Early morning reports focused on potential signs of life discovered on exoplanet K2-18b and economic warnings about Trump's tariffs, as Meloni prepared for her Washington visit. By midday, the ECB cut interest rates to 2.25% amid "exceptional uncertainty," with Lagarde expressing concern about trade wars.
The afternoon was marked by disaster when a cable car at Monte Faito near Naples plunged into a ravine after a cable broke, killing four people with one survivor seriously injured. The tragedy unfolded dramatically in media coverage, with initial reports of passengers being rescued before the cabin's fall was confirmed.
Simultaneously, Meloni met with Trump at the White House, where he called her "exceptional" and promised "100% agreement with the EU on tariffs" - a significant softening from his previous stance. Trump accepted Meloni's invitation to visit Rome while she adopted his rhetorical style with a "Make the West Great Again" slogan.
Northern Italy continued battling severe flooding with a red alert in Piedmont.