NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-05-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: April 6, 2025

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Support for NPR and the following message come from American Jewish World Service, committed to the fight for human rights, supporting advocates and grassroots organizations worldwide working towards democracy, equity, and justice at ajws.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. World financial markets dropped sharply this week and Wall Street had its worst week in five years after President Trump announced he's imposing a new round of 10 percent tariffs on products from nearly all other countries that took effect today. Other countries could get additional higher tariffs and Trump implemented 25 percent tariffs on autos. In response, China says it's imposing a 34 percent tax on US goods starting next week.

And Pierce Ron Elving reports, Trump thinks it will be worth it in the long run. They say the retaliation we're seeing from China and elsewhere will be transitory. They say our trading partners will knuckle under and lower their own tariffs. And most important, they say American companies will bring home the jobs that they've shifted overseas and that other countries will shift their manufacturing to the U.S., creating jobs here rather than in their own countries. Danielle Pletka And here's Ron Elving reporting. Today on social media, Trump defended the drop on Wall Street saying, hang tough, it won't be easy, but the end result will be historic. This is some economists see the chance of a recession this year rising.

In a show of opposition to Trump's policies, hundreds of protest rallies were held across the country in every state. Bruce Convizer reports from New York, which hosted one of the largest demonstrations nationwide. By the tens of thousands, they marched down Fifth Avenue from 42nd to 23rd Street. The protesters chanted blue whistles and carried placards. Lewis Flesson was among the protesters voicing anger with the president and his advisor billionaire Elon Musk. These thoughts on America, these thoughts on public health, these thoughts on science, these thoughts on freedom, just about everything. In keeping with the protest theme, many people carried signs calling for the Trump administration

to keep its hands off of social security, reproductive rights, free speech, and democracy. For NPR News, I'm Bruce Convyser in New York. The Trump administration plans to end a VA mortgage program that, by the administration's own estimate, has saved 17,000 veterans from losing their homes. And Pierce Quill Lawrence has more. During the pandemic, the Department of Veterans Affairs made an error implementing the VA home loan that left tens of thousands of veterans facing foreclosure through no fault of their own. VA finally stood up a fix called VASP late last year. Since then, it has rescued

17,000 veterans facing foreclosure. But some Republicans in Congress don't like the program because it means the VA takes on the mortgages and the risk. They've proposed a different kind of rescue program. Now, VA says it will end the VASP program on May 1st but has not yet announced any alternative to replace it. Housing advocates and the Mortgage Bankers Association have warned without any rescue program, thousands of veterans could lose their homes. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. This is NPR News.

In Britain, every tree not in a forest has been mapped. Officials call it groundbreaking, the use of state-of-the-art laser detection along with satellite imagery. The online map gives a comprehensive picture of trees in urban and rural areas across England. Officials say it will help conservationists and local governments bolster wildlife habitats by changing tree planting efforts to better connect lone trees to nearby wooded areas. One of the oldest ski lifts in Colorado retires tomorrow after 71 years. Colorado Public Radio's Dena Sieg has more. The ski lifts may have carried such famous folks as John Wayne and Gary Cooper.

In 1973, Segundo was moved down the road to low-key Sunlight Mountain Resort near Glenwood Springs. The trusty two-seater is beloved by skiers like Bailey Lepic, who compares it to a roller coaster. They're thrilled when it like picks you up and just like whoa! A new triple-seater will replace a gundo ahead of next ski season. For NPR News, I'm Steena Sieg in Grand Junction, Colorado. And it was first installed in Aspen in 1954.

The men's final for NCAA college basketball is underway. Right now Houston is playing Duke, the score at last check. 2015 Duke. Now the winner of that game plays Florida, which beat Auburn earlier tonight, 79-73 in the championship game on Monday. The women's championship game between Connecticut and South Carolina will take place tomorrow.

I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. 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.