Gaza Ceasefire Reached, Shutdown Day 9, Chicago National Guard

Summary

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Up First – Summary, October 9, 2025

Episode Overview

Today's "Up First" episode covers three major U.S. and international news stories:

1. A ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, with hostage exchanges on the table and President Trump's direct involvement.
2. Ongoing U.S. federal government shutdown, now in its ninth day, with no agreement between Democratic and Republican leaders.
3. The deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops outside Chicago as President Trump escalates immigration enforcement, igniting legal fights and fear among residents.

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1. Gaza Ceasefire Deal Announced

(Segment: 00:02 – 06:02)

Key Points

• Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phases of a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The deal is contingent upon a mutual hostage exchange.
• The agreement, heavily brokered with U.S. (President Trump and envoys), Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish mediation, marks a tentative pause in hostilities but does not end the war outright.
• Terms include:
  • Hamas releasing all living hostages (20 people) within 72 hours of signing.
  • Israel partially withdrawing troops to lines described in the "Trump plan" (still deep inside Gaza).
  • Israel releasing 2,000 Palestinian detainees, including all women and children from Gaza, and up to 250 prisoners serving life sentences.
  • Increased humanitarian aid will be let into Gaza.
• Sticking points remain for subsequent phases.

On-the-Ground Reactions

• In Gaza, relief is mixed with skepticism and ongoing trauma.
  • Quote: “We hope it will happen, … and that our lives can return to how they were. … This is going to be extremely hard given all the destruction, the dead and all the bloodshed.” – Ibrahim Ali, central Gaza (04:20).
• In Israel (Hostage Square, Tel Aviv), optimism is palpable among families of captives, with widespread praise for President Trump’s efforts.
  • Quote: “It is a supreme feeling. I feel like I’m about to see my son any moment now. It’s like the rebirth of a child.” – Danny Mehran, father of a hostage (05:18).
  • A man in the crowd called Trump the “eighth wonder of the world” (05:54).

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2. U.S. Government Shutdown: Stalemate Intensifies

(Segment: 06:13 – 09:59)

Key Points

• The U.S. government shutdown enters its ninth day. Congressional leaders remain gridlocked.
• Republicans control Congress and argue Democrats are blocking funding bills due to pressure from the party's base, particularly over health care (Obamacare) subsidies.
• Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, make the fight about rising health care costs and insist public opinion is with them. Their leverage is limited by minority status.
• Only minor signs of dissent: Most lawmakers remain aligned with their leadership, but Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is publicly criticizing Republican leadership for lack of action on health care costs (09:16).
• The shutdown's effects are mounting, impacting airports and threatening a missed military paycheck on October 15.
• A bipartisan group is seeking compromise, with speculation that pressure from the public could force a breakthrough.

Notable Quotes

• “Welcome everyone, to day eight of the Democrat shutdown.” – Speaker Mike Johnson (06:32)
• “Republicans… have a plan to fund the government… Democrats just keep blocking that bill because of pressure from their base, that they're just playing politics.” – Deirdre Walsh (06:59)
• “They want this debate to be all about health care costs. They admit they really don't have much leverage because they're in the minority, but they think this really high-profile fight gives them a platform…” – Deirdre Walsh (07:59)
• “A president that is threatening to jail his political opponents is a clear yet another example of authoritarianism.” – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (11:08, [context: explained during National Guard section])

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3. National Guard Deployment in Chicago Amid Immigration Crackdown

(Segment: 10:08 – 13:39)

Key Points

• President Trump has ordered hundreds of National Guard troops to Chicago after protests against ICE raids; local and state officials are fighting the order in court.
• Trump has called Chicago a “war zone” and has called for the arrest of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, accusing them of not protecting ICE officers.
• Mayor Johnson denounces Trump’s threats as authoritarian and racially charged.
• National Guard deployment in Chicago is unprecedented without state approval, in contrast to previous deployments following the 2020 George Floyd protests.
• Local residents, particularly immigrants, express fear and frustration, feeling unsafe and targeted.
  • Quote: “That’s a publicity stunt, man. That’s just some stuff he doing so that people can say, oh, Trump is doing this about immigration. You snatching kids and people that get up and go to work every day. That’s who you grabbing. You’re not grabbing no criminals.” – Eric Harvey, construction worker (12:11).
  • Quote: "Jackson" (Venezuelan migrant): describes his family’s fear of leaving the house and loss of work due to federal presence (12:52).
• Both Chicago and Portland are seeking court orders to block deployment as the federal government ramps up enforcement actions.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the fragility of the Gaza deal:
  “You have to remember people have been battered after two years of extreme trauma, displacement, killings and starvation. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed during this war.” – Kerry Khan (04:18)

