"That's the motivation for the round," Perret said. "We think it's important to give our employees options to sell and the ability to have liquidity, especially given that Plaid has been private for so long."
Plaid is the latest in a string of late-stage, private deals designed to enable employees to cash out in private markets. Ramp, DataBricks, OpenAI and Stripe have all announced secondary financings that were designed to let some employees get liquidity. Few of those companies seem eager to wade into public markets. Recent volatility around stocks and lackluster performance of recent IPOs, including CoreWeave's last week, have kept some companies on the sidelines.
"Volatility is definitely going to be one of the key factors," Perret said, adding that it was too early to assess IPO market conditions for Plaid.
The startup has been on a roller coaster in private markets since it was founded a decade ago. Plaid was set to be bought by Visa for $5 billion in 2020 in a deal that was eventually called off amid regulatory scrutiny. The following year, it raised money at a $13.4 billion valuation. That also marked the peak for growth and technology valuations before the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates.
Plaid provides the plumbing to connect consumer bank accounts to popular finance apps. Its APIs let consumers link their bank accounts to services like Venmo, Robinhood and Coinbase. Since then, it's expanded into direct bill pay, cybersecurity and data analytics. It also partners with major banks.
Cybersecurity is one of Plaid's largest growth areas, Perret said. He pointed to financial fraud growing at 20% to 25% per year as a result of the boom in artificial intelligence.
"We've been leaning in to try to build tools to combat deep fakes and a lot of AI-driven financial fraud," he said. "Unfortunately, this is a large market opportunity. It's something that we'd actually like to be smaller. But it's been an area of growth."
India
Over the last two years, Apple has made a big push to ramp up iPhone production in India as the government looks to increase local manufacturing of high-tech goods.
Apple is targeting around 25% of all iPhones globally to be made in India, a government minister said in 2023.
India could reach about 15%-20% of overall iPhone production by the end of 2025, Bernstein analysts estimate. Evercore ISI said around 10% to 15% of iPhones are currently assembled in India.
Vietnam
Vietnam has emerged in the past few years as a popular manufacturing hub for consumer electronics. Apple has increased its production in Vietnam.
Around 20% of iPad production and 90% of Apple's wearable product assembly like the Apple Watch takes place in Vietnam, according to Evercore ISI.
Leapmotor delivered 37,095 vehicles, reflecting a 154% year-over-year growth. The Stellantis-owned automaker last month launched U.K. sales of two electric vehicle models, the T03 and the C10.
Li Auto delivered 36,674 vehicles in March, a 26.5% year-over-year increase, but fewer than every month in the second half of 2024. The company's cars had gained early traction with Chinese consumers since most come with a fuel tank for charging the vehicle's battery, reducing anxiety about driving range.
Leapmotor saw quarterly deliveries more than double to 87,552 units from 33,410 units the same period in 2024, according to publicly available numbers the company published.
However, Li Auto and Nio reported weaker growth than their competitors in the first quarter of the year.
Nio saw 42,094 vehicles delivered in the three months ended March 2025, an increase of 40.1% year over year. Li Auto saw a slower year-over-year growth of 15.5%, with a total of 92,864 vehicles delivered.
Stellantis idles plants in Mexico and Canada due to tariffs
Stellantis is pausing production at the automaker's Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, and its Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico.
DETROIT — Stellantis is pausing production at assembly plants in Canada and Mexico as the company attempts to navigate President Donald Trump's new round of 25% automotive tariffs that took effect Thursday.
The downtime includes two weeks at the automaker's Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, and the entire month of April at its Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico. Both start Monday.
The actions will result in temporary layoffs of roughly 900-U.S. represented employees in addition to the thousands of employees at the assembly plants.
The Canadian plant produces the Chrysler Pacifica minivan and the recently released Dodge Charger Daytona EV. The Mexico plant produces the Jeep Compass SUV and Jeep Wagoneer S EV.
Vance: Elon Musk Will Continue to Be Adviser
Elon Musk will remain a friend and adviser to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, despite leaving his role, Vance said Thursday.
Politico and ABC reported Wednesday that Trump had told members of his Cabinet that Musk will soon depart and return to the private sector, although it was not clear if Musk would leave before his 130-day mandate as a special government employee expires around late May.
"DOGE has got a lot of work to do, and yeah, that work is going to continue after Elon leaves. But fundamentally, Elon is going to remain a friend and an adviser of both me and the president," he said.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to continued labor market stability ahead of potential volatility from import tariffs.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 219,000 for the week ended March 29, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 225,000 claims for the latest week.
