NPR News: 02-03-2025 8PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. After speaking for a second time today over the phone, President Trump and Canadian leader Justin Trudeau announced there is a 30-day pause on the 25 percent tariffs the U.S. was going to impose on Canada. As NPR's Deepa Shivram explains, it comes hours after word of a similar pause for Mexico.
President Trump posted on his social media platform that the tariffs on Canada, which were supposed to go into effect on Tuesday, would be paused to see if an economic deal between the two countries could be reached. Trudeau also shared the news on social media and said Canada would invest $1.3 billion to enforce the U.S.-Canada border to help stop the flow of fentanyl, though only a tiny percentage of fentanyl that comes to the U.S. is through the northern border. Tariffs on Mexico were also given a 30-day pause, after Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum and Trump spoke and Mexico agreed to beef up security on the southern border. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, the White House.
President Trump, meanwhile, is acknowledging all his tough talk on tariffs and possible implementation could cause some pain for average Americans. Tariffs could spark inflation, according to economists, that would essentially violate a promise Trump made to voters when he promised to bring down inflation. Billionaire Elon Musk, under the auspices of the non-government entity Doge, continues to move to consolidate control over large swaths of the federal government. The world's wealthiest man working on behalf of President Trump, shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, was created by Congress to provide international aid. Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin was among those at a protest in Washington, D.C., against the administration's actions.
This is billions of dollars of work that is being done all over the world, and they're trying to disrupt it and block it. And it comes from Elon Musk, and we don't know exactly what authority he's operating under.
Trump administration has placed two top security officials at USAID on leave after they refused to turn over classified material. The White House maintains Musk is working for Trump as, quote, a special government employee. Recent fires in L.A. County left thousands of farmworkers laboring in unhealthy air pollution. NPR's Nate Perez reports they have limited protections.
Smoke from the Hughes fire in late January quickly spread to Ventura County, where thousands of farmworkers picked strawberries, citrus and other produce. Nonprofits scramble to get around 21,000 N95 respirators to people in the fields. Elizabeth Strader with the United Farm Workers says workers are concerned about their health, but have no choice but to work.
And there are long-term effects. We know that it damages the heart. We know that it damages their lungs.
Employers in California are legally required to provide N95 respirators to workers when the Air Quality Index reaches 150. Oregon and Washington are the only other states that also have this requirement. Nate Perez, NPR News. The Dow dropped 122 points today.
This is NPR. One of the industry's loudest voices against efforts like climate change has been confirmed as the nation's energy secretary. The Senate signing off on Chris Wright, head of Denver-based Liberty Energy, to lead the Department of Energy. Wright has said increased fossil fuel production can help lift people out of poverty. That's despite the ties between increased oil, natural gas and coal production and planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists say they've developed a device that uses pulses of electricity to treat rheumatoid arthritis. NPR's John Hamilton reports it could offer a way to reduce inflammation without drugs.
The implanted device delivers electrical pulses to the vagus nerve, which connects the brain with internal organs and the immune system. Dr. Kevin Tracy of Northwell Health in New York says the pulses trigger a reflex that puts the brakes on inflammation in joints.
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