NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-05-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: April 5, 2025

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Want to know what's happening in the world? Listen to the State of the World podcast. Every weekday we bring you important stories from around the globe. In just a few minutes you might hear how democracy is holding up in South Korea. Or meet Indian monkeys that have turned to crime. We don't go around the world, we're already there. Listen to the State of the World podcast from NPR. Noura Ram Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noura Ram. The tariffs President Trump is imposing on most products produced in most countries are expected to raise the cost of cars, but also everyday items.

NPR's Scott Newman has been looking into the effect on groceries. He says seafood could see the highest price hikes because the U.S. imports about 80 percent of the fish, shrimp and scallops it consumes. But he reports many other products will also be affected. You wouldn't immediately think that steel and aluminum tariffs on China would have any impact on groceries. But for canned goods like soup and vegetables, those cans are mostly made out of steel. And of course, beer cans are mostly aluminum.

Then there's palm oil. Indonesia, a leading supplier will have a 32% tariff. Palm oil is used in everything from cooking oil and snacks to cosmetics and shampoo. Domestic suppliers too could see the higher costs of their foreign competition as an opportunity to raise their own prices. NPR's Scott Newman, the Internal Revenue Service is eliminating more jobs ahead of the April

15th tax filing deadline, part of the Trump administration's directive to slash the size of the federal workforce. NPR's Shannon Bond reports. The IRS notified employees by email on Friday that mass reductions are coming across offices and job categories. The goal, it said, is to, quote, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS. The cuts come during the agency's busiest time of year, with the tax deadline looming, and will roll out in phases.

The IRS's Office of Civil Rights and Compliance is the first affected, the email said. The agency is cutting 75 percent of jobs in that office and says it will transfer remaining staff to another department. The IRS didn't say how many jobs it plans to eliminate in total. It already cut more than 6,000 positions in February. Shannon Bond, NPR News. Heavy rain continues in parts of the central and southern U.S., capping a week of deadly tornadoes and flooding.

At least eight people were killed across the states, including a nine-year-old swept away in Kentucky floodwaters. NPR's Amy Held reports on the powerful storm system stretching from Texas to Ohio. Dozens of tornadoes reported this week, including in Mississippi, where Brad Griffin said a midnight text from an alert system saved his family. Brad Griffin, President, Mississippi State University, Without it, my daughter and my grandson would have been in that room right there where there's no wall anymore. And they found one of his toys about a mile and a half out in the county.

Relentless rain and flooding have brought misery, especially across Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky. The amount of rainfall is something we typically only see once every hundred years or so. Meteorologist Frank Pereira. This has all been tied in with a slow-moving frontal boundary that's pretty much been just sitting over the same area. The region can expect some relief by Sunday when the rain is forecast to move eastward. Amy Held, NPR News.

This is NPR News. NPR News. This is NPR News. Advocates for wastewater recycling say the technology could make a dent in water shortages across the western US, but some states are lagging behind. For member station KUNC, Alex Hager reports. Wastewater recycling can safely turn sewage back into drinking water. Arizona recycles more than half of its water and Nevada recycles 85 percent. Bronson Mack is a spokesman for that state's largest water agency. Bronson Mack, Chief Executive Officer, New York State Water Agency That gives our community not just a reliable water source, but helping to stretch and extend

that water supply to meet water demands today and meet water demands tomorrow. A study released this week by UCLA says that technology could be a big help for other states connected to the Colorado River system. Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah all recycle less than 4% of their water. For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Fort Collins, Colorado. School officials in New York have told the Trump administration the state will not end its diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. The administration has threatened to withhold federal money for education unless schools nationwide abolish such efforts in kindergarten through the 12th grade.

The New York Education Department says it doesn't think the federal department has the authority to make such demands, and there is no state or federal law prohibiting the principles of DEI. Hundreds of demonstrations are being held across the country today to protest the actions of President Trump. Organizers say they've planned events in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.