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US tariffs drive steep drop in EU exports for second month

Summary:
  • Eu exports to US fell 26.4% in february
  • Eu trade surplus with US reduced by 60%
  • shipyard sees no decisive tariff impact

BRUSSELS, April 17 (Reuters) – exports to the dropped by more than a quarter for a second consecutive month in February, but may be exaggerating the impact of President ‘s , given they follow a year-ago period when front-loading began.

Exports from the 27-nation European Union to the United States fell by 26.4% in February, EU statistics agency said on Friday, following a 27.8% drop in January, and contributing to a 60% reduction in the EU’s trade surplus.

The figures though are likely distorted by their comparison with the unprecedented trade of early 2025, when shipments peaked ahead of Trump’s tariffs from March. In January and February 2025, exports to the United States rose by respectively 16.0% and 22.4%.

Assessing the real impact of U.S. tariffs is not simple. Economists tend to see the fourth quarter of 2025 as a more reliable gauge, with an EU-U.S. deal in place, although the euro’s 8.9% average appreciation against the dollar from a year earlier will also have hit.

Q4 DROP OF 15% SERVES AS GUIDE

In the fourth quarter, EU exports to the United States were down 15%, iron and steel exports nearly 40% lower and chemicals off by 60-80%, albeit after significant front-loading earlier in the year.

economist Vincent Stamer noted that EU exports to other destinations increased – Eurostat puts that figure at 6.1% – and cautioned that the damage was likely to get worse.

“Past episodes of tariff hikes have shown us that it takes trade flows two to three years to fully respond to new tariffs,” he said.

New tariffs on patented pharmaceuticals, a major EU export, will also weigh, Stamer said, adding Commerzbank had calculated that U.S. tariffs will likely reduce the euro area GDP by 0.3% in 2026 alone.

Car producers in the EU were by the October-December period benefitting from a U.S. tariff reduced to 15% from 25%, but exports were 22% lower, albeit not as sharp a drop as in the second and third quarters.

ING research shows that U.S. chemicals and transport equipment exports to the EU also rose from early 2024 to late 2025 and noted that the share of the United States of overall EU exports fell from early 2024 to late 2025 in all major countries except France.

However, EU exports of aluminium and copper and copper products, despite facing 50% U.S. tariffs, increased by respectively 9% and 15% in the final three months of last year.

The aluminium increase was partly to cover a technical issue at a U.S. plant, industry group said. For copper, the U.S. simply does not have sufficient domestic capacity to cover demand, leading to prices that meant EU exports made sense even with the tariff, sector association said.

Ships and boats though were the standout, more than tripling in the fourth quarter after nearly tripling in the third.

Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, owned by the German Meyer family, said the U.S. tariffs had not had a “decisive impact”. It delivered one of the world’s largest cruise ships, “Star of the Seas”, to [RCL.N] last year and secured an agreement for shipbuilding reservations with the operator until 2036.

The European Boating Industry, representing yachts and pleasure boats, said sales to the United States had spiked in June, but slipped afterwards, though not to a level that might have been expected due to tariffs, perhaps because deliveries related to orders from some time in the past.

On February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which he had pursued under a law meant for use in national emergencies. But only days later, the U.S. imposed a new temporary global import levy and is planning to reconstruct tariffs to replicate those agreed with the EU last year.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; additional reporting by Anna Kauranen in Helsinki; editing by Joe Bavier and Chizu Nomiyama )

 

Key Virginia markets see year-over-year home sale increases in March

SUMMARY:

  • March home sales rose year-over-year across Northern , Hampton Roads and Central Virginia
  • Pending sales increased across regions
  • Northern Virginia active listings are down 2.1% year over year; Central Virginia single-family supply down 8.3%, while Hampton Roads listings are up 4.95%

Housing markets across Northern Virginia, Central Virginia and Hampton Roads posted year-over-year sales gains in March, as buyers returned despite tight inventory and ongoing affordability pressures.

