Michigan Church Shooting, Government Shutdown Negotiations, Trump Netanyahu Meeting

Summary

Up First from NPR — Episode Summary

Date: September 29, 2025
Hosts: Michelle Martin, Amy Martinez
Main Stories: Michigan Church Shooting, Government Shutdown Negotiations, Trump-Netanyahu Meeting

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Episode Overview

This episode of Up First covers three major news stories:

1. A violent attack at a Michigan church that left several dead and others hospitalized.
2. Intense, last-minute government shutdown negotiations between President Trump, congressional leaders, and political parties amid high tensions.
3. A high-stakes White House meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the U.S. pushes for a new ceasefire plan in Gaza.

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1. Michigan Church Shooting

Segment Begins: [02:04]

Key Points:

• Incident: On Sunday morning, a gunman drove his truck into a Mormon church in Grand Blanc, Michigan during a service, opened fire on attendees, and then set the building on fire.
• Casualties: At least five people (including the suspect) are dead, with eight others hospitalized. An unknown number remain unaccounted for as authorities continue searching the scene.
• Response: Two officers arrived within a minute of the first 911 call. The suspect was killed after an exchange of gunfire eight minutes later.
• Suspect: Identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old ex-Marine from a nearby town. No motive or connections to the church are known at this time.

  “He's an ex-U.S. Marine. But we don't know yet about any possible motive for the attack or if he had any relationship with the church or anyone who was attending the Sunday morning church service.” — Steve Carmody [03:24]

• Investigation: The FBI is leading the investigation.

  “This act of violence has no place in our state or anywhere else in our country.” — Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Detroit [03:57]

• Community Reaction: Local residents are in shock, holding vigils and expressing disbelief.

  “They just want to go to church in peace.” — Local resident (voice of Cheryl and Haley Perkins), via Daniel Estrin & Barbara Sprunt [04:44] “This kind of violence doesn't happen in our community and we are heartbroken that it came to Grand Blanc Township.” — Scott Bennett, Township Supervisor [04:58]

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2. Government Shutdown Negotiations

Segment Begins: [05:27]

Key Points:

• Context: A government shutdown looms as Congress faces a deadline to pass a stopgap funding bill.

  “If Congress fails to reach agreement... there will be a government shutdown.” — Amy Martinez [05:27]

• Political Dynamics: Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House, but need Democratic votes in the Senate.
• Negotiations: President Trump will meet with congressional leaders (two Democrats, two Republicans) later today. Tensions are high, as a previous meeting was canceled due to disagreements.
• Democratic Demands: Undo certain healthcare cuts, make some Affordable Care Act tax cuts permanent.
• Republican Stance: Want to focus solely on the stopgap bill for now, leaving other points for future debate.

  “Schumer has said that he wants to negotiate this now. Republicans... need at least seven Democrats to join them in order to pass a bill to fund the government through late November.” — Barbara Sprunt [06:28]

• Schumer’s Position:

  “We need a serious negotiation. Now if the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats... we won't get anything done. But my hope is it'll be a serious negotiation.” — Chuck Schumer [07:10]

• Shutdown Impact: Essential services (Social Security, Medicare) remain, but with possible delays. Non-essential services halt; federal workers face unpaid furloughs or even permanent layoffs as the White House instructs agencies accordingly.

  “In an unprecedented move, the White House... instructed agencies... to lay off federal workers permanently instead of that traditional temporary furlough.” — Barbara Sprunt [07:59]

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3. Trump-Netanyahu Meeting & Gaza Ceasefire Proposal

Segment Begins: [08:50]

Key Points:

• White House Summit: President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu meet today to discuss a U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire plan — “the most serious effort yet” for peace in the region since Trump took office.
• Plan Details (as confirmed by sources):
  • Hamas would release all 48 remaining hostages, living and dead, up front.

    “It calls on Hamas to release all 48 of its remaining hostages, living and dead, up front.” — Daniel Estrin [09:17]

  • A multinational Arab and Muslim peacekeeping force would gradually enter Gaza, and Israeli troops would withdraw.
• Negotiation Sticking Points:
  • Disarming Hamas: “Hamas is adamantly opposed.”
  • Role of the Palestinian Authority in governing Gaza: Netanyahu opposes PA involvement, fearing it would lead to a unified Palestinian leadership (a step toward statehood).
  • Notably, this is a U.S.–Israel, not an Israeli–Hamas, negotiation.

