NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-06-2025 2AM EST

Episode Date: March 6, 2025

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Here on Shortwave, we believe that science is for everyone and that every question is worth asking, no matter your age. My name is Willie and my question is, is magic real? Our podcast is for the curious at heart. Come embrace your inner child when you listen now to ShoreWave from NPR. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Duah Lisa Icautau. President Trump is granting U.S. automakers a one-month reprieve from his new tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico.

The temporary extension applies to vehicles that comply with the trade agreement that the first Trump administration negotiated in 2020. And Piers Windsor-Johnston has the details. The White House announced its decision following talks with automakers, including Ford and General Motors. The goal is to prevent these companies from facing economic disadvantages because of the 25 percent tariffs. The reprieve comes amid broader concerns about rising car prices in the U.S. Industry experts say the new taxes could increase the cost of vehicles by at

least $3,000, a big hit to both automakers and consumers. And Piers Windsor-Johnston. Vice President J.D. Vance visited the U.S.-Mexico border in a trip meant to showcase the Trump administration's tough immigration policies. Vance visited the U.S.-Mexico border in a trip meant to showcase the Trump administration's tough immigration policies. Vance was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. More on this from NPR's Adrienne Florido. The trio took a helicopter tour of the border at Eagle Pass, Texas, before meeting with

law enforcement officials. Afterward, the vice president touted the big decline in illegal border crossings since President Trump took office. It turns out we didn't need new laws, we didn't need fancy legislation, we just needed a new president of the United States and thank God that's exactly what we have. In fact, crossings started plummeting in the final months of the Biden administration, though Vance said it was because would-be-crossers knew Trump was on his way. He said Trump wants to complete the entire southern border wall by the end of his term and that the government is working to speed up the pace of deportations, saying, quote,

Rome wasn't built in a day. Adrienne Flaherty, NPR News. French President Emmanuel Macron warned his nation that there can be no peace if Russian aggression is left unchecked. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports Macron spoke of the urgency for Europe to unite. Macron told the French the peace dividend they had enjoyed since the end of World War II was over with a newly aggressive Russia. Macron said Russia, with North Korean troops and Iranian drones on European soil, is now

a direct threat and testing Europe. He said with 40 percent of Russia's budget now going to its military, who can believe Russia will stop at Ukraine? Macron said the heads of the armed forces of several European nations would meet in Paris next week to discuss the deployment of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine once the fighting ends. The French president was conciliatory in his recent face-to-face with President Trump,

but in these latest remarks, he called the U.S.'s about-face and abandonment of its allies incomprehensible. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. U.S. stocks finish higher after a choppy day of trading. This is NPR News. South Korea's Air Force says one of its fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during a morning training exercise with the army. At least seven people were injured in the city of Pocheon near North Korea's border some 25 miles northeast of Seoul.

In a statement the Air Force apologized and said it would investigate why and how the accident happened. The Associated Press reports two of the seriously injured are foreigners, one from Thailand, the other from Myanmar. A mission to map the location of water deposits on the moon appears to have failed. As Jopalka reports, Lunar Trailblazer had a successful start on its trip to the moon last week, but problems arose soon after the launch. According to a statement from NASA,

the problems are related to power. Mission managers believe the spacecraft is spinning, so its solar panels are unable to generate sufficient power for normal operations. Although it's still possible the probe can be commanded to control the spin and restore something close to normal power levels, the time for critical trajectory correction maneuvers has already passed.

The probe can no longer reach the lunar orbit its instruments were designed for. Lunar Trailblazer is one of a new class of lower-cost but higher-risk planetary probes. Its $94 million budget is less than a tenth that of some of NASA's flagship missions. Joe Palka, NPR News. This hour, Asian shares are mostly higher. Tokyo's Nikkei index gained 0.9%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 2.6%. I'm Dua-Hli Sai-Kautel, NPR News.