Mushroom Murders, More Tariffs, & Snakes on a Plane

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Adam Rogers
July 08, 2025

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Trump announced new tariffs on 14 countries starting August 1.

President Trump posted letters to 14 countries imposing tariffs ranging from 25% to 40% on their exports to the US, ending a 90-day pause he implemented after his April "Liberation Day" tariffs caused a stock market spiral. Trump had promised "90 deals in 90 days," but reached agreements with only two countries - the UK and Vietnam. South Korea and Japan will face 25% tariffs, while Myanmar and Laos will be hit with 40% rates.
The tariffs are paid by US companies importing goods like cars, electronics, and machinery, with costs typically passed on to American consumers through higher prices. Trump is targeting major trading partners where the US runs large deficits, including $68.5 billion with Japan and $66 billion with South Korea.
Trump also threatened an additional 10% tariff on countries aligning with BRICS - the economic bloc including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - after the group criticized his trade policies at a summit in Brazil over the weekend. The White House said more tariff letters will be released in the coming days as countries continue negotiations to avoid the August 1 deadline.

An Australian woman was convicted of murdering three relatives with poisonous mushrooms.

Erin Patterson was found guilty Monday of murdering her estranged husband's parents and sister-in-law, who died in the hospital after she served them death cap mushrooms in beef Wellington pastries during a July 2023 lunch. She was also convicted of attempting to murder another relative who survived.
Prosecutors argued Patterson planned the murders by making individual pastries instead of the family-sized portion called for in her recipe, allowing her to target specific guests with the deadly fungi. Key evidence included her sending children to a movie before the lunch, disposing of a food dehydrator, and lying about owning one.
Patterson testified that the deaths were accidental, claiming she ate the mushrooms too, but didn't get as sick because an eating disorder made her vomit. She faces life in prison after the jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts following a nine-week trial.

A Justice Department review found no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein kept a client list.

An investigation ordered by Trump-appointed leadership concluded that Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a "client list" of associates he blackmailed or conspired with in his sex trafficking crimes. The review also confirmed Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019, with investigators finding no evidence to charge anyone else in connection with his crimes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi had promised to release Epstein case files but faced mounting criticism from Trump supporters over delays, which she blamed on reviewing "tens of thousands of videos" of potential pornography of minors. In February, she gave files to pro-Trump social media influencers that contained little new information, disappointing supporters who expected revelations.
The DOJ stated that "perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither the goals of combating child exploitation nor bringing justice to victims,” officially ending years of speculation. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who had previously questioned whether Epstein died by suicide, led the review that ultimately confirmed the official account of his death.

A 27-year-old gunman was killed Monday after opening fire at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, shooting dozens of rounds before federal agents stopped the attack. (More)

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other doctors' groups sued Health Secretary RFK Jr. on Monday, arguing that his May directive, removing COVID vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women, violates federal policy. (More)

One woman died and dozens were rescued as Tropical Storm Chantal's remnants brought dangerous flooding to central North Carolina, forcing widespread evacuations and closing 120 roads across the state Monday. (More)

Brazil's most revered Indigenous leader, Raoni Metuktire, accused former president Jair Bolsonaro of trying to "exterminate" Indigenous peoples through deforestation and mining policies in his newly published memoir. (More)

Suriname's parliament elected physician Jennifer Geerlings-Simons as the country's first female president on Sunday. (More)

Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit, was found dead from a gunshot wound just hours after Vladimir Putin fired him, though the exact timeline of events remains unclear to investigators. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Monday (S&P -0.79%, Nasdaq -0.92%, Dow -0.94%). Trump’s new tariff announcement on imported goods sent stocks tumbling. (More)

AI cloud giant CoreWeave agreed to acquire data center provider Core Scientific for $9 billion in an all-stock deal, expanding its power capacity for large-scale AI development. (More)

Tesla shares dropped 7% Monday, or $68 billion in value, as CEO Elon Musk and Trump reignited their feud. (More)

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner advanced to Wimbledon quarterfinals despite hurting his elbow and losing the first two sets when opponent Grigor Dimitrov retired with a chest muscle injury. (More) See the quarter-finals bracket here.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season due to his torn Achilles injury suffered in Game 7 of the Finals. (More)

Apple's racing movie "F1" passed $293 million worldwide to become the company's biggest theatrical hit ever, beating their previous record holder "Napoleon", which earned $221 million globally. (More)

Block CEO Jack Dorsey debuted Bitchat, a new peer-to-peer messaging app that works entirely through Bluetooth mesh networks without needing internet, central servers, or any phone numbers. (More)

Earth will spin slightly faster on July 9, July 22, and August 5, making each day 1.3 to 1.51 milliseconds shorter. The change is due to the moon’s shifting position, which affects our planet’s rotation. (More)

Scientists developed "nano-pulling," a new technique using tiny magnetic particles to guide brain cell growth in stem cell treatments, potentially significantly improving therapies for neurological conditions. (More)

Top searched ice cream flavors in the US.

A snake delays passenger plane in Australia.

Astronaut captures rare “sprite” moment from orbit.

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