  “Netanyahu... does not want them [The Palestinian Authority] to have any role in Gaza. He has long seen a unified Palestinian leadership as a step toward a Palestinian state, which he does not want.” — Daniel Estrin [10:15]

  • Netanyahu's far-right coalition is still pushing to continue the war.
• Likelihood of a Deal:

  “Trump... brought this plan to Arab leaders and Arab leaders are on board and Trump wants it. That is the biggest point. It will be difficult for Netanyahu to tell Trump no to his proposal. Trump is Netanyahu’s only major ally left.” — Daniel Estrin [11:22]

  • Both Israel and Hamas are under intense pressure to agree to a ceasefire due to mounting civilian casualties and isolation.
• Public Mood in Israel:

  “Polls... showed over half of Israelis want the war to end. They want their hostages back. And that is what is driving people out to the streets every weekend.” — Daniel Estrin [12:29]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Worshipers and Safety:

  “They just want to go to church in peace.” — Local resident (Cheryl & Haley Perkins), [04:44]

• On Political Impasse:

  “If the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats... we won’t get anything done.” — Senator Chuck Schumer, [07:10]

• On the Peace Plan:

  “Trump is Netanyahu's only major ally left. Israel faces growing international isolation over its conduct in the war.” — Daniel Estrin [11:22]

• On Israeli Sentiment:

  “Over half of Israelis want the war to end. They want their hostages back.” — Daniel Estrin [12:29]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:04] Michigan Church Shooting—incident, casualties, investigation, community reaction.
• [05:27] Government Shutdown—stakes, negotiations, political demands, possible impact.
• [08:50] Trump-Netanyahu Meeting—U.S. peace proposal for Gaza, negotiation challenges, international & domestic pressures, sense in Israel.

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This episode delivers an urgent snapshot of America’s darkest headlines — tragedy in Michigan, the brinkmanship of government funding, and a possible opening for Middle East peace — through rigorous reporting and on-the-ground analysis.

Transcript

[Michelle Martin]

At least five people are dead after a gunman rammed his truck into a church in Michigan during services, started shooting and set the building on fire.

[Amy Martinez]

The suspect is among the dead after a shootout with police. Authorities still don't have a motive.

[Michelle Martin]

I'm Michelle Martin. That's a Martinez. And this is up first from NPR News. A government shutdown could begin tomorrow and President Trump is set to meet congressional leaders for last minute negotiations.

[Amy Martinez]

Now if the president at this meeting.

[Chuck Schumer]

Is going to rant and just yell.

[Amy Martinez]

At Democrats, we won't get anything done.

[Michelle Martin]

Is a deal still possible or are both sides still too locked in?

[Amy Martinez]

And President Trump meets Israel's prime minister at the White House today to discuss a new U. S backed cease fire plan.

[Barbara Sprunt]

We're getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza and maybe even peace.

[Amy Martinez]

Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.

[Barbara Sprunt]

Support comes from our 2025 lead sponsor of UpFirst. Amazon Business. Every business starts with an idea. How can you go from daydreamer to industry leader? Amazon Business accelerates your journey with smart business buying. Get everything you need to grow in one familiar place, from office supplies to it essentials and maintenance tools. Amazon Business takes the familiar Amazon buying experience and adds tools that help you save costs and make insight space decisions. Ready to bring your visions to life? Learn [e-mail] this message comes from Michelin.

[Chuck Schumer]

More than a tire company, Michelin is an innovation company. From connected mobility to clean materials and now taking on one of the toughest mobility challenges, space developing an airless wheel for space exploration designed to withstand the extreme conditions at the moon's south pole. Michelin isn't just making exceptional tires. They're helping build a better future. Motion for Life [e-mail] y-michelin innovation a.

[Amy Martinez]

Church service in Grand Blanc, Michigan, was violently interrupted Sunday morning after a man drove his truck into a Mormon church, fired at the people inside and set the building on fire.

[Michelle Martin]

Authorities say four people from the church died and eight others are hospitalized. And a suspected gunman is also dead after exchanging fire with officers. An unknown number of people are unaccounted for as authorities search what remains of the church for additional victims.

[Amy Martinez]

Joined now by Michigan public reporter Steve Carmody. Steve, what do we know about what happened?

[Steve Carmody]

Well, authorities say the attack began just before 10:30 yesterday morning when the suspect drove his truck through the front doors of the church. As the service was underway, hundreds of people were inside. Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renney praised the bravery of the people. As the gunman opened fire, they were.

[Daniel Estrin]

Shielding the children who are also present within the church, moving them to safety.

[Barbara Sprunt]

Just hundreds of people just practicing their faith.

[Steve Carmody]

As people fled, authorities say the suspect deliberately set the church on fire using gasoline. Two law enforcement officers arrived within a minute of the first 911 call and confronted the gunman outside the church, killing him about eight minutes later.

