Trump’s higher tariffs take effect today. And, a sergeant opened fire at Fort Stewart

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Today’s top stories

Yesterday, an Army sergeant opened fire on his colleagues at Fort Stewart, Georgia, injuring five soldiers.Automated logistics worker Sgt. Quornelius Radford has been named as the alleged shooter. Radford was tackled and subdued by a number of soldiers who saw the shooting. Radford is being held while the gunshot victims’ conditions remain stable.

• 
  Law enforcement is talking to Radford to try to uncover the motive behind the shooting
  
  , Emily Jones of NPR’s network station WABE tells
  
  Up First
  
  . Radford has been stationed at Fort Stewart since 2022, and the weapon used was his own handgun, according to Army officials. Authorities are

  looking into how he was able

  to get his own gun onto the military base. Brigadier Gen. John Lubas, during a press conference yesterday, reassured people that the base was safe and well guarded.

Today marks the implementation of President Trump’s increased import duties on a number of nations.The United States has imposed a 10% tax on the majority of our imports for the past four months. Products from South Korea, Japan, and Europe will now be subject to a 15% tax. Even higher tax rates will affect nations like South Africa, Switzerland, and the Philippines. Taxes on Canadian goods increased to 35% last week, indicating that the country is already suffering the effects of the higher rates.

• 
  McDonald’s is one of the companies feeling the impacts of the tariffs. Executives stated this week they are concerned
  
  because many of their customers are price-sensitive, says NPR’s Scott Horsley. The company’s CEO, Chris Kempczinski, says industry-wide customers are not spending as freely as they were a year ago, most likely due to the anxiety around tariffs. Kempczinsky explains that many customers are trading down within their menu or skipping the drive-thru altogether. McDonald’s is not alone. Across the economy, there is

  evidence that import taxes are

  raising prices and slowing growth.

Trump says he has a “very good prospect” of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyysoon and Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to put an end to their war. This follows what Trump called extremely fruitful negotiations between Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff yesterday. Putin and Trump may meet next week, according to Russian press reports.

• 
  It is unclear whether Putin has offered any concessions to get this meeting
  
  , says NPR’s Franco Ordo ez. Putin has long wanted to be able to speak with the president face-to-face. The meeting would be a big deal as this would be the first between Putin and a U.S. president since 2021, when former President Joe Biden was in office. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Fox Business that the White House now knows

  concrete examples of things that

  Russia would ask for to end the war. Rubio said that Russia and Ukraine would need to make concessions, and a ceasefire would be a key step.

Deep dive

AI is aware that kids who require assistance with their assignments are using its capabilities more and more. OpenAI’s chatbot’s “study mode,” which functions as an instructor, was introduced last week. However, is AI on par with traditional resources like textbooks and online resources like Chegg and Quizlet? Platforms and students who have utilized them were interviewed by NPR’s Ayana Archie to learn how they are adjusting to the new options.

• Chegg, a site that sells textbooks and offers digital services like generating flash cards, is incorporating AI models. This includes a new feature that displays side-by-side panels with answers to a question alongside answers from platforms such as ChatGPT and Claude.
• Many students are combining traditional methods with AI tools. But around 50% of students feel that excessive reliance on AI could harm their academic performance, according to research from the Digital Education Council in 2024.
• Some professors are assigning more work that must be handwritten or completed in class to attempt to prevent plagiarism and the overuse of AI.

Today’s listen

During a town hall meeting on Monday, Republican Representative Mike Flood of Nebraska received criticism from his constituents for endorsing Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” More than 700 people attended the gathering and expressed their worries about how the law might affect Medicaid and other social safety net programs. The president’s strategy for immigration enforcement was also questioned by the crowd. Flood was jeered as he attempted to defend the president’s spending and tax policies throughout the meeting. The crowd chanted “Vote him out!” at the conclusion of the town hall, which has gone viral. Flood discussed his position on the large budget measure and the significance of the meeting with Steve Inskeep, host of the Morning Edition.

3 things to know before you go

Suzanne Nuyen edited this newsletter.

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