand Slam side. And we're not trying to be saying that has to be 50/50, like in the NBA or American sports, but maybe a fair share would be nice.
“And I am sure that we're going to achieve that with the Grand Slams together as the players, from the players side and we'll see how it goes.”
Zverev's request could be granted, as the letter asked for an in-person meeting with the names Grand Slam representatives during the upcoming Madrid Open.
ATP world No. 8 Stefanos Tsitsipas also signed the letter and, on Saturday, he claimed players weren't getting nearly as much money as they deserved. “I have no figure in my mind, but I will tell you one thing. Currently, it's definitely not where it should be at in my opinion,” the Greek star stated.
“And it's quite obvious. It's quite obvious, and I'm just surprised it hasn't happened, you know, many years now, and we're talking about this just now. That's all I have to say to you.
“I'm really hoping we can, all of us, get out there and push them to try and make it as far as possible because currently it's not a position it should be at.
“Players should unite and players should be together on this. Sometimes I feel like tennis makes us really separate from each other. And it's a question of uniting all together and getting what is fair for us. That's all I can tell you.”
On the men's side, In addition to Zverev and Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur put their names on the memo.
WTA stars Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva also signed.
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Alex de Minaur has become a dangerous player at the four Grand Slam tournaments in recent years.
The Australian number one reached his first Major quarter-final at the US Open in 2020 but failed to repeat the feat at his next 13 Grand Slam visits.
Taking his game to another level over the past 12 months, De Minaur has now qualified for the quarterfinals at each of his last four Major tournaments.
De Minaur beat Alex Michelsen, 6-0, 7-6, 6-3, to reach the last eight of the Australian Open for the first time in his career in 2025.
Having experienced the four biggest courts tennis has to offer, De Minaur now picks his favorite ATP venue.
During an interview at this week's Ultimate Tennis Showdown event in Nimes, France, De Minaur was asked to pick between iconic tennis courts.
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“Philippe Chatrier or Brisbane?” said De Minaur.
“Woah, Philippe Chatrier is a bigger court, but you know, Brisbane is at home, so I'll go with Brisbane.”
“As much as I love Brisbane, I think Wimbledon Centre Court is very, very special,” he said.
“Woah, can I choose both?” he asked.
“Got to choose one… Stick with my guns, Rod Laver.
“Rod Laver,” said De Minaur.
The 26-year-old is now an accomplished player at Grand Slam tournaments, having reached five quarter-finals.
De Minaur has yet to reach a Major semi-final, however, and remarkably failed to win a set during any of his quarter-final matches.
The Aussie arguably came closest at Roland Garros last year, pushing Germany's Alexander Zverev close in all three sets.
Dropping the second set in a tiebreaker, 6-7 [5-7], De Minaur came as close as ever to winning a set in a Grand Slam quarter-final.
He'll no doubt be hoping to finally reach his first Slam semi-final when the 2025 French Open begins on Sunday, May 25.
The world number ten will begin his ATP Tour clay court season in the principality, as he takes to the court in Monte-Carlo as the eighth seed.
Before 2024, De Minaur had won just two matches at the Monte-Carlo Masters before enjoying a strong run to the quarterfinals last year.
De Minaur's run came to an end at the hands of Novak Djokovic, losing in straight sets to the former two-time champion.
It remains to be seen if he can return to the last eight in Monte-Carlo in 2025, with action beginning on April 7.
Alex de Minaur has become a dangerous player at the four Grand Slam tournaments in recent years.
The Australian number one reached his first Major quarter-final at the US Open in 2020 but failed to repeat the feat at his next 13 Grand Slam visits.
Taking his game to another level over the past 12 months, De Minaur has now qualified for the quarterfinals at each of his last four Major tournaments.
De Minaur beat Alex Michelsen, 6-0, 7-6, 6-3, to reach the last eight of the Australian Open for the first time in his career in 2025.
Having experienced the four biggest courts tennis has to offer, De Minaur now picks his favorite ATP venue.
During an interview at this week's Ultimate Tennis Showdown event in Nimes, France, De Minaur was asked to pick between iconic tennis courts.
A post shared by UTS Tour (@u.t.s_tour)
“Philippe Chatrier or Brisbane?” said De Minaur.
“Woah, Philippe Chatrier is a bigger court, but you know, Brisbane is at home, so I'll go with Brisbane.”
“As much as I love Brisbane, I think Wimbledon Centre Court is very, very special,” he said.
“Woah, can I choose both?” he asked.
“Got to choose one… Stick with my guns, Rod Laver.
“Rod Laver,” said De Minaur.
The 26-year-old is now an accomplished player at Grand Slam tournaments, having reached five quarter-finals.
De Minaur has yet to reach a Major semi-final, however, and remarkably failed to win a set during any of his quarter-final matches.
The Aussie arguably came closest at Roland Garros last year, pushing Germany's Alexander Zverev close in all three sets.
Dropping the second set in a tiebreaker, 6-7 [5-7], De Minaur came as close as ever to winning a set in a Grand Slam quarter-final.
He'll no doubt be hoping to finally reach his first Slam semi-final when the 2025 French Open begins on Sunday, May 25.
The world number ten will begin his ATP Tour clay court season in the principality, as he takes to the court in Monte-Carlo as the eighth seed.
Before 2024, De Minaur had won just two matches at the Monte-Carlo Masters before enjoying a strong run to the quarterfinals last year.
De Minaur's run came to an end at the hands of Novak Djokovic, losing in straight sets to the former two-time champion.
It remains to be seen if he can return to the last eight in Monte-Carlo in 2025, with action beginning on April 7.
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Modified Apr 5, 2025 | 7:20 AM PDT
via Imago
January 16, 2023: 1st seed Rafael NADAL of Spain in action against Jack DRAPER
of Great Britain in the Men s Singles match match on day 1 of the 2023
Australian Open on Rod Laver Arena, in Melbourne, Australia. /Cal Media. USA –
ZUMAc04_ 20230116_zaf_c04_045 Copyright: xSydneyxLowx
via Imago
January 16, 2023: 1st seed Rafael NADAL of Spain in action against Jack DRAPER
of Great Britain in the Men s Singles match match on day 1 of the 2023
Australian Open on Rod Laver Arena, in Melbourne, Australia. /Cal Media. USA –
ZUMAc04_ 20230116_zaf_c04_045 Copyright: xSydneyxLowx
Rafael Nadal might have retired in 2024, but his legacy still echoes across tennis courts everywhere. People call him the “King of Clay” for a reason, but limiting him to just clay would be missing the full picture. The Spaniard also owned the hardcourts in his time. With six Grand Slam titles on hard surfaces—four at the US Open (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019) and two at the Australian Open (2009, 2022)—he showed that grit and greatness can translate across all terrains. Speaking of hardcourts, one of his most unforgettable wins didn't come against the usual suspects—Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. It came against Daniil Medvedev. That 2022 Australian Open final shocked everyone, including Rafa himself. Take a trip down memory lane with Nadal!
The victory didn't just give Nadal another trophy to polish. It gave him history. The 2022 Australian Open win was his 21st Grand Slam title, breaking the men's singles record at the time. Later that year, he picked up number 22 at Roland-Garros before Djokovic surpassed both legends in 2023, setting his record of 24 Grand Slams. But that Melbourne moment was something else. The 38-year-old became the fourth man to win every major at least twice. Even more impressively, he was the first man in the Open Era to win an Australian Open final after being two sets down. That's not just a comeback. That's a script-worthy plot twist. He had just a 4% chance of winning, according to the win predictor. Yep, four percent. But that's Rafa. “Relentless Rafa,” as fans call him.
At the end of 2021, things weren't looking great. A nagging foot injury had nearly ended his career. Nadal later admitted he was “very sick,” as he had been affected by coronavirus. The Spanish legend had only played one tournament since August of the previous year. But Djokovic had been deported, and Federer was nursing an injury. The stage was set, and Nadal wasn't about to miss the show. He beat Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5-7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a five-hour, 24-minute marathon. The final ended at 01:11 local time. It was his second Australian Open title, 13 years after his first.
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Talking about that night, Nadal told AS in an interview, “I thought I was going to lose. But it was very important not to let myself go. I've been a player with a good capacity for self-control. I haven't been a frustrated tennis player on the court, and accepting things allows you to find solutions. The 4% was worth fighting for. That's always been my point of view.”
Rafa Nadal on his epic comeback against Daniil Medvedev to win the 2022 Australian Open when the win predictor gave him a 4% chance of winning, ‘The 4% was worth fighting for'
“I thought I was going to lose. But it was very important not to let myself go. I've been a player with… pic.twitter.com/6fypZc4Sn6
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 4, 2025
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Interesting Fact: In 2024, Daniil Medvedev again lost a two-set lead in the Australian Open final, this time to Jannik Sinner. The Italian pulled off an epic comeback to win his first Grand Slam: 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
So, clearly, Australia loves a comeback.
Now if we're talking legendary wins outside clay, let's not skip 2008 as Rafael Nadal established his dominance on grass.
Did Nadal's 4% chance comeback in 2022 redefine what it means to be a tennis legend?
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That summer, Rafael Nadal did something wild. He beat Federer at Wimbledon. Ended his five-year unbeaten run there. Became the World No. 1 later that year. And gave fans the match of a lifetime.
After 4 hours and 48 minutes of play, Nadal defeated Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7. The 2008 final was the third straight year they met in the Wimbledon final. Federer had won the previous two and had been the Wimbledon champ since 2003. Nadal had just bagged his fourth straight French Open. Everyone thought the grass would be too quick for him. But Rafa had other plans. That French Open-Wimbledon double, also called the Channel Slam, is a nightmare for most players. You have to adjust from slow clay to lightning-fast grass in just two weeks. The Spaniard didn't just adjust. He conquered.
Talking about that iconic Wimbledon win, Nadal said in the same interview, “It was one of the most difficult matches to manage in my career because of what that moment meant to me. It was my third Wimbledon final after losing to him in 2006 and 2007. I was hurting, and winning it gave me a confidence boost, proving to myself that I could win big tournaments outside of clay.”
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From grass to hardcourt, Nadal made sure no surface could box him in. He made the impossible seem possible. That's Rafael Nadal. Which of his comebacks gave you goosebumps?
Let the world know your perspective.
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Did Nadal's 4% chance comeback in 2022 redefine what it means to be a tennis legend?
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Jannik Sinner has spoken publicly for the first time since his three-month suspension, which resulted from an agreement with WADA concerning the Clostebol case. In an exclusive interview with Sky Sport Italy, the world No. 1 shared his feelings and activities during his time away from the courts:
“I'm very well, I'm rested. I've done many different things: I've spent a lot of time with my family, with my dad, I've gone go-karting and cycling with my friends in Monte Carlo.”
Sinner emphasized the support he receives from those around him and his commitment to physical preparation:
“The people around me keep me going, I'm happy. If I could choose I would play tennis, but I'm working hard in the gym to be stronger and to be in better physical shape when I come back.”
Discussing the circumstances of his suspension, Sinner expressed his perspective:
“I felt very calm, to be honest. It was very quick. Even though I didn't really agree, I discussed it with my lawyer and those around me. In the end, you have to choose the lesser evil, even if it's unfair. If we look at everything as a whole, it could have been worse and even more unfair.”
Looking ahead, Sinner shared his enthusiasm for returning to competition in Rome:
“I can't wait. It's a tournament that means a lot to me, very challenging but special. Coming back won't be easy after this period, and there will be a lot of tension. But I'm happy, and I'm living my days calmly. All the questions will be answered there.”
Sinner opened up about the emotional impact of recent events and the role of his support network:
“I was very fragile after what happened in Doha. I would be lying if I said I'm a person without feelings and emotions. The people around me have lifted me up and given me the strength to understand what happened. The days are long, but my friends do me good: I play PlayStation, I go out for dinner in the evening; honestly, I'm very well.”
The Italian also addressed potential reactions from his peers upon his return:
“I don't know what to expect. I can only say that I am aware of being innocent, of how things went. What I want to do is just play tennis and be calm; this is the story.”
Finally, Sinner mentioned his current detachment from the sport:
“I'm not thinking much about tennis right now. I'm practically watching nothing. I'm not following anything except a few matches that interest me.”
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
We're down to just four women at the WTA Bogota. Camila Osorio could become the second Colombian to win at least three titles in this
It is an all-American Houston quarterfinal lineup (first time on the main tour since 1991), so naturally the semifinals could only go one direction as
We are down to the final four at the WTA Credit One Charleston Open, and every player has a good chance of reaching the final.
ATP 250 Houston semifinals Paul – Brooksby: 05.04.2025 20:00 CEST H2H: 3-0 Tommy Paul has won three of his last five matches. He is the
The world No 2 is hoping to regain his confidence on clay, starting with this week's Monte-Carlo Masters
For many players, changing surfaces can be problematic, presenting more problems than opportunities. For world No 2 Alexander Zverev, this week's Monte-Carlo Masters is the chance to reset.
Since losing out to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final in January, the German has failed to get beyond the quarter-finals of any event. And as he prepares to begin his campaign in Monte-Carlo, he admits losing a third slam final had a big mental effect on him, one he has only just recovered from.
“Mentally after Australia, it did affect me a lot,” Zverev told a small group of reporters at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Saturday, admitting he should have taken a rest after his third slam final loss instead of returning to the Tour straight away, playing in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco, even if he enjoyed the places themselves.
“I was very upset. I was very tired also. I came back here, started training straight away, and I went to South America, so I didn't really have time to process what happened, losing another Grand Slam final, but still having good tournament. I kind of just kept going, which maybe wasn't the smartest thing to do.”
Some of that was down to fulfilling tournament commitments. Zverev said he didn't regret playing in the events and said he was now over it.
