Today's Top Headlines

Thursday, August 7

Good morning Wypierdalaj,

President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs took effect just after midnight, and Yale's Budget Lab calculates the inflationary effect will cost a typical household an average of as much as $2,400 this year. We're also following a possible second strike by Fenway concession workers, and when the summer sizzle returns to our forecast. I'm Kaitlin McKinley Becker, and these are the top news headlines.

Below are the latest local stories from our reporters.

After months of delays and extensions, President Donald Trump’s comprehensive and sweeping tariffs slate took effect Thursday just after midnight, shifting his global trade reset into high gear.

Most imports into the United States will now face a baseline 10% duty, with the overall average effective tariff rate rising to more than 17% — the highest since 1935, during the Great Depression — thanks to higher duties on some of the biggest U.S. trading partners, according to the nonpartisan Yale Budget Lab think tank.

A wide variety of products will be hit. Tariffs will be collected on everything from European Union appliances and Japanese cars to food, furniture and toys from China and TVs from South Korea. Selected oil and gas imports, along with some smartphones and a suite of goods covered by a pre-existing trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, are not affected.

A person was hit and injured by an electric bicycle by Boston’s Copley Square on Wednesday, police said.

The person received life-threatening injuries in the crash, reported about 11:19 a.m. at the intersection of Dartmouth Street and Huntington Avenue in Back Bay, near the southeast corner of the Boston Public Library’s central branch.

Police had taped off a traffic island in the center of the intersection — it was shut down for about three hours

Now that the smoke is behind us, we’ll focus on getting the sun back.

It’s a slow process today, with the brightest part of the day reserved for the afternoon.

Onshore breezes keep us cool along the coast, as highs recover to the low and mid-70s.

Fenway Park concession workers rallied before Wednesday night’s Red Sox game against the Kansas City Royals in a final call for a fair bargain.

Members of UNITE HERE Local 26 went on strike during a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers late last month, calling on Aramark to provide better wages and job security for workers at the ballpark and at MGM Music Hall. They are now considering a return to the picket line.

“Aramark, give these people what they deserve,” said union worker Dion Breeden. “This is the backbone of your business.”

A woman whose cat was taken by an Amazon driver in an apparent misunderstanding has been reunited with her pet.

Kathy Souza, of Somerset, Massachusetts, said her 18-year-old cat vanished, and that video footage showed a delivery driver taking the animal. She wanted Amazon to take action.

“They claim to have same-day delivery,” Souza said. “I want my cat back, same-day delivery.”

Roman Anthony can’t think of a better place to spend the next eight-plus years of his promising career.

Anthony, who entered the 2025 campaign as the top prospect in all of baseball, signed an eight-year contract extension with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The 21-year-old reportedly will earn $130 million during the life of the contract, which spans the 2026-33 seasons with a club option option for 2034.

“I wanted to be here,” Anthony said during a press conference at Fenway Park on Wednesday evening. “It was as simple as that. I wanted to be in Boston.