No vote until Friday on shutdown; Delta jets collide in low-speed crash at LaGuardia
The federal government remains shut down, and frustration is mounting. With no deal in sight, the White House is preparing to fire, not furlough, some federal workers.
Plus, a large flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza has been intercepted by the Israeli navy. Dozens of ships were turned around in a high-profile standoff at sea.
And two Delta regional jets collide on the taxiway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. One flight was just arriving, the other set to depart.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025.
Federal firings loom as government shutdown continues
It’s day two of the federal government shutdown, and Congress has yet to come to an agreement.
The Senate failed again to pass either of the two short-term funding bills that it had previously voted on earlier in the week. No new votes are scheduled until Friday afternoon, as Congress is out for Yom Kippur.
Now the question remains: how many federal employees could be fired?
In most shutdowns, workers are furloughed. However, the Trump administration has already told agencies to prepare for permanent firings.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told House Republicans that dismissals could begin within “one to two days.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the plan, calling the firings “imminent” and blaming Democrats for the stalemate.
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance predicts the shutdown won’t last long.
“I actually don’t think it’s gonna be that long of a shutdown,” Vance said. “This is a pure guess from the vice president of the United States, because I think you already saw some evidence that moderate Democrats are cracking a little bit. They understand the fundamental illogic of this.”
Vance said he has been talking to both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in hopes of ending the deadlock.
Israel intercepts flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists, Thunberg
Israeli forces have intercepted a flotilla of boats trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza. The group includes hundreds of activists, including Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which is nearly 50 boats strong, was sailing in international waters, about 70 nautical miles off Gaza, when Israeli navy vessels moved in.
A voice from the Israeli side warned, “This is the Israeli Navy. You are approaching a blockaded zone. If you wish to deliver aid to Gaza, you may do so through the established channels.”
Activists aboard livestreamed as Israeli ships surrounded them. Some even tossed their phones into the sea. Others sat silently on deck, their hands raised, in what they called a peaceful and humanitarian mission.
Onshore, pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in Rome after the confrontation, blocking traffic.
Thousands more demonstrated in Naples to show support, blocking the tracks at the city’s central station.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials released a video showing Thunberg being offered water and a raincoat, insisting she and others were safe.
Organizers say the flotilla was carrying symbolic aid and a message: open a permanent sea corridor to Gaza.
However, Israel calls the flotilla a provocation.
Delta jets collide on taxiway at LaGuardia; minor injury reported
Two Delta regional jets collided on the ground at LaGuardia on Wednesday night, clipping each other while taxiing.
Delta says the wing of flight 5155, taxiing for takeoff to Roanoke, struck the fuselage of another Delta connection plane arriving from Charlotte.
Pictures from passengers online show substantial damage to both planes.
The incident happened just before 10 p.m. on a taxiway, not the runway, and didn’t impact airport operations.
A flight attendant was slightly injured and taken to the hospital, according to CBS News.
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Passengers, none of whom were injured, were escorted off both planes and put on shuttles.
Delta is working with investigators and has promised to take care of those affected.
Supreme Court halts Trump’s firing of Fed Governor Lisa Cook, for now
The Supreme Court is pumping the brakes on President Donald Trump’s bid to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. At least, for now.
In a two-sentence order on Wednesday, the justices said Cook can stay on the job while they hear arguments in January about whether Trump had the authority to remove her.
It’s the first time any president has attempted to oust a sitting Federal Reserve governor.
The White House claims that Cook committed mortgage fraud before joining the Fed, saying she falsely claimed two homes as primary residences to get better loan terms.
Cook denies any wrongdoing, and no charges have been filed.
Reporters asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt about the Supreme Court decision on Wednesday.
“Look, we have respect for the Supreme Court, but they’re going to hear the actual case and make a determination on the legal argument in January, and we look forward to that because we maintain that she was fired well within the president’s legal authority to do so,” Leavitt said. “She was removed from the board, and we look forward to that case being fully played out at the Supreme Court.”
Legal experts say this fight could have huge implications, not just for Cook, but for the independence of the Fed itself.
Every living former Fed chair backed her in court, warning that political interference could shake confidence in the U.S. Economy.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to face Senate questions after Kimmel dustup
After Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension and his open threats to revoke network licenses over anti-Trump coverage, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is now heading to Capitol Hill, where he will face questions from the Senate Commerce Committee.
Carr threatened regulatory action against Disney, ABC’s parent company, before Kimmel was suspended. He did this following the late-night host’s comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk and MAGA politics.
Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell described Carr’s actions as an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment” and urged Republican Chair Ted Cruz to hold the hearing.
Cruz agreed, warning during the Kimmel controversy that it’s dangerous for the government to decide what speech it likes and what it doesn’t.
No date has been set yet for the hearing.
Judge denies motion to reopen Abrego Garcia case
An immigration judge has denied a last-minute attempt to reopen the deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
In an emergency motion filed in August, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys argued he should be allowed to apply for asylum because he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador and then brought back to the U.S.
But the judge dismissed that argument, calling the motion “untimely” since it was filed nearly six years after his immigration case closed, well past the 90-day deadline.
The judge also said there isn’t enough evidence for the Department of Homeland Security to deport him to Uganda, Eswatini, or any other third country — despite a notice sent to his lawyers in August mentioning Uganda as a potential destination.
Abrego Garcia remains in immigration detention in Pennsylvania, where he also faces federal human smuggling charges.
1,000+ treasure coins pulled from 1715 shipwreck off Florida coast
Searchers recovered over 1,000 silver and gold coins — worth a cool million dollars — from the ocean floor off Florida’s aptly named “Treasure Coast.”
The loot comes from a Spanish fleet that sank over 300 years ago in a hurricane, and yes, these are legit pieces.
They were discovered by Captain Levin Shavers and his crew aboard the “M/V Just Right,” which sounds like the kind of boat that would stumble onto a pirate payday.
Historians suggest the coins might have fallen from a single chest when the ship broke apart. Some still have visible mint marks from Spanish colonies like Mexico, Peru and Bolivia.
More from Straight Arrow News:
What’s behind MAHA’s new strategy to boost breastfeeding in the US?
Two weeks after giving birth to her son in 2015, Alex Thompson returned to work as an elementary school teacher. The separation was difficult.
“I would FaceTime him or watch videos of him and just sob. It was horrible,” she told Straight Arrow News (SAN). Thompson was committed to breastfeeding, which meant pumping her breast milk in the school’s laminating closet or the bathroom.
She’s not alone. One in four new mothers returns to work within 10 days of giving birth, according to the non-profit organization Thousand Days.
The United States lags behind global breastfeeding rates: While 50% of the world’s infants are breastfed at six months old, only 25% of American infants receive breast milk exclusively at six months old.
The U.S. wants to change that. In early September, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA) released a strategy report that promised to increase America’s breastfeeding rates.
But critics worry it won’t do enough to overcome obstacles that mothers like Thompson face. “People need to have money to put food on the table, which means that they have to return to work often before they’re ready, before they’ve recovered from childbirth, before they’ve established breastfeeding, before they are…ready,” said Liz Morris, co-director of the research and advocacy organization WorkLife Law, in an interview with SAN. Read the full story now >
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