Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman.
President Trump spoke at the White House correspondence dinner Friday night.
“The dinner was delayed in April after a gunman ran past security, causing the event to be postponed.”
Trump has frequently spared with the media, but instead of offering criticism this time, he brought jokes. "Everyone's looking really good tonight, and I know it was not easy finding shoes to go along with your bulletproof vest, which many people didn't want to wear because they'd rather die. They'd look 20 pounds heavier, you know that, right?" It's sometimes off-color speech lasted for more than an hour. President Trump's latest set of tariffs comes at a challenging time for the U.S. economy,
and they're raising concerns about the cost of living among American households, and Piers Rafael Nam has more.
The White House frames the sweeping new tariffs ranging from 10 to 12.5 percent,
as a matter of human rights and market fairness. Although they're not significantly higher than the temporary ones they're replacing, economists caution that we likely have a negative economic impact. The budget lab at Yale University estimates it could drive up consumer inflation by 0.7 percentage points,
“and will be equivalent to a tax of nearly $1100 a year on American households.”
That at a time when many families are already struggling with high gas prices, and paying more at the grocery store, and they will continue the uncertainty being felt by American businesses. Rafael Nam, in Pianus. Paramount and Warner Brothers are hitting paws on their proposed merger. This NPR's Chloe Valtman reports, Paramount agreed Friday to delay closing the deal for months,
following mounting pressure from anti-trust lawsuits.
Attorney's General from 12 states, including California, New York and Arizona, alleged the proposed merger violates a core federal anti-trust law, prohibiting mergers or acquisitions where the effect would less than competition or creator monopoly. The writers' guild of America challenged the massive deal, too. Earlier this week, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order
freezing Paramount's acquisition.
“Now the company has agreed not to close the $111 billion deal until June 1, 2027,”
or five days after law seats are resolved, whichever is earlier. The statement to NPR, Paramount called the agreement to significant win, and said going to trial will be "the fastest and clearest way to prove that this transaction is good for competition, good for consumers, and good for creators." A trial date has not yet been set.
Chloe Valtman and Pianus. Health officials say the U.S. has seen more cases of measles so far this year than all of last year. There have been 35 new outbreaks with cases reported in at least 43 states, as well as Washington, D.C. The CDC says there have been more than 2,300 cases in all.
And health officials say the number of cases may be much larger because of declining vaccination rates. You're listening to NPR news. Wildfires are continuing to burn across southwestern France and Central Spain this weekend. Officials have now evacuated 200,000 people from their homes. The fires have consumed large areas of land since Wednesday.
And officials say high winds are complicating efforts to bring the blazes under control. The fires are burning as a major heat wave lingers over the region, bringing high temperatures, as well as dry conditions. Investor concerns over AI and the war with Iran created a rough week on Wall Street, as NPR's Stephen Bassah reports.
The tech heavy NASDAQ ended the week down more than 2% earning calls from major tech companies led to worries they were spending too much on AI. Tesla stocks in particular dropped almost 18% from the star of the week. The price of Brent Crude also briefly went past $100 a barrel. That was after another global oil route was threatened when Iran back to the rebels attacked oil tankers in the Red Sea.
The wars also drove into the cost of borrowing. The average 30-year mortgage reached 6.58% this week, the highest in 11 months. Investors rallied on Friday and the market recovered some of their early losses. The Dow ended the week down a fraction. Stephen Bassahah and PR News.
CBS NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was arrested this week on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence. He was arrested in Wisconsin's Milwaukee County. The rest report says he performed poorly on field sobriety tests after he was stopped on Interstate 43. He has a court appearance set for September 21st. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.
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