Israeli hostages freed by Hamas as Gaza peace plan holds

Summary

Apple News Today — Episode Summary

Episode: Israeli hostages freed by Hamas as Gaza peace plan holds

Host: Shumita Basu
Date: October 13, 2025

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Overview

This episode delivers an in-depth update on the major news headlines of the day. Topping the agenda: the historic release of Israeli hostages by Hamas as part of a newly brokered Gaza ceasefire, developments in the ongoing U.S. government shutdown—including the mass layoffs of federal workers—and a closer look at recent protests in Portland and Chicago, particularly how they're being portrayed and policed. The episode also touches on a tragic mass shooting in South Carolina, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Carina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize win, and the passing of actress Diane Keaton.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Release

(00:34–03:24)

• Historic Release:

  • All 20 remaining living Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas after two years in captivity.
  • The return was celebrated by tens of thousands in Tel Aviv at Hostages Square.
  • The bodies of 28 deceased hostages will be released later, as Hamas cites the need for more time to locate their remains.

• Terms of the Deal:

  • Israel agreed to release 250 Palestinians from its prisons and 1,700 detained in Gaza since the start of hostilities.
  • U.S. troops landed to coordinate the transition, monitor humanitarian aid and help facilitate the move toward civilian government in Gaza.
  • A major influx of humanitarian supplies—600 trucks with aid—entered Gaza on Sunday.

• Diplomatic Developments:

  • President Trump visited Israel directly after the hostage handover, meeting with families and addressing parliament.
  • Trump called it “a great and beautiful day, a new beginning” (Shumita Basu, 00:57).

• The Road Ahead:

  • Anat Peled (Wall Street Journal) described Trump’s approach: “Trump announced a victory and the teams, you know, hadn't even finished working. But...first work out that there’s a deal, the big picture, and then the details come later.” (Anat Peled, 01:41)
  • The second phase will involve determining Gaza’s future government and the disarmament of Hamas—questions both sides avoided for now.
  • Peled commented, “They saw it was this kind of, it was toxic, the can of worms that they didn't want to open yet.” (Anat Peled, 02:51)

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2. U.S. Government Shutdown and Mass Layoffs

(03:24–07:24)

• Mass Layoffs:

  • President Trump started firing thousands of federal workers, targeting over 4,000 across at least seven departments including Treasury, HHS, Education, and HUD.
  • The administration’s cuts focus on “Democrat programs.”
  • Senator Lindsey Graham (Cabinet meeting): "We'll be making cuts that will be permanent and we're only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you." (Senator Lindsey Graham, 04:05)

• Impact and Challenges:

  • Unions sued to stop layoffs during the shutdown; some agencies had to rehire staff due to operational failures.
  • At the CDC, hundreds had dismissals rescinded—some were elite disease specialists.
  • Federal workers marked their first week with no pay; 1.4 million missed October paychecks.
  • Service members may also miss pay, with Trump requesting Pentagon funds be redirected to cover military payroll.

• Effects on Services:

  • IRS helplines are closed; FAA staffing shortages triggered thousands of flight delays nationwide.
  • Mark Kelly (Senator, D-AZ) emphasized urgency: “Their health care is running towards a cliff and if we don't fix this, it's going to go right over it.” (Mark Kelly, 06:23)
  • Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) stayed firm: "I'm not going to vote to extend these subsidies. It costs $350 billion...but not with the government shut down." (Lindsey Graham, 06:45)

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3. Protests and National Guard Deployments in Portland and Chicago

(07:27–11:56)

• Legal and On-the-Ground Developments:

  • A federal appeals court upheld a block on deploying National Guard troops to Chicago streets, though troops remain federalized.
  • 500 total Texas and Illinois National Guard members remain activated; the administration plans to continue legal fights for deployment.

• Recent Protest Dynamics:

  • Protests clustered near ICE facilities in Portland and the Broadview suburb of Chicago.
  • Police in Portland used pepper balls and tear gas on protesters—but no arrests.
  • The size and energy of Portland protests are much reduced compared to previous years.
  • Xusia Ellenson (Wall Street Journal) explained, “If you talk to locals, they barely even notice them because they've been contained to sort of one city block…” (Narrator/Reporter, 09:02)
  • Police reports described recent Portland events as “having little to no energy,” with federal security showing little concern.

• Competing Narratives:

  • The Trump administration claims facilities are “under siege.”
  • Ellenson notes some of Trump’s perceptions draw on Fox News footage from Portland’s far more intense and violent 2020 protests.
  • "During that first week of September, you have like 20 protesters outside the facility. Maybe you have eight, maybe you have 15. It's just a very, very small group." (Narrator/Reporter, 10:05)
  • The memory of 2020’s unrest has shifted city and public perception, muting both support for and the scale of protests this year.

