NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-02-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: August 3, 2025

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As AI permeates every aspect of our lives, who are the people behind this huge inflection point? What keeps them up at night? I fear that what it means to be human may suddenly not be our own. We've got a special series from NPR's TED Radio Hour. It's called The Prophets of Technology. What they got right, wrong, and where these pioneers think we're headed next. Listen to the TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Hurst. In Gaza, hunger is rampant and images of emaciated children have prompted a groundswell of international pressure on Israel to allow more aid in. And for now, Israel is doing that, allowing air drops and trucks of aid into the enclave. But health workers

say Israeli forces opened fire near two aid distribution sites today as crowds of hungry Palestinians tried to get food. This is a day after U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff visited a U.S. aid distribution center in Gaza. MP Rizea Batraoui has more on conditions in Gaza. The aid that's entered isn't reaching warehouses and it's being looted either by armed gangs or really hungry crowds. And people are risking their lives to get these bags of flour off aid trucks because you can't even find bread anymore. But many are being shot dead by Israeli forces near the border as the trucks roll in, according

to survivors and our own reporting. Israel says their troops have only fired warning shots at the crowds. And here's Ayova Trawee reporting. A new order by the Supreme Court is raising concerns that some conservative justices may be considering striking down a key protection for minority voters under the Federal Voting Rights Act. And here's Hansi Lo Wang reports.

To prepare for a second set of oral arguments in this Louisiana redistricting case, the Supreme Court has ordered lawyers to submit legal briefs on a constitutional question. Does the state violate the 14th or 15th Amendment when it intentionally creates a second voting district in which racial minority voters make up the majority? The lower federal court ordered Louisiana to do that to get in line with the Voting Rights Act. Because of the state's census results and pattern of racially polarized voting, that court ordered Louisiana to create two out of six districts where black voters have a realistic opportunity of electing their preferred candidates. But some opponents

of the Voting Rights Act have argued that it is unconstitutional for Congress to allow race-based redistricting to continue without an end date under the landmark law. Anzela Wong, in Pure News, Washington. In Montana, a manhunt for a gunman who opened fire in a bar yesterday killing four people continues. Police identified the suspect as a 45-year-old Army veteran. There's no word on a motive. Stocks tumbled this week amid signs of a weaker job market and higher tariffs, and Pierce Scott Horsley reports. A report from the Labor Department Friday showed a significant slowdown in the U.S.

job market. Employers added just 73,000 jobs in July. And revised figures showed next to no job growth in the two previous months. The news came as the Trump administration was rolling out a new round of even higher tariffs, most of which are set to take effect next week. President Trump responded to the disappointing jobs report by calling for the ouster of the Labor Department's top number cruncher. Critics warned that move could undermine faith in official government data. For the week, the NASDAQ fell 2.2 percent, the S&P 500 index fell 2.4 percent, and the

Dow dropped 2.9 percent. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. Cat lovers, rejoice! Cat Video Fest is now playing in more than 200 independent theaters across North America. And starting this weekend, the annual compilation of the internet's best cat videos. As Impierzeva Pukac reports,

a portion of the proceeds will go to local animal shelters and welfare organizations. The feature-length compilation Cat Video Fest, featuring the internet's latest and greatest cat videos, is curated by Seattle-based filmmaker Will Braden. He combs through thousands of videos, including fan submissions, animations, music videos, and viral internet sensations. Last year's feline flick grossed more than a million dollars at the global box office. And since its inception, hundreds of thousands have been raised for local cats in need, as independent theaters

partner with local shelters and charities, donating portions of ticket proceeds back into the community. Avauchacz, NPR News. The Trump administration is canceling plans to use large swaths of federal waters for offshore wind. More than three and a half acres of federal waters had been designated as wind energy areas on the West, East, and Gulf coasts, but that was canceled this week. President Trump calls offshore wind ugly and unreliable, but combined with large battery storage, offshore wind can bolster grid reliability, supply large amounts of energy, and reduce

pollution. Now many offshore wind developers have paused or canceled projects since Trump's return to office. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from NPR News in Washington.