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A U.S. federal trade court has ruled that President Donald Trump unlawfully used Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose 10% global tariffs introduced earlier this year after the Supreme Court blocked his broader worldwide tariff regime. The divided three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of International Trade found that the statute did not give the president authority to implement the tariffs in the manner proposed, with two judges ruling in favor of the plaintiffs and one dissenting. The court barred the administration from collecting the tariffs from Washington state and the two companies that brought the legal challenge, spice importer Burlap & Barrel and toy maker Basic Fun!, although the ruling does not currently apply nationwide. Legal experts said the decision nevertheless creates an important precedent that other importers could use to seek similar relief. The tariffs had been introduced under Section 122, a Nixon-era provision allowing temporary import surcharges of up to 15% in response to serious balance-of-payments issues. Critics argued the law was never intended to support broad modern tariff policies tied to long-running trade deficits. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision.

 

Los Angeles Times

New York Times

Politico

Washington Post

Omeed Assefi, the U.S. Department ⁠of Justice's antitrust head, has warned companies against trying ‌to misleadingly use ‌AI disruption as ⁠a ⁠defense in merger reviews without providing evidence. "We ​know ⁠when you are trying to mislead us," Assefi said at an event at New ⁠York University. "We know you will be tempted to ⁠tell us that AI is replacing your industries. We get it. We hear that a lot. For us to take it seriously, we expect it to be backed ⁠up with actual evidence."

 

U.S. News

The IMF has urged policymakers to prepare to deal with an "inevitable" breach of the world banking system by advanced AI models and has called for international cooperation to shore up defences. "IMF analysis suggests that extreme cyber-incident losses could trigger funding strains, raise solvency concerns, and disrupt broader markets," the lender warned in a new report. The risks were systemic, cut across sectors and came with the threat of contagion, it said. "Defenses will inevitably be breached, so resilience must also be a priority, specifically to limit how far incidents spread and ensure rapid recovery," the report added. 

 

Financial Times

Daily Mail

U.S. officials are monitoring American travelers after a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship killed three people, including a Dutch couple and a German national. The World Health Organization said eight others are suspected of contracting the virus. The CDC said the State Department is leading “a coordinated, whole-of-government response” involving passenger contact and coordination with health authorities. Georgia and Arizona health officials said they are monitoring returning residents who remain healthy and asymptomatic. The CDC said the risk to the American public is extremely low.

 

New York Times

Reuters

U.S. labor productivity continued to increase in the first quarter of 2026, though growth slowed as hours worked rebounded, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonfarm productivity, which measures output per hour worked, rose at an annualized rate of 0.8% after a revised 1.6% increase in the fourth quarter of 2025. On a year-over-year basis, productivity climbed 2.9%, marking the strongest annual gain since 2024. The slowdown partly reflected a 0.7% increase in hours worked during the quarter after a decline in the prior period. Unit labor costs, a key measure of what businesses pay workers to produce one unit of output, increased 2.3%. The data suggests companies are continuing to improve efficiency through investments in technology and artificial intelligence, helping offset rising operating costs linked to tariffs and the Iran conflict while reducing inflationary wage pressures. Hourly compensation rose at an annualized 3.1% pace before inflation adjustments, though real worker compensation declined at the start of the year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said workers’ share of output fell to 54.1%, the lowest level recorded since the series began in 1947.

 

Bloomberg

Reuters

U.S. consumer borrowing increased by $24.9bn in March, marking the largest monthly rise since late 2022, according to Federal Reserve data, as households relied more heavily on loans and credit cards amid mounting pressure from higher fuel costs and persistent inflation. Non-revolving credit, including auto and student loans, rose by $14.8bn, the strongest increase since mid-2023, while revolving credit such as credit-card debt climbed $10bn, the largest gain since 2024. The increase significantly exceeded economists’ expectations and followed a revised $8.8bn rise in February. The sharp rise in borrowing comes as household finances are increasingly strained by elevated energy prices linked to the Iran war. U.S. petrol prices moved above $4 per gallon in late March, hitting their highest level since 2022.

