NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-09-2025 7AM 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 Corva Coleman. President Trump's latest round of tariffs went into effect overnight. That's on top of the minimum 10 percent tariffs that took effect last weekend. Dozens of countries have been slapped with new tariffs today, including China. The tariff rate on Chinese goods has now soared to more than 100 percent. And Piers John Rewich says China is imposing retaliatory tariffs today on the U.S.

China is, you know, casting this whole thing in pretty stark black and white terms. It's essentially right versus wrong. Beijing projects itself as a champion of free trade and fair trade and multilateralism. While it says the US is engaged in selfish and irresponsible protectionism, even blackmail. Trump said yesterday of course that China wants to make a deal and he's waiting for them to call. The Chinese leadership has in fact flagged that it's willing to negotiate but it won't do so under duress. NPR's John Ruech reporting. Separately, European Union officials are voting today on a series of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. The IRS has reached an agreement with federal immigration authorities to share tax information about some immigrants without legal status in the U.S. NPR's Joel Rose reports this 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. Immigration 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 family of a 14-year-old Palestinian-American child killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank last weekend is now calling on the U.S. government to investigate. The Israeli military said it killed a person hurling rocks at a highway in what it called a counter-terrorism operation.

And Piers Hadil Al-Shalchi has more. Fourteen-year-old Amir Rabia was born and raised in New Jersey before his family moved back to their ancestral Palestinian village, Turmus Aya, which has a large population of American citizens. Rabia's father, Mohammed, said his son was picking green olives from a tree with two friends when Israeli forces opened fire on them. He said he called the U.S. embassy when he learned about the shooting, but it took too long to send medical help.

Now he's demanding answers from Israel. He's 14 years old. They call him a terrorist. Even if he did something wrong, he's underage. You kill him with 11 shots. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen in the West Bank and said Israel was investigating it. Hadeel Alshouchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The U.S. Supreme Court is going to allow President Trump to fire thousands of federal probationary employees. That decision overturns a ruling by a lower federal court that affected workers at six federal agencies. But a different case is still in the works. A different federal judge had ordered some of the same employees to be rehired by the government.

It's not clear yet what the federal agencies will do now. The Associated Press is reporting fewer foreign travelers came to the U.S. in March. The AP cites federal government statistics that show visits to the U.S. from overseas dropped more than 11 percent last month. The Library of Congress is detailing this year's additions to the National Recording Registry, and PR's Netta Ulibi reports it preserves distinctive American sounds for posterity. The oldest recording added this year was made in 1913.

The song, Aloha Ooi, was recorded by the Hawaiian quintet and composed by then-princess Liliu Kulani. Another recording added to the registry this year? The Reboot Chime from Microsoft Windows 95, composed by Brian Eno. Since 2002, the National Recording Registry has added 25 recordings annually that express American history and culture through sound. Others this year range from a 1960 World Series broadcast to music by Roy Rogers, Miles Davis, and Celine Dion. Neto Ulubi, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. Imagine if you will a show from NPR that's not like NPR, a show that focuses not on the

important but the stupid, which features stories about people smuggling animals in their pants and competent criminals in ridiculous science studies, and call it Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me because the good names were taken. Listen to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Yes, that is what it is called, wherever you get your podcasts.