Good morning. In this edition:

• 📝 Trump pauses some tariffs and escalates pressure on China
• 🎉 Longest losing streak in college baseball snapped
• 🌕 Ancient structures in Ohio (of all places)

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.53-minute read (1,206 words).

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"If you go out looking for friends, you're going to find they are very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere."

–Zig Ziglar (1926-2012)

US stocks went soaring like a kite without a string yesterday, after President Trump announced plans to enact a 90-day pause on certain tariffs for nearly 100 countries, while also keeping his across-the-board 10% tariff in place and ramping up duties on China.

Catch up quick

In a Truth Social post shortly after noon CT, Trump said he authorized a 90-day pause in higher, individualized reciprocal tariffs for all countries outside of China, placing a hold on duties that had officially taken effect early yesterday morning.

• While the 90-day pause is in effect, the countries will be subject to Trump’s flat 10% tariff instead of more elevated rates on an individual basis, the President said.
• In the same Truth Social post, Trump also announced an increase in tariffs on China from 104% to 125% “effective immediately,” in response to Beijing saying earlier Wednesday that it will raise tariffs on US imports from 34% to 84%.

Driving the move: Trump told reporters that he decided to pause the bulk of his reciprocal tariff program due to growing concern over its effect on the US economy—and the bond market in particular.

Markets react: Trump’s decision to delay higher tariff enforcement for many countries sent US stocks into a sharp upswing. All three major indexes were down slightly prior to 12 pm CT, but rocketed upwards following Trump’s announcement to reach historic daily highs across the board:

• The Nasdaq (+12.1%) saw its largest percentage gain since 2001; the S&P 500 (+9.5%) recorded its biggest percentage bump since 2008; and the Dow set a record for most points gained in a single day (+2,963, or +7.9%).

Looking ahead…US officials say they expect global trading partners to offer deals over the next 90 days to reduce their tariffs—even China, who Trump says “wants to make a deal.”

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The Masters, the smallest but arguably most prestigious of pro golf’s four majors, tees off at Augusta National in Georgia later this morning. Here are some of the traditions that make the tournament unlike any other.

Cheap concessions: The entry cost is steep. But food and drink prices at Augusta National this week are low enough to make a low-rider jealous. The most expensive item on the menu is a $6 beer or glass of wine, with $1.50 egg salad sandwiches and $2 soft drinks also available.

Exclusive drip: Official Masters merch—like a branded shirt, hat, or the infamous garden gnome—is only available for purchase at the course during the week of the tournament. Another thing that can only be snagged at Augusta the week of the tourney: the famed Green Jacket (Gold Jacket?), given each year to the tournament’s winner.

No electronic devices allowed: All phones, cameras, etc. are banned on the property during competition.

All the holes are named after flowers: An homage to the property’s former use as a nursery containing thousands of flowering plants and trees imported from various countries.

While we’re on names: The Masters is more strict about words than a Catholic school nun teaching in the 1950s. Broadcast partners are required to use “patrons” instead of “fans” (since it’s short for “fanatical,” which the event doesn’t like) and “second cut” instead of “rough,” among other things.

As for this year’s gameplay…Here are some storylines to watch.

Last year we saw BRAT summer. Are we now in Narnia-Couture winter? Fashion runways worldwide have seen a sudden reemergence of fur pieces this season, both real and fake.

Growing fur-sure

Since early 2024, GenZ has spurred a resurgence of fur—though it seems to be limited to mostly vintage pieces for ethical reasons.

• On TikTok, views of videos about vintage coats have increased 243% over the past year, while Google searches for “vintage fur coats” have risen 688% since January 2023.
• Much of it can be attributed to the viral “mob wife aesthetic,” analysts told the Wall Street Journal.

Toeing the ethical line: Real fur garments have faced a series of controversies and bans in recent years from some animal rights activists, who argue the practice of fur farming and trapping is unnecessarily cruel to animals.

• In response, the fur industry is attempting to reposition itself as a sustainable and natural alternative to popular faux fur products.
• The majority of faux fur products are made from plastic, shed microfibers, won’t biodegrade, and hold on to stains and smells—making them inherently more disposable overall.

Big picture: This year’s Milan, New York, London, and Berlin Fashion Weeks all featured both real and fake furs, following ~7 years of strong anti-fur movements in luxury goods.

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What happens when The Benchwarmers meet The Bad News Bears? It seems both teams get to enjoy a sweet—but fleeting—taste of victory.

On Tuesday, a pair of D3 college baseball teams from New York City came into a doubleheader having lost a combined 141 consecutive games. But by the end of the day, the two longest active losing streaks in college baseball had finally been snapped.

