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--:-- Michelle Martin: Celebrations broke out in Israel as all 20 living hostages were freed from captivity in Gaza. And Palestinians held by Israel will also reunite with their families. The swap is a big step in the ceasefire deal. I'm Michelle Martin. That's A. Martinez. And this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- A. Martinez: President Trump addresses Israel's parliament before heading to Egypt to cement the deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas. This is just phase one of a 20-point plan, but the president insists the war's over. How are Israelis responding to his message?
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--:-- Michelle Martin: The government shutdown heads into its second week. Layoff notices went out at multiple agencies, and military service members could see their first missed paychecks this week. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.
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--:-- A. Martinez: This message comes from Netflix. The critically acclaimed series The Diplomat returns for its third season, starring Keri Russell as Kate Weiler. Now the president is dead, Kate's husband Hal may have inadvertently killed him, and Grace Penn is leader of the free world. None of this slows Hal's campaign to land Kate the vice presidency. Allison Janney and Rufus Sewell return, and Bradley Whitford joins the cast of the Emmy-nominated drama. Watch The Diplomat October 16th only on Netflix.
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--:-- A. Martinez: This message comes from Albert I.O. Albert I.O. started in 2011 with a mission to help students succeed on advanced placement, SAT, and ACT exams. Today, it is trusted by thousands of teachers to enrich instruction across all curriculum areas and standards in grades 5 through 12. Go to www.albert.io to get started with a free adaptive learning product today.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: This morning, all 20 living Israeli hostages are free. Tens of thousands of Israelis celebrated the moment in downtown Tel Aviv as Hamas released the last surviving hostages they captured two years ago in the October 7th attack. In exchange, Israel is releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. And President Trump has declared the Gaza war is over.
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--:-- Daniel Estrin: I'm in Tel Aviv. Daniel, what's it feel like there? [pause] It's just unbelievable. I am at what's known as Hostages Square. I stood in a sea of people, tens of thousands of people, watching footage of the hostage release on a large screen. I watched men cry. I watched women cry. I watched them smile and cheer and then cry some more.
--:-- Neva Perry: I'm full of hope after two years of devastation. of killing, of anxiety, remorse. I just can't contain my happiness. We have been protesting here for two long years. That's why I'm so overwhelmed. And I can't believe that we are here now.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: You know, this is the culmination of one of the biggest, longest protest movements in Israeli history. People calling for Israel to strike a deal with Hamas, to release the hostages and to end the war. And we have reached that moment and it's a surreal one.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Yeah, definitely sounds that way. Tell us how the hostage release unfolded this morning. Hamas transferred hostages to Red Cross vehicles inside Gaza This happened in two separate groups around 8 local time and then 10 local time They were taken across the border to an Israeli military base Unlike earlier this year with the last hostage release there were no Hamas ceremonies with hostages paraded on a stage That was part of the ceasefire deal. And then Hamas today should be transferring the bodies of dead hostages, around 28 of them. But that will take longer because about a third of them are unknown where they are or they're under rubble.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Yeah. Now, the living hostages, the ones released, what condition are they in? Yeah, they're men and mostly in their 20s and 30s, including two pairs of brothers. Around half of the hostages released today were taken hostage at a music festival on October 7th, two years ago. And, you know, this morning, a few of the families got surprise video calls from Gaza where you see masked Palestinian militants standing next to the hostages and their families speaking to them for the first time, and the hostages are smiling. They're standing on their feet. They're being helicoptered to hospitals any moment now in Israel. And, you know, they've been more than 700 days in captivity. And what we know from previously released hostages and from videos Hamas published is that they likely have been kept in underground tunnels, held alone, starved. And so we don't know yet what their real condition is in both body and mind.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Okay, so what happens today? Well, President Trump is in Israel. He's addressing the parliament. He's then going to Egypt for a summit with more than 20 world leaders to mark this moment. And almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are being released from Israeli prisons. And hostages are spending their first day of freedom with their families. They've been waiting for this moment to heal for so long.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Daniel, thank you.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: You're welcome.
--:-- A. Martinez: So as you just heard, President Trump has arrived in Israel where he has received a rousing welcome. The president is widely credited with bringing about the ceasefire in the Gaza War. He's getting ready to speak to Israel's parliament in Jerusalem. Joining us now is NPR's Greg Myrie, who is in Tel Aviv.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Yeah, as Trump arrived at Israel's parliament, the Knesset in Jerusalem, he could be heard saying that this is a great day. The president clearly sees this as a great success, and he wants to celebrate this ceasefire. On the flight here, Trump spoke briefly with reporters on the plane and said emphatically, the war is over. So that is certainly the hope, the message that Trump has come to convey.
