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  • Trump warns he’s considering limited strikes as Iranian diplomat says proposed deal is imminent

    Trump warns he’s considering limited strikes as Iranian diplomat says proposed deal is imminent

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible even as the country’s top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days following nuclear talks with the United States.

    In response to a reporter’s question on whether the U.S. could take limited military action as the countries negotiate, Trump said, “I guess I can say I am considering that.” A few hours later, he told reporters that Iran “better negotiate a fair deal.”

    Earlier Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a TV interview that his country was planning to finalize a draft deal in “the next two to three days” to send to Washington.

    “I don’t think it takes long, perhaps, in a matter of a week or so, we can start real, serious negotiations on the text and come to a conclusion,” Araghchi said on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” show.

    The tensions between the longtime adversaries have ramped up as the Trump administration pushes for concessions from Iran and has built up the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East in decades, with more warships and aircraft on the way.

    On Friday, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea after being sent by Trump from the Caribbean, according to images of the ship by maritime photographers posted to social media.

    Both Iran and the U.S. have signaled that they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out. “We are prepared for diplomacy, and we are prepared for negotiation as much as we are prepared for war,” Araghchi said Friday.

    Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at the International Crisis Group, said Iran “would treat any kinetic action as an existential threat.”

    Vaez said he doesn’t think Iran’s leaders are bluffing when they say they would retaliate, while they likely believe they could maintain their hold on power despite any U.S. airstrikes.

    What Iran and the U.S. are negotiating

    Trump said a day earlier that he believes 10 to 15 days is “enough time” for Iran to reach a deal following recent rounds of indirect negotiations, including this week in Geneva, that made little visible progress. But the talks have been deadlocked for years after Trump’s decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Since then, Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.

    Araghchi also said Friday that his American counterparts have not asked for zero enrichment of uranium as part of the latest round of talks, which is not what U.S. officials have said publicly.

    “What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran’s nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and will remain peaceful forever,” he said.

    He added that in return, Iran will implement some confidence-building measures in exchange for relief on economic sanctions.

    In response to Araghchi’s claim, a White House official said Trump has been clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. The official wasn’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

    Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should only focus on its nuclear program and that it hasn’t been enriching uranium since U.S. and Israeli strikes last June on Iranian nuclear sites. Trump said at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as Tehran has barred international inspectors.

    Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.

    What Congress has to say

    Trump’s comments have faced pushback from some lawmakers who say the president should get Congress’ approval before any strike.

    Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said Friday that he has filed a war powers resolution that would require that step. Though it has no chance of becoming law — in part because Trump himself would have to sign it — some bipartisan consensus has arisen recently among senators who forced votes on previous resolutions on military action in Venezuela.

    None of those resolutions passed, but they were successful in showing how lawmakers are troubled by some of Trump’s aggressive foreign policy maneuvers.

    “If some of my colleagues support war, then they should have the guts to vote for the war, and to be held accountable by their constituents, rather than hiding under their desks,” Kaine said in a statement.

  • NASA targets March for first moon mission by Artemis astronauts after fueling test success

    NASA targets March for first moon mission by Artemis astronauts after fueling test success

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA aims to send astronauts to the moon in March after acing the latest rocket fueling test.

    Officials announced the decision Friday, two weeks ahead of the first targeted launch opportunity on March 6.

    “This is really getting real, and it’s time to get serious and start getting excited,” said Lori Glaze, NASA’s exploration systems development chief.

    Administrator Jared Isaacman noted that launch teams made “major progress” between the first countdown rehearsal, which was disrupted by hydrogen leaks earlier this month, and the second test, which was completed with exceptionally low seepage Thursday night.

    The test was “a big step toward America’s return to the lunar environment,” Isaacman said on the social media platform X. Astronauts last ventured to the moon more than half a century ago.

    While more work remains at the pad, officials expressed confidence in being ready to launch four astronauts on the Artemis II lunar fly-around as soon as March 6 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. To keep their options open, the three Americans and one Canadian prepared to go into the mandatory two-week health quarantine Friday night in Houston.

    The space agency has only five days in March to launch the crew aboard the Space Launch System rocket, before standing down until the end of April. February’s opportunities evaporated after dangerous amounts of liquid hydrogen leaked during the first fueling demonstration.

    Technicians replaced two seals, leading to Thursday’s successful rerun. The countdown clocks went all the way down to the desired 29-second mark.

    The removed Teflon seals had some light scratches but nothing else noticeable that could have caused such heavy leakage, officials said.

    A bit of moisture also was found in the area that could have contributed to the problem. The fixes worked, with barely any leakage detected, said launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.

