For: April 9, 2025
>>Watching Wall Street
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed sharply lower on Tuesday. The major averages turned red after surging to start the day on news the U.S. was in tariff talks with trading partners. Stocks later plunged in late trading. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 320 points to 37-645. The S&P 500 lost 79 points to 49-82. The Nasdaq dropped 335 points to 15-267.
>>Tariffs In Effect
(Undated) -- President Donald Trump's 104-percent tariffs on China have officially taken effect, along with tariffs impacting dozens of other countries. The average tariff is 29-percent, with some as high as 40. China faces the steep number due to new tariffs imposed by Trump, on top of levies from his first term.
>>Fed Meeting Minutes Out Today
(Undated) -- Minutes from the Federal Reserve's March meeting are set to be released today. The central bank held the federal funds rate unchanged at four-and-a-quarter to four-and-a-half percent when it last met. We'll get further insight into the FOMC's thought process when those minutes drop at 2 pm Eastern. Coming up tomorrow, weekly jobless claims are due along with the closely-watched consumer price index - a key measure of inflation.
>>Report: USDA To Make Staff Cuts, Relocate Employees To Regional Hubs
(Washington, DC) -- The Trump Administration could fire thousands of Department of Agriculture employees. A new report from the publication Government Executive says the USDA wants to cut about nine-thousand positions. The cuts will reportedly be achieved through buyouts, deferred resignations and layoffs. The report also indicates the agency is planning to sell at least one of its Washington, DC buildings and relocate some of its employees to three regional hubs in other parts of the country.
>>Keystone Pipeline Ruptures
(Fort Ransom, ND) -- Gas prices in the Midwest could go up after the Keystone oil pipeline ruptured Tuesday in North Dakota. The cause of the spill isn't yet known, but an employee nearby reported hearing a mechanical bang before shutting down the pipeline about two minutes later. The spill is contained in a field in a rural area about 60 miles southwest of Fargo.
>>Harley-Davidson CEO Stepping Down
(Milwaukee, WI) -- The CEO of Harley-Davidson is stepping down after five years with the American motorcycle maker. Jochen [[ Yo-ken ]] Zeitz's retirement plans were announced on Tuesday, with no word yet on who will step into the 62-year-old's shoes. Zeitz is expected to remain on board until a successor is named.
>>Americans Say Income Tax Amounts Are Unfair
(Undated) -- Many Americans say the amount they will pay for federal income taxes is "unfair." A recent poll from Gallup found 50-percent of surveyed adults remain unhappy with their income tax rates. The poll also shows that most believe corporations and wealthy people don't pay enough. A Gallup analyst said the decline in perceived fairness is likely tied with inflation.
>>Hollywood Giddy After "Minecraft" Bonanza
(Los Angeles, CA) -- Hollywood studios are getting optimistic about the slate of summer movies. This comes after Warner Bros "A Minecraft Movie" made 163 million-dollars at the domestic box office during its debut last week. Roth analyst Eric Handler says "Minecraft" looks like a positive start to a summer packed with more blockbusters. "Thunderbolts" gets things started on May 2nd, followed by "Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning," Disney's live-action "Lilo and Stitch," "Jurassic World Rebirth," "Superman" and "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."
