Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges

Summary

Up First from NPR - Episode Summary Release Date: February 11, 2025

NPR's Up First delivers a comprehensive overview of the day's most pressing news in a concise 10-minute format. In this episode, hosts Leila Fadel and Amay Martinez delve into three major stories: King Abdullah of Jordan's tense meeting with President Donald Trump, the administration's new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and the Justice Department's decision to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Below is a detailed summary of each topic, enriched with notable quotes and expert insights.

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1. King Abdullah's Tense Meeting with President Trump

Background:
President Donald Trump met with Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House to discuss Trump's controversial proposal to displace over 2 million Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt. This proposal has been met with strong opposition from both Jordan and Egypt.

Key Points:

• Trump's Proposal and Rejection by Jordan: Trump suggested that Palestinians in Gaza be relocated to Jordan and Egypt, a plan that has been firmly rejected by both nations. As Leila Fadel notes at [00:29], "Most of the world's leaders have rejected Trump's calls for the more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza to be displaced to Jordan and Egypt."

• Expert Insight from Jane Araf: NPR's Jane Araf, reporting from Jordan, anticipates a "tense" atmosphere during the meeting ([02:45]). She elaborates on the gravity of Trump's proposal, stating, "Creating an alternative Palestinian homeland here means that Jordan would essentially cease to exist as a country" ([04:09]).

• Economic Leverage and Aid Dependencies: Jordan relies heavily on U.S. aid, receiving approximately $1.6 billion annually. Marwan Washer, a former senior official at the World Bank, explains ([05:20]), "Any loss of that assistance is going to produce economic difficulty for Jordan." However, Washer also points out that withholding aid is not straightforward, as "Congress would be quite resistant to this because it's a friend" ([05:38]).

• Regional Support Against the Proposal: Saudi Arabia has signaled its opposition to Trump's plan, adding regional pressure that may influence the outcome ([05:52]).

Notable Quote:

"The meeting is not going to be an easy one because there is no amount of pressure, in my view, that the United States can exert that Jordan can accede to. This is an existential issue to Jordan."
— Marwan Washer [04:09]

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2. President Trump's New Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Imports

Background:
President Trump announced additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, maintaining a 25% rate without exceptions. These tariffs are part of his broader strategy to protect American industries but have significant implications for other sectors of the economy.

Key Points:

• Details of the New Tariffs: The tariffs impose a flat 25% tax on all steel and aluminum imports from any country, marking an increase in the aluminum rate from the previous 10% ([06:18]).

• Comparison to Previous Tariffs: Unlike past tariffs, these new measures do not include any exceptions or exemptions, differentiating them from both Trump's earlier policies and the Biden administration's approach ([07:16]).

• Economic Impact: While the tariffs benefit American steel and aluminum companies—evidenced by rising shares of companies like Alcoa and US Steel—the broader economy may suffer. Gary Huffbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, warns ([08:45]):

  "You lose jobs in the manufacturing sector when you put together the higher cost of input and the retaliation which is sure to come like night follows day."

• Potential for Retaliation: The lack of exemptions increases the likelihood of retaliatory tariffs from other countries, which could negatively impact industries reliant on steel and aluminum ([08:56]).

• Future Tariff Plans: Trump has hinted at introducing reciprocal tariffs on goods targeted by foreign tariffs on the U.S., as well as considering tariffs on cars, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. However, the specifics remain unclear ([09:11]).

Notable Quote:

"She's [Trump] putting tariffs on those two countries [Canada and Mexico] anyway, just not on all of their goods. And that gets to one really important thing about these tariffs. There are no exceptions to these, and that's different from Trump's tariffs last time around."
— Danielle Kurtzleben [07:23]

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3. Justice Department Drops Corruption Charges Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams

Background:
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, was indicted last year on corruption charges. The Justice Department has now ordered prosecutors to drop the case, citing political motivations and timing concerns.

Key Points:

• Original Charges: Mayor Adams faced a five-count indictment alleging that he accepted approximately $100,000 in luxury travel perks and illegal foreign campaign contributions from individuals connected to the Turkish government in exchange for official acts ([10:26]).

• Justice Department's Rationale: The Department cited two main reasons for dropping the case:

  1. Proximity to Re-Election: The charges were filed too close to Adams' re-election campaign.
  2. Impact on Immigration Enforcement: The prosecution hindered Adams' ability to support the Trump administration's immigration efforts ([11:26]).