    Commander Reid Wiseman and two of his crew monitored Thursday’s operation alongside launch controllers. The astronauts will be the first to fly to the moon since Apollo 17 closed out NASA’s first chapter in moon exploration in 1972.

    Still ahead is the flight readiness review, scheduled for late next week. If that goes well, the astronauts will fly back to Kennedy around the beginning of March for a real countdown.

    “Every night I look up at the moon and I see it and I get real excited because I can really feel she’s calling us, and we’re ready,” Glaze said.

    The nearly 10-day mission is considered a test flight with astronauts soaring atop the 322-foot SLS rocket for the first time. The only other SLS flight, in 2022, had no one on board.

    The next mission in the series, Artemis III, will attempt to land a pair of astronauts near the moon’s south pole in a few years.

    Given all the details still to be worked out for that mission — including whether Elon Musk’s SpaceX or Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will provide the lunar lander — Glaze said it will be months, perhaps even a year, before NASA selects that first moon-landing crew.

  • Trump administration eases limits on coal plants for emitting mercury, other toxins

    Trump administration eases limits on coal plants for emitting mercury, other toxins

    WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday weakened limits on mercury and other toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants, the Trump administration’s latest effort to boost the fossil fuel industry by paring back clean air and water rules.

    Toxic emissions from coal- and oil-fired plants can harm the brain development of young children and contribute to heart attacks and other problems in adults. The plants are also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. The EPA announced the move at a massive coal plant next to the Ohio River in Louisville, Ky.

    “The Trump EPA’s action follows the rule of law and will reduce of cost of generating baseload power, lowering costs and improving reliability for consumers,” EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi said in a statement. The agency said the change should save hundreds of millions of dollars.

    The final rule reverts the industry to standards first established in 2012 by the Obama administration that have reduced mercury emissions by nearly 90%. The Biden administration had sought to tighten those standards even further after the first Trump administration had moved to undermine them.

    Coal-fired power plants are the largest single human source of mercury pollutants. Power plants release the mercury into the atmosphere, which then falls in rain or simply by gravity, entering the food chain through fish and other items that people consume.

    Environmental groups said the tightened rules have saved lives and made communities that live near coal-fired power plants healthier. But industry groups argued that the tougher standards, along with other rules that limited emissions from coal plants, made operating them too expensive.

    They accused the Biden administration of piling on so many requirements that it would drive a rush of plant retirements.

    “The reliability of the electric grid is in a better place because of the administration’s swift repeal of this rule. As crafted, the rule would have dealt a crippling blow to power plants that are essential to maintaining grid reliability,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

    The coal industry’s outlook has changed dramatically in the last year.

    In March, the EPA promoted the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” announcing their intention to peal back dozens of environmental protections. The Biden administration’s focus on climate change was over — EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the actions marked “the death of the ‘green new scam.’” Fossil fuel rules were big targets, including major efforts to reduce carbon emissions from coal plants and mandate greenhouse gas reporting. The Trump administration has also extended deadlines for dozens of coal-fired power plants to comply with certain Clean Air Act rules.

    Beyond fewer environmental protections, the Trump administration has issued emergency orders halting the planned shutdown of several coal plants. Officials say the plants produce consistent power during major storms or at other times when need is high. Removing coal would reduce the grid’s reliability, especially at time when a rush of new data centers is demanding more than ever from the grid, they say. Officials have dismissed concerns about higher customer costs from keeping coal plants operating, their plentiful emissions, and their significant contribution to climate change.

    And earlier this month, the EPA revoked a finding that climate change is a threat to public health, which has long been the basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, President Donald Trump hosted a group of coal miners who honored him as the “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful, Clean Coal.”

    Activists say favoring coal makes little sense at a time when renewables are cleaner, cheaper, and reliable.

    Gina McCarthy, who headed the EPA under former President Barack Obama, said the Trump administration will be remembered for helping the coal industry at the expense of public health.

    “By weakening pollution limits and monitoring for brain-damaging mercury and other pollutants, they are actively spiking any attempt to make America – and our children – healthy,” said McCarthy, who is also the chair of the climate action group America Is All In.

    Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed.

  • Police search Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home a day after his arrest

    Police search Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home a day after his arrest

    LONDON — Police searched the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor again on Friday, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for nearly 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in having shared confidential trade information with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

    In another blow for the former Prince Andrew, the British government is considering formally removing him from the line of succession to the crown. Despite losing his status as prince and facing a police investigation, Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne. That can only be changed with new legislation.

    When the king stripped his brother of his titles in the fall, the government said passing a new law would not be a good use of Parliament’s time.