Northern Virginia

The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors said March’s data reflects a market that is both active and constrained. The association reported that 1,336 homes were sold in the region in March, an 11.2% increase from March 2025. The number of new pending sales in March was 1,783 units, up 5.2% compared to March 2025.

NVAR said the rise in sales suggests that buyers who may have paused earlier in the year have re-entered the market, likely driven by seasonal factors and an ongoing need for housing despite affordability pressures.

“The increase in March sales activity is a clear signal that demand is still strong,” said NVAR CEO Ryan McLaughlin in a statement. “As we move into the spring market, buyers are stepping back in with urgency, particularly in areas where inventory remains limited.”

The region’s total sales volume reached $1.18 billion in March, a 10.2% increase year over year. The association said the growth reflects a higher number of transactions rather than significant price increases, pointing to a more stable pricing environment compared with previous years, when rapid price gains were the primary driver of volume growth.

The median sold price in March was $760,000, up 0.6% from March 2025. The association said the modest increase suggests the market is stabilizing after years of rapid appreciation, with price growth moderating as buyers gain slightly more negotiating power. Still, the association said continued price gains, even as transactions increase, highlight the persistent imbalance between supply and demand in Northern Virginia.

Homes are also taking longer to sell, with average rising to 25, up 38.9% from a year ago. NVAR said the shift indicates buyers are proceeding more deliberately, taking additional time to evaluate options.

“As homes spend more time on the market, we’re seeing a return to more thoughtful decision-making,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Buyers are no longer rushing into offers within days, but that doesn’t mean competition has disappeared — it just looks different than it did a year or two ago.”

However, inventory remains tight. NVAR reported 1,938 active listings in March, a 2.1% decrease from a year earlier, reversing gains seen earlier in the year.

The association said the decline suggests increased sales activity is quickly absorbing available supply, limiting inventory growth and reinforcing competitive conditions across much of the market.

The impact of constrained supply is also reflected in the month’s supply of inventory (MSI), a measure of how long homes would last at the current sales pace. The region’s MSI fell to 1.39 months in March, down 4.4% year-over-year.

NVAR reports home sales activity for Fairfax and Arlington counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church, and the towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton.

Hampton Roads

Hampton Roads saw increases across key housing market indicators in March on a year-over-year basis, according to data released Monday by the Real Estate Information Network (REIN).

There were 2,137 closed sales in March, up 7.06% from 1,996 in March 2025 and up from 1,600 in February. Pending sales reached 2,483 in March, a 11.95% increase from 2,218 a year earlier and up from 1,988 the previous month.

Active residential listings totaled 4,766, up 4.95% from 4,541 in March 2025 and higher than the 4,499 recorded in February.

“Homebuyers remained comparatively active last month, which is perhaps not surprising, since mortgage rates were lower than they were last March,” said REIN board President John Chandler of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Property Management. “Even though active listings were up nearly 5%, inventory remained fairly tight due to the increased buyer activity.”

The median sale price of homes sold in March was $360,000, up 3.75% from $347,000 a year earlier and up from $355,000 in February.

Month’s supply of inventory was 2.25 in March, compared to 2.23 a year earlier and 2.14 in February.

Founded in 1969, REIN is a regional multiple listing service that covers an area stretching from Williamsburg east to Virginia Beach and south across the North Carolina border.

Central Virginia

The Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service divides its data between single-family homes and condos and townhomes.

In the region, there were 1,299 closed single-family home sales in March up 5.2% from the 1,235 sold at the same point in 2025. For condos/townhomes, there were 243 sales, up 0.4% from March 2025’s 242.

Pending sales for single-family homes increased 8.4% year-over-year from 1,590 in March 2025 to 1,723 in March of this year. For condos/townhomes, there were 330 pending sales last month — a 12.6% increase from March 2025’s 293.

Single-family homes spent 39 days on the market in March — up from 37 days in March 2025. Meanwhile, condos/townhomes spent 46 days on the market, up from 38 reported in March 2025.

