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Food Aid Fight, Monster Hurricane & Dr. Seuss Comeback - Wednesday, October 29, 2025
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Today is Wednesday, October 29th. What to know about one of the strongest hurricanes in the Atlantic ever from the damage so far to where it's headed next. And another test of the Israel Gaza ceasefire. Also, millions of Americans are just days away from losing food benefits, what more than two dozen states are now asking a judge to do. Plus, which well known company saw one of the biggest workforce reductions since the pandemic? What newly released ChatGPT data says about users mental health and how Dr. Seuss is back with a new book decades after his death. Those stories and even more news coming up. Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun and on the go. I'm Erica. Mandy, thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this. Hurricane Melissa is once again gaining strength as it closes in on Cuba. As we published this morning, Cuba is getting heavy rain and strong winds and landfall is expected to happen at any minute as a Category 4 storm already, Melissa made a historic landfall in Jamaica as one of the strongest Category 5 hurricanes on record, even stronger than Katrina. It was spinning with sustained 185 mile an hour winds. But it's not clear exactly how much damage was done. Forecasters and government officials say they worry there's flash flooding and deadly landslides. But communications are limited and nearly 900,000 people were ordered to evacuate ahead of the storm. So it's hard to know for sure. And in the days to come, Jamaica and Cuba are both expected to face severe public health effects, including disrupted healthcare, contaminated water, disease outbreaks and more. President Trump says the US Is prepared to help, though budget cutbacks and lower than usual donations will mean less food for aid agencies like the World Food Program. After Hurricane Melissa moves past Cuba, forecasters expect it to take aim at the Bahamas later today than Bermuda by tomorrow night. As of this morning, it still looks like the US Will be spared. Two weeks into a fragile truce and Gaza is once again facing a barrage of attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized strikes after accusing the terror group Hamas of violating the American brokered ceasefire. Specifically, Israel says Hamas returned remains that did not belong to any of the hostages still unaccounted for. A military official also said Hamas attacked Israeli troops, though the terror group insists that never happened. Hospitals in Gaza say yesterday's Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people, including children. President Trump responded to the flare up in violence saying, quote, nothing's going to jeopardize the ceasefire. Now Netanyahu is considering what to do next. And one of the options is to reoccupy territory, but his government says it's still in constant contact with the US So to be continued. The largest ever police raid in recent Rio de Janeiro was also the most deadly. It happened yesterday in an effort to crack down on organized crime, specifically one international criminal group allegedly involved in drug trafficking, violence and extortion. The raid involved more than 2,500 military and civilian police personnel. But during the operation, authorities say gang members attacked officers using drones armed with grenades and a gun. Battle broke out on the ground. Four officers and at least 60 civilians were killed. 81 people were also arrested. Some people see all of this as an attempt from the state governor to score political points with President Trump on the issue of organized crime. Speaking of which, the Trump administration is still using its own approach in the waters surrounding South America. The US Launched strikes on four more supposed drug running boats in the eastern Pacific yesterday. Fourteen people were killed. One survived. President Trump says he has legal authority to carry out these strikes since he designated drug cartels as terrorist organizations. But the leaders of a few different countries as well as lawmakers here in the US have asked the Trump administration for more information. Once Again, for the 13th time now, the US Senate failed to pass a Republican backed funding bill to end the government shutdown and no new Democrats voted in favor of advancing it. So the shutdown is now on day 29. And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says he sees it lasting at least until next month. And that means hundreds of thousands of federal workers missing more paychecks and programs running out of money like those that offer early childhood education, air service to rural communities, and food assistance. A coalition of Democrat led states sued the Trump administration just yesterday for not using emergency funds to keep food aid afloat. So they want a judge to force its hand. On the other side, the GOP argues the Dems are the ones to blame for the shutdown, so they're the ones to blame for the loss of benefits. There's a hearing in that case set for tomorrow. So what's next? Well, at a policy lunch yesterday, Senate Republicans talked about the possibility of using more narrow bills to extend food benefits as well as pay troops and air traffic controllers. But reports say Vice President Vance shut down that idea, saying it would weaken Republicans bargaining power, though he also insisted military members would keep getting paid. Meanwhile, the Dems are working on their own measure to extend food assistance, which is also expected to fail. Obamacare premiums will spike for millions of Americans enrolling in 2026 coverage when open enrollment starts on Saturday, as we've been telling you, those health insurance costs are the issue. Democrats are sticking to demanding negotiations with Republicans before agreeing to reopen the government. Republicans still say open the government first and then they'll negotiate. Stay tuned. All right, we have much more news for you still coming up. But first, let's take a quick break. The newsworthy is brought to you by Oneskin. As the seasons change, a lot of people deal with seasonal shedding. That extra hair you might find in your brush or shower drain when the air gets cooler and drier out. It's a normal cycle, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it. That's where OneSkin's OS1 hair comes in. It's a lightweight scalp serum powered by their patented OS1 peptide, scientifically proven to target aging at the cellular level. In clinical studies, participants saw on average a 43% increase in hair thickness and a 40% increase in hair density after. I appreciate that. OneSkin's team of PhD scientists built this formula with the same rigor behind their award winning skin and sun care, which I also love. And now it's bringing that same science to our scalps. Born from over 10 years of longevity research, OneSkin's OS1 peptide is proven to target the cells that cause the visible signs of aging. So your scalp and your hair stay healthy now. And as you age, go to Oneskin Co Hair and use the code newsworthy for 15% off your first order. That's OneSkin Co Hair and use the code