NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-03-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: August 3, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Janene Herbst. In Texas, Democrats in the state legislature are fleeing the state amid a special session to block a redistricting plan backed by President Trump that's aimed at preserving the GOP's National House majority. Tensions are expected to escalate around the country in a broad fight over congressional district lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that could change the leadership of the U.S. House and the Senate. White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Moscow, where he'll likely meet with Russian

President Putin. President Trump is demanding Russia end its war in Ukraine by the end of the week or face new economic penalties. And here's Charles Maynes' reports. Witkoff will seek to convey Trump's deep frustration over Putin's ongoing attacks on Ukrainian cities Despite months of us led peace negotiations yet Even Trump has expressed doubt that the threat of secondary sanctions and tariffs on countries buying Russian energy exports will change Moscow's behavior Putin has never responded directly to Trump's threats, but in comments before the press on Friday, obliquely noted that inflated expectations inevitably led to disappointments. Putin said Russia

hoped for more peace talks, but insisted his forces continue to have the momentum. Kremlin officials have also argued that the Russian economy is now largely immune to U.S. economic pressure after more than three years of Western sanctions. Charles Mainz in PR News. The Smithsonian says it will put references to President Trump's two impeachment proceedings back in an exhibit at the National Museum of American History. And Pierce Joe Hernandez has more. The exhibit on the American presidency included a temporary label added in 2021 that mentioned Trump's two impeachments. The Smithsonian said it was removed

in July pending a more substantial overhaul of the exhibit. But in a follow-up statement, the Smithsonian said that section of the exhibit will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all U.S. impeachment proceedings. The institution said the temporary placard didn't meet the museum's standards and blocked the view of other objects in the case. The Smithsonian added that it was not pressured by anyone in the Trump administration to remove the references. Joe Hernandez, NPR News. In Montana, the manhunt for the gunman who shot and killed four people at a bar Friday continues. Police are now offering a $7,400 reward for information leading to the capture of the suspect, 45-year-old Army veteran Michael Brown. He's believed to be armed and dangerous in the mountains in the western part of the state.

Montana's Attorney General Austin Knudsen warned today that he could return to the area. We want to find this guy. This is a dangerous individual who has committed an absolutely heinous crime against this community and these victims. Several law enforcement agencies have joined in the search for Brown. His family says he struggled with mental illness for years. There's no word on a motive. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, also known as DRC, has plans to carve up more than half the country into blocks for fossil fuels. And here's Julia Simons' 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.

Canadian wildfires continue thanks to the lack of rain and very dry vegetation. Smoke from the fires is now blanketing the northern US. Air quality alerts are in effect from Minnesota to Maine. The National Weather Service's winds pushing that smoke into the US could last for a while. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center says there are more than 700 active wildfires, including in remote, hard-to-reach areas. Wildfires have so far burned more than 16 million acres of land around Canada this year. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington.