Mysterious world beyond Pluto may have an atmosphere: astronomers

(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump told a group of small business owners Monday that tariffs should be higher, even as polling is mixed on the issue.

"You actually said thank you for the tariffs, but the tariffs really aren't high enough in my opinion," Trump said at a White House Small Business Summit held during National Small Business Week.

The comments come as the administration is processing about $166 billion in court-ordered tariff refunds while also preparing for a new round of higher tariffs as early as July. Those tariffs would be implemented under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose duties following investigations into unfair trade practices. Hearings on the proposed measures are scheduled for May 5.

A survey conducted by Echelon Insights for Advancing American Freedom — an advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence — found that 46% of small business owners somewhat or strongly oppose Trump's tariffs, compared to 41% who support them. About 42% said tariffs have increased the cost of goods needed for their businesses. The survey was conducted March 4-11.

A separate April survey by the National Federation of Independent Business found a more favorable split, with 53% of small business owners favoring the tariffs to some degree and 29% opposed. However, 56% of respondents in the same survey said tariffs have negatively impacted their operations, suggesting that support for the policy does not always translate to positive business outcomes. Of those negatively impacted, 78% reported higher prices for supplies or inventory.

Support for tariffs remains strong among Trump's political base. A survey of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference in late March found 91% backed the policy, according to a McLaughlin & Associates poll. In contrast, a January Pew Research Center survey found that 60% of Americans overall disapprove of tariff increases.

Some Republican lawmakers have also raised concerns. During an April hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, told U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that the policy is hurting smaller firms that cannot pass higher costs on to consumers.

"This tariff policy isn't working for them," Miller said. "It is not a net positive. It is a net negative."

Greer defended the administration's approach, pointing to a 24% decline in the U.S. goods trade deficit between April 2025 and February 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier, as well as record exports of $315 billion in February 2026.

Businesses across multiple industries have submitted comments ahead of the May 5 hearings urging restraint. Ford asked that any new tariffs not be layered on top of existing ones, while Trek Bicycle warned that broad duties would raise costs for both businesses and consumers. The National Corn Growers Association called for duty-free treatment of agricultural inputs.

One ongoing concern for businesses is the lack of a formal exclusion process under Section 301. A Congressional Research Service report highlighted uncertainty over whether the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will create a new mechanism for exemptions in current or future tariff actions.

The White House has defended the policy's broader economic impact.

"In the past year, President Trump has used tariffs to renegotiate broken trade deals, lower prescription drug prices, cut our trade deficit, and secure trillions in investments to reshore manufacturing," said White House spokesman Kush Desai.

Legal challenges continue to shape Trump's use of tariffs. In February, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump exceeded his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs. A federal trade court later ordered about $166 billion in refunds to the importers who paid the duties. Hours after the Supreme Court ruling, Trump imposed a 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which is now being challenged in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Public opinion remains divided on who ultimately bears the cost of tariffs. A Center Square Voters' Voice Poll conducted in March found that 42% of voters believe American consumers primarily pay for tariffs, while 12% say foreign countries bear the cost. The Yale Budget Lab estimated that the Section 122 tariffs could cost the average U.S. household between $600 and $800 per year.

Phillip Magness, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute, said the economic effects may become more visible in the coming months.

"Not all have made the connection yet that tariffs are tantamount to a tax increase on affected goods," Magness previously told The Center Square. "I suspect this connection will become more pronounced as the election approaches."

(The Center Square) – As Democrats ramp up their efforts to flip the U.S. House in November, four candidates from the Keystone State have been named to a program that seeks to help and invest in them to win their races.

On Monday morning, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, known as the DCCC, added Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie and Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, PPFFA, President Bob Brooks to its ‘Red to Blue’ program.

In February, the DCCC announced that Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and former television anchor Janelle Stelson were also on the list for their respective bids for the 8th and 10th congressional districts. 

The DCCC, the official campaign arm of the Democrats in the House of Representatives and the only political committee in the country “whose principal mission is to support Democratic House candidates every step of the way,” has named four candidates in Pennsylvania to its ‘Red to Blue’ program, which is more than any other state.

DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene described Brooks and Harvie, who are both running against other Democrats for the party nomination, as the “strongest” candidates for their respective races.

