NPR News: 10-01-2025 4PM EDT

The main topic of this podcast episode is the current state of the US government shutdown and the rising tensions in the country. The episode also touches on other topics such as immigration enforcement, a new poll showing an increase in people feeling violence may be necessary to fix the country, the passing of primatologist Jane Goodall, and various scientific discoveries.

Key participants in the episode include:

• Vice President Pence, who made a statement at the White House press briefing blaming Senate Democrats for the government shutdown.
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who stated that Democrats are willing to negotiate but are not being given the opportunity to do so.
• Domenico Montanaro, an NPR reporter who discussed the results of a new poll showing an increase in people feeling violence may be necessary to fix the country.
• Nell Greenfield-Boys, an NPR reporter who paid tribute to the late primatologist Jane Goodall.
• Ari Daniel, an NPR reporter who discussed a scientific discovery about how harbor seals use their whiskers to hunt fish.

Key points from the episode include:

• The government shutdown continues, with both sides blaming each other for the impasse.
• A new poll shows that 30% of people feel violence may be necessary to fix the country, up from 19% in April.
• The poll also found that 70% of people say violence is not necessary, and that 75% consider political violence a major problem.