PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, April 8: There's defiance, anger and determination from the Chinese press, which react to Donald Trump's threats to impose up to 104 percent tariffs on Chinese goods. Opinions say China has the upper hand in this war of words. Also: Trump's Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is forced to endorse the measles vaccine after the death of a second child in Texas. Plus: scientists say they've created a version of the dire wolf – a canine that went extinct 9,000 years ago!

The trade war of words continues to dominate the press, especially in China. In response to Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff hikes last week, China has said it will impose duties of 34 percent on US goods. In retaliation to China’s retaliation, Trump has promised fresh tariff hikes, which would bring these to a total 104 percent on Chinese goods. There's no word yet on whether China will react once again, but the game of one-upping is putting the world economy through the grater, as we see in a China Daily illustration by Song Chen.

There are also some stern words in the China Daily. One opinion writer argues that Washington must learn that arrogance does not pay, adding: "What is unfolding in the United States today is the sad story that the country has become increasingly authoritarian, and more and more like a centrally planned economy. Private enterprises are now at the behest of the all-powerful president."

There is also lots of talk about Black Monday. Markets tumbled across the board amid news of Trump's fresh tariffs. The Global Times, the Chinese government’s official paper, quotes the foreign ministry spokesperson as accusing the US of economic bullying, unilateralism and protectionism. There are stern warnings from the Global Times' editor that China is not one to be messed with. The paper tries to take the moral high ground, defending its countermeasures as necessary not just for China but to actively "uphold a fair and free world trading system."

The opinion pages also appear to feel that China is prepared for this trade war. The Global Times quotes Bloomberg as saying that China has already "trade war-proofed" its economy. Meanwhile, The Sydney Morning Herald notes that China could emerge the winner from this trade war. Under Biden, it says, the US and its allies were united against China. Now, those allies have no choice but to turn towards China and the result will be an isolated and poor US and a new world order with China at the helm. The editors of The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, have an unorthodox suggestion to those countries affected by Trump's tariffs: call his bluff and offer zero tariffs on all bilateral goods and services. A long shot, no doubt, it admits!

Staying in the US, there's a flurry of contradicting statements from the man in charge of health, Robert Kennedy Jr. As The Washington Post reports, it comes in the wake of a measles outbreak in Texas. A second child died there this weekend, bringing to the total death toll to three. The Washington Post reports that some unvaccinated children hospitalised in late March with measles had signs of vitamin A deficiency. This then led to a surge in demand for vitamin A-rich supplements like cod liver oil, which Kennedy touted last month as a potential remedy for measles. Neoscope, a science and tech website, reports that Kennedy has now been forced to endorse the measles vaccine as being most effective against what the website calls a "dire and entirely preventable situation".

In an interview with the Associated Press, Dr Peter Marks, a former vaccine chief of the Food and Drug Administration, speaks of an extraordinary struggle with Kennedy's team. He agreed to grant access to Kennedy’s associates to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, containing reports of potential vaccine-related issues. But he refused to let them edit the data because "frankly we don't trust them". Marks then resigned, or rather was forced to resign.

We end on some positive news for science: the return of an extinct wolf! The company Colossal Biosciences says its team have brought back a version of a dire wolf – a canine that roamed the Americas during the Late Pleistocene era and went extinct 9,500 years ago. Time Magazine was able to meet the three pups born at the end of last year and early this year. It explains that scientists deciphered the dire wolf genome, rewrote the genetic code of the common grey wolf to match it and used domestic dogs as surrogate mothers to bring into the world Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi. It's certainly a feat for genetic engineering – Gizmodo notes that the company also successfully genetically engineered the woolly mouse recently. Its ultimate project: resurrecting the woolly mammoth!

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