    Former Prince Andrew arrested and held for hours on suspicion of misconduct over ties to Epstein

    But that view has changed and the government is now considering legislation once the police investigation is finished. James Murray, the government’s chief secretary to the treasury, said “the government is considering any further steps that might be required, and we’re not ruling anything out.”

    The last time a royal was removed from the line of succession was after the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936, when the law was changed to strike him and any descendants from the list.

    Removing Andrew would also require agreement from more than a dozen other countries, including Jamaica, Canada, and Australia, that have the British monarch as head of state.

    Following one of the most tumultuous days in the modern history of Britain’s royal family, the former prince was back at his new residence on the Sandringham estate, King Charles III‘s private retreat, around 115 miles northeast of London.

    Police have concluded their search there, but are still searching Royal Lodge, his 30-room former home in the parkland near Windsor Castle, just west of the capital, where the king’s younger brother had lived for decades until his eviction earlier this month. Unmarked vans, believed to be police vehicles, have been entering the grounds Friday morning.

    The search is expected to continue for several days.

    Mountbatten-Windsor, who was pictured slouched in the back of his chauffeur-driven car following his release Thursday evening from a police station near Sandringham, remains under investigation, which means he has neither been charged nor exonerated by Thames Valley Police, the force responsible for areas west of London.

    Arrest was years in the making

    His arrest follows years of allegations over his links with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019.

    The accusation at the heart of his arrest is that Mountbatten-Windsor — who was known as Prince Andrew until October when his brother stripped him of his titles and honors and banished him from Royal Lodge — shared confidential trade information with the disgraced financier when he was a trade envoy for the U.K.

    Emails released last month by the U.S. Department of Justice appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore, and sending Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in Afghanistan.

    Thames Valley Police has previously said it was also reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the U.K. by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew. Thursday’s arrest had nothing to do with that.

    Other police forces are also conducting their own investigations into Epstein’s links to the U.K., including the assessment of flight logs at airports, large and small. They are coordinating their work within a national group.

    On Friday, London’s Metropolitan Police said it was assessing, with the help of U.S. counterparts, whether the capital’s airports, which include Heathrow, “may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation.”

    It also said that it’s asking past and present officers who protected Mountbatten-Windsor to “consider carefully” whether they saw or heard anything that may be relevant to the investigations.

    As of now, it said no new criminal allegations have been made regarding sexual offenses within its jurisdiction.

    Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his association with Epstein but has not commented on the most recent allegations that have emerged with the release of the so-called Epstein files.

    Arrest was sudden, investigation will take time

    Police swept into the grounds of Mountbatten-Windsor’s home to arrest him at 8 a.m. Thursday — his 66th birthday — before taking him to Aylsham police station for questioning.

    It’s not known what he told them. He may have said nothing, or “no comment,” as is his right.

    Experts said that misconduct in a public office is notoriously difficult to prove.

    “Firstly, it must be determined if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was in a role within government that constitutes the title of public officer,” said Sean Caulfield, a criminal defense lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen. “There is no standard definition to clearly draw on.”

    The Crown Prosecution Service will ultimately make a decision about charging Mountbatten-Windsor.

    Andrew Gilmore, a partner at Grosvenor Law, said that prosecutors will apply the two-stage test known as the “Code for Crown Prosecutors.”

    “That test is to determine whether there is a more realistic prospect of a conviction than not based on the evidence and whether the matter is in the public interest,” he said. “If these two tests are met, then the matter will be charged and proceed to court.”

    Arrest is not just unusual, it’s historic

    Mountbatten-Windsor was the first royal since King Charles I nearly four centuries ago to be placed under arrest. That turned into a seismic moment in British history, leading Charles’ beheading and the temporary abolition of the monarchy.

    Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest is arguably one of the gravest crises for the House of Windsor since its establishment more than 100 years ago. Arguably, only the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936, and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, have been as grave for the institution of the British monarchy in modern times.

    In a statement Thursday, the king said the “law must take its course,’’ but that as ”this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.’’

    The allegations are not related to Epstein’s sex trafficking

    The allegations being investigated Thursday are separate from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to Britain to have sex with the prince in 2001, when she was just 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year.

    Still, Giuffre’s sister-in-law Amanda Roberts said that she was overjoyed when she got a phone call at 3 a.m. telling her the news of the arrest. But those feelings of elation were quickly complicated by the realization that she couldn’t share the feelings of “vindication” with Giuffre.

    “We can’t tell her how much we love her, and that everything that she was doing is not in vain,” Roberts added tearfully.

  • Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia reaches its maximum height after more than a century

    Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia reaches its maximum height after more than a century

    BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona’s towering Sagrada Familia basilica reached its maximum height on Friday, though the magnum opus of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí remains years away from completion.