“That was a decision that I made, but it's OK,” he said. “You live and learn kind of and at the end of the day. It doesn't affect me now anymore, I'm past that stage. Now it's just about getting some good wins, getting a good tournament in, and hopefully getting back to being one of the best players in the world.”
Zverev readily admits he has struggled in recent weeks, losing matches to lower-ranked opponents from winning positions. In Miami, he said, he felt better until a sore neck affected him and he is confident he will return to form soon enough.
Monte-Carlo is the traditional start of the clay-court season, a run that includes three Masters 1000s before Paris, where Zverev, if his confidence is restored, will be among the favourites. As top seed in Monte-Carlo, he has a bye to round two but a potential match with Matteo Berrettini is far from easy.
“I think winning matches is the main part of rebuilding confidence and to get into winning mindset again,” he said. “So I definitely need to win some matches and definitely hope to play good tennis.
“Obviously the main focus is Roland-Garros, that's for sure, and that's still the main target. It's been a tough few weeks for me, but I hope I can turn it around. I don't know if it's going to be this week, but I'm going to do everything I can to have some good results and play well this year.”
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Several top ATP stars are known for their speed as they chase down balls others would have no chance of reaching.
Four-time Major champion Carlos Alcaraz has gained notoriety for his quickness since making his debut in 2020.
The Spaniard's pace is often visible during longer points as he makes his ATP Tour rivals work twice as hard to put him away.
Another top ten star, Alex de Minaur, is also considered to be one of the fastest players on tour, impressing fans with his athletic ability.
The pair battled it out in a thrilling final earlier this year, as Alcaraz beat De Minaur, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, to clinch the title in Rotterdam.
However, it's a player ranked outside of the world's top 100, that one former American pro thinks is the quickest in tennis today.
Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, former Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey gave his pick for the fastest player on tour.
“In a 100 metres right now, [John] Isner and I think you [Reilly Opelka] are the fastest player on tour currently,” he said.
6ft 11, Opelka believes he would beat some of the biggest names in American tennis for speed.
“Yeah, 100 meters. I am not bad,” he said.
“I definitely beat up on Tommy [Paul] and Taylor [Fritz].
“I think [Sam] Querrey in his day, [Jack] Sock is a joke.
“I don't know if I'm beating Sock, in a 40 [metre race] I am definitely not beating Sock.”
The world number 104 then named an ATP veteran who he thinks would be a ‘nightmare' to race against.
“[Gael] Monfils would probably be a nightmare,” said Opelka.
Coming back from a second tennis hiatus in 2024, the American returned to form this year, scoring the biggest win of his career in January.
Opelka beat Novak Djokovic at the Brisbane International, 7-6, 6-3, on his way to a first ATP final in three years.
Unable to pick up a fourth career title, Opelka retired injured against Jiri Lehecka in the Brisbane final during the first set.
Returning from injury at the Australian Open, the 27-year-old is yet to rediscover the form he showed during the first week of the season, holding a 6-5 record across his next five ATP tournaments.
Opelka lost to Tomas Machac for a second time in 2025 during his last outing, as he was knocked out of the Miami Open in the third round.
Travelling to Europe for the clay court season, Opelka is next scheduled to play two tournaments in Spain, at the Barcelona and Madrid Open.
Entering the event with his Protected Ranking, the American will take to the court in Barcelona on April 14 when the tournament begins.
Rafael Nadal was the definition of never giving up and fighting for every point during matches.
Throughout his illustrious career the Spaniard was regarded by many as the greatest competitor to ever step foot on a tennis court.
The 38-year-old was also renowned for his resilience and ability to come back from injuries and get back to the top of the game.
But there was one match Rafael Nadal played during his career where his resiliency and will to win was significantly tested.
By 2022 when he was aged 35, Nadal was no stranger to the big occasion.
The former World number one entered that year's Australian Open with little matchplay from the previous months and a seeding of number six.
But he exceeded expectations and reached the final, where he faced Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Novak Djokovic to win the US Open at the previous major.
The Russian made a strong start in Melbourne and took the first two sets, and the win predictor gave Nadal just a 4% chance to make a comeback. The man himself doubted whether or not he could turn the match around.
But the great Spaniard did just that and after a gripping contest that lasted over five hours, Nadal became a two-time Australian Open champion.
Commenting on how he turned the match around, Nadal told Spanish outlet AS: “I thought I was going to lose. But it was very important not to let myself go. I've been a player with a good capacity for self-control.
“I haven't been a frustrated tennis player on the court, and accepting things allows you to find solutions. The 4% was worth fighting for. That's always been my point of view.”
Nadal's 2022 Australian Open victory was a historic one as broke the male Grand Slam record by winning 21st major. He won a 22nd at the 2022 French Open, before Djokovic set a new record in 2023.
Nadal also became just the fourth man to win every major at least twice and he is the first player in the Open Era to win an Australian Open final after losing the first two sets.
Nadal's 2022 Australian Open win was arguably his greatest since beating Roger Federer to win his first Wimbledon title in 2008.
On that day he ended Federer's five-year unbeaten run at Wimbledon and proceeded to become the World number one later that year.
Commenting on what that monumental victory at SW19 did for his career, Nadal shared: “It was one of the most difficult matches to manage in my career because of what that moment meant to me.
“It was my third Wimbledon final after losing to him in 2006 and 2007. I was hurting, and winning it gave me a confidence boost, proving to myself that I could win big tournaments outside of clay.”
There's a Carlos Alcaraz clip on YouTube that has to date been viewed 25m times. The whole thing is a seven-second loop of him catching a ball on his racket at Wimbledon. Currently it also has well over a thousand comments, engaged in a constantly shifting battle for most-liked, most-approved, most gushingly enthused-over.
You probably shouldn't click on it because it is also addictive, a perfect moment of perfect Alcaraz, another endlessly replicating needle-prod of pleasure into your overstimulated brain.
But then you will also probably love it because, of all sports, tennis seems the most ideally suited to the online life.
This might seem counterintuitive. Tennis is hard, long-form and repetitive. It is also the most intricately difficult sport ever devised, every point just you and no one else, total focus, an impossible blend of physics, athleticism, surfaces, human interaction, returning just a single serve an act of fast-twitch technical perfection, while all you see on television is a ball pinging back and someone going: “Unnngh”.
But tennis is also perfect for terminally online fandom because it is so intimate, so intensely theatrical. Internet tennis fans are a unique type: obsessive, touchy, devoted, familial. The relationship with players can feel deeply personal, but also about projection, obsessing over an ankle bracelet, a camera shot, a 40,000-comments-on-Anna-Yankachenko's-handshake-side-eye dynamic.
It is tempting to compare this to the parasocial relationship with celebrities, an endless poring over images of Shiloh Jolie or similar, attaching profoundly personal feelings to a collection of pixels. But in tennis this tends to be relatively kind and gentle. Also, tennis gives you access. The optics invite intimacy. Tennis players are lonely, tender figures, out on their baselines playing a sport that is, by its basic dynamic, a kind of communication, wit, repartee, a single point, like eavesdropping on some intensely intimate conversation.
These are also beautiful people, which helps with the obsessive idolatry angle. Their bodies twist and flex in stylised but also very personal ways. Even tennis broadcasting is unusually intimate, to the extent there was a conscious rowing back a few years ago from intrusive closeups of players in the act of serving.
Plus there is the basic industry dynamic, a sense these people are trapped inside a life, a bubble, available to be pored over and dissected by the unblinking digital eye. Don DeLillo described sport as “the illusion that order is possible”. Tennis creates the illusion of a complete and fully realised world, these lovely, charismatic creatures engaged in the most intricate of sporting dialogues, gossipy and personality-driven, perfect for the six-inch screen, and as such unexpectedly future-proofed in a way very few sports are.
At the end of which there is still the question of what it's doing to the people in the middle. This is why Alcaraz is arguably the most interesting athlete in the world right now, at a significant point in his own arc two weeks before his Netflix film My Way drops, a fact we know because he had the date tattooed on his arm at Indian Wells, and menaced now by some vague sense of personal crisis.
There are some obvious reasons why Alcaraz is unique. In many ways his entire career is a kind of existentialist joke. Youngest-ever world No 1. Already earned $40m (£31m). Still only 21. What is he supposed to do? Carry on doing this for ever?
He is also the first player to have become great growing up entirely in the hyper-online age. Alcaraz has 6.3 million Instagram followers, but the most notable aspect is the periphery, the endless fan groups and feeds posting Alcaraz content, sometimes just pictures of him pouting or wearing a T-shirt, six-pack stuff, eyebrow closeups, that smile, that haircut, glossing his life into a Bret Easton Ellis novel where everyone is slick and cool and perfectly styled, wearing Prada backpacks, high-fiving Justin Bieber,prepping for a shoot for the book or website of a new male scent called Empty.
Alcaraz is currently the spring face of Fantastic Man magazine, looking glazed and slick and machine-handsome. He has just done a Louis Vuitton interview where he says the kind of generic things that sound like they should be voiced by a translator even when they're being said in English. Oddly, he does all this stuff while seeming jarringly human. A trailer for the documentary shows him back in his childhood bedroom, which is just like a normal bedroom with football boots, Ikea boxes, and also the Wimbledon trophy with his name on it, while he says: “I see myself as a normal person.”
Even the crisis stuff is confusing. What has actually happened here? On court there has been a dip before the relentless divvying-up of French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. Such is his talent he can easily spring back into form. The thing that seems to have spooked people is he keeps talking about his feelings. After losing to Jack Draper in Indian Wells, Alcaraz said he had been nervous. After losing to David Goffin in Miami he said: “Mentally, I'm screwed.”
This has in turn created a secondary wave of content, because Alcaraz is now a thing that has to happen all the time, more widely searched on Google than the Beatles and Donald Trump, and pretty much neck-and-neck with God.
So Alcaraz-in-crisis has been a constant and, it has be to said, weirdly addictive news feed this week. Boris Becker thinks he's playing too much. Andy Roddick thinks he “needs to be bored” a bit more. Luckily, here comes Tim Henman, who thinks Carlos is not actually in crisis but needs to work on shot selection, a reliably Henman-branded take.
Admittedly there was something weirdly shapeless and AI-tinged about some of it. Suddenly Gilles Simon is saying tennis is too brutal, and you start to wonder how much of this content is farm-generated, robots having Alcaraz feelings to feed Big Digital Tennis. How long before 1985 Wimbledon finalist Kevin Curren is saying “this is bullshit”, while Fred Perry speaks out on how Alison Hammond shocked the world with her comments on crypto.
Paradoxically there is a striking clarity in Alcaraz's tennis, the creativity of his shots, the purity of his movements, high intensity but also balletic and captivating to watch. The only jarring note is the way he plays in moments, conjuring brilliant little clippable sequences even in defeat, memes and reels, TikTok tennis, a product of the digital age who is also the perfect cut-through product. At the same time he just seems alluringly normal and nice, to the extent you wonder if this has also been fed into the algorithm.
Again the question remains: what are we doing to these people, subjects of this unplanned mass social experiment, every moment a public moment, to be pored over by the unblinking eye. Simone Biles has described being eaten away by this machine. Naomi Osaka has struggled to exist inside it. What do we want to happen here? How far can we stretch this human clay? How profoundly can we alter its molecules?
It would seem reasonable, and human, to blink a little in the glare. Maybe this kind of sporting life will happen more quickly, talent will come and go, greatness bloom and pack itself up a little quicker now. What is certain is that Alcaraz can never retreat from being this entity now. Aged 21 he is already in his own loop, fawned over and endlessly consumed; and on his way, like it or not, to showing us exactly how all this is supposed to end.
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Modified Apr 4, 2025 | 9:22 PM MST
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Tennis: US OPEN, Sep 2, 2022 Flushing, NY, USA Serena Williams of the United
States gestures to the crowd after a match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia
on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King
Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports,
02.09.2022 22:27:40, 18972861, NPStrans, Australia, Ajla Tomljanovic, tennis,
United States, US Open, Serena Williams, TopPic, wow
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USA Today via Reuters
Tennis: US OPEN, Sep 2, 2022 Flushing, NY, USA Serena Williams of the United
States gestures to the crowd after a match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia
on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King
Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports,
02.09.2022 22:27:40, 18972861, NPStrans, Australia, Ajla Tomljanovic, tennis,
United States, US Open, Serena Williams, TopPic, wow
PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDaniellexParhizkaranx 18972861
“I think it will be Serena (Williams) for her successful career and for what she represents in the history of tennis,” Gabriela Sabatini said back in 2020, when asked which modern player she'd love to face. And rightly so! Serena, with 23-time Grand Slam titles and four Olympic gold medals, carved out an unprecedented legacy in the sport. But as the clay court season approaches this year, Sabatini's tune has slightly shifted. The two-time GS winner now finds herself backing current World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, whose explosive form is turning heads. So what's behind Sabatini's change of heart?
Gabriela Sabatini was a formidable presence on the tennis scene throughout the late 80s and early 90s, consistently knocking on the door of GS glory. The 1988 Olympic silver medalist reached four AO semifinals, five Roland-Garros semifinals between 1985 and 1994, and the Wimbledon final in 1991. Her crowning moment came in New York with a sensational US Open triumph in 1990, forever etching her name in tennis history! She attained a career-high world ranking of 3 in 1989 and received the prestigious honor of induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July 2006.
However, since retiring at just 26 because of a persistent stomach muscle injury, Sabatini has remained deeply connected to the sport. A regular face at major tournaments and exhibition matches, she recently made headlines again: not for her play, but for her shifting perspective. In an unexpected turn of events, Sabatini recently favored Aryna Sabalenka over Serena Williams when asked to name her top 5 tennis legends.
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Yesterday, on April 5, 2025, , the official IG page of Roland-Garros treated fans to a charming video clip featuring two of Argentina's greatest tennis icons: Gabriela Sabatini and Juan Martín del Potro. In the clip, Del Potro, the retired ATP powerhouse, playfully asked Sabatini to name her top 5 tennis legends.
