NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-02-2025 10AM EST

Episode Date: February 2, 2025

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Public media counts on your support to ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts, perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, early access, and more. So start supporting what you love today at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada did not ask for a trade war but will not back down. He held a news conference last night saying Canada will put a matching 25 percent tariff on U.S. imports after President Trump signed an order imposing stiff tariffs on Canada as well as Mexico and China. President Trump has said the tariffs are a way to get the three countries to crack down on the illegal

flow of drugs and immigration into the U.S. But Mexican President Claudia Schoenbaum is denying White House allegations that the Mexican state has alliances with drug cartels. And NPR's Adair Peralta reports she has also ordered retaliatory measures. Mexico has been warning that a tariff war between the two countries would have huge effects not just for American consumers, but also for American companies manufacturing in Mexico. Mexico is the number one provider of cars and car parts for the United States. Mexico's economy secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Americans could see a hike in prices in everything from avocados and beer to cars, trucks and medical equipment. The biggest impact, he said,

is that millions of American families will have to pay 25% more. Eder Peralta, NPR News. With two deadly plane crashes, it's been a difficult week for aviation in the United States. But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is seeking to reassure the flying public. Now we've seen some cracks and it rattles people when they see these disasters, but air travel is safe. Secretary Duffy speaking on CNN's State of the Union after 67 people were killed in Wednesday's collision between a Blackhawk helicopter and current-day commercial jetliner in Washington, D.C., also the crash in Philadelphia of a medical transport plane that killed six people traveling home to Mexico and one person on the ground.

Duffy also defended the Trump administration's hiring freeze, saying air traffic controllers were exempted. The Army has released the name of the third crew member of that Black Hawk helicopter that slammed into an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. this week. And Pierce Tom Bowman has more. Captain Rebecca Lobach was 28 and from Durham, North Carolina. She died along with fellow pilot Chief Warren Officer Andrew Eaves and crew member Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara.

She was a distinguished military graduate from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, commissioned in 2019 as an active duty aviation officer. Lobach hoped to fly her Blackhawk at some point in a combat deployment and dreamed of one day becoming a doctor. Tom Bowman, NPR News. The Democratic National Committee has a new leader at a gathering outside the nation's Capitol this weekend. Democrats chose Ken Martin as their next party chair. Martin is a former head of the state party in Minnesota. This is NPR News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Panama to meet the president and visit the canal which President Trump wants back. NPR's Michelle

Kellerman reports that the Panamanian president has ruled out any discussion about that. Secretary Rubio says he chose the Western Hemisphere as his first trip to show that, in his words, American leadership is back in this region, which he says was neglected in the past. He's visiting Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Trade and migration are top issues, but this trip comes as the Trump administration halts most foreign assistance, including in this region. The state department says Rubio has issued some limited waivers and exemptions to some aid programs in countries that he's visiting this week,

but the spokesperson did not cite any specific examples. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Panama City. Today is Groundhog Day and that famous groundhog in Pennsylvania says we should get ready for more winter weather. Here's NPR's Bill Chappell reporting. Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow at daybreak, cheered by what organizers said was the largest crowd ever at Gobbler's Knob, the hillside where this tradition has taken place since 1887. Then the Groundhog Club's Dan McGinley recited the Groundhog's message.

There's a shadow up here. Get ready for six more weeks of winter this year. The crowd happily endured hours of cold but the forecast drew some boos. Bill Chappell, NPR News, Puxa Tawny. And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington. This is Tanya Mosley, co-host of Fresh Air. And I just talked to Pamela Anderson about her big career comeback after years in the tabloids and not being taken seriously. She's entered a new era on stage and screen.

Suzanne Somers had a great line. She said, you can't play a dumb blonde and be a dumb blonde. Find this interview with Pamela Anderson wherever you listen to Fresh Air.