US stocks plummet, Dow drops more than 1,500 points as Trump’s tariffs roil markets. Follow live updates.

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By the Associated Press

The Trump administration is ordering schools nationwide to certify that they are following federal civil rights laws — and eliminating DEI practices — as a condition for receiving federal money.

A notice sent Thursday by the Education Department gives the nation’s states and schools 10 days to sign and return the certification.

“Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right,” Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement. The certification asks state and school leaders to acknowledge that “the use of certain DEI practices can violate federal law” and result in a termination of funding.

It follows a Feb. 14 memo declaring that any school policy that treats students or staff differently because of their race is illegal.

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By the Associated Press

The S&P 500 was down 4.3 percent in morning trading, on track for its worst day since COVID shattered the global economy five years ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1,538 points, or 3.6 percent, as of 10:55 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 5.6 percent lower.

Fear is flaring globally about the potentially toxic mix of higher inflation and weakening economic growth that could be created by the tariffs rivaling levels unseen in roughly a century.

It’s “plausible” that Trump’s latest and most severe set of tariffs could reduce US economic growth by 2 percentage points this year and raise inflation close to 5 percent, according to the multinational financial services company UBS.

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By the Associated Press

Lesotho is one of the smallest countries in Africa with a population of 2.2 million people, yet exports $237.3 million worth of goods to the US — mostly textiles and diamonds — sectors which create most of its jobs.

“There is no country immune from those tariff hikes he made. That means countries will have to renegotiate their positions with the USA and see how they will manage to trade in,” said government spokesman Thabo Sekonyela.

The US is Lesotho’s second biggest trade partner after South Africa. This a second blow for Lesotho after Trump withdrew foreign aid.

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By the Associated Press

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told lawmakers Thursday that a potential Trump administration plan to relinquish US control over the role of Supreme Allied Commander Europe as part of its downsizing efforts could create issues for control over U.S. nuclear weapons based there as well as the tens of thousands of troops deployed there.

The position oversees all NATO decisions in Europe, where the US is often the largest troop contributor to NATO operations.

“I think that would bring some challenges in terms of nuclear command and control. It would put us in a position where, in an Article Five situation, we could have for the first time since the First World War large numbers of American troops under non-US command. So I think those are things that would have to be considered carefully,” Cavoli told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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By the Associated Press

Democrats are blaming Trump for plunging financial markets and calling on him to rescind his tariffs.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, said the tariffs amount to the biggest tax hike on families since World War II.

Schumer spoke on the Senate floor as financial markets tanked, saying “Donald Trump has singlehandedly created a financial forest fire.”

“President Trump should reverse course on his disastrous tariffs immediately,” Schumer said. “Or else, he risks plunging America into recession.”

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By the Associated Press

“There are some who believe now is the time to reduce drastically our military footprint in Europe,” Republican Sen. Roger Wicker said at Thursday’s hearing with US military commanders for Europe and Africa.

“I’m troubled at those deeply misguided and dangerous views held by some mid-level bureaucrats within the Defense Department. They’ve been working to pursue a US retreat from Europe and they’ve often been doing do without coordinating with the Secretary of Defense,” Wicker said.

It was not immediately clear what “mid-level bureaucrats” Wicker was talking about. US troops in Europe increased by about 20,000 to a total of roughly 100,000 in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to assist with training and logistics and to reassure NATO allies that the US would defend them.

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By the Associated Press

The Home Furnishings Association, which represents more than 13,000 US furniture stores, predicted that the tariffs will increase prices between 10 percent and 46 percent. Vietnam and China are the top furniture exporter to the US.

The association said manufacturers in Asia are offsetting some of the costs by discounting their products and lowering ocean freight rates. But it still expects US furniture prices to rise. Even domestically made furniture often relies on imported components, the association said.

“While many in the industry support the long-term goal of reshoring manufacturing, the reality is that it will take at least a decade to scale domestic production,” Home Furnishings Association CEO Shannon Williams said in a statement. “Permitting, training a skilled workforce and managing the higher costs of US manufacturing are significant hurdles. Applying steep tariffs during this transition period only hurts the American consumer.”

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By the Associated Press

Nayib Bukele is scheduled to visit with Trump on April 14.

Bukele posted on social media a signed letter from Trump inviting him to a meeting and thanking him for help fighting illegal immigration.