Sabatini's list sparked a wave of conversation as she placed Iga Swiatek at 5th, Margaret Court at 4th, and the elegant Justine Henin at 3rd. Then came the real surprise: Serena Williams, one of the most dominant players in tennis history, ranked 2nd. Taking the top spot? None other than the current top seed, Aryna Sabalenka. The post's caption teased fans with intrigue: “Top 5 from @sabatinigaby! 👀🎾We made a surprise top 5 list of tennis players with the Argentine legend! 🇦🇷🔥 Well done @arynasabalenka for another win this year😅.”
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No doubt, Sabalenka's recent dominance has been undeniable. Only days ago, she won her maiden Miami Open title, beating Jessica Pegula in the final, but the comparison to Serena Williams invites a deeper look. Serena made her professional debut in 1995 at the tender age of just 14 and quickly carved her name into tennis history. By the time she was 26, she had already secured 8 GS singles titles and 6 GS doubles titles alongside sister Venus Williams. Over a 27-year career, Serena won a staggering 23 GS singles titles, including 3 Roland-Garros crowns, and also made her mark as an Olympic gold medalist. In contrast, Sabalenka, though a formidable force with already 3 GS titles, still has a steep mountain to climb.
While the tennis world is abuzz over Sabalenka's recent dominance, Serena is enjoying the different glory of motherhood. Recently, the American icon shared a heartwarming glimpse into her life off the court, enjoying a delightful mommy-daughter moment through an iconic family activity.
Is Sabatini's choice of Sabalenka over Serena a bold move or a disrespect to tennis history?
Debate
Serena Williams didn't just dominate tennis, she redefined it with her fiery spirit, signature fist pumps, powerful roars, and even spontaneous dance breaks! Serena had unmatched dedication to whatever she did. Did you know she learnt French just to better connect with the Roland-Garros crowd?
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However, now as a mother to Olympia and baby Adira, Serena's world revolves around motherhood. Her legacy and influence continue to shine, especially at home. While Olympia dabbles in golf and creative crafts, little Adira is just beginning to discover her rhythm, often mimicking her legendary mom's every move.
Recently, the 43-year-old gave fans a heart-melting glimpse into their lives, sharing an IG reel where she could be seen teaching Adira her iconic Come on celebration, captioning it, “(in French) Orange…yes! (in English) Come on! Yay, come on! (in French) Champion!” It was a sort of battle cry that once electrified tennis stadiums.
The mother-daughter duo was playing with a stacking toy, and as Adira placed the colored rings, the WTA icon excitedly cheered her on in both French and English. The sight of Adira mirroring her mother's celebration chant was deeply nostalgic for fans, reminiscent of Serena's extensive history of on-court success.
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Serena's legacy is now carried on-court by Arya Sabalenka, who plays a similar brand of fiery tennis, but will the Belarusian match the scale of success Serena achieved over her two-decade-long career? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Let the world know your perspective.
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"Is Sabatini's choice of Sabalenka over Serena a bold move or a disrespect to tennis history?"
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April 04, 2025 10:07PM EDT
By Gianni Taina
2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potroofficially hung up his racquet in December with a farewell exhibition in Buenos Aires, where none other than Novak Djokovic made a surprise appearance to honor his longtime friend. Since stepping away from competition, the Argentine star remains closely tied to the sport in new ways.
During a recent visit to the Miami Open, Del Potro was spotted cheering on Djokovic alongside Serena Williams. While in town, he sat down for a light-hearted interview with El Gráfico, where he joined fellow Argentine legend and 1990 US Open champion Gabriela Sabatini.
In the interview, Del Potro took part in a blind top 5 challenge—ranking greatest tennis players without knowing which name was coming next. Sabatini would name a player, and Delpo had to lock in a ranking spot without knowing who else was still to come.
First up, he placed Carlos Alcaraz at No. 4. “I'll put him fourth just in case the other three (Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer) show up,” the Argentine said. “Carlitos is my favorite after them”. He then slotted Andy Murray into the fifth and final spot on the list.
Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia and Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina pose for a photo prior to Del Potro's farewell game. (Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
That's when the challenge took a twist. Up next was Brazilian icon Guga Kuerten, a surprise inclusion that disrupted Del Potro's Big 3 podium plan. “No! Del Potro exclaimed. Guga can be third. Yes, Guga third”.
see also
Juan Martin Del Potro chooses the best tennis player between Djokovic, Federer and Nadal
Then came Rafael Nadal, prompting a moment of hesitation. “Now I'm scared that number one could be anyone, but I'll take the risk. I'll put him in the number two spot”. Finally, Novak Djokovic rounded out the list—automatically landing at No. 1, a result that clearly satisfied Del Potro. “That turned out really well“.
While Del Potro's crowning moment came in that unforgettable 2009 US Open victory over Roger Federer, he also came painfully close to adding Roland Garros and Wimbledon to his résumé. At the French Open, he reached the semifinals twice—in 2009 and 2018—while his deepest Wimbledon run came in 2013, when he fell to Federer in the semis.
Speaking in the French Open's Memories of a Champion series, published on March 28, Del Potro revealed that his semifinal loss to Federer in 2009 still stings. “I have many memories, memories of winning tournaments, but also about losing important matches. Going down to Federer at Roland-Garros in 2009 was very painful,” he said. “That was the year Roger became champion, though I also fancied my chances that year”.
Gianni Taina is a bilingual journalist, fluent in English and Spanish, specializing in soccer, the NBA, and tennis. He began his professional career in 2020 with Mundo Deportivo US, where he made his initial strides as a writer. Gianni has covered major sports events such as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tournaments like Roland Garros. His ability to report on real-time events and write under pressure has established him as a valuable member of a top-tier team of journalists. In 2024, he joined Bolavip US, where he covers a wide range of sports, including European soccer, MLS, and the NBA. Gianni earned his degree in Communication from Deportea in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Bolavip, like Futbol Sites, is a company owned by Better Collective. All rights reserved.
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The kid-friendly video game adaptation is also a powerhouse overseas for an early global total north of $100 million through Friday. And it's doing huge business in China for Legendary East.
By
Pamela McClintock
Senior Film Writer
The new Minecraft movie is minting gold at the box office.
The family-friendly movie earned a huge $58 million on Friday — including a record $10.6 million in previews — putting it on course for a domestic debut of $135 million or more.
Not only would that mark the biggest opening of the year to date, but it would also mark one of the top starts ever for a video game adaptation. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in early April 2023, presently wears the domestic crown with $146.4 million. (Some rival studios show Minecraft doing as much as $150 million.)
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The high-wattage ensemble pic is coming in well ahead of expectations and couldn't have come at a better time. The 2025 box office has seen its fortunes fall off dramatically in recent weeks. Minecraft could prove to be the shot of confidence Hollywood studios and cinema owners need after recent films, including Disney's Snow White, transformed into major disappointments.
Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge and Danielle Brooks star in A Minecraft Movie, as well as Emma Myers and Sebastian Eugene Hansen. Many were in attendance for the film's world premiere in London last weekend, helping to explain why they didn't attend Warner Bros. CinemaCon presentation this week amid rampant speculation that Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav is looking to replace movie studio heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy.
Minecraft is certainly a win for the duo and the studio at large. Still, Legendary's Mary Parent helped develop and guide the movie creatively, including tapping Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) to direct. Parent is widely recognized for her ability to handle big IP.
The movie, based on the video game of the same name, centers around four misfits who are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they must master their new reality's quirks while embarking on a quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, as Black steps into the shoes of the iconic character Steve.
Minecraft opens day-and-date around the world. As of Friday, its global haul was already north of $100 million. While most Hollywood event pics flame out quickly in China, that's not the case for this film. Legendary East, which is distributing the pic in the Middle Kingdom, is reporting impressive grosses for Minecraft, which is topping the chart with earnings north of $62 million in its first two days. At this pace, it is the biggest Hollywood title of 2025.
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British pop star Ed Sheeran officially gave fans a sneak peek at his upcoming album “Play” when he dropped the album's lead single “Azizam” on Friday, April 4th, accompanied by an all-new music video.
The track, which Sheeran claims is a blend of Persian and Irish folk music, gets its title from the Farsi term of endearment meaning “my beloved” or “my dear”. “Azizam” is a collaboration between Sheeran and Iranian-Swedish producer Illya Salmanzadeh, who has worked with artists such as Ariana Grande and Charli XCX.
“Even though it's completely different from anything I've ever done before, ‘Azizam' feels familiar to me,” said Sheeran in a press release accompanying the new single. “I wanted to create a party atmosphere in a song and Ilya Salmanzadeh helped bring that to life. He was so inspiring to work with.”
Sheeran first teased “Azizam” in an Instagram post in mid-March alongside a caption that read: “Album done. Single soon, I'm very excited as you can tell.” Since then, Sheeran has surprised fans worldwide with impromptu performances of the then-unreleased track, starting with a live performance in New Orleans' French Quarter on March 15.
The 4-time Grammy winner continued this trend throughout the weeks leading up to the single's release, performing “Azizam” for live audiences in Boston, Nashville, and, most recently, at London's King's Cross Station on Friday, April 4.
Speaking on the new single and his upcoming album “Play” on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” Sheeran revealed that the album will be the first in what he calls a “new series”, with his previous albums “+,” “x,” “÷,” “=,” and “-”, belonging to his “Mathematics” album series.
According to Sheeran, his upcoming album series will comprise five albums, starting with “Play,” with the following records being titled “Pause,” “Rewind,” “Fast-Forward,” and “Stop”.
Sheeran took to TikTok to officially announce the track's release, posting a short video that included brief glimpses at the track's accompanying music video, which was filmed in various locations throughout the US, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, New Orleans, and Nashville among others.
Azizam is out now. i'm so overwhelmed with the positive reaction to this song, and so excited for all the other surprises i have for ya. hope this sets the scene of the soundtrack to your summer, more to come xx NewMusic
“Azizam is out now,” Sheeran announced on TikTok. “I'm overwhelmed with the positive reaction to this song and so excited for all the other surprises I have for you. Hope this sets the scene of the soundtrack to your summer, more to come.”
Sheeran's latest track appears to be well on its way to chart-topping status as well, amassing more than 4 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours online.
Check out the brand-new video for “Azizam” by Ed Sheeran below!
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By Glenn Garner
Associate Editor
After 15 years, Disney is finally ready to unleash The Grid with a long-awaited Tron threequel.
During CinemaCon on Saturday, Tron: Ares debuted the poster and first trailer for the upcoming installment, which premieres October 10 in U.S. theaters, following the seminal Disney sci-fi classic Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010).
The followup stars Jared Leto as a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind's first encounter with AI beings.
In the trailer (watch it above), two Programs on Light Cycles ride through the streets of a real-world metropolis, leaving light trails that slice through a police car in their pursuit. The world of the video game appears to be colliding with our own in the Joachim Rønning-helmed thrill ride.
Watch on Deadline
Leto previously teased the sequel as he appeared alongside Jeff Bridges at the CinemaCon presentation. “As a kid I was obsessed with Tron,” he said.
“The future felt it was right around the corner. It had everything I wanted from a movie — action, adventure and spandex — it took me to a world that I never knew,” added Leto. “This movie will hit you right in the grid.”
Along with Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters and Gillian Anderson's characters are teased in the minute-and-a-half-long trailer, which also features a voice appearance from Bridges. Ares also features Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro and Cameron Monaghan.
Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Jared Leto, Emma Ludbrook and Steven Lisberger are the producers, with Russell Allen serving as executive producer.
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By Dominic Patten
Executive Editor, Legal, Labor & Politics
EXCLUSIVE: “There were many things that we knew would happen, many things – I'm not going to say I told you so,” Kamala Harris declared this week in her strongest swipe at Donald Trump since leaving office.
“I swore I wasn't going to say that,” the former Vice President added to applause and cries of “say it!” on Thursday at a conference in Orange County.
“About damn time, I would say,” one very political Hollywood heavyweight said after 2024 candidate Harris' surprise April 3 appearance at the Leading Women Defined Summit. “Harris, Obama, they've all been sitting this out too long.”
In that context, a producer who has written many a check for Democrats local and national over the years wasn't won over by Harris' latest public stance. “Too little, too late,” he wearily said. “No one wants to hear from her, just go away.” Going away might not be on potential 2026 or even 2028 candidate Harris' agenda, as she told the LWD crowd “I'll see you out there, I'm not going anywhere.”
“More of that!” a reliable Hollywood donor exclaimed of the more punchy and perhaps personal than usual speech the risk-adverse ex-Veep delivered. Like many well-heeled L.A. Democrats, the donor had been feeling disillusioned with the party and its candidate after giving so much last year only to see Trump sweep all swing states. Now Trump's grievance-fueled authoritarian and Project 2025 measures have hit Americans hard and relentlessly the past 70-odd days, the tide may be turning.
“A lot more of that, more Cory Booker, more Harris, more Bernie, more everyone,” the donor went on to say, namechecking the New Jersey senator who took to the upper chamber's floor for a record breaking 24 hours-plus speech this week. “Finally, someone's fighting back!”
“There is a sense of fear that has been taking hold in our country,” Harris told the crowd of around 100 on Thursday, including just-announced Georgia gubernatorial candidate and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
As she has in her rare past appearances the past two months at the likes of the NAACP Image Awards in February, Harris never said Trump's name, but she didn't need to. Correspondingly, as you can see in the video of her full remarks below, Harris never said the names of ring-kissers like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Disney, Columbia University, and laws firms Paul Weiss and Wilkie, Farr and Gallagher – again she didn't need to.
“And I understand it, but we're seeing people stay quiet. We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing those who are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats. And these are the things that we are witnessing each day in these last few months in our country, and it understandably creates a great sense of fear.”
