NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-02-2025 2AM 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, I'm Dale Willman. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will retaliate against tariffs being placed on that country by the Trump administration. As Dan Karpanchuk reports, Trudeau met with Canadian premieres

before announcing his nation's response to what many people are calling a trade war. Trudeau says Canada will target one hundred and fifty five5 billion of U.S. products with 25 percent tariffs of its own. $30 billion in goods will be affected as of Tuesday. The other $125 billion will come in 21 days to give Canadian companies time to prepare. In addition, some provinces are bringing in other measures, such as barring U.S. companies from procurement contracts and removing US-made wine and spirits from liquor store shelves. Trudeau spoke during a late Saturday news conference about a shared

history and an economic partnership with the US, saying Canada does not want this conflict but will not shy away from it. He said the coming days and weeks will be difficult, but he urged Canadians to buy Canadian products, vacation at home and stand together. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpinchuk in Toronto. Mexico and China are also facing tariffs starting on Tuesday. Federal investigators are in Philadelphia this weekend examining the wreckage of a plane that crashed there Friday night. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy says their work will be difficult because the debris field from the crash is four or five blocks long.

We have located the two engines, but for the cockpit voice recorder we are still looking for it. It could be intact, but likely it is damaged. It may be fragmented. At least seven people were killed, including six on the plane and 19 others were injured in the crash. The Army is named the third soldier who was killed on Wednesday when their helicopter hit a commercial plane in Washington, D.C. Captain Rebecca Lobach had served as an Army aviation officer since July of 2019. She was from Durham, North Carolina. The names of the other two soldiers were released on Friday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Panama. It's his first trip as the Trump administration's top diplomat. Trump has threatened to take back the Panama Canal, which Rubio plans to visit later today, and Piers Michelle Kellerman reports. In recorded video messages, both in Spanish and English, Secretary Rubio says he's putting a priority on the Western Hemisphere, a region he says has been overlooked. American leadership is back and we stand with our regional partners.

This is where we live. This is the region we call home. And it's where our future prosperity and security in large part will depend. Panama's president says he's ready to talk about migration and trade, but has ruled out any discussion with Rubio over control of the Panama Canal. The secretary plans to visit the canal on Sunday. The trip will also take him to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.

And you're listening to NPR News. India's Tiger Conservation Program is reporting some success. Officials say they've doubled the population of the endangered species over the past decade. As Amkar Khandekar reports, India is now home to more than 3,600 tigers, which is about three-quarters of the world's population. India has worked to protect its tigers from poachers, reduce human-wildlife conflict, and increase the living standards of people

living near tiger habitats. Around 60 million people live in such habitats, of which 70 are killed in attacks every year. But a new study in the journal Science suggests that humans can coexist with tigers, and it is their attitudes towards the animals that matters. As tigers' native habitat shrinks, the successes of India's conservation program could offer lessons to other countries where the animals are still found in the wild, including Indonesia,

China and Russia. Omkar Khandekar, NPR News, Mumbai. The Teamsters Union says it's reached a tentative contract with retailer Costco. The union represents 18,000 Costco workers in six states, California, Washington, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and New York. Overall, the company has 219,000 employees in the U.S. along with 617 stores. A key messaging system used by pilots in the U.S. is not functioning at this hour. Officials with the FAA say they're working to restore the system known as NOTAM or Notice

to Air Mission. They say a backup system is operating, but the problem could lead to flight delays today. Passengers are being told to check on their flight status with their carriers before heading out to the airport. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. If you love NPR News.