Daily Briefing: Stocks take a plunge
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Follow the lead of this 71-year-old spreading kindness.
Quick look at Monday's news:
- Markets plunged in the wake of President's Donald Trump announcement of a sweeping tariff regime.
- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. backed the measles vaccine (surprisingly).
- UConn women celebrated the NCAA national title.
A lot of arrows pointing down on financial markets
U.S. stock futures plunged Monday following fears President Donald Trump has ignited a trade war that will lead to higher prices and a recession.
Look ahead to a bruising day on Wall Street on Monday: With the stock market poised to plummet, President Trump on Sunday night defended his massive tariffs, saying "sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something."
- But it's a tough pill to swallow: International markets charted down Monday as stocks, oil and bitcoin also fell overnight.
- Isn't medicine supposed to heal? Trump has argued tariffs will rejuvenate America's declining domestic manufacturing sectors.
- What should I do about my investments? You don't want to withdraw money just yet — that may lock in any losses. But you might want to adjust your investment mix if you feel the volatility is too much to handle.
'The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine'
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Texas on Sunday after a second child died from measles amid an outbreak that began in January. The school-aged child, who was unvaccinated and had no underlying health conditions, died Thursday in the hospital from measles pulmonary failure, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. The death is among nearly 500 cases in Texas in an outbreak that has spread across 22 states. Kennedy, who has a controversial history of questioning the safety and efficacy of vaccines, backed the MMR vaccine to curb the spread of measles.
More news to know now
- Israeli leader Netanyahu is at White House Monday to talk the Gaza war.
- A plan for Medicare to cover weight-loss drugs was dropped.
- For some people overseas, Trump has dented Lady Liberty's promise.
- A federal judge said the deportation of a Maryland man "appears wholly lawless."
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Dangerously rising rivers are a new threat
Forecasters warned U.S. cities remain in peril Monday as river levels rise dangerously from Arkansas to Ohio. Some rivers in Kentucky were expected to exceed their flood stages by upward of 15 feet as waterways started to crest Sunday, according to estimates from the National Weather Service in Louisville. Torrential rainfall — which followed potent tornadoes earlier last week — has fueled flooding that has ravaged states in the central and southern U.S., shredding roofs, flattening homes and businesses, sending structures floating down rivers and leaving thousands without power. It was caused by what's basically a river in the sky.
Death becomes her
"I had a very good friend, and he passed away in tragic circumstances, and the funeral was horrible, It just didn't have anything to do with him. You could just tell there wasn't a lot of effort that was put into it."
~ Lanae Strovers, who told the Des Moines Register, part of the Paste BN Network, she became a funeral director after seeing how not to do the job. Strovers is one of a growing number of American women are breaking ground in the field of funeral services.
Today's talkers
- Let's talk "White Lotus" finale.
- The audience at "Saturday Night Live" ended up as part of the show this week.
- This change came to the Zelle app.
- Duke is still grappling with its epic Final Four meltdown.
- Get some eco-friendly pans.
A fantastical finale for UConn women
The UConn Huskies are national champions ... again. Head coach Geno Auriemma earned his 12th NCAA women's basketball championship Sunday, after an 82-58 rout over No. 1 seed South Carolina, a tremendous feat for his legendary career – the most of any men's or women's program in NCAA history. And UConn guard Paige Bueckers received her storybook ending Sunday, earning her first championship before heading to the WNBA. South Carolina struggled to match UConn's blistering pace.
- Houston and and Florida face off Monday night in the men's final.
Photo of the day: 'Hands off'
The "Hands Off" protests delivered the largest and most numerous demonstrations since Trump's second term began. Nationwide more than 500,000 people RSVP'd to attend one of 1,000 rallies to voice concerns over President Trump's actions since taking office.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.