NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-03-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. In a celebratory Rose Garden ceremony, President Trump announced he will be imposing tariffs of at least 10 percent on virtually all imports to the U.S. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, this is something Trump has been promising to do for years despite warnings from economists. The 10 percent tariff is across the board, but in countries with higher trade barriers, Trump says the tariff rate will go much higher. For instance, 49% for Cambodia and 37% for Bangladesh,

a country that produces a lot of clothing bought by U.S. consumers. Trump says the goal is to supercharge manufacturing in the U.S. My answer is very simple if they complain. If you want your tariff rate to be zero zero then you build your product right here in America because there is no tariff if you build your plant your product in America. But building in America is usually more expensive. Economists warn American

consumers will likely see higher prices and the economy could suffer. Tamara Keith NPR News. President Trump says another major law firm has reached a deal to avoid being targeted with a punitive executive order. The latest firm to cut a deal is Millbank LLP which Trump says has agreed to provide millions of dollars in free legal work on issues supported by both the firm and the White House. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports. President Trump is waging a campaign against big law firms that he accuses of weaponizing the justice system. Trump has issued executive orders that punish

specific law firms because they've represented clients or issues unfavorable to the president. Three of the targeted firms have sued and won court orders temporarily blocking Trump's actions. Other firms though have, have opted to reach an agreement with Trump. With today's deal, Milbank is now the fourth to do so. In a social media post, Trump says Milbank will, among other things, provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal services to causes that both Trump and the firm support. Milbank's chairman, Scott Edelman, says the agreement is consistent with the

firm's core values. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Violent weather is roaring through parts of the south and the Midwest. Heavy rains and high winds were reported in Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. The National Weather Service has a tornado touchdown in Vernon County, Missouri, Wednesday with winds of 100 miles per hour and the tornado stayed on the ground for 17 miles. Witness Ramon Austin said he ran for cover when he heard the sirens. It got real quiet and then you hear just like they say that that that train that sound without the whole without the whistle just that and it got louder and louder.

The sheriff says that there is significant damage, but no deaths on wall street. They are waiting to see what will happen with tariffs. The Dow is down 950 points in pre-market trading. This is NPR news in Washington. The food and drug administration has missed a deadline for granting full approval to one of the COVID-19 vaccines. More from NPR's Rob Stein. A company called Novavax says the FDA was supposed to act on the company's request to grant full approval to the firm's COVID-19 vaccine by Tuesday. But Novavax says the company still hasn't heard from the FDA. The Novavax vaccine has been made available to people under a so-called emergency use authorization but Novavax had sought full approval for the shot.

The FDA has already given full approval to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna. The Novavax vaccine uses a more traditional technology. The FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rob Stein, NPR News. Washington capitals winger Alex Ovechkin nowages three goals from becoming the National Hockey League all-time scoring leader. He scored his 892nd career goal Wednesday night at

a 5-1 loss against Carolina. Despite missing several weeks with a broken leg, Ovechkin already has 39 goals this season. The Trump administration confirms that Amazon has put in a bid to buy the Chinese social media platform TikTok. The move comes as the US ban on TikTok is set to take effect on Saturday. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said this offer came in a letter to Vice President J.D. Vance and the Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. From Washington, this is NPR News. I'm Dan Ronan.