The median sales price for single-family homes was $410,000 in March of this year compared to $399,900 in March 2025. The median sales price for condos/townhomes decreased 8.6% from $393,828 in March 2025 to $360,000 this year.

Single-family homes for sale in March totaled 2,220, a 8.3% year-over-year decline from 2,420 homes, while the number of condo/townhome units for sale totaled 699, a 13.8% rise from March 2025’s 614 units.

The CVR MLS includes data for the cities of , Petersburg, Hopewell and Colonial Heights and the counties of Amelia, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King & Queen, King William, New Kent, Powhatan and Prince George.

S&P 500, Nasdaq edge up to new records with Middle East hopes in focus

Summary:
  • S&P 500 closes at 7,040.09 points
  • gains 0.34% with 12th consecutive advance
  • and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire

April 16 (Reuters) – The benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose modestly to record closing highs for a second straight day on Thursday on optimism that the worst of the had passed after Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire with Lebanon and U.S. President indicated the U.S. and Iran could meet again on the weekend.

Trading was choppy, however, after Trump announced the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and told reporters Iran had offered not to have nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Earlier in the day, Bloomberg cited Gulf and European officials saying the U.S. needs about six months to reach an Iran deal.

“You’ve got markets fluctuating between more positive and slightly neutral headlines,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management, in Charlotte, North Carolina, noting that for the last month and a half, “trading has all been about the Iran war.”

MIXED ECONOMIC TRENDS

While hopes of diplomatic progress have lifted sentiment this week, some strategists have said that clearer signals of peace may be needed to sustain momentum. Robert Phipps, a director at Per Stirling Capital Management in Austin, Texas, also pointed to a mixed bag of economic data on Thursday. New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, suggesting conditions remained stable, though employers are cautious about increasing headcount as the war with Iran weighs on the economy.

“The war is still the single most important driver of the market,” said Phipps. “The rubber band was very stretched to the downside. It has snapped back and is no longer stretched to the downside … Now the market needs to start trading on its own fundamentals.”

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 16.63 points, or 0.24%, to end at 7,040.09 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 80.98 points, or 0.34%, to 24,097.00. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 101.37 points, or 0.21%, to 48,565.09.

The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 touched intraday records. Nasdaq’s gain represented its 12th consecutive advance, its longest winning streak since July 2009.

RESULTS STEER SENTIMENT

Market moves could become more idiosyncratic as the corporate earnings season gathers pace.

U.S. beverages company gained after beating quarterly profit estimates.

Medical device maker declined and hit its lowest level since November 2023 after cutting its full-year profit forecast, while brokerage Charles Schwab also fell after releasing results.

Netflix is due to report after markets close.

Big movers included Myseum after it rebranded as .

The rally followed even more dramatic gains in sneaker maker on Wednesday after it said it was pivoting to AI.

Voyager Technologies rose after signed an order for the company to conduct the seventh private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, the company’s first selection for such a mission.

(Reporting by Sinéad Carew in New York, Noel Randewich in San Francisco, Niket Nishant and Avinash P in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Saqib Ahmed in New York; Editing by Tasim Zahid, Rod Nickel)

 

HCA taps chief medical officer for Capital Division

HCA Healthcare announced Tuesday that it is promoting Dr. Jennifer Bocker to become for its Capital Division, effective May 1.

Bocker is succeeding Dr. Ray Makhoul, who will retire next month.

HCA’s Capital Division spans and New Hampshire, including 18 hospitals with more than 4,100 licensed beds. The division’s facilities treated nearly 4 million patients in 2025.

Bocker currently serves as associate chief medical officer for ‘s North Texas division, and she joined HCA in 2022 as chief medical officer of HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital and later moved into division leadership, where she oversaw clinical, operational and physician initiatives. Previously, she was a partner and executive board member of a Surgical Specialists of Colorado.

“Dr. Bocker brings deep clinical expertise, strong physician leadership experience and a thoughtful, collaborative approach to this role,” HCA Healthcare Capital Division President William Lunn said in a statement. “Her perspective and leadership will help support our continued focus on high-quality, patient-centered care across the division.”