    A crane placed the upper arm of a cross atop the Tower of Jesus Christ, the church’s soaring central piece, which now stands 566 feet above the city.

    With Friday’s addition, the Sagrada Familia inched closer to being done. The unfinished monument became the world’s tallest church last year after another part of its central tower was lifted into place.

    The first stone of the Sagrada Familia was placed in 1882, but Gaudí never expected it to be completed in his lifetime. Only one of its multiple towers was finished when he died at the age of 73 in 1926, after being hit by a tram.

    In recent decades, work has sped up as the basilica became a major international tourist attraction, with people enthralled by Gaudí’s radical aesthetic that combines Catholic symbolism and organic forms.

    Inside, the Tower of Jesus Christ is still being worked on. Those who wish to actually see the cross will have to wait until the tower’s inauguration this summer, when the scaffolding surrounding it will be removed, according to the church.

    Topping the central tower, which soars above the transept, has been a priority ahead of celebrations this June that will mark the centenary of Gaudí’s death.

    As Gaudí had planned, the cross has four arms so its shape can be recognized from any direction, said Sagrada Familia’s rector, the Rev. Josep Turull. If Barcelona’s city government will allow it, the original plan also includes a light beam shining from each of the cross’ arms, symbolizing the church’s role as a spiritual lighthouse, he added.

    Millions of tourists visit the Sagrada Familia every year, and entrance fees largely fund the ongoing construction.

    This year, the Sagrada Familia will hold several events to celebrate the Catalan Modernist’s legacy, which includes other stunning buildings in Barcelona and elsewhere in Spain.

    The Sagrada Familia became the world’s tallest church last October, when it rose above the spire of Germany’s Ulmer Münster, a Gothic Lutheran church built over more than 500 years, starting in 1377. That church tops out at 530 feet.

    At Sagrada Familia, a prayer verse is included at the base of the cross installed Friday afternoon, said church rector Turull.

    It reads: “You alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High.”

  • How to choose the best nursing home or assisted living facility

    How to choose the best nursing home or assisted living facility

    Sometimes it’s a fall that brings a broken hip and a loss of mobility. Or memory problems that bubble into danger. Or the death of the partner who was relied upon for care.

    The need to move to a nursing home, assisted living facility, or another type of care setting often comes suddenly, setting off an abrupt, daunting search. It’s likely something no one ever wanted, but knowing what to look for and what to ask can make a big difference.

    Here’s what to do when looking for a long-term care facility:

    Start with government ratings

    Regulation of assisted living facilities varies greatly from state to state, meaning there’s no centralized standards or source for information. If you’re looking for a nursing home, though, they are monitored by the federal government.

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services maintains records on nursing homes, including data on who owns the facility, how robust its staffing is, and what types of violations it might have been fined for. It assigns homes a star rating, from one to five.

    Sam Brooks, director of public policy for the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, says while the star rating “can be notoriously unreliable,” due to its reliance on self-reported data, it can still provide some clues about a home.

    “One or two stars, expect it to be bad,” Brooks says.

    Ratings can be a resource to rule out the worst options, but not necessarily to find the best. Still, Brooks suggests taking a closer look at four- and five-star facilities and to consider a home’s ownership, too. Nonprofit homes are often better staffed.

    You could scour inspection reports and online reviews for clues, too, but eventually you’ll need to make a list of potential candidates and start making visits.

    “The data,” Brooks says, “only goes so far.”

    Look past the lobby

    When visiting a home on your list, be careful not to be too swayed by decorative touches that might be designed to lure you in, like a lobby’s furniture, dangling chandeliers, or vases of flowers.

    “When I tour a building, I listen first. Is it loud? Are call bells ringing nonstop?” says Mark Sanchez, CEO of United Hebrew, a nursing home in New Rochelle, N.Y.

    After that, Sanchez says, switch your senses. Do you detect an odor? Do you see residents clustered around the nurses’ station, perhaps clamoring for help? Are staffers speaking respectfully to residents? Are they making eye contact? Are they rushed?

    “Culture shows up in small moments,” Sanchez says, “and it matters.”

    Seeking input from families of current residents can be insightful. Another resource may be your local long-term care ombudsman. Ombudsmen, funded by the federal Older Americans Act and present in every state, investigate long-term care residents’ complaints.

    With all the available information on each home, it can be easy to feel like you’re drowning in data. So pay attention to how a place feels, too, and pair that with concrete facts.

    When Jennifer Fink was making the “stressful, grief-inducing, hard, and scary” decision on what memory care community was right for her mother, she didn’t consult state databases or Google ratings. She went with her gut reaction and luckily, it was right.

