NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-08-2025 4PM 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, I'm Lakshmi Singh. US tariffs against China are expected to soar to 104% right after midnight, an escalation in the trade war between the world's two biggest economies. President Trump is moving forward with his threat to drive

up tariffs if China failed to drop its retaliatory levies on U.S. goods by today. U.S. stocks have swung back to negative territory. Major market indices end of the day down roughly three-quarters of percent to more than 2%. The Dow had erased its more than 1,400-point gains. And Pierre Scott Horsley has been tracking the market volatility. Stocks rebounded early in the day as investors focused on news that South Korea and other trading partners are working to make a deal with the Trump administration. The White House press secretary says nearly 70 countries have reached out in hopes of striking a compromise. President Trump seems open to

deal making and directed his team to craft tailor-made agreements based on each country's circumstances. The short-life market rally fizzled late in the day, however, as investors faced up to the fact that double-digit tariffs are set to take effect overnight on goods the U.S. imports from dozens of countries. Economists say those import taxes will raise prices and slow economic growth. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington. The IRS has reached an agreement with immigration authorities to share tax information about

some immigrants without legal status. NPR's Joel Rose reports the deal marks a major change in how tax records can be used. In a court filing, a top IRS official shared a memorandum of understanding between the tax collector and U.S. Imm and customs enforcement that was executed on Monday. Under the terms of the deal, ICE officers can ask the IRS for information about immigrants who have final orders of removal or are under criminal investigation. The court filing came in a lawsuit brought by immigrant advocacy groups that are seeking to block any information sharing between the IRS and ICE. Immigrants without legal status pay billions of dollars in taxes. Tax

experts warn that the change could undermine immigrants' trust in the IRS, pushing them to seek jobs where they are paid under the table. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. The National Weather Service is no longer offering weather alerts in Spanish. NPR's Lauren Summer says the Trump administration's decided to stop paying for the translation service. For 30 years, the National Weather Service has translated its weather forecasts into Spanish, including severe weather alerts. In 2023, it contracted with a company called Lilt to use artificial intelligence for translations into Spanish, Chinese, and other languages.

Now, the National Weather Service says it's pausing those translations because the contract was not renewed. The Trump administration has been cutting contracts as part of what it calls cost saving measures. Disaster experts say translating weather alerts is critical for helping people survive hurricanes and tornadoes. Lauren Summer, NPR News. This is NPR. For now, the Supreme Court's blocking a federal judge's order for the administration to rehire 16,000 probationary federal workers. The stay is temporary and an indication the majority of the Supreme Court is inclined to take up the case.

A Soyuz spacecraft carrying American astronaut Johnny Kim and two Russian cosmonauts is now docked safely at the International Space Station. NPR's Charles Mains notes that space exploration is taking on an increasingly prominent role in U.S.-Russia negotiations under the Trump administration. Johnny Kim, along with Russia's Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky, blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz MS-27 rocket. The crew will spend the next eight months in orbit aboard the International Space Station. Under the Biden administration, the Kremlin threatened to end its participation

in the ISS project altogether, citing differences over Ukraine. Yet as President Trump is sought to re-engage with Russia, the Kremlin has turned to its space program to further bolster relations. One of the Kremlin's key envoys in negotiations has even suggested Russia working together with the billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk to launch a joint mission to Mars. Trance Maynes, NPR News, Moscow. Some foodies in Germany are especially animated about their white asparagus. The veggies arrival signals the unofficial start of spring. People are lining up for fresh white asparagus, so-called white gold. The Associated Press reports restaurants are advertising special menus offering white

asparagus with melted butter or hollandaise sauce, smoked ham or schnitzel. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News. Since Donald Trump took office in January, a lot has happened. The White House Budget I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.