Morning Headlines: Schumer Warns Trump Tariffs Will Raise Prices, Lawmakers Weigh In on Proposed MTA Funding Plan, Brooklyn Diocese Faces Abuse Lawsuits, and...

Title: Morning Headlines: Schumer Warns Trump Tariffs Will Raise Prices, Lawmakers Weigh In on Proposed MTA Funding Plan, Brooklyn Diocese Faces Abuse Lawsuits, and Taxi Drivers Seek Bathroom Parking Exemptions [music[

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Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC NOW, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Monday, February 3rd. Here's the morning headlines. I'm Janae Pierre. The Trump administration's new tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China are triggering concerns about rising prices and sharp criticism from New York Senator Chuck Schumer. Schumer warns President Trump's tariffs will ultimately hit American consumers the hardest.

Senator Chuck: He says that tariffs have power, but if you want to go after foreign countries, don't do it at the expense of the American consumer who's going to pay more. That's the number one thing. People want prices to go down. The tariffs make prices go up.

Janae Pierre: Trump signed the trade penalties over the weekend. He admits they could cause "some pain" but argues they're needed to protect American industries. The tariffs go into effect on Tuesday. State budget hearings in Albany this week will determine funding for the MTA's construction plan. The MTA proposed a $65 billion five-year program to upgrade aging transit infrastructure back in September, and officials say state lawmakers must find a way to cover more than half the cost. Riders Alliance spokesperson Danny Pearlstein says that will require new taxes or fees.

Danny Pearlstein: Experts have estimated that the program needs at least $2.2 billion in new recurring revenue in order to meet even this baseline level of needs to keep transit going into the next decade and throughout this century.

Janae Pierre: The plan includes modern train cars, signal upgrades, and improved accessibility at more stations. Four people are suing the Brooklyn Diocese because they say priests abused them when they were children. They say the incidents happened between the 1960s and the 1980s and that the diocese knew its priests and staff were exploiting their positions of trust within the church to sexually abuse children. The lawsuits add to a mountain of sexual abuse accusations against the Catholic Church, both locally and nationwide.

The Diocese of Brooklyn has taken several steps in recent years to root out sexual abuse. A spokesperson for the diocese did not return a phone call seeking comment. A taxi driver advocacy group is asking the city to stop fining drivers who park illegally to use the bathroom. The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers says the city should issue special placards that would allow drivers to park in otherwise illegal spots for 10 minutes instead.

They say there aren't legal spots readily available for drivers when they need to answer nature's call. The city's Taxi and Limousine Commission did not say whether it would consider the placards but said it's looking to create more temporary taxi parking for those seeking relief. 32 degrees and cloudy. Thanks for listening. This is NYC NOW from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you this afternoon.

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