Thursday morning news: October 16, 2025

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Pentagon on Ukraine/Russia » Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth is warning Moscow that if war in Ukraine continues much longer … the United States and its allies are ready to “impose costs on Russia”

HEGSETH: If we must take this step, the U.S. War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do.

He spoke from Brussels Wednesday at a meeting of Western allies backing Ukraine.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius vowed that his country would hold fast in its support of Ukraine.

PISTORIUS: With new contracts, Germany will provide additional support amounting to over 2 billion euros. This will include a package totalling 500 million U.S. dollars.

He said that will provide air defense systems, precision-guided artillery rockets, and more.

That gathering came just ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s planned trip to Washington where he’ll talk with President Trump about the possibility of the U.S. supplying long-range tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. More on this story later in the program.

Israeli hostages road to recovery » Twenty former hostages released by Hamas under a ceasefire deal are back home in Israel and now face a difficult road to recovery. Former hostage Eli Sharabi, who was released back in February, described reuniting with a friend who was just released this week.

SHARABI:  We hugged each other and we, we cried a little bit. It was very emotional, uh, meeting. Um, I just wanted, uh, to let him know I'm very proud of him that, uh, he survived another eight months without me.

They are being treated for malnutrition, lack of sunlight and the trauma of wearing leg chains for months. And some suffer from unexplained physical pain.

Israeli officials have set up teams of physical and mental health professionals to help them.

Israel deceased hostages » Meantime, Israel says Hamas so far has only turned over only 7 of the 28 bodies of deceased Israeli hostages.

This could be a sticking point for negotiations on phase two of the peace deal.

Egyptian teams are reportedly set to head into the Gaza Strip to help Hamas locate the remains of those hostages.

Shosh Bedrosian, spokeswoman for Israel’s prime minister, told reporters:

BEDROSIAN:   Hamas, the terror organization is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return all of our hostages as part of the implementation of this agreement, we will not compromise on this, and we will spare no effort until our, uh, fallen hostages return every last one of them.

The remains of four people were returned on Tuesday. But forensic testing revealed one of the bodies was not that of an Israeli hostage, as Hamas had claimed.

The other three bodies returned to Israel were identified as those of Tamir Nimrodi, Uriel Baruch, and Eitan Levy.

China trade » U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the latest spike in trade tensions with Beijing is not a matter of the U.S. vs China.

BESSENT: This is China versus the world. They have put these unacceptable export controls on the entire world.

European officials are also voicing concern after China announced new restrictions on exports of rare earth metals … which are vital for high-tech manufacturing, both commercial and military.

The head of Italy’s auto-parts industry group warned the new curbs could cripple production, saying reserves of rare earths are nearly depleted … as China tightens its grip on the global mineral supply

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said China has taken many retaliatory trade actions against the U.S. and other nations in recent years, but …

GREER:  This move is not proportional retaliation. It is an exercise in economic coercion on every country in the world.

Secretary Bessent, though, said he remains hopeful for de-escalation, citing President Trump’s strong relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

SCOTUS case related to Voting Rights Act » The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing a redistricting case that could redefine how the Voting Rights Act applies nationwide.

At issue in Louisiana v. Callais is whether lawmakers relied too heavily on race when they drew a second majority-black congressional district last year. A group of black voters sued after the legislature created only one such district, even though about one-third of Louisiana’s population is black.

During oral arguments, the Court’s six conservative justices appeared ready to limit how the Voting Rights Act can be used to require race-based districts.

NAACP attorney Jana Nelson claimed her opponents’ arguments …

NELSON: …seek a staggering reversal of precedent that would throw maps across the country into chaos.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh questioned whether race should remain a long-term factor in redistricting:

KAVANAUGH: That day should not be, uh, indefinite and should, uh, have an endpoint.

The Court’s eventual ruling could reshape congressional maps across the South.

Alaska storms drive 1,500 from their homes » Officials in Alaska are rushing to find housing for more than 1,500 people from tiny coastal villages devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher reports:

BENJAMIN EICHER: The remote location and severe damage are limiting their options as they race against other impending storms and the onset of winter.

High winds and storm surge seawater battered low-lying, isolated Alaska Native communities over the weekend.

One resident of Kotlik, Alaska said she was thankful her family made it through safely.

RESIDENT: My daughter woke me up at seven. She goes, mom, look out your window. There's a look at this house outside. So we got up and looked and it was all back flipped over.

EICHER: The Coast Guard plucked two dozen people from their homes after the structures floated off their foundations in high water. Three people were reported missing or dead.

And hundreds of people were staying in school shelters.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: international attention returns to the war in Ukraine. Plus, ethical alternatives to IVF.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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