NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-03-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Pentagon's acting inspector is launching an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegsath's use of the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss military operations. Last month the Atlantic reported its editor-in-chief had accidentally been added to a group chat in which Hegsath and other high-ranking national security officials shared information about a U.S. strike against Houthi rebels in Yemen. More from MP Arzelaena Moore.

The Pentagon probe follows an inquiry request sent by the top Republican and Democratic senators on the Armed Services Committee. In a letter to the IG, Senators Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Jack Reed of Rhode Island say the incident raises questions about, about quote the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information. The Senate committee has also said it plans to hold a hearing on the matter. Hegseth has denied that classified war plans were discussed in the signal chat. Alaina Moore, NPR News, Washington. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will launch new tariffs on vehicles imported from the US. It's in response to President Trump's decision to place 25 percent tariffs on all auto imports into the US.

MPY, Jackie Northam reports. Prime Minister Carney says he will retaliate with 25 percent tariffs against what he calls President Trump's unjustified and unwarranted tariffs on all vehicles imported by the US. But Carney says unlike Trump he won't put levies on auto parts. Carney says that would cause too much hardship for Canadian auto workers. Already the US automaker Stellantis announced a temporary shutdown at its plant in the Canadian border city of Windsor which will affect more than 3,000 workers. The auto industries of Canada, the US and

Mexico are intertwined and a vehicle can cross the border up to eight times while it's being assembled. Jackie Northam, NPR News. President Trump has declared a state of emergency in Tennessee after deadly tornadoes tore through the state last night. So far, five people have been reported dead there. Mariano Bacaniao of Member Station WPLN reports. Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas have committed to helping Tennessee weather the damage of these storms and prepare for flooding in the coming days. At a storm shelter in West Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee said that the damage he surveyed has been

devastating with houses, apartments and mobile homes completely destroyed. What's most difficult about it is you know that those are lives destroyed. In some cases, true life lost, but in other cases just everything people owned up in trees. Lee says the death toll could change as FEMA learns more about the true impact of the storm and as severe flooding continues to pose a serious risk. For NPR News, I'm Mariana Bacallao in Nashville. Trump administration tariffs roiled global markets today. The Dow fell more than 1600 points.

You're listening to NPR. The White House has closed off a tariff exemption for small packages coming from China. Beginning May, second importers will have to pay duties on the packages. As Emily Fang reports, that will hurt Chinese e-commerce giants like Xien and Tamu. President Trump said he was stopping what is called the de minimis exemption to combat the alleged influx of fentanyl in these packages. Earlier, he had joined with closing off the loophole because it's been criticized for allowing Chinese companies to essentially sell clothes and other low-cost

goods through fast fashion platforms like Shien or Tomu, and also through Amazon and China's AliExpress to American consumers without paying import taxes, as long as the packages are worth less than $800. The rise of fast fashion has led the volume of these de minimis packages from China to skyrocket from just over $5 billion worth of goods in 2018 to $66 billion of goods in 2023. Emily Fang and Pure News Washington. A Pennsylvania coal-fired electric plant that was shuttered two years ago is about to get new life as part of a $10 billion reworking of the facility aimed at providing more power

for energy-hungry data centers. Owners of the former home city generating station about an hour east of Pittsburgh announced this week plans to install seven gas-fired turbines at the plant to power on-site data centers with up to 4.5 gigawatts of electricity. That's enough power to power about three million homes, the nation's largest natural gas-fueled plant. Oil prices fell more than 6 percent to $66.95 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News.