--:-- Noor Rahm: This week on Consider This, a big few days for the Democratic Party, decisive wins on Election Day, and Nancy Pelosi announces she'll retire next year. What it all can mean in 2026, plus the latest action from the Trump administration to limit the flow of refugees into the U.S. Catch up on the news you've missed in short daily episodes of Consider This. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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--:-- Noor Rahm: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. This is day 39 of the government shutdown. The president is out of town at his Florida resort. The House hasn't been in session since September 19th. Senators are working this weekend for the first time since the shutdown began October 1st.
--:-- Noor Rahm: Democrats won't agree to a short-term bill to reopen the government unless Republicans agree to an extension of health care subsidies for people who purchase policies under the Affordable Care Act.
--:-- Lindsey Graham: Our Democratic colleagues are asking me to do something I cannot and will not do. I will not continue Obamacare as it exists today.
--:-- Noor Rahm: This is now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The previous longest was 34 days during the first Trump administration.
--:-- Amy Held: In an order issued last night the Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to block full SNAP benefits for now.
--:-- Amy Held: More SNAP whiplash. Several states had already said they were distributing full benefits, including California, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, after a judge Thursday ordered the Trump administration to pay. But the high court's administrative stay means states must now revert back to partial payments, at least until an appeals court weighs in.
--:-- Sylvia Lindsay: You're already down, and they want you to be even farther down. It's just really sad and disappointing.
--:-- Amy Held: One in eight Americans rely on the program, mostly very low-income families, seniors, or people with disabilities.
--:-- Noor Rahm: At the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, flights were briefly grounded this morning due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. Cancellations and delays abound, as the FAA has said that it will cut traffic at major airports by as much as 10 percent in the coming days.
--:-- Nick DeLaCanel: Inside the Charlotte terminal here Jessica Lamuccio and her one daughter are trying to rebook after their flight to Manchester New Hampshire was canceled leaving them scrambling to get to a family wedding.
--:-- Jessica Lamuccio: It just makes it more complicated right especially with her just to figure out like what our plan How long do we stay here How long do we wait it out? If you book again, is it going to get canceled again?
--:-- Nick DeLaCanel: The Charlotte Airport says this morning's ground stop, which lasted about an hour, was caused by staffing issues in the air traffic control tower.
--:-- Noor Rahm: Arctic air is moving across much of the country this weekend, bringing cold temperatures from the northern plains to the southeast. The cold snap is likely to last for several days. Some areas could get the first measurable snowfall of the season.
--:-- Noor Rahm: Another typhoon is threatening the Philippines. A state of national emergency is still in effect after a typhoon struck earlier this week. At least 204 people died. The storm also brought fierce winds and torrential rains to Vietnam. Five people died. Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed.
--:-- Kayla DeRoche: Known for Yellowstone and Glacier National Park, fans are flocking to Montana for a new outdoor activity. It's all about the bats.
--:-- Kayla DeRoche: Biologists in central Montana lead a boat tour through Missouri River Canyon. At sunset thousands of bats swoop from the cliffs down into the valley.
--:-- Shannon Hilty: State bat biologist Shannon Hilty leads tours. These sell out now in minutes to the point where people are mad that they did not get a spot.
--:-- Shannon Hilty: Handheld devices amplify the animal's ultrasonic chirps.
--:-- Shannon Hilty: State wildlife managers say it's important to raise awareness about bats and their vulnerability to threats like disease.
--:-- Shannon Hilty: They say they save the agricultural industry millions of dollars a year by controlling bug populations.
--:-- Kayla DeRoche: Montana's bat experts are planning more bat observation activities and educational opportunities statewide.
--:-- Noor Rahm: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds its induction ceremony in Los Angeles tonight. This year's class includes artists from the 1950s through the 2000s.
--:-- Noor Rahm: Chubby Checker began in the 50s with The Twist and Let's Twist Again. English singer Joe Conker began releasing records in the 60s. Warren Zevon sang Werewolves in London in the 1970s. Other artists include Cyndi Lauper, The White Stripes, and Salt-N-Pepa.
--:-- Noor Rahm: I'm Noor Rahm, NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.
--:-- Rachel Martin: If you're tired of small talk, check out the Wild Card podcast. I invite influential thinkers to open up about the big topics we all think about but rarely talk about. Tune in this fall to hear Mel Robbins, Malala Yousafzai, and Brene Brown talk about everything from grief and God to ambition and forgiveness.
--:-- Rachel Martin: Watch or listen on the NPR app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