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4. In Brief: Other Major Stories

(11:56–13:55)

• South Carolina Mass Shooting:

  • Four dead, 20 injured at Willie's Bar and Grill during a high school reunion; motive unknown.

• Nobel Peace Prize:

  • Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Carina Machado honored, pointing to Venezuela's democracy movement.

• Diane Keaton’s Passing:

  • Iconic actress died at 79; remembered for her humor, style, and legendary roles.
  • Memorable quote from Keaton: "I always was attracted to it since I can remember...I always shined under those conditions or I certainly felt good until it was over and then I felt guilty." (Diane Keaton, 13:37)
  • Goldie Hawn’s tribute: "You never liked praise so humble, but now you can't tell me to shut up, honey, there was and will be no one like you." (Shemitah Basu, 13:55)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Anat Peled (Wall Street Journal):
  "What Trump thought and his idea was that basically first work out the victory. It's very business deal, like, you know, first work out that there's a deal, the big picture, and then the details come later." (01:41)

• On Layoffs:
  “We'll be making cuts that will be permanent and we're only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you.” — Senator Lindsey Graham (04:05)

• On Health Care Stalemate:
  “Their health care is running towards a cliff and if we don't fix this, it's going to go right over it.” — Senator Mark Kelly (06:23)

• On Portland Protests:
  "If you talk to locals, they barely even notice them because they've been contained to sort of one city block..." — Xusia Ellenson (09:02)

• Diane Keaton (BBC, 1977):
  “I always was attracted to it since I can remember… I always shined under those conditions or I certainly felt good until it was over and then I felt guilty.” (13:37)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Gaza Hostage Release & Ceasefire: 00:34–03:24
• US Government Shutdown & Layoffs: 03:24–07:24
• National Guard & Protests in Portland/Chicago: 07:27–11:56
• Other News (SC Shooting, Nobel, Diane Keaton): 11:56–13:55

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This episode encapsulates a turning point in Middle East diplomacy, ongoing domestic turmoil in American governance, and the contrasting reality versus media narratives around civil unrest. It also offers moments of tribute and global recognition, balancing hard news with voices of remembrance and resilience.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning. It's Monday, October 13th. I'm Shemitah Basu, this is Apple News today. On today's show, hostages are released from Gaza in the first phase of the ceasefire deal. The government shutdown drags on with no end in sight and how police reports describe protests in Portland over the last month.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Foreign.

[Shemitah Basu]

Let'S start with the ceasefire deal in Gaza. In the early hours of this morning, all 20 of the remaining living Israeli hostages were released by Hamas after two years of captivity. In Tel Aviv, tens of thousands of people gathered at Hostages Square to watch a live stream and celebrate. The bodies of about 28 hostages who died will be released at a later date as Hamas says it needs more time to locate their remains. And Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinians from Israeli prisons and 1700 Palestinians who've been detained in Gaza since the start of the conflict. Within hours of the hostage handover, President Trump landed in Israel, where he met with hostages families before addressing the Israeli parliament, calling this a quote, great and beautiful day, a new beginning. Anat Peled with the Wall Street Journal spoke to us from Tel Aviv yesterday. She said Trump successfully managed to apply pressure to both sides to get to this point.

[Anat Peled]

Trump announced a victory and the teams, you know, hadn't even finished working. But what Trump thought and his idea was that basically first work out the victory. It's very business deal, like, you know, first work out that there's a deal, the big picture, and then the details come later.

[Shemitah Basu]

As part of the first phase, US Troops arrived on Thursday in coordination with an international group supporting the ceasefire efforts. Those troops are expected to monitor the increased flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and facilitate the transition to a civilian government. Israeli authorities say 600 trucks carrying supplies entered Gaza on Sunday.

[Anat Peled]

They will include food, but also medical equipment and shelter supplies. There's also going to be essential equipment coming in for repair of critical infrastructure. Trucks are going to be able to move more freely, and they already are actually in certain areas that the IDF.

[Shemitah Basu]

Has evacuated from on Trump's trip to the region. He also plans to attend a peace summit in Egypt where parties will discuss the next steps of the deal. While many are relieved and optimistic to celebrate what may be the end of a tragic and deadly chapter, Pelet told us there are difficult decisions to be made.