Low layoffs have kept the labor market humming. There were 1.07 job openings for every unemployed person in February, down from 1.13 in January, the government reported on Tuesday.
But economists worry that President Donald Trump's blizzard of tariffs since returning to the White House in January could hurt the labor market.
FBI Nabs Top MS-13 Gang Leader
On charges connected to at least 11 murders, FBI agents tracked down and arrested a top leader of the notorious MS-13 gang.
FBI agents tracked down and arrested a top leader of the notorious MS-13 gang who was wanted on charges connected to at least 11 murders. Joel Vargas-Escobar, also known as 'Momia' within the gang, was arrested by agents in New York. He was brought before a federal magistrate and ordered to remain in custody and is being transferred to Nevada.
Agents reported Vargas-Escobar was a top leader of a branch of MS-13 operating in Nevada and California. He was indicted in Nevada on racketeering conspiracy charges involving 11 murders. The government's indictment of Vargas-Escobar said victims were allegedly kidnapped and taken to desert or mountainous areas where they were tortured and killed. The conspiracy charges carry a mandatory life sentence if convicted. He's also facing firearms charges.
Trump specifically named MS-13, otherwise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, among a group of "Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists" that he ordered removed from the U.S. on the day of his inauguration for a second term in January.
Fallout from the Trump administration's Signal chat fiasco has resulted in at least three National Security Council staffers being fired.
National security adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic magazine, to a March 11 group text using the Signal encrypted messaging service where top officials were discussing plans to attack the Houthis in Yemen.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump made his clearest commitment to not fire anyone over the accidental leak of his administration's plans for an airstrike against the Houthis.
However, sources told Axios that several NSC members have been fired. CNN reported three NSC staffers were fired.
Axios added that its source said several people had been fired, possibly as many as 10, including senior directors.
Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence and a former top staffer for Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as Waltz's legislative director in Congress, and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security who served in the State Department during Trump's first administration were the three NSC officials let go, CNN reported.
The outlet added the firings followed conservative influencer Laura Loomer's Wednesday visit to the Oval Office.
"I woke up this morning to learn that there are still people in and around the West Wing who are LEAKING to the hostile, left-wing media about President Trump’s confidential and private meetings in the Oval Office," Loomer posted late-morning Thursday on X.
Rogan Says DOGE Should Investigate How 'Snow White' Cost $250M
Podcaster Joe Rogan wants Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to investigate how "Snow White" cost $250 million to make.
"They should get DOGE to look at this movie. They spent $250 million bucks making that movie?" Rogan said during a recent episode.
"Imagine you spent $250 million, and you get some young girl, and you don't kind of talk to her about like, Hey, you know, don't get political. You're young, and I know you have opinions about things, but this should be just about the movie," Rogan added.
The Walt Disney Co.'s live action "Snow White" opened with a disappointing $43 million in ticket sales.
The movie struggled, even before it went to theaters. The runup to release was plagued by controversies over the film's handling of the dwarfs, who are rendered in CGI, and backlashes over comments by its star, Rachel Zegler. The PR headaches prompted Disney to pull back on its premiere.
Newsmax CEO Rings NYSE Opening Bell
Ruddy told “The Record With Greta Van Susteren” on Tuesday that he is not paying as much attention on the stock price as he is on efforts of building the company.
Newsmax Inc. CEO Christopher Ruddy rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday morning to celebrate the company's stunning debut earlier this week as a public company.
Ruddy was on the exchange’s famed podium, joined by Newsmax’s top personalities, including Rudy Giuliani, Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Dick Morris and many others.
Newsmax board members Amb. Nancy Brinker, former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta and banker Christopher Cox were on the dais as Ruddy pressed the trading bell at 9:30am ET.
Dems Consider Suing Gov. Abbott Over Vacant Congressional Seat
Democrats are threatening legal action over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's delay in calling a special election to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, who died earlier this year, Punchbowl News reported.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said House Democrats would likely pursue a lawsuit, though he did not offer further details. Democrats are anxious to fill the seat in a deep blue district.
Harris County attorney Christian Menefee, a candidate in the race, and the Texas Democratic Party have also threatened legal action.
"Call an emergency election or lawyer up," the party said.
