Today's Top Headlines

Wednesday, March 12

President Donald Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday, promising that the taxes would help create U.S. factory jobs at a time when his seesawing tariff threats are jolting the stock market and raising fears of an economic slowdown.

Trump removed all exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on the metals, in addition to increasing the tariffs on aluminum from 10%. His moves, based off a February directive, are part of a broader effort to disrupt and transform global commerce. The U.S. president has separate tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, with plans to also tax imports from the European Union, Brazil and South Korea by charging “reciprocal” rates starting on April 2.

The EU announced its own countermeasures on Wednesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that as the United States was “applying tariffs worth 28 billion dollars, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros,” or about $28 billion. Those measures, which cover not just steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods, are due to take effect on April 1.

Federal investigators say an apartment in Framingham, Massachusetts, was set up like a pharmacy, including an examination room and large quantities of prescription drugs.

The office of Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley says 40-year-old Douglas Reis de Souza pretended to be a legitimate pharmacist, but had no license.

He and three employees — all allegedly undocumented immigrants from Brazil — are accused of illegally importing prescription drugs from that country and selling them on the black market, mostly to the Portuguese community in the area.

Temperatures are expected to nosedive Wednesday, but we almost expected that shoe to drop — with it being March and all.

Highs will struggle to make the mid-40s as a cooler airmass combines with onshore winds to deliver the chill.

Wednesday night, we’ll watch a batch of light snow zip by and exit before dawn. Most will simply see a few flakes flying around, but in the Worcester Hills, there may be some light accumulation as temperatures dip near freezing. The clouds will get left behind Thursday, so we don’t anticipate much in the way of bright spots.

The recovery of Pope Francis from double pneumonia continued Wednesday as he inched toward notching some important milestones in his papacy: The 12th anniversary Thursday of his election as pope and a near-record in hospital stays for a pontiff.

The Vatican said Wednesday that Francis had a quiet night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

If the last few days are any guide, the 88-year-old Argentine will likely follow the Vatican’s spiritual retreat remotely while his physical and respiratory therapy continues. The pope’s weekly Wednesday general audience was canceled anyway, since the entire Vatican hierarchy is on retreat this week as part of the Lenten spiritual exercises that have been a mainstay of the Jesuit pope’s pontificate.

A person was killed and two others were seriously hurt during a house fire late Tuesday night in North Adams, Massachusetts, according to state and local fire officials.

Emergency crews responded to a two-family home on West Shaft Road that was “fully involved with fire” just after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a news release from the state’s Department of Fire Services.

Five people who were at the home had gotten outside, two of whom were badly hurt. One person was unaccounted for, and they were later found dead inside, according to fire officials.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has the proposed Everett soccer stadium on her mind, and will be at a Knights of Columbus hall in Charlestown Tuesday night to hear from community members about the project. 

The gathering marks the mayor’s first public meeting about the stadium — which could become the home for the New England Revolution — after one was canceled on Feb. 19. 

“For me right now the focus is going to be on transportation, access, pedestrian safety to and from, and also other impacts that the city will feel,” the mayor said Tuesday during a GBH “Ask the Mayor” segment.