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

Episode Date: April 4, 2025

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This message comes from Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile took what's wrong with wireless and made it right. They offer premium wireless plans for less and all plans include high-speed data, unlimited talk and text, and nationwide coverage. See for yourself at mintmobile.com slash switch. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. Wall Street is coming off its sharpest day of declines in years as investors reacted to President Trump sweeping new tariffs. The Dow lost 1,679 points yesterday or nearly 4 percent. The S&P 500 lost more than 4.8 percent.
Starting point is 00:00:38 The Nasdaq shed more than 1,000 points for a loss of almost 6 percent. It was the worst day for stocks since 2020. Speaking aboard Air Force One yesterday, the president told reporters the steep declines were to be expected as other countries threatened to retaliate with tariffs of their own. But Trump believes the tariffs will give the US more leverage. The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. Always have. I've used them very well.
Starting point is 00:01:05 Economists warn the tariffs will lead to higher prices for American consumers. They project the tariffs will add thousands of dollars to the cost of new vehicles sold in the U.S. The latest numbers on employment in the U.S. are due out today from the Labor Department. They're expected to show slow but steady job growth in March. Later today, President Trump is expected to announce a deal to resolve the future of the video app TikTok in the U.S. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, the agreement is expected to involve a group of investors led by the software firm Oracle.
Starting point is 00:01:39 The agreement Trump is pushing would create a new U.S. entity to be spun off to oversee TikTok's U.S. operation. TikTok's secret sauce algorithm would still be controlled and updated by owner ByteDance in China, but it would be licensed to the new entity. ByteDance's stake would be below 20%, which is required under the federal law forcing TikTok to divest from China. Since Trump took office, he said he would save TikTok despite trying to ban the app in his first term.
Starting point is 00:02:04 He's talked about there being tremendous interest in the app used by half of Americans. But for months, the top contender in the deal has been Oracle, which is run by Trump ally Larry Ellison. Bobby Allen, NPR News. Tomorrow is the deadline set by the Trump administration for TikTok's parent company to sell the app. South Korea's Constitutional Court is upholding the impeachment. South Korea's constitutional court is upholding the impeachment of the country's president, Yoon Suk-yeol. The vote was unanimous, as
Starting point is 00:02:31 NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Seoul. Yoon's opponents celebrated in the streets after the court's verdict was read live on television. The court ruled that Yoon had violated the constitution by declaring martial law without a legal basis and sending troops to block lawmakers from voting against the decree. Police deployed some 14,000 personnel around the courthouse and closed down parts of downtown Seoul. Yoon, who was not present for the verdict, had argued that opposition politicians had paralyzed government, leaving him no choice but to declare martial law. South Korea will now have 60 days to hold an election and choose a new president.
Starting point is 00:03:10 Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul. This is NPR News from Washington. The Trump administration says it's negotiating a deal where the U.S. would invest millions of dollars in the Democratic Republic of Congo's minerals, Emmanuel Igounza reports. President Trump's senior adviser for Africa, Masad Bulos, held talks with Congolese President Felix Shisekedi in Kinshasa over the development of vast mineral mines in the country. He said the U.S. wants to help end a raging conflict in the country's east that has killed thousands and displaced many more.
Starting point is 00:03:48 The country's the world's largest producer of cobalt, the main element used to make lithium-ion batteries used in smartphones and electric vehicles. But it's been plagued by years of armed violence. Boulos is expected to meet Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who has denied his country's involvement in the conflict. For NPR News, who has denied his country's involvement in the conflict. For NPR News, I'm E on number two seed, UConn. The Huskies are playing in their record 24th Final Four. The women's championship game is Sunday night.
Starting point is 00:04:33 The men's Final Four face off tomorrow night in Texas. All four teams are number one seeds. Auburn plays Florida in the first game. Duke takes on Houston in the other. The men's championship game is Monday night in San Antonio. Wall Street futures are lower this morning. Dow futures are off more than 400 points. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News in Washington. You have your job, but you also have a life. And you're not just one thing. Neither is the Here and Now Anytime podcast.
Starting point is 00:05:05 Every weekday, we break down the biggest story of the day and something else, like a new trend everyone's talking about. It's Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR and WBUR.

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