NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-02-2025 10AM EDT

Episode Date: April 2, 2025

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Do you remember when discovering a new artist felt like finding buried treasure? At All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we put that kind of magic back into discovering new tracks. We're here to make the hunt for new music easy, delivering you the cream of the crop from every genre. We'll help you make music feel fun again, only on All Songs Considered from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. Stocks continued their downward slide this morning

in advance of President Trump's big tariff announcement this afternoon. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 110 points in early trading. The stock market has been flashing a warning sign about the President's trade policy for weeks, but so far the White House appears undeterred. Economists warn widespread tariffs will raise prices for businesses and consumers in the U.S. while slowing economic growth and possibly costing jobs. Nevertheless, President Trump is set to push ahead with a tariff announcement in the White House Rose

Garden this afternoon. Gasoline prices continue to climb as crude oil prices hover just above $70 a barrel. AAA says the average price at the pump for regular gas is about $3.24 a gallon. That's up 9 cents from a week ago, but still about 30 cents lower than this time last year. Scott Horsley in Pernews, Washington. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has set a record by giving the longest ever speech on the Senate floor. The Democrats started a 25-hour speech Monday evening by referencing the late civil rights leader John Lewis about doing good work through creating good trouble.

Booker repeated himself last night when he concluded his record speech. This is a moral moment. It's not left or right. It's right or wrong. It's getting good trouble. My friend, Madam President, I yield the floor. Booker, a black American, has surpassed the prior record of segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond.

In 1957, Thurmond filibustered for 24 hours against the Civil Rights Act. Two Republican candidates have won decisively in the special congressional elections in Florida. They were endorsed by President Trump, and Piers Gregallan reports. In the first congressional district on Florida's Panhandle, the state's former chief financial officer, Jimmy Petronas,

defeated Democrat Gaye Valamon by 15 points. That margin of victory is 17 points narrower than in November when she ran against Matt Gaetz Gates who left Congress several weeks later. In the 6th district on Florida's East Coast, Republican Randy Fine beat Democrat Josh Wheal by about 14 points. That's a significantly narrower margin than that seen by then-Congressman Mike Walz in November who defeated his Democratic opponent by 33 points. Florida's Democratic Party chair says that the results are quote a

historic overperformance and that voters are rejecting Trump's agenda. Greg Allen in PR News Miami. In another closely watched nonpartisan election a liberal candidate has won election to Wisconsin's state Supreme Court. Susan Crawford won comfortably. Billionaire Elon Musk had poured millions of his own money into the race to support her conservative opponent. But Musk is also pointing to a measure Wisconsin voters passed to enshrine voter ID requirements into the Wisconsin state constitution. Again on Wall Street, the Dow was down about 113 points.

This is NPR. The military government running the country of Myanmar now says more than 2,800 people have been killed in last Friday's earthquake. Thousands of others are injured. A man was pulled from the rubble of a hotel in Myanmar's capital, but hope is fading for the rescue of others. The quake also killed more than 20 people in neighboring Thailand. In the U.S., the National Weather Service says a significant storm is headed for the central part of the country. Forecasters in Kentucky say Louisville could get significant rain.

They're also worried about wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says that states should stop letting people use federal food aid to buy soda. And Pierce-Katia Riddle reports federal food aid to buy soda. And Piers Kidia Riddle reports some food policy experts are skeptical. One thing most people who study this issue agree on, too much sugary soda is bad and it's contributing to chronic health problems in America. But some say that banning soda just isn't the most effective strategy to address this issue. Joel Berg is CEO of an

organization called Hunger Free America. I think it's fair to say there are people who are well-meaning, who are truly concerned about public health, who support this. And it's also true that there are people who are not well-meaning that just want to punish poor people. Berg says to truly impact public health, nutritious food needs to be more accessible and affordable. Katie Ariddle NPR News. Actor Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65.

His daughter says Kilmer died of pneumonia in Los Angeles. He had previously recovered from throat cancer. Kilmer starred in numerous films including Top Gun and The Doors. I'm Korba Kuhlman, NPR News.