“I'll say this fear has a way of being contagious,” the Democrat, who lost to Trump in November, said. “But I say this also: courage is also contagious,” Harris said, telling the applauding audience.
The White House did not respond to a request Friday for comment from Deadline on the former VP's remarks.
The ex-VP said nothing about widely discussed speculation that she is going to throw her hat in the ring to replace termed-limited (and ambitious in his own right) Gavin Newsom as California governor. In what is becoming an increasingly full field of ex-L.A. mayors, ex-Biden cabinet members, current Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and more who will be visiting the Hollywood ATM, Harris is anticipated to make her decision to run or not run known by August, I hear.
One insider views Harris' remarks of Thursday and comments critiquing Trump's tariffs and bullying of law firms by former president Barack Obama as a strategic shift towards a larger response.
“This is why you see Harris and Obama speaking now, thoughtfully and deliberately with concern after analyzing the current situation,” James Costos tells Deadline. “While it may sometimes seem like Democrats are not acting quickly enough or overthinking things, it's where the best outcomes always arise,” the ex-HBO exec and Obama era Ambassador of Spain added. “We prioritize avoiding chaos and preventing decisions that ultimately cause more harm than good for America, not just the few in power and those who are pulling strings around the fringe.”
In terms of capitulation and string pulling, Harris may have been speaking on something that has come close to home for the former VP in recent days.
Trump scored a win over prestigious law firm Paul Weiss after promising to yank away its security clearances and federal contracts in a targeted executive order. Bending profoundly, the widely lamented Brad Karp-run firm promised to contribute $40 million in pro-bono services to support the administration's MAGA goals. As other firms were put in the crosshairs, some kissed the ring in record time, while a few others took Trump to court.
One firm in particular threw one of its most high-profile and recent partners under the Trump train.
Joining Willkie Farr & Gallagher as a partner, Doug Emhoff resurrected his legal career upon the Second Gentleman's return to civilian life with the VP on January 20.
The honeymoon didn't last long.
Under threat, unconstitutional or not, by Trump personally, Willkie Farr & Gallagher wasted little time making a $100 million deal that POTUS bragged about on April Fools' Day. “Willkie affirms its commitment to Merit-Based Hiring, Promotion, and Retention,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social feed on April 1. “Accordingly, the Firm will not engage in illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.”
As the New York Times reported and Deadline has confirmed, Emhoff was far from onboard with the deal and wanted the firm to fight back against the threat, which was clearly aimed at him.
With an eye on whether Harris is running for governor next year and something else in 2028, Emhoff told Georgetown Law students on Tuesday before Trump revealed the Willkie agreement that “the rule of law is under attack.” He added: “Democracy is under attack. And so, all of us lawyers need to do what we can to push back on that. Us lawyers have always been on the frontlines, fighting for civil rights, for justice….I love being a lawyer, this is what we do: We fight for people. We fight for what's right.”
Sounds like a stump speech in the making.
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By Antonia Blyth
Executive Editor, Awardsline
As always, Deadline's Contenders events offer up the lowdown on hot picks for awards season, with a wealth of talent and teasers for what you need to watch. With this year's Contenders Television that kicks off Saturday morning at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, we are bringing you two full days of must-see shows, each day overflowing with big names.
The action Saturday and Sunday gets underway beginning at 9:30 a.m. PT both days. Doors at the DGA open at 8:30 a.m. if you're attending live. If not:
With the amount of prestige TV on offer, now is the time to get your list of favorites up and running — and we're here to help you do that. With Angelenos still reeling from the devastating fires and with industrywide upheaval and much change on the horizon, it's heartening to see the continuing incredible quality and breadth of the shows attending — from returning favorites like Severance, The Handmaid's Tale, The Last of Us, 1923, Yellowjackets and The Boys to all the new and exciting TV we'll be showcasing for you all weekend.
We even have some movies in there for you too, with Prime Video's Another Simple Favor and Disney+'s Out of My Mind.
Watch on Deadline
The DGA will be jam-packed with stars and the off-screen creatives behind these projects. Of course, sometimes those on-screen stars are on double, triple or even quadruple duty. For example, there's The Handmaid's Tale's director-EP-actor Elisabeth Moss and creator-writer-EP-actor Benito Skinner from Prime Video's Overcompensating.
We'll have plenty more actors on board who also executive produce including Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks with their new Prime Video series The Better Sister, Aldis Hodge with Cross, and Sterling K. Brown with Hulu's Paradise. Michael Fassbender will be here with Paramount+ show The Agency, and from CBS, we'll have iconic star and EP Kathy Bates with Matlock. Warner Bros Television brings us Kate Hudson with basketball insider show Running Point, and Noah Wyle from real-time medical drama The Pitt. And we'll meet Brian Tyree Henry from Apple TV+'s Dope Thief, and Nathan Lane and Matt Bomer from Hulu's Mid-Century Modern.
You'll also get a look at brand new titles like The Studio from Apple TV+, and ballet series Étoile from the creative team behind Prime Video's Emmy darling The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. We'll delve into some gothic horror with Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire series and explore another kind of horror with the based-on-truth tale of an adoption gone wrong in Good American Family. There's also the long-awaited second installment of the novel adaptation Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, Billy Bob Thornton-starrer Landman, crime comedy series Deli Boys and Kaitlin Olsen as an unexpected detective in High Potential.
Follow the panel coverage all weekend on Deadline and on social via #DeadlineContenders, and stay tuned when we launch the streaming site Monday featuring the full panel videos.
Here's this weekend's lineup of panels and panelists (all times PT):
9:35 a.m. – Opening remarks
MASTERPIECE on PBS
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
Colin Callender (Executive Producer/Founder & Chairman, Playground)Damian Lewis (Actor)
HBO | MAX
The Last of Us
Bella Ramsey (Actor)Craig Mazin (Co-Creator/Writer/Director/Executive ProducerNeil Druckmann (Co-Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer
PRIME VIDEO
Étoile
Luke Kirby (Actor)Gideon Glick (Actor)Lou de Laâge (Actor)
Another Simple Favor
Paul Feig (Director/Producer)
PARAMOUNT+
1923
Brandon Sklenar (Actor)Julia Schlaepfer (Actor)Aminah Nieves (Actor)
Yellowjackets
Melanie Lynskey (Actor)Christina Ricci (Actor)Bart Nickerson (Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer)Ashley Lyle (Creator/Writer/Executive Producer)
AMC
Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire
Sam Reid (Actor)Mark Johnson (Executive Producer)
HULU
Good American Family
Ellen Pompeo (Executive Producer/Actor)Mark Duplass (Actor)Katie Robbins (Creator/Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)Sarah Sutherland (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)
The Handmaid's Tale
Elisabeth Moss (Director/Executive Producer/Actor)Yahlin Chang (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)Bradley Whitford (Actor)Yvonne Strahovski (Actor)
LUNCH
PARAMOUNT+
Landman
Billy Bob Thornton (Actor)
WARNER BROS TELEVISION
Running Point
Kate Hudson (Executive Producer/Actor)Mindy Kaling (Co-Creator/Executive Producer)Ike Barinholtz (Co-Creator/Executive Producer)Dave Stassen (Co-Creator/Executive Producer)
The Pitt
Noah Wyle (Executive Producer/Actor)John Wells (Executive Producer)R. Scott Gemmill (Creator/Executive Producer)
DISNEY+
Out of My Mind
Amber Sealey (Director)Luke Kirby (Actor)
CBS STUDIOS
Matlock
Kathy Bates (Executive Producer/Actor)Jennie Snyder Urman (Showrunner/Executive Producer)
FOX ENTERTAINMENT
Going Dutch
Denis Leary (Executive Producer/Actor)
9:35 a.m. – Program begins
PRIME VIDEO
The Boys
Jack Quaid (Actor)Erin Moriarty (Actor)Antony Starr (Actor)
Overcompensating
Benito Skinner (Creator/Writer/Executive Producer/Actor)Scott King Showrunner/Executive Producer)Wally Baram (Actor)
The Better Sister
Olivia Milch (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)Regina Corrado (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)Elizabeth Banks (Executive Producer/Actor)Jessica Biel (Executive Producer/Actor)
Cross
Aldis Hodge (Producer/Actor)Ben Watkins (Creator/Showrunner/Writer/Executive Producer)
APPLE TV+
Dope Thief
Brian Tyree Henry (Executive Producer/Actor)Peter Craig (Showrunner/Writer/Director/Executive Producer)
The Studio
Melissa Kostenbauder (Casting Director)Adam Newport-Berra (Director of Photography)James Weaver (Executive Producer)Ike Barinholtz (Actor)
Severance
Rachel Tenner (Casting Director)Jeremy Hindle (Production Designer)Theodore Shapiro (Composer)
HULU
Mid-Century Modern
Nathan Lane (Executive Producer/Actor)Matt Bomer (Executive Producer/Actor)Nathan Lee Graham (Actor)
Paradise
Sterling K. Brown (Executive Producer/Actor)James Marsden (Actor)
LUNCH
PARAMOUNT+
The Agency
Michael Fassbender (Executive Producer/Actor)Richard Gere (Actor)Jodie Turner-Smith (Actor)Jeffrey Wright (Actor)
ONYX COLLECTIVE
Deli Boys
Asif Ali (Actor)Saagar Shaikh (Actor)Poorna Jagannathan (Actor)
ABC
High Potential
Kaitlin Olson (Producer/Actor)Todd Harthan (Showrunner/Executive Producer)Drew Goddard (Executive Producer)
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If you weren't already worried about AI invading our lives, you might be after watching this trailer.
Following its presentation this past week at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Disney has released a new look at the third film in its long-running sci-fi adventure franchise, “Tron: Ares.” Directed by Joachim Rønning (“The Young Woman and the Sea”) and written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne (“Adolescence”), the film stars Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Greta Lee, Gillian Anderson, and the original star of the series, Jeff Bridges. Watch the trailer below.
As per Disney's official synopsis, “‘Tron: Ares' follows a highly sophisticated program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind's first encounter with AI beings.”
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Leto and Bridges were on hand to showcase footage at CinemaCon, with the former saying of the first film, “It was the '80s. It felt like the future; action, adventure, spandex — lots of spandex.” Much like video games themselves, the look of the “Tron” franchise has become far less kitschy and in this latest installment takes on an even darker tone. Amplifying this is the abrasive, mechanical-sounding score from industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Though the band's members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have scored many films before, including last year's club-inspired “Challengers,” they announced at D23 in August 2024 that they would be embracing their old co-identity for this project, the first time they've done so on any feature.
“Tron: Ares” had some struggles in its initial days as production was forced to shut down due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Rønning was not particularly pleased with this as it meant letting go of an entire staff of workers who weren't on strike at the time. The irony here is that the film's main subject, AI, was one of the key elements that writers and actors were pushing against.
“Today was supposed to be our first day of principal photography on ‘TRON: ARES' (a movie subsequently about AI and what it means, and takes, to be human),” Rønning wrote in a post on Instagram back in August 2023. “Instead, we are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off. It's indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone.”
The original 1982 film starred Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a software engineer running a video game arcade who gets transported into the digital world after breaking into the mainframe computer of the tech company he used to work for. Once inside, Flynn is forced to face programs he helped develop in order to make his escape. The original film was a landmark for digital effects and computer-generated imagery. His story was continued in 2010's “Tron: Legacy” from “Top Gun: Maverick” and “F1” director Joseph Kosinski. It starred Garrett Hedlund as Flynn's adult son, who receives a message from his long-lost father that sends him on his own journey through virtual reality. That film made $409 million at the global box office and is fondly remembered for its score from electronic duo Daft Punk.
Watch the trailer for “Tron: Ares” below.
“Tron: Ares” releases in theaters from Walt Disney Studios on October 10.
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Billboard Women in Music 2025 was full of love and sisterhood. If you couldn't make it, don't worry: We're here to catch you up on everything you missed at this year's show. From Drew Afualo reading Muni Long's birth chart to aespa snapping pics on a Polaroid to Ángela Aguilar's passionate performance of “Cielito Lindo,” keep watching for exclusive BTS moments and updates from the big night!
Rania Aniftos:
I had so much fun interviewing honorees, presenters and guests with my fellow correspondent, Jazzy. By the way, some of our talent were more starstruck by Jazzy than anyone else. Benedict Polizzi gave our ladies some polite catcalls that made them giggle as they walked in to claim their awards. The room was filled with sisterly love as the women honored each other for their impressive achievements in music, to which only they can relate. Tina Knowles honored her daughters in her speech. Ángela Aguilar's speech made us tear up as she honored immigrant women and called for their safety. Putting her money where her mouth is, she even had a local children's choir from the Harmony Project performing with her. Ángela continued to honor under-resourced communities backstage. The party continued in our portrait studio with all the ladies catching up and taking flicks. We had our girl Drew Afualo giving flowers backstage as she interviewed our honorees. And of course, like the Virgo she is, Drew read Billboard Birth Charts. We asked talent to give a love letter to the women of the world and sign it. Making sure to take polaroids of everyone who stepped into our interview lounge for our Billboard polaroid collection. Gracie Abrams thanked Taylor Swift as she accepted Songwriter of the Year before she performed “I Love You, I'm Sorry.” Summer Walker presented the Icon Erykah Badu with her award, and her outfit left us speechless. Billboard's Group of the Year aespa visited our backstage lounge minutes before heading onstage for the final performance of the night. Back behind the scenes, the night ended on a high note with our Woman of the Year Doechii giving Erykah Badu her flowers. Doechii also made sure to give the women on her team their flowers too. Another memorable Billboard Women in Music for the books!
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Daniel Kreps
Amadou Bagayoko, singer and guitarist in the Grammy-nominated Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, has died at the age of 70.
Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffé said on state TV that Bagayoko died Friday in the city of Bamako, his birthplace. Bagayoko's family confirmed the death, adding that he “had been ill for a while,” though no cause of death was provided.
Bagayoko, who became blind at the age of 15 due to a congenital cataract, studied music at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, where he met his future wife and band mate, Mariam Doumbia, who had been blind since the age of 5. The pair performed together in Mali throughout the Seventies and Eighties before breaking out in Europe in the mid-Nineties.
As Amadou & Mariam, the duo brought Malian music to the world stage, attracting famous fans like Stevie Wonder, David Gilmour, and Damon Albarn; the latter enlisted the duo to take part in his Africa Express project, co-produced their Grammy-nominated 2009 album Welcome to Mali, and recruited Amadou & Mariam to open for Blur during that band's reunion shows in 2009.
Bagayoko's jaunty style of playing — fusing Malian music with a Western rock sound — landed him on Rolling Stone's list of the 250 Best Guitarists. “People are often surprised when we explain how much we were influenced by Western pop music,” Amadou Bagayoko once told an interviewer. “I grew up listening to records by Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder … That's because they were the only records we had in Mali!”
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Over the past two decades, Amadou & Mariam were mainstays at music festivals around the world, including Glastonbury, Coachella, and Lollapalooza. The duo also served as opening act for stadium tours by the likes of Coldplay and U2.
Amadou & Mariam's two most recent albums were 2012's Folila — which featured collaborations with TV on the Radio, Santigold, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, and Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears — and 2017's La Confusion. In Sept. 2024, the duo took part in the closing ceremony at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, performing Serge Gainsbourg's “Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais.”
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Last month, FKA twigs pushed back a handful of North American concerts on her Eusexua Tour due to visa issues. She's now been forced to postpone more shows and cancel outright festival appearances in Mexico and California. See FKA twigs' latest tour dates below.
“im devastated to share the news that due to ongoing visa issues i am not able to see through any of my scheduled tour dates for the remainder of april across north america, including ceremonia and coachella,” FKA twigs wrote on social media. “i promise that i am working to reschedule the affected dates as quickly as possible. for headline shows, please refer to your point of purchase for details and refund information. back to you all with more updates as soon as i have them.”
FKA twigs had been scheduled to perform at the Axe Ceremonia music festival, in Mexico City, on Sunday, April 6. She was then going to perform at the 2025 edition of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, in Indio, California, on Friday, April 11, and Friday, April 18. It was poised to be a noteworthy return for the experimental pop artist, as she had not performed at Coachella since making her debut in 2015.
When FKA twigs first had to postpone her shows, she said that “production did not fill out the correct paperwork in a timely manner for us to have our visas to come to the U.S.A. and perform.” She will now be finding new dates for shows in San Francisco, New York, and Toronto.
FKA twigs:
04-06 Mexico City, Mexico - Axe Ceremonia04-11 Indio, CA - Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival04-18 Indio, CA - Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival04-19 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium04-23 Queens, NY - Knockdown Center04-24 Queens, NY - Knockdown Center06-05 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Barcelona06-08 Paris, France - We Love Green06-24 Chicago, IL - Salt Shed06-25 Chicago, IL - Salt Shed
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Although Erin Napier breezily chats with clients and crew members in her hit show “Home Town,” the HGTV star just revealed she's truly an introvert who cringes at the thought of crowded rooms and making small talk with others.
Napier opened up on April 2, 2025, during a podcast interview with Landon and Kate Bryant, fellow creatives who live in Laurel, Mississippi, where “Home Town” is filmed. On one occasion, she bravely admitted, her social anxiety caused her to crumple into tears at an event with other HGTV stars.
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As Erin and Ben Napier, her husband and “Home Town” co-star, chatted with the Bryants on the “Landontalks” podcast, she shared that while she loves authentically connecting with people about meaningful topics, she can't stand “small talk.”
“I'm an introvert,” Napier said, and Ben interjected, “You don't enjoy one-on-one.”
The mom of two quickly corrected him by saying, “No, I do enjoy one-on-one if we get to talk about real things. But if I have to do small talk, I kind of have a panic attack.”
“It's very hard to be in a room full of people,” she continued. “I get on the verge of tears. Like, if I have to walk into a room and just mingle — the word ‘mingle' is the scariest thing I've ever heard. It is. My eyes water.”
Ben then asked Erin if she remembered attending an “upfront” in New York. The annual media event, hosted by HGTV's parent company, brings network stars, executives, and potential advertisers together to discuss future programming plans.
Recalling that fateful night, Erin said, “We were in New York, and we were in this huge room, and I thought I dropped my drink.”
“No, you thought I had dropped it,” Ben told her on the podcast. “You were so nervous and jittery, you had elbowed me and knocked it out of my hand.”
“And the drink spilled and then I just started crying,” Erin recalled, “because I was like, ‘I just don't know what to say to these people right now!'”
A post shared by Ben Napier | Scotsman Co. (@scotsman.co)
Ben said the night in question, when Erin got so nervous she cried over her spilled drink, occurred in early 2018, several months after their oldest daughter Helen was born.
He explained, “It was everyone from HGTV, everyone from Food Network, everyone from Discovery, everyone from History (Channel), right? All these people. It was a huge deal and no one knew who we were.”
“Home Town” had premiered two years before and was an instant hit, but the Napiers insisted they felt like they didn't belong in that room full of TV executives and stars, including “Property Brothers” Drew and Jonathan Scott, whom Erin called “the nicest people alive.”
“We were completely enjoying being the country bumpkins who were like, ‘You don't know us,'” she told the Bryants, laughing as she recalled that Food Network host Guy Fieri “was like, ‘How do I know you?' and you're like, ‘You don't.'”
“Everyone in there thought they were the most important person,” Ben said, but Erin added that they found a small booth tucked away, where they could watch everyone without interacting much. The best exchange that evening, Ben said, was when “another Southerner,” New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr., walked over to chat with them.
Erin has previously shared how challenging being an introvert has been for her, especially since landing on HGTV. In 2017, she wrote on Instagram that it's one of the reasons Ben often has his arm around her on the show.
“The truth of it is, being an extreme introvert complicates my job and I suspect there are more of you out there like me,” she wrote. “Being on TV is unnerving for me, and since we met he's always understood. Every time he touches my arm, my back, it's letting me know I'm not alone. He's always right there, and then I'm not nervous anymore.”
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When Elizabeth Meriwether told fellow “New Girl” scribe Kim Rosenstock to listen to the podcast “Dying for Sex,” Rosenstock was hesitant.
“It was June 2020, deep in one of the darkest times of COVID, a really rough moment,” Rosenstock recalled in a conversation with IndieWire. “There was an earthquake that happened, RBG had just died, and Liz was like, ‘Hey, do you want to listen to this podcast about a woman who dies of cancer?' I was like, ‘Yeah, I don't think that's going to be good for my mental health right now.' And she was like, ‘No, it's also all about sex.' I was like, ‘What? OK, send me the link.'”
Meriwether and Rosenstock, along with millions of others, were completely hooked by Molly Kochan's story, as told through conversations with Molly's best friend Nikki Boyer right up until Kochan's death in 2019. The two serve as co-showrunners on FX's limited series of the same name, where Molly (Michelle Williams) embarks on a journey of sexual exploration in the final years of her life, with Nikki (Jenny Slate) by her side.
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“The podcast just does something,” Rosenstock said. “It grabs you, and it and it pulls you into the story of this beautiful friendship between these two women, but also this look at a person during this part of their life that normally we don't really have access to. The bravery and vulnerability that Molly showed by allowing herself to be documented in this condition was just so stunning to me. I had never witnessed that. I had never seen someone in that stage of dying, and the fact that she allowed herself to be recorded throughout it, and we can hear her voice, it all felt so special and alive and incredible to me.”
Rosenstock said that as much as the podcast is one woman's experience (and wild sex stories), what struck her was that it was ultimately “the most profound exploration of the human condition” — “this experience of a woman who is both dying and coming alive at the same time.” She was drawn to Boyer (who serves as executive producer on the show) and to the “love story between two friends,” which makes the series so resonant.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
IndieWire: What was the process like of adapting the podcast — as opposed to maybe a book or play?
Kim Rosenstock: What the podcast does that's so special and magical is it's these two real people, and it's their voices, and it's the intimacy of that that is so moving. So how do we adapt this into a story for television where obviously we don't have the two real people, and we don't have that intimacy of hearing their conversation in your ear? How do we make it feel that intimate, and how do we give audiences the feeling that we had listening to the podcast, while making our own completely new thing?
The number one thing I was asking myself was “Who is Nikki?” We know Molly so well by the end of this podcast. But for the purposes of the adaptation, it felt to me like we had to really build out this character of Nikki and really tell the story of her as a caretaker, and what it means to take care of somebody through this illness, what it means to for her own life, the sacrifices that she has to make, what it actually involves emotionally, beyond just being somebody's best friend.
Did your playwriting experience help you with adapting this story?
The fact that we [Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether] are both playwrights and we started out in theater… both of us had written stuff that went to some more heightened expressionistic places. We were able to tap into that in adapting this story. One of the things that we applied that to was Molly's experience of sex. How do we dramatize what it feels like for her to have sex? We're used to seeing sex scenes, but how can we show this differently? How can we actually take the audience on the journey of what her emotional experience is during these sex scenes? We then called on these tools, these more hyper-realistic modes of storytelling. Especially as the show goes on and we get to the final stages, it gets very theatrical. At one point it feels like a big play happening in her room.
How did you bring the real Nikki Boyer into the storytelling on the series?
Nikki Boyer is amazing and was one of our EPs. [She] was very involved in the process and gave us her blessing to do our own thing. But in the podcast she asked the questions. She's the listener; she's the reactor. They're talking about things that have happened, and the joy is listening to them unpack and delight in the details of what happened, but nobody wants to watch a television show about two people talking about what happened. Our challenge was showing those things and then showing both of their experience going through it.
The other thing for us that we discovered along the way was Molly had, at some point in her journey of having all these sexual encounters, realized that what she really wanted was actually a deep emotional connection with somebody. She says at one point, “I think I actually want to fall in love,” Sadly, her life ended before she really got to have that kind of a relationship with somebody. But for us — and we talked a lot about this with Nikki as well — in our show, we wanted to give her that. So one of the things we did in our adaptation was we took a couple of the guys in the podcast who she has more emotional encounters with, and we sort of created this composite character, this neighbor character out of them [played by Rob Delaney] for her to have sort of messed-up, dark, very different kind of BDSM rom-com in the middle of this story. That was something that we found along the way.
The show goes to some dark places, especially with Molly's trauma.
Her trauma is this information that we get three-quarters of the way through the podcast. For our show, we wanted to start off knowing that information and focus more on her actually learning to look at that trauma and figure out how to process it and heal from it — and what healing looks like, because healing is not a linear experience. Healing certainly looks different for everybody. We really wanted to show what it looks like to process something that happened to you in childhood as an adult and under these conditions, and that is what the actual Molly was doing.
I think it's so beautiful, because she makes this discovery that sex was the way to healing for her, because sex was the thing she says made her split off from herself as a child. She is trying to put herself back together, and she realizes along the way why sex was the thing that she needed to use to do that. It wouldn't necessarily be the thing for everyone, but it was specifically for her. It's not about, “Oh, I'm healed, I'm better.” We wanted to make sure we weren't showing it as an exorcism, but more of an integration of this part of herself into the rest of herself.
What was Nikki's reaction when you came to her about the series adaptation?
I remember being really nervous about giving her the first draft of the pilot that I wrote, because this is her real story, you know, and the main note I got back from her was, “Can you change that name?” [Referring to one of the people in the podcast who is now a character in the show.] That was it. She just trusted us. A lot of people wanted to option this material, and she chose Liz because she just had a gut feeling that that was the right person, this was the right group of people.
Towards the end, it was really important to us to get these things medically right or accurately portray the real experience of being in hospice and in these final stages of this illness. Nikki had been there with Molly through the whole thing, so I would call Nikki at like, 11 o'clock in the middle of writing — she was like, “I'm here at any time for you.” We would just sit on the phone, and she would tell me exactly what she went through and what happened. I was always amazed that she was willing to be so generous, not just with her time, but emotionally — to go back into that time in her life, which is very painful, for the sake of the storytelling.
How has your working relationship with Elizabeth Meriwether evolved?
I've worked with Liz for so many years in so many different ways. She was the star of my first play that I ever wrote. She's an amazing performer, she's very funny, but I don't know that she acted too much after. I moved to LA to work on “New Girl.” I had never written for television before, and I learned how to write television working on “New Girl,” and then I worked on “Single Parents,” which Liz also created with J.J. Philbin, and then she called me to work on this. We've had these different phases of our friendship and our careers together, and it was just really nice and exciting to be able to fully make something with her — and especially this story that's about these two women who have been friends for over 20 years, we've been friends for over 20 years. It was nice to make a show about friendship with an old friend.
The podcast is just a slice of the full experience that Nikki and Molly are going through. You've spoken about pinning down the tone of this show — tell me a little bit more about that process and maybe what did and didn't work along the way.
Yes, the podcast has a tone of its own. We were very drawn to that, and we wanted the show to have that feeling, that you can be laughing and crying at the same time. Liz and I are both traditionally comedy writers, and especially sitcom, so we have that muscle memory from all those years writing jokes. I think we've both pitched thousands of dick joke alts in our lives, and I like to say we brought that to this project. FX was so incredibly supportive of us making this show whatever we felt like it needed to be, and that was huge, having our studio and our network both supporting our our desire to explore the tone and explore genre. When we started, we were like, “OK, this has to be comedy. We said it's a comedy,” but it's also so many other things.