• Mayor Adams' Response: Adams has maintained his innocence, labeling the case as politically motivated payback for his criticisms of the Biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis. He has remained cautious in his public statements, avoiding criticism of President Trump and focusing on his duties as mayor ([10:21], [12:04]).

• Potential for Future Legal Action: The Justice Department's memo specifies that the case should be reviewed after the general election in November, indicating that charges could be reintroduced if necessary ([12:02]).

• Broader Implications: The decision to drop the charges without prejudice suggests ongoing political tensions and raises questions about the impartiality of prosecutorial decisions in high-profile cases ([13:13]).

Notable Quote:

"He's been really pretty vocal about calling the case politically motivated without really any evidence. He says it was payback for speaking out against the Biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis."
— Bridget Bergen [10:12]

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Conclusion

This episode of Up First provides urgent and in-depth coverage of significant geopolitical and domestic issues. From the delicate negotiations surrounding Palestinian displacement with Jordan's leadership to the far-reaching effects of Trump's new tariffs on the U.S. economy, and the high-stakes legal maneuvering involving New York City's mayor, listeners gain a clear understanding of the complexities shaping current events. Notable expert analyses and direct quotes enrich the narrative, offering listeners comprehensive insights even if they haven't tuned in to the full broadcast.

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For more detailed reporting and analysis, subscribe to NPR’s Up First and support your local NPR station at donate.npr.org.

Transcript

[Leila Fadel]

Hey, A, are you there?

[Amay Martinez]

Yep.

[Leila Fadel]

What's happening?

[Marwan Washer]

Nothing.

[Amay Martinez]

How was, where'd you go? Greenland.

[Leila Fadel]

I went to Turks and Caicos. Oh, it was fun. It was beautiful. Was it really hard to work when I wasn't there? Did you miss me so much.

[Amay Martinez]

I didn't. I decided not to work until you got back. This is my first day back. Jordan's King Abdullah is in the US to meet President Trump, but it may.

[Leila Fadel]

Be a tense meeting. The king, like most of the world world's leaders, has rejected Trump's calls for the more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza to be displaced to Jordan and Egypt.

[Amay Martinez]

I'm Mayor Martinez. That's Leila Fadel. And this is up first from NPR News. President Trump imposed new tariffs on imports of global metals. Economists say that's good for American steel and aluminum companies but not so good for other industries.

[Gary Huffbauer]

You lose jobs in the manufacturing sector when you put together the higher cost of input and the retaliation which is sure to come.

[Amay Martinez]

So what's the president's game plan?

[Leila Fadel]

And the federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams may be dismissed. The Justice Department ordered prosecutors to drop the charges. We've got the news you need to start your day.

[Ron Rudson]

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[Amay Martinez]

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[Leila Fadel]

President Trump and Jordan's King Abdullah are meeting today at the White House.

[Amay Martinez]

Jordan is one of the closest US Allies in the Middle east, but today's meeting is expected to be a little awkward, to say the least. Trump has floated pushing Palestinians from Gaza into Jordan and Egypt. That's a plan rejected by both countries.

[Leila Fadel]

And the Palestinians to discuss what to expect today. NPR's Jane Araf joins us from Jordan's capital. Amen. Hi, Jane.

[Jane Araf]

Hi, Layla.

[Leila Fadel]

So what do you think the tone of this meeting will be after Trump has repeatedly said he wants the Palestinians out of Gaza and wants to own it?

[Jane Araf]

Yeah, I would expect tense, and that's probably an understatement. It's hard to put a good face on this. That's because, as you noted, Jordan is a key ally. And without any consultation, according to Jordanians and White House officials, Trump floated that plan last week during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NETANYAHU for the US to take over Gaza and forcibly push 2 million Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. Monday night, Trump doubled down, threatening Jordan if it didn't accept the plan.

[Gary Huffbauer]

If they don't agree, I would. I would conceivably withhold aid. Yeah.

[Jane Araf]

So Jordan is a small country with a large number of refugees, and it relies on foreign aid. But this plan is one of those rare ones that has united citizens and the country's leaders in opposition to it.

[Leila Fadel]

And what is the key king likely to say?

[Jane Araf]

Well, I spoke with Marwan Washer, the foreign foreign minister of Jordan, now with the Carnegie Endowment think tank. He says this is going to be one of the toughest meetings the king has faced. Let's listen.

