Plus: Congo's mystery disease & remembering Gene Hackman

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up!

Good afternoon,

Canadians are NOT happy with Trump’s recent tariff moves. We've seen it at hockey games, in the Mo News Instagram DMs, in political polling, and now at cafés.

The beloved "Americano" is being rebranded as "Canadiano" in some Canadian coffee shops.
- Toronto’s Café Belém and Palisades Café in British Columbia are among them.
It’s giving that 2003 GOP push to rename French fries “freedom fries” after France opposed the Iraq war.

A potential silver lining: If this catches on globally, maybe waiters abroad will be less inclined to tell Americans that our drip coffee tastes like shoe water (speaking from first-hand experience here) — which, to be fair, I don’t disagree with. ☕️

Lauren
Mo News Producer

💻 Industrious is where you want to work

Industrious is the elevated office experience any kind of worker deserves — from the solo'preneurs with WFH fatigue, to the small business looking to expand into their first private office, to the Fortune 500 with a worldwide network. Industrious is the best coworking and member experience, period. And, it is now also home to Mo News!

RUNNING NOW: We’re offering the Mo News audience (that’s you) 30% off your first meeting room booking!
- A place to focus, a place to gather, a place to get your best work done and see if Industrious is the place for you — hit the link down below and explore local options that work around your schedule.

Use code MONEWS30 when booking!

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

HHS Under RFK Jr.: From The Measles To The Bird Flu

An unvaccinated school-aged child in West Texas died from measles, state authorities said Wednesday. The last two measles deaths in the US occurred in 2015 and 2003, according to the CDC.

The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has spread to at least 124 cases across nine counties. Eastern New Mexico has also reported nine cases.

At Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his department is watching the outbreak, but characterized it as “not unusual” – despite it being described as Texas’s worst outbreak in three decades.

THE U.S. RESPONSE
Kennedy did not provide specifics on how, or if, the federal government is assisting with the Texas/New Mexico outbreak.

“Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country,” he said (the CDC reports only three). “Last year, there were 16. So it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”
- Notably, measles was declared eradicated – meaning no continuous spread – in the U.S. in 2000, and a 2019 outbreak appears to be more widespread than the current one. An outbreak is defined as 3 or more cases.
- Bigger picture: U.S. vaccination rates have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, with most states now below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks. Kennedy is a longtime critic of the measles vaccine, which was first introduced in 1963.

FLU & BIRD FLU SHOTS
In related news, an annual meeting of scientists to discuss the upcoming fall flu vaccine was canceled for next month, without explanation. The panel selects strains six months in advance to allow time for production.

A delay could impact vaccine availability for flu season, but the FDA said it will publish “its recommendations to manufacturers in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season.”
- The flu has killed an estimated at least 19,000 Americans this season and hospitalized at least 400,000. Despite this, only about half of Americans get the flu shot.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is weighing whether to cut a $590 million contract with vaccine maker Moderna to develop an mRNA vaccine — similar to their COVID vaccine — for bird flu in people.

The deal was made during Biden’s final days in office. The Trump administration’s health policy — led by RFK Jr. — has vowed to review spending on mRNA-based vaccines.
- The science: Traditional vaccines use weakened or inactivated viruses to trigger an immune response, while mRNA vaccines teach cells to produce a viral protein that prompts immunity.

🚨 ONE THING THAT REQUIRES CONTEXT

WHO Warns Mystery Illness In Congo Is Public Health Threat

A mystery illness in the Democratic Republic of Congo has infected at least 1,096 people and killed 60. Nearly half died within 48 hours of symptoms appearing, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday. The disease causes uncontrolled bleeding, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The outbreak, which has impacted two remote villages, was identified last month after three children under age 5 ate a bat and died within 48 hours. Tests ruled out Ebola and Marburg, other diseases that cause deadly bleeding and have spread throughout the country.

LARGER ISSUES AT HAND
Congo is battling multiple health crises, including Mpox, which has killed 1,200 since early 2024, and as a recent flu-like illness linked to malaria that killed 31 people. The country experienced the world’s second-deadliest Ebola outbreak, killing 2,280 people between 2018-2020.

The Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze could lead to worsening conditions in Congo, where 27 million people rely on emergency assistance, according to the United Nations. Humanitarian groups warn they are running out of food and medicine.

On his first day back in office, President Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from WHO – a process that could take a year – blaming it for mishandling the pandemic and demanding unfair dues.

🚨 ONE THING WE ARE WATCHING

Actor Gene Hackman, With His Wife & Dog, Found Dead Amid Suspicious Circumstances

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and their dog were found dead Wednesday afternoon at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

They were discovered dead in two separate rooms by maintenance workers, who said the front door was ajar, according to the search warrant.
- Authorities say the two had been dead for “quite a while” and there were no “signs of forced entry into the home.”
- Arakawa was in the bathroom, while Hackman was reportedly found in a mudroom.

Their family said Thursday that they suspect carbon monoxide poisoning after police ruled out foul play. However, authorities have called their deaths suspicious and say further investigation is needed, as there were "no obvious signs of a gas leak." Two other dogs on the property were unharmed, and pills were found scattered near Arakawa.

REMEMBERING HACKMAN
Hackman, a five-time Academy Award nominee, won two Oscars over his 40-year career, starring in films including “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The French Connection,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Mississippi Burning,” “Superman,” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Trump says Mexico, Canada tariffs will start March 4, plus additional 10% on China (MO NEWS)

📌 New York Gov. Kathy Hochul orders CUNY college to remove Palestinian Studies professor job listing (ABC) Pro-Palestinian protesters at Barnard College force entry into campus hall and injure employee, school says (NBC)

📌 Chief Justice John Roberts pauses order for Trump admin to pay $2 billion in foreign aid by midnight (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Andrew Tate and brother, charged with rape and trafficking in Romania, leave country and land in Florida (CNN)

📌 Israeli military report shows Israel misread Hamas for years ahead of October 7 (TIMES OF ISRAEL)

📌 FBI accuses North Korean-backed hackers of stealing $1.5 billion in crypto from Dubai-based firm (AP)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Elon Musk says upgrade of FAA’s air traffic control system is failing and SpaceX needs to take over Verizon’s contract (CNN)

📌 Amazon debuts Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant (AXIOS)

📌 Jeff Bezos' revamp of 'Washington Post' opinions leads editor to quit (NPR)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez to go to space on next launch from Jeff Bezos' rocket company (NBC)

📌 Zendaya joins Shrek 5 cast as first footage reveals Shrek & Fiona's teenage daughter (NBC)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Conservative political influencers were first seen leaving the White House today with binders titled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” filled with documents the Trump administration is releasing about Jeffrey Epstein, who sexually abused underage girls and then died in prison in 2019. An hour later: the files became public.