Trump’s tariff on cars and Michael Waltz’s role in Signal group chat: Morning Rundown

Donald Trump announces tariffs on foreign-made cars while teasing an April 2 “Liberation Day.” National security adviser Michael Waltz emerges as a potential fall guy in the Signal group chat fallout. And what fewer weather balloons in the skies could mean for forecasts. 

Here’s what to know today.

Why Trump is betting big on tariffs

President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on foreign-made cars and foreign auto parts coming into the U.S., a prelude to the “Liberation Day” duties that are expected to hit next week on April 2. Car prices could increase by as much as $12,000 for some models, “a cost that will almost certainly be passed on to U.S. buyers,” Autoweek said.

The expectation, Trump said, is that auto companies will relocate to the U.S. and build new sites or expand existing ones. This push to reshape the economy and bring manufacturing jobs back to the country is part of a larger gamble he’s taking to cement his legacy. 

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It’s not unlike the hard-line immigration policies he pushed in his first term, which were deeply unpopular at the time. Now, immigration is the area in which voters most approve of his second-term performance.

Trade is Trump’s next frontier. He has already imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars on imports from Mexico, Canada and China. On the aforementioned “Liberation Day,” Trump is expected to establish reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners that have their own levies on U.S. imports, which could amount to trillions of dollars’ worth of goods. The high-stakes move pits him against foreign allies, as well as a domestic coalition of business interests, free trade advocates and others who have thrived in the status quo. 

Analysts warn of chaos in the form of supply chain shocks, higher consumer costs and fractures among Western allies. But Trump’s team argues the old ways were never sustainable, and he’s betting on a future in which voters and history will vindicate him as the one who finally made globalization bend to U.S. will, bringing jobs back home. 

Read the full story here.

More politics news: 

• Vice President JD Vance will join his wife as part of the U.S. delegation visiting Greenland, albeit with a modified schedule after the original itinerary sparked anger.
• Senate Republicans are warming to the idea of including a debt ceiling increase in their big party-line bill to advance Trump’s agenda.
• An upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race is emerging as the first big test of Democrats’ anti-Elon Musk strategy. 
• A majority of voters are generally disappointed with the people Trump has appointed to posts in his administration, according to an NBC News poll.  

Trump allies take aim at Michael Waltz

In the days since an editor from The Atlantic revealed he was included in a group chat with some of President Donald Trump’s top defense officials, questions have been flying about whether the information in the chat was classified. Trump and his aides have insisted it wasn’t, while former national security and intelligence officials strongly disagreed. 

Still, many allies said that’s besides the point. “That’s a legal question,” said a former senior Trump adviser. “We are talking about a political problem right now.” 

The president’s core supporters think someone should take the fall — in particular, national security adviser Michael Waltz. In an interview this week with Fox News, he said he took “full responsibility” for the problem. Trump has stood by Waltz so far. A source close to the White House said media fascination with the story could create an opening for the administration to move forward with other controversial agenda items and no one would be fired — but, the source added, if anyone deserves the heave-ho, it’s Waltz.

Fewer weather balloons could mean less accurate forecasts

For decades, the National Weather Service has released weather balloons at a clockwork-like cadence at more than 100 sites across the country, as well as all over the Pacific and the Caribbean. But at least 10 release sites in the continental U.S. — including in Alaska, Colorado, Michigan and New York —have suspended or limited launches because of the Trump administration’s cuts to National Weather Service staff.

Meteorologists and experts said the reduction in balloons will reduce forecast quality and increase risk during severe weather. “There’s no question it will lead to errors, it’s just a matter of, how bad will it be?” said Matt Lanza, a meteorologist in Houston. 

The balloons provide the finest resolution data about different layers in the atmosphere, information that can’t be easily replicated by satellites or other equipment, and could leave scientists guessing about what type of precipitation will fall, for example. While people might not notice a day-to-day difference in the forecast when using a weather app on a phone, one weather expert said there will be more surprises.

Red Bull Racing’s big F1 shakeup

There have only been two races so far in the 2025 Formula 1 season, but Red Bull Racing has decided it’s time for a change. The team has announced that it will replace driver Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda, the four-year veteran currently driving for Red Bull’s junior team, starting at Tsunoda’s home race in Japan on April 6. Tsunoda joins four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen as the team chases a drivers’ championship and constructors’ title.

Lawson replaced Sergio Pérez this season after Pérez’s string of poor performances in 2024. But now, in making the decision to swap Tsunoda and Lawson, Red Bull is all but admitting it made a mistake. The big question now is whether Tsunoda will perform well in what has been described as a “cursed” second seat.

Read All About It

• Four U.S. soldiers went missing during tactical training in Lithuania, the Defense Department said. 
• The family of a University of Washington lab technician and green card holder who has had permanent status in the U.S. for 50 years is calling for her release after she was placed in ICE custody.
• Measles vaccination rates for young children may be far lower than publicly reported, putting the U.S. closer than expected to losing its “elimination status” for the contagious disease.
• A Michigan couple has been detained in Mexico for nearly three weeks over a contract dispute related to a timeshare, their family said.
• Heart-shaped notes were found hidden in clothes given to UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione for a recent hearing, prosecutors said.

Staff Pick : Salvation Army music director worked with kids despite abuse finding, lawsuit says

The Salvation Army — a church and international charitable organization best known for its Christmastime bell ringers — prides itself on its work to help the most vulnerable. But a lawsuit filed this week in Kentucky accuses the Christian organization of failing in its duty to protect children. In the lawsuit and in an exclusive interview with NBC News, Riley Neville, now 23, described years of grooming and sex abuse she says she suffered at the hands of Joel Collier, a former Salvation Army music director who led camps for her and other student musicians.

Neville said she and her family were disturbed years later when they learned that the Salvation Army had previously identified Collier as a potential danger to children, then hired him anyway. Neville sued, she said, hoping to shield other children from harm. — Mike Hixenbaugh, senior investigative reporter

NBCU Academy: This free program is launching people into jobs at NASA

As a teenager, Aaron Valencia didn’t think much about his future. He struggled with drug addiction, homelessness and family members going in and out of prison. He wouldn’t have guessed that one day he would be running a free vocational training center for youths just like him.

Valencia’s Lost Angels Career Center in Lancaster, California, provides at-risk youth with stability, teaching them skills like welding, auto mechanics and 3D design through a 12-week program. Graduates have landed jobs at companies like NASA, Northrop Grumman and MS Aerospace.

“These are young people who need a support system, need somebody who believes in them and says, ‘I see what you’re going through, man, I got you,’” Valencia said. “I’ got a path for you if you’re ready. Let’s go.’”

See how Lost Angels is giving youth the confidence to launch their careers.

NBCU Academy is a free, award-winning education program for developing new skills and advancing careers in journalism, media and tech.

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Do you have acne-prone skin? Dermatologists shared their favorite at-home blackhead treatments that truly decongest your pores. Plus, the NBC Select team dives into dermarolling, which involves using a device to make lots of tiny punctures in your skin, and whether or not it actually helps with hair growth. 

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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