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Chapter 1: What is the Up First podcast about?
Hey, it's A. Martinez. I work on a news show. And yeah, the news can feel like a lot on any given day. But you just can't ignore las noticias when important world-changing events are happening. So that is where the Up First podcast comes in. Every single morning in under 15 minutes, we take the news and boil it down to three essential stories so you can keep up without feeling stressed out.
Listen to the Up First podcast from NPR.
Chapter 2: What are President Trump's upcoming policy plans?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. President Trump gives an address to a joint session of Congress tonight, his first since returning to the White House for his second term. He's expected to lay out his agenda on the economy and foreign policy. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has more.
There's a pretty unusual dynamic hanging over this speech. This Congress, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans, they have been remarkably acquiescent. to Trump's norm-shattering moves. And that acquiescence has come even as Trump has consolidated wide-ranging governmental powers into the executive branch, including powers that Congress historically has had, things like imposing tariffs.
Chapter 3: How are the new trade tariffs affecting the economy?
And Pierce Daniel Kurtzleben reporting. Business and farm groups are hoping for a quick resolution to President Trump's new trade war. And Pierce Scott Horsley reports stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China went into effect today.
Both the Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau Federation are hoping for a quick reversal of the tariffs. Bob Hemesoth, who raises corn and hogs in eastern Iowa, worries that rural communities will pay a heavy price for the trade war if international customers take their business elsewhere.
We saw this the last go-around with China. They went to South America, to Brazil and Argentina. And once you lose those export markets, it's awful hard to get them back.
President Trump's decision to tax imports from three of America's biggest trading partners has already led to a sharp sell-off in the stock market, along with warnings from economists of higher prices for U.S. consumers. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
Chapter 4: How are international partners responding to U.S. tariffs?
And China, Mexico and Canada plan to retaliate. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's levying tariffs on U.S. goods.
Canada will be implementing 25% tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods.
Chapter 5: What concerns does the VFW have about VA cuts?
China says it's imposing tariffs on U.S. farm products, and Mexico says it will announce retaliatory tariffs on Sunday. The VFW, one of the country's largest vet groups, is warning of harmful cuts at Veterans Affairs and fears Quill Lawrence has more.
In a congressional hearing, VFW Commander Al Lippard condemned the cuts of thousands of VA staff as indiscriminate.
When I was wounded in Vietnam with shrapnel, instead of just taking my arm off, The medics took the time to just pick out the pieces. That's the way that we need to be addressing these issues. It needs to be with a scalpel and not just a saw.
Congress has given veterans these benefits by law, Lippert said. It's a contract.
This is not an ask. Honor the contract.
The new secretary of the VA says cutting staff and hundreds of contracts will improve VA services. Quill Lawrence, NPR News.
Wall Street lower just at the close. The Dow down 670 points. NASDAQ down 65. You're listening to NPR News. The Supreme Court is weighing today's oral arguments on Mexico's lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers on whether they can be held liable for allegedly aiding and abetting the illicit flow of weapons south of the border.
Mexico wants to hold them accountable for a sharp rise in violence that Mexico says can be traced to their products. The suit alleges that the gun dealers often sell weapons to buyers who are operating as straw men to traffic them across the border and into Mexico. Mamma Mia! The popular musical featuring ABBA songs is returning to Broadway for a six-month run starting in August.
Jeff London has more.
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