• On the atmosphere at Hostage Square:
  “Celebrations keep breaking out when there’s a break in the rain… It is a supreme feeling.” – Danny Mehran (05:17)

• On political theater in Congress:
  “There is a bipartisan group of senators trying to find this compromise on health care. I think a combination of outside pressure and maybe some more details on that deal is a key to unlocking a way out.” – Deirdre Walsh (09:49)

• On presidential threats:
  “A president that is threatening to jail his political opponents is a clear yet another example of authoritarianism.” – Mayor Brandon Johnson (11:08)

• On community resistance in Chicago:
  “Harvey lives in a neighborhood that recently saw a big ICE raid… he and other residents… say they don’t see how the National Guard or ICE can make the city safer.” – Sergio Martinez Beltran (12:28)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Gaza Ceasefire Discussion: 00:02–06:02
• U.S. Shutdown Stalemate: 06:13–09:59
• Chicago National Guard Deployment: 10:08–13:39

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Summary

This episode offers listeners a concise yet in-depth look at major news: a cautiously hopeful Gaza ceasefire with deep regional involvement and uncertainty; a U.S. government shutdown mired in political posturing around health care; and rising tension in Chicago as the Trump administration’s immigration policies clash with local authority and community safety, raising concerns about authoritarian overreach. The reporting blends on-the-ground perspectives, high-level political strategy, and personal stories—the tone ranging from guarded optimism to urgent concern.

Transcript

[Amy Martinez]

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

[Layla Fadel]

Some Palestinians celebrated when they heard the news. A hostage exchange is part of the deal, but does this mean the war is over?

[Amy Martinez]

I'm Amy Martinez. That's Layla Fadel. And this is up first from NPR News. Senators will vote again today on the same partisan bills to fund the government. Republicans and Democrats are waiting for the other side to blink.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

Our Republican colleagues, House, Senate, White House.

[Announcer/Ad Reader]

Are feeling the heat.

[Amy Martinez]

Meanwhile, the government is still shut down. Is there a way out when no one is negotiating?

[Layla Fadel]

And hundreds of National Guard troops are staging outside of Chicago at President Trump's direction, local and state officials are fighting the troop deployment in court while immigration enforcement ramps up in the Windy City. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

[Announcer/Ad Reader]

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This message comes from BetterHelp. To mark World Mental Health Day, BetterHelp is thanking the therapists who change people's lives all around the world by providing accessible mental health Support. With over 12 years of experience matching clients with therapists and one of the world's largest online therapist networks, BetterHelp can help you find the right therapist. Visit betterhelp.com NPR for 10% off your first month, this message comes from NPR sponsor HP. Break language barriers by translating languages in real time with the HPAI PC. With the right tools, work doesn't have to feel like work. [e-mail] it appears that Israel and Hamas.

[Layla Fadel]

Have agreed to the first phases of a ceasefire deal.

[Amy Martinez]

The deal hinges on the exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians detained and imprisoned by Israel. President Trump, who has personally pushed forward the plan, made the announcement on social media last night.

[Layla Fadel]

For more on what we know, we're joined by NPR's Kerry Khan in Tel Aviv. Good morning, Kerry.

[Kerry Khan]

Good morning.

[Layla Fadel]

So, Kerry, I can hear you're outside. Where are you joining us from?

[Kerry Khan]

I'm in downtown Tel Aviv in this public square that has been a central gathering spot for hostage families and supporters since the start of the war. Crowds have been gathering for hours, even in the early morning after the announcement of a deal was made.

[Layla Fadel]

So that deal, let's start with what we know about it, what has been agreed to here.

[Kerry Khan]

The ceasefire was expected to begin at noon local time. NPR was told by a person not authorized to speak to the media and briefed by Israeli officials that it will go into effect as soon as the deal is signed in Egypt. Let me tell you about some of what we know now about this initial phase. Negotiators have been in Egypt meeting all this week and that includes high level Israeli and Hamas leaders as well as top mediators from the region. There's Qatar, Egypt and Turkey and President Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff and his son in law Jared Kushner. Within 72 hours of the signing, Hamas says it will release all living hostages. We believe that to be 20 people. Israel says it will make a partial pullback in the territory to lines in the Trump plan for now. But that leaves forces still deep inside Gaza. Israel says it will release 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners and that would include all women and children detained in Gaza and also up to 250 prisoners serving life sentences inside Israel. Israel says it will let in more aid to Gaza. There are still major sticking points to be worked out and beyond this initial phase.

