NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-04-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

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On the Embedded Podcast. No, no. It's called denying a speech and mis-speech. It's misinformation. Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to Alternate Realities on the Embedded Podcast from NPR, all episodes available now.

Live from NPR News in Washington, on Korova Coleman, President Trump's threatened tariffs have gone into effect overnight against Canada and Mexico. They're worth 25 percent. Tariffs against China have doubled and are now at 20 percent. Trump says this is to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Canada and China have responded instantly, imposing high tariffs on some U.S. products. Mexico is acting in a more measured fashion. NPR's Ada Peralta reports Mexico's president plans to unveil retaliatory measures during a public event this weekend.

The Mexican government has given President Trump everything he has asked for. They added thousands of troops to the border, they stepped up their counter-narcotics operations, and they sent to the USA 29 of its biggest drug dealers. Statistics show migrant border crossings are at a historic low, and the flow of fentanyl to the United States has also slowed. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denounced the new measures. There is no motive, reason, or justification, she said, that supports this decision which will affect our people and nations.

Allowing time for dialogue, President Schoenbaum said she would wait until Sunday to announce retaliatory measures. She called on all the Mexican people to show up at the capital city's main square for her speech. Ada Peralta, NPR News, Mexico City. President Trump will address a joint session of Congress tonight. He's expected to press lawmakers for his priorities, including more tax cuts and increase spending on border security.

NPR's Danielle Kurtz-Leibman says there is an unusual dynamic hanging over his speech. This Congress, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans, they have been remarkably acquiescent to Trump's norm-shattering moves. And that acquiescence has come even as Trump has consolidated wide-ranging governmental powers into the executive branch, including powers that Congress historically has had, things like imposing tariffs. NPR's Danielle Kurtz-Lehman reporting. The European Union Commission president has proposed an $840 billion plan to quickly build

up defense budgets in Europe. As NPR's Rob Schmitz reports, the announcement came shortly after President Trump said he is pausing U.S. military aid to Ukraine. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls the plan Rearm Europe. The five-point plan includes a relaxation of EU member state debt rules. It also includes incentives for states to increase defense spending. Von der Leyen said a new fund worth more than $150 billion dollars would support the EU's 27 member states in investing in defense, while relaxing the EU's

debt rules would free up more than $680 billion over the next four years. She also said member states could use funding intended for other EU programs to increase defense spending. Funderline said this is Europe's moment and that, quote, we must live up to it. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin. On Wall Street, the Dow is down more than 700 points. It's NPR

The National Science Foundation says it plans to reinstate roughly half of the staff it fired last month NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports the move is in response to a federal court decision last week in February the National Science Foundation Terminated about 10% of its staff in response to President Trump's executive orders aimed at reducing the federal workforce. At NSF, roughly half of those fired were probationary employees who are typically in the first year of a new job. Last week, a federal judge ruled that the mass firings of probationary employees is illegal and should be stopped. In response, NSF says it plans to rehire with full back, all 86 probationary staff they terminated. But the NSF will not be rehiring the other half of those fired as they were temporary

employees. Many scientists worry that the mass firing would slow or stall the agency's work funding basic research across the U.S. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News. Officials in South Carolina say a wildfire near the coastal city of Myrtle Beach has grown to more than 2,000 acres. It is less than a third contained. Fire officials are warning of heavy smoke in the forest area where it is burning.

New Orleans is celebrating Fat Tuesday with traditional Mardi Gras parades, costumes, dancing, and beads, but authorities have cut short some parades or canceled others entirely. Forecasters have issued warnings for damaging winds today. A powerful line of thunderstorms is sliding east this morning. They could strike New Orleans later today. Again on Wall Street, the Dow is now down 760 points. It's NPR. Hey, it's NPR.

Hey, it's A. Martinez. I work on a news show. And yeah, the news can feel like a lot on any given day, but you just can't ignore las noticias when important world-changing events are happening. So that is where the Up First podcast comes in. Every single morning in under 15 minutes, we take the news and boil it down to three essential stories so you can keep up without feeling stressed out.

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