NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-09-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: April 10, 2025

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Support for NPR and the following message come from American Jewish World Service, committed to the fight for human rights, supporting advocates and grassroots organizations worldwide, working towards democracy, equity and justice at ajws.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Global market shuddered and it appears the Trump administration blinked. U.S. stocks soared today after the administration said it would temporarily back off on steep reciprocal tariffs for 90 days for most countries. Stocks were moving into bear market territory

and a bond sell-off was underway, but Trump had a different explanation for his decision. You have to have flexibility. I could say, here's a wall and I'm gonna go through that wall, I'm gonna go through it no matter what. Keep going and you can't go through the wall. Sometimes you have to be able to go under the wall, around the wall, or over the wall. The administration is keeping auto tariffs in place as well as 25 percent tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico. The two countries would not be subject to the 10 percent tariff on goods that will be in effect for others. The one major exception

to all this, China, where Trump has now raised tariffs to 125 percent after Beijing retaliated with tariffs of its own. The Trump administration is tapping Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll as the new acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Driscoll replaces the ATF's previous interim boss, FBI Director Cash Patel. Here's NPR's Ryan Lucas. Dan Driscoll was confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of the Army on a bipartisan basis. Now he's been tapped to serve as acting ATF director as well. He will continue to serve as Army secretary in addition to ATF acting director. It's the same sort of unusual dual-hatted arrangement that the previous acting boss had.

FBI Director Cash Patel. No reason was given for the leadership shakeup. The ATF has around 5,000 employees, about half of whom are special agents. It is the main agency responsible for enforcing federal gun laws. And it plays a critical role working with state and local law enforcement to solve gun crimes. The ATF also regulates the firearms industry. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Health officials in Gaza say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City have killed at least 23 people, most women and children. The Israeli military says it was targeting

the senior Hamas figure responsible for planning attacks but gave few details. NPR's Anas Babah reports from Gaza. The airstrikes hit a densely packed neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. More than 60 people were wounded, many of them critically. Rami Dababish with the civil defense spoke to NPR as his team tried to reach a seven-year-old boy trapped in the rubble next to his dead parents and three siblings. Here the rescue operators try to dig the family out with their bare hands. The boy is eventually reached but he's already dead. The airstrikes turn to rubble the entire multi-story apartment building and damaged homes around it. Two other buildings nearby were also struck. Israel's military says its air force bombed more than 45 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours.

Anas Babel, NPR News, Gaza City. You're listening to NPR News in Washington. A federal appeals court has now given the Trump administration permission to fire thousands of probationary workers, holding a judge's order requiring they be reinstated. A split panel for the Fifth U.S. Circuit ruling today, the government will probably win by showing the mass firings, must be appealed through a separate employment process. The decision in a case filed in Maryland comes a day after the Supreme Court blocked a similar order from a California judge. Atlanta-based Delta Airlines says President Trump's tariffs are weighing on the travel

sector. Remember station WABE, Marlin Hyde reports Delta released its first earnings report of the year. Delta says domestic consumer and corporate travel are taking the biggest blow from Trump's tariffs. Company officials say they will defer any deliveries facing an import tax. CEO Ed Baston. Coming into 2025, we are positioned for another year of strong growth.

However, given broad economic uncertainty around global trade, growth has largely stalled. The company brought in revenue of $13 billion this quarter, more than 3% higher than last year. Delta did not give an updated full-year outlook as they continue to monitor the future of the tariffs and market instability. The plan is to give an update later as the year plays out. For NPR News, I'm Marlin Haad in Atlanta. Microsoft says it is slowing or pausing some data center construction, including a $1 billion project in Ohio. It's the latest sign AI demand may be a little less than tech firms had expected.

Microsoft confirms it's halting early-stage work at a site outside Columbus, Ohio. Some analysts say Microsoft's changed relationship with chat GPT maker OpenAI may also be to blame. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. 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.

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