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

Episode Date: April 9, 2025

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Wait, wait, don't tell me. Fresh Air, Up First, NPR News Now, Planet Money, Ted Radio Hour, Thru Line, the NPR Politics Podcast, Code Switch, Embedded, Books We Love, Wildcard, are just some of the podcasts you can enjoy sponsor free with NPR+. Get all sorts of perks across more than 20 podcasts with the bundle option. Learn more at plus.npr.org. option. Learn more at plus dot npr dot org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. China has issued a travel warning for its citizens planning to visit the United States. The notification comes as the trade war between the world's top two economies escalates with steep tit-for-tat tariffs. Here's NPR's John Rewich. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the warning. It says Chinese

tourists should fully assess the risks of traveling to the United States and quote travel with caution given deteriorating economic and trade relations. It also noted the security situation in the United States but did not give details. Separately the Ministry of Education issued a reminder to students planning to study abroad to carefully assess safety risks and enhance their awareness of potential dangers when considering studying in certain U.S. states. The notice referenced an Ohio law that restricts educational exchanges in cooperation with China. The moves come on the heels of the Chinese government retaliating for high tariffs placed on Chinese goods by the Trump

administration. John Rewich, NPR News, Beijing. This today from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett. I think it's unfortunate that the Chinese actually don't want to come and negotiate because they are the worst offenders in the international trading system. They have the most imbalanced economy in the history of the modern world and you know I can tell you that this escalation is a loser for them. That's it on Fox Business News. The White House says it is freezing more than a billion dollars in federal funding for Cornell University and around 790 million for Northwestern University

while the government investigates alleged civil rights violations at both schools. Here's NPR's Alyssa Nedd-Warney. The funding cuts are part of an effort by the Trump administration to use government funding to get colleges and universities to comply with the president's political agenda. In a statement, Cornell said it had received more than 75 stop-work orders from the Department of Defense related to research in national defense, cybersecurity, and health. The university's president said they were actively seeking information from the government to understand why these decisions were made. Last month the

Education Department opened an investigation into dozens of universities for allegedly failing to protect Jewish students on campus. Alyson Adwerney, NPR News. A federal judge in Texas is blocking the Trump administration's deportation of Venezuelans who are currently in detention in South Texas to El Salvador. ACLU of Texas filed an emergency lawsuit in federal court to pause removals under the Alien Enemies Act for people within that court's judicial district. Within hours, a judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the government

from transferring any person under the act outside two nearby counties. The suit comes after the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week lifted a pause on the use of the Alien Enemies Act. U.S. stocks trading higher this hour with the Dow up 451 points or more than 1% at last check. This is NPR News. An old album return to the top of the pop charts. NPR's Stephen Thompson reports that's thanks to a deluxe edition containing new songs.

For the last two weeks, Playboy Cardi has topped the Billboard albums chart with a brand new record called Music. But this week, it's been replaced by an album that topped the chart more than a year ago. Ariana Grande recently reissued her 2024 album Eternal Sunshine with five new songs and an extended version of another. With six fresh tracks and fresh vinyl and CD editions for sale, the album leapt from number 87 all the way back to number one. The Wicked Star also landed all six of those new tracks in the Billboard Hot 100 with Twilight Zone hitting the top 20. Stephen Thompson, NPR News.

Chicken jockey going viral. Not exactly at the level of the audience participation seen at screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but those two words out of actor Jack Black's mouth in a Minecraft movie are trending on TikTok at a rate that's prompting cinemas around the globe to plead with moviegoers to stop already or risk getting kicked out of the theater. The scene stirring trouble, a baby zombie lands on a chicken

inside a wrestling ring, Jack Black reacting with those two words an audience has captured on social media saying along with him. Dow Jones Industrial Average up 517 points, more than 1%. Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.