[Marwan Washer]

The meeting is not going to be an easy one because there is no amount of pressure, in my view, that the United States can exert that Jordan can accede to. This is an existential issue to Jordan.

[Jane Araf]

And by that, he means that creating an alternative Palestinian homeland here means that Jordan would essentially cease to exist as a country. In many ways, the majority of its citizens are already descendants of Palestinian refugees. So this is something that Jordan doesn't believe it could or ever would agree to, no matter what the cost.

[Leila Fadel]

Now, as you point out, Jordan has rejected this plan, but what has the government officially said so far?

[Jane Araf]

Oh, the Jordanian foreign minister, Ayman Al Safadi, has quite clearly said that expulsion of Palestinians here would be a breach of its historic peace treaty with Israel and therefore seen as a declaration of war.

[Leila Fadel]

Now, despite that, Trump keeps insisting Jordan and Egypt will succumb to US Pressure and the US has leverage in the form of aid. Does Jordan have leverage?

[Jane Araf]

I asked Moesher, who's also former senior official at the World bank, about that. Here's what he said.

[Marwan Washer]

Jordan gets 1.5, $1.6 billion from the United States each year. Any loss of that assistance is going to produce economic difficulty for Jordan. This is not to say also that cutting off aid to Jordan is not that easy.

[Jane Araf]

So he points out that Congress would be quite resistant to this because it's a friend. Many of congresspeople are friends of Jordan.

[Leila Fadel]

If the US Cut aid, would other countries step up?

[Jane Araf]

Well, there is one key friend. Saudi Arabia and its rulers have made clear that they will not accept this plan. So in the end, that could be what stops it.

[Leila Fadel]

NPR's Jane Araf in Amman. Thank you.

[Jane Araf]

Thank you.

[Leila Fadel]

President Donald Trump has announced more tariffs, this time on steel and aluminum.

[Amay Martinez]

Signing the order for the tariffs last night, Trump emphasized the sweeping nature of his new taxes on imports.

[Gary Huffbauer]

It's 25% without exceptions or exemptions, and that's all countries, no matter where it comes from. All countries.

[Leila Fadel]

NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben is here to explain what's going on. Good morning, Danielle.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Good morning.

[Leila Fadel]

So what are these tariffs and how do they compare to what Trump imposed in his first term?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Well, American importers will now be paying a 25% tax on steel and aluminum. And that makes these tariffs a lot like some you might remember him imposing during his first term. Except this time the aluminum rate is higher. It was 10% back then. In doing this, the administration has stressed they're trying to use these tariffs to stick it to China, which is the world's biggest steel exporter. Now, the US doesn't actually get much steel or aluminum directly from China, but the White House argues that Chinese steel makes it into the US by being sold through other countries.

[Leila Fadel]

So you point out that China doesn't export much steel or aluminum to the U.S. what countries do export all that steel and aluminum?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Well, the US Gets by far the most of its aluminum imports from Canada, according to data compiled by Reuters. And on steel, Canada is also first. And there are other allies on that list like Mexico and South Korea. You might notice that in all those countries I mentioned, Canada and Mexico feature prominently. Trump had recently threatened tariffs on them and then paused them at the last minute. Well, with this new announcement, he's putting tariffs on those two countries anyway, just not on all of their goods. And that gets to one really important thing about these tariffs. There are no exceptions to these, and that's different from Trump's tariffs last time around. It's also different from how Biden treated tariffs. Both of them had carve outs on tariffs for some allies, but not now.

[Leila Fadel]

I think the big question for so many Americans are what are these tariffs going to mean for the US Economy and for them?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Well, in the near term, this should be good for American steel and aluminum companies because tariffs raise the price of steel and aluminum and they protect against some foreign competition. And markets seemed to think so. Yesterday, shares of Alcoa, an American aluminum company, and US Steel were both up. But that doesn't mean this is great for the rest of the economy. I talked to Gary Huffbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He, he told me that industries that use those metals, like aircraft and auto manufacturing, also bridge construction, those could lose jobs.

[Gary Huffbauer]

You lose jobs in the manufacturing sector when you put together the higher cost of inputs and the retaliation which is sure to come like night follows day.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

He's saying there that not only would prices be higher for steel and aluminum, but other countries are likely to hit back and tariff American exports, which will hurt these companies.