The Trump administration is paying Bukele’s government to house deportees, particularly people it accuses of being Venezuelan gang members, at one of his notorious prisons.

A White House official confirmed the date of the visit. The official was not authorized to speak publicly.

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By the Associated Press

Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry says its government is calculating the impact on its exports including electronics, textiles and textile products, footwear, palm oil, rubber, furniture, shrimp and marine fishery products, and taking “strategic steps to mitigate the negative impact on the Indonesian national economy.”

“The Indonesian government is committed to maintaining the stability of the yield of Government Securities (SBN) amidst global financial market turmoil following the announcement of the US reciprocal tariff,” the foreign ministry statement says.

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By the Associated Press

As Mexico had hoped, the free-trade agreement it has with the United States and Canada shielded many sectors producing things covered by the treaty from avocados to clothing and electronics. Discussions continue over the 25 percent tariff the US has placed on auto imports, as well as tariffs on steel and aluminum.

“The last call I had with President Trump I said that in the case of reciprocal tariffs, my understanding was that there wouldn’t be tariffs (on Mexico), because since Mexico doesn’t place tariffs on the United States, the United States doesn’t put tariffs on Mexico,” Claudia Sheinbaum said during her morning press briefing Thursday.

Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard pointed out that many other countries that have free-trade agreements with the US were nevertheless targeted by the tariffs Trump announced Wednesday. Ebrard says Sheinbaum’s strategy worked, “because today we do have preferential treatment.”

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By the Associated Press

The latest AP-NORC numbers on his changes to government are almost identical to Trump’s overall presidential approval, suggesting that his Republican administration’s moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies and cancel thousands of government contracts haven’t yet created a significant independent backlash — or spurred independent support.

Views of Trump and his adviser Elon Musk are still largely intertwined, despite Democrats’ recent focus on Musk. The two men suffered a defeat on Tuesday when the conservative candidate they had endorsed for the Wisconsin Supreme Court was defeated. Musk and the groups he backed spent more than $21 million in the race, the first major test of how voters feel about Musk’s political impact.

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By the Associated Press

The US secretary of state and newly confirmed US ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker are in Brussels for a meeting of alliance foreign ministers.

Many are hoping Rubio will clarify Trump’s intentions for US security in Europe amid persistent signals from Washington that NATO as it has existed for 75 years may no longer be relevant.

“The United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been,” Rubio told reporters as he greeted NATO chief Mark Rutte before the meeting began, dismissing media reports about the Trump administration’s policy shifts as unwarranted “hysteria and hyperbole.”

“President Trump’s made clear he supports NATO,” Rubio said. “We’re going to remain in NATO.”

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By the Associated Press

And the US stock market may be taking the worst of it.

The S&P 500 was down 3.3 percent in early trading Thursday, more than the losses seen in other major markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1150 points, and the Nasdaq composite was off 4.3 percent.

Little was spared as fear flares globally about the potentially higher inflation and weakening economic growth that tariffs can create.

Prices fell for everything from crude oil to Big Tech stocks to small companies that invest only in US real estate.

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By the Associated Press

Vance says the president will have something to say about the popular social media site before his reprieve on the congressionally-approved ban of the platform expires.

“We have a couple days to continue working on it, to finalize some things. And of course, we’ll let the president announce whatever we ultimately decide,” Vance said on Fox & Friends.

Trump on Inauguration Day gave the platform a reprieve, barreling past a law that had been upheld unanimously by the Supreme Court, which said the ban was necessary for national security.

Under the law, TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance is required to sell the platform to an approved buyer or take it offline in the United States.

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By the Associated Press

The vice president appeared on Fox & Friends, saying it will take some time for Trump’s tariffs, spending cuts and support for US industries to help everyday Americans. “We are not going to fix things overnight,” Vance said.

“Frankly, a lot of people have gotten rich from American jobs moving overseas,” Vance said. “But American workers have not gotten rich. And frankly, American companies have not gotten wealthy from the increasing growth of foreign competitors manufacturing overseas.”

“We know people are struggling. We’re fighting as quickly as we can to fix what was left to us, but it’s not going to happen immediately. But we really do believe that if we pursue the right deregulation, we pursue those energy cost reducing policies — Yes, people are going to see it in their pocketbook. They’re also going to benefit from the fact that foreign countries can’t take advantage of us anymore.”

