Trump Levies Auto Import Tariffs

Good Thursday morning! Here are some of the most spectacular places to see flowers bloom this spring. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

• Honey bees: Historic losses

• Sudan: Army victory

• Signalgate: Latest fallout

• TikTok: Potential strategy

• Scooby-Doo: Netflix series

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Car wars

President Donald Trump will levy hefty tariffs on all imported vehicles.

• The news: A 25% tax will be applied to all cars not made in the U.S., the president said. Some imported car parts will also be subject to the tariffs. Charges on imported cars will begin on April 2; the tariffs on parts start sometime in May.

• Take note: About 8M cars were imported into the U.S. last year, making up about $240B in trade and about half of all domestic car sales. Many U.S. automakers also have manufacturing facilities in Canada and Mexico; those nations are expected to be exempt from the parts tariffs. Mexico is the biggest foreign car importer to the U.S.

• Trump's take: He said the tariffs are permanent and the only way to avoid taxes is to build cars in the U.S. The president said he expects the domestic auto industry "will flourish like it hasn't before."

• Up north: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney -- in the middle of snap election campaigning -- called the tariffs a "direct attack" on his nation's auto industry. He threatened reciprocal tariffs. 

• Big picture: The tariffs are another escalation by Trump as a global trade war threatens to break out. They also threaten to increase car prices for consumers and slow domestic production. But the president also said his pledged reciprocal tariffs on all nations will be more lenient than expected, cushioning the announcement.

2) Lotto changes

Mega Millions is getting an overhaul next month.

• The news: A revamped version of the multi-state lottery contest will begin April 8. The cost of a ticket will more than double to increase the size of each jackpot as well as lesser prizes. Jackpots will also grow faster and officials said the odds of winning will improve for each player.

• The numbers: A ticket will cost $5, a significant hike from the current $2 price. But starting jackpot levels will be $50M instead of $20M. Every winning ticket will pay at least double the purchase cost, or $10. The odds of winning will be one in 23 instead of one in 24. A random multiplier for each player could also send lesser prizes even higher than before.

• Big picture: This is only the second time in the game's 20-plus year history that ticket prices have risen. Officials said over 1.2K people have become millionaires playing the game in its history with seven jackpots of at least $1B paid out.

3) Play ball

It is Opening Day for Major League Baseball.

• The schedule: Twenty-eight of 30 clubs will be in action today. The first domestic game of the year starts at 3 p.m. ET when the New York Yankees host the Milwaukee Brewers. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers played a two-game regular season series in Japan earlier this month.

• Preseason outlook: The Dodgers enter the year favored to repeat as World Series champions, but the New York Mets and slugger Juan Soto are expected to be a top contender to win the National League pennant. The American League is considered more wide-open after Yankees ace Gerrit Cole suffered a season-ending elbow injury.

• Other notes: The Athletics will begin a multi-year stint playing in Sacramento's minor league stadium as they await their move to Las Vegas. The Tampa Bay Rays will play in the Yankees' spring training stadium after their building was damaged by Hurricane Milton. Longtime manager Terry Francona is back in the game at the helm of the Cincinnati Reds.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• Honey bee colonies nationwide face record-breaking losses this year. A Washington State University study found commercial populations could drop as much as 70% for myriad reasons (More)

• A Michigan woman is accused of a fatal DUI crash involving an Amish buggy. An 8-year-old girl in the buggy and a horse died in the incident; a 12-year-old in the buggy suffered critical injuries (More)

• The Supreme Court is expected to uphold a $8B program that subsidizes some high-speed internet and phone service nationwide. The services are provided to rural areas, low-income families and public institutions; its funding was accused of amounting to an unconstitutional tax (More)

World News

• Sudan's army regained control of the nation's capital city after two years of civil war. The victory in Khartoum is unlikely to end the conflict; the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary still holds considerable territory in the African country (More)

• Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will stand trial for an alleged coup attempt. He is accused of being aware of a plot by others to keep him in power after a 2022 election loss to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (More)

• NATO walked back claims four U.S. troops died during a training exercise in Lithuania. The Pentagon said they remained missing after Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the soldiers died; their vehicle was found submerged in water (More)

Political News

• The White House did not rule out firings after a reporter was inadvertently included in a discussion of air strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Atlantic published more information about the contents of the Signal app chat viewed by editor Jeffrey Goldberg (More | More)

• Florida's 6th Congressional District special election is within the margin of error, according to a new poll. Republican Randy Fine is in an unexpectedly competitive race with Democrat Jose Weil to fill the seat vacated by embattled National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (More)

• Former Louisiana Sen. J. Bennett Johnston died at 92. The Democrat served 25 years and specialized in the nuclear energy sector; he famously overcame a re-election challenge from white supremacist David Duke in 1990 (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed lower yesterday. The Nasdaq dropped over 370 points as it and the S&P 500 saw three-day winning streaks end (Dow -0.31%, Nasdaq -2.04%, S&P 500 -1.12% | More)

• President Trump said he may lower tariffs on China if Beijing approves a U.S. takeover of TikTok. He expressed confidence a deal for the social media platform is imminent and said he would extend the sale deadline to ban the app if necessary (More)

• Dollar Tree sold Family Dollar to a pair of private equity firms for $1B. The deal ends a decade-long effort to integrate the discount retail chains plagued by operational issues and limited synergies (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Netflix picked up a live-action Scooby-Doo series. The streamer ordered eight episodes; the program will reportedly be a modern retelling of the animated series (More)

• Lady Gaga will tour Europe and North America this summer and fall. The pop star previously announced spring shows in Brazil, Mexico and Singapore; she will visit six U.S. cities and Toronto (More)

• CBS play-by-player Jim Nantz said he hopes to retire at the 2036 Masters, the 100th edition of the major golf tournament. The 65-year-old will call the event for the 40th time this year; he is also the network's lead NFL voice (More)

Quick Hitters

• Feel Good: A puppy with severe skin condition was abandoned in England. But they have made a remarkable recovery and are on the road to a forever home.

• True Crime: A Florida man got made at his father. So he drove his car into the Atlantic Ocean.

• Go Deep: Hormone pellets are under-skin implants of estrogen or testosterone intended to slow down the aging process. The treatments are growing in popularity, but many questions remain.

• Take Note: People often must pass through three glass doors before exiting an airport terminal. There is an intentional reason for that.

• Life Hack: Air fryers are great for cooking, but they can be a pain to clean. Here are some tips on how to easily do so.

Watch This

The border between Canada and the U.S. is much stranger than you think.

Links

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• Old-school metal braces are making a comeback 😬

• Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ sequel will begin filming soon 🎥

• DOGE's 'Big Balls' is back in the news ⌨️

Looking Ahead …

There will be a partial solar eclipse early Saturday morning. It will only be visible in a handful of Northeastern states, as well as other parts of the world; here is everything you need to know.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

Should President Trump fire someone for the Signal chat snafu?

• Yes (56%)

• No (44%)