NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-03-2025 8AM EDT

Episode Date: August 3, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is disputing allegations that Democrats are obstructing votes on President Trump's nominees. 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. Senator Whitehouse speaking there on the Senate floor this weekend. Majority leader John Thune sent senators home last night for their August recess without a deal to advance dozens of President Trump's nominees. Republicans say they may try to change Senate rules to speed up the process.

Before leaving town, senators did confirm former Fox News host Janine Pirro as the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C. Abortion rights activists pressuring senators to oppose some of Trump's judicial nominees. NPR's Sarah McCammon reports on the launch of a new campaign aimed at opposing judges with a history of standing in the way of abortion rights. 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.

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. Riemar 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. Overseas Ukraine and Russia traded long-distance airstrikes overnight, with both sides inflicting damage on the other.

MPR's Greg Myrie has the latest on the fighting from Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. A Ukrainian drone hit a large fuel storage tank and ignited a huge blaze in the southern Russian city of Sochi on the Black Sea coast. This is according to Russian officials who say the Ukrainians fired nearly 100 drones overnight. Most were shot down. Ukraine regularly targets fuel sites used by the Russian military. Meanwhile, the Russians launched more than 70 drones and several missiles at cities across

Ukraine. Officials said at least 10 homes were damaged or destroyed and several casualties were reported in the northern region of Kharkiv near the Russian border. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Kyiv. And from Washington, you're listening to NPR News. Anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine say they have uncovered a major bribery scheme in the buying of drones and electronic warfare systems used by the military. Four suspects have been arrested two days after the agency's independence were restored

following major protests. President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Whitkoff, met this weekend with family members of hostages still being held in Gaza. Later in the day, tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv after Hamas released its second video in two days showing emaciated hostages. Hamas released the videos amid a hunger crisis in Gaza. The Tea app describes itself as the safest place to spill tea about potential love connections. But last month, a data breach revealed users' direct messages and even pictures of their

state IDs, and here's a lot of WISE reports. T allows its subscribers to conduct background checks and communicate anonymously about men in the dating pool. But last month, the app disclosed that its servers had been breached, and its users' personal information was splashed across social media. Online trolls also claimed to have sourced the metadata included in the photos and used it to make a map of T-subscriber's locations. As a result of the breach, the company faces two class action lawsuits filed in California. Experts say that networks of women quietly sharing information between themselves sounds the alarm on abusers, and it helps protect accusers from retaliation.

But the app leak reveals how flawed these systems can sometimes be. Alana Wise, NPR News. And I'm Trial Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.