NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-08-2025 10AM EDT

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

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The crackdown on immigrants in the U.S. without legal status has left many unsure what to do. In the Up First Feed, how some immigrants are responding to the clear message the Trump administration is sending. Leave now. If you don't, we will find you and we will deport you. A look at the blanket of fear affecting many immigrant communities. Listen to the Sunday story in the Up First Podcast from NPR. Live from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman.

Stocks regained some ground this morning after three days of heavy losses. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 1,300 points in early trading. Steep new tariffs on many imported goods are set to take effect tomorrow. But investors are crossing their fingers that the economic fallout from the trade war might be tempered through negotiations. President Trump has said many U.S. trading partners are eager to make a deal, although Trump is non-committal on what he's willing to offer in return. Even before Trump's big tariff announcement last week, many small business owners were

feeling less bullish about the economic outlook. The Small Business Optimism Index, compiled by a national federation of business owners, fell last month and is now just below its long-run average. Asian stocks were higher overnight after a big drop on Monday. Scott Horsley in Pierre News, Washington. President Trump has insisted that he wants other countries to change their tariff policies toward the U.S. Writing online this morning, Trump said that he has other countries to change their tariff policies toward the U.S. Writing online this morning, Trump said that he has talked with South Korea's leader today and says South Korea is sending a team to Washington to negotiate a deal.

But NPR's Tamara Keith says China is not doing that. They slapped a retaliatory tariff on the U.S. after Trump's announcement last week. Trump is saying that if they don't reverse course, he will hike the tax on Chinese imports even higher for a grand total of a 104 percent tariff. China isn't backing down though and overnight its Commerce Ministry accused the U.S. of blackmail saying in a statement quote China will fight till the end. NPR's Tamara Keith reporting. The U.S. Supreme Court is backing President Trump's use of a wartime power to deport people the administration claims are Venezuelan gang members.

The court said any person being deported needs to object in the state where they're being detained. But the justices ruled that deportees need to be told ahead of time they will be removed and given time to challenge their deportation. President Trump has said his administration will open direct talks with Iran this weekend. He says it will be over Iran's nuclear program. But officials in Iran are partly disputing that.

They say the talks will be indirect. Reporter Duri Biscarin has more. In a press conference, Iran's government spokesperson, Fatima Mohajrani, insisted that talks with the U.S. government will be indirect, held through a mediator and in Oman. As we have said before, we fundamentally believe in negotiations, Mohajrani said. If the language that's used is respectful, we will negotiate. On Monday, Trump warned that Iran would be in great danger if the country does not abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Iran ramped up its efforts to enrich weapons-grade uranium after Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from a landmark nuclear accord back in 2018. For NPR News, I'm Dari Buskaran. This is NPR News, I'm Dari Buskaran. This is NPR. The White House says President Trump will sign an executive order today on coal. Earlier news reports said Trump will direct the Energy Department to find if coal is a critical mineral. The action will reportedly also instruct the government to find ways to boost the U.S.

coal industry. Flooding remains a strong threat in many states, from Ohio to Texas. This comes after several days of intense storms and tornadoes killed 23 people across the region. There's been so much rain that many rivers remain at major flood stage. A Texas biotech company says it has created creatures with key features of an extinct species, the direwolf. NPR's Rob Stein has details. Colossal Biosciences in Dallas says

company scientists edited the genes of gray wolves to breed animals with key traits of direwolves. Direwolves have been extinct for more than 12,000 years and were featured in the HBO series Game of Thrones. The Colossal scientists created embryos from genetically modified grey wolf cells and then implanted them into female dogs. The surrogate mother dogs gave birth to three healthy wolves with dire wolf traits. The company named the animals Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. Colossal hopes to do something similar with other extinct species, including the woolly mammoth. Rob Stein, NPR News.

The University of Florida has won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. They beat Houston last night, 65 to 63. This is NPR. A couple months ago here at Planet Money, we stumbled across our favorite kind of economic mystery. Jack, what is this? A deal that seemed way too good to be true. What I'm seeing here, at least, is that it's very high clarity.

Join us on our adventure. Show me what you got. To find out exactly how much a diamond is worth. Planet Money from NPR, wherever you get your podcasts.