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

Episode Date: April 4, 2025

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Since Donald Trump took office in January a lot has happened. The White House Budget Office ordered a pause on all federal grants and loans The impact of the Trump administration's tariffs is already being felt in President Trump's efforts to radically Remake the federal government the NPR politics podcast covers it all keep up with what's happening in Washington and beyond with the NPR politics podcast listen every day in Washington and beyond with the NPR Politics Podcast. Listen every day. K The Nasdaq is off about 4.5%. Investors appear to be shaking off a strong report from the Labor Department this morning that found 228,000 new jobs were created last month. That's far stronger than expected. However, President Trump's 10% tariffs will start to take effect tomorrow.

China is facing more levies than that. Now as NPR's John Rewich reports, China says it will retaliate. In coordinated statements, government ministries laid out the details of China's retaliation, which sharply escalates the trade war between the world's two biggest economies. The finance ministry will impose a 34 percent tariff on all U.S. imports. That's the same rate that the Trump administration imposed on China during Wednesday's so-called Liberation Day global tariff blitz. China's tariffs take effect on April 10. The Ministry of Commerce is adding 16 U.S. entities to an export control list and 11

to a so-called unreliable entities list, effectively blacklisting them. It also said it's imposing export controls on a handful of rare earth minerals, making it harder for American companies to buy them. And China's customs department is suspending farm product import qualifications for several American companies. John Ruch, NPR News, Beijing. NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels. President Trump has demanded that NATO member nations pay up to 5 percent of their gross domestic product toward NATO.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is at the meeting and he's doubled down on that point. We want NATO to be stronger. We want NATO to be more viable. And the only way NATO can get stronger and more viable is if our partners, the nation states that comprise this important alliance, have more capability. NATO allies say they're open to boosting defense spending,

but they're also worried about President Trump's warm relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The cuts are not over at the Department of Health and Human Services. After laying off thousands of staff members this week, the health agency is cutting spending on contracts. And PRS Sydney Lepkin explains. HHS will cut spending on contracts by 35 percent across all federal health agencies. That includes the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration,

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the department, confirmed the spending cuts to NPR. He says they're part of an initiative to cut, quote, unnecessary spending. According to its contracting website, HHS says it considers contractors as partners, but they have to meet strict acquisition rules and performance and transparency goals. Sydney Lepkin, NPR News. On Wall Street, stocks continued to drop about 1,200 points lower for the Dow, about 600 points lower for the Nasdaq. You're listening to NPR. Two prominent congressional Democrats say that the director of the National Security

Agency and his deputy have been fired by President Trump. NSA Chief Air Force General Timothy Hawk led the NSA for just over a year. The security agency has declined to comment on his dismissal or that of his deputy, Wendy Noble, who is a civilian. The move came just hours after Trump also fired several members of his National Security Council. People in states from Texas to Pennsylvania are getting ready for potentially historic levels of flooding in the coming hours and days. NPR's Kristen Wright reports on the multiple rounds of severe weather. Describing it as life-threatening and catastrophic, forecasters say it could end up being the worst

flooding many communities have seen in a generation. The National Weather Service says it's going to keep raining all weekend in the Mid-South and Ohio Valley, the same places hit by intense storms already this week. Seven people were killed by tornadoes in Missouri, Indiana and Tennessee. East of Memphis more rain is expected in the town of Selmer, hit by a devastating tornado Thursday. Widespread flood alerts are in place throughout the region and as many as 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall in some areas. Tornadoes and large hail are also possible. Kristen Wright, NPR News. The women's NCAA college basketball final four games are set for tonight in Tampa. South Carolina will meet Texas.

After that, UCLA will take on UConn. The men's final four games will start tomorrow in San Antonio, Texas. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.