    “Trust your gut. Keep top of mind that the salesperson wants your loved one’s money,” says Fink, of Auburn, Calif. “If it’s giving you the ‘ick,’ then move on.”

    Staffing matters most

    More than any other single thing, experts on long-term care stress that a facility’s staffing is most important. That means both the quality of the care you witness workers giving residents during your visit and the average staffing levels shown in the reported data.

    A home providing an average of three hours of nursing care to each resident each day may not look all that different on paper from one providing three-and-a-half hours. But those minutes matter dearly, meaning the difference between a person getting a shower, having help at mealtime, or being discovered if they’ve fallen.

    During a visit, pay attention to how quickly call bells are answered and whether it seems like residents are engaged in activities. Ask staff how long they’ve worked there. A home that holds on to its workers for years may offer your loved one more continuity.

    Evan Farr, an elder law attorney in Lorton, Va., who wrote The Nursing Home Survival Guide, says visiting a facility at night or on the weekend can be particularly revealing.

    “These are the times when staffing is reduced and the true operation of the facility becomes apparent,” Farr says. “It is entirely possible to have a five-star rated facility that is woefully understaffed from 5 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Monday morning.”

    Keep a long-range view

    When faced with an urgent decision, it can be difficult to focus on anything beyond the factors in front of you. But it’s important to choose a home with a long-range view.

    At the start, many long-term care residents are able to pay for the cost of their bill. But what happens if their money runs out? If it’s a nursing home that accepts Medicaid, how many beds are allocated to such residents? Would your loved one get that slot? If it’s an assisted living facility, do they even accept people on Medicaid?

    Assisted living facilities often have complicated billing structures that require a bevy of questions to understand. Ask how costs may change as a person’s needs increase. Some places tack on separate charges for tasks like helping a person to the bathroom.

    “Four-thousand dollars a month can become $8,000 overnight,” says Geoff Hoatson, founder of the elder law practice Family First Firm in Winter Park, Florida.

    Another fact of long-term care that few understand is how often facilities seek to remove residents seen as undesirable, often due to a change in their financial circumstances or in their health. Dementia patients in particular — with challenging care needs and symptoms that can sometimes bring aggression — are targeted with orders to leave.

    “Ask specifically what conditions would require transfer,” Hoatson says.

  • Tariffs paid by midsize U.S. companies tripled last year, a JPMorganChase Institute study shows

    Tariffs paid by midsize U.S. companies tripled last year, a JPMorganChase Institute study shows

    WASHINGTON — Tariffs paid by midsize U.S. businesses tripled over the course of the past year, new research tied to one of America’s leading banks showed on Thursday — more evidence that President Donald Trump‘s push to charge higher taxes on imports is causing economic disruption.

    The additional taxes have meant that companies that employ a combined 48 million people in the U.S. — the kinds of businesses that Trump had promised to revive — have had to find ways to absorb the new expense, by passing it along to customers in the form of higher prices, employing fewer workers, or accepting lower profits.

    “That’s a big change in their cost of doing business,” said Chi Mac, business research director of the JPMorganChase Institute, which published the analysis Thursday. “We also see some indications that they may be shifting away from transacting with China and maybe toward some other regions in Asia.”

    The research does not say how the additional costs are flowing through the economy, but it indicates that tariffs are being paid by U.S. companies. The study is part of a growing body of economic analyses that counter the administration’s claims that foreigners pay the tariffs.

    The JPMorganChase Institute report used payments data to look at businesses that might lack the pricing power of large multinational companies to offset tariffs, but may be small enough to quickly change supply chains to minimize exposure to the tax increases. The companies tended to have revenues between $10 million and $1 billion with fewer than 500 employees, a category known as “middle market.”

    The analysis suggests that the Trump administration’s goal of becoming less directly reliant on Chinese manufacturers has been occurring. Payments to China by these companies were 20% below their October 2024 levels, but it’s unclear whether that means China is simply routing its goods through other countries or if supply chains have moved.

    The authors of the analysis emphasized in an interview that companies are still adjusting to the tariffs and said they plan to continue studying the issue.

    White House spokesperson Kush Desai called the analysis “pointless” and said it didn’t “change the fact that President Trump was right.” The study showed that U.S. companies are paying tariffs that the president had previously said would be paid by foreign entities.

    Trump defended his tariffs during a trip to Georgia on Thursday while touring Coosa Steel, a company involved in steel processing and distribution. The president said he couldn’t believe the Supreme Court would soon decide on the legality of some of his tariffs, given his belief that the taxes were helping U.S. manufacturers.

    “The tariffs are the greatest thing to happen to this country,” Trump said.