“Bob Harvie is a proud son of Bucks County who has an undeniable record of showing up and serving the community that raised him,” said DelBene. “Bob is the strongest candidate to take on Brian Fitzpatrick and finally give Bucks and Montgomery County families a leader in Congress who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable.”

“As a 20-year Bethlehem firefighter and union president, Bob Brooks has been on the frontlines serving the community he loves. He understands the challenges that hardworking Lehigh Valley families are facing because he’s lived them himself, and he has the callouses on his hands to prove it,” DelBene said. “He’s the strongest candidate to flip this must-win seat in November and deliver real results for his community.”

The focus on Pennsylvania races suggests Democrats are playing offense after Republicans secured wins up and down the ballot in 2024.

In addition to Donald Trump winning the state’s 19 electoral votes and Republicans sweeping all of the statewide races on the ballot, the GOP also flipped two congressional seats from blue to red last cycle.

Cognetti is the only Pennsylvania candidate who has a clear path to the Democratic Party nomination among the four in the program. She is slated to face U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8th District, for the northeast Pennsylvania-based seat in November. 

Stelson, who is attempting to challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Perry for the 10th Congressional District, is going up against Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas for the Democratic Party nomination. 

Harvie and Lucia Simonelli, a scientist, are vying for the Democratic Party nomination for the 1st District seat held by GOP U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. 

In addition to Brooks, the 7th Congressional District Democratic primary includes Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor; Carol Obando-Derstine, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey; and Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure. The winner of that primary will challenge freshman GOP U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

At least two candidates are voicing their opposition to the DCCC’s latest decision to weigh in on these races prior to the primary election on May 19. 

"Hand-picking a party loyalist did not work for the Democratic establishment during the Harris campaign, and it will not work for PA-01,” Simonelli’s campaign said to the Center Square. “After nearly a decade of Fitzpatrick, voters deserve a candidate who will go to bat when working people are on the line - not another representative who embodies the status quo of lukewarm, pre-approved Party politics.”

“Lucia Simonelli's background, experience, and commitment to working people are exactly the kind of representation constituents in this district need in Congress,” the campaign added. “Voters decide elections, not Washington insiders.”

Obando-Derstine’s campaign also blasted the DCCC. 

“Instead of letting local voters decide, DC insiders and the political establishment are trying to handpick our next Representative and buy this seat,” her campaign said. “The establishment is pushing Bob Brooks — a candidate who has repeatedly endorsed election deniers, downplayed the deadliest attack on the Latino community in modern U.S. history, and shown he’s willing to lie to voters.” 

“Our district deserves better than another John Fetterman,” the campaign added. “We need a candidate who can win this race and defeat Ryan Mackenzie in November.”

Also going to bat for Obando-Derstine is the BOLD PAC, the campaign committee of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to Semafor.

While the DCCC is the latest group to put their efforts behind Brooks, Cognetti, Harvie, and Stelson, all have racked up significant endorsements in their respective races. 

Brooks is being backed in his race by Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and a bevy of unions. Harvie has the support of a majority of local elected Democrats in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, as well as the endorsements from multiple U.S. House members. Stelson and Cognetti also have the support of Shapiro and various lawmakers across the Commonwealth and beyond. 

National ratings outlets signal that the four races are expected to be competitive in November. 

The Cook Political Report rates three U.S. House races in Pennsylvania as “toss ups” which is more than any other state for the midterm election. Those races are the seats held by Bresnahan, Mackenzie, and Perry. However, they describe the 1st Congressional District contest as “likely Republican.”

Republicans currently hold a slim majority over Democrats in the U.S. House, putting these races in battleground districts in Pennsylvania in the spotlight in November.

Actor Blake Lively and "It Ends with Us" co-star Justin Baldoni settled on Monday their acrimonious court battle, sparked when Lively accused Baldoni of inappropriate on-set behavior, meaning they will avoid a costly civil trial. 

US entertainment media including People and Variety reported that lawyers for the two stars, who have been embroiled in a years-long public spat, had agreed to settle the case, with no settlement figure publicly disclosed.

Lively's initial complaint had said Baldoni -- who also directed the film -- had spoken inappropriately about his sex life and sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to.

It also said producer Jamey Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away. It further said Baldoni waged a PR campaign to wreck Lively's reputation.

"The end product -- the movie 'It Ends with Us' -- is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life," Baldoni and Lively's attorneys said in a joint statement reported by US media. 

"We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard... It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace."

