NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-02-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: February 2, 2025

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Noor Ram live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Noor Ram. President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China is getting an immediate reaction. Canada and Mexico are planning retaliatory tariffs and China says it will file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization. Beijing is urging the Trump administration to, quote, rectify its erroneous approach. The Trump administration says it wants Beijing to do more to cut the supply of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. NPR's John Rewich reports. China's foreign ministry says it's strongly dissatisfied with the new tariffs and resolutely opposes them.

It says Beijing will take necessary countermeasures to, quote, firmly safeguard China's legitimate rights and interests. It stopped short of saying what those measures would be. Experts say many of the precursor chemicals for fentanyl flow from China to Mexico, where China's legitimate rights and interests. It stopped short of saying what those measures would be. Experts say many of the precursor chemicals for fentanyl flow from China to Mexico, where they're combined in underground labs to make the drug. Beijing says it's taken steps to stop trade in those chemicals as part of what it calls extensive anti-drug cooperation with the United States.

The foreign ministry says the new unilateral tariffs violate world trade organization rules, and they will inevitably undermine future cooperation against drugs. John Ruhich, NPR News, Beijing. Lauren Summers has served as both Treasury Secretary and director of the National Economic Council. He told CNN the tariffs will mean consumers will pay more in the U.S. Everybody who uses an input from Canada or Mexico in their production is going to have a cost shock and they're going to pass it on to consumers. When consumers are paying those higher prices for the imported goods, they're going to have less money to spend on other things. And that's going to tend to push the economy downwards as well.

Summer says the tariffs are a gift to Chinese President Xi Jinping by giving him an excuse for China's economic problems. The last soldier to be identified among the three killed when their helicopter collided with a passenger jet above Washington, DC is being remembered as a leader who loved flying. Jay Price of member station WUNC reports. Captain Rebecca Lobach transferred into the ROTC program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill as a junior, but quickly made up ground to earn a coveted selection into

Army aviation. Jasmine Johnson, herself now an Apache attack helicopter pilot with the North Carolina National Guard, was a friend and study partner in the ROTC. She loved to challenge, like most aviators do. She wanted to be a part of that culture, to be in combat arms and to serve her country, be in the fight and also be a good leader. In a written statement, her parents said Lobach had hoped to become a doctor after her service in the army ended.

For NPR News, I'm Jay Price in Durham. All 64 people in the passenger jet also died in the collision Wednesday night. This is NPR News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Panama where he's to visit the Panama Canal. President Trump wants the U.S. to regain control of the canal, but the Panamanian president has said the canal belongs to Panama. Rubio travels next to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. The Grammy Awards will be announced in Los Angeles tonight.

In a crowded list of nominees this year, NPR's Sydney Madden explains why all eyes are on this year's most nominated artist, Beyoncé. Her latest album, Cowboy Carter, is recognized in 11 Grammy categories this year. Its nominations span pop, Americana, country and melodic rap categories. With 32 career wins, Beyonce holds the current record

for most Grammys won by any artist. But there are still two major Grammy categories that she's never won. Album of the Year and Record of the Year, a fact that B herself addressed on Cowboy Carter. It was just going here, do what it cares, A-O-T-Y-A-N-W-E-R, I ain't stoppin' by them. Cowboy Carter is up for album of the year with its lead single, Texas Hold'em, vying

for record of the year. Sydney Madden, NPR News. The Super Bowl is one week from today in New Orleans. Security is being heightened after New Year's Day when a man drove a truck through crowds on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says if visitors are asked at security checkpoints to have their bags searched, they're free to say no, but then they're not free to enter. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.