Stoppable force🤝movable object: Yeshiva University, a Modern Orthodox Jewish school, entered Tuesday’s doubleheader having lost their previous 99 games, while opponent Lehman College was riding their own 42-game losing streak.

• Yeshiva lost Game 1 to extend their streak to 100 games—but later rallied to take Game 2 and send both teams home with a W.

While futile, neither program is even close to the WOAT. Fellow D3 baseball squad Caltech lost 228 consecutive games between 2003-2013—and also went 29 straight years without winning a single conference game (1988-2017).

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 💳 11.12% of credit-card accounts were making the minimum payment in Q4 2024, up from 10.87% in Q3 2024, per new Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia data; both figures represent record highs.
• ✍️ President Trump signed executive orders aimed at boosting the US coal industry, in part to meet the energy-intensive needs of artificial intelligence. | 🗳️ The House voted 217-211 to overturn a Biden-era rule limiting bank overdraft fees to $5; it now heads to President Trump to sign.
• 🛰️ Amazon delayed the launch of its first Kuiper internet satellites due to bad weather. | 🗣 Former Facebook exec Sarah Wynn-Williams testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee; she alleged Meta compromised national security by sharing US AI initiatives with China to expand its business there.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Four Leaf Rover

• 🙏 Dominican Republic nightclub collapse: The roof of the legendary Jet Set club in Santo Domingo collapsed early Tuesday, killing at least 124 people and injuring 250 others; the death toll includes merengue icon Rubby Pérez (who was singing) as well as former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco.
• 🎥 HBO’s The Last of Us was renewed for a third season ahead of Season 2’s premiere.
• 🎸 Tracy Chapman is re-releasing her debut album in celebration of its 35th anniversary. | 🌞 Coachella kicks off this weekend; see some of the most anticipated acts.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🪰 Harvard researchers used a combination of light and smells to control fruit flies and make them act like miniature robots.
• 🦕 Dinosaurs weren't in decline before the meteor that wiped them out ~66 million years ago, per a new study; researchers say the previous theory that dinos were shrinking in numbers and diversity comes from faulty fossil data.
• 🔥 The hottest Schrödinger's cat ever was created by physicists in a quantum technology breakthrough.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with MorningSave

• 🎓 The Trump admin froze $1+ billion in federal funding for Cornell and $790 million for Northwestern over alleged civil-rights violations.
• 📰 A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore the Associated Press’ access to presidential events after the White House exiled AP reporters over the org’s refusal to use “Gulf of America” in its stylebook.
• 🇺🇦🇨🇳 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least 155 Chinese nationals are fighting alongside Russia’s military in Ukraine; White House officials said the US is still working to confirm Zelensky’s assertion.

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👆 Octagon Earthworks, the largest remnant of hand-constructed hills in Ohio dating back ~2,000 years, is now open to the public for the first time in over a century. Researchers believe the site was built by the ancient Hopewell Culture, a mysterious civilization that left no written records. The structure is in perfect alignment with the moon and was likely used for shared rituals and worship.

🤔 Did You Know? During races, F1 drivers typically lose around 4.5–6.5 lbs due to sweating. Drivers are weighed before and after each race to ensure they meet the minimum weight requirement to drive.

📰 Worth a Read: How the misrepresentation of tomatoes as ‘poison apples’ made people afraid of them for 200+ years

🖱️ Clickbait: Raising a Ghost Town From the Dead

Yesterday we covered how Republicans in the House and Senate are split over approving a new budget extending Trump-era tax cuts.

❓ Our question to you: In general, do you agree with congressional Republicans’ plan to extend most or all of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts while also enacting cuts to federal spending?

• 👍 Yes: 31%
• 👎 No: 59%
• 🤷 Unsure/other: 10%

Click here to read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 2,261 votes and 239 longform responses.

🐱 A petition advocating for New York City to shield bodega owners from fines for their technically illegal "bodega cats" has racked up 10,000+ signatures and counting.

👁️ Jang Ik-sun, who's almost fully paralyzed and relies on a ventilator to breathe, recently earned his master's degree in social welfare from Gwangju University. Jang typed his 70,000-word thesis from his hospital bed—one blink at a time.

🐻 A crowd of adults and children alike erupted into applause in Newbury, UK, after a repaired Paddington Bear statue was unveiled following an earlier vandalization. See their celebration (and the statue) here.

Who are the three highest-grossing actresses of all time in terms of box office?

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1. Scarlett Johansson
2. Zoe Saldaña
3. Emma Watson

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