[Anat Peled]

The second part of the plan involves governance for Gaza. It involves the idea of disarming Hamas, and that is going to be a lot trickier. And there's still a lot of gaps between the two sides. And one of the things that's interesting is that in the negotiations for the first stage of this deal, the sides decided not to touch that. They saw it was this kind of, it was toxic, the can of worms that they didn't want to open yet. And so that's going to have to be opened.

[Shemitah Basu]

As the government shutdown continues, President Trump has begun to follow through on his promise to fire thousands federal workers. On Friday, the administration began mass layoffs targeting more than 4,000 government employees across at least seven major departments. Notices began rolling out over the weekend at the Treasury, HHS Education and hud, among others. The administration's plans were revealed in court filings. Unions representing federal workers sued just before the shutdown began to stop layoffs from happening while the government is closed. Trump had said the layoffs would be targeted at Democratic priorities. Here he is in a Cabinet meeting last week.

[Senator Lindsey Graham]

We'll be making cuts that will be.

[Jessica Riedel]

Permanent and we're only going to cut.

[Senator Lindsey Graham]

Democrat programs, I hate to tell you.

[Jessica Riedel]

I guess that makes sense, but we're.

[Shemitah Basu]

Only cutting Democrat programs, jessica Riedel, a senior fellow at the conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute, however, told npr. Despite the dramatic nature of the layoff numbers, there's reason to believe this was part of many agencies plans dating back to the Doge days when they were in encouraged to propose future slashes to their workforce.

[Jessica Riedel]

There's a lot of people in the government right now who were pretty sure their jobs were going to be eliminated six months ago, but are still employed by the federal government. And there's hundreds of billions of dollars in spending savings that were promised earlier in the year that never occurred.

[Shemitah Basu]

NPR also notes that as the push to cut down the federal workforce has gone on for months, several departments have had to rehire laid off staffers because they couldn't perform basic functions. Meanwhile, at the cdc, hundreds of employees, some scientists and elite disease detectives working on outbreak response for things like measles and Ebola in Africa had their dismissals rescinded over the weekend. The administration said that they were notified by mistake. Federal workers who are still employed will mark their first week without pay as checks were not sent out for October work to about 1.4 million furloughed and essential workers. At the end of last week, one furloughed NIH worker told the Washington Post he was stocking up on food pantry supplies because it's unknown how long he'll be without a paycheck. Service members might also feel the pinch, as they too could be subject to missing pay. Yesterday, President Trump asked the Pentagon to repurpose funding for research and development so that the money could be used to make payroll for military members set to miss their first paycheck this week. People who use government services are also starting to feel the impact. The IRS's taxpayer helplines have been closed, and FAA staffing shortages in places like Nashville, D.C. and Denver led to thousands of delayed flights nationwide. As for negotiations, Democrats who are holding out for an extension of Affordable Care act insurance subsidies remain dug in. Here's Arizona Senator Mark Kelly speaking on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday.

[Jessica Riedel]

We need a real negotiation and we need a fix. We need this corrected for the American people. This is for so many people. Their health care is running towards a cliff and if we don't fix this, it's going to go right over it.

[Shemitah Basu]

And here's Republican Senator Lindsey Graham speaking on the same program yesterday about Democrats demands.

[Senator Lindsey Graham]

I'm willing to vote to open the government up tomorrow. To my Democratic friends, I am not going to vote to extend these subsidies. It costs $350 billion. If you make over $400,000, you get subsidies for your. Let's have a rational discussion, but not with the government shut down. It's up to you. If you want to keep it shut down, fine. It's not going to change how I approach health care.

[Shemitah Basu]

The last government shutdown took place during Trump's first term and lasted 34 days, as the longest closing in US history. Congress is not in session today because of the Columbus Day holiday.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Foreign.

[Shemitah Basu]

Let'S turn now to the ongoing legal fights over the use of National Guard troops in Portland, Oregon and Chicago. On Saturday, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling barring National Guard troops from being deployed to Chicago streets. The court did allow the troops to remain federalized and under President Trump's control. 200 Texas National Guard members and 300 from Illinois remain activated. Vice President J.D. vance said on Sunday the administration will continue to fight to deploy Guard troops to Chicago. At least 15 people were arrested over the weekend as protesters clashed with authorities outside of an ice facility in the Broadview suburb of Chicago, which has become the center of protests in the area. Meanwhile, in Portland, federal authorities shot pepper balls and tear gas at protesters near an ice facility on Saturday, though no arrests were made. Last Thursday, the ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case over President Trump's attempt to deploy National Guard troops to the city. The state of Oregon sued, and a judge temporarily blocked troops from going into Portland. The court hasn't ruled, but appeared skeptical of the lower court's ruling. Blocking the deployment. President Trump has called Portland a crime ridden war zone, a characterization that local leaders say is not accurate. So the Wall Street Journal's Xusia Ellenson decided to take a close look at daily police reports in Portland in the month leading up to Trump's decision to deploy federal troops to try to understand how these ICE protests are being documented by law enforcement.