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By the Associated Press

The sweeping tariffs declared by Trump could increase prices for Americans who depend on citrus from 1400 producers across southern Africa, according to Boitshoko Ntshabele, chief executive of the Citrus Growers Association in Johannesburg.

“South Africa does not compete with the citrus producers of the US,” Ntshabele said. “In fact, quite the opposite — we sustain customers’ interest when their local citrus is out of season, benefitting US citrus growers in the end.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Trump’s 30 percent tariffs on US imports of South African products shows the urgent need for a new bilateral trade deal.

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By the Associated Press

Greece’s exports of canned peaches to the United States in 2020 were worth $35.3 million and soared to $105 million in 2024. The new 20 percent tariff, on top of existing duties, could reverse those gains, according to Christos Giannakakis, vice president of Venus, one Greece’s largest peach canning cooperatives.

“This creates a huge problem,” Giannakakis told the Associated Press. “It means reduced exports, lower revenue and shrinking production.”

Trump said his decision to impose sweeping import tariffs will boost American industries.

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By the Associated Press

At 1 p.m., Trump will receive his intelligence briefing in the Situation Room. After, at 2 p.m., he will travel to Florida to attend an event for LIV golf this evening. He will then head to his home at Mar-a-Lago, according to the White House.

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By the Associated Press

Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the new US tariffs may violate NATO’s Article 2, which stresses the importance of economic cooperation among allies to avoid conflict.

“If you want a strong NATO, you should ensure that there is as much economic growth as possible in the NATO countries. That was the insight of those who established NATO, that economic cooperation would be good for the entire alliance,” Eide said during a visit to Brussels for a NATO meeting, according to the NRK broadcaster.

Eide told NRK that he will raise the tariff war with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the meeting.

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By the Associated Press

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the new US tariffs many reduce Poland’s GDP by 0.4 percent.

He said it was “a severe and unpleasant blow, because it comes from the closest ally, but we will survive it.” The Polish-US friendship, he added, “must also survive this test.”

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By the Associated Press

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Thursday that his government will implement a $15.6 billion spending package to mitigate the effects of US tariffs on the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy.

The Spanish leader called the tariffs “19th-century protectionism,” against which the European Union and Spain had to act proactively and diversify their economic ties with the rest of the world.

Sánchez also called for a negotiated solution with the US. “We’re once again asking President Trump to reconsider, to sit down at the negotiating table with the European Union and also with the rest of the world.”

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By the Associated Press

The local government leader of Christmas Island, one of several Australian external island territories that like Australia have been assigned a 10 percent US tariff, said his Indian Ocean atoll exported nothing to the United States.

The Australian outpost of fewer than 2,000 people 225 miles south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta has used US heavy machinery to mine phosphate for decades, Christmas Island Shire President Gordon Thomson said.

The uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands in the remote Antarctic are another Australian territory included in the 10 percent tariff. The mostly barren islands include two active volcanoes and can only be reached by sea.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia imposes no tariffs on US imports. The US and Australia have a free trade agreement.

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By the Associated Press

Hong Kong strongly opposed the extra tariffs announced by Trump and urged the US to withdraw them. It said Hong Kong, as a free port, always practices free trade and doesn’t impose tariffs on imported goods, including those from the US.

It said the US had a trade surplus of $271.5 billion with the semiautonomous Chinese territory over the past decade, the highest among its global trading partners.

“The US imposing tariffs on Hong Kong products as so-called reciprocal tariffs defies logic,” Hong Kong’s government said in a statement, adding that it would take measures including filing complaints with the WTO.

Hong Kong, a former British colony returned to China in 1997, has a different economic and political system from mainland China that allows it to set its own policies most of the time.

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By the Associated Press

India’s Trade Ministry is assessing the latest US tariffs announced by President Trump. It said the Indian government strives to expedite the negotiations for a trade agreement with the US to potentially garner some concessions and offset the impact of higher import taxes.

The agreement, first tranche of which is expected to be in place by the fall, would focus on enabling both nations to boost trade, investments and technology transfers in addition to deepening supply chain integrations, it said.

“We remain in touch with the Trump administration and expect to take them forward in the coming days,” it said.

The US was New Delhi’s biggest trading partner in 2024 with trade estimated at $129 billion. The countries have now set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.

