Tuesday morning news: October 21, 2025

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Gaza phase two / Israel latest » Vice President JD Vance is set to meet with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem today to push forward the next phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.

The vice president told reporters this is going to be complicated.

VANCE: I mean, the, the best case scenario, meaning if this thing act absolutely produces that sustainable long-term piece that the president, and I hope that it will, there are gonna be fits and starts.

Vance’s visit comes a day after two of President Trump’s top envoys traveled to Israel to help shore up the ceasefire … after deadly weekend violence gave the fragile truce its first major test.

Spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Shosh Bedrosian:

BEDROSIAN:  Terrorists carried out an attack of multiple shootings, including an RPG and arm fire in multiple positions killing two of our IDF soldiers.

Israel later said it resumed enforcing the ceasefire … and Hamas claims it is also dedicated to the truce.

Bedrosian also noted that Hamas has still yet to hand over the remains of more than a dozen deceased Israeli hostages.

The group, however, did turn over one more body on Monday … for a total of 13 since the ceasefire began.

Gaza man arrested » Federal prosecutors say a Gaza man accused of taking part in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel has been arrested in Louisiana. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: Investigators say 33-year-old Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi joined Hamas fighters who stormed southern Israel in 20-23, attacking the community of Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

The FBI says his phone data placed him near the village during the assault.

Al-Muhtadi entered the U.S. about a year later after lying on his visa application and hiding ties to militant groups.

Federal agents tracked him down in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he was working at a restaurant.

Authorities say he’s now behind bars and could face charges including visa fraud and supporting a foreign terrorist organization.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

China trade » At the White House, President Trump voiced cautious optimism about reaching a trade deal with China. The president is set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month.

Trump told reporters that when his predecessors held office, Beijing took advantage of the United States:

TRUMP:  They would take hundreds of billions and even trillions of dollars out of the country and they would spend it and build their military. Now they're treating us with great respect. Now we'll see what happens. I said if we don't make a deal, I'm putting on an additional a hundred percent on November 1st. Uh, I think we'll make a deal.

Trump touted his good relationship with Xi Jinping and suggested a fair trade agreement is possible.

Trump’s tariff threat came after China unexpectedly tightened export controls on its rare-earth minerals. Some White House officials framed that as a heavy-handed power move on Beijing’s part.

Those minerals are critical for high-tech manufacturing, and China controls much of the world’s supply.

Albanese at White House, minerals deal » With that in mind, the president welcomed a key Western ally to Washington on Monday:

TRUMP:  Thank you very much. It's great to have the Prime Minister of Australia.

President Trump hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House where the two leaders signed a major agreement on rare-earth-minerals.

The deal secures a steady supply of Australian-mined rare earth minerals for American defense and commercial uses.

Albanese called it a strategically important deal:

ALBANESE:  Not just digging things up and exporting them, but how do we make sure that we have across the supply chains, uh, with our friends being able to benefit, seize those opportunities.

It marks a limited but meaningful step toward reducing dependence on China.

Trump and Albanese also discussed a range of other issues.

TRUMP:  We're here to talk about trade, uh, submarines. Lots of other military equipment. They're big orders of our great military equipment. We have the best equipment anywhere in the world by far.

They also discussed the AUKUS security pact, that is a security agreement between the US, the UK, and Australia.

Potential mass shooting halted at Atlanta Hartsfield » Authorities in Atlanta say a potential mass shooting was thwarted at the world’s busiest airport.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens:

DICKENS: Lives could have been lost today because an individual came into Hartsfield-Jackson after being reported coming out of Cartersville, Georgia that had mental challenges.

Officials said 49-year-old Billy Joe Cagle had described his plan to carry out an attack at the airport during a social media livestream.

And Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum says the man's family notified Cartersville police, who relayed the information to his department.

SCHIERBAUM:  We have charged Mr. Cagle with account of terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assaults.

The suspect faces multiple other charges.

Police arrested Schierbaum Monday in the domestic flights terminal. Officers say they found a high-powered rifle and ammunition in Cagle's pickup truck

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the bumpy road to Middle East peace. Plus, how some courts are hesitant to overturn ordinances that limit religious freedom.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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