--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): 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.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Around 1,700 Palestinians return to Gaza Monday, just some of the several thousand that Israeli troops seized and held without charge during the two-year war with Hamas. Their return was part of that ceasefire deal that also saw the release of all 20 remaining living hostages back to Israel. And Piers Anas Baba reports from Khan Yunus in Gaza on the emotional reunions.
--:-- Piers Anas Baba: Families here are waving Palestinian flags, some wearing the traditional kofia, mothers, wives, and also children holding flowers. The scene in front of me is, it's a mix of joy and at the same time, it's a mix of survival for those who survived this war.
--:-- Piers Anas Baba: The freed prisoners appear totally and extremely pale here as they haven't seen the sunlight for years. Same as they are very weak to walk actually We can see the prisoners and also the families they are just embracing each other with big smiles and at the same time tears all over the cheeks
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): And it's blah, blah, I'm PR News. President Trump is due back in Washington soon after hailing that ceasefire deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas. He spoke before the Israeli parliament on Monday and then flew to Egypt for a summit with foreign leaders.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Trump's Middle East peace proposal represents a last chance for peace in the region, and he also repeated his call for a two-state solution.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): New York Attorney General Letitia James made her first public appearance Monday night since she was indicted on federal charges of bank fraud. In making a false statement, she spoke at a rally for New York City mayoral candidates, Aram Mamdani.
--:-- Aram Mamdani: We see powerful voices trying to silence truth and punish dissent and, yes, weaponize justice for political gain.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): The charges were brought against James after President Trump called for her prosecution. James won a large judgment against Trump last year but an appeals court overturned the fine but upheld a lower court finding that Trump had committed fraud
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): Thousands of federal workers received layoff notices Friday as the government shutdown continues into day 14 At least some of those intended firings have already been walked back as NPR's Stephen Fowler reports.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: About 4,000 people from at least seven agencies received these reduction in force notices Friday. That includes places like the IRS, the Education Department, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A quarter of those layoffs were with the Department of Health and Human Services, with hundreds of firings slated for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: But on Saturday, some CDC employees started learning their layoff notices were reversed. That includes some of the so-called disease detectives who work on investigating outbreaks.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): This is NPR. French media reports that Madagascar's president has been flown out of the country aboard a French military aircraft. Michael Koloki reports at the newscoms following a string of protests that began last month.
--:-- Michael Koloki: According to French public broadcaster RFI, President André Rajoylina was evacuated following an agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron. For more than two weeks now, Madagascar has witnessed widespread unrest. Protesters have been calling for an end to frequent water and power cuts. They have also denounced the government and called for the president to step down
--:-- Michael Koloki: In a statement Sunday Mr Rajoylina office said that what he described as an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power was underway in the country He did not offer further evidence. The remarks came amid reports that soldiers from an elite military unit in the country had joined protests on the streets of the nation's capital, Antananarivo.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): For NPR News, I'm Michael Kaloki in Nairobi.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): SpaceX capped Monday night's test launch of its huge Starship rocket with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The test flight was Starship's second consecutive apparent success after a string of failures. This latest test was aimed at demonstrating the vehicle's reusable design and its capacity to eventually take humans to the moon and Mars.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): Cape Verde's soccer team is set to play in the World Cup for the first time. Cape Verde qualified Monday, securing one of nine automatic spots for Africa after beating Eswatini and finishing at the top of its group in African qualifying. The World Cup will be played in North America next summer, hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
--:-- Host (Giles Snyder): This is NPR. This message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Glasses designed in-house from premium materials starting at just $95, including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you.
