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

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

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Want to know what's happening in the world? Listen to the State of the World podcast. Every weekday we bring you important stories from around the globe. In just a few minutes you might hear how democracy is holding up in South Korea or meet Indian monkeys that have turned to crime. We don't go around the world. We're already there. Listen to the State of the World podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. U.S. allies are very upset with President Trump's new worldwide tariffs. The minimum level is 10 percent, but some countries will face steeper levies.

NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports they include U.S. allies in Asia. South Korea's acting President Han Deok-soo lamented the 26 percent tariffs on his country and instructed officials to draw up plans to support affected industries and negotiate with the U.S. to minimize the tariffs' impact. Japan's Nikkei stock index slumped to an eight-month low on news of the tariffs. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called the 24 percent tariffs on his country extremely regrettable and said he'd raise the issue with President Trump in person if necessary. He noted that Japan has been the biggest foreign investor in the U.S. since 2019.

But Japan's trade minister told his U.S. counterpart that the tariffs would make it harder for Japan to invest in the U.S. Anthony Kuhn in PR News, Seoul. The U.S. Senate voted against Trump's 25 percent tariffs on Canada yesterday. Four Republicans joined all Democrats and independents to rebuke Trump. But the nonbinding resolution is symbolic. The House is not expected to take up the measure. News reports say automaker Stellantis says it will temporarily lay off 900 U.S. auto workers.

The reports say the company is citing tariffs on foreign autos. Stellantis will also apparently close plans in Canada and Mexico for two weeks. Powerful storms and tornadoes are sweeping parts of the south and midwest this morning. One person has been killed in Missouri, two more people died in Tennessee. For Member Station WPLN in Nashville, Nina Cardona reports, Tennessee has been hard hit. The storm line triggered dozens of overlapping tornado and flash flood warnings throughout the night and across hundreds of miles of Tennessee. The National Weather Service fielded reports of downed trees and damaged homes, barns and businesses, and potential tornadoes

in multiple communities. Large hail pummeled the region, and numerous school districts are closed for the day. Flooding remains a major concern through the weekend with significant rainfall projections. For NPR News, I'm Nina Cardona in Nashville. NPR has learned that tech company Amazon has placed a bid to acquire video sharing app TikTok. Saturday is the deadline set by President Trump

for TikTok to be sold away from its Chinese owner. But NPR's Bobby Allen explains a coalition of U.S. companies led by Oracle may have the edge. First, Oracle already operates almost all of TikTok's cloud, so Oracle systems are, you know, already supporting the app. Secondly, Oracle has experience with high-level national security data. For instance, Oracle does cloud computer work for parts of the government, including the CIA. And finally, Oracle is run by billionaire Trump supporter Larry Ellison, and he has been setting the stage for this deal for years.

NPR's Bobbi Allen reporting. On Wall Street, the Dow was down nearly 1,600 points. It's NPR. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting with other NATO foreign ministers today in Brussels. U.S. allies are worried President Trump wants to withdraw from the military alliance. Rubio is dismissing that as, quote, hysteria. He says the U.S. is as active in NATO as it's ever been.

New York City's embattled mayor says he'll run for reelection as an independent candidate. He'll skip the fiercely competitive Democratic primary. NPR's Brian Mann reports the move comes one day after a federal judge agreed to dismiss criminal charges against Adams. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged last year with federal bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy offenses. After Adams signaled support for President Trump, the Justice Department moved to suspend those charges. Instead, Judge Dale Ho yesterday canceled the case entirely.

Now Adams, who denies any wrongdoing, says that legal fight dragged on so long it prevented him from spending time campaigning. I will forego the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election. This means Adams will avoid running against former governor Andrew Cuomo in the June 24th Democratic primary. The two could still face off in the general election in November. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York. Two baby eagles that have gained fame on the internet have also gained new names.

Schoolchildren east of Los Angeles have voted to call them Sonny and Gizmo. The eaglets are nesting with their parents in Big Bear Valley. On Wall Street, the Dow is now down 1,586 points. The Nasdaq is down 5.5%. This is NPR. A couple months ago, here at Planet Money, we stumbled across our favorite kind of economic mystery. Jack, what is this?

A deal that seemed way too good to be true. What I'm seeing here at least is that it's very high clarity. Join us on our adventure. Doctor, show me what you got. To find out exactly how much a diamond is worth. Planet Money from NPR, wherever you get your podcasts.