Senate Confirms Trump's Medicare/Medicaid Nominee Mehmet Oz
The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate voted on Thursday 53-45 along party lines to confirm Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity physician nominated by President Donald Trump, to oversee government health insurance programs Medicare and Medicaid.
As administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Oz, who has never held public office, will oversee a wide-reaching agency with annual spending of $2.6 trillion that oversees health insurance for more than half of Americans.
He would head Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people aged 65 or older or who have disabilities, oversee Medicaid, the state-based health insurance program for low-income people, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, for low-income children and pregnant women.
Republicans control the Senate and have been largely supportive of Oz, who in 2022 ran with Trump's endorsement as the Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania and lost. Republicans have backed nearly all Trump's nominees.
Habba: Will Try as Adults Teen Gang Members Who Kill Police
Teen gang members who kill police officers will be tried as adults, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said Thursday.
"This is really the way it should be. If you shoot a police officer, if you shoot anyone, I don't care what your age is, if you are part of a gang and have a repeated history of crime, you will be tried as an adult," Habba said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" after she filed paperwork to try a 14-year-old boy as an adult after he allegedly shot and killed Newark Sgt. Joseph Azcona.
The teen was initially charged with murder, attempted murder, and possession of illegal weapons.
The slain officer, 26, was part of a team of Newark police detectives and federal agents that had gone to capture a suspect in an illegal weapons sting when the officer was fired on in his vehicle, authorities said.
HHS to Brief House Panel After Widespread Layoffs
Department of Health and Human Services staffers will brief members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the agency's mass layoffs under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., The Hill reports.
Democrats on the panel are demanding a hearing on efforts to downsize the agency's workforce by as many as 20,000 staffers be attended by Kennedy himself, but the Hill reports that Republicans have committed only to holding a briefing with agency staffers.
A spokesperson for Democrats on the panel said in a statement on Thursday that "Democrats haven't been invited to attend" the staff briefing.
"We're reading about it in the press like everyone else," the spokesperson added, "which is why it's important we hold a public hearing with Secretary Kennedy so we can get some real answers."
Martina Navratilova: 'Shame on USA Fencing'
Retired women's tennis star Martina Navratilova got some attention when she posted "I am fuming" over USA Fencing's treatment of a female athlete.
The full text of her post on X made it clear she was protesting USA Fencing's treatment of a female athlete. "This is what happens when female athletes protest! Anyone here still thinks this is fair??? I am fuming… and shame on @USAFencing, shame on you for doing this. How dare you throw women under the gender [expletive] bus!!!
The incident creating Navratilova's response involved fencer Stephanie Turner, who competes for the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia. Turner refused to compete against transgender opponent Redmond Sullivan at a tournament in Maryland.
Breitbart reported that Turner was then disqualified from the event, which was held under the rules of USA Fencing.
Childhood Lead Exposure, Cancer Workers Among CDC Fired
Employees whose work focused on childhood lead exposure and cancer clusters were among those terminated from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a former staffer.
The ex-employee told The Hill that approximately 200 people — the entire permanent staff — at the CDC’s Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP) were cut.
Scientists, epidemiologists, and grant program administrators were reportedly among the workers who were let go from the DEHSP, which is housed within the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.
Tasked with such issues as climate change and health, childhood lead poisoning, cancer clusters and asthma and air pollution, The Hill’s source said that the work their former division does is vital to protecting public health.
Canadian PM Carney: Global Free Trade Led by US Is 'Over'
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney fired back at the Trump administration on Thursday, saying the era of global free trade under the United States "is over," Mediaite reported.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on more than 180 countries, which he says are designed to reset global trade and return manufacturing to the United States. Specifically for Canada, Trump imposed a 25% auto tariff, which took effect on Thursday.
Speaking to the media from Ottawa and aired on C-SPAN in the U.S., Carney said the effect on the global economy will be "monumental."
"The global economy is fundamentally different today than it was yesterday. The system of global trade anchored on the United States that Canada has relied on since the end of the Second World War — a system that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for our country for decades — is over," Carney said.
Canada Hits Back With Retaliatory Tariff on US Autos
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he will institute 25% tariffs on U.S. auto imports in retaliation to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump that took effect earlier in the day.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he will institute 25% tariffs on U.S. auto imports in retaliation to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump that took effect earlier in the day.
"As I told President Trump during our call last week, Canada will respond to the U.S. auto tariffs," Carney said during a news conference from Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. "And today, I'm announcing that the government of Canada will be responding by matching the U.S. approach."
