NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-09-2025 1AM EDT

Episode Date: April 9, 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 in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. Stock markets continue to fall as President Trump's global tariffs take effect, including a 104 percent levy on Chinese goods. Trump says he'll soon announce tariffs on pharmaceutical products made overseas as well. During a dinner with House Republicans Tuesday, the president defended the policy and says he's hearing from countries

seeking to make a deal. They are dying to make a deal. Please, please, sir, make a deal. I'll do anything. I'll do anything, sir. And then I'll see some rebel Republican, you know, some guy that wants to grandstand, say, I think that Congress should take over negotiations. Let me tell you, you don't negotiate like I negotiate.

Trump also told those gathered that his tariff policies will benefit incumbent House Republicans in the 2026 midterms. A House panel has held a hearing on U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence. Democrats used the occasion to criticize the firings of thousands of government scientists and the cancellation of federal science and health grants. More from NPR's Emily Fang. Democratic lawmakers noted that while the U.S. says it prioritizes semiconductors and AI, it has also eliminated programs and funding that were set up to support related research.

Luz Rivas is a California Democrat and an MIT-trained engineer. Instead of uplifting this work in the national interest, this administration has cut federal funding for research and fired science staff. At the hearing, there was bipartisan consensus that the U.S. needs to do more to incentivize innovation in artificial intelligence, especially in light of advances from Chinese companies. Emily Fang and Peer News, Washington. Beginning Monday, Americans seeking retirement or survivor benefits from Social Security

will have to apply online or at a local field office. The changes come amid budget and staffing cuts at the agency. For a second straight day, Ukrainians held funerals for victims of a Russian missile attack in President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown. From Kyiv, NPR's Polina Litvinova reports that five children were buried on Tuesday. Three-year-old Timofey Tsvetok was the youngest victim of the missile attack Russia launched on the central Ukrainian city of Krivorykh on Friday. The boy died in the hospital the day after the strike.

His relatives told reporters he loved dancing and collecting bugs. Family members of several kids killed in the attack are in the military. They came from the front lines for their children's funerals. Local people keep bringing flowers and toys to the side of the strike. Twenty people, including nine children, were killed in that attack. For more wounded children, remain in the hospital. Polina Litvinova, NPR News, Kyiv. U.S. futures are lower in after-hours trading on Wall Street.

This is NPR. An immigration judge in Louisiana has given the Trump administration until Wednesday to justify its effort to deport a Columbia University student. The State Department says immigration agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil for participating in pro-Palestinian protests. Khalil is a legal permanent U.S. resident from Algeria. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says his actions could have an adverse effect on U.S. foreign policy.

A ruling is expected Friday on whether or not Khalil should be released from detention or deported. The National Weather Service is no longer providing Spanish-language translations of weather alerts. The Trump administration is not renewing a contract for those services, as NPR's Lauren Summer reports. Lauren Summer 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 Sommer, NPR News. Sotheby's auction house has unveiled a set of rare diamonds valued at $100 million. Eight gems on display in Abu Dhabi weigh over 700 carats and include diamonds in various colors. A rare 10-carat blue diamond from South Africa is expected to sell at $20 million at auction. This is NPR News.

Am I a propagandist? A truth teller? An influencer? There's probably no more contested profession in the world today than mine, journalism. I'm Brian Reed, and on my show, Question Everything, we dive headfirst into the conflicts we're all facing over truth and who gets to tell it. Listen now to Question Everything, part of the NPR Podcast Network.