[Layla Fadel]

Right. So a lot to be worked out there. What was the reaction in Gaza to the news of this agreement?

[Kerry Khan]

Of course we heard people very relieved, but there is a lot of fear of getting one's hopes up. You know, we've been here before during this war, Turkey, to see agreements and deals fall apart. And you have to remember people have been battered after two years of extreme trauma, displacement, killings and starvation. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed during this war. We spoke with Ibrahim Ali in central Gaza this morning. He told us God willing, this sticks. We hope it will happen, he repeated over and over again, and that our lives can return to how they were. He then said this is going to be be extremely hard given all the destruction, the dead and all the bloodshed. The Israeli military says it is now preparing to pull back, but it did add it will always defend itself.

[Layla Fadel]

And what about in Israel where you are?

[Kerry Khan]

What's the mood here in Hostage Square? Where I am, the mood is upbeat for sure. Celebrations keep breaking out when there's a break in the rain. It's been raining a lot this morning and the crowd is just growing. It's filling the square already. I spoke with Danny Mehran here. He is the father of Omri, a hostage still held in Gaza. He said he feels like he, he is on top of the clouds. It is a supreme feeling. I feel like I'm about to see my son any moment now. It's like the rebirth of a child, he told us. I asked him what gives him confidence that this ceasefire will stick, and he said, the participation of the Arab countries this time around. And many here are praising President Trump. One man dressed in a red, white and blue shirt waving an American flag called Trump the eighth wonder of the world.

[Layla Fadel]

NPR's Carrie Khan joining us from Tel Aviv. Thank you for your reporting, Kerry.

[Kerry Khan]

You're welcome.

[Amy Martinez]

The Senate will vote again today on funding the government. Lawmakers have already held six failed votes, and today's seventh attempt is expected to go the same way.

[Layla Fadel]

With no ends in sight, leaders on Capitol Hill have been locked in a war of words. Here's House Speaker Mike Johnson opening his press conference at the Capitol yesterday.

[Deirdre Walsh]

Welcome everyone, to day eight of the Democrat shutdown.

[Layla Fadel]

On the opposite side of the Capitol, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says pressure is building on the GOP on subsidies for health care.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

Our Republican colleagues, House, Senate, White House.

[Announcer/Ad Reader]

Are feeling the heat.

[Amy Martinez]

NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh is following all of this. So, Deirdre, day nine of the shutdown. So let's talk about strategies at play. Republicans control Congress. How are they approaching this?

[Deirdre Walsh]

Well, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune both have been arguing that Republicans have a plan to fund the government. And they say Democrats just keep blocking that bill because of pressure from their base, that they're just playing politics. These leaders say no deal can happen on health care without Democrats helping to pass a bill to end this shutdown. Thune has said that some of his own members do want to address these tax credits expiring at the end of the year. That issue has really become the central sticking point in this fight. And he says Congress can debate, but he says no talks until the government reopens. Speaker Johnson says he's not even planning to call the House back to Washington until Senate Democrats help Republicans fund the government. But on health care, it's worth noting that the speaker really faces a lot of resistance from conservatives in the House who are against any bill to extend these Obamacare subsidies. That's really going to complicate getting a deal.

[Amy Martinez]

Yeah. And as far as the Democrats go, I mean, they really only have one game plan with no wiggle room.

[Deirdre Walsh]

You are right. I mean, they want this debate to be all about health care costs. They admit they really don't have much leverage because they're in the minority, but they think this really high profile fight gives them a platform on an issue they argue the public is with them on. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries continue to say over and over again that really the country is worried about rising costs. And they point out that health care costs are the main ones that could be spiking in coming weeks if Congress doesn't address health care problems.

[Amy Martinez]

There any lawmakers cracking, maybe, maybe breaking from their leadership?

[Deirdre Walsh]

You know, Democrats I talked to are really largely united. That's a big difference from when this fight happened back in March. There are a few exceptions of lawmakers who have been voting with Republicans, but that group has not been growing yet. Most Democrats say these threats from the president about not paying furloughed federal workers or canceling projects in blue states just aren't working. They say, look, the Trump administration was already firing people, cutting government programs. That would happen with or without a shutdown. Republicans, for their part, are pretty united, too. They just keep saying, look, we voted to keep the government open, but we are seeing some cracks. A big one notable one from Georgia, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene. She is now publicly criticizing her own leadership for not having a plan to address rising health care costs. And she says her own adult children, their costs are going to double any path at all.

