Good afternoon, 

Take me out to the ball game, it’s opening day for "America's Pastime" (if you still want to call it that). And there are new snacks this season!

• Today, 28 of 30 Major League Baseball teams are playing.

  • Big games: The New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers kicked off the day. The Los Angeles Dodgers will raise their World Series banner before playing the Detroit Tigers at 7:10 p.m. ET.

• But if you’re like me and go to games for the snacks, there are some new options this year.

  • The New York Yankees will have a new tiramisu served in a collectible Yankees helmet, the Seattle Mariners will offer the “What Up Corn Dog” — a honey-battered corn dog with a spicy crunch served with nacho cheese — and the Chicago White Sox will feature a 125th anniversary "Celebration Cake Shake.”

Maybe not the healthiest options, but there are always peanuts 🥜

Lauren
Producer 

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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Mo News Sits Down With Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Mo News sat down with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the White House this morning, hours after he announced cuts to reduce the HHS workforce by about a quarter, from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.

• In a video announcement early Thursday, Kennedy said HHS, which made up about 25% of the nearly $7 trillion federal budget in 2024, will now do “more with less." The agency is responsible for managing disease outbreaks, approving new drugs, providing insurance under Medicare and Medicaid, and more.

• Kennedy’s argument: The Biden administration boosted HHS funding and staffing, but it did not lead to better health outcomes. His argument is that fewer people will make things more efficient.

BY THE NUMBERS
The planned 10,000 job cuts are on top of the roughly 10,000 department employees who took President Trump's buyout offer, according to the agency. Kennedy said most of those fired will be HHS "administrators," while the agency is working to increase the number of scientists and frontline health providers.

• Roughly 3,500 people will be axed from the Food and Drug Administration (about 19% of the FDA's workforce), 2,400 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (about 18% of its workforce), 1,200 from the National Institutes of Health (about 6% of its workforce), and 300 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (about 4% of its workforce).

• RFK told Mo News that HHS will also consolidate its 28 divisions into 15: “That’s gonna allow us to…really imbue and inspire the workers there with a mission to protect public health, rather than kind of living in these silos where they're warring against each other.” (Look for more from the conversation on the Mo News podcast tomorrow morning.)

Kennedy acknowledged that this will be a “painful period" of layoffs, but said he believes the cuts will actually improve care.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR INTERVIEW
In Kennedy’s first six weeks in the role, he has zeroed-in on the food and beverage industries — especially products marketed to kids. He has proposed prohibiting the ability to use food stamps to buy soda and increasing chemical testing on baby formula.

And while his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign is extremely popular, and he is working with other cabinet departments on projects, lines have been drawn about how far he can go.

On his relationship to the EPA: Kennedy has spent much of his career advocating for stricter regulation on chemicals in American products and agriculture. But he told Mo News that Trump “specifically asked me to stay away from environmental regulations.”

• He said the president has “given me enormous leeway…to make our food safer, our medicines safer. And so that's my portfolio and that's what I'm focusing on.” However, he added that HHS is working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to try and get fluoride out of drinking water. Research shows it improves dental health, but there are studies that at higher levels, it can impact childhood cognitive development.

On sugary drinks: Kennedy told Mo News, “We're literally poisoning the poor, an entire generation of poor kids in this country,” by allowing the nearly 13% of Americans – roughly 42 million people – who use food stamps to buy sugary drinks with them.

• But Kennedy’s proposal to ban soda from the program is reportedly causing tension with the Agriculture Department, which runs the food stamp program.

• Meanwhile, 10 Republican-led states are currently considering legislation that would ban food stamp recipients from using them to buy “junk” food.

On baby formula: Another issue that impacts a number of members of the Mo News audience is baby formula. Kennedy stated that FDA regulations have “poured concrete on innovation” in the space, and he is working not only to allow more types of formula in the U.S., but to make it easier for parents to buy foreign formula, which some find easier on their babies' stomachs.

• It follows a nationwide baby formula shortage in 2022, when a deadly bacteria was found at a plant and led to recalls. Kennedy pointed to there being only a few companies in the market as part of that problem.

• Beyond that, he is working to test formulas already on our shelves for heavy metals.

Bottom line: Fewer staff might make some of his plans harder. Already, studies have pointed to staffing shortages as a reason for FDA oversight challenges.

🎧 Check out the full interview tomorrow, on the Mo News Podcast — available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧 

🚨 ONE THING SHAKING THE MARKET AGAIN

Trump Announces 25% Tariffs On Imported Cars, Set To Go Into Effect April 2

President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to impose 25% tariffs on imported cars, further escalating the global trade war. The stock market fell on Thursday after the news.

• “We start off with a 2.5% base, which is what we’re at, and go to 25%,” Trump said.

• Mo News spoke to Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields at the White House on Thursday about concerns this will add thousands to the price tags of cars at a time many Americans are already struggling. He defended the tariffs, arguing that there may be short-term pain in order to achieve long-term gain to get more manufacturing back to the US.

Fields added that the administration is still figuring out how tariffs will be adjusted for cars that include parts from various countries – but it will be some sort of sliding scale. Auto industry experts warn that these tariffs could increase car prices by an average of $5,000 to $10,000 and hinder cross-border production.

• Almost half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. are imported. Trump’s goal is to push companies to set up more factories in the U.S.

WHAT’S NEXT
When asked if the auto tariffs could be lifted, Trump said they were “100 percent” permanent. They are planned to take effect on April 2. That’s the same day reciprocal tariffs are set to go into effect across industries.

• Here are the tariffs Trump has enacted so far during his second term:

  • 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada not compliant with USMCA

  • 25% on global steel and aluminum

  • 20% blanket tariffs on China

  • 10% on energy not compliant with USMCA from Canada

  • 10% potash fertilizer from Canada

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Judge says he will order government to preserve Signal messages about Houthi military strike (AP)

📌 Alleged leader of MS-13 street gang on the East Coast is arrested in Virginia (AP)

📌 Trump pulls Elise Stefanik's nomination to be U.N. ambassador due GOP’s tight House majority (MO NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Tourist submarine sinks off Egypt’s coast, leaving 6 dead, officials say, while 38 are rescued (AP)

📌 Israel passes Netanyahu-backed law to give politicians more control of judiciary (AXIOS)

📌 South Korea admits to 'mass exporting' children for adoption (BBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Ferrari says it will raise prices by 10% on some models to offset auto tariffs (CNBC)

📌 GameStop stock slips after company announces plans to raise $1.3 billion to buy bitcoin (YAHOO)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Sydney Sweeney calls off wedding to Jonathan Davino as they face ‘major issues’ (PAGE SIX)

📌 Goodbye Park City, Utah: Sundance Film Festival heading to Boulder, Colorado (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… The live-action “Snow White” drama continues. The film producer’s son, Jonah Platt — whose father Marc produced the film— weighed in with some fiery words about the movie’s star, Rachel Zegler. His comments have since been deleted, but they were up long enough for someone to grab a screenshot (thank you).

What’s going on: In the months leading up to the film’s release, Zegler posted on social media with political messages like "Free Palestine" and "May Trump supporters, Trump voters, and Trump himself never know peace” — she later apologized for the Trump posts.

The film brought in $43 million domestically during its first weekend (not great for a $270 million production budget and another $100 million for marketing). Platt blames Zegler for that. He ends by saying, “Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.” 🔥