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Shea Stevens: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens.
Shea Stevens: Vice President J.D. Vance is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, saying they want to provide free health care to unauthorized immigrants.
Mara Liason: NPR's Mara Liason has more.
Mara Liason: The two sides are still far apart as the shutdown heads closer to a second day.
Mara Liason: Democrats say they won't vote to reopen the government unless the administration agrees to extend Obamacare subsidies for low-income individuals.
Mara Liason: Vice President Vance blames the Democrats.
Mara Liason: If you look at the legislative text that they gave us, they tried to turn on two separate provisions that would give health care benefits to illegal aliens.
Mara Liason: In fact, Obamacare subsidies or Medicaid or Medicare are only available for those who do have legal status in the U.S.
Mara Liason: The exception is emergency rooms, which treat everyone regardless of immigration status.
Shea Stevens: Mara Liason NPR News the White House.
Kat Lonsdorf: Speaking at a town hall, Mayor Paul Young told residents there's still a lot he doesn't know about the federal operation.
Kat Lonsdorf: He said a number of agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, and U.S. Marshals, are operating in Memphis right now.
Kat Lonsdorf: The National Guard is not one of them yet.
Kat Lonsdorf: We know that at some point they will come.
Kat Lonsdorf: Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said troops are expected in the next two weeks, adding that there are still a lot of unknowns about the deployment.
Kat Lonsdorf: Everybody wants to know how many National Guard are coming.
Kat Lonsdorf: We don't know.
Kat Lonsdorf: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says 53 people were arrested in the first 48 hours of the operation, which is expected to have a slow rollout and lasts for weeks, maybe months.
Kat Lonsdorf: Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Memphis.
Shea Stevens: Meanwhile, Governor Tina Kotek says President Trump broke a promise to speak with her before sending National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon.
Shea Stevens: On Tuesday, troops have also been deployed to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. so far this year to fight crime and to enforce immigration laws.
Shea Stevens: President Trump has signed an executive order vowing to defend the Gulf nation of Qatar from attack.
Shea Stevens: Qatar foreign minister calls the pledge an important step in strengthening the defense partnership with the U.S.
Shea Stevens: It follows an apology from Israel for last month's deadly airstrike on Qatar, targeting a group of Hamas leaders meeting there to discuss a Gaza peace plan.
Shea Stevens: The U.S. military is drawing down its mission against ISIS in Iraq.
Shea Stevens: Under an agreement signed last year, U.S. troop presence in Iraq will be reduced to around 20 percent.
Shea Stevens: A security official says the withdrawal began in two areas weeks ago.
Shea Stevens: The U.S. drawdown comes weeks after the Trump administration said it would reduce U.S. troop presence in Syria.
Shea Stevens: You're listening to NPR.
Hanna Palomarenko: Heavy rains have caused flooding in southern Ukraine.
Hanna Palomarenko: From Kyiv, NPR's Hanna Palomarenko reports that the storms have killed at least nine people in Odessa.
Hanna Palomarenko: Local residents posted videos from the street of Odessa in southern Ukraine.
Hanna Palomarenko: Streams of water knock people off their feet.
Hanna Palomarenko: Debris is carried away by the current.
Hanna Palomarenko: Cars and buses are underwater.
Hanna Palomarenko: Local authorities reported that on the 30th of September, Odessa received almost two months' worth of rainfall in seven hours.
Marina Averina: Marina Averina is the spokeswoman for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odessa region.
Marina Averina: She spoke during a telethon about the consequences of the flood.
Marina Averina: One of the most terrible things, she says, is that among the victims is a whole family of five who were unable to escape their flooded apartment.
Marina Averina: Averina also says the water has now started to recede.
Hanna Palomarenko: Hanna Palomarenko, NPR News, Kyiv.
Shea Stevens: Walmart says it plans to remove synthetic dyes and other food additives from its store brand sold in the U.S.
Shea Stevens: The change, expected by 2027, could affect 1,000 products, including power drinks and salty snacks.
Shea Stevens: The announcement comes months after the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove petroleum-based dyes from the nation's food supply.
Shea Stevens: U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading on Wall Street following Wednesday's gains.
Shea Stevens: When Asia-Pacific markets' shares are higher, up 1% in Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Shea Stevens: This is NPR News.