A general surgeon with experience in head and neck surgical oncology, Bocker received her medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine, completed her general surgery residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center and completed fellowship training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She also holds an MBA in administration from the University of Colorado.

“I am honored to join the Capital Division and to serve alongside the physicians, nurses and colleagues who are dedicated to caring for patients every day,” Bocker said in a statement. “I look forward to building strong partnerships  across the division and supporting our shared work to continue to advance quality, strengthen physician engagement and foster the clinical, operational and cultural excellence required to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care in the communities we serve.”

Part of Nashville-based HCA Healthcare, operates 14 hospitals, 26 outpatient centers, eight freestanding emergency rooms and is affiliated with more than 3,100 physicians. With more than 300,000 employees, HCA Healthcare has 190 hospitals and approximately 2,500 ambulatory sites of care in 19 states and the United Kingdom. It reported $75.6 billion in revenue in 2025, up from $70.6 billion in 2024.

Last month, Virginia State Health Commissioner Dr. Cameron Webb approved HCA Healthcare’s plan to build a $260 million, 60-bed acute care hospital in Chesterfield County.

US weekly jobless claims fall; manufacturing production retreats in March

Summary:
  • Initial jobless claims dropped to 207,000 for week ended April 11
  • Manufacturing production declined 0.1% in March after February gains
  • cited as major uncertainty for hiring and investment

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) – New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, suggesting conditions remained stable, though employers are cautious about increasing headcount as the war with casts a shadow over the economy.

A surge in and the accompanying rise in because of the conflict have pushed consumer sentiment to record lows, and economists warned households could scale back spending, with ripple effects on the labor market. Some anticipated labor market weakness due to the oil price shock.

“At some point, elevated energy costs and prices for materials will cause firms to lay off marginal workers to protect profit margins,” said Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics. “Just keep in mind that in the 1973 oil shock, it took about three months for claims to start to rise in any meaningful way.”

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 207,000 for the week ended April 11, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 215,000 claims for the latest week.

Claims are in the lower end of their 201,000-230,000 range for this year. While remain low, the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran could be hindering hiring. The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report on Wednesday showed “several districts noted increased demand for temporary or contract workers, as firms remained cautious about committing to permanent hires.”

The report based on information collected in early April also noted the Middle East conflict “was cited as a major source of uncertainty that complicated decision-making around hiring, pricing and capital investment, with many firms adopting a wait-and-see posture.”

Oil prices have soared more than 35% since the war started at the end of February. Gasoline and diesel prices have increased sharply, contributing to higher consumer and producer prices in March, government data showed recently.

President has imposed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, halting seaborne trade in and out of Iran.

Stocks on Wall Street were mostly lower. The dollar gained versus a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury yields rose.

The labor market was already in a holding pattern prior to the war, blamed by economists on uncertainty stemming from Trump’s sweeping import and mass deportations. The Middle East conflict was just another layer of uncertainty for businesses, economists said.

For now, continued labor market stability is seen giving the Federal Reserve room to keep interest rates unchanged for some time while policymakers monitor the inflation fallout from the war. The U.S. central bank last month left its benchmark overnight interest rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range.

WAR HAS INCREASED LABOR MARKET’S VULNERABILITY

“The labor market has become more vulnerable since the start of the war, and we expect concerns about the labor market will lead the Fed to look past the hit to inflation from higher oil prices and lower rates twice this year,” said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics.

Financial markets are pricing in roughly a one-in-three chance of a rate cut this year. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits after an initial week of aid, a proxy for hiring, increased 31,000 to a seasonally adjusted 1.818 million during the week ended April 4, the claims report showed.

The so-called continuing claims have dropped from last year’s lofty levels likely in part due to people exhausting their eligibility for benefits, limited to 26 weeks in most states. The data does not include some unemployed young workers, who typically have a limited or no work history.

The job market for young adults is tough. The unemployment rate for the 20-to-24-year-old age group was at 6.4% in March. In contrast, the overall jobless rate was at 4.3%.

The conflict threatens to derail a nascent recovery in the manufacturing sector. Factory production dipped 0.1% in March after an upwardly revised 0.4% increase in February, the Fed said in a separate report. Economists had forecast manufacturing output gaining 0.1% after a previously reported 0.2% rise in February. Factory production rose 0.5% year-on-year in March.

Manufacturing, which accounts for 10.1% of the economy, had shown signs of recovery after being hammered by tariffs. It grew at a 3.0% annualized rate in the first quarter, rebounding from the fourth quarter’s 3.2% pace of decline.

In March, motor vehicle production dropped 3.7%. There were decreases in the output of primary metals, machinery as well as furniture and related products.

Though output at high-technology industries, including communications equipment and semiconductors, increased 0.7%, that followed a 0.9% decline in February. Mining output declined 1.2% after rebounding 2.1% in February. Energy production fell 1.6%, with oil and gas well drilling decreasing 2.4%.

The Beige Book noted that though activity in the rose slightly in early April, “many producers remained cautious about increasing drilling due to uncertainty about the persistence of higher prices.”

Utilities production dropped 2.3% as demand for heating declined. Utilities production increased 1.8% in February. Overall industrial production dropped 0.5% after increasing 0.7% in February. Industrial output rose 0.7% year-on-year in March and grew at a 2.4% rate in the first quarter.

A survey from the showed a measure of new orders received by factories in the mid-Atlantic region jumped. It mirrored a similar rise reported in the New York Fed’s survey on Wednesday.

“Ongoing policy uncertainty, relatively high interest rates, and the likely slowdown in demand resulting from the energy shock all raise a risk that we will see a brief period of catch-up growth, rather than a sustained manufacturing recovery,” said Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

​

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Andrea Ricci )

 

Central Garden & Pet to close Henrico facility, laying off 94

Central Garden & Pet will soon close its eastern dog treat facility and lay off 94 employees as it consolidates operations.

The facility operates as part of the company’s TDBBS pet treat business, which Central acquired in 2023.

The company notified the state of the in a letter sent on April 14 to comply with the federal (WARN) Act. said it was permanently closing its facility at 5701 Eastport Blvd., near International Airport. The phased will be complete by June 30.

Friederike Edelmann, a vice president with the company, said Central Garden & Pet is shifting its Richmond-area production to an existing plant in Neptune, New Jersey, part of an effort to consolidate its dog treat business. She called the consolidation “a natural next step” that will improve efficiency and allow the company to scale by integrating TDBBS into its broader platform.

The Henrico site, which has operated since 2008, produces natural dog chews and treats sold under brands including Best Bully Sticks, Barkworthies and Paw Love. Central acquired TDBBS to expand its presence in the growing dog treats category and strengthen its e-commerce capabilities.

Most production roles at the Richmond facility will be eliminated, though the company expects to retain about 15 employees who worked in remote roles.

Affected workers will receive severance and transition support.

Headquartered in California, Central Garden & Pet makes and sells products for pets and lawn and garden care. It employs more than 6,000 people and operates over 100 locations, primarily in the .

Boeing unveils satellite platform, targets 26 deliveries in 2026

April 16 (Reuters) – and its unit are working together to expand and launch a new satellite platform as they look to fulfill a growing backlog of orders, the aerospace firms said on Thursday.

Boeing is targeting 26 in 2026, up from 11 in 2025.

The company is looking to tap increasing reliance on satellite infrastructure from and sectors.

The new mid-class satellite platform, Resolute, will address missions that require “more capability than a traditional small satellite can provide, with greater speed and flexibility than a typical large satellite program,” Boeing said in a release.

Boeing said it will invest in integrating its products with that of Millennium’s to boost production.

, from to , are increasingly shaping modern conflict. The tech was used during the U.S. strikes in Venezuela and in the U.S.-Israeli war on this year.

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)

Myseum takes flight after Allbirds in fresh AI rebrand wave 

Summary:

By SApril 16 (Reuters) – A day after footwear maker Allbirds rose 582% on its plan to “pivot its business to AI compute infrastructure,” firm Myseum was up 181% early on Thursday in the latest sign of an investor mania for stocks.

Early on Wednesday, Allbirds said it would rebrand itself as “NewBird AI,” having agreed to sell off most of its assets and intellectual property for $39 million last month. Allbirds said at the time that it planned to seek shareholder approval for the “dissolution ​and wind-down of the company.”

After the close on Wednesday, Myseum said it is “now operating under the new name Myseum.AI,” in an effort that “illuminates the company’s core technology platform that will integrate proprietary privacy-first artificial intelligence (AI) into its secure messaging and social media platforms.”

The firms’ advertised pivot to AI underscores how the sector’s status as a magnet for investment capital can also provide small firms with struggling legacy businesses a chance to raise funds — potentially at the expense of investors who buy in after the shares have already run up. On Thursday, Allbirds was down 29.5%.

“It does seem like this is peak AI when you’ve got companies like Allbirds pivoting to data centres and GPUs,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.

“It definitely encapsulates the amount of frenzy that there is in the AI market, but maybe they’re just a bit late. Allbirds are not the early birds, that’s for sure.”

This pivot echoes past efforts by small U.S. firms ​that reshaped their business models to tap investor enthusiasm.

​In 2017, ⁠beverage maker Long Island Iced Tea Corp pivoted to blockchain technology under the name Long Blockchain. U.S. securities regulators later brought an insider trading case that resulted in one defendant agreeing to pay $75,000 without admitting or denying the allegations.

Allbirds’ Wednesday announcement sent its shares up as much as 872% on Wednesday. The company said it would execute a $50 million convertible financing agreement ‌with an unnamed institutional investor and plans to use the proceeds to acquire graphics processing units (GPUs).

“A $50 million investment is a drop in the bucket in the broader neocloud market, where most companies run capex budgets well into the billions of dollars,” William Blair analysts led by Dylan Carden said in a note. The analysts dropped their coverage on the stock.

“There is no valuation metric here with the wind-down of the footwear business and deep uncertainty about its new endeavors in cloud compute.”

Allbirds lost $77.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, and lost $93.3 million a year earlier.

HOW THE MARKET TOOK IT

A record $3.87 billion worth of Allbirds shares changed hands on Wednesday, per LSEG data. Retail traders also jumped in and bought more than $5.2 million worth of its shares in the biggest one-day move on record, according data from Vanda Research.

It was among the most actively traded U.S. stocks by on Wednesday, ranking third by buy orders after Tesla and Nvidia, according to J.P.Morgan data.

The company’s market capitalization swelled up to almost $148 million as of last close, surging from $21.7 million – which was down 99% from levels seen around its 2021 debut.

More than 16.3% of Allbirds’ free floated shares are shorted and Wednesday’s spike left short sellers with mark-to-market losses of approximately $13.6 million, according data analytics firm Ortex.

 

(Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan and Avinash P in Bengaluru; editing by Arpan Varghese and Colin Barr)

 

Ex-Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and wife found dead in murder-suicide, police say

Summary:
  • shot wife, Cerina Wanzer Fairfax, and then himself
  • Incident occurred amid ongoing domestic dispute
  • Children were home during shooting in

Former lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax and his wife, Cerina Wanzer Fairfax, were found dead in their Northern Virginia home early Thursday morning in what police say was an apparent .

Chief Kevin Davis said Fairfax first shot his wife several times in the basement of their home in the Annandale area, then shot and killed himself in an upstairs bedroom.

“This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” Davis said at a news conference Thursday morning outside the couple’s home.

Fairfax, a , was elected to Virginia’s second-highest office in 2017, becoming the second African American elected statewide in Virginia. He served with former governor and was once a favorite to become the state’s governor before allegations of sexual assault effectively ended his political ambitions.

But his career was derailed when two women accused him of sexual assault in years past – allegations that Fairfax denied and fought vociferously for years after.

