NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-06-2025 1AM EDT

Episode Date: April 6, 2025

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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, I'm Dale Willman. President Trump's latest round of tariffs, which he announced on Wednesday, has startled investors and led to major drops on Wall Street this week. But investors aren't the only ones who will be affected by those tariffs and Pierre Scott Horsley says American farmers will also likely be badly hurt. It's gonna make it harder for them to sell their stuff abroad. When Trump slapped tariffs on China during his first term in office, China stopped buying a lot of soybeans from the US and bought from Brazil instead.

In a trade war, there are a lot of soybeans from the U.S. and bought from Brazil instead. In a trade war, there are a lot of losers on all sides. That was the lesson of the 1930s. That's NPR's Scott Horsley. Financial markets, meanwhile, had their worst week since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of people in the San Francisco Bay area participated in one of hundreds of rallies held across the U.S US Saturday to protest President Trump and his efforts to dismantle parts of the federal government. For Member Station KQED Billy Cruz reports from what demonstrators called the hands-off rally in Oakland. Thousands of protesters in downtown Oakland carried signs supporting various government programs.

The programs differ but what brings everyone together is their message to President Trump and advisor Elon Musk to keep their hands off. Katie Roemer is a registered nurse in Oakland. Hands off of all of it. Hands off of our Medicaid, hands off of our VA nurses, hands off of our union rights. The reason we have these services is because people of our country have decided that that is something that's important, that we take care of one another. And as nurses, we want to support that. Other attendees said they were worried about threats to education, climate initiatives, social security, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DE and Inclusion, or DEI, programs.

For NPR News, I'm Billy Cruz in Oakland. The official death toll in Myanmar has now passed 3,300 people, and thousands of others are injured or missing more than a week after the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit the country. Michael Sullivan reports from neighboring Thailand with more on our story. The UN's top relief official visited one of the hardest hit areas in the city of Mandalay and urged more aid for those affected by the quake. Neighboring China, India and others are on the ground with relief teams and supplies. The US response has been limited to a handful

of advisers due partly to the gutting of USAID until recently the world's top humanitarian donor. The UN has also accused Myanmar's ruling military junta of restricting aid supplies to some areas. Amid reports, the junta has reneged on its pledge for a three-week-long ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid. For NPR News, I'm Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai. I'm Dale Willman and you're listening to NPR News.

A video on the phone of one of 15 Palestinian medics killed by Israeli forces appears to contradict Israeli claims the medic's vehicles did not have emergency signals on when they were attacked. Israeli troops fired on the vehicles in southern Gaza for more than five minutes and eventually buried the dead medics and their vehicles in a mass grave. The video shows the vehicles moving slowly with lights flashing and logos visible. Florida lawmakers are debating a reduction in the state's child labor protections this spring. They would become one of several states that have already made such changes. For Member Station WFSU, Tristan Wood reports. Florida's considering allowing 16-year-olds to

work more than the current 30-hour-a-week cap and loosening some limits on 14-year-olds if they're in homeschool, virtual education, or already graduated. Nina Mast, a policy analyst at the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute, says the rollbacks nationally are being championed by business industry groups looking to drive down wages that went up in lower-paying industries during the pandemic. This is really a concerted nationwide effort to essentially create a permanent underclass of disempowered low-wage workers.

Supporters of the bill say it gives minor employment choices to parents and gives teens experiences they need as adults. For NPR News, I'm Tristan Wood in Tallahassee. Houston beat Duke and Florida beat Auburn on Saturday night. Both teams will now be moving into the men's NCAA basketball championship game Monday night. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. Hey, I'm Scott Schaeffer.

And I'm Marisa Lagos. We host Political Breakdown. With the 2024 election over and President Trump in the White House, there's going to be a lot to keep up with this year. Political Breakdown has got you covered. We'll bring smart analysis, a wide range of voices, and even some laughs. Join us for Political Breakdown every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from KQED, part of the NPR Network.