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04.02.2025

 

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Good morning. It's Wednesday, April 2, and we're covering an expected batch of tariffs, a historic crewed SpaceX flight, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.

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Need To Know
 

'Liberation Day' Arrives

President Donald Trump will announce a long-awaited plan for broad tariffs on several countries at 4 pm ET today. The White House has described the global trade overhaul as necessary to level the playing field while luring manufacturing back to the US. 

 

Details of the plan remain unclear, though options examined by the administration include a flat 20% tariff on most imports into the US (which analysts say could raise $6T in revenue) and reciprocal tariffs that seek to match import duties placed on US goods by other nations. Once announced, the tariffs are expected to take effect immediately. Exemptions to previously announced 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada will also expire today.

 

Proposed and enacted tariffs (see visual breakdown) have strained US relationships with allies, including the European Union and Canada, which have vowed to retaliate. Economists warn the tariffs could spur inflation, slow economic growth, and increase the risk of recession. 

 

Separately, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) broke the record for the longest speech on the Senate floor yesterday as he criticized the Trump administration's broad policy changes in a talk lasting 25 hours and 5 minutes.

 

Health Agency Layoffs

The US Department of Health and Human Services parted ways with roughly a quarter of its 82,000 workers yesterday as part of the Trump administration's ongoing reduction in force of the government’s 2.4 million workers. The layoffs bring the total estimated federal firings this year to more than 55,000 workers, not including those who accepted buyouts (roughly 75,000). Hundreds of thousands more reductions are expected in the coming months (see chart). 

 

The Food and Drug Administration saw the biggest cuts yesterday, with 3,500 employees dismissed (about 19% of its workforce), followed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2,400) and the National Institutes of Health (1,200). The cuts or reassignments—expected to cut $1.8B from HHS' $1.8T budget— included dozens of top health officials, including infectious disease expert Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, the successor to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

 

Elsewhere, the Department of Transportation offered buyouts to thousands of workers in exchange for pay and benefits through Sept. 30. 

 

Historic Polar Flight 

SpaceX launched its Fram2 mission this week, marking the first crewed spaceflight to orbit Earth over its poles. The Crew Dragon capsule Resilience carries four private astronauts: Maltese cryptocurrency entrepreneur and mission lead Chun Wang, Norwegian filmmaker and vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics engineer and pilot Rabea Rogge, and Australian medical officer and polar explorer Eric Phillips.

 

The crew is flying in a polar orbit at a 90-degree angle to the equator, a historically challenging path due to higher energy requirements and complex recovery logistics. During the three- to five-day mission, they will conduct 22 experiments, including X-ray imaging in space, studies on microgravity’s effects on human health, and attempts to grow mushrooms in space. Upon landing, the crew will test reacclimating to gravity without typical medical and mobility assistance.

 

The mission honors the Fram, a historic Norwegian ship that explored polar regions starting in the late 19th century. See the mission's first orbital views of Earth’s poles here (via X).

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In The Know
 

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> NFL owners approve several rule changes, including alterations to kickoffs, replays, and overtime (More) | NFL sets a tripleheader on Christmas, the first-ever Thursday games on the holiday, to be broadcast by Netflix and Amazon (More)

> Sony announces 2028 release date and the cast for a four-film Beatles project with each film centered on a member of the band (More) | "The Handmaid's Tale" sequel "The Testaments" confirmed for Hulu (More)

> Steve Kornacki, political correspondent known for his election night analysis, to depart MSNBC for chief data analyst role at NBC News and NBC Sports (More

1440 Society & Culture: This week, we're covering the long, dark career of Stephen King, from his influences to his legacy. Join here for free! 

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Science & Technology

> Physicists release proposal for a next-generation particle accelerator to eventually replace the Large Hadron Collider; the Future Circular Collider would have a circumference of almost 57 miles, probe particles beyond the Higgs boson (More) | Why is it called the "God Particle"? (More

> Tuna and swordfish hunt for the majority of their prey in the ocean's "twilight zone," roughly half a mile below the sea surface; study sheds light on the marine ecosystem of two of the most common commercial fish species (More

> Researchers link omega-6 fatty acid to an aggressive type of breast cancer; also known as linoleic acid, the molecule activates a major tumor growth pathway for "triple negative" cancers (More

 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow -0.0%, Nasdaq +0.9%) (More) | Elon Musk ($342B), Mark Zuckerberg ($216B), and Jeff Bezos ($215B) top Forbes annual list of world's billionaires; list features 3,028 people, up from last year (More)

> Conservative cable channel Newsmax shares rise 179% in second day of trading on NYSE; network now valued at over $16B, twice as much as The New York Times (More) | OpenAI closes $40B funding round, the most ever raised by a private tech company, valuing the ChatGPT maker at $300B (More

> Restaurant chain Hooters files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, sells company-owned restaurants to franchise group led by company’s founders (More) | Judge rejects Johnson & Johnson's $10B settlement plan over its talc-based baby powder (More

1440 Business & Finance: This week, we're diving deep into retail investors, from day trading to the GameStop saga. Newsletter comes out tomorrow—join here for free! 

 

Politics & World Affairs

> Democrat Susan Crawford defeats Republican Brad Schimel in Wisconsin Supreme Court race (More) | State Sen. Randy Fine (R) wins former Rep. Mike Waltz's (R) seat in Florida's 6th Congressional District; Jimmy Patronis (R) wins former Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R) seat in Florida's 1st Congressional District (More

> Trump administration sued by 23 states and Washington, DC, over decision to rescind $11B in health funding (More) | ICE admits to mistakenly deporting a Maryland man with protected legal status to an El Salvador prison, says the US is unable to bring him back (More) | Justice Department seeks death penalty for Luigi Mangione, charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (More)

> Russia calls up 160,000 men aged 18 to 30 for military service, marking the country's largest conscription effort since 2011(More

In partnership with Pendulum

'The Best Probiotic I've Ever Found'

 

This quote—plus hundreds and hundreds of 5-star reviews—make it clear that people are loving the Akkermansia probiotic from Pendulum. It supercharges your gut health, improves gut lining, boosts metabolic and digestive capabilities, and increases GLP-1 production.* Not too shabby.

 

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*Based on preclinical studies

Please support our sponsors!

Etcetera
 

World War II museum honors Rosie the Riveters.

 

Venice to host Jeff Bezos' wedding.

 

Why you might be tired despite getting enough sleep.

 

Coastal Carolina fans offered free concessions.

 

Farmer seeks to revive a biblical superfood.

 

Family's painting turns out to be an original Delacroix.

 

The science behind having room for dessert.

 

... and why we all should wander.

 

Clickbait: Introducing a new plaid frog.

 

Historybook: Ludwig van Beethoven premieres his First Symphony (1800); Danish author Hans Christian Andersen born (1805); Samuel Morse, inventor of Morse code, dies (1872); Singer Marvin Gaye born (1939); Pope John Paul II dies (2005).

"Death walks faster than the wind and never returns what he has taken."

- From Hans Christian Andersen's "The Story of a Mother"

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