Davis said that Fairfax, 47, was recently served paperwork related to an upcoming court proceeding. The couple, he said, were separated but living together. They married in 2006.

Both of the couple’s children, a teenage boy and girl, were at home when the shooting occurred, Davis said. The couple’s son called 911, he said.

In January, Davis said, Justin Fairfax called police and reported that he had been assaulted by his wife. Police responded and determined by viewing footage from cameras installed inside the home by Cerina Fairfax that no assault had occurred. Davis said it was the only time the Fairfax police department had been to the home.

The leafy street on which the Fairfax family lived in the Woodburn neighborhood of Annandale was quiet late Thursday morning. Police tape cordoned the property. Neighbors in nearby homes declined to comment. Shortly after 10 a.m. two stretchers were wheeled from the home into a waiting van and driven away.

News of the murder-suicide reverberated across the Commonwealth Thursday, evoking expressions of sympathy for surviving family members from political and community leaders.

“Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news. I had the privilege of getting to know the Fairfaxes while our families served together,” former Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who was in office when Fairfax was lieutenant governor, said in the statement Thursday morning that mentioned the couple’s children. “We are praying for … the entire Fairfax family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) also expressed her sympathy for the family, calling the incident “a horrific tragedy.”

“Dr. Fairfax was a devoted mother, beloved dentist in the Fairfax County community, and engaged supporter of her alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University,” Spanberger said in a statement. “My prayers are with the Wanzer and Fairfax families as they mourn their own loss, endeavor to make sense of this tragedy, and comfort the Fairfax children.”

Former Attorney General, Jason Miyares, a Republican, posted on X: “My heart goes out to the Fairfax family today, particularly the children. For anyone struggling with this kind of darkness, the most courageous thing you can do is ask for help. There is more help and friendship out there than we realize.”

Cerina Fairfax was a dentist with her own practice, Dr. Fairfax & Associates, in the Fairlee area of Fairfax County. She graduated from Duke University in 1999 and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry in 2005, according to the dentistry practice website. Justin Fairfax also attended Duke, graduating in 2000.

A voice recording at Cerina Fairfax’s practice Thursday morning said the office was closed because of a family emergency.

Attempts to reach family members, friends and colleagues of Cerina Fairfax Thursday were unsuccessful.

“The death of Cerina Fairfax leaves an immeasurable void in the lives of all who knew and loved her,” her divorce lawyer Amy Spain, counsel at Boies Schiller Flexner, said in a statement. “Above all else, Cerina was a devoted mother to her beautiful children, who were the very center of her world.”

Spain called the incident “an absolute tragedy” and said that Cerina Fairfax would be remembered “for the beautiful spirit she brought to the world.”

The couple had separated in June 2024 but continued living together in their Annandale home and signed a post-nuptial agreement in December of that year, according to court documents.

“While it is their hope that their marriage will be long and happy, [they] desire at this time to anticipate and plan now for contingencies in order to preserve their marriage at this time as well as in the future,” the agreement said, according to a court decision.

But those efforts proved unsuccessful. In June 2025, Cerina Fairfax told her husband through a lawyer of her intent to divorce him, according to court documents. She filed for divorce the following month. A dispute over whether her intent to separate had been permanent led to a protracted legal fight in which Justin Fairfax represented himself. A circuit judge ruled in his favor over a technical dispute in the divorce in January 2026.

Justin Fairfax was raised in his grandparents’ home in a Northeast Washington – where his pharmacist mother moved Fairfax and his three older siblings after her divorce. He told reporters in 2017 that he had a good relationship with his father, a Harvard-educated consultant to nonprofit organizations.

Fairfax attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville and Duke University on a scholarship. He worked as a staffer for the Senate Judiciary Committee for two years before moving to New York to earn his law degree at Columbia Law School.

Fairfax rose to prominence as a federal prosecutor in Northern Virginia. His ambition and ingratiating style rubbed some the wrong way, but his out-of-nowhere challenge to insider favorite Mark Herring for the Democratic Party’s state attorney general nomination in 2013 put him on the political map.

