NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-03-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The US is imposing an additional 10% tariff on China and 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico will take effect tomorrow. President Trump made the announcement from the White House a short time ago, more from NPR's Asma Khalid. Trump was asked by a reporter if there's any wiggle room left to negotiate a deal out of these tariffs. And he flatly said no.

No room left for Mexico or for Canada. No, the tariffs, you know, they're all set. They go into effect tomorrow. Last month, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on his tariff threat as Canada and Mexico took steps to combat the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigration. But that pause is ending. Canada and Mexico are two of the United States' biggest trading partners, and there are concerns these tariffs could rattle the

economy. Asma Khalid, NPR News, The White House. Russia says it continues to see signs of improved relations with the U.S. under President Trump. And according to the Kremlin, that includes an increasingly shared worldview. More from NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. In an interview on state television, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy, saying it now, quote, largely aligns with Russian positions. Peskov added that while there was a long way to go to repair relations, the path for a U.S.-Russian thaw could be quick and successful if Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump continue to show the political will.

The move towards a reset in U.S.-Russian relations has come as President Trump has sought to engage Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The shift in policy has also unnerved Ukraine and traditional American allies in Europe who fear Trump may cut deals with Moscow at the expense of their collective security. Charles Maines, NPR News. The Pentagon is asking some 800,000 civilian staff to respond to a second request by the Office of Personnel Management to name five things they did last week. NPR's Qua Lawrence reports it's the same thing a lot must doge team asked federal employees last month.

When the Office of Personnel Management, OPM, first sent a government-wide email asking federal employees to justify their jobs by naming five things they did last week, billionaire Elon Musk had said on social media that failure to reply would amount to a resignation. Some large agencies like the FBI and the Pentagon seemed to push back, telling staff not to respond. Now, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has instructed the hundreds of thousands of Defense Department civilian workers to respond to a new edition of the email and copy their supervisors within 48 hours. A

federal judge in California ruled last week that the OPM lacks any authority to fire federal workers. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. Meanwhile, shares of Elon Musk's Tesla are falling, already losing market share to European and Chinese car companies. Service with the EV company founded by Musk fell further, down 45 percent in Europe in January. On Wall Street, the Dow fell 649 points today. This is NPR. The Vatican says Pope Francis has suffered new episodes of acute respiratory crisis that has been put back and has been put back on non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Doctors continuing to clear his lungs in what has now been a more than two-week battle to

overcome a complex respiratory infection and pneumonia. In a late update today, the Vatican said Francis also suffered bronchial spasms but was alert, oriented and cooperating with medical personnel. Kroger has ousted its CEO, citing personal conduct that was quote inconsistent with the company's ethics policy and an abrupt leadership shakeup at the country's largest supermarket chain, Morphman-Pierres-Aline Seljuque. Kroger has shared little detail about what exactly CEO Rodney McMullin had done to lead to his resignation. The company says its board learned about his certain personal conduct just over a week ago.

It hired outside counsel to investigate, which found this conduct to be unrelated to the company's business and not involving Kroger employees, but still counter to Kroger's corporate policy on business ethics. McMullen originally joined the company 47 years ago as a part-time stocker. He held many executive positions before becoming the CEO in 2014. Most recently, McMullen oversaw Kroger's failed attempt to buy its direct rival Albertsons. The mega merger collapsed in December after more than two years, halted by several courts. Alina Seluk, NPR News.

Normally tight-lipped CIA is heading to South by Southwest this year, an unusual venue for the nation's premier spy agency, where this year's appearance comes as the agency looks to expand and recruit more people to join its ranks. The CIA intends to send people to the upcoming opening weekend of the event, joining artists, tech experts and business leaders. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.