    The president imposed a series of tariffs last year for the ostensible goal of reducing the U.S. trade imbalance with other countries, so that America was not longer importing more than it exports. But trade data published Thursday by the Census Bureau showed that the trade deficit climbed last year by $25.5 billion to $1.24 trillion. The president on Wednesday posted on social media that he expected there would be a trade surplus “during this year.”

    The Trump administration has been adamant that the tariffs are a boon for the economy, businesses, and workers. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, lashed out on Wednesday at research by the New York Federal Reserve showing that nearly 90% of the burden for Trump’s tariffs fell on U.S. companies and consumers.

    “The paper is an embarrassment,” Hassett told CNBC. “It’s, I think, the worst paper I’ve ever seen in the history of the Federal Reserve system. The people associated with this paper should presumably be disciplined.”

    Trump increased the average tariff rate to 13% from 2.6% last year, according to the New York Fed researchers. He declared that tariffs on some items such as steel, kitchen cabinets, and bathroom vanities were in the national security interest of the country. He also declared an economic emergency to bypass Congress and impose a baseline tax on goods from much of the world in April 2025 at an event he called “Liberation Day.”

    The high rates provoked a financial market panic, prompting Trump to walk back his rates and then engage in talks with multiple countries that led to a set of new trade frameworks. The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether Trump surpassed his legal authority by declaring an economic emergency.

    Trump was elected in 2024 on his promise to tame inflation, but his tariffs have contributed to voter frustration over affordability. While inflation has not spiked during Trump’s term thus far, hiring slowed sharply, and a team of academic economists estimate that consumer prices were roughly 0.8 percentage points higher than they would otherwise be.

  • How the rich pass on their wealth. And how you can too

    How the rich pass on their wealth. And how you can too

    NEW YORK — Death and taxes may be inevitable. A big bill for your heirs is not.

    The rich have made an art of avoiding taxes and making sure their wealth passes down effortlessly to the next generation. But the tricks they use to expedite payouts to heirs and avoid handing money to the government — can also work for people with far more modest estates.

    “It’s a strategic game of chess played over decades,” says Mark Bosler, an estate planning attorney in Troy, Mich., and legal adviser to Real Estate Bees. “While the average person relies on a simple will, the well-to-do utilize a different playbook.”

    Consider a trust

    First, consider the facts: Despite widespread misconceptions, only estates of the very richest Americans are generally subject to taxes. At the federal level, estates of over $15 million typically trigger taxes. At the state level, 16 states and the District of Columbia do collect estate or inheritance taxes, according to the Tax Foundation, sometimes with lower exemptions than the IRS, but still at thresholds targeting millionaires.

    While most people can pass on what they have without worrying about their heirs being caught in a web of taxes, it can require planning to escape a messy process that can hold up estates for years and cost families significantly in court fees and lawyer bills.

    The solution at the center of many estate planners’ designs is a trust.

    Though trusts conjure images of complex arrangements utilized by the uber-rich, they are relatively simple tools that can make sense for many people. They come with expense, often costing thousands of dollars in lawyer fees to set them up. But for a retired couple with a paid-off house, 401(k)s and a portfolio of investments, they can ease the passing of assets to heirs.

    Among the reasons: Even if you aren’t leaving enough behind to trigger taxes, your estate can get tied up in probate court, which typically assesses fees based on an estate’s total value.

    “You are leaving what might have gone to your children or other loved ones to attorneys and the courts,” says Renee Fry, CEO of Gentreo, an online estate planner based in Quincy, Massachusetts. “Anywhere from 3[%] to 8% of an estate might be lost.”

    Trusts can allow an estate to sidestep court altogether and to shield it from public view by keeping details out of public records. Some people also use them to protect their savings if they someday need nursing home care and would prefer to qualify for a government-paid stay under Medicaid instead of paying themselves.

    Pass on stocks virtually tax-free

    Imagine being an investor in a stock like Nvidia that has soared in recent years. Now imagine being able to reap the profit of selling your shares without paying tax.

    It’s possible with one caveat: You have to die.

    That scenario, known in estate lingo as “step-up,” allows many rich families to grow their wealth while ensuring their heirs won’t be saddled with the bill.

    It works like this: Say your savvy uncle bought 100 shares of Nvidia when it began trading in 1999 at $12 a share. Between splits and a soaring price, that $1,200 investment would be worth more than $9 million today. If he left it all to you, you could sell the shares owing little or no tax because gains are calculated from the day he died, not the day he bought it.

    Benjamin Trujillo, a partner with the wealth advisory firm Moneta, based in St. Louis, Mo., says it all seems “like a magic trick.” And it’s completely legal.