An outsider from Democratic Party circles, Fairfax came closer than expected in that primary, losing to Herring by three percentage points. He then won the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor in 2017.

His victory in the general election that fall made him only the second Black person elected statewide in Virginia since Reconstruction, after former governor L. Douglas Wilder, whom Fairfax considered a mentor and confidant.

On the day he was inaugurated, Fairfax carried in his pocket a copy of the manumission document that freed his ancestor, Simon Fairfax – born into slavery but emancipated on June 5, 1798. Fairfax’s father had shown him the document that morning for the first time. His wife and young children joined him for the swearing-in.

“I was reminding myself what our ancestors had to go through to get to a point like we’re having now,” Fairfax said of the moment a few days after taking office. “We can make progress if we keep our eyes on the future.”

In a little over a year, Fairfax was embroiled in an executive branch scandal that, for a moment, raised the possibility that he would be elevated to governor. Northam had been tied to a racist photo in a medical school yearbook from decades earlier; Northam first apologized for wearing blackface in the image and then denied that it was him in the photo, but admitted that he had worn blackface in a separate incident a few years later.

With Democratic leaders universally calling for Northam to step down, Fairfax summoned a handful of reporters to his office on a Saturday and discussed the logistics of his presumed rise to the governorship.

But Northam stayed in office, and within a matter of days Fairfax also faced calls to resign when two women came forward to accuse him of sexual assault decades earlier. Fairfax denied the charges, stayed in office and called for an investigation.

While Northam recovered his popularity and put the racial scandal behind him, Fairfax was never able to shed the stigma of the . Shunned by the party, he ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2021 and came in fourth place, with just over 17,600 votes. He spent the years since then struggling to resume his law practice and attempting to clear his name, but never got the FBI investigation or court vindication that he sought.

If you or someone you know needs help, visit 988lifeline.org or call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

This is a developing story and will be updated.
–Joe Heim, Juan Benn Jr., Gregory S. Schneider, The Washington Post

Oil prices rise on doubts US-Iran peace talks will ease Hormuz disruption

LONDON, April 16 (Reuters) – rose over 1% on Thursday, reversing earlier declines as the market questioned whether peace talks between the U.S. and would achieve a deal to end the war that has disrupted energy supplies from the .

Brent crude futures climbed $1.68, or 1.8%, to $96.61 a barrel at 1309 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up $1.17, or 1.3%, to $92.46 a barrel.

“We remain sceptical of any immediate solving of this war,” said PVM oil market analyst John Evans. “Pick any headline and there is always a counter.”

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has caused unprecedented disruption of global oil and gas. It has led to the halting of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.

POSSIBLE RESUMPTION OF PEACE TALKS

U.S. and Iranian officials were considering returning to Pakistan for further talks as early as the coming weekend. Pakistan’s army chief arrived in Tehran on Wednesday as a mediator.

A source briefed by Tehran told Reuters that Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a deal to prevent renewed conflict after a two-week ceasefire started on April 8.

In another sign of a potential easing of military actions, ‘s cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in neighbouring , a senior Israeli official said, more than six weeks into its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Analysts from ING estimate that roughly 13 million barrels per day of oil flow has been disrupted by the of the Strait, after taking into consideration pipeline diversions and the trickle of tankers that have passed through the gateway.

With the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports announced after the collapse of peace talks over the weekend, the disruption could increase, although some U.S. sanctioned tankers have made it through.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington will not be renewing sanction waivers for some Iranian and Russian oil.

Highlighting the constraints on global crude and oil product supply, U.S. inventories of oil, gasoline and distillate fuels fell last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, as countries seeking barrels to replace the disrupted flows drove exports and meant imports shrank.

(Additional reporting by Stephanie Kelly in London, Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo and Siyi Liu in Singapore; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Christian Schmollinger, Thomas Derpinghaus, Barbara Lewis and Jane Merriman)