 

Bloomberg

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the New York Times, alleging that a white male employee was overlooked for a promotion in favor of a less qualified woman to fulfill diversity goals. The agency said the decision to exclude the male applicant was influenced by the organization's commitment to increasing representation of women and people of color in leadership roles. “No one is above the law - including ‘elite' institutions. There is no such thing as ‘reverse discrimination,'" Lucas said. "No matter the size or power of the employer, the EEOC under my leadership will not pull punches in ensuring evenhanded, colorblind enforcement of Title VII to protect America's workers, including white males.” The New York Times has denied the allegations, claiming that the most qualified candidate was chosen and that race and gender did not influence the decision.

 

U.S. News

The California Supreme Court has leaned toward Gilead Sciences in a case considering drugmakers' "duty to innovate." Foster City, California-based Gilead is appealing lower court rulings that said ‌patients using its HIV drug ‌can pursue negligence claims over its decision to stop developing an alternative drug ⁠that had ⁠fewer side effects. Several ​justices suggested to the HIV patients' lawyer that finding Gilead failed to ⁠use reasonable care could stifle innovation, or require juries to review case-by-case retrospectively how drugmakers should develop new products. A decision against Gilead could change product liability law.

 

Reuters

U.S. federal prosecutors have charged a stock-lending operator with running a $450m fraud. An April grand jury indictment which was unsealed on Monday alleges Vladimir Sklarov - who claimed to have connections to the illustrious Astor family and lent money to billionaires - sold stock through lies and misrepresentations, and defrauded a victim of at least $450m through a loan deal. Names of companies that Sklarov used to advertise the lending included Bentley Rothschild, Cornelius Vanderbilt Capital Management and Shearson Lehman.

 

Financial Times

Department of Justice

Wall Street Journal

Business-software ​company Freshworks is to cut 11% of its workforce, or about 500 jobs, as the firm navigates disruptions caused by rapid advances in artificial ‌intelligence. Dennis Woodside, the CEO of the San Mateo, California-based business, said the decision was driven partly ​by AI use in product and engineering, and also automation of routine work ​across the organization. "Over half of our code is written by AI," he said, adding that automation ‌had ⁠reduced "rote work that technology can take care of."

 

Reuters

Companies in the U.S. and Europe are increasingly relying on temporary workers amid economic instability and artificial intelligence-driven disruptions, with staffing firms reporting that clients are turning to contractors as employers evaluate how AI will affect their labor needs. “When clients will have more confidence and talent to start changing jobs or organizing work with more permanent jobs, we don’t know,” observed Amsterdam-based Randstad’s Chief Financial Officer Jorge Vazquez on the company’s latest earnings call.

 

Chicago Tribune

Hundreds of workers at DeepMind - Google's U.K. AI division - have voted overwhelmingly to unionize, and have requested recognition from the Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union. They are seeking an end to the use of Google AI by Israel and the U.S. military, and other demands include restoring a scrapped commitment not to develop AI weapons or surveillance tools, creating an independent ethics oversight body, and the right of individuals to refuse to contribute to projects on moral grounds. “Even if our work is only used for administrative purposes, as leadership has repeatedly told us, it is still helping make genocide cheaper, faster, and more efficient,” said one DeepMind employee. “That must end immediately, as must harm to Iranians and human lives anywhere.”

 

Middle East Eye

Proponents of raw milk are advocating for its increased availability despite health risks, as evidenced by legislative efforts in 18 states supporting its sale and consumption. Health officials warn that unpasteurized milk can cause severe illnesses, with recent outbreaks linked to E. coli and other harmful bacteria. Advocates argue for consumer choice, citing comparisons to legalized substances like alcohol. However, public health experts stress the importance of pasteurization, which significantly reduces foodborne illness occurrences. While some suggest regulating raw milk similarly to pasteurized products, critics remain concerned about the potential for more outbreaks as access expands.

 

Los Angeles Times