The trade deficit is the difference between how much a country sells to trading partners and how much it buys. President Trump has focused on narrowing that gap, which he considers a measure of whether other countries are taking advantage of the U.S. Few economists share that view.

The details: The increase was driven by a global economic slowdown and the relative strength of the dollar. It was exacerbated by Mr. Trump’s $1.5 trillion tax cut, which left Americans more money to buy imported goods.

Facebook promises a new focus on users’ privacy

After a wave of scandals, the world’s largest social network will prioritize private, encrypted communication in small groups, a sharp turn from the sort of public sharing it was built on.

“I believe a privacy-focused communications platform will become even more important than today’s open platforms,” Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, said in a blog post.