Friday morning news: October 3, 2025

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Manchester attack » In northern England, police are still investigating a deadly terrorist attack near Manchester that killed at least two people.

A man drove a car into people outside a synagogue near Manchester, then exited the car and continued his attack with a knife.

British Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood:

MAHMOOD: I am horrified by the antisemitic attack, terrorist attack at a synagogue on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. My prayers are with the victims and the families of all of those who were murdered here today.

Officers shot and killed the suspect at the scene.

The assailant was a British citizen of Syrian descent.

Police also arrested three suspects, two men and one woman on “suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.” No word yet on how they may have been connected to the attack.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, and he lamented that right now in the UK:

STARMER: Jewish buildings, synagogues, even schools, require round the clock protection. Where dedicated specialist security is necessary because of the daily threat of anti-Semitic hatred.

He said anti-semitic hatred is rising once again and Britain must stand up to it.

Cartels conflict » President Trump says the United States is in an armed conflict with drug cartels.

The president sent a memo to Congress declaring that armed conflict. He says military actions against drug cartels fall under his duty to protect Americans.

And he told reporters:

 TRUMP: We had a lot of drugs coming in through water. We call it water drugs. So we hit a number of boats. You probably saw that. And since we did that, we have absolutely no drugs coming into our country via water.

And he said his administration is looking at how to hit cartels harder on land as well.

The administration now classifies major cartels as terrorist groups and states the U.S. is in a “non-international armed conflict” with them. The memo references a September 15 strike on a Caribbean vessel tied to drug trafficking — warning these groups could “kill Americans.”

Critics, including Democratic lawmakers, argue the move exceeds executive powers by using military force against criminal networks.

Government shutdown latest » In Washington, a war of words continues between Democrats and Republicans on day-there of the government shutdown.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blamed Republicans:

JEFFRIES:  They have zero interest, zero in providing high quality, affordable, and accessible care.

He said Republicans must come to the negotiating table and consider Democrats’ demands.

But Speaker Mike Johnson says passing a clean bill that temporarily continues the funding that was already in place is the only path forward right now.

JOHNSON:  Gosh, I would've loved to have loaded this up with Republican conservative, limited government proposals, but we didn't do that because I needed to maintain the high ground.

He says the policy differences can be debated separately once the government has been reopened.

Record day on Wall Street » Wall Street did not appear to be too bothered by the government shutdown, surging to new record highs at closing. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: Tech shares led the way Thursday after OpenAI announced new partnerships in South Korea for its Stargate AI project.

And Fair Isaac stock had its best day in almost three years after launching a program that could let customers bypass the big credit bureaus for FICO scores.

The S&P 500 inched up a tenth of a percent, the Dow gained two-tenths, and the Nasdaq rose nearly half a percent.

Markets also climbed across much of Europe and Asia, while Treasury yields eased.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Earthquake latest » In the Philippines, authorities have ended search and rescue operations after Tuesday night’s deadly earthquake. Officials say all missing have been accounted for.

The 6.9-magnitude quake struck Cebu province, killing at least 73 people and injuring hundreds.

Near the city of Bogo, the village of Barangay Binabag was hit especially hard.

One resident spoke as he stood amid the rubble of crumbled houses.

AUDIO: I'm really sad about the tragedy we've experienced here in Barangay Binabag. It's a very big change.

Landslides sent massive boulders crashing through homes while residents were asleep, leaving entire families dead.

Texas Ten Commandments » Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is reminding schools they must post the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

In an advisory this week, Paxton told districts a law that took effect in September requires a 16-by-20 inch copy in every room.

He called the commandments a cornerstone of America’s moral and legal foundation.

But a federal judge in San Antonio has blocked enforcement in 11 districts, siding with parents who argued it pressures children into religious observance.

Paxton has appealed.

Courts in Louisiana and Arkansas have also halted similar laws from taking effect.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with Katie McCoy. Plus, the music from the recent Ronald Reagan biopic.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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