NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-04-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

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Hey, it's Scott Detter, the host of Trump's Terms, a podcast where we bring you short, focused episodes about the 47th president and the biggest changes he is trying to make. A lot of those changes will be front and center during his address to a joint session of Congress on March 4th. In the days after, we will bring you stories not just about what he said, but about what is actually happening and what isn't happening. Listen to Trump's Term terms from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. President Trump delivers an address

to a joint session of Congress tonight. He's been in office for six weeks and has launched a blitz of action since returning to the White House for his second term. NPR's Elena Moore reports. Though similar, this won't be a State of the Union address. Those happen after a president's first year in office. This joint address lets a newly sworn in president lay out their agenda. And Trump's first few weeks have been busy. His administration has taken steps to dramatically reshape the federal government, crack down

on illegal immigration, and redefine the U.S. role abroad. His supporters are thrilled, his detractors dismayed. Trump's remarks are set to kick off at 9 p.m. Eastern. Alana Moore, NPR News, Washington. A trade war is escalating. President Trump's tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China have taken effect and now all three countries say they will retaliate. China levied new tariffs on U.S. farm goods, and Mexico says it will announce retaliatory tariffs on Sunday. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's also retaliating with tariffs and rejects

Trump's accusations that Canada is contributing to the U.S. fentanyl crisis. NPR's Brian Mann reports. In a national address, Trudeau detailed new 25% Canadian tariffs are nearly $110 billion worth of U.S. goods, part of what he acknowledged is now a full-scale trade war. Trudeau also challenged President Trump's inaccurate claim Canada plays a big role fueling America's overdose crisis. Well, that is totally false. Far less than 1% of fentanyl flows and less than 1% of illegal crossings into

the United States comes from Canada." Trudeau addressed many of his comments to U.S. listeners, saying a trade war will hurt American families and cripple prosperity on both sides of the border. He said there will be no winners. China and Mexico have also announced retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. Brian Mann, NPR News, Washington. More than two dozen children have been evacuated from Gaza to Jordan for medical treatment, part of Jordan's King's promise that his country would take in 2,000 children needing medical care. NPR's Danielle Estrin reports.

The World Health Organization says it helped evacuate the 29 children needing specialized medical care, including for cancer. King Abdullah of Jordan told President Trump in the Oval Office last month that Jordan will take in a total of 2,000 children needing medical care. It was the Jordanian King's response to Trump's call for Jordan and countries in the region to absorb Gaza's entire population. Arab countries are rejecting the idea. Egypt is hosting a summit of Arab countries to discuss alternative plans for rebuilding Gaza

without a mass displacement of Palestinians. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Wall Street is trading in mixed territory. The Dow is down 269 points. The Nasdaq is up 134 points. You're listening to NPR News. A divided Supreme Court sided with San Francisco today in a case over the Environmental Protection Agency's attempts to limit untreated sewage overflows. The 5-4 decision could have sweeping

implications for raining and water pollution offshore. San Francisco, which empties its discharge into the Pacific Ocean, says the EPA exceeded its authority under the Landmark Clean Water Act in trying to block that. The court found the EPA can't impose vague requirements for maintaining water quality. The ruling could affect businesses and other cities that border bodies of water. A research team says it thinks it has the tool scientists need to possibly detect fossilized microbial life on Mars. Erie Daniel has more.

The machine is about the size of a water bottle, and it was built to detect different elements, including the chemical signatures of life. Yousef Salam is a Ph.D. student at the University of Bern. It's basically a laser beam hitting the sample, and this laser will vaporize part of the material, creating some atoms. Salam used the instrument on a piece of gypsum he harvested from Northern Algeria, gypsum that he knew contained fossilized microbes.

We proved that our instrument is capable to detect signatures of life in the gypsum. Since gypsum is present on Mars as well, perhaps one day the instrument could be used to look for ancient microbes on the red planet, too. The study highlights the intimate interconnection between minerals and microbes on our planet, and perhaps beyond. For NPR News, I'm Ari Daniel.

And I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.