NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-08-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

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Psychologist Dali Chugg studies the lengths we will go to protect the way we see ourselves. We care about whether we're seen as a good person, whether others see us as a good person, and whether we feel like good people. Ideas about our self-image. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. This hour, President Trump takes executive action to boost the US's struggling coal industry. He's expected to relax mining and leasing restrictions and examine ways coal can power energy-hungry artificial intelligence data centers. When former President Biden was in office,

he sought to phase out coal and other fossil fuels, and scientists say are large contributors to global warming and its catastrophic effects. Tailor-made trade deals. That's how White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt describes President Trump's directive this morning to the team that's negotiating with countries seeking tariff relief. In total, since the Liberation Day announcement, nearly 70 countries have already reached out

to the president to begin a negotiation. President Trump's proposed tariffs on clothing and footwear imports could lead to significantly higher prices for shoppers across the U.S. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports more than 95 percent of the clothes and shoes sold in the U.S. come Windsor Johnston reports more than 95% of the clothes and shoes sold in the US come from overseas, mainly Asia. A commonly asked question is why companies don't simply move manufacturing back to the United States. The answer often comes down to the cost of labor. Manufacturing clothing and footwear is labor-intensive and American workers are paid much more than their

counterparts overseas. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage for a U.S. apparel worker is between $17 and $20. That's compared to just $1 to $3 in countries like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. As a result, many brands rely on overseas factories to keep prices down. The Trump administration's proposed tariffs could upend that balance, forcing companies to either eat the cost or pass it on to consumers. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. After a rebound today, U.S. stocks have turned negative.

The Dow down 15 points, S&P's off 30, and the NASDAQ is now down 163 points or down more than 1 percent. The United Nations Secretary General is reminding Israel of its obligation to allow aid into Gaza and he's calling on Israel and Hamas to get back to a ceasefire deal that worked to get aid in and hostages out. More from NPR's Michelle Kellerman. More than a month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. Those were the words of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. No food, no fuel, no medicine, no commercial supplies. As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have reopened.

He's calling on Hamas to release all hostages and says Israel, as an occupying power, has the duty to ensure that Palestinians in Gaza have food and medical supplies. Gutierrez says the UN will not participate in any arrangement that does not respect humanitarian principles. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. From Washington, this is NPR News. The Justice Department is disbanding a special unit set up under the Biden administration

to address the criminal misuse of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. It is also narrowing crypto investigations to focus on cases involving cartels and terrorists. Here's NPR's Ryan Lucas. The new guidance was spelled out in a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to Justice Department employees. In the four-page document, Blanche accuses the Biden administration of using the Justice Department to regulate the digital assets industry by prosecution.

Going forward, Blanche says the department will focus its investigations on individuals who victimize crypto investors or those who use digital assets to further their criminal offenses, such as terrorism or drug trafficking. At the same time, Blanche disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, which was set up in 2022 to address the challenges posed by the criminal misuse of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Well, parts of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Indiana are facing another day of heightened flood risks from recent storms that have caused at least 23 deaths in multiple states. The Associated Press reports water was slowly receding in flooded Frankfort, Kentucky. Governor Andy Beshear said today officials hope that by the end of tomorrow, most people

would be able to get back into their homes, but he urged affected residents to wait if they're unable to get to their homes without driving through water. A preliminary report from the National Weather Service shows that since March 30th at least 157 tornadoes across the central and southern U.S. struck in a period of a week. It's NPR News.