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Episode Date: August 7, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. The Democratic legislators who left Texas to prevent the passage of a Republican redistricting plan had to flee their Chicago area hotel because of a bomb threat. Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker says pictures of the hotel had been posted online. He also says the Texas lawmakers are welcome in his state. There's been a civil warrant issued by none other than the Republican Speaker of the House of Texas. A civil warrant, as you know, does not allow the Texas Rangers or anybody in Texas to grab anybody outside of the state of Texas. So we're very proud to have

them here, frankly, they're heroes. These are people who are standing up for democracy, and we're going to do everything we can to protect them. Pritzker says security has been beefed up at the hotel where the lawmakers are staying. Health Secretary Robert Ep Kennedy Jr. is canceling contracts and funding for some vaccines. In a video statement, Kennedy said his department is replacing MRNA programs led by Pfizer and Moderna with the development of broader vaccine strategies. MRNA vaccines were developed during the first Trump administration to stem the spread of COVID-19. The gunmen who killed four people in a Manhattan office building last week had multiple contacts with law enforcement. NPR's Martin Costi reports that police in Las Vegas have,

records showing two calls about the shooter having a mental health crisis. The man's mother was on the phone with 911 at least twice in 2022 and again just last August, saying her son was suicidal. She said he had a concealed weapon permit known as a CCW. This is a recording of dispatchers discussing the mother's call last year. She wasn't sure he's got any weapons in the house anymore from what she knows he got rid of it, the CCW. But after that incident, the man was able to buy the rifle he later used in New York. York. In both incidents, police filed papers to commit him to emergency mental health treatment, but there's no record they invoked Nevada's red flag law, which could have restricted him from having guns for up to a year. Martin Costi and PR News.

Two-term Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn says she plans to run for governor. WPLN's Mariana Bacquayal has the story. Blackburn's announcement means she'll go head to head with congressman and fellow Trump ally John Rose in the Republican primary next year. Because of the state's term limits, current Tennessee Governor Bill Lee will leave office in 26, opening up the seat for newcomers. Blackburn was the first woman to represent Tennessee in the Senate, and if elected, she would be another first as the state's first female governor. Having just one re-election last year, she could be in a position to appoint a successor to finish out the last four years of her term in the U.S. Senate. For NPR news, I'm Mariana Baca Yao in Nashville.

This is NPR. The Department of Homeland Security is lowering the age of eligibility to apply to become an ICE agent to 18. The change is being promoted in social media messages on patriotism. ICE is at the center of the Trump administration's mass deportation policy. The agency recently got an infusion of federal funding to hire 10,000 additional staff. The Walt Disney Company is making changes to its streaming services. NPR's Netta Ulibe reports of the company has decided that it no longer needs Hulu as a standalone app. You might use the Hulu app to watch shows like the Bear, Abbot Elementary, or the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, one of its biggest hits.

Miranda is Taylor's ex-best friend. I'm going to set the record straight on the swinging scandal. Disney has decided to roll all of its Hulu shows onto the Disney Plus app next year. to, quote, Unify the brand. On a Wednesday earnings call, Disney's chair promised this will improve things for consumers and also Disney's ad sales. As well as Hulu, Disney also owns ABC, FX networks, and ESPN. A new ESPN streaming service is scheduled to launch later this month

after announcing new partnerships with the NFL and the WWE. Netto Ulibe, NPR News. The NFL says it's agreed to sell its media assets, to ESPN. The sale, which is not finalized, includes the NFL network, NFL fantasy, and the right to distribute the Red Zone channel for cable and satellite. The agreement is non-binding. It is also subject to approval from league owners and regulators. This is NPR News.