Up First from NPR
Trump's New Tariffs, China Reacts To Tariff Ruling, State Of The Union Poll
February 23, 2026
AI Summary
5 min read🎙️ The Voices & The Context
- The Format: Daily news briefing podcast with host-led segments, expert interviews, and field reports—fast-paced, like a morning radio show distilling top stories.
- The Key Players:
- Hosts: Steve Inskeep and Leila Fadel (transcribed variably as Layla Foddle)—seasoned NPR anchors with crisp, probing chemistry, bantering lightly before diving into analysis.
- Reporters: Mara Liasson (NPR senior political correspondent) on tariffs/politics; Jennifer Pak (NPR Shanghai) on China; Domenico Montanaro (NPR political editor) on polls—experts unpacking Trump's moves with insider nuance.
- The Vibe: Educational and analytical, with a neutral journalistic edge—intense on political drama, optimistic on U.S. Olympics wins, but sobering on polls and trade wars.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:18) **Supreme Court Ruling on Trump's Tariffs**
- 2 (03:18) **Mara Liasson on Tariff Legality and Midterm Politics**
- 3 (06:29) **China's Reaction and Business Impacts**
- 4 (10:00) **NPR Poll: State of the Union Not Strong**
- 5 (13:54) **US Success at 2026 Winter Olympics**
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
President Trump says he’s raising global tariffs to 15% under a different authority after the Supreme Court blocked his emergency tariff power, forcing Congress to decide how closely they want to own the policy in a midterm election year.
China is weighing what the court ruling actually changes on the ground for exporters and how it could reshape Trump’s leverage ahead of his trip to Beijing in a few weeks.
And a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds most Americans say the state of the union is not strong, as President Trump heads into Tuesday night’s address facing deep divides over the country’s direction.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
China is weighing what the court ruling actually changes on the ground for exporters and how it could reshape Trump’s leverage ahead of his trip to Beijing in a few weeks.
And a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds most Americans say the state of the union is not strong, as President Trump heads into Tuesday night’s address facing deep divides over the country’s direction.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Vincent Ni, Dana Farrington, Mohamad ElBardicy, and HJ Mai.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:13) Trump's New Tariffs
(05:55) China Reacts To Tariff Ruling
(09:37) State Of The Union Poll
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