Thursday morning news: October 2, 2025

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

Government shutdown latest » There is no end in sight to the partial government shutdown.

The Senate voted once more Wednesday on a measure to fund the government temporarily and end the shutdown.

But the tally was the same as a failed vote the night before.

AUDIO:  On this vote, the yeas are 55 and the nays are 45. Three-fifths of the Senate duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmation, the motion is not agreed to.

Republicans offered a clean stopgap bill to keep funding into November. But Democrats demanded policy add-ons, including Obamacare tax credits and rollbacks to parts of what President Trump called his “one big beautiful bill.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats do not intend to back down.

JEFFRIES:  House Democrats and Senate Democrats remain, uh, consistent and in lockstep in defense of the healthcare of the American people. And that's not gonna change.

Republican Sen. Steve Daines is urging his Democratic colleagues to support the temporary funding bill:

DAINES:  It is passed the house. We have bipartisan support in the Senate. Five more Democrats and we'll have this and then we can get back to negotiating.

A quick correction: On Wednesday we reported that two Democrats joined all 53 Senate Republicans in voting for the stopgap funding bill. In fact, one Republican — Kentucky’s Rand Paul — voted no. And Independent Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with the Democrats, voted yes.”

Hamas members arrested in Germany » No answer from Hamas yet to a20-point Gaza peace plan that the White House put forward this week. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters:

LEAVITT:  I can, uh, tell you that there are some very sensitive discussions that are taking place, but I certainly don't wanna get ahead of any announcement at this podium. Uh, I'm gonna let, uh, special Envoy Whitcoff and the president of the United States handle that.

Meantime, in Brussels, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that authorities arrested three alleged members of Hamas in a coordinated raid in several cities.

DORBRINDT: [Speaking German]

He said “today we have succeeded in averting a terrorist threat.” He added that “Terrorists affiliated with Hamas had been making detailed plans to carry out attacks in Germany.”

Authorities believe the men were plotting against Jewish targets and had weapons and ammunition in their possession at the time of their arrest.

The suspects are set to appear in court today.

Hamas claims it has no connection to the three suspects.

Israel latest » And in the Middle East today, Israel is recognizing one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar. WORLD's Travis Kircher reports from Jerusalem.

TRAVIS KIRCHER: The streets of downtown Jerusalem are normally bustling with traffic and squealing breaks. But last night, they sounded like this:

SOUND: [Streets on Yom Kippur]

KIRCHER: The roads closed shortly after sundown Wednesday in honor of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

Joseph Shulam is founder of Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry...

SHULAM: We fast and pray all day long. From the morning till about 6 at night. So it's a very intense day because none of us eat or drink for 25 hours.

KIRCHER: Last night Shulam addressed a special Yom Kippur gathering at a Messianic congregation in Jerusalem. He spoke from Leviticus 16 about Old Testament sacrifices...but said since then God provided a new means of atonement.

SHULAM: Well we have Yeshua. God took our sins and transferred it not to a goat, but to His son. And that's very significant for us.

KIRCHER: The holiday comes as Israel intensifies its offensive in Gaza City. Yesterday Israel's defense minister said anyone still there must leave the area immediately. He called it their last opportunity, and said from this point forward, anyone remaining inside the city “will be considered a terrorist.”

Reporting for WORLD, I'm Travis Kircher in Jerusalem.

EU leaders consider using Russian assets to fund Ukraine loan » European Union leaders are weighing a plan to provide long-term financial and military support to Ukraine using hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen:

LEYEN:  We have to increase the pressure on Russia, and this is why I have proposed reparation loans for Ukraine on the basis of the immobilized Russian assets.

She said the EU would not be confiscating the assets, and that Ukraine would have to pay back the loan if Russia pays reparations.

The Kremlin, of course, does not like the idea.

PESKOV: [Speaking Russian]

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the EU is scheming to—his words “illegally confiscate Russian property,” which he called “theft.”

The biggest pot of ready funds is held in Belgium, and amount to nearly $230 billion dollars.

Louisiana Planned Parenthood » Planned Parenthood is out of business in the state of Louisiana. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher reports:

BENJAMIN EICHER: The nation’s largest abortion provider says it has shut down its two Louisiana locations.

Governor Jeff Landry celebrated the closures, calling them a victory for women and children.

Planned Parenthood also closed its Houston facility — described by Students for Life as the largest abortion site in North America.

Those closures add to a growing list: multiple clinics in California, Ohio, Michigan, and Minnesota have also shut their doors this year.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Philippines earthquake update » In the Philippines, rescuers continue a frantic search for survivors from a powerful earthquake. Crews digging through debris with tractors and jackhammers.

Army troops, police and civilian volunteers have also been carrying out house-to-house searches.

SOUND: [Searching houses in the Philippines]

The 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit a central region of the Philippines on Tuesday night.

The death toll has risen to at least 69 and is expected to rise further.

Jane Goodall obituary » Jane Goodall has died. She was a British primatologist renowned for her discoveries in chimpanzee field research.

The evolutionary anthropologist also founded the James Goodall Institute, which promotes wildlife research and conservation.

Goodall is best remembered for living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago.

She documented the animals using tools and doing other activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans. She also noted their distinct personalities.

The institute said Jane Goodall died of natural causes in California. She was 91 years old.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the search for a cause, the HHS eyes Tylenol and other potential autism factors. Plus, how a 5th grade teacher can change much more than a student’s life.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.