[Amy Martinez]

Do you see, to ending the shutdown?

[Deirdre Walsh]

You know, I think the pressure has to come from outside Washington with people feeling the impacts. We're already seeing airport delays. There's another concern coming up with the military not getting paid. That paycheck that they could miss is on October 15. There is a bipartisan group of senators trying to find this compromise on health care. I think a combination of outside pressure and maybe some more details on that deal is a key to unlocking a way out.

[Amy Martinez]

NPR's Deirdre Walsh. Thanks.

[Deirdre Walsh]

Thanks.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

A.

[Layla Fadel]

Hundreds of National Guard troops are staging outside of Chicago under orders from President Trump.

[Amy Martinez]

It's in response to recent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Chicago. Trump has said the city is a war zone. And now the president is calling for the arrest of Illinois Gov. J.B. pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

[Layla Fadel]

NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran joins me now from Chicago. Good morning, Sergio.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

Good morning, Leila.

[Layla Fadel]

I mean, it's pretty unprecedented to hear a US President call for the arrest of a duly elected city mayor and state governor. What is he saying about why?

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

I mean, President Trump says they should be arrested for, quote, failing to protect ICE officers, but it's unclear what actions he's actually referring to. Now, Mayor Johnson says he is protecting the residents of Chicago and that he will fight the Trump administration over this National Guard deployment. I sat down with Mayor Johnson yesterday, and this is what he told me about being threatened with jail time.

[Announcer/Ad Reader]

This is not the first time Trump has accused or insisted on a black man being arrested. A president that is threatening to jail his political opponents is a clear yet another example of authoritarianism.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

And Johnson is also pushing back on Trump's claims that Chicago is a dangerous city or a war zone. This summer. Chicago has had the lowest number of homicides since the 1960s, and that's something.

[Layla Fadel]

That Trump has not acknowledged. Now, the National Guard have been in Chicago before. Under what circumstances were they deployed before?

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

Most recently during the protests after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. And it's always been at the request of state officials. This time it's different, though. They don't want it here. And that's why the anger, frustration, and at times despair of residents is so palpable here. Last night, hundreds of people peacefully marched in downtown Chicago protesting the deployment of the Troo. And the folks we've talked to here, Layla, like Eric Harvey, a construction worker, do not want ICE agents around, and they certainly do not want the National Guard patrolling the streets. That's a publicity stunt, man.

[Amy Martinez]

That's just some stuff he doing so that people can say, oh, Trump is doing this about immigration. You snatching kids and people that get.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

Up and go to work every day.

[Amy Martinez]

That's who you grabbing.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

You're not grabbing no criminals. Harvey lives in a neighborhood that recently saw a big ICE raid at a residential building. He and other residents we talked to in this area say the Chicago Police Department is doing its job and that they don't see how the National Guard or ICE can make the city safer.

[Layla Fadel]

And what about immigrants in Chicago? What are they telling you?

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

For immigrants, this is terrifying. About 1 in 5 residents in Chicago are foreign born, according to the Census. So this has been a city where immigrants have created a community and have contributed to it big time, but now they feel unsafe. Jackson is a Venezuelan migrant who says he feels even more scared with the National Guard around. He's worried about being detained by immigration enforcement. That's why we're only using his first name. Now, Jackson has three kids and a wife, and he says they're even afraid of leaving the house to buy food. And he has not been able to work lately because of the presence of federal enforcement agencies in the city. Now, Leila, there is still a possibility that the troops are legally blocked from being deployed into Chicago. A federal court later today will hear and perhaps decide whether Trump can do this or not. Meanwhile, in a different courtroom, but at the same time, a panel of judges will hear whether the National Guard will be allowed into Portland.

[Layla Fadel]

That's NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran. Thank you.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

You're welcome.

[Layla Fadel]

And that's up first for Thursday, October 9th. I'm Layla Falded and Amy Martinez.

[Amy Martinez]

Thanks for listening to up first. You can find more in depth coverage of the stories we talked about today and a lot more on NPR's Morning Edition. That is the radio show that Layla, Michelle, Martin, Steve Inskeep and I host. You can find MORNING EDITION on your local NPR [e-mail] Where's my last name?

[Layla Fadel]

Why don't you say my last name? I have two names.

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No, I'm just kidding.

[Layla Fadel]

People just know me by Layla.

[Amy Martinez]

It's fine, Cher.

[Layla Fadel]

Today's episode, Madonna. Today's episode of up first was edited by Miguel Macias, Kelsey Snell, Cheryl Corley, Mohamed Albardisi and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Buch, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.

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