Baldoni and the studio Wayfarer had previously countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds with claims of extortion and defamation -- but a judge dismissed those claims last year.

Wayfarer previously insisted that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively.

A judge dismissed some of Lively's claims, but upheld her allegations of retaliation, which would have proceeded to trial on May 18.

Based on a best-selling novel by the US writer Colleen Hoover, "It Ends with Us" made more than $350 million at the box office in 2024, making it one of the biggest hits of the year.

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(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump spoke to small business owners at the White House Monday, enumerating a number of policies he said have created a favorable environment for small business growth.

Sunday marked the start of National Small Business Week, which honors the businesses that make up roughly 40% of all economic activity in the U.S., according to Trump.

“[As] a group of people added together, you’re essentially the most important factor business-wise in the whole country, and this country is leading the whole world,” Trump said. “I always say that small business is a giant business, because when you add up your whole department, that's not a small business, that's a really big business.” 

The president highlighted policies advanced by his second-term signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act that have improved conditions for small businesses, according to Trump.

The bill made the small business deduction permanent, which allows eligible business owners to deduct up to 20% of qualifying business income from their taxable income. It also extended 100% bonus depreciation, enabling businesses to immediately deduct the full cost of qualifying investments — including equipment and machinery — from their taxable income. Both provisions were enacted under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 but were either set to expire or being phased out prior to the OBBBA’s passage.

The TCJA’s estate and gift tax exemption, which doubled what the exemption had been at the time, was extended and expanded through the OBBBA. Under the TCJA, the single filer exemption was $11.18 million and joint filers’ was $22.36 million. The OBBBA raised those exemptions to $15 million and $30 million, respectively. This allows children of small business owners who inherit their parents’ business to keep more of the estate.

“To ensure that you and your family can keep your businesses in the family, we virtually eliminated the unfair estate tax or death tax for farmers and for small businesses,” Trump said. “I hope everyone's appreciative of it. Now, if you don't like your children, it doesn't mean anything, but if you do like to leave them to somebody that you love, then it's a big deal for them.”

The president also spoke about the regulatory relief that has been a focus of his administration. Not long after starting his second term, Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to cut 10 regulations for every new one created. According to the administration, instead, an average of 129 regulations have been eliminated for each new regulation.

“Almost as important as the tax cuts, we've slashed a record number of job crushing regulations. That includes tremendous numbers of environmental regulations, which stopped your businesses… [and] if anything, they made the environment worse,” Trump said. 

He also boasted of his administration’s tariff policies, which he said have in some cases, protected American small businesses from competition. As of early April, 56,000 U.S. importers had registered for tariff relief from the federal government, according to CBS News. 

Country music legend Dolly Party on Monday announced the cancellation of a series of Las Vegas concerts, citing ongoing health concerns.

Parton, 80, said in videos posted to her social media accounts that although treatment for an unspecified illness was going well, she wasn't ready to be performing on stage.

The "9 to 5" singer had previously postponed the Las Vegas residency, which was originally scheduled to kick off last year.

"The good news is I'm responding really well to meds and treatments, and I'm improving every day now," she said in the video on Monday.

"It's going to take me a little while before I'm up to stage performance level," she said, adding that medicines she's taking were making her light-headed and woozy.

"Of course, I can't be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and such, on five-inch heels, and you know that I'm going to be wearing them. Not to mention all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big personality," she joked.

Parton said her doctors were working hard on strengthening her immune and digestive systems. 

"They assure me that everything I have is treatable," she said. 

Speculation over Parton's health last year -- following her sister's public request for prayers -- prompted the music legend to post a video addressing her fans titled "I ain't dead yet!"

In her latest video, Parton -- whose husband Carl died last year -- thanked fans for their support and said she was still working on various projects including a museum and hotel set to open in Nashville, Tennessee later this year, and a Broadway musical.

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A blaze caused major damage Monday to Broadway's storied Eugene O'Neill Theater, forcing it to close for repairs and halting its run of the smash hit musical "The Book of Mormon," the New York fire department said. 

This religious satire about two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in Uganda has been on Broadway for 15 years and been performed in London's West End and beyond.

The New York fire department's assistant chief, David Simms, told a media briefing at the scene of the fire that "the building is going to be out of service pending repairs." He said almost 200 firefighters and EMS staff rushed to the site. 

It was not immediately clear how long the closure will last, or if the show will be moved to another theater.

