NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-04-2025 6AM EST

Episode Date: February 4, 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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. at npr.org slash tiny desk contest. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. U.S. imposed tariffs against China went into effect today.

Shortly afterward, Beijing responded with a series of retaliatory measures against the United States. NPR's John Ruich reports it's the latest move in the trade war between the two countries. China's State Council or cabinet approved 15 percent tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas from the United States. It also announced 10 percent tariffs on crude oil, agricultural machinery, and specific other kinds of vehicles, including certain SUVs. The Chinese tariffs are scheduled to take effect on February 10th.

China also made two other announcements that, while not explicitly linked to the Trump tariffs, appear to have been timed to send a message. The Commerce Ministry and Customs Administration announced export controls on a handful of metals with a range of applications in tech manufacturing. And the country's market regulator announced that it was launching an anti-monopoly investigation into Google. John Ruch, NPR News, Beijing. The White House is pushing back against federal employee unions that have advised government workers not to accept an offer for deferred resignation.

NPR's Franco Ardoña reports the Trump administration says employees will miss out on opportunities as the workforce is overhauled. In their first public response to what officials call quote misinformation by federal unions, the Office of Personnel Management argues that union leaders and their attorneys are doing their members a disservice. The reality, says the administration, is that large scale reductions are already happening and that many employees risk losing out on an opportunity for some financial stability as agencies adjust their workforce. The Trump administration has offered most federal workers a chance to resign from their

jobs by February 6 and be paid through the end of September. Employment lawyers question whether such an offer is legal because Congress, not the White House, is responsible for authorizing workers' pay. Franco Ordonez, NPR News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with government leaders in El Salvador yesterday as part of a Trump administration effort to crack down on immigration. Speaking from the capital, Rubio said the president of El Salvador has offered to accept deportees from the U.S. of any nationality, including Americans convicted of crimes.

He has offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals in custody in our country, including those of U.S. citizenship and legal residents. Legally, the U.S. government cannot deport American citizens. Any such move would likely be met with significant legal challenges. On Wall Street, Dow futures are trading lower at this hour. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Salvage crews in Washington, D.C. have recovered an engine and large pieces of fuselage from last week's deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and military helicopter.

Operations to remove the American Airlines plane from the Potomac River are expected to take several days. Officials say they will then work to remove the Army helicopter. Sixty-seven people died in the crash. State Farm is seeking an emergency rate hike in California in the wake of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County. Kevin Stark of Member Station KQED reports the insurance company says it's already paid out more than a billion dollars on thousands of claims. State Farm says the rate hike is

needed to avert a dire situation, raising serious questions about the health of its California subsidiary. They've asked to raise the average California homeowners policy by more than 20% starting in May. The company is the state's largest insurance group, Stanford's Michael Wara. State farms isn't very healthy financially because it has been really trying to stay in the California market and even grow in the California market as opposed to doing what most of the other companies have done, which is to shrink. State regulators say they're setting hearings to consider their request. For NPR News, I'm Kevin Stark

in San Francisco. Dogs of I'm Kevin Stark in San Francisco. Dogs of all breeds lined up in San Francisco on Monday to get a shot to fight an outbreak of Parvo virus, which is highly contagious and can be fatal in some animals. The dog vaccinations are being offered through the SPCA. This is NPR. Our long national nightmare is over. This is NPR.