--:-- Shea Stevens: This message comes from NPR's sponsor, Odoo Business Management Software. Some say Odoo is like fertilizer because it promotes growth. Others say it's a magic beanstalk, scaling with efficiency. Odoo, exactly what a business needs. Sign up today at odoo.com.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens.
--:-- Shea Stevens: The Israeli government has approved the first phase of a U.S. draft ceasefire plan for Gaza. and Hamas says its negotiators have received guarantees that the agreement ends the war.
--:-- Shea Stevens: The proposal calls for the release of all remaining hostages by early next week in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. As NPR's Greg Myrie reports, it is still unclear who will control a post-war Gaza.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Trump's plan, as outlined last week, says Hamas, which has ruled there for almost 20 years, is supposed to step aside, but they haven't publicly agreed to do that.
--:-- Greg Myrie: It's the the plan calls for Palestinian technocrats to take over at least temporarily But no one knows exactly who these people are what authority they would have how long they'd be there
--:-- Greg Myrie: And on top of this there supposed to be a committee a Gaza committee that Trump and the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would head as a so Board of Peace
--:-- Greg Myrie: NPR Greg Myrie reporting
--:-- Shea Stevens: Some furloughed U federal workers say they tired of living under threat and are demanding that Congress do more. From member station WAMU, Jenny Obamu has more.
--:-- Jenny Obamu: Ian Morgan is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland and the leader of a local federal worker union. He wants any budget deal to include protections for federal workers and the services they provide.
--:-- Ian Morgan: From my perspective, it feels like the federal government has in some ways been shut down for the past nine months. We've seen that where, at least where I work at the NIH, early on we weren't able to get supplies to do our work.
--:-- Ian Morgan: It's frustrating to be at home and not being able to do that important work. I've also been kept from doing that for the past nine months.
--:-- Ian Morgan: Morgan also wants Congress to guarantee back pay for federal contractors he works closely with, many of whom will not receive pay while the government is shut down.
--:-- Jenny Obamu: For NPR News, I'm Jenny Abamu.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Social security checks are still going out, but agency employees say they cannot help people during the shutdown. As NPR's Ashley Lopez reports, many social security recipients are left in a bind.
--:-- Ashley Lopez: Benefit verification letters are a service provided by the Social Security Administration that act as a sort of income verification that is key to obtaining aid like housing assistance fuel assistance and help from nonprofits
--:-- Ashley Lopez: But during the shutdown, the agency says, people can only use either the automated phone service or online portal to get their letters.
--:-- Ashley Lopez: Christine Lazotte, a claims representative for the agency in Auburn, Maine, said those systems don't work for everyone.
--:-- Christine Lazotte: This is the most vulnerable population. These are elderly people who've never used a computer.
--:-- Ashley Lopez: Agency employees say they're dealing with an uptick of frantic and upset callers as they work without pay.
--:-- Ashley Lopez: For NPR News, I'm Ashley Lopez.
--:-- Shea Stevens: U.S. futures are flat in after hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR.
--:-- Shea Stevens: The Trump administration's effort to deploy Texas National Guard troops in Chicago is on hold at least for two weeks. A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction saying there's no substantial evidence that the troops are needed there.
--:-- Shea Stevens: She's also set an October 22nd hearing to determine if her order should be extended.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke by phone Thursday. As Julia Canero reports, it's a positive step toward easing tensions between the two countries.
--:-- Julia Canero: Rubio and Brazil Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira agreed to meet in Washington soon to discuss both countries trade and economic relations following Monday conversation between President Trump and Brazil President Luiz In Lula da Silva.
--:-- Julia Canero: In the call, Lula asked Trump to reduce the 50% tariffs imposed on Brazilian goods and to lift sanctions on Brazilian authorities.
--:-- Julia Canero: U.S.-Brazil relations had nosedived in the wake of the former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial, seen by Washington as unjust.
--:-- Julia Canero: Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.
--:-- Julia Canero: For NPR News, I'm Julia Carneiro in Rio de Janeiro.
--:-- Shea Stevens: A major earthquake has rocked the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. There were no immediate reports of severe injuries, but several buildings have been damaged.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Emergency workers were evacuating coastal areas early Friday, following a tsunami warning that has since been lifted.
--:-- Shea Stevens: The Philippines is still recovering from a deadly earthquake that killed 74 people in central Cebu province two weeks ago.
--:-- Shea Stevens: On Asian stock markets, shares are lower, down 1% in Hong Kong and Tokyo. This is NPR News.
--:-- Shea Stevens: This message comes from Warby Parker. What makes a great pair of glasses? At Warby Parker, it's all the invisible extras, without the extra cost, like free adjustments for life. Find your pair at borbyparker.com or visit one of their hundreds of stores around the country.