"There's been substantial damage on the fourth floor in the electrical room, which contains lighting equipment, and the hanging chandeliers," Simms added.

"This was a deep-seated fire, involving a lot of electrical equipment... It was very difficult to get to. There was a lot of catwalks and rigging in the theater."

Ambassador Theater Group, which owns the Eugene O'Neill, did not respond to a request for comment.

"The Book of Mormon" is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' sacred text, and the name Mormon has been used to identify the church since it was established in 1830, although initially outsiders said it as a derogatory term.

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Coverage of the Trump administration dominated the Pulitzer Prizes announced Monday as the prize committee unleashed a searing attack on US President Donald Trump's attempts to limit freedom of reporting.

"We stand for civil discourse and against censorship," said Pulitzer Administrator Marjorie Miller ahead of the announcements, which honored coverage of Trump's immigration crackdown and his enrichment of his allies. 

"Unfortunately, this bears repeating now, as media access to the White House and Pentagon is restricted, free speech is challenged in the streets, and the President of the United States has filed lawsuits for billions of dollars for defamation and malice against multiple print and broadcast media."

The prestigious Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism was awarded to the Washington Post for its in-depth coverage of Trump's "chaotic" efforts to reconstruct the US federal bureaucracy.

"In rich detail" the coverage explored "the human impacts of the cuts and the consequences for the country," Miller said.  

The investigative reporting prize went to The New York Times for its series exposing how Trump "exploited the money-making opportunities that come with power, enriching his family and allies."

Its reporting highlighted how Trump's allies and families benefited from ties with wealthy Gulf monarchies and involvement in cryptocurrency.

In the local reporting category, The Chicago Tribune was honored for its "vivid, muscular prose" reporting how federal immigration agents subjected the midwestern city to a "siege-like incursion" as part of Trump's crackdown on undocumented migrants. 

A second prize in that category went to the Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica for an investigation into unscrupulous vehicle towing practices.

Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown received a special citation for her "groundbreaking reporting" in 2017 and 2018 of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"Her 'Perversion of Justice' series, published nearly a decade ago, revealed how prosecutors shielded Epstein from federal sex trafficking charges when he was first accused of abusing young women," Miller said.

- 'Inventive and revelatory' -

The New York Times won the breaking news photography category for Saher Alghorra's  "haunting, sensitive" images showing the "devastation and starvation in Gaza resulting from the war with Israel." 

The Reuters news agency received the nod in the national reporting category for its coverage of Trump's use of executive power and his supporters' influence to "exact vengeance on his foes."

The Associated Press news agency was honored in the international reporting category for its reports on how the US government allowed its country's businesses to sell surveillance technology to China.

The Pulitzer for explanatory reporting went to the San Francisco Chronicle for its series on the aftermath of the LA fires, showing how insurers undervalued properties lost to fires, denied homeowner claims and hampered their efforts to rebuild.

The Reuters news agency scooped the Pulitzer for beat reporting, honoring what the committee called "inventive and revelatory" coverage  of how Meta knowingly exposed users to scams and AI manipulation.   

The Pulitzer for breaking news reporting was awarded to the Minnesota Star Tribune for its coverage of a shooting in a back-to-school mass at a Catholic school that left two children dead and 17 wounded.

The coverage highlighted the prevalence of gun violence in the United States and the limitations of efforts to combat it.

The Pulitzer for feature writing went to Aaron Parsley of Texas Monthly for his account of the Central Texas floods that destroyed his home and killed his nephew.

'Liberation,' by Bess Wohl won in the drama category, while the history Pulitzer went to 'We the People' by Jill Lepore, and the biography prize was awarded to 'Pride and Pleasure,' by Amanda Vaill.

The Pulitzer Prizes are overseen by Columbia University.

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(The Center Square) – Second-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed his redrawn congressional map into law.

The Legislature gave passage last week.

“Signed, sealed and delivered,” DeSantis wrote on social media, with his signature on the new map’s image.

Florida's representation is 20 Republicans, seven Democrats and one vacancy from the resignation of former Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. The new map is forecast to bring an end for Democratic U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor in the Tampa area and Maxwell Frost in Central Florida.

Five districts represented by Democrats are expected to leave just three. They include areas represented by Reps. Jared Moskowitz, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Lois Frankel, Frederica Wilson and Cherfilus-McCormick.