This story kind of veers in terms of how it feels from moment to moment, just like life does. Just like this experience of a woman who is both dying and coming alive at the same time, it feels like it's many things at once… We weren't trying to write joke-joke-joke, more trying to find moments of humor and levity and joy naturally where they sprung up in Molly's emotional journey, and to then allow her and the show to sink into moments of despair and darkness where the character would do that.
How do you balance the comedy and drama of the series, making sex something real and important for Molly without letting the humor overtake it?
It was really important to us with the sex to never make what people's sexual preferences were, or sexual desires were the source of the joke. The comedy was more in just the human interactions between people before and after and during sex, but not about what they liked, never to be making fun of what people liked — and to actually be celebrating that, to be showing this wide spectrum of what sex can be in a way that felt really respectful of all these different ways of feeling pleasure and feeling desired. As this show goes on and she gets sicker, we wanted to make sure we weren't shying away from that, and that we weren't romanticizing that.
It was hard. The final episode, she's literally dying. So how on earth could we make this feel funny like this? It still has to feel like the show. And we found things like the hospice nurse who's really jazzed about death and talking about it, we found natural ways to continue, to bring the humor through.
“Dying for Sex” is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
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Daniel Kreps
Paul Schrader has been accused of sexual harassment and sexual assault by a former assistant who also alleges that the screenwriter-director reneged on a settlement that was agreed upon by both parties.
In a legal filing for the Jane Doe accuser first obtained by Variety, the plaintiff claims Schrader sexually assaulted her in May 2024 when the defendant's film Oh, Canada premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
“In May of 2024, at the film festival, Defendant Schrader demanded Ms. Doe go to his hotel room, trapped her inside, grabbed her arms, and thrust his face into hers to kiss her against her will, and then further restrained her in an effort to keep her in the room before she managed to free herself and flee the hotel room,” the legal filing states.
Three days later, Schrader summoned his assistant to his hotel room to pack his bags, claiming he was “dying.” When Doe arrived, Schrader allegedly “opened the door to his hotel room wearing nothing but an open bathrobe with his penis fully exposed. As Ms. Doe attempted to pack Mr. Schrader's bags in terrified silence, he repeatedly commented, ‘I am so sweaty. I sweated through the bedsheets. Feel how wet they are.' Ms. Doe packed his bags as quickly as she could, and left,” the filing says.
The assistant was employed by Schrader — the screenwriter on Taxi Driver and Raging Bull in addition to directing films like American Gigolo and First Reformed — from May 2021 to September 2024.
“After Ms. Doe refused to acquiesce to Defendant Schrader's sexual advances, on September 23, 2024, he retaliated against her and terminated her employment,” the filing claims. “Two days later, in full acknowledgment of his unlawful and predatory behavior, he wrote in an email to her, ‘So I fucked up. Big time… . If I have become a Harvey Weinstein in your mind then of course you have no choice but to put me in the rear view mirror.'”
According to the filing, lawyers for Doe and Schrader worked out a settlement agreement “in exchange for a confidential amount to be paid over a period of seven months.” However, while Doe signed the agreement, after some “soul searching,” Schrader refused to, saying he “could not ‘live with himself' if he performed his obligations under the Settlement Agreement.”
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“To date, Plaintiff has performed all her obligations under the Settlement Agreement and Settlement Document, namely by not pursuing, via civil action, her myriad legal claims against Defendants,” the filing — which seeks to reinstate the binding agreement — said.
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Schrader's lawyer Philip Kessler told Variety that the legal filing was “loaded with inaccuracies.” “We regard this breach of contract claim as desperate, opportunistic and frivolous,” Kessler said, adding that since Schrader never signed the agreement, it cannot be enforced by the court.
Kessler also cited since-deleted social media postings by Doe praising Schrader, and added that she frequently joined him for dinners and film festivals. “In none of those instances did the plaintiff indicate anything other than enthusiasm about appearing with Mr. Schrader,” Kessler added.
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By
Jeff Goodell
Friederike Otto, 42, is a climate scientist at Imperial College London, where she is best known for pioneering the new field of attribution science, in which researchers calculate in real time how much climate change impacts extreme weather events like heat waves and wildfires.
Fortunately, Otto does not write like a scientist. Her new book Climate Injustice: Why We Need to Fight Global Inequity to Combat Climate Change burns with outrage over the callousness of the wealthy — that is to say, most of us who live in the Global North — toward the poor — that is to say, most of the people who live in the Global South — who suffer from the costs and consequences of our addiction to fossil fuels. One of Otto's great virtues as a writer is that she's a highly-respected scientist who is willing to go beyond data and numbers into the realms of politics and policy.
“The best protection from the impacts of climate change is health care, access to social security, access to alternative income sources from agriculture, and most of all, good governance,” Otto tells me. If that sounds like a stick in the eye to President Donald Trump — well, yeah.
Otto only mentions Trump once in passing in her book. But with her unabashedly moral take on the human costs of climate change, Climate Injustice is easily read as a take-no-prisoners indictment of the Trump administration's celebration of fossil fuels and their complete disregard for the people who pay with their lives for the burning of those fuels.
In the opening pages of your book, you call out Don't Look Up, the 2021 movie which compares climate change to an asteroid hitting Earth. You say that an asteroid strike is a bad analogy for climate change. Why?
Because an asteroid affects the world from the outside and it has a very distinct moment when it hits and impacts materialize. Whereas climate change is not coming from the outside. It is a consequence of our human activities that we have created by the way we have designed our industrial society. The impacts have been materializing slowly at first and now increasingly faster over time. But there has never been a point when you could have said, ‘OK, today is the day we see the impacts of climate change have started.' I mean, we often pretend there is a threshold when we're talking about 1.5 C degrees of global or 2 C degrees of warming, but that's not an actual physical limit. That's a political compromise between how many lives we are willing to lose by continuing to burn more fossil fuels and how much time we want to give us to redesign our society.
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And all this goes to the larger argument of the book, which is that climate change is not about science per se, but about justice and politics. That's a bold thing for a scientist to say.
Climate change is only a problem for us because our societies have established themselves based on the stable climate we had for hundreds of years and now we have very limited capacity to adapt quickly. Only in a few regions is there really a physical limit — I mean if your island is gone, it's gone.
You're a pioneer in a field called attribution science. Explain what that is and why it's important.
Attribution science is answering the question whether and to what extent human-induced climate change — so the burning of coal, oil and gas — has changed the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. And that is important because our societies are built around a very, very stable climate that has, from a scientific point of view, a very small range of possible weather events. By burning fossil fuels and warming the planet, we change this range. And that means that we now experience, increasingly often, events that would not have been possible or that are more intense than they would've been without climate change.
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And the price for this change is paid by those who always pay the price. So in heat waves, it is people who are in poor health or who live in poorly insulated homes that die. In a drought, it's people who are dependent on agriculture for either their food or their basic income that lose their livelihoods. It's not the wealthy people.
When someone asks, “Was this heat wave or this hurricane caused by climate change,” scientists often say, “Well, we can't say climate change causes any specific event, but it loads the dice and makes these events more likely.” But in your work you've shown that sometimes — not always — you can point to an event and say, “This was caused by climate change.” For example, the 2021 heat wave in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., which killed more than 800 people. You and your team at World Weather Attribution have said that heat wave would not have been possible without climate change.
Yes, that extreme heat wave would not have happened without human-induced climate change. And for heat waves, we increasingly see events that are so hot that these temperatures would just not have been reached if it wasn't for the burning of fossil fuels.
This has big implications because it changes the chain of responsibility. Once you can say, “Oh, this event was caused by higher levels of CO2,” then you can begin to say, “Well, where did those higher levels of CO2 come from and who put them there?” And it's not something simply that we as humanity have done. It's things that particular actors have done.
So the kind of attribution that I'm doing is establishing one important link in a causal chain. And the causal chain starts with individual companies. They are very familiar names like Chevron, ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco, Gazprom. These are the companies that dig up the oil, coal, and gas and sell it, and then it gets burned. And that leads to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, which leads to warming of the earth overall. And that leads to the changing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. So we have known that for a very long time. But the other end of this causal chain is the impact side, which is how those emissions translate into changes in extreme weather events and actually impact society.
Your work, and the work of many other scientists who are working on attribution, is helping to fuel a new wave of lawsuits against fossil fuel companies. Do you think companies like the ones you mentioned should be held accountable for some of these impacts? And what would that accountability look like?
Yes, I do think they should be held accountable, not only because they are profiting massively from an activity where they don't even acknowledge the damages they know it causes. But because they leave the cost and consequences of dealing with those damages to the people who experience them. I think they should be held accountable for that. And also because we have a lot of evidence that they misled people about it too. These lawsuits are important to just hold these companies accountable. Ultimately, it's about getting them to change their business model because it will just not be viable anymore to sell a product that destroys our environment. These are not criminal lawsuits. They're not breaking the law. But they are in a business that kills people and destroys lives and livelihoods.
You wrote: “The main thing I've learned from extreme weather events is that the climate crisis is shaped largely by inequity and the still disputed dominance of patriarchal and colonial structures, which also prevents the serious pursuit of climate protection.” Explain?
The inequality between the genders is very much shaping how the impact of climate change is affecting people. And look at what happened with the flooding in Pakistan in 2022, which killed nearly 1,500 people. Part of the reason they had such a dramatic impact is because the whole water infrastructure was built by the Brits, and it was not built by the Brits to provide the Pakistani population with the best available water supply. It was built as a prestigious engineering project to look cool and look impressive, but it was completely dysfunctional and completely ignored the needs of villages.
That's just one example. You can see it also in other proposed solutions, such as the movement to replace internal combustion engines with the same number of electric vehicles. That means there's a huge amount of mining now going on in the Global South, exploiting the populations there, using the same colonial structures that have been established during the high times of the empire, and therefore preventing solutions actually thought up by local communities.
Do you think the whole story of the climate crisis would be different if the world were run by women?
I think so, yes. It would be different because at the moment, the story that we tell — I mean, if we admit that there is a crisis at all — is that it's a physical crisis that has a technical solution. But I think if the story were told from a woman's perspective, it would probably be told more as a crisis of health, as a crisis of safety, and especially the safety of our children. And of course, that might sound a bit cliche, but I think it is not an accident that people who led the environmental movement in the past, such as Rachel Carson, a scientist whose work led to the phasing out of DDT as pesticides, was a woman. And she in turn inspired other women to campaign against lead in gasoline and paint. And it is because they're much more affected by it. That doesn't mean that every single woman would do a better job than a man, of course. But on average, I think we would talk about it very differently.
Your book is a real gut punch to the Trump administration, which is doing everything it can to undermine anything to do with climate justice, from getting out of the Paris Agreement to pulling out of the Green Climate Fund. I know you wrote your book before Trump was elected, but when you look at the U.S. right now, what do you make of what's happening and the implications of this?
We have seen the first glimpses of the implications of Trump's policies last year when Hurricane Helene hit Florida and the Southern Appalachians. Florida had a relatively low death toll because that region is very used to hurricanes — they know that when they're told to evacuate, it's better to evacuate. But slightly further north in Appalachia, where they're not quite so used to it, even though the forecasts were really good and people knew that it was dangerous, and people from FEMA tried to help people evacuate, a lot of Trump supporters actually attacked FEMA and obstructed their attempts to help. More people died because of it. So even before his inauguration, Trump's lies led to a lot of people who voted for him losing their lives and their livelihoods.
Ending funding for USAID is another example. Trump and his people portray everything the U.S. has ever done in terms of aid is charity, but of course it is not, because the U.S. has profited dramatically from the world order that had the Global North prospering and the Global South basically building the stuff and taking the rubbish that we don't want and getting a bit of aid for that. It is a massive injustice that the U.S. has very much profited from. But dismantling it will lead to more instability globally. It will increase wars, it will mean that trading the business with lots of parts of the world will be much harder for the U.S. and it will just make the U.S. poorer.
There are a lot of right-wing parties in power in Europe that want to piggyback on Trump and dismantle policies for clean air and things like that. But I think there is definitely an alarm going off. A warning that says if this continues, it will just destroy the world as we know it. We actually need those institutions that we build. I mean, we decided on human rights for a reason. And I think that is slightly heartening in a way. A lot of people are realizing it is not just the poor — who a lot of people never really cared about anyway — who will be hurt by the rolling back of environmental protections and the dismantling of institutions. It will hurt everyone.
The central lie in the Trump administration is that our modern world and prosperity is dependent upon burning fossil fuels. And if you try to get off of fossil fuels, then everything that we kind of consider as part of modern life will kind of go away.
It is of course true that the access to cheap energy was important to start this western way of life. But first of all, we now have other sources of cheap energy than fossil fuels. But what's more important, what's completely missing in this narrative, is that it is not the access to energy per se that led to the prosperous lifestyle. The American Dream is not about fossil fuels. It is about access to high-quality education for everyone. It is about better access to Social Security, and that you can only be socially mobile if you have a network that allows you to go to school long enough to actually learn something. Or if you are stuck in a job that is not fulfilling, that you can change jobs. Or if you get sick, you have access to decent health care.
We are not exactly living in the golden age of scientific thinking. You can blame Trump for that, but there are other factors, too. In a significant part of the U.S. as well as other countries, science is increasingly seen as just another belief system, a kind of modern voodoo that maybe you happen to believe in, maybe not. As a person who has devoted her life to science, what do you think about that?
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Sadly, it's also not just coming from the outside, from people like Trump. There are also people who used to be scientists who talk about science being broken and not working. What that means for scientists like myself is to just hold very firmly against that. We have the scientific method, which is basically that every bit of science we do is testable. We can run experiments and see if something is true or not. And voodoo is not testable. That's the key difference. That of course means that science can be wrong and can be overturned, but that's actually the strength of science. It shows that it is working when we learn something new. And I mean, you cannot say you don't believe in science and drive a car because without science, you would never have a car. You would never have been able to turn that fossil fuel into kinetic energy. And if you don't believe in science, well, I hope you never step into an airplane.
