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Today is Thursday, October 2nd. We'll update you on the government shutdown that as of this morning has no end in sight. What's expected to happen next? Also, an unprecedented new deal for the US that could change the balance of power in the Middle East. But some are questioning the timing and the motives. Plus, we're looking back on the life and influence of Jane Goodall, explaining how Walmart Foods are getting a maha upgrade and catching up with the next generation of once extinct dire wolves. Those stories and even more news to know next. 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. The government shutdown is poised to last until at least tomorrow. Once again, proposals to end the shutdown failed in the Senate yesterday and and the Senate is not expected to be in session again until tomorrow. As for the House, it's not coming back until next week. Even then, Democratic leaders say they will not agree to reopen the government until at least some of their health care demands are met. Republican leaders say they're open to talking to Dems about health care, but won't negotiate as long as the government is closed. So with that, the way out is not exactly clear. And the White House is issuing new threats, saying layoffs will begin later this week. So far, it hasn't said exactly how many job cuts there will be, but one House Republican told the Wall Street Journal they will be consequential. The White House budget director also announced he was canceling billions of dollars in funding for New York infrastructure projects as well as energy projects in more than a dozen blue leaning states. Even more Democratic priorities could be on the chopping block. So what does all of this mean for the average American now and if the shutdown drags on even longer? We'll talk more about that later in this episode. For thing to know Thursday, President Trump is still trying to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, but now the nation's highest court says she can stay on at least until next year. The US Supreme Court ruled against Trump's emergency requests to remove Cook, but it also scheduled formal arguments to hear Trump's full case against her in January. The president says Cook needs to lose her job over allegations of mortgage fraud, but she says there's no truth to the fraud allegations and accuses Trump of just wanting to remove her so he can bring on a replacement who's more closely aligned with him. Cook has voted many times not to cut interest rates despite Trump's public pressure. Either way, Trump's actions are unprecedented for the independent agency. Before now, no president has ever tried to fire a Fed governor since Congress created the board in 1913. Now, both sides say they look forward to presenting their cases to the high court in January. Meanwhile, the Fed's next interest rate decision is set for later this month. President Trump has given an unprecedented security guarantee to Qatar. The conditions are actually similar to NATO's Article 5, saying the US will treat any armed attack on the Arab country as a threat to the U.S. and with that, the president will use all measures, including American military action, to defend Qatar. Now, keep in mind, this comes just three weeks after Israel launched a strike against Hamas officials in Qatar's capital, Doha, and a couple of days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for it. You may also remember Qatar came under fire in June when Iran launched missiles at the US Military installation there. Some critics think the American president promising security to Qatar could increase tensions in the Middle East. Others also question President Trump's motivation, since the Trump administration has business ties to Qatar and the country recently donated a luxury jet to the US For Trump to use as Air Force One. But the White House says the move will only make the region more stable and secure. It's looking more likely that Hamas rejects the peace deal President Trump proposed in hopes of ending the war in Gaza. One of the terror group's senior leaders told BBC it has issues with some of Trump's terms, specifically the demand that Hamas disarm and destroy all of its weapons, as well as an international stabilization force being sent into Gaza. But Arab mediators seem to be more optimistic, telling the Wall Street Journal the terror group is open to accepting conditions, just wants more time for negotiation and clarification. Those mediators are Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, and they've all urged Hamas to accept the deal, just as Israel has. Remember, other main points in Trump's deal include all Israeli hostages being released, more aid flowing into Gaza, and Israeli forces withdrawing from the battlefield over time. Trump has warned Hamas there will be grave consequences if it does not agree to this deal soon. Meanwhile, the fighting and humanitarian crisis continues in Gaza, and yesterday the Israeli military intercepted a fleet of ships bound for the territory that were full of food, water and medicine for civilians in Gaza. Hundreds of people from dozens of countries are involved, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, while Israel told them they were violating a naval blockade near an active combat zone and it offered other ways for the aid to enter Gaza. But organizers refused to hand the aid over to anyone other than civilians, so they were detained. Israel has called the whole thing a PR stunt meant for provocation, but the Israeli government has faced some international backlash since the boats were stopped, with protesters flooding the streets in a few different countries. The activists on the boats were transferred to Israel and are expected to be deported after Today's Yom Kippur holiday in Israel. As we mentioned, today is Yom Kippur. It's the holiest day of the year in Judaism, also known as the day of Atonement. It's when Jewish people reflect, pray, and ask for forgiveness for their sins. So it's observed, not necessarily celebrated, it lasts until sundown in Israel. It's a national holiday and almost all businesses are closed. Even though it's not a national holiday here in the US Many Jews will still take the day off from work and school and may go all day without eating or drinking. Many Jewish families and communities will gather before and after Yom Kippur to have festive meals, first in preparation to fast and then to break the fast. We have more news for you still coming up, but first, a quick break to talk about our sponsor. Most of us don't think about our livers until something's wrong, but the liver is quietly doing more than 500 jobs every single day. And get this, over 30% of Americans are said to have a sluggish liver and many don't even know it. That's where dose for your liver comes in. It's a natural, clinically supported way to promote liver health. One daily shot has the equivalent of 17 shots of turmeric juice and it's vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free. My husband and I both tried it and we were surprised at how good it tastes. Sometimes health shots can be kind of a chore, but this one is easy and it feels good knowing we're taking care of ourselves in such a simple way. In a clinical trial, dose lowered liver enzyme levels by 50% in more than 86% of participants. People who stick with it also report more energy, better digestion, less bloating, and even better sleep. Save 25% off your