Trump on Wednesday announced "Liberation Day" tariffs that imposed a baseline 10% tariff on all imported goods starting Saturday, with higher individualized reciprocal tariffs on countries with which the U.S. has the largest trade deficits.
Carney said his new tariffs would not be imposed on auto parts.
"Our tariffs, though, unlike the U.S. tariffs, will not affect auto parts because we know the benefits of our integrated production system, and they will also not affect vehicle content from Mexico, who is respecting the [USMCA trade] agreement," he said.
Canada's initial retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. remain in place, on items such as orange juice, peanut butter, coffee, appliances, footwear, cosmetics, motorcycles, and certain pulp and paper products.
The Canadian government also will develop a framework for auto producers in Canada to get federal relief from U.S. tariffs as long as they maintain production and investment in the country, The Globe and Mail in Toronto reported. Carney said every dollar raised from Canadian levies will go toward helping workers and companies affected by the U.S. tariffs.
Carney, who was sworn in as prime minister last month after Justin Trudeau resigned, paused his election campaign Wednesday – Canada's federal elections are set for April 28 – to consult with cabinet officials and provincial and territorial leaders on how to counter the U.S. tariffs, the Globe and Mail reported. He was expected to resume his campaign later in the day.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre said during a campaign event in Kingston, Ontario, on Thursday that he no longer considers the U.S. a dependable trading partner – "their president has chosen to betray America's best friend and closest ally," according to the Globe and Mail.
He added the Canadian government must get tougher with Trump and commit to revoking any new trade or defense arrangements with the U.S. if the Trump administration keeps violating trade agreements.
GM to Increase Truck Production in Indiana Following Trump's Tariffs
General Motors is moving to increase production of light-duty trucks at its Fort Wayne, Indiana, assembly plant, it said in a webcast sent to plant employees Thursday and viewed by Reuters.
GM's announcement came a day after President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on auto imports.
The Fort Wayne plant makes the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks, which GM also manufactures at plants in Mexico and Canada.
The Detroit automaker may also add overtime days to the schedule, plant director Dennys Pimenta told employees in the webcast.
GM said in a statement on Thursday that it will hire temporary workers for the Fort Wayne assembly plant, saying that will be part of "operational adjustments" at the plant "to support current manufacturing and business needs."
Tom Hanks’ daughter, E.A. Hanks, reveals childhood ‘filled with confusion, violence, deprivation’ in new memoir
Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes' daughter, Elizabeth Hanks, wrote about her turbulent childhood in her new memoir, "The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road."
Elizabeth Hanks, the daughter of Tom Hanks and first wife Samantha Lewes, opened up about her turbulent childhood and complex relationship with her mother in her new book, “The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road.”
In an excerpt obtained by People Thursday, the author — who now goes by E.A. for Elizabeth Anne — wrote about how her parents’ split in 1985 shaped her and brother Colin Hanks’ early years.
“I am a kid from the First (non-famous) Marriage. My only memories of my parents in the same place at the same time are Colin’s high school graduation, then my high school graduation,” she began. “I have one picture of me standing between my parents. In it, my mother’s best wig is slightly askew.”
Sordid new details of teacher Christina Formella's alleged abuse of teen student emerge — including classroom sex romp
Christina Formella allegedly started sending the student flirtatious messages on a school messaging platform, new court documents reveal.
The married Illinois special ed teacher accused of molesting a 15-year-old student allegedly began messaging the boy on a digital school platform – which quickly escalated to a sexual encounter during a tutoring session in a classroom, new court documents reveal.
Downer Grove High School teacher Christina Formella, who was also the alleged victim’s soccer coach, started tutoring the boy in private sessions after he broke his collarbone, documents obtained by TMZ showed.
“She claimed that one day, [the boy] had grabbed her phone unattended, had entered her passcode … had sent the message to his phone, had then deleted the message from her phone, and had saved it to his phone as blackmail,” previously obtained court documents showed.
“[Formella said] everybody comes after her because she is good looking and she is just a good person who cared too much about [the boy],” the documents added.
The alleged affair was discovered in mid-March when the boy’s mother was setting up a new phone for him and saw inappropriate texts with Formella.
“I love you sooooo much baby… Even though this morning was short, it was perfect,” one of Formella’s alleged texts read, “I love having sex with you.”
She was arrested on March 16, just days after the boy’s mother found the messages.
"That's the motivation for the round," Perret said. "We think it's important to give our employees options to sell and the ability to have liquidity, especially given that Plaid has been private for so long."
