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--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
--:-- White House Press Secretary: The White House is criticizing Democrats on the House Oversight Committee for releasing more documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Democrats say the material included emails that mentioned President Trump by name. Trump has vehemently denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
--:-- Caroline Levitt: Caroline Levitt says President Trump did nothing wrong, and the press secretary says the emails proved nothing, but she questioned the Democrats' timing. It is not a coincidence that the Democrats leaked these emails to the fake news this morning ahead of Republicans reopening the government. This is another distraction campaign by the Democrats and the liberal media and it's why I'm being asked questions about Epstein instead of the government reopening because of Republicans and President Trump.
--:-- White House Press Secretary: President Trump was not talking about or thinking about pardoning Epstein's imprisoned accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Within hours of the Democrats' actions, House Republicans released more than 20,000 documents obtained from the Epstein estate. They accused Democrats of politicizing the investigation.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: As politics surrounding the Epstein files play out, the House of Representatives is also trying to end an unprecedented government shutdown that has dragged on for 43 days. NPR's Sam Greenglass reports that in the coming hours, lawmakers are expected to approve a measure that would then head to President Trump for his signature. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he expects the measure will pass tonight, though many House Democrats have said they're going to be voting against it because the deal does not extend these expiring health insurance subsidies. and the margins in the House are so narrow that if Democrats are mostly united and blocking the measure, Johnson can only lose just a handful of Republican votes.
--:-- Sam Greenglass: NPR's Sam Greenglass reporting.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Well, many Americans who rely on the SNAP program have gone nearly two weeks without receiving the food assistance benefits. From member station WESA Jillian Forstatt reports some families have been leaning on school food pantries to help fill the gap At the end of each school week students pack the food pantry at Brashear High School in Pittsburgh Nearly every surface in the room is covered with fresh produce, dairy, frozen meat, even hygiene products.
--:-- Christine Wolski: Health teacher Christine Wolski says more than 75 new families have signed up for the pantry since the government shutdown began October 1st. It's a ton of people in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. If you're not fed, you're not learning. So that's one of the reasons why we're hitting this so hard.
--:-- Jillian Forstatt: Wolski helped start the pantry last year. She says it will continue to serve students each week, even after the government reopens and all remaining SNAP payments go through. For NPR News, I'm Jillian Forstat in Pittsburgh.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 344 points at last check. This is NPR News.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: The International Energy Agency has released its World Energy Outlook, a data-driven look at the planet's future energy use. The agency lays out sharply divergent views of the future. Electricity demand surges in all scenarios for example due to electric vehicles AI and air conditioning Oil either levels off or grows based mostly on how quickly electric vehicles take off and natural gas grows
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: The leader of a number of U religious groups have issued a joint statement in support of transgender people and trans rights. Here's NPR's Jason DeRose.
--:-- Jason DeRose: The statement begins, quote, our faiths call on us to proclaim that transgender, intersex and non-binary people deserve respect, love and equal rights. It goes on to say that there's a misconception that all people of faith oppose transgender rights. The statement says that the signers hold a, quote, fundamental belief across our traditions that all people hold infinite value and dignity.
--:-- Jason DeRose: Among the statement signers, the leaders of the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Church of Christ, and the Union for Reform Judaism. It comes at the same time that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is discussing restrictions on gender-affirming care at Catholic hospitals.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Jason DeRose, NPR News.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Someone is now the new owner of a diamond brooch that Napoleon lost as he fled the Battle of Waterloo in the early 19th century. Sotheby's is not saying who the buyer is, but the diamond weighing more than 13 carats sold for more than three and a half million Swiss francs in Geneva today. That's the equivalent of four point four million dollars.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: This is NPR News.
