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Jack Spear
From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Even as he's paused plans 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada, President Trump is railing against what he has called tremendous Canadian tariffs on dairy and lumber products coming into the country from the US Speaking the Oval Office today, he said he plans to potentially retaliate.
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Donald Trump
Canada has been ripping us off for years on tariffs for lumber and for dairy products, 250%. Nobody ever talks about that 250% tariff which is taking advantage of our farmers. So that's not going to happen anymore.
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Jack Spear
The president's latest remarks add to the trade pressure against the Canadian government, which Trump has accused of failing to stop the flow of the deadly drug fentanyl across the northern border. That's despite little evidence such trafficking is actually occurring. Much of the 1.6 trillion in trade between the U.S. canada and Mexico already crosses borders duty free. Today, the Trump administration said it's cutting roughly $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University, citing claims of anti Semitism on campus. NPR's Janet Ujong Lee reports.
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Janet Wojun Lee
The administration announced the cancellation of federal contracts and grants, citing the school's, quote, continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students. Columbia University is one of the 10 schools that's under investigation following President Trump's executive order on additional measures to combat antisemitism. Columbia University spokesperson Samantha Slater responded in a statement saying, quote, we are reviewing the announcement from the federal agency and pledged to work with the federal government to restore Columbia's federal funding. The announcement also notes that this is the first action of more cancellations to come. Janet Wojun Lee, NPR News.
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Jack Spear
At this hour, South Carolina is expected to execute 67 year old Brad Sigmund by firing squad, a method that has never been used in the state and has not been used in the US in 15 years. South Carolina Public Radio's Mayan Schechter has more.
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Mayan Schechter
Brad Sigman was convicted in 2002 of the beating deaths of of his ex girlfriend's parents. He chose to be shot to death over the other options for execution, lethal injection and electrocution. His attorney said he faced an impossible choice among barbaric methods. According to prison protocol, he will give his final statement and be strapped into a chair. A hood will be placed over his head and an aim point on his heart. There are three members of the firing squad. All will hold rifles with live ammunition. At 67, Sigmund will be the oldest inmate put to death in South Carolina. For NPR News, I'm Mayan Schechter In Columbia, S.C. the government says employers added.
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Jack Spear
A solid 151,000 non farm payroll jobs last month. The unemployment rate, which is calculated using different numbers, was up slightly to 4.1%. Jobs market largely holding up even with still relatively high interest rates. Stocks gained ground to end the week today, but were down for the entire week. This is npr. A classified smaller military version of the space shuttle has returned to earth after spending 434 days aloft. Pre down touchdown in California only announced after the fact. The X37B spaceplane blasted into orbit in December of 2023 with only military experiments and no human pilot on board. It's the seventh flight of the military shuttle. Dolly Parton's late husband Carl Dean died this week. He inspired some of her biggest songs, including one that came out this morning. NPR's Elizabeth Gomez Sarmiento has more.
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Elizabeth Gomez Sarmiento
Carl Dean was not a big country music fan, but he stood by the side of one of country's most enduring voices until his death on Monday. His wife, Dolly Parton, released this song in his memory.
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Jack Spear
If you hadn't been there.
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Donald Trump
Where would I be?
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Elizabeth Gomez Sarmiento
Parton met Dean when she was 18 years old and he was at the heart of this 1973 hit, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene was about a bank teller who paid Dean a little too much attention. But Parton told NPR the song was a lighthearted joke. As she wrote on Instagram, Dean was the star of her life story. Isabela Gomez Sarmiento, NPR News.
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Jack Spear
The architect behind New York City's popular Highline project has died. Richard Scofidio was among the first in the architecture world to win a MacArthur foundation genius grant. He died yesterday. His firm, Diller Scofidio Plus Renfro, was founded by Scofidio and his wife, Elizabeth Diller, and has brought an avant garde sensibility to projects around the world. Richard Scofidio was 89. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News, in Washington.
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