first month of subscription by going to DueDaily Co Newsworthy or entering the code newsworthy at checkout. That's dosedaily. D O S E D A I L Y co Newsworthy for 25% off your first month subscription. Now back to the news. Oscar winning actress and activist Jane Fonda has relaunched a free speech initiative first spearheaded by her father in the 1940s. Back then, Hollywood icon Henry Fonda backed the committee in response to the rise of McCarthyism, when people were blacklisted for their alleged ties to communism. Now, the new 21st century version of the organization put out a mission statement saying, quote, the federal government is once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, the media, the judiciary, academia, and the entertainment industry. We refuse to stand by and let that happen. Besides Jane Fonda, the statement was signed by nearly 600 other people in the entertainment industry. The White House doesn't seem too fazed by the new committee saying, quote, president Trump is a strong supporter of free speech and Democrat allegations to the contrary are so false they're laughable. Jane Fonda says the statement is just the committee's first act and there will be more to come. The world is saying goodbye to a groundbreaking scientist renowned for her immersive research of chimpanzees. Jane Goodall died at 91 years old. Chimpanzees seemed to accept her as one of their own, and for decades the public was fascinated by her familiarity with them, as well as her discoveries that showed just how much chimps are like humans. Goodall was also an activist until the very end, giving talks all around the world on conservation, climate change and animal behavior. She was the subject of more than 40 documentaries from national Geographic, Animal Planet, Disney, Nature and more. Many of them are available to watch now on streaming. Walmart is the latest company to announce big changes to its packaged foods. It's phasing out synthetic dyes and other food additives like some preservatives, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes from its store brands. Walmart says the goal is to change up about a thousand products, including salty snacks, baked goods, power drinks, salad dressings and more, all by January of 2027. Other companies have made similar announcements in recent months, like Kraft, Heinz, Nestle, Campbell's, Pepsi and more. As we've mentioned, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Has talked about cracking down on ultra processed foods and chemical additives, though at this point companies are making changes voluntarily. While RFK Jr. Is talking about actual regulations and enforcement in the future, Amazon is launching a new grocery brand for its more budget conscious customers. It's called Amazon Grocery. Most products are priced under $5 and it includes more than 1,000 items ranging from meat to fresh produce to snacks. It apparently unites Amazon Fresh and Happy Belly brands into one, plus adds to it. This comes after Aldi also recently announced a plan to rebrand a lot of its products as Aldi Originals and it's launching its first ever namesake brand. Walmart also had a new private food brand launch last year. This latest announcement from Amazon comes less than a week before the company's next prime Big Deal days eventually. So it's possible shoppers see even more grocery savings then. As of this week, it's been a full year since once extinct dire wolves were brought back to life or at least recreated. Remember a Texas based biotech company called Colossal Biosciences edited gray wolf DNA with the DNA from a 13,000-year-old Dire Wolf tooth and 72,000-year-old skull to make healthy new pups born to surrogate dog mothers. And now their first two dire wolf pups named Romulus and Remus have reached their first birthday. Colossal says they're healthy and have formed individually unique personalities, and this week they celebrated the occasion by presenting them with a cake from a luxury dog bakery. Some scientists have disagreed about whether the animals are true dire wolves, and other critics worry about the ethics here, saying Colossal is trying to play God. So we caught up with Colossal to ask them about those concerns, talk about the new dire wolves and and learn about their plans for more ancient species. That's last weekend's Special Edition episode. You can find it in your podcast feed from a few days ago. Well, that's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Thing To Know Thursday. But first, this episode is sponsored by Trade Coffee. Coffee is a morning ritual I don't skip. It's comforting, delicious and like a little treat just for me each day. And with Trade Coffee, the experience is taken up a notch. Trade works with more than 50 local roasters to deliver beans that are roasted to order and shipped straight to my door. The difference is instant, the aroma when you open the bag, the flavor in every cup. It's just not something you can get from standard grocery store coffee. And because they curate options for both hot and cold brew, we can enjoy it no matter the season. No wonder trade is the number one coffee destination in the us. What I love most is that the subscription takes the guesswork out of it. Trade learns your tastes and matches you with beans you'll love. And if something misses the mark, they'll replace it for free until they get it right. So for us, it's become a simple, delicious upgrade to our everyday routine that we really enjoy quality coffee at home. Right now, trade is offering 50% off a one month trial at drinktrade.comnewsworthy that's drinktrade.comnewsworthy to get 50% off half off a one month trial. Drinktrade.comnewsworthy now back to Thing to Know Thursday, Americans are being told to brace for what could be a long term government shutdown. The last one lasted more than a month and cost the U.S. economy about $3 billion almost seven years later. Now, how much of American life really gets upended depends on how long this one lasts. We've already told you as many as 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day and sent home without pay. Many essential workers will have to keep working without pay until the government reopens, and then they'll get back pay. TSA agents and air traffic controllers are among those considered essential and have to keep working without paying. And last time, many TSA officers called in sick, leading to closed checkpoints and longer lines. A shortage of air traffic controllers delayed travel across the East Coast. Military personnel on active duty also have to keep working without pay, and some VA benefits will be delayed. The nation's top cyber defense agency is mostly furloughed. Same with Wall street regulators, even though the stock market is still running. Food assistance will continue for people already signed up, but people won't be able to enroll until the government reopens. Buildings at national parks like visitors centers are closed. As far as federal student loans go, borrowers are expected to keep making payments, but staff are furloughed, so it's hard to get questions answered. And that's just a fraction of everything that's being impacted by the way President Trump and members of Congress are still getting their paychecks, but some have asked that their pay be withheld until the government reopens. Thank you so much for listening today. Please be sure to share the show if you found it helpful. We'll catch you up on more news to know tomorrow. Until then, have a great day.