Litigation is expected. The primaries in Florida are scheduled Aug. 18. The second qualifying period, inclusive of U.S. House of Representative candidates, is scheduled June 8-12, according to the Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections.

The plan was approved 21-17 by the Senate after an 83-28 breeze in the House of Representatives.

New maps have been redrawn and implemented for November's midterms in six states, another has a change from litigation, and three more states remain tied up in courtrooms. A fourth state in litigation, Louisiana, learned its fate from the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Those seven changes have given a potential net gain of seven seats to Republicans, the last four coming from Florida.

The U.S. House was divided 220 Republicans, 215 Democrats following the 2024 election cycle. Today, it's 217 Republicans, 212 Democrats, one independent formerly Republican, and five vacancies.

New maps are in play for the 2026 elections in California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. Litigation has also led to changes in Utah.

Virginia, Georgia and New York remain in litigation. The Supreme Court's ruling announced Wednesday is expected to lead Louisiana to a new map for November. Maryland's bid for new congressional maps died in April without making it out of a Legislature with majority Democrats in each chamber.

For Republicans, in addition to Florida's four, Texas could gain five seats (to 30-7), Ohio two (to 12-3), and Missouri (to 7-1) and North Carolina (to 11-3) one each.

For Democrats, California (to 48-4) could flip five seats and Utah (to 3-1) one.

Two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner as top pitcher Tarik Skubal will undergo arthroscopic elbow surgery to remove loose bodies, Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers announced on Monday.

The move came after an elbow injury flared up on Sunday, with neither the Tigers nor the 29-year-old left-hander putting a timetable on his return from an injury that typically requires a two- or three-month recovery.

Skubal was pulled from a scheduled Monday start against Boston five days after an injury scare last Wednesday against Atlanta and sent to the injured list.

Skubal shook his left arm and grabbed his foream in Atlanta. He prepared for his next start but suffered a setback in work on Sunday.

"I thought I was progressing in a very positive manner," Skubal said. "Yesterday's catch play just didn't really go great, which led to getting scans and getting the information."

Skubal won a record $32 million arbitration decision to pitch this season and will be a free agent after the campaign.

"This is something I've kind of been dealing with," Skubal said. “But then again, it was progressing in a positive manner, so I wasn't very concerned about it."

Skubal has no ligament damage and is likely to pitch again this season.

"From my understanding, you just go take (the loose bodies) out," Skubal said. "I'm going to come back and be the same guy. I'm not really too worried about that."

Skubal is 3-2 this season with a 2.70 earned-run average and 45 strikeouts in 43.3 innings for the Tigers, who share the AL Central division lead with Cleveland at 18-17.

Skubal had Tommy John ligament replacement surgery and missed the 2017 college season, then had left forearm tendon surgery in August 2022 and missed 11 months.

Since then, Skubal has gone 41-15 with a 2.41 ERA in 511 innings over 84 starts. He led the AL in wins, strikeouts and ERA in 2024 for the pitching Triple Crown.

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(The Center Square) – Army veteran Daniel Swain spoke only briefly in response to a federal magistrate judge on Monday and will have a detention hearing on Thursday.

Swain, of Summerville, S.C., was arrested in North Carolina on Wednesday because of threats scrawled onto the vehicle authorities believe he was driving to Washington in search of second-term Republican President Donald Trump. The arrest in Apex at a car wash drew action from the U.S. Secret Service, the State Bureau of Investigation and its bomb squad, and the FBI.

According to the federal complaint, "The defendant, did knowingly and willfully make a threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States." He's charged with communicating a threat against the president.

If convicted, he could face five years in prison.

He told U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Numers II of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina on Monday he understood the charges against him.

In Wake County District Court, he faces charges of resisting a public officer, possession of methamphetamine and a fictitious license plate.

Swain will remain jailed until Thursday’s hearing.

Apex police said he had written threatening messages on the outside of his vehicle. One message read, “headed to WSH to kill the Pres.” The rear window messages said, “Tell Donald he is fired,” “5 dead 5 years,” and “3 Navy, Teacher & Trucker.”

A message on the passenger side window told the read to commit suicide. That was among the messages scrawled out after a car wash, according to the federal complaint relying on surveillance video.

The federal warrant says Swain “stated his motivation to write the threats on the vehicle was his perceived wrongful death of his father, uncle and grandfather. These family members served in the military and died under suspicious health-related circumstances.”