Plaid is the latest in a string of late-stage, private deals designed to enable employees to cash out in private markets. Ramp, DataBricks, OpenAI and Stripe have all announced secondary financings that were designed to let some employees get liquidity. Few of those companies seem eager to wade into public markets. Recent volatility around stocks and lackluster performance of recent IPOs, including CoreWeave's last week, have kept some companies on the sidelines.
"Volatility is definitely going to be one of the key factors," Perret said, adding that it was too early to assess IPO market conditions for Plaid.
The startup has been on a roller coaster in private markets since it was founded a decade ago. Plaid was set to be bought by Visa for $5 billion in 2020 in a deal that was eventually called off amid regulatory scrutiny. The following year, it raised money at a $13.4 billion valuation. That also marked the peak for growth and technology valuations before the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates.
Plaid provides the plumbing to connect consumer bank accounts to popular finance apps. Its APIs let consumers link their bank accounts to services like Venmo, Robinhood and Coinbase. Since then, it's expanded into direct bill pay, cybersecurity and data analytics. It also partners with major banks.
Cybersecurity is one of Plaid's largest growth areas, Perret said. He pointed to financial fraud growing at 20% to 25% per year as a result of the boom in artificial intelligence.
!summarize #trade #tariffs #exports
"We've been leaning in to try to build tools to combat deep fakes and a lot of AI-driven financial fraud," he said. "Unfortunately, this is a large market opportunity. It's something that we'd actually like to be smaller. But it's been an area of growth."
India
Over the last two years, Apple has made a big push to ramp up iPhone production in India as the government looks to increase local manufacturing of high-tech goods.
Apple is targeting around 25% of all iPhones globally to be made in India, a government minister said in 2023.
India could reach about 15%-20% of overall iPhone production by the end of 2025, Bernstein analysts estimate. Evercore ISI said around 10% to 15% of iPhones are currently assembled in India.
Vietnam
Vietnam has emerged in the past few years as a popular manufacturing hub for consumer electronics. Apple has increased its production in Vietnam.
Around 20% of iPad production and 90% of Apple's wearable product assembly like the Apple Watch takes place in Vietnam, according to Evercore ISI.
Leapmotor delivered 37,095 vehicles, reflecting a 154% year-over-year growth. The Stellantis-owned automaker last month launched U.K. sales of two electric vehicle models, the T03 and the C10.
Li Auto delivered 36,674 vehicles in March, a 26.5% year-over-year increase, but fewer than every month in the second half of 2024. The company's cars had gained early traction with Chinese consumers since most come with a fuel tank for charging the vehicle's battery, reducing anxiety about driving range.
Leapmotor saw quarterly deliveries more than double to 87,552 units from 33,410 units the same period in 2024, according to publicly available numbers the company published.
However, Li Auto and Nio reported weaker growth than their competitors in the first quarter of the year.
Nio saw 42,094 vehicles delivered in the three months ended March 2025, an increase of 40.1% year over year. Li Auto saw a slower year-over-year growth of 15.5%, with a total of 92,864 vehicles delivered.
Stellantis idles plants in Mexico and Canada due to tariffs
Stellantis is pausing production at the automaker's Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, and its Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico.
DETROIT — Stellantis is pausing production at assembly plants in Canada and Mexico as the company attempts to navigate President Donald Trump's new round of 25% automotive tariffs that took effect Thursday.
The downtime includes two weeks at the automaker's Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, and the entire month of April at its Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico. Both start Monday.
The actions will result in temporary layoffs of roughly 900-U.S. represented employees in addition to the thousands of employees at the assembly plants.
The Canadian plant produces the Chrysler Pacifica minivan and the recently released Dodge Charger Daytona EV. The Mexico plant produces the Jeep Compass SUV and Jeep Wagoneer S EV.
Vance: Elon Musk Will Continue to Be Adviser
Elon Musk will remain a friend and adviser to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, despite leaving his role, Vance said Thursday.
Politico and ABC reported Wednesday that Trump had told members of his Cabinet that Musk will soon depart and return to the private sector, although it was not clear if Musk would leave before his 130-day mandate as a special government employee expires around late May.
"DOGE has got a lot of work to do, and yeah, that work is going to continue after Elon leaves. But fundamentally, Elon is going to remain a friend and an adviser of both me and the president," he said.
