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Chapter 1: What are President Trump's recent comments about Ukraine?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Trump escalated his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, calling him a dictator on social media. It comes one day after Trump falsely suggested Ukraine is to blame for the war it's currently fighting against Russia. NPR's Lexi Shapiro reports.
Chapter 2: What are Republican and Democratic responses to Trump's Ukraine comments?
A group of Republican senators are reiterating their support for Ukraine, including North Carolina's Tom Tillis, who was in Ukraine just days ago to mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion. He says he's concerned about anything that suggests a moral equivalency between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He's a very bad person, needs to be stopped. He's going to metastasize across Europe if we don't.
Democrats, meanwhile, slammed Trump for his comments, saying he's parroting Russian propaganda. Lexi Shapiro, NPR News, the Capitol.
Chapter 3: What is the significance of Trump's executive order on regulatory agencies?
President Trump has signed an executive order that would give him greater power over independent regulatory agencies. Think FCC, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the FDIC. NPR's Windsor Johnson reports some legal experts are calling the move the latest attempt by Trump to expand the powers of the presidency.
Chapter 4: How might Trump's executive order affect independent agencies?
The executive order would essentially put independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission under the purview of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, says these are government entities that Congress set up to be protected from White House control.
The history, and it goes back to 1880, for agencies to have some breathing room, in other words, to make decisions that the president couldn't necessarily dictate.
The order would require independent agencies to make changes to their budgets that fall in line with the Trump administration's priorities. Windsor Johnston, NPR News, Washington.
Chapter 5: What are the potential economic impacts of Trump's new tariffs?
Inflation watchdogs will be keeping a close eye on President Trump's new tariff moves. NPR's Scott Horsley reports minutes from the most recent Fed meeting show those tariffs could put more upward pressure on prices.
Fed policymakers expect inflation will continue to cool towards their 2% target. But the path could be bumpy, and President Trump's plans to impose higher taxes on imports could make it harder to bring prices under control. Business contacts in a number of Fed districts say they'll try to pass the cost of any tariffs on to consumers.
And a couple of Fed policymakers warned it may be hard to distinguish one-time price hikes caused by tariffs for more persistent inflationary pressures. The minutes are from the January meeting, where the central bank held interest rates steady. Fed policymakers generally want to see more progress on inflation before they order any additional interest rate cuts.
Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
For the first time in roughly 10 years, China was not the U.S. 's largest trading partner last year. That distinction going to Germany as U.S. exports to China declined due to heightened tensions between the two global powers. Trade with China fell by 3.1 percent. The Dow was up 71 points today. This is NPR.
Two people are dead following a midair collision involving two small planes in the skies above southern Arizona. The National Transportation Safety Board says it's investigating the collision of the planes near an airport on the outskirts of Tucson. It's the second fatal aircraft incident in that state in roughly a week.
Last week, a pilot on a private jet owned by Motley Crew singer Vince Neil was killed when the plane veered off a runway. This week's Billboard charts are out and Kendrick Lamar is reaping the benefits of a Super Bowl spotlight. NPR's Stephen Thompson has the report.
Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us is the number one song in the country after more than six months away from the top spot.
They not like us. They not like us. They not like us.
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