Contributing Writer Jeff Goodell's most recent book is The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet.
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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 past 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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By Diana Lodderhose
International Features Editor
“I've made a living doing rewrites for other people and writing scripts for other people, but I've only made three films for myself, and I made them under the conditions that I would have as complete creative control as was possible,” Kenneth Lonergan told a group of budding writers at Dublin's screenwriting festival Storyhouse.
The Manchester by the Sea and You Can Count on Me filmmaker imparted his advice about how to carve a screenwriting career in the film business during a lengthy keynote conversation with Room and Frank director Lenny Abrahamson.
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“In my case, I had to have protectors who were more powerful than I was. But I found them and got them and secured them and made sure that they could protect me. And one out of three times they were unable to protect me – I went through a lot of trouble in my second film, trying to keep the film where I wanted it. But they will change the script and fire you and cast people you don't like if you don't have some contractual say over these processes.”
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When probed about the current state of the film industry, Lonergan said he pined for the type of bold filmmaking that existed in the 1970s. “I was brought up on very good movies, which I'm sorry to say, is not the case with the average movie going person since then.
“The general quality was through the roof compared to any time since then. It just wasn't the fashion to underline all the themes and have everything mean something and to tell the moral of the story in the first ten minutes and make sure the audience knew whose side of the spectrum you fell on, politically and socially.”
He continued: “I don't think people are any less talented, but the zeitgeist, the way Hollywood thinks it's going to make money, has changed profoundly and hasn't really changed back. Everything that's come since then has been against the tide rather than with the tide of the product that's being turned out. So, it's not even that people are making sentimental, pseudo, profound messaging movies now because they're being told to – they're sort of doing it. They're getting ahead of the game before they even need to.”
Lonergan stressed that originality is key, and a writer's individual voice is “the most interesting thing you have to offer.”
“Your job is to protect and preserve that and to have respect for your autonomy and your own individuality and not be subverted by borrowing tropes.”
The writer-director spoke at length about his different processes in filmmaking across his three films You Can Count on Me, Margaret and Manchester by the Sea and when probed by Abrahamson about the opening of the latter film, where Casey Affleck's character is on a boat with his nephew (whom he eventually becomes the legal guardian of later in the movie), Lonergan admitted that sequence was not in the script and when they shot it, instinctively he felt it would make for a good opening sequence.
“That scene was a function of the credits and the credit sequence and dialogue at the very beginning of the film was improvised by Casey Affleck. He's a very good improviser and I just asked him to start making stuff up.”
He continued: “If you have a good instinct, it's good to trust it and to recognize that you're having one and it's probably valuable. The only technique that I can identify on my own is to notice that when the breezes start to blow in my favor and I get a favorable wind, I tend not to ask about it but to just go with it until it dies out and the wind starts blowing in my face again.”
Lonergan, who is also a prolific playwright, told the audience that he is currently “working on several things at once.”
“They're shouldering each other out of the way and it's the most productive form of procrastination that I've ever, ever developed,” he quipped. “I don't like to talk about it too much but I'm working on two screenplays and a television project, and I don't know which is going to be first.”
“If I can keep the balance that I'm at now, none of them will ever appear.”
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By Caroline Frost
pmc-media-editor-2024
Filmmaker Paul Schrader is the subject of a lawsuit by a former personal assistant, who alleges that he sexually assaulted and harassed her during her time of employment, reports The Independent newspaper.
The UK title adds that these allegations, the subject of a lawsuit filed in civil court by the unnamed woman, came to light after Schrader reneged on a confidential settlement previously agreed and the complainant filed a new affadavit in New York State Supreme Court.
AP News reports that the complainant is seeking a judge's order to enforce the agreement after Schrader said he couldn't go through with it. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
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'Oh, Canada' Star Richard Gere And Director Paul Schrader Explain Why The 'American Gigolo' Reunion Took So Long: "The Right Thing Hadn't Occurred"
Schrader's attorney Philip Kessler told The Independent that the filmmaker – whose screenwriting credits include Taxi Driver, American Gigolo and Raging Bull and an Oscar nomination for 2017's First Reformed – denied all the allegations made against him, calling it “a desperate, frivolous and opportunistic claim.” We have reached out to Schrader's legal representatives for comment.
The former personal assistant, aged 26, made allegations in the lawsuit arising fro her time working for Schrader 2021 to September 2024, including:
That Schrader used his position of power to sexually assault the complainant, luring her into a hotel room, forcibly grabbing and kissing her, then three days later forcing her into his hotel room where he exposed himself;
Schrader “force[d] her to work in a sexually hostile, intimidating, and humiliating environment on a daily, if not hourly, basis”;
A “barrage” of harassment by Schrader, including, among other things, “forced exposure of his genitals, unwanted sexual advances, repeatedly professing his love and desire to touch Ms. Doe (both verbally and via numerous emails), and near-constant inappropriate sexual questions and lewd and misogynistic commentary”;
Schrader fired her last September after she rejected his advances.
Schrader's attorney said: “The underlying intentions of the plaintiff here contain many very material inaccuracies, and are obviously designed to paint Mr. Schrader in a very false light, in an effort to intimidate and coerce him into settling. And just to be very clear, Mr. Schrader never had sex in any form with the plaintiff, nor did he ever attempt such a thing. We will vigorously defend this.”
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Schrader's attorney denies the accusations, calling the legal filing a “desperate, opportunistic and frivolous lawsuit to enforce a settlement that was never signed by” the 'Taxi Driver' and 'Raging Bull' screenwriter.
By
Carly Thomas
Associate Editor
Paul Schrader, the screenwriter behind Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, American Gigolo and Affliction, has been accused of sexually harassing his former assistant and backing out of making settlement payments.
In a lawsuit filed in New York on Thursday, the 26-year-old woman, identified as Jane Doe, claims Schrader sexually assaulted her during the Cannes Film Festival last year “by luring her into a hotel room and forcibly grabbing her and kissing her, despite her verbal protests.” Schrader was at Cannes for the premiere of his latest film, Oh, Canada.
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The woman — who worked for Schrader from May 2021 to September 2024 — managed to free herself and flee the hotel room, the suit states.
Related Video
Three days later, the woman went back to the screenwriter's hotel room after “receiving numerous calls and angry text messages, in which Defendant Schrader claimed that he was ‘dying' and could not pack his own bags,” according to the lawsuit. When he opened the door, Schrader allegedly was “wearing nothing but an open bathrobe, with his penis fully exposed.”
The woman states that she packed his bags “in terrified silence” as quickly as possible before leaving his hotel room.
The lawsuit claims Schrader “repeatedly demonstrated in writing that he understood his conduct was unwelcome and offensive” to his former assistant, “yet he knowingly proceeded to harass and forcibly touch her.” The complaint includes emails the screenwriter allegedly sent to Jane Doe, such as writing to her on May 22, 2023, “I sense you are uncomfortable with my affection for you.”
After allegedly refusing Schrader's sexual advances, the woman claims he “retaliated against her and terminated her employment” in September 2024.
Two days later, the suit alleges Schrader sent his former assistant an email in “full acknowledgment of his unlawful and predatory behavior,” writing, “So I fucked up. Big time. … If I have become a Harvey Weinstein in your mind then of course you have no choice but to put me in the rearview mirror.”
After, the lawsuit states the woman retained legal counsel and that their attorneys agreed on a settlement for Schrader to pay a confidential amount to resolve her allegations. However, Schrader allegedly put off signing the agreement. After several weeks, the woman's attorney claims Schrader decided that he “could not live with himself” if he accepted the settlement and repudiated the binding agreement.
Schrader's attorney, Philip Kessler, told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday that the legal filing is a “desperate, opportunistic and frivolous lawsuit to enforce a settlement that was never signed by Schrader.”
Kessler said that the accusations mentioned in the suit are “in many respects inaccurate, in other respects materially misleading and exaggerated. Mr. Schrader never had sex with his former assistant. He never tried to have sex with his former assistant. The circumstances here will be shown to have been blown very wildly out of proportion to reality.” He added, “We intend to vigorously defend the case.”
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By
Tomás Mier
Billy McFarland denied reports of the government of Playa Del Carmen stating “no registration exists” for his Fyre Fest 2 event on the books for next month. Hours after the Mexican city's statement Friday, McFarland alleged that he had his paperwork in order for the event to take place.
“Fyre has been working directly with the government of Playa del Carmen (PDC) and their officials since March 5, 2025 to ensure a safe and successful event,” wrote the convicted fraudster. “All media reports suggesting our team has not been working with the government of PDC are simply inaccurate and based on misinformation.”
McFarland added: “Fyre has operated as a good partner with PDC government and has followed the proper processes and procedures to lawfully host an event.”
A post shared by FYRE FESTIVAL (@fyrefestival)
In his post, McFarland shared alleged screengrabs of emails with supposed members of the Playa Del Carmen government, photos of supposed permit approvals, and screengrabs of an Instagram page mentioning the second Fyre Festival event.
Earlier in the day, the tourist town denied that Fyre Fest 2 would be happening there, just weeks after the tourist board of Isla Mujeres — a different city McFarland advertised as its host — also said the event “does not exist.”
“Neither this event nor any event with its name will occur in our city,” the Quintana Roo's government shared in a statement. “After looking over the information around the situation, we can confirm that there have been no registrations, planning, or conditions to indicate that this will happen in our municipality.”
McFarland shared ticket details for the event in February, allegedly scheduled for May 30 to June 2, with pricing starting at $1,400. “I'm sure many people think I'm crazy for doing this again,” McFarland said at the time. “But I feel I'd be crazy not to do it again. After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for Fyre 2.”
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Earlier this week, McFarland claimed that the event had 1,800 confirmed guests and that its lineup would feature rappers, DJs, pilots, creators, and athletes, but did not share who would actually be attending.
McFarland previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges related to the disastrous first Fyre Festival and was released from prison in 2022 after serving less than four years.
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"it pains me to say this because i am so excited to bring you a creation that i have poured my soul into," Twigs announces on social media.
By
Katie Atkinson
Executive Digital Director, West Coast
FKA Twigs announced Friday night (April 4) that she has to cancel the remainder of her April tour dates in North America due to “ongoing visa issues.” The announcement affects her scheduled performances during weekends 1 and 2 at Coachella in Indio, California, later this month, as well as this weekend's AXE Ceremonia in Mexico City.
“im devastated to share the news that due to ongoing visa issues i am not able to see through any of my scheduled tour dates for the remainder of april across north america, including ceremonia and coachella,” Twigs announced via X (formerly Twitter). “it pains me to say this because i am so excited to bring you a creation that i have poured my soul into and i believe is amongst my strongest work and i know this news impacts so many of you that have already made plans and spent money in order to see these shows.”
As for when Stateside fans can expect to see Twigs perform again, she promised she's “working to reschedule the affected dates as quickly as possible.”
Trending on Billboard
“for headline shows, please refer to your point of purchase for details and refund information,” her statement continued. “back to you all with more updates as soon as i have them — in the meantime here are some of my favourite parts of the show that we worked so hard to create.”
As part of her post, the performer shared four photos, in black-and-white and screaming red, from her tour dates across Europe so far, with the Eusexua Tour kicking off last month in Paris and continuing through dates in London, ending March 22.
Brazilian pop star Anitta also dropped out of Coachella last month, “due to unexpected personal reasons.”
Find FKA Twigs' full post about the cancellation of her April dates below:
im devastated to share the news that due to ongoing visa issues i am not able to see through any of my scheduled tour dates for the remainder of april across north america, including ceremonia and coachella. it pains me to say this because i am so excited to bring you a creation… pic.twitter.com/0VfhbC39Na
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Billboard Japan caught up with the boy band & asked about the appeal of their new songs.
By
Billboard Japan
Travis Japan continues to expand their reach in its home country and around the world in 2025, taking on challenges on a global scale. The popular boy band is currently on the road promoting its second album VIIsual — which topped the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart after dropping in December — traveling to eight cities around the country for the domestic Travis Japan Concert Tour 2025 VIIsual tour that kicked off in January. The group is also set to tour Asia and the U.S. for its second global trek this summer.
Billboard Japan caught up with the six members (Noel is currently taking a break for health reasons), who continue to improve themselves by learning from each other, and asked about the appeal of their new songs “Say I do” and “Tokyo Crazy Night.” The group also looked back on their world tour from last year that took them to six cities around the globe and shared some takeaways from the experience.
Trending on Billboard
Could you share your impressions from your first world tour, Travis Japan World Tour 2024 Road to A, which took place last fall?
Shizu: We toured six cities around the world to promote our first album Road to A, and were able to interact further with our fans outside of Japan. I felt like I'd been given a very valuable experience. The venues weren't exactly big, but I was glad we were able to show the appeal of Travis Japan that can only be expressed on those kinds of stages. We had a lot of fun on tour, learning the local languages along the way.
Shime: It was our first time doing it, so of course I was looking forward to it but also a little worried about how it would go. But when we actually got on stage, the audience got really excited and cheered so much. Our fans taught us some of the local languages in-between songs, and we learned a lot on that world tour.
Chaka: We'd been waiting to do a global tour since our debut in October 2022, so when it finally became a reality, we boarded the plane with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. It was a completely new environment for us, but we went on stage with the confidence that our fans had given us, and the entertainment that we'd built up. Above all, I thought it was wonderful that we were able to connect with people through entertainment. We could have done better in certain aspects, but I think it was a very fruitful tour.
Genta: After experiencing the world tour that the seven of us had been aiming to do, there were definitely some fun parts, but also a lot of difficult parts. But as the other members said, we gained a lot of experience and everything we went through made us stronger. I'm really grateful that we were able to show our performances on stage with the support of our fans and staff who have stood by us. I was also happy to have experienced the culture and food of each country we visited. I strongly felt that I want us to keep expanding our reach and gain more experience.