Unemployment Claims Fall Amid Strong Job Market
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to continued labor market stability ahead of potential volatility from import tariffs.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 219,000 for the week ended March 29, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 225,000 claims for the latest week.
Low layoffs have kept the labor market humming. There were 1.07 job openings for every unemployed person in February, down from 1.13 in January, the government reported on Tuesday.
But economists worry that President Donald Trump's blizzard of tariffs since returning to the White House in January could hurt the labor market.
FBI Nabs Top MS-13 Gang Leader
On charges connected to at least 11 murders, FBI agents tracked down and arrested a top leader of the notorious MS-13 gang.
FBI agents tracked down and arrested a top leader of the notorious MS-13 gang who was wanted on charges connected to at least 11 murders. Joel Vargas-Escobar, also known as 'Momia' within the gang, was arrested by agents in New York. He was brought before a federal magistrate and ordered to remain in custody and is being transferred to Nevada.
Agents reported Vargas-Escobar was a top leader of a branch of MS-13 operating in Nevada and California. He was indicted in Nevada on racketeering conspiracy charges involving 11 murders. The government's indictment of Vargas-Escobar said victims were allegedly kidnapped and taken to desert or mountainous areas where they were tortured and killed. The conspiracy charges carry a mandatory life sentence if convicted. He's also facing firearms charges.
Trump specifically named MS-13, otherwise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, among a group of "Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists" that he ordered removed from the U.S. on the day of his inauguration for a second term in January.
NSC Staffers Fired in Signal Chat Fallout
Fallout from the Trump administration's Signal chat fiasco has resulted in at least three National Security Council staffers being fired.
National security adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic magazine, to a March 11 group text using the Signal encrypted messaging service where top officials were discussing plans to attack the Houthis in Yemen.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump made his clearest commitment to not fire anyone over the accidental leak of his administration's plans for an airstrike against the Houthis.
However, sources told Axios that several NSC members have been fired. CNN reported three NSC staffers were fired.
Axios added that its source said several people had been fired, possibly as many as 10, including senior directors.
Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence and a former top staffer for Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as Waltz's legislative director in Congress, and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security who served in the State Department during Trump's first administration were the three NSC officials let go, CNN reported.
The outlet added the firings followed conservative influencer Laura Loomer's Wednesday visit to the Oval Office.
"I woke up this morning to learn that there are still people in and around the West Wing who are LEAKING to the hostile, left-wing media about President Trump’s confidential and private meetings in the Oval Office," Loomer posted late-morning Thursday on X.
Rogan Says DOGE Should Investigate How 'Snow White' Cost $250M
Podcaster Joe Rogan wants Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to investigate how "Snow White" cost $250 million to make.
"They should get DOGE to look at this movie. They spent $250 million bucks making that movie?" Rogan said during a recent episode.
"Imagine you spent $250 million, and you get some young girl, and you don't kind of talk to her about like, Hey, you know, don't get political. You're young, and I know you have opinions about things, but this should be just about the movie," Rogan added.
The Walt Disney Co.'s live action "Snow White" opened with a disappointing $43 million in ticket sales.
The movie struggled, even before it went to theaters. The runup to release was plagued by controversies over the film's handling of the dwarfs, who are rendered in CGI, and backlashes over comments by its star, Rachel Zegler. The PR headaches prompted Disney to pull back on its premiere.
Newsmax CEO Rings NYSE Opening Bell
Ruddy told “The Record With Greta Van Susteren” on Tuesday that he is not paying as much attention on the stock price as he is on efforts of building the company.
Newsmax Inc. CEO Christopher Ruddy rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday morning to celebrate the company's stunning debut earlier this week as a public company.
Ruddy was on the exchange’s famed podium, joined by Newsmax’s top personalities, including Rudy Giuliani, Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Dick Morris and many others.
Newsmax board members Amb. Nancy Brinker, former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta and banker Christopher Cox were on the dais as Ruddy pressed the trading bell at 9:30am ET.
Dems Consider Suing Gov. Abbott Over Vacant Congressional Seat
Democrats are threatening legal action over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's delay in calling a special election to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, who died earlier this year, Punchbowl News reported.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said House Democrats would likely pursue a lawsuit, though he did not offer further details. Democrats are anxious to fill the seat in a deep blue district.
Harris County attorney Christian Menefee, a candidate in the race, and the Texas Democratic Party have also threatened legal action.
"Call an emergency election or lawyer up," the party said.
