NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-02-2025 4PM EST

Episode Date: February 2, 2025

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Noor Ram live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Noor Ram. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada didn't ask for a trade war, but will knock back down. He says Canada will put a matching 25 percent tariff on U.S. imports after President Trump signed orders imposing stiff tariffs on Canada as well as Mexico and China. China says it will take countermeasures, including filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is also ordering retaliatory measures. NPR's Ada Peralta reports. 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. Eda Peralta, NPR News. Russia and Ukraine are trading blame for a deadly missile strike last night that killed at least four people at a boarding school in a sliver of Russian territory occupied by Ukrainian forces. NPR's Charles Maines has details. The attack took place in the city of Suja in Russia's Kursk region occupied by Ukrainian forces since last summer.

The rest is disputed. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Russian aerial bomb, struck the boarding school as it housed dozens of Russian civilians preparing to evacuate. Ukraine's military said its troops pulled more than 80 people out from the rubble. Russia's defense ministry in turn accused Kyiv of carrying out a targeted missile strike on the building. The Kursk region has been the scene of recent heavy fighting as Russia tries to dislodge the Ukrainian forces, whose hold over the territory is seen as a potential bargaining chip for Kyiv in any future peace talks. Charles Maynes, NPR News. Federal investigations continue into two deadly plane crashes last week. A

passenger jet and a military helicopter collided in Washington Wednesday night, killing 67 people. On Friday night a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven people, including one person on the ground. Vice President J.D. Vance says the air traffic control system should be updated. The software point is really important, though, because we know if you look at these old antiquated air traffic control systems, it really does look like a video game that's 30 years old. We've got better software. We need a federal government that's more responsive to the technology that's

out there. And I really do think that with President Trump's leadership, we're going to have those near misses and those almost terrible tragedies. Those are going to come down, which means our aviation system is going to be much safer. This is NPR. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Panama where he met with the president. The spokesman says Rubio told him that Panama must do more to reduce alleged Chinese influence over the Panama Canal or the Trump administration will act. President Trump wants to reclaim control over the canal, something Panama has resisted. Rubio next visits El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala,

and the Dominican Republic. The Grammy Awards will be announced in Los Angeles today. 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, Beyoncé 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 Bea

herself addressed on Cowboy Carter. It was just going in, bro. Do it again, bro. LTY and West, bro. 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. It's February 2nd, Groundhog Day, when crowds gather at Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania for the appearance of Apoxitani Phil. His associates say he did see his shadow, which according to tradition means another six weeks of winter. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.