NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-03-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: August 3, 2025

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Noor Ram. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Ram. The Senate started its August recess last night without advancing dozens of President Trump's nominations. Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse denies his party was obstructing votes. One quick point of fact into this maelstrom of faux outrage about Democratic obstruction, and that is that the proposal that has been made to the Republicans to resolve the customary August jam up

where we clear nominees would actually put President Trump ahead of the number of appointees that the Republicans had allowed President Biden at the same time in his presidency. Before leaving town, senators did confirm former Fox News host Janine Perot as the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C. When the Senate returns after the recess, abortion rights activists are pressuring senators to oppose some of President Trump's judicial nominees. NPR's Sarah McCammon reports.

Three years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion rights groups are fighting to prevent more losses in the courts. They say they're concerned about threats to access to abortion pills and other new restrictions. Kelly Rehmar is with the abortion rights group, Free and Just. Kelly Rehmar, NPR's NPR Specialist We are keeping track of all of the attacks on reproductive freedom that come out of this administration Especially because so many of them are under the radar and not something that most Americans are gonna see or read about Every single day on the front page Remar says her group will be partnering with women around the country who've been affected by abortion restrictions

To host events and lobby senators to reject Trump's nominees. Sarah McCammon, NPR News, Washington. Former special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two criminal cases against Donald Trump before Trump's election last year, is now being investigated by the Office of Special Counsel. It says it's looking into whether he engaged in partisan political activity. Israel's best-known living writer David Grossman is calling his country's war in Gaza a genocide. NPR's Emily Fang reports. A longtime peace advocate, Grossman has known personal tragedy himself. In 2006, his 20-year-old son was killed while serving in Israel's military in a war with Lebanon.

Grossman has won the International Booker Prize and top Israeli and European literary awards, and now he says with a quote, broken heart that Israel's war in Gaza with Hamas, one that has led to more than 60,000 Palestinian deaths and mass starvation in Gaza, is a genocide. He is in the minority in Israel. In a survey last month of Jewish and Arab Israelis by Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, more than 60% said they were not distressed by the humanitarian situation in Gaza. After Hamas' deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Grossman called for peace with Arab countries. Emily Fang, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

This is NPR News in Washington. Russian officials say a Ukrainian drone hit an oil depot on Russia's Black Sea coast overnight, sparking a major fire. It was one of nearly 100 Ukrainian drones launched overnight. Russia says it shot down most of them. Ukrainian authorities say Russia fired drones and missiles at cities across Ukraine, damaging or destroying at least 10 homes. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as DRC, has plans to carve up more than half the country into blocks for fossil fuels. As NPR's Julia Simon reports, this means drilling in crucial habitats for gorillas. The DRC recently opened 306 million acres for oil blocks. A new report from Earth Insight, a research group, finds 64% of the

area is intact tropical forest. These forests are full of biodiversity, including endangered gorillas, bonobos, and vast amounts of carbon stored in trees and peatlands. They're also home to tens of millions of people, many indigenous. The economics of large new oil developments like this are also in question. As the world transitions away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, batteries, and geothermal, countries like DRC could be stuck with stranded assets. That is, assets with little value. Julia Simon, NPR News. The Swim World Championships wrapped up in Singapore today. The U.S. women set a world record in the women's 4x100 medley, breaking the record set by the U.S. team at the Paris Olympics last year.

The U.S. finished the championships with nine gold medals. I'm Noor Aram, NPR News in Washington.