--:-- Dave Mattingly: This message comes from Amazon Business. Free your team from time-consuming office tasks with smart business buying tools. Enable buyers to find and purchase items fast. Learn more about the technology, insights, and support available at AmazonBusiness.com.
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--:-- Dave Mattingly: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: The federal government is shut down after Congress failed to pass a spending bill to keep it funded and open beyond last night. It's the first shutdown in six years.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Republicans said no to a bill proposed by Democratic lawmakers yesterday. It would have funded the government through October while extending federal health care subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Democrats blocked a Republican bill to keep the government funded for seven weeks without the health care provisions. Each measure needed 60 votes to pass.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Despite the shutdown, some essential government functions continue, including the U.S. military, air traffic controllers, Social Security, and Medicare.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: One casualty of the government shutdown is U.S. employment's report for the month of September. As NPR's Scott Horsley reports the numbers were due out Friday but that now on hold.
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--:-- Scott Horsley: Nearly everyone at the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been sidelined by the government shutdown. That means the Bureau won't be collecting, processing, or publishing any of its key economic metrics until lawmakers make a deal to restore government funding.
--:-- Scott Horsley: The shutdown comes at a sensitive time. Hiring has slowed sharply in recent months. Friday's report would have offered clues as to whether that trend continued into the early fall.
--:-- Scott Horsley: Instead, businesses and policymakers are left guessing about the strength of the job market. If the shutdown drags on more than a few days, it could also delay the next inflation report, which is set for release in two weeks.
--:-- Scott Horsley: That report's part of a formula used to calculate next year's cost-to-living increase for Social Security.
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--:-- Terry Schultz: Denmark is temporarily banning drones from its airspace as European leaders gather in Copenhagen for talks on defense and the war in Ukraine. Those meetings are taking place through tomorrow.
--:-- Terry Schultz: As I report, a number of suspicious drones violated Danish airspace last week and disrupted air travel. Denmark says they were hybrid attacks, but that it's still assessing who's responsible for drones that flew around its airspace every night for a week.
--:-- Terry Schultz: But with dozens of European leaders coming to Copenhagen for summits, the government isn't taking any chances. Civilian drones are banned from flying in Danish airspace until Friday.
--:-- Terry Schultz: And in the meantime, NATO allies are helping keep watch over the capital. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says it's important for NATO and the European Union to work together against Russia and other adversaries.
--:-- Terry Schultz: First of all, we have to keep our skies safe. The European country most experienced in countering aerial attacks, Ukraine, has sent a team of specialists to help train Danes to deal with drones.
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--:-- Ava White: Public transportation in Greece is being disrupted today by a 24-hour strike. No trains, taxis, or ferries are operating in Athens. Buses and trolleys are running on reduced schedules.
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--:-- Dave Mattingly: This is NPR News from Washington.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Officials in North Carolina say five unoccupied homes on the Outer Banks have collapsed amid rough surf caused by Hurricanes Umberto and Imelda in the open Atlantic.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: The National Park Service says the homes were in Buxton and were once propped up on high stilts.
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--:-- Abel White: A bear named Chunk is this year's winner of Fat Bear Week in Alaska. As I report, voters chose the biggest bear online.
--:-- Abel White: It's the first time Chunk has been dubbed the fattest bear in Katmai National Park and Preserve. He has dark brown fur, a scar across his muzzle, and most notably a broken jaw that staff say will never fully heal.
--:-- Abel White: Katmai Park ranger Sarah Bruce says staff didn't know if he still be able to feast on salmon but he persevered and ate so much he now weighs over 1,000 pounds.
--:-- Abel White: I think he just has really great stories to tell, and I think folks really cling on to what they can learn from the bears through their resilience, through their perseverance, and their boldness.
--:-- Abel White: His victory was declared after he triumphed in a matchup after matchup in a bracket that drew a record number of voters from around the world, according to the National Park Service.
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--:-- Dave Mattingly: For NPR News, I'm Ava White in Anchorage.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: The Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the New York Yankees 3-1 last night to take the first game of their American League wildcard series.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: In the other AL matchup, Detroit beat Cleveland 2-1. In the National League wildcard games, the Cubs beat the Padres 3-1 and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Reds 10-5.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News in Washington.
