Wednesday morning news: August 6, 2025

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SOUND: [Gaza aid drop]

Israel-Gaza latest » Hundreds of Palestinians scrambled to collect aid packages dropped from cargo planes over central Gaza Tuesday. Fistfights broke out and gunshots could be heard as residents fought for food and other provisions.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar insists that Israel is doing what it can to help starving civilians in Gaza.

SA'AR: Israel facilitating huge amounts of aid into Gaza. No other country acts this way in war under such difficult circumstances.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the United States is holding out hope for another ceasefire as well as a humanitarian corridor for aid to flow into Gaza.

Bruce refused to comment when asked about reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet is discussing plans for a full occupation of Gaza.

BRUCE: Regarding that reporting, again, reporting is one thing, real plans might be another. We are not in the business of interpreting statements from foreign governments when and if they're made.

President Donald Trump added that it is up to the Israeli government to decide its course in Gaza.

Trump narrows Fed chair candidates to four » President Trump has narrowed down his list of potential candidates to lead the Federal Reserve. He told reporters at the White House:

TRUMP:  We've also, uh, we're looking at the Fed chair and, uh, that's down to four people right now.

In an interview with CNBC, he named two of those candidates: National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett and former Federal Reserve Board member Kevin Warsh.

TRUMP:  I say Kevin and Kevin both. Kevins are very good. There are other people that are very good too.

He did not say who the other two candidates are, but he has ruled out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying Bessent prefers to stay in his current role.

The term of current Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is set to end next year.

President Trump has been highly critical of Powell over the Fed’s recent stance of holding off on cutting interest rates.

Trump on tariffs » Trump also said Tuesday that he’s planning to add small tariffs soon on imported pharmaceuticals. But he says while they will start small, they grow considerably at some point next year.

TRUMP:  In one year, one and a half years maximum, it's gonna go to 150%, and then it's gonna go to 250% because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country.

He connected that move to broader tariffs on semiconductors and chips, which he says will be announced “within the next week or so.”

Trump says it is vital to ramp up America’s ability to produce those things domestically.

Texas House unable to vote with missing Democrats » Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued civil arrest warrants for Democratic lawmakers who fled the state this week to block a vote on a newly drawn congressional map.

The warrants have no power across state lines, so some see them as merely symbolic.

By leaving the state, Democrats have denied the state House the quorum it needs to vote.

State Congressman Ramon Romero:

ROMERO:  We're defending the rights of all Americans to value their vote and never be discouraged by way of a map drawn to say that your vote doesn't matter!

But republican U.S. Congressman Pat Fallon of Texas says those Democrats are camping out in blue states that have gerrymandered their district lines to a far greater extent.

FALLON:  The top five blue states in the country, which are California, Washington, Illinois, New York and New Jersey. There are 117 congressional seats. In those five states, the Democrats controlled 93 of them for 79%.

The new Texas congressional map could create five more Republican-leaning districts ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

New Hampshire children protected from transgender interventions » New Hampshire is the first state in the Northeast to protect children from transgender medical interventions. WORLD's Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: Two measures are set to take effect in January. One of them bars doctors from prescribing cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers to minors.

The other makes it illegal to perform so-called transgender surgeries on children.

Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed both measures into law late last week.

More than half of all states in the country have some form of similar legal protections for children.

The U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld Tennessee's law protecting minors from transgender interventions.

For WORLD, I'm Benjamin Eicher.

California wildfire » A massive wildfire is burning in California, from Santa Barbara County through the Los Padres National Forest to points farther east. As of Tuesday, it had burned well over 80,000 acres.

Santa Barbara County Fire Captain Scott Safechuck:

SAFECHUCK:  So you have this extreme fire behavior that's occurring, which is creating a lot of smoke, a huge smoke column, usually during the middle of the day when it's peak burning hours.

Authorities say roughly 2,000 personnel are battling the blaze.

It grew out of several smaller fires that erupted Friday between Santa Maria and Bakersfield.

At least Three people have been injured.

The flames are threatening nearly a thousand structures.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: a conversation with Hunter Baker on political news during Washington Wednesday. Plus, ministering to the hurting.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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