[Amy Martinez]

Who is the suspected gunman?

[Steve Carmody]

He's been identified as 40 year old Thomas Jacob Sanford. He lived in a small town about 20 minutes from the church. He's an ex U.S. marine. But we don't know yet about any possible motive for the attack or if he had any relationship with the church or anyone who was attending the Sunday morning church service.

[Amy Martinez]

Okay, now where's the investigation?

[Steve Carmody]

Right now the FBI has taken charge of the investigation into the shooting and the suspected gunman. Reuben Coleman is the acting special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit field office. This act of violence has no place in our state or anywhere else in our country. The FBI is committed to continue finding.

[Amy Martinez]

Out the facts, circumstances and motives behind this tragedy.

[Steve Carmody]

Now we expect to learn more today about the victims of Sunday's attack and when the first funerals will be held.

[Amy Martinez]

Okay, Grand Blanca, Michigan is a small town, around 8,000 residents. It's 13 miles south of Flint, Michigan. How are the people there holding up?

[Steve Carmody]

Well, last night there were several places where people gathered for small vigils. A steady stream of people stopped by to pay their respects a short distance down the road from the church. Mother and daughter Cheryl and Haley Perkins lived nearby. They were just overwhelmed at what, what happened just down the street.

[Daniel Estrin]

They just want to go to church.

[Barbara Sprunt]

I think they're Sunday church.

[Daniel Estrin]

They just want.

[Barbara Sprunt]

People just want to go to church in peace.

[Steve Carmody]

Now others express shock. Scott Bennett is the Grand Blank Township supervisor.

[Amy Martinez]

This kind of violence doesn't happen in our community and we are heartbroken that it came to Grand Blank Township.

[Steve Carmody]

Of course, that's the sentiment we often hear in each community we there's been a mass shooting in the United States.

[Amy Martinez]

That's Steve Carmody, a reporter with Michigan Public. Steve, thank you very much.

[Steve Carmody]

You're welcome.

[Amy Martinez]

If Congress fails to reach agreement and pass a stopgap funding bill before tomorrow night, there will be a government shutdown.

[Michelle Martin]

As you probably know, Republicans control both the House and the Senate and the White House. But they need Democrats help to clear a 60 vote threshold in the Senate. And as the clock keeps on ticking, President Trump is planning to meet this afternoon with the top four leaders in Congress. Two Democrats, two Republicans.

[Amy Martinez]

Join us to talk through what that discussion might look like is NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprun. So, Barbara, Democrats have been pushing for a meeting with the White House as it gets closer and closer to this shutdown possibly. So how did this all come about?

[Barbara Sprunt]

Well, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were supposed to meet with President Trump last week, but the president canceled that meeting because he thought their demands were unreasonable. And they're now going to the Oval Office alongside their Republican counterparts, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, speaker of the House Mike Johnson. What's interesting to me is I don't think Democrats demands have really shifted between that canceled meeting and the one today.

[Amy Martinez]

Okay, so then what are they looking for?

[Barbara Sprunt]

Well, there's a few things. Number one, they want to undo some cuts to health care programs that were put in place as part of the major spending and tax bill that Republicans passed earlier this summer. And another big sticking point is that Democrats want to make some expanded tax cuts from the Affordable Care act permanent. Those are on track to expire at the end of of the year. Thune has said that there's time to negotiate on that particular point later. He first wants to pass this stopgap bill and avoid a shutdown and then negotiate with Democrats. But Schumer has said that he wants to negotiate this now. Republicans in the Senate need at least seven Democrats to join them in order to pass a bill to fund the government through late November. Here's schumer yesterday on NBC's Meet the Press.

[Amy Martinez]

We need a serious negotiation. Now, if the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats and talk about all his.

[Chuck Schumer]

Alleged grievances and say this, that and.

[Amy Martinez]

The other thing, we won't get anything done. But my hope is it'll be a serious negotiation. Okay, so that's Schumer's hope, but of course, really comes down to what the president says in the meeting.

[Barbara Sprunt]

Yeah, that's right. I mean, the Trump factor in some ways is unpredictability. You know, we've seen him scrap bipartisan deals and meetings before pretty abruptly in this case, within the last week, he's blasted the Democratic leaders for what they're demanding and then agreed to a meeting. So the question I have is, is this going to be a meeting where everyone comes willing to compromise and negotiate or will they leave and just tell their bases, hey, you know, I tried, but the other side is being unreasonable.

[Amy Martinez]

So what would happen if there is no deal?