[Narrator/Reporter]

If you talk to locals, they barely even notice them because they've been contained to sort of one city block and they've been mainly around the ICE facility.

[Shemitah Basu]

Ellenson says that's a starkly different viewpoint than what's coming from Washington.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But the Trump administration is saying that the ICE facility there is under siege. That, you know, the protests are very violent and huge, and that's the reason they need to send troops in.

[Shemitah Basu]

Ellenson started by looking at reports from Labor Day last month.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There was a group of about 125 people that marched from a park to the ICE facility there. And when we read the police report, they described the crowd as having little to no energy. And then they said that a federal official who's in charge of security over there at the ICE building said he was, quote, not concerned about the group.

[Shemitah Basu]

He notes that the Labor Day protest did have some testy moments, and demonstrators even brought a makeshift guillotine, which intimidated some authorities. But overall, authorities said they weren't that worried about what was going on. And in the coming days, those protests dwindled.

[Narrator/Reporter]

During that first week of September, you have like 20 protesters outside the facility. Maybe you have eight, maybe you have 15. It's just a very, very small group. Nonetheless, on September 5, Trump is speaking to reporters and they ask him, where are you going to send troops next? And he says he might send them to Portland. And he says because what he's seeing in Portland is, quote, unbelievable. He calls it the destruction of the city.

[Shemitah Basu]

Images from protests over the weekend show demonstrators in various costumes, dressed as frogs, dinosaurs, even pickles. One person told the New York Times it was to, quote, contrast the narrative that we are violent extremists. Ellenson says Trump's view of what's happening in Portland might be based on a Fox News report that used footage from destructive protests in Portland in 2020 that took the city years to recover from. Those protests saw widespread damage and fires, mostly in the city's downtown area. Ellenson also notes that Trump issued his order to deploy troops last month after the deadly shooting at an ICE facility in Texas. So there may have been some desire to send additional protection to ICE facilities. Still, memories of those 2020 protests in Portland have impacted what's going on today.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It was very intense in 2020, but I think what those protests did in Portland, it really turned public sentiment against the demonstrations there. And so this time they've been far more mild and have not had the same level of public support up in Portland. And I think that's taken some of the wind out of the sails of the people protesting this time around. So they have not been as intense as in Los Angeles or in Chicago.

[Shemitah Basu]

Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. Four people are dead and 20 more were injured in a mass shooting at a bar in South Carolina early Sunday morning. Authorities say a large crowd was at Willie's Bar and Grill when shots rang out just before 1am at least 100 people are reported to have been at the bar, which was hosting a high school reunion. The police have not released a motive for the shooting, but say they are pursuing persons of interest. On Friday, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Carina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Venezuela has been in the throes of an economic, political and humanitarian crisis for years under the leadership of President Nicolas Maduro. The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum interviewed Machado, who was in hiding twice last year, and notes that her Nobel Prize comes as Venezuela is at the center of one of the world's most impressive grassroots democracy movements, despite the fact that, as Applebaum puts it, Americans are mostly familiar with stories about Venezuelan drugs and gangs. In accepting the award, Machado dedicated it to Venezuelans fighting for freedom and President Donald Trump, who publicly lobbied that the prize go to him. And finally, actor Diane Keaton died over the weekend at the age of 79, which came as a surprise to her many fans who've long associated her with her timeless, vibrant characters. Known for her unique fashion and comedic prowess, Keaton's 50 plus year career included marquee roles in the Godfather and Annie hall, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress. Here she is speaking to the BBC in 1977 about her love of performing.

[Diane Keaton]

I always was attracted to it since I can remember. You know, I was very attracted to being on stage or singing or being paid attention to. And I always shined under those conditions or I certainly felt good until it was over and then I felt guilty.

[Shemitah Basu]

Social media buzzed with news of her death, which also saw an outpouring of tributes from her colleagues in the industry, from Jane Fonda to Steve Martin to Goldie Hawn, who wrote, you never liked praise so humble, but now you can't tell me to shud up, honey, there was and will be no one like you. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Bloomberg Businessweek has the story of how 3M, the company behind the post. It has battled various lawsuits over its products, but is now looking to shed its toxic reputation with new C suite leadership. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News plus narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.