6 GOP reps defy Trump to block Canadian tariffs. And, student loan defaults rise

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As we speak’s high tales

President Trump’s tariff agenda is below menace after six Home Republicans bucked get together leaders and joined Democrats to efficiently vote in opposition to Canadian tariffs. It is a uncommon rebuke of one of many president’s favourite instruments for pressuring foes and allies alike.

• 🎧 NPR’s Franco Ordoñez tells Up First that this was a stark message from the six Republicans who voted in opposition to the tariffs. “It is one other instance of how Republicans are beginning to stand as much as the president” he provides. Tariffs are anticipated to assist cut back deficits by over $3 trillion over a decade, in accordance with a brand new Congressional Funds Workplace report. Nevertheless it additionally reveals that corporations are passing off 90% of these prices to shoppers. Ordoñez says Republicans have confronted growing stress from their constituents about excessive prices, and the enterprise neighborhood is afraid to speculate amid financial uncertainty.

U.S. employers unexpectedly added 130,000 jobs in January, in accordance with a brand new Labor Division report. That is greater than double the hiring tempo in November or December. However yearly, the Labor Division updates its job tally with extra correct, but much less well timed data from unemployment tax information. That revision reveals that there have been almost 900,000 fewer jobs within the economic system final March than initially counted. On common, employers added solely 15,000 jobs a month in 2025.

• 🎧 Final month’s hiring growth was concentrated in a handful of industries like well being care, which is usually resistant to the ups and downs of the broader economic system, NPR’s Scott Horsley says. Wells Fargo economist Sarah Home tells him there aren’t as many job openings as there was, and it is nonetheless a tricky jobs market to interrupt into for those who’re unemployed. Wages are nonetheless rising, however not as rapidly as they’ve previously. Horsley says that with this softer job market, staff usually haven’t got the sort of bargaining energy they beforehand needed to command increased wages.

As we speak, the Trump administration is predicted to revoke a Clear Air Act discovering from 2009 that has lengthy been the idea for the U.S.’ local weather air pollution rules. The discovering decided that pollution from creating and burning fossil fuels, reminiscent of methane and carbon dioxide, may very well be regulated below the Clear Air Act. The Environmental Safety Company now argues that the Clear Air Act doesn’t give it the authorized authority to control greenhouse gases. The administration’s resolution comes after three of the most well liked years ever recorded.

High officers from three federal immigration enforcement businesses are anticipated to testify earlier than a Senate committee as we speak, after testifying earlier than Home lawmakers earlier this week. The Division of Homeland Safety is in the future away from a possible shutdown. Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., referred to as for the listening to after federal brokers shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Paul mentioned at a city corridor that he needed to deal with the federal brokers’ use of power. Most Democrats say they will not help one other short-term DHS funding measure. A shutdown would have an effect on businesses just like the Transportation Safety Administration and the Federal Emergency Administration Company — doubtlessly affecting journey and catastrophe response. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Safety each acquired massive infusions of money final summer time, making ICE the highest-funded U.S. legislation enforcement company.

Deep dive

Roughly 1,000,000 debtors defaulted on their federal pupil loans final 12 months, in accordance with federal information and the newest Family Debt and Credit score Report from the Federal Reserve Financial institution of New York. Thousands and thousands extra are delinquent on their funds. New York Fed researchers say they anticipate the variety of debtors in default to proceed to develop. The stakes are excessive for debtors — and for the broader U.S. economic system.

• 💵 After 270 days of missed funds, a borrower is taken into account in default. The federal government restarted that rely when pupil mortgage repayments resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic. This implies no borrower might have newly defaulted on their loans till final June on the earliest.
• 💵 A whopping 9.8 million debtors, a lot of whom are low-income, have loans in forbearance. Their funds are paused, however their loans nonetheless accrue curiosity, placing them at additional danger of defaulting.
• 💵 The Trump administration introduced mid-January that it could delay involuntary collections on defaulted debtors. If the Division of Training returns to garnishing wages and tax refunds, specialists say client spending, residence gross sales, auto loans and extra might drop.

Image present

1000’s of scholars and greater than 800 cats coexist on the campus of the American College of Beirut, typically crossing path, typically interacting collectively, however principally respecting one another’s areas.

Tamara Saade for NPR

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Tamara Saade for NPR

On the American College of Beirut, your classmate might have 4 paws and a penchant for napping in sunbeams over taking lecture notes. The college’s cat rescue began through the Lebanese civil warfare within the Nineteen Eighties, when the animals sought shelter from road preventing. The nation has seen greater than its share of warfare since. Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah noticed a 12 months of preventing that started in late 2023. Israel remains to be launching assaults. Many individuals abandon their pets as they flee their houses. Veterinarian Rana Bou Khalil estimates there at the moment are between 1,200 and 1,600 cats on campus. See photographs of the furry associates, and browse extra in regards to the joys and challenges of searching for an training amongst these campus cats.

3 issues to know earlier than you go

1. NPR worldwide correspondent Eyder Peralta says certainly one of his favourite weekly rituals in Mexico Metropolis is when the Paseo de la Reforma shuts all the way down to automobile visitors each Sunday. Throughout that point, tens of 1000’s of individuals on bikes, skates and rollerblades roll previous iconic components of Mexico’s capital. For this week’s Far-Flung Postcards, Eyder shares an image of Benji, an excellent boy who has been using in his proprietor’s basket for 2 years
2. U.S. ice dancing energy couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed silver medals on the Olympics yesterday. Their first particular person medal win was bittersweet, because the seasoned couple misplaced to the newly paired Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France by 1.43 factors.
3. The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly closed the airspace round El Paso late Tuesday evening for ten days — solely to reopen it hours later after the Pentagon licensed use of a laser to shoot down what it believed to be a Mexican drone.

This text was edited by Yvonne Dennis.