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By the Associated Press

Vietnam’s stock market plunged Thursday while gold prices reached a record high after US President Trump slapped 46 percent tariffs on Vietnam’s exports. Meanwhile people lined up to buy gold in Hanoi despite the high prices.

“Investing in gold would be at lower risk because the economy is very uncertain at the moment,” said Nguyen Trung, a buyer.

Vietnam has long realized that it was too reliant on the US and has been diversifying its trade relations by signing free trade agreements with over a dozen countries, said Dan Martin, international business adviser of Dezan Shira & Associates.

“The lesson is clear now, the reliance that Vietnam had as a US export market, it’s not safe,” he said.

Especially hard-hit will be the garments and sportswear section, including household names like Adidas and Nike. Nike made of its shoes and about a third of its clothes in Vietnam last year, while factories in Vietnam made 39 percent of Adidas’s shoes and 18 percent of its clothes.

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By the Associated Press

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the country still hoped to reach its economic growth target of at least 8 percent despite the Trump administration imposing 46 percent tariffs on its exports.

Chinh chaired a Cabinet meeting Thursday to assess the impact of the tariffs, among the highest imposed on any country, and said that Vietnam hoped that US policy would be “consistent with the good relations between the two countries.” He added that Vietnam was still overcoming the consequences of the long war between the two nations.

The tariffs will deal a severe blow to Vietnam since the US is its largest export market. Exports to the US, valued at $142 billion, in 2021 made up a third of the country’s GDP.

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By the Associated Press

Germany’s economy minister, Robert Habeck, said that these are “the most disruptive tariff increases for 90 years.” He also drew a comparison with the fallout from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“I think this is an extraordinary day for the world economy, comparable with the situation after the Russian aggression on Ukraine, where we knew that something new was happening and we were not prepared in Europe to cope with the challenge,” Habeck told reporters in Berlin. “And we looked in(to) the abyss in that time, but we worked it out and we managed it by putting aside everything that was restricting economic strength and energy security.”

“I think a similar reaction is necessary now from the European Union and its world partners,” Habeck said.

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By the Associated Press

Ukraine is working to get better tariff conditions from the United States, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko wrote on her X account.

Svyrydenko says Ukrainian tariffs on US goods are “quite low” and that Ukraine imported more goods from the US in 2024 than exported to the country.

She said the 10 percent tariff Trump imposed on Ukrainian goods will mainly impact small producers. “Ukraine has something to offer the United States as a reliable ally and partner. Both our countries will benefit from fair tariffs,” she wrote.

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By the Associated Press

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said it was “extremely regrettable” that the United States slapped the 25 percent auto tariff on Japan despite its huge contribution to the US economy.

Japanese companies have been the world’s biggest investors in the US since 2019, especially automakers, creating jobs for millions of Americans, Ishiba said.

Ishiba said Japan will continue to strongly request the United States to reconsider its tariffs measures and that he will directly negotiate with President Trump, whenever it is considered appropriate. “I will do so at a most appropriate time and method without hesitation.”

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By the Associated Press

Germany’s economy minister, Robert Habeck, said that these are “the most disruptive tariff increases for 90 years.” He also drew a comparison with the fallout from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“I think this is an extraordinary day for the world economy, comparable with the situation after the Russian aggression on Ukraine, where we knew that something new was happening and we were not prepared in Europe to cope with the challenge,” Habeck told reporters in Berlin. “And we looked in(to) the abyss in that time, but we worked it out and we managed it by putting aside everything that was restricting economic strength and energy security.”

“I think a similar reaction is necessary now from the European Union and its world partners,” Habeck said.

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By Christopher Huffaker, Globe Staff

New Bedford’s school children struggle with high rates of childhood obesity, asthma, and mental health challenges. Many have no access to a dentist.

District leaders are close to bringing a school-based health center, the first in all of Bristol County, to reality. The project received all its needed regulatory approvals and reached an operating agreement with Greater New Bedford Health Center, which would provide needed primary care, dental, and mental health services to the district’s students and families. School leaders hope the project will also improve school engagement and even achievement by binding families closer to their schools and managing chronic health problems.