    “Wealth transfer looks like smoke and mirrors,” Trujillo says. “Assets like stocks can quietly grow for decades and, when they’re inherited, the tax bill often disappears.”

    Lawmakers have sometimes proposed limits on the “step-up” rule, but at least for now, it remains, making it one of the biggest not-so-secret weapons in the arsenals of those looking to create generational wealth. If stocks aren’t your forte, “step-up” applies to other types of investments too, including artwork, real estate, and collectibles.

    Keep up to date on beneficiaries

    Ever get a prompt on one of your accounts asking you to name a beneficiary? It’s more than a confusing (or annoying) nudge from your brokerage. Estate planners say it is one of the simplest ways to ease the transfer of assets to loved ones after you die.

    Regulations vary from place to place, but many banks and brokerages allow you to name a beneficiary to whom the funds will be transferred to upon your death.

    “One of the easiest ways to transfer assets hassle-free,” says Allison Harrison, an attorney in Columbus, Ohio, who focuses on estate planning.

    Beneficiary designations generally override wills, so it’s important to make sure yours are up to date to avoid the mess of having, say, an ex-spouse end up with everything you saved.

    All of this requires planning, but experts say investing a little time in mapping out your estate is one of the moves that separates the rich from the less well-off.

    “Wealthy families plan,” says Fry. “They don’t leave assets and decisions unprotected.”

  • Eric Dane, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Euphoria’ star, has died at 53

    Eric Dane, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Euphoria’ star, has died at 53

    Eric Dane, the celebrated actor best known for his roles on Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria and who later in life became an advocate for ALS awareness, died Thursday. He was 53.

    His representatives said Mr. Dane died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known also as Lou Gehrig’s disease, less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

    “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” said a statement that requested privacy for his family. “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received.”

    Mr. Dane developed a devoted fan base when his big break arrived in the mid-2000s: He was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, a role he would play from 2006 until 2012 and reprise in 2021.

    Although his character was killed off on the show after a plane crash, Mr. Dane’s character left an indelible mark on the still-running show: Seattle Grace Hospital became Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

    In 2019, he did a complete 180 from the charming McSteamy and became the troubled Cal Jacobs in HBO’s provocative drama Euphoria, a role he continued in up until his death.

    Mr. Dane also starred as Tom Chandler, the captain of a U.S. Navy destroyer at sea after a global catastrophe wiped out most of the world’s population, in the TNT drama The Last Ship. In 2017, production was halted as Mr. Dane battled depression.

    In April 2025, Mr. Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.

    ALS gradually destroys the nerve cells and connections needed to walk, talk, speak, and breathe. Most patients die within three to five years of a diagnosis.

    Mr. Dane became an advocate for ALS awareness, speaking a news conference in Washington on health insurance prior authorization. “Some of you may know me from TV shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy, which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak briefly as a patient battling ALS,” he said in June 2025. In September of that year, the ALS Network named Mr. Dane the recipient of their advocate of the year award, recognizing his commitment to raising awareness and support for people living with ALS.

    Mr. Dane was born on Nov. 9, 1972, and raised in Northern California. His father, who the actor said was a Navy veteran and an architect, died of a gunshot wound when Mr. Dane was 7. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, landing guest roles on shows like Saved by the Bell, Married … With Children, Charmed, and X-Men: the Last Stand, and one season of the short-lived medical drama Gideon’s Crossing.

    A memoir by Mr. Dane is scheduled to be published in late 2026. Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments will be released by Maria Shriver’s The Open Field, a Penguin Random House imprint. According to Open Field, Mr. Dane’s memoir covers key moments in his life, from his first day at work on Grey’s Anatomy to the births of his two daughters and learning that he had ALS.

    “I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart,” Mr. Dane said in a statement about the book. “If sharing this helps someone find meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling.”

    Mr. Dane is survived by his wife, actor Rebecca Gayheart, and their two teen daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine. Gayheart and Mr. Dane wed in 2004 and separated in September 2017. Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018, but later filed to dismiss the petition. In a December essay for New York magazine’s The Cut reflecting on Mr. Dane’s diagnosis, Gayheart called their dynamic “a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people.” She said they never got a divorce, but dated other people and lived separately.

    “Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she said. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me. So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that.”

  • Jason and Travis Kelce helped U.S. hockey player’s family see the Olympic gold medal win

    Jason and Travis Kelce helped U.S. hockey player’s family see the Olympic gold medal win

    MILAN, Italy — As soon as U.S. hockey defender Laila Edwards skated onto the Olympic ice ahead of Thursday’s gold medal win against Canada, she scanned the stands for the real MVP: Her 91-year-old grandmother.

