*By Carlo Versano*
Markets were higher across the board Monday after President Trump announced his framework for a trade deal with Mexico that he hopes will replace NAFTA. The Nasdaq marked its first-ever close above 8,000, and the Dow rose more than a percent, crossing the 26,000 mark for the first time since Feb. 2.
The announcement from Trump in the Oval Office ー with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on the phone ー could ease concerns among American manufacturers that the administration's tough stance on trade could scuttle the chance for a reworked NAFTA deal.
Trump said Monday that he wanted the new agreement to be called the "United States-Mexico Trade Agreement."
"NAFTA has a lot of bad connotations for us, because it was a rip off," he said.
Canada has stayed conspicuously absent from this round of negotiations. No foundation with the Canadians was established for an expanded North American deal.
President Peña Nieto [tweeted](https://twitter.com/EPN/status/1034089218220249088) that he was angling to get the Canadians back to the table. Trump said "we'll see" if Canada can be part of an expanded deal.
A spokesman for Canada's foreign minister replied: "We will only sign a new NAFTA that is good for Canada and good for the middle class. Canada’s signature is required."
A steep budget deficit caused by plummeting tax revenues and escalating school voucher costs will be in focus Monday as Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature return for a new session at the state Capitol.
The first U.S. lunar lander in more than 50 years is on its way to the moon. The private lander from Astrobotic Technology blasted off Monday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, catching a ride on United Launch Alliance's brand new rocket Vulcan.
Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oil fell last year from record highs in 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors helped worsen hunger worldwide, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday.
Wall Street is drifting higher after reports showed the job market remains solid, but key parts of the economy still don’t look like they’re overheating.
The Biden administration is docking more than $2 million in payments to student loan servicers that failed to send billing statements on time after the end of a pandemic payment freeze.
The nation’s employers added a robust 216,000 jobs last month, the latest sign that the American job market remains resilient even in the face of sharply higher interest rates.
A U.S. labor agency has accused SpaceX of unlawfully firing employees who penned an open letter critical of CEO Elon Musk and creating an impression that worker activities were under surveillance by the rocket ship company.