Now, all of that was put in jeopardy Friday when the Trump administration announced it was terminating more than $100 million in unspent COVID relief funds to Massachusetts schools. New Bedford would lose $15.6 million, according to state figures. The district depended on about $4 million of those relief funds, known as ESSER, to build the center. While the district has some reserves to cover other projects that are near completion, the health center may now be on the chopping block, according to Superintendent Andrew O’Leary. So, too, is a much-needed HVAC addition to a school built in the 1970s.

READ MORE

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By the Associated Press

Ukraine is working to get better tariff conditions from the United States, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko wrote on her X account.

Svyrydenko says Ukrainian tariffs on US goods are “quite low” and that Ukraine imported more goods from the US in 2024 than exported to the country.

She said the 10 percent tariff Trump imposed on Ukrainian goods will mainly impact small producers. “Ukraine has something to offer the United States as a reliable ally and partner. Both our countries will benefit from fair tariffs,” she wrote.

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By the Associated Press

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration’s new envoy to NATO arrived Thursday in Brussels, where the alliance’s top diplomats are hoping they’ll shed light on US security plans in Europe.

European allies and Canada are deeply concerned by President Trump’s readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat, as the US works to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine.

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By the Associated Press

The British government says it will push to secure a free trade deal with the United States rather than retaliate after Trump slapped a 10 percent tariff on UK goods.

Labelling the announcement a “disappointment,” Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said “I’m pleased the UK is in a better position than other countries, but I’m not satisfied.”

Reynolds told Sky News that the message he was hearing from businesses was “remain at the table, don’t overreact.”

Britain argues that it has a broadly balanced trade relationship with the US, and has been negotiating with Washington on a trade deal in hope of escaping import taxes.

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By the Associated Press

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says the tariffs are a matter of great concern and stressed that Japan’s contributions to the American economy are significant both in terms of investment and jobs.

He said he repeatedly made his case with the Trump administration not to move ahead with the tariffs.

“They will have a great impact not only on US-Japanese economic relations but also on the global economy and various trade relations overall,” Ishiba told reporters Thursday.

“We as the government will work as one to decisively protect people’s lives, jobs and industries,” he added.

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By the Associated Press

Vietnam, Sri Lanka and other countries across South and Southeast Asia are the targets of some of the highest tariff rates.

Trump imposed 46 percent “reciprocal” duties on goods from Vietnam, 49% on products from Cambodia, 37 percent on Bangladesh and 44 percent on Sri Lanka.

The duties will affect domestic exporters to the US but also Chinese, Japanese and South Korean companies that have over the past few years shifted production to Southeast Asian nations to escape the trade frictions during Trump’s first term in office.

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By the Associated Press

Automaker Stellantis will shut down its assembly plant in Windsor, Canada, for two weeks from April 7, the local union said late Wednesday.

The president of Unifor Local 444, James Stewart, said more scheduling changes were expected in coming weeks.

“The company said there are multiple factors at play, with the primary driver behind the final decision being this afternoon’s announcement from US President Trump of the US tariffs,” Stewart said. “This has and continues to create uncertainty across the entire auto industry. This is not just affecting our plant—it’s impacting facilities in the U.S. and Mexico as well.”

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By The New York Times

Tariffs on imported vehicles took effect Thursday, a policy President Trump said would spur investments and jobs in the United States but that analysts say will raise new car prices by thousands of dollars.

The 25 percent duty applies to all cars assembled outside the United States. Starting May 3, the tariff will also apply to imported auto parts, which will add to the cost of cars assembled domestically as well as auto repairs.

There will be a partial exemption for cars made in Mexico or Canada that meet the terms of free trade agreements with those countries. Carmakers will not have to pay duties on parts such as engines, transmissions or batteries that were made in the United States and later installed in cars in Mexican or Canadian factories.

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By the Associated Press

An obscure but consequential bookkeeping matter has become the latest flashpoint in Congress as Republicans labor to enact President Trump’s sprawling tax cut agenda.

Senate Republicans are looking to change how extending many of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts would be scored when it comes to future federal deficits. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that extending the cuts would increase deficits by nearly $4 trillion over the coming decade.

Democrats accuse Republicans of violating Senate norms with the move. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, says Republicans are going “nuclear,” blowing up the institution’s rules.

The debate carries major ramifications for Trump’s agenda and the country at large, with policy decisions in the balance that could shape America’s economic and budgetary outlook for years to come.

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