[Leila Fadel]

Now, the president has talked about imposing steel, more tariffs this week. What has he said?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Well, it's unclear, but he's dribbled out a bit of information. He has said he'll be announcing what he calls reciprocal tariffs. The idea there seems to be that whatever tariff a foreign country has put on a US Good, he wants to impose it back in return. He also said yesterday that he'll be considering tariffs on cars, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, but it was unclear whether those are separate from the reciprocal tariffs. And this is one constant feature of how Trump does tariff policy. There's often not an orderly rollout. We really just don't know what's coming until he says it.

[Leila Fadel]

NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben. Thank you for your reporting.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Yeah, thank you.

[Leila Fadel]

President Trump's Justice Department is ordering prosecutors to drop the case against the Democratic mayor of the nation's largest city.

[Amay Martinez]

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted last year on corruption charges with a trial scheduled for April. He's also up for reelection this year. Adams has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

[Leila Fadel]

Joining me now with the latest is Bridget Bergen. She's a senior politics reporter at member station WNYC in New York. Good morning, Bridget.

[Bridget Bergen]

Good morning.

[Leila Fadel]

Okay, so for those who haven't been following this closely, just lay out the charges the mayor was facing.

[Bridget Bergen]

Yeah. He was charged in September in a five count criminal indictment. Prosecutors alleged that Adams accepted about $100,000 in luxury travel perks, as well as illegal foreign campaign contributions from people connected to the Turkish government in exchange for official acts from City Hall. Adams, as you said, has pleaded not guilty to those charges and has been really pretty vocal about calling the case politically motivated without really any evidence. He says it was payback for speaking out against the Biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis. And since President Trump's election, he's been very careful not to criticize him. He visited him at Mar A Lago, attended the inauguration. Adams even held a meeting yesterday with heads of city agencies, according to sources at the meeting, who spoke on condition of n anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the administration. They were also told not to publicly criticize President Trump.

[Leila Fadel]

So why does the Justice Department say this case should be dropped?

[Bridget Bergen]

So they sent a memo to federal prosecutors outlining two very specific reasons. First, it says the charges were filed too close to the mayor's reelection. And the second reason relates to the Trump administration's ongoing immigration enforcement actions. The memo states that the pending prosecution has, quote, unduly restricted the mayor's ability to devote his full attention to illegal immigration and really his ability to support the Trump administration's efforts. The memo also seeks to have the mayor's security clearance restored and says that no further steps should be taken as it relates to the investigation, at least for now.

[Leila Fadel]

And what is the mayor saying?

[Bridget Bergen]

So there was a post on the social media platform X last night. It was from a Fox News reporter who actually caught up with the mayor who was out at a restaurant. Adams has said, you know, he's speaking with his attorney, still looking at what's happening. Normally on Tuesdays, he holds a weekly off topic press conference, but instead he's scheduled to deliver an address today at noon that's going to stream online. So at this point, there's not going to be any chance for reporters to really ask him about any questions about whatever it is he announces.

[Leila Fadel]

So at this point, does this all mean that Adam's legal troubles are over?

[Bridget Bergen]

Well, not quite yet. Leila, now the Acting U.S. attorney of the Southern District will need to decide whether to follow the direction in that memo. And the judge overseeing the case would need to decide on whether to sign off on dropping the charges. You know, those actions could set off another set of repercussions in this office that's really known for taking on these high profile corruption cases. We haven't heard from the Southern District yet. It's also worth noting that the memo explicitly says the charges will be dropped without prejudice, which means they could potentially be brought again. The memo states the case should be reviewed after the general election in November.

[Leila Fadel]

As WNYC Senior Politics reporter Bridget Bergen. Thank you, Bridget.

[Bridget Bergen]

Thank you.

[Leila Fadel]

And that's the first for Tuesday, February 11th.

[Amay Martinez]

I'm Layla Falden and Amay Martinez. Remember, you can listen to this podcast sponsor free while financial supporting public media with Up First Plus. Learn more at plus.NPR.org that's plus.NPR.org Today's.

[Leila Fadel]

Episode of Up first was edited by Nishant Dahia, Roberta Rampton, Jerry Holmes, Janaya Williams and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Buch, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenberg and our Technical Director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.

[Amay Martinez]

Foreign.

[Nishant Dahia]

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