NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-03-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

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Dave Maddingley, NPR News. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Maddingley. President Trump has announced sweeping new tariffs. U.S. imports of foreign-made goods will face a 10 percent tariff with some exceptions, such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber. In addition, Trump is imposing reciprocal tariffs on 60 countries, as NPR's Franco Ordoniez reports. Some countries will face reciprocal tariffs as high as 49 percent. And what some experts describe as the most aggressive changes to U.S. trade policy in

decades. President Trump announced the plan during a rose garden ceremony at the White House. This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history. It's our declaration of economic independence. U.S. officials say the 10 percent tariffs will start April 5th. About 60 countries will face additional customized reciprocal tariffs starting on April 9th. Trump boasted the plan would supercharge the industrial base and boost government revenues, but most economists warned that tariffs will raise prices for consumers

and could hurt the economy. Franco Ordonez, NPR News. The White House says the new tariffs won't apply to goods such as steel, aluminum, vehicles and auto parts because they were already subject to previously announced levies. Other countries are reacting to President Trump's latest round of tariffs. China's Foreign Ministry says they violate rules of the World Trade Organization and should be withdrawn immediately. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen describes the tariffs as a major blow to the world economy. This afternoon a federal judge is scheduled to hold a

hearing on whether the Trump administration defied his orders to halt deportation flights to El Salvador. Here's NPR's Joel Rose. Federal Judge James Boesberg is asking the Trump administration to explain whether it violated his orders when it allowed two deportation flights to continue. Boesberg has temporarily blocked the administration from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members under a rarely used wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act. The judge is pushing for operational details about those flights, including what time they took off and when they left US airspace. But the Justice Department has resisted, arguing in a court filing that answering the judge's questions would risk revealing important state secrets.

Boasberg has vowed he will get to the bottom of whether the administration violated his orders and what the consequences should be. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Strong storms moving across the central U.S. have produced tornadoes in areas of Arkansas and Missouri. Ramon Austin lives in Vernon County, Missouri, north of Joplin. It got real quiet and then you hear just like they say that that that train that sound without the hump without the whistle and it got louder and louder. Structural damage is also reported in parts of Indiana and

Kentucky. This is NPR News. A company seeking full approval for its COVID-19 vaccines says the Food and Drug Administration missed full approval for its COVID-19 vaccine says the Food and Drug Administration missed a deadline for its approval. Novavax says the FDA was supposed to act on the company's request by Tuesday of this week. Until now, the vaccine has been made available under an emergency use authorization. The Israeli military says it was targeting military capabilities when it carried out airstrikes in Syria last night. There were at least a dozen Israeli strikes.

NPR's Lauren Frayer in Damascus says state media in Syria reports civilian casualties. Footage shared on social media shows explosions lighting up the sky over the Syrian city of Hama. Israel says it struck military infrastructure there, as well as an air base in Homs and a scientific building in the capital Damascus. State media say dozens of Israeli military vehicles also made an incursion deeper into southern Syria. Israel used to attack often under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who allowed Iran to transfer weapons through this country. But that arms route was cut off with Assad's ouster late last year.

Syria's new government has not attacked Israel and says it does not plan to. But Israel has sought to disarm it nonetheless, with hundreds of air and artillery strikes in recent months. Lauren Freyer, NPR News Damascus. Bodies continue to be found in Myanmar nearly a week after a powerful earthquake left widespread destruction. The military-led government says the death toll now tops 3,000. The number of injured tops 4,700. Some people are still missing. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.