News Wrap: Biden set to step up attack on ‘extremist’ threats to democracy

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• Judy Woodruff:

  In the day's other news: President Biden readied new attacks on what he calls extremist threats to democracy without naming former President Trump, but leaving the clear impression that he and his most zealous supporters are behind them.

  Mr. Biden will make what the White House says is an important address in Philadelphia tonight, combining tough talk about those threats with an appeal to more traditional Republicans and American values.

• Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary:

  I have said this before. The president's never going to shy away from talking about his predecessor. This is so much broader, so much bigger than any one party, than any one person. And it's an optimistic speech, again, about where we are as a nation and where we can go.

• Judy Woodruff:

  For his part, Mr. Trump said today that, if he becomes president again, he would issue full pardons to those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. He also said he is supporting some of them financially.

  A federal judge heard arguments today on whether an outside expert should review government documents from the Trump estate in Florida. The former president's lawyers called for a special master to separate out private material and records protected by attorney-client privilege. Federal prosecutors said they have already done that. The judge said that she will rule later.

  On the pandemic, CDC advisers today endorsed updated booster shots for use this fall. That leaves it to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to give final approval. The Pfizer and Moderna boosters are designed to protect against the original virus and the Omicron variants.

  We will return to all this after the news summary.

  A federal study finds the pandemic caused dramatic learning losses for the nation's 9-year-olds. The National Center for Education Statistics says average math scores dropped 7 percent since 2020, the first decline since testing began. Average reading scores fell five points, and that was the most in 30 years.

  In Ukraine, nuclear inspectors are now inside an endangered power plant. They arrived today to assess damage from fighting around the site.

  Lisa Desjardins has our report.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Inside a war zone, a mission to avert disaster. U.N. nuclear experts today made it to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest, a place caught in the crossfire of Ukrainian and Russian shelling.

  Zaporizhzhia rests along the Dnipro River inside a battle zone. It is currently held by Russians, but operated by Ukrainians. Both sides agreed to access by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. Its six reactors make this plant particularly perilous.

• Rafael Grossi, Director General, IAEA:

  Weighing the pros and conservative, and having come so far, we are not stopping. We are moving now.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Fighting near the plant has gone on for six months, since the start of the war, sparking international outcry…

• Lisa Desjardins:

  … and fears of a meltdown that would dwarf Chernobyl.

  Just today, shelling shut down one reactor and set off emergency procedures. Russians publicly are stressing stability.

• Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (through translator):

  We are doing everything to ensure that this plant is safe and for the IAEA mission there to carry out all its plans.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  After assessing the threat, the IAEA says a team will stay there, in hopes of demilitarizing the plant and avoiding a wide-scale tragedy.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Lisa Desjardins.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Meanwhile, Taiwan is sounding the alarm on China's war games, saying they have been simulating attacks on U.S. Navy ships. A report to Taiwan's Parliament today said that the Chinese aim to block foreign vessels from approaching the self-ruled island by 2035. China claims Taiwan as a renegade province.

  Back in this country, the U.S. military says reports of sexual assault rose 13 percent last year over the year before. The numbers released today also show some 36,000 troops reported unwanted sexual contact. That was up from about 20,000 in 2018. The increases may reflect in part the easing of pandemic restrictions on military bases.

  New York began enforcing a ban on guns in sensitive locations today. That's after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down previous restrictions. In preparation, workers have put up on free-zone signs in Times Square. They warn that firearms are for been even if the carrier has a permit.

  And, in California, lawmakers narrowly rejected new restrictions on concealed weapons early today.

  And, on Wall Street, stocks had a mixed day ahead of tomorrow's jobs report for August. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 146 points to close at 31656. The Nasdaq fell 31 points. The S&P 500 added 11.