NPR News: 03-04-2025 5PM EST
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What is today's major news headline?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress tonight, a speech that looks like a State of the Union but technically isn't, given it's the first of his new term. The White House says the theme of Trump's speech will be the renewal of the American dream. But as Daniel Kurtzleben reports, there are also plenty of controversies for him to talk about.
What are the controversies surrounding President Trump's speech?
Trump's speech comes as new tariffs he's imposed have gone into effect on China and allies Canada and Mexico. Tariffs are taxes paid to import goods from abroad. That means U.S. businesses pay U.S. tariffs. Those tariffs can cause higher prices for consumers. The speech also comes as the U.S. has suspended military aid to Ukraine days after an Oval Office argument between Trump, Vice President Vance, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During his speech, Trump is expected to ask Congress to pass new funding for border security and possibly also an extension of tax cuts. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News.
What errors were found in Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency?
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency continues to delete hundreds of items from its wall of receipts. As NPR's Bobby Allen explains, the cost-cutting unit has been scaling back its publicized savings after errors and exaggeration.
Thank you for watching. NPR found that Doge's documented savings have been grossly overstated, including an item boasting of an $8 billion savings when it should have been $8 million. The Doge site claims its cost-cutting work has saved taxpayers more than $100 billion, but only about $2 billion of that can be confirmed with federal contract data. Bobby Allen, NPR News.
Why is Israel blocking aid to Gaza?
International aid groups are warning of dire repercussions for Palestinians in Gaza as Israel has blocked all aid into the enclave. The blockade comes after Israel offered a new plan for the ceasefire deal, which Hamas rebuffed, NPR's Kat Lonsdorff reports.
UNICEF says the stoppage of aid will, quote, quickly lead to devastating consequences. After more than 15 months of war, it left nearly 2 million people in severe need. It said the ceasefire that has been in effect for the past six weeks and the significant uptick in aid that had come with it was a, quote, critical lifeline, especially for children. Other aid groups are also sounding the alarm, saying stopping aid violates international law. Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have condemned the move as well. The Israeli government is pushing a new plan for a ceasefire extension, which Hamas has not agreed to. The militant group has called the aid blockade, quote, cheap blackmail in an attempt to get it to agree. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
For a second straight day, a punishing sell-off on Wall Street amid President Trump's escalating trade war. The Dow was down 670 points. You're listening to NPR. A Hong Kong holding company under scrutiny by the Trump administration says it is selling its ports in the Panama Canal to a group of investors led by the U.S. asset manager BlackRock. More from NPR's Emily Fang.
C.K. Hutchinson Holdings Limited is one of Hong Kong's biggest family-run conglomerates, founded by the non-engineering billionaire Li Ka-shing. And it's their majority ownership in two port terminals in the Panama Canal that came under heavy criticism from President Trump, who cited the Hong Kong company's ownership as a sign of mainland Chinese government influence over the canal. C.K. Hutchinson owns stakes in logistics and transport businesses around the world and has no demonstrated ties to the mainland Chinese government. This week, C.K. Hutchinson said it sold its stakes in the canal for $22.8 billion to a consortium led by American group BlackRock in a, quote, rapid, discreet, but competitive bidding process. Emily Fang, NPR News, Washington.
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