NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-02-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: February 3, 2025

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Usher, Yo-Yo Ma, Boy Genius, Shaka Khan, Billie Eilish, Weird Al, one thing all these big stars have in common, they've all played behind NPR's Tiny Desk. And if you enter NPR's Tiny Desk Contest between now and February 10th, you could be next. Unsigned musicians can find out more and see the official rules at npr.org slash tiny desk contest. Janine Herbst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. at npr.org slash tiny desk contest. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China got an immediate

reaction. Canada and Mexico are planning retaliatory tariffs, and China says it will file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization. The Trump administration says it wants China to do more to cut the supply of synthetic opioid fentanyl. And here's John Rewich has more. 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 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. A U.S. Marine battalion has landed at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba this weekend. The Defense Department says the Marines will expand a facility meant to hold migrants detained in the U.S. And here's Luke Garrett has more. President Donald Trump wants to send 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo, a facility that's held at most 800 people.

On Sunday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christine Ohm told NPC News that the facility is, quote, building out some capacity. We appreciate the partnership of the DOD in getting that up to the level that it needs to get to in order to facilitate this repatriation of people back to their country. Guantanamo Bay is widely known for its military detention camp that's held terrorism suspects following the attacks on September 11th 2001. When asked, Nome said it was not the plan to hold migrants at Guantanamo indefinitely, but

rather to have a process that follows the law. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. In Washington, family members of the victims of the midair plane crash with an Army helicopter last week near Reagan National Airport visited the crash site this morning commemorating the 67 people who died. Washington, D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly says the remains of nearly all have been recovered.

So far, 55 victims have been positively identified from this accident. The search for the remaining 12 in the Potomac River continues. The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to begin removing the debris from the river tomorrow. The Corps says they will start with the removal of the larger remnants of the jet,

and that's expected to take days. They will then remove the Black Hawk helicopter. The National Transportation Safety Board is still analyzing the flight and data recorders, and the search for the cause continues. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Winters are getting warmer around the country with climate change. listening to NPR News from Washington. Winters are getting warmer around the country with climate change. A new study shows that's

helping rat populations increase in several U.S. cities. And here's Lauren Sommer has more. Humans do a lot to help rats in cities. We leave out food and trash. We provide shelter in our buildings and sewers. We've also been making the climate warmer as we burn fossil fuels. A study in the journal Science Advances finds that's one reason rat populations are growing. When it's cold, rats spend less time foraging

for food above ground. But winters are getting shorter, which could be giving them more time to find that extra slice of pizza and make more baby rats. Experts say it's just one more reason cities need to focus on solutions to better manage trash. Lauren Summer, NPR News. Today is Groundhog Day and the famous groundhog in Pennsylvania says we should get ready for

more winter weather. NPR's Bill Chappell has more. Bung Sotani 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, Puxitani. U.S. futures contracts are trading lower at this hour on word of Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Dow futures down 1.2 percent, NASDAQ futures are down 2.2 percent, S&P 500 futures also lower. This is NPR.

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