[00:00] Adriana Costa: From Neural Newscast, I'm Adriana Costa.
[00:03] Benjamin Roth: And I'm Benjamin Roth.
[00:05] Adriana Costa: Today, American figure skater Alyssa Liu captures a historic gold medal in Italy,
[00:11] Adriana Costa: and the U.S. women's hockey team defeats Canada in a thrilling final.
[00:15] Benjamin Roth: We also look at President Trump's new tariff hike,
[00:18] Benjamin Roth: NASA's scathing report on Boeing, and a major pharmaceutical lawsuit between biotech
[00:24] Benjamin Roth: and Moderna.
[00:25] Adriana Costa: Alyssa Liu won the Women's Figure Skating Gold Medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter
[00:32] Adriana Costa: Olympics on Thursday.
[00:33] Adriana Costa: The 20-year-old from Clovis, California delivered a flawless free skate.
[00:38] Adriana Costa: Her performance ended a 24-year gold medal drought for American women in the event.
[00:44] Benjamin Roth: The American success in Italy continued on the ice with a thrilling victory in women's
[00:50] Benjamin Roth: hockey.
[00:50] Benjamin Roth: Hillary Knight made Olympic history with a dramatic game-tying goal.
[00:55] Benjamin Roth: That play allowed Team USA to eventually defeat Canada for the gold medal.
[01:01] Benjamin Roth: While the celebrations continue in Milano Cortina, the domestic economic landscape is shifting rapidly.
[01:08] Benjamin Roth: President Trump announced he will increase his proposed global tariffs to 15%.
[01:14] Benjamin Roth: This follows a Supreme Court ruling that struck down his previous import taxes.
[01:19] Adriana Costa: Trump says the new 15% rate is a temporary solution under the 1974 Trade Act.
[01:26] Adriana Costa: This move targets the maximum allowed by law.
[01:29] Adriana Costa: it would bypass the court's recent decision for at least five months.
[01:33] Benjamin Roth: The Supreme Court previously ruled six to three that the president overstepped his authority.
[01:39] Benjamin Roth: While conservative justices like Clarence Thomas dissented,
[01:43] Benjamin Roth: the majority found the administration's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act was an overreach.
[01:51] Adriana Costa: Business reactions are sharply divided between manufacturers wanting protection and farmers fearing retaliation.
[01:58] Adriana Costa: John Boyd, a soybean farmer from Virginia, called the court ruling a win.
[02:04] Adriana Costa: Meanwhile, steel manufacturers in Baltimore expressed deep disappointment over the setback.
[02:09] Benjamin Roth: International partners like Germany and France are warning of the economic poison caused by tariff uncertainty.
[02:16] Benjamin Roth: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that this constant volatility could weaken global growth and complicate upcoming trade talks.
[02:25] Adriana Costa: In other news, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman publicly criticized Boeing for the botched Starliner astronaut flight on Thursday.
[02:34] Adriana Costa: The mission left two astronauts stranded for nine months.
[02:38] Adriana Costa: It has been officially classified as a Type A mishap.
[02:42] Benjamin Roth: The report suggests that both NASA and Boeing made critical mistakes.
[02:48] Benjamin Roth: It noted that the agency was perhaps too eager to find a competitor for SpaceX.
[02:54] Benjamin Roth: This public rebuke marks a significant low point for the Starliner program.
[02:59] Adriana Costa: Boeing is not the only corporation facing legal and operational scrutiny this week.
[03:05] Adriana Costa: Biotech has filed a lawsuit against Moderna in Delaware federal court.
[03:10] Adriana Costa: The suit alleges that the Mnex-Spike vaccine infringes on patents held by Biotech and Pfizer.
[03:17] Benjamin Roth: This legal battle involves next-generation mRNA technology that is expected to account for over half of Moderna's vaccine revenue this season.
[03:27] Benjamin Roth: It follows a reverse lawsuit from 2022.
[03:31] Benjamin Roth: This signals that the fight over pandemic-era innovation is far from over.
[03:37] Adriana Costa: Next, we are watching a public health crisis as the United States approaches 1,000 measles cases this year.
[03:44] Adriana Costa: South Carolina has become the epicenter of the outbreak.
[03:47] Adriana Costa: Nearly all confirmed cases occurred among people who are unvaccinated.
[03:51] Adriana Costa: Health officials report that 94% of patients had unknown or no vaccine status.
[03:58] Adriana Costa: As the case count hits 982, experts are urging communities in Spartanburg County
[04:04] Adriana Costa: to prioritize immunizations to prevent further spread.
[04:07] Adriana Costa: I'm Adriana Costa.
[04:09] Benjamin Roth: And I'm Benjamin Roth.
[04:10] Benjamin Roth: Thank you for listening.
[04:12] Benjamin Roth: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[04:16] Benjamin Roth: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.