NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-03-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: August 3, 2025

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These days, there's so much news, it can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family, and your community. The Consider This podcast from NPR features our award-winning journalism. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a news story and provide the context and analysis that helps you make sense of the news. We get behind the headlines. We get to the truth. Listen to the Consider This Podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. The Senate began its month-long recess last night without voting on dozens of President Trump's nominees. Trump had been pressuring Republicans to move quickly to advance his choices, but Democrats have resisted, insisting on roll call votes for most of them.

But Democrats have resisted insisting on roll call votes for most of them. Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen told Fox's Sunday Morning Futures the Senate will be forced to change its rules. As soon as we get back through this through the August, we're going to be working on rules change. When we get back, we're going to have to implement those rules change. And it's not our fault. People, the Democrats are going to scream, we're doing the nuclear option. No, Chuck Schumer and the Democrats did the negotiation

or did the nuclear option because they have filibustered. We have 131 nominees confirmed. They have filibustered every single one of those except Marco Rubio. The Menard eater Chuck Schumer said they've never seen nominees as flawed, compromised, and unqualified. Trump said the Republicans should go home and tell their constituents what bad people the Democrats are. 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. Sarah McCammon 3 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. 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 going to see or read about every single

day on the front page. Rimaar 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. One of Israel's prominent right-wing cabinet members has called for the entire Gaza Strip to be occupied. He made the remarks from a religious site in Jerusalem holy to both Muslims and Jews. NPR's Elna Beardsley reports.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir's visit Sunday to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, a site also holy to Jews, marks the first time a minister from this Israeli government has openly prayed at the sensitive site. Ben Gavir said, the entire Gaza Strip must be occupied. Sovereignty declared, Hamas uprooted, and voluntary immigration promoted. The visit and prayers was condemned as an incitement by Palestinian leaders, as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Under the longstanding status quo, Jews may may visit but not pray at the mosque compound, which is administered by Jordan. Following Ben-Gavir's visit, the Israeli prime minister's office put out a statement saying the status quo on the Temple Mount has not and will not change. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR News in Washington. The Office of Special Counsel confirms its open investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith, who had brought two criminal cases against Donald Trump before Trump's election

last year. It's looking into whether Smith had violated the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits federal employees from using their position for political activities. Smith dropped both cases after Trump won election, citing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president. It's day four of the annual Lollapalooza Music Festival in Chicago's Grant Park.

For a member station WBEZ, Summer Van Benton has more. Lollapalooza wraps up Sunday night after four days of music, body glitter, and nonstop crowds. Headline acts Sabrina Carpenter and A$AP Rocky will close things out. Festival regular Kaylee Berman is back for her seventh year. The weather's perfect. This is probably the most perfect lala I've ever been to.

Prime weather for dancing through Chicago's Grant Park with thousands of fans. Nice temperature, not too hot, not too cold, no rain right now. I love it. Berman planned her entire look around the weekend's headliners down to her nails, each one painted to match a different artist. For NPR News, I'm Summer Van Benten in Chicago. 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 a total of nine gold medals. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.