Machu: It was our dream and a huge goal that we'd been working towards, so I was really happy that it came true. Up until then, we'd been getting responses through social media from our fans overseas who couldn't come to our domestic tours, but when we were able to communicate with them directly in their home countries, we realized once again just how many people were supporting us. It was a really wonderful opportunity.
Umi: It really hit home how big the world is after we did our global tour, and I could feel firsthand just how many fans were waiting for us. I had a really great time, but simultaneously felt that I need to study languages more.
You're stepping into new genres with “Say I do” and “Tokyo Crazy Night.”
Umi: It does feel like “Say I do” is a kind of song we've never done before. We don't have many songs where we open up like that to the love interest, so I was happy we could sing lyrics like that, and that karaoke-friendly sound is really good, too.
Machu: The lyrics are straightforward, aren't they? It's a love song that really gets the message across.
Shizu: I think it's delightful because it's pop and uses sounds that make people feel happy.
Shime: I also think the lyrics are really good. The part that goes, “The illumination in my heart lights up every time I see you,” I wonder if our fans think like every time they come to our shows. I think there are parts that everyone can relate to.
“Say I do” is the theme song for Honnou Switch, the drama series starring Chaka.
Chaka: When I read the lyrics, I could imagine the situation in the drama, and I feel that (the lyrics and drama) are strongly linked. There are two people who love each other, and the lyrics are full of both their feelings and the messages they convey to each other. I also think it's cute that there's a development in the lyrics. Expressing that kind of feel is a new side of TJ. It's fun discovering we can express things like this too.
Genta: We put aside our “weapons” (dance) for the first time in the accompanying music video and set up a company called Doki Doki Ren'ai Sodanjo (Racing Heart Love Consultation Center). We work there as employees and solve people's problems.
“Tokyo Crazy Night” is the theme song for the drama series Tokyo Camouflage Hour, starring Machu.
Machu: It's retro-style city pop and so cool, and matches the drama it accompanies. It's also a genre we've never tried before, so I think our fans will be able to see a new side of us.
Shime: I really like the chorus. The melody of the chorus, the rhythm of the song, and the background sounds all go really well together, and it's a lot of fun to sing. It's a cool song, so we have to sing it in a cool way, but it's just so fun. I want our fans to sing it at karaoke with cool expressions on their faces.
You have a second world tour lined up this year.
Machu: During our first trek, we directly sensed how much so many people support us, and having experienced that means a lot. This time, we can plan ahead from the rehearsal stage and include things like, “Let's make a section where we sing together with the crowd” so we can kick up this year's global tour a notch from last year's. I want to deliver a lot of thanks again this year too.
Genta: We hope to be able to deliver Travis Japan's performance to more people, while making use of the experience we gained last year. The theme songs for the drama series starring members have also been released, so I want to convey the appeal of those new songs as well.
Chaka: I'm going to take the feelings and love we received from everyone on our domestic tour, the performances we want to show and deliver, plus our wonderful songs, put them all in a carry-on case and board those planes!
Machu: What the heck do you mean? Sounds like you'll get stopped at the security checkpoints.
Shime: [Laughs] I want to spread lots of happiness. We'll all work hard to put on shows that will make you love Travis Japan's performances and entertainment even more.
Shizu: Every time we perform during our tours and events overseas, the number of people we want to see again increases, and it feels like our family is growing. I'm sure there will be fans from each country who will be coming to our shows for the first time, so I want to give it my all to make them feel like they're part of our family too. We want to make this a tour that people want to come back to, and also want to create a space that makes us want to go back.
Umi: Being able to perform for local fans on our world tour is a really big deal for us. There are things you can't understand until you feel the passion of the local fans directly, so we'll perform with the same power as everyone waiting for us, and it'd be great if we can make them happy with our dancing and singing.
Travis Japan World Tour 2025 VIIsual
Jul 25 – Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY
Jul 27 – The Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, CA
Taipei – coming soon
Hong Kong – coming soon
Bangkok – coming soon
–This interview by Atsuo Nagahori first appeared on Billboard Japan
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The Redux Series is now paying homage to the Ramones.
By
Published
Magnetic Eye's Redux Series was created by artists to pay tribute to some of the classic albums that inspired them, and now, the Ramones are in the spotlight as Marc Urselli crafts a redux version paying tribute to the classic punk band, due out on the 6th of June, titled Marc Urselli's Best of Ramones Redux.
The most recent single off the collection of tracks sees metal legends VOÏVOD joined by FOETUS frontman, JG Thirwell, recreating the classic, "Zero Zero UFO."
Rowdy, loud, and in your face, it's everything that you would expect a Ramones cover to sound like. In a good way.
Once you've had a look at the tracklist below, you can pre-order the album here.
Best of Ramones Redux Tracklist1. Voivod feat. JG Thirlwell 'Zero Zero UFO'2. Destructo Disk feat. Timo Ellis 'I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed'3. Impostor Cult feat. Amy Tung Barrysmith 'Pet Sematary'4. Oscar Dunbar & The Heat Inc. 'You're Gonna Kill That Girl'5. Daniele Brusaschetto & Chvad SB 'I Can't Be'6. So Hideous feat. Gary Lucas 'The KKK Took My Baby Away'7. King Potenaz & Nefariant 'Time Has Come Today'8. Venamoris feat. Eicca Toppinen 'I Want You Around'9. Kayo Dot & Ihsahn 'Teenage Lobotomy'10. Duel 'Chinese Rock'11. Raw Power feat. Sergio Milani -'I Don't Care'12. Zeni Geva & Besvärjelsen 'You Should Never Have Opened that Door'13. Restless Spirit feat. Jeff Matz 'Poison Heart'14. David J & Paul Wallfisch 'I Wanna Be Sedated'
The most recent single off the collection of tracks sees metal legends VOÏVOD joined by FOETUS frontman, JG Thirwell, recreating the classic, "Zero Zero UFO."
Rowdy, loud, and in your face, it's everything that you would expect a Ramones cover to sound like. In a good way.
Once you've had a look at the tracklist below, you can pre-order the album here.
Best of Ramones Redux Tracklist1. Voivod feat. JG Thirlwell 'Zero Zero UFO'2. Destructo Disk feat. Timo Ellis 'I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed'3. Impostor Cult feat. Amy Tung Barrysmith 'Pet Sematary'4. Oscar Dunbar & The Heat Inc. 'You're Gonna Kill That Girl'5. Daniele Brusaschetto & Chvad SB 'I Can't Be'6. So Hideous feat. Gary Lucas 'The KKK Took My Baby Away'7. King Potenaz & Nefariant 'Time Has Come Today'8. Venamoris feat. Eicca Toppinen 'I Want You Around'9. Kayo Dot & Ihsahn 'Teenage Lobotomy'10. Duel 'Chinese Rock'11. Raw Power feat. Sergio Milani -'I Don't Care'12. Zeni Geva & Besvärjelsen 'You Should Never Have Opened that Door'13. Restless Spirit feat. Jeff Matz 'Poison Heart'14. David J & Paul Wallfisch 'I Wanna Be Sedated'
Rowdy, loud, and in your face, it's everything that you would expect a Ramones cover to sound like. In a good way.
Once you've had a look at the tracklist below, you can pre-order the album here.
Best of Ramones Redux Tracklist1. Voivod feat. JG Thirlwell 'Zero Zero UFO'2. Destructo Disk feat. Timo Ellis 'I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed'3. Impostor Cult feat. Amy Tung Barrysmith 'Pet Sematary'4. Oscar Dunbar & The Heat Inc. 'You're Gonna Kill That Girl'5. Daniele Brusaschetto & Chvad SB 'I Can't Be'6. So Hideous feat. Gary Lucas 'The KKK Took My Baby Away'7. King Potenaz & Nefariant 'Time Has Come Today'8. Venamoris feat. Eicca Toppinen 'I Want You Around'9. Kayo Dot & Ihsahn 'Teenage Lobotomy'10. Duel 'Chinese Rock'11. Raw Power feat. Sergio Milani -'I Don't Care'12. Zeni Geva & Besvärjelsen 'You Should Never Have Opened that Door'13. Restless Spirit feat. Jeff Matz 'Poison Heart'14. David J & Paul Wallfisch 'I Wanna Be Sedated'
Once you've had a look at the tracklist below, you can pre-order the album here.
Best of Ramones Redux Tracklist1. Voivod feat. JG Thirlwell 'Zero Zero UFO'2. Destructo Disk feat. Timo Ellis 'I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed'3. Impostor Cult feat. Amy Tung Barrysmith 'Pet Sematary'4. Oscar Dunbar & The Heat Inc. 'You're Gonna Kill That Girl'5. Daniele Brusaschetto & Chvad SB 'I Can't Be'6. So Hideous feat. Gary Lucas 'The KKK Took My Baby Away'7. King Potenaz & Nefariant 'Time Has Come Today'8. Venamoris feat. Eicca Toppinen 'I Want You Around'9. Kayo Dot & Ihsahn 'Teenage Lobotomy'10. Duel 'Chinese Rock'11. Raw Power feat. Sergio Milani -'I Don't Care'12. Zeni Geva & Besvärjelsen 'You Should Never Have Opened that Door'13. Restless Spirit feat. Jeff Matz 'Poison Heart'14. David J & Paul Wallfisch 'I Wanna Be Sedated'
Best of Ramones Redux Tracklist1. Voivod feat. JG Thirlwell 'Zero Zero UFO'2. Destructo Disk feat. Timo Ellis 'I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed'3. Impostor Cult feat. Amy Tung Barrysmith 'Pet Sematary'4. Oscar Dunbar & The Heat Inc. 'You're Gonna Kill That Girl'5. Daniele Brusaschetto & Chvad SB 'I Can't Be'6. So Hideous feat. Gary Lucas 'The KKK Took My Baby Away'7. King Potenaz & Nefariant 'Time Has Come Today'8. Venamoris feat. Eicca Toppinen 'I Want You Around'9. Kayo Dot & Ihsahn 'Teenage Lobotomy'10. Duel 'Chinese Rock'11. Raw Power feat. Sergio Milani -'I Don't Care'12. Zeni Geva & Besvärjelsen 'You Should Never Have Opened that Door'13. Restless Spirit feat. Jeff Matz 'Poison Heart'14. David J & Paul Wallfisch 'I Wanna Be Sedated'
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From Metallica to "Weird" Al Yankovic.
These crossovers kick ass!
King of Staten Island, meet the King of Punk.
Welcome to “Humor of the Beast,” a recurring series where we interview the funniest people about their favorite band, as well as the impact...
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Lifestyle challenging influencer with penchant for the paranormal stages scary stunts such as sleeping graveyards to debunk ancient rituals
An influencer in China smashes temples and sleeps in a graveyard in a strange attempt to debunk superstitions, hoping to promote science.
Zhang Shulin, 25, from Shandong province in eastern China, is a lifestyle challenging influencer with nearly 3 million followers on mainland social media.
At first, his challenges were lighthearted, such as playfully interrupting middle-aged women dancing in public squares, but they got little attention online.
Inspired by his fans, in June 2023 Zhang took on his first paranormal challenge by spending a night in Fengmen Village, an abandoned spot in Henan province, central China which is nicknamed the country's “ghost village”.
The settlement has appeared in numerous Chinese horror films, and local legend has it that anyone who sleeps there will never make it out.
Led by a local guide, Zhang and his assistant found a dusty old house, stayed the night, and left unharmed.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
An alien encounter in Siberia 35 years ago turned a Soviet military unit into stone, with two of them managing to survive the strange encounter. This has been revealed in 250-page top-secret documents that reached the CIA and were declassified in 2000. A Soviet military unit, during an exercise, spotted a flying saucer hovering above them. Someone shot the spacecraft, which fell to the ground.
Five humanoids, or aliens, stepped out of the wreckage. They came together and merged into a ball before exploding and releasing intense energy that reportedly turned 23 of the 25 men into stone.
The documents about the terrifying alien encounter came up for discussion on Josh Hooper's Evil podcast. According to the documents, at that time, the US government had known about the existence of aliens and what they looked like for 80 years.
Also Read: What caused the mysteriously glowing spinning orb in the UK skies?
But the encounter proved them wrong in many ways, and their weapons and technology far surpassed their assumptions.
The documents reportedly further suggest that the debris from the spacecraft and the remains of the soldiers were moved to a secret research base near Moscow.
The document subject reads, "Paper reports alleged evidence on mishap involving UFO."
Also Read: Aliens cannot live on a planet where this one element is present, scientists say
The exact year in which the chilling incident happened is not mentioned in the papers. It is assumed that the alien visit in Siberia happened between 1989 and 1990. The story was also carried by the Ukrainian newspaper Holos Ukrayiny on March 27, 1993. The United States found the KGB documents detailing the alien encounter after the fall of the Soviet Union.
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The paper states that while the Soviet military unit was carrying out routine training manoeuvres, a low-flying spaceship in the shape of a saucer appeared above them. Someone then launched a surface-to-air missile and shot it down. What led to the attack is now known. The spacecraft fell down, and out came "five short humanoids with large heads and large black eyes."
Citing the two soldiers who survived, the documents state that the aliens freed themselves from the debris and came close together. They "merged into a single object that acquired a spherical shape." The object started buzzing and hissing sharply and turned bright white.
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The sphere started to expand and exploded, releasing an extremely bright light. This turned 23 soldiers into stone poles. Two soldiers who were in the shadow and less exposed to the light survived.
The remains were transferred to a secret scientific research institution near Moscow. The stone into which the soldiers were transformed had almost the same molecular structure as limestone. The source of light used by the aliens is still unknown to humans, the documents state.
A CIA representative states, "If the KGB file corresponds to reality, this is an extremely menacing case."
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