Senate Confirms Trump's Medicare/Medicaid Nominee Mehmet Oz
The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate voted on Thursday 53-45 along party lines to confirm Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity physician nominated by President Donald Trump, to oversee government health insurance programs Medicare and Medicaid.
As administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Oz, who has never held public office, will oversee a wide-reaching agency with annual spending of $2.6 trillion that oversees health insurance for more than half of Americans.
He would head Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people aged 65 or older or who have disabilities, oversee Medicaid, the state-based health insurance program for low-income people, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, for low-income children and pregnant women.
Republicans control the Senate and have been largely supportive of Oz, who in 2022 ran with Trump's endorsement as the Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania and lost. Republicans have backed nearly all Trump's nominees.
Habba: Will Try as Adults Teen Gang Members Who Kill Police
Teen gang members who kill police officers will be tried as adults, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said Thursday.
"This is really the way it should be. If you shoot a police officer, if you shoot anyone, I don't care what your age is, if you are part of a gang and have a repeated history of crime, you will be tried as an adult," Habba said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" after she filed paperwork to try a 14-year-old boy as an adult after he allegedly shot and killed Newark Sgt. Joseph Azcona.
The teen was initially charged with murder, attempted murder, and possession of illegal weapons.
The slain officer, 26, was part of a team of Newark police detectives and federal agents that had gone to capture a suspect in an illegal weapons sting when the officer was fired on in his vehicle, authorities said.
HHS to Brief House Panel After Widespread Layoffs
Department of Health and Human Services staffers will brief members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the agency's mass layoffs under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., The Hill reports.
Democrats on the panel are demanding a hearing on efforts to downsize the agency's workforce by as many as 20,000 staffers be attended by Kennedy himself, but the Hill reports that Republicans have committed only to holding a briefing with agency staffers.
A spokesperson for Democrats on the panel said in a statement on Thursday that "Democrats haven't been invited to attend" the staff briefing.
"We're reading about it in the press like everyone else," the spokesperson added, "which is why it's important we hold a public hearing with Secretary Kennedy so we can get some real answers."
Martina Navratilova: 'Shame on USA Fencing'
Retired women's tennis star Martina Navratilova got some attention when she posted "I am fuming" over USA Fencing's treatment of a female athlete.
The full text of her post on X made it clear she was protesting USA Fencing's treatment of a female athlete. "This is what happens when female athletes protest! Anyone here still thinks this is fair??? I am fuming… and shame on @USAFencing, shame on you for doing this. How dare you throw women under the gender [expletive] bus!!!
The incident creating Navratilova's response involved fencer Stephanie Turner, who competes for the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia. Turner refused to compete against transgender opponent Redmond Sullivan at a tournament in Maryland.
Breitbart reported that Turner was then disqualified from the event, which was held under the rules of USA Fencing.
Childhood Lead Exposure, Cancer Workers Among CDC Fired
Employees whose work focused on childhood lead exposure and cancer clusters were among those terminated from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a former staffer.
The ex-employee told The Hill that approximately 200 people — the entire permanent staff — at the CDC’s Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP) were cut.
Scientists, epidemiologists, and grant program administrators were reportedly among the workers who were let go from the DEHSP, which is housed within the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.
Tasked with such issues as climate change and health, childhood lead poisoning, cancer clusters and asthma and air pollution, The Hill’s source said that the work their former division does is vital to protecting public health.
Canadian PM Carney: Global Free Trade Led by US Is 'Over'
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney fired back at the Trump administration on Thursday, saying the era of global free trade under the United States "is over," Mediaite reported.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on more than 180 countries, which he says are designed to reset global trade and return manufacturing to the United States. Specifically for Canada, Trump imposed a 25% auto tariff, which took effect on Thursday.
Speaking to the media from Ottawa and aired on C-SPAN in the U.S., Carney said the effect on the global economy will be "monumental."
"The global economy is fundamentally different today than it was yesterday. The system of global trade anchored on the United States that Canada has relied on since the end of the Second World War — a system that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for our country for decades — is over," Carney said.
Canada Hits Back With Retaliatory Tariff on US Autos
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he will institute 25% tariffs on U.S. auto imports in retaliation to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump that took effect earlier in the day.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he will institute 25% tariffs on U.S. auto imports in retaliation to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump that took effect earlier in the day.
"As I told President Trump during our call last week, Canada will respond to the U.S. auto tariffs," Carney said during a news conference from Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. "And today, I'm announcing that the government of Canada will be responding by matching the U.S. approach."