    Their shared ritual was on display before Team USA’s 2-1 triumph Thursday — made possible through an outpouring of donations to a GoFundMe drive, with by far the biggest individual contribution — $10,000 — coming from NFL brother tandem Travis and Jason Kelce, who also grew up in Cleveland.

    “As she comes in, she’s looking around,” her grandmother, Ernestine Gray, told the Associated Press earlier this week. “Then I say, ‘I won’t do anything to distract her.’ Then she did see me and I wave to her and then she waved back.”

    Edwards, the first Black female hockey player to represent the United States at the Olympics, fielded a team of her own in Milan. The fundraiser enabled 10 family members and four friends to travel to Italy. Still others paid their own way.

    After the semifinals game earlier this week, Edwards, a senior at Wisconsin, told the AP that her family’s presence in Milan “means everything to me.”

    “They helped me get here and make this team and achieve my dream, so it means a lot,” she said.

    Edwards had an assist for the first of the two goals that would win the game.

    ‘Queen of Cleveland’

    The Kelce brothers grew up in the same town as Edwards. They have been fans of hers since 2023, when she became the first Black player to make the U.S. senior women’s national team, and shouted her out on their popular podcast, New Heights.

    The top donation to the GoFundMe was $10,000, from someone remaining anonymous; Edwards has confirmed that it came from the Kelces. By Thursday, the Edwards family had raised more than $61,000.

    What’s more, Travis Kelce reached out to provide advice to the “Queen of Cleveland,” a nickname her teammates gave her following a U.S.-Canada game played there in November. And Jason Kelce and his wife, Kylie, were in the stands Monday to cheer on the U.S. team during their 5-0 win over Sweden. Edwards, a forward-turned-defender, had an assist then, too.

    Generosity from the Kelces and locals is another example of how the tight-knit town operates, her parents said, even though their daughter moved away at a young age. Edwards, considered the future face of women’s hockey, has also inspired the Black community in Ohio and beyond.

    While diversity is reflected in many sports such as soccer, it hasn’t made a dent in winter sports and there are very few Black athletes in the Milan Cortina Olympic Games. Men’s and women’s hockey globally, including in the U.S., remains predominantly white.

    “Just to hear all the people of color talking about, ‘I’ve never watched hockey before and I’m tuning in,’” said Edwards’ mother, Charone Gray-Edwards. “I would love to know what the ratings are. Because everybody at home, everybody is talking about it. All these people are trying to buy jerseys.”

    For Gray-Edwards, some of the most meaningful moments have been seeing little boys come up to her daughter for an autograph.

    “That means they’re not like, ‘Oh, this is a girl that plays hockey.’ They’re like, ‘This a good hockey player.’ So it doesn’t matter if she’s Black, a woman — she’s a good player,” Gray-Edwards said.

    But Gray-Edwards’ most treasured memories likely won’t be about Thursday’s gold medal win — they will stem from watching her 91-year-old mother and her 22-year-old daughter together at the rink.

    “You can just see them waving at each other. My mother’s like jumping and, oh, she just loves it,” Gray-Edwards said.

    ‘How would we afford it’

    Hours before the puck dropped for Monday’s semifinal, the Edwards family was ready.

    Gray-Edwards has strict rules about travel. She mandated that everyone meet in the hotel lobby 2½ hours before game time, dressed in their Team USA finest. They called a taxi van to fit the large group — including Edwards’ parents, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and older brother — and loaded up.

    Her parents weren’t sure the entire family would be able to make the journey when she called them a month before the Olympics to say she’d been chosen for the team.

    They could cover the costs for two people, but the full family roster — all of whom have supported her over the years — would have been far too expensive. And they hadn’t booked early flights or locked in cheaper hotel rates for fear of jinxing her.

    “We had to start talking about how to get money,” Gray-Edwards said. “Who would go? How would we afford it?”

    The family is accustomed to watching her from afar. When Edwards was 13, she left home to attend the Bishop Kearney Selects Academy in Rochester, N.Y., before moving on to the University of Wisconsin, where she is playing her senior season for the top-ranked Badgers.

    The consensus is that Edwards will be selected in the top three of the Professional Women’s Hockey League draft in June, along with Wisconsin teammate Caroline Harvey and Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy.

    Still, Edwards’ Olympic debut was something everyone wanted to see.

    Her father, Robert Edwards, started the GoFundMe drive “Send Laila’s Family to the Olympics to Cheer Her On!” He set an ambitious goal of $50,000 so they wouldn’t have to choose between a ticket to one of her games and paying the electric bill back in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

    “There’s a lot of ups and downs in playing hockey at this high level and so she’s going to need somebody there,” her father said. “So I was like, ’Well, pride be damned: We’re going to do a fundraiser.’”