[Barbara Sprunt]

Well, critical services would continue Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid payments, although there could be administrative delays in processing new applications for those programs. In a shutdown, anything deemed non essential is put on hold so Americans could experience delays in certain services. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers would go without pay. And in an unprecedented move, the White House's budget arm instructed agencies last week to prepare to lay off federal workers permanently instead of that traditional temporary furlough while a deal is is made. So if the administration makes good on that threat, it could mean that whenever the federal government does reopen, it would have a smaller workforce.

[Amy Martinez]

All right. That's NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt. Barbara, thanks.

[Barbara Sprunt]

Thank.

[Amy Martinez]

You. President Trump also meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today in the White House.

[Michelle Martin]

Both leaders are expressing optimism about ending the war in Gaza. Trump has a new 21 point peace plan for Gaza. The US is still negotiating the details with Israel and Arab countries. Will Trump and Netanyahu reach a breakthrough?

[Amy Martinez]

Let's discuss the details with NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. So Daniel, what's in President Trump's proposal for ending the Gaza war?

[Daniel Estrin]

I spoke with a person briefed on the proposal who confirmed to me some of the main points. It calls on Hamas to release all 48 of its remaining hostages, living and dead, up front. And then it calls for a gradual process where a multinational Arab and Muslim peacekeeping force would enter Gaza and Israeli forces would withdraw. Now this is a plan that Trump presented to leaders of Arab countries in New York last week. It is the most serious effort yet since Trump entered office to end the war and to chart a post war future for Gaza.

[Amy Martinez]

Okay, so how much is Israel on board with this US Plan?

[Daniel Estrin]

Yeah, that's the question. Netanyahu, the prime minister, has been negotiating the details with Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and also with the president's son in law, Jared Kushner, who's now gotten involved in this matter. And the person briefed on the talks told me that there are still a few difficult points left to resolve between the Israelis and the US Side. First is the issue of disarming Hamas. What would that look like? Hamas is adamantly opposed to giving up its weapons. And also the question of the role of the Palestinian Authority in a post war administration of Gaza. Palestinian Authority is the internationally recognized Palestinian leadership. It's based in the West Bank. But Netanyahu does not want them to have any role in Gaza. He has long seen a unified Palestinian leadership as a step toward a Palestinian state which he does not want. And notably a I should Add, this is not an Israeli Hamas negotiation. This is an Israeli U.S. negotiation here. Netanyahu, as we have reported, has been a major obstacle to ending the war throughout the war. He has a far right coalition that still wants the war to continue and they will find it very hard to accept a lot of the points that Trump is proposing now.

[Amy Martinez]

You know, we've heard before, Daniel, about deals being close or something in the works. Doesn't seem to ever happen. Any reason to think that this effort could be any different?

[Daniel Estrin]

Yes, I think there is reason. Trump first of all brought this plan to Arab leaders and Arab leaders are on board and Trump wants it. That is the biggest point. It will be difficult for Netanyahu to tell Trump no to his proposal. Trump is Netanyahu's only major ally left. Israel faces growing international isolation over its conduct in the war. And Hamas, for its part, is also under major pressure from Arab countries and from Palestinians suffering under the war in Gaza under major pressure to agree to a ceasefire. So this really is a critical moment. Next week, we will mark two years of war. The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has now reached more than 66,000, according to Gaza health officials. So all eyes now are on Trump and on Netanyahu as they meet today in the White House. We will see if they announce if they've reached an agreement on a roadmap forward and then the ball will be in Hamas's court.

[Amy Martinez]

Sure. Daniel mentioned that you're in Tel Aviv. What's the sense there in Tel Aviv? Are people weary of all this or are they just wanting to somehow get some kind of resolution?

[Daniel Estrin]

They're extremely weary. I mean, polls, a latest survey of Israelis done just a few days ago showed over half of Israelis want the war to end. They want their hostages back. And that is what is driving people out to the streets every weekend.

[Amy Martinez]

That's NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thank you. You're welcome. And that's up first for Monday, September 29th. I'm Amy Martinez.

[Michelle Martin]

And I'm Michelle Martin. NPR has a new newsletter that recommends new podcasts for you. It's drawn from everything NPR makes and the work of our member stations all around the country. It's called Pod Club and you can get it now click on newsletters at the top of the npr.org homepage.

[Amy Martinez]

Today's episode of Up first was edited by Russell Lewis, Dana Farrington, Kate Bartlett, Mohamed El Bardisi and Alice Wolfley was produced by Ziad Buch, Nia Dumas and Lindsey Toddi. We got engineering support from Nisha Hynes and our technical director is Stacey Abbott. Join us again tomorrow.

[Chuck Schumer]

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