Trump on Wednesday announced "Liberation Day" tariffs that imposed a baseline 10% tariff on all imported goods starting Saturday, with higher individualized reciprocal tariffs on countries with which the U.S. has the largest trade deficits.
Carney said his new tariffs would not be imposed on auto parts.
"Our tariffs, though, unlike the U.S. tariffs, will not affect auto parts because we know the benefits of our integrated production system, and they will also not affect vehicle content from Mexico, who is respecting the [USMCA trade] agreement," he said.
Canada's initial retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. remain in place, on items such as orange juice, peanut butter, coffee, appliances, footwear, cosmetics, motorcycles, and certain pulp and paper products.
The Canadian government also will develop a framework for auto producers in Canada to get federal relief from U.S. tariffs as long as they maintain production and investment in the country, The Globe and Mail in Toronto reported. Carney said every dollar raised from Canadian levies will go toward helping workers and companies affected by the U.S. tariffs.
Carney, who was sworn in as prime minister last month after Justin Trudeau resigned, paused his election campaign Wednesday – Canada's federal elections are set for April 28 – to consult with cabinet officials and provincial and territorial leaders on how to counter the U.S. tariffs, the Globe and Mail reported. He was expected to resume his campaign later in the day.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre said during a campaign event in Kingston, Ontario, on Thursday that he no longer considers the U.S. a dependable trading partner – "their president has chosen to betray America's best friend and closest ally," according to the Globe and Mail.
He added the Canadian government must get tougher with Trump and commit to revoking any new trade or defense arrangements with the U.S. if the Trump administration keeps violating trade agreements.
GM to Increase Truck Production in Indiana Following Trump's Tariffs
General Motors is moving to increase production of light-duty trucks at its Fort Wayne, Indiana, assembly plant, it said in a webcast sent to plant employees Thursday and viewed by Reuters.
GM's announcement came a day after President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on auto imports.
The Fort Wayne plant makes the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks, which GM also manufactures at plants in Mexico and Canada.
The Detroit automaker may also add overtime days to the schedule, plant director Dennys Pimenta told employees in the webcast.
GM said in a statement on Thursday that it will hire temporary workers for the Fort Wayne assembly plant, saying that will be part of "operational adjustments" at the plant "to support current manufacturing and business needs."
Tom Hanks’ daughter, E.A. Hanks, reveals childhood ‘filled with confusion, violence, deprivation’ in new memoir
Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes' daughter, Elizabeth Hanks, wrote about her turbulent childhood in her new memoir, "The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road."
Elizabeth Hanks, the daughter of Tom Hanks and first wife Samantha Lewes, opened up about her turbulent childhood and complex relationship with her mother in her new book, “The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road.”
In an excerpt obtained by People Thursday, the author — who now goes by E.A. for Elizabeth Anne — wrote about how her parents’ split in 1985 shaped her and brother Colin Hanks’ early years.
“I am a kid from the First (non-famous) Marriage. My only memories of my parents in the same place at the same time are Colin’s high school graduation, then my high school graduation,” she began. “I have one picture of me standing between my parents. In it, my mother’s best wig is slightly askew.”
Sordid new details of teacher Christina Formella's alleged abuse of teen student emerge — including classroom sex romp
Christina Formella allegedly started sending the student flirtatious messages on a school messaging platform, new court documents reveal.
The married Illinois special ed teacher accused of molesting a 15-year-old student allegedly began messaging the boy on a digital school platform – which quickly escalated to a sexual encounter during a tutoring session in a classroom, new court documents reveal.
Downer Grove High School teacher Christina Formella, who was also the alleged victim’s soccer coach, started tutoring the boy in private sessions after he broke his collarbone, documents obtained by TMZ showed.
“She claimed that one day, [the boy] had grabbed her phone unattended, had entered her passcode … had sent the message to his phone, had then deleted the message from her phone, and had saved it to his phone as blackmail,” previously obtained court documents showed.
“[Formella said] everybody comes after her because she is good looking and she is just a good person who cared too much about [the boy],” the documents added.
The alleged affair was discovered in mid-March when the boy’s mother was setting up a new phone for him and saw inappropriate texts with Formella.
“I love you sooooo much baby… Even though this morning was short, it was perfect,” one of Formella’s alleged texts read, “I love having sex with you.”
She was arrested on March 16, just days after the boy’s mother found the messages.