Newsworthy. After your purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. So please support our show and tell them we sent you. Now back to the news. The White House has now fired all of the people in charge of overseeing President Trump's ambitious construction projects. Congress established the Commission of fine arts in 1910 to advise the president on the strict rules of urban planning in the nation's capital and historical preservation, and is expected to oversee Trump's building proposals, including his new White House ballroom. Then yesterday, the Trump administration told all six members they were losing their jobs. Several reports cite sources who say the White House plans to bring in a new slate of members who are more aligned with Trump's policies. Already over the summer, the Trump administration also fired Biden era appointees from the National Capital Planning Commission, which also reviews White House construction projects. Trump allies now make up most of that board, including its chairman, who's also a Trump staff secretary. Remember just last week, construction crews demolished the entire east wing of the White House to make room for the ballroom which hasn't actually been signed off on yet. Trump has also spoken about creating a new arch near the Lincoln Memorial. House Republicans put out a long anticipated report on former President Biden's fitness for duty and the legitimacy of his actions while he was in office. The House Oversight Committee has been investigating whether Biden's mental state declined to a point that let other unelected White House officials move ahead on policies without him realizing it. And now GOP members say that's exactly what happened, that they found no record that Biden approved certain executive actions and pardons, and that report says the committee sees any action taken with autopen as void. Auto pen refers to the device presidents use to replicate their signatures. Now, to be clear, the committee does not have the power to undo executive actions. Instead, it sent a letter asking the Justice Department to investigate. It also sent a letter to the D.C. medical board asking it to investigate Biden's personal physician for being involved in a cover up, though the Democrats on the oversight Committee put out a separate report saying the testimony they heard from witnesses does not support the GOP conclusion and that in fact, Biden administration officials repeatedly said the former president did approve each executive action authorized during his administration, as well as every pardon and every use of the auto pen. Biden's spokesperson responded similarly, saying, quote, there was no conspiracy, no cover up and no wrongdoing. This whole theory is the same as what we've heard from the Trump administration. Trump even put a framed photo of an auto pen in place of Biden's portrait as part of a new presidential portrait series at the White House. OpenAI shared some concerning data about how many ChatGPT users are struggling with mental health issues. It says more than a million People talk to ChatGPT about suicide every week. The company says a similar number of users show heightened levels of emotional attachment to ChatGPT, and that hundreds of thousands of people show signs of psychosis or mania in their weekly conversations with the chatbot. And that confirms what critics have said, including families who accuse ChatGPT of fueling their loved ones delusions and paranoia. Granted, ChatGPT has more than 800 million weekly active users these days, so OpenAI points out that the issues are relatively rare. Still, it says it's been working to improve how its AI responds to users in crisis. Chatbots are also advancing in other ways, like into the worlds of shopping and business. PayPal is partnering with OpenAI to bring the first digital wallet directly into ChatGPT, meaning users will soon be able to buy things right through the AI tool itself. It's part of OpenAI's growing push into e commerce, and PayPal CEO Alex Kriss told CNBC the deal means buyers and sellers will get the same protections they're used to, including package tracking, dispute resolution and fraud safeguards. He called it a whole new paradigm for shopping as ChatGPT begins turning its AI agents into personal shoppers that can find and buy products for users. But not everyone's convinced. Tech watchers warn that blending AI chat with shopping could lead to impulse buying or raise new privacy questions. Still, for PayPal, the move could make it a key player in what many see as the next frontier of online Commerce. A new Dr. Seuss book is on the way the legendary children's book author actually died 35 years ago, but a new manuscript was just discovered this year and yesterday the publishing company Penguin Random House announced it's getting the book ready for release. It's called Sing the 50 United States, meant to teach readers all the state names and it features the cat and the hat. The original Dr. Seuss did not ever publish it, but he did finish the manuscript and the COVID and left notes on the overall art direction. So an artist created new illustrations in the Dr. Seuss style. Now the plan is to put the book out next summer, just in time for America's 250th anniversary. It's available now for pre order. And that's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Work Wednesday when we break down one interesting career or work related news story every Wednesday. But first a quick break for our sponsor. Do you ever think about your liver health? We all know our liver is important, but I didn't realize it's responsible for over 500 functions and is the second largest organ in the body. It's like your body's filter, helping process what you eat and drink, storing vitamins and minerals and even impacting your energy levels and sleep quality. 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Just yesterday, UPS announced it had cut 48,000 jobs so far this year. That's one of the largest single year reductions an American company has made since the pandemic. Most of the cuts impacted drivers and warehouse workers. Thousands were also cut in management roles. Of course, the shipping giant is not the only big company letting workers go. Amazon, Target, Nestle, ConocoPhillips, Intel, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble and others have all gone through downsizing recently, and the trend is not expected to end here. Some have blamed rising costs from new tariffs or shifts in customer spending. Others cite corporate restructuring or the need to redirect money into artificial intelligence. And then, of course, there's the federal government that's been laying off thousands of workers since January. Even in parts of the economy that are not cutting back, analysts say many businesses are in a no hire, no fire standstill, and that makes it hard for unemployed people to find anything new. So the long term jobless rate is at its highest in more than three years. The Federal Reserve is expected to consider all of this when it makes its next interest rate decision later today. Thank you so much for listening today and for sharing the show. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest. Until then, have a great day.