--:-- Greg Myrie: But we should note that Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hasn't gone this far. He seems to want to keep his options open in case there are some problems that develop down the road.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Okay, so give us a sense of how Trump was greeted in Israel. Yeah, it's really overwhelming. He got a literal red carpet welcome at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv. Netanyahu was there to greet him. Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, were there. They've been here for the past couple days, and he helped negotiate the ceasefire agreement.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Now, more broadly, Israel has just embraced Trump in the most spectacular way imaginable. We've seen crowds at Hostages Square chant, thank you, Trump, thank you, Trump. I'd note that that same crowd has booed Netanyahu. They believe Netanyahu rejected earlier opportunities to end the war Huge billboards featuring Trump have cropped up all over the country And on the beachfront in Tel Aviv Trump distinctive profile was carved in the sand accompanied by a big thank you with an Israeli flag Wow
--:-- Greg Myrie: So what role will President Trump and his administration have in the next stages of the Gaza ceasefire? Yeah. So the plan A is for the Trump administration to remain very active. About 200 American troops are being sent to Israel. At least some are already here. I know this because I see them walking around my hotel in uniform. Now, they'll be part of a military civilian coordination center, and this will also involve other countries, all of them trying to keep the ceasefire on track.
--:-- Greg Myrie: The U.S. contingent is led by Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, so a very senior figure. This U.S. presence, this military presence, is a sign that the Trump administration really wants this ceasefire to stick. But we should stress that the Americans and the others will be doing things like planning, logistics, transportation, and they'll be doing it from a safe distance inside Israel. These U.S. forces will not be in Gaza.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Okay, got it. The president is going to be in Israel for just a couple hours. Can you tell us what's next for him? Yeah, so Trump will be flying to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on the Red Sea later today. That's where this formal signing ceremony for the ceasefire will take place. Twenty or so national leaders are supposed to be there.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Today is a day of success and celebration, but the important point to emphasize here, this is stage one. Much harder stages are ahead and will play out for weeks, months, even years to come.
--:-- A. Martinez: All right, that's NPR's Greg Myrie in Tel Aviv. Greg, thank you.
--:-- Greg Myrie: Sure thing.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: Thousands of federal workers received layoff notices Friday as a government shutdown continues. At least some of those intended firings have already, though, been walked back. The Trump administration continues to blame Democrats for drastic changes to the federal government. But these are changes that have also been part of the president's day one agenda. This as members of the military face the prospect of their first missed paycheck this week. NPR's Stephen Fowler has been keeping track of these changes, joining us now to help sort all of this out.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: So, Stephen, we're heading into the second week of the government shutdown. Friday, the White House announced substantial layoffs were coming for federal employees. Where do those now stand?
--:-- Stephen Fowler: So about 4,000 people from at least seven agencies received these reduction in force notices. 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. Sources told NPR that more than 100 employees at the country's top mental health agency will be let go, plus hundreds more at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was Friday. On Saturday, some CDC employees started receiving word that their layoff notices were being reversed.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: We don't know the scope and scale of that decision, but I did hear from a few folks who are the so-called disease detectives that work on investigating outbreaks who say their cuts were walked back.
--:-- A. Martinez: Okay. Now, Vice President J.D. Vance was asked about those reversals on CBS's Face the Nation yesterday. This is what he had to say. So you ask, how does this mistake happen? It happened because Chuck Schumer shut down the government, and we're trying to make sure that essential services still function in the face of that shutdown.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: Okay. Take us through the Trump administration logic here. Well the administration argues that Democrats refusal to drop their demands for extending health care subsidies means they have to start firing workers and cutting spending to keep the lights on for essential government services. Budget experts say that's not how that works. Those essential services continue no matter how many people work for the government because they're essential.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: The federal employees who keep doing their jobs during the shutdown will get paid once a new spending plan is passed. Beyond that, firing workers and slashing spending has been a top Trump administration priority since day one, like the Department of Government efficiency effort. And also like Doge, some government experts I talked to last week before the firings were announced said to take any threats and big changes with a grain of salt, like Jessica Riedel with the Center-Right Manhattan Institute.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: There's a lot of people in the government right now who were pretty sure their jobs were going to be eliminated six months ago, but are still employed by the federal government. In fact, in recent weeks before the shutdown, we've been reporting on federal agencies hiring people back because they can't perform basic functions or carry out Trump's agenda.
--:-- A. Martinez: So there are some layoffs, except for the ones that are being reversed. This week is also the first potential missed paycheck for military members. Is that really going to happen?
--:-- Stephen Fowler: Over the weekend, President Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social that he would make sure the troops are paid. A Pentagon official not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that they would take about $8 billion of unused research, development, testing, and evaluation funds to cover the paychecks for October 15th.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: It's not clear if they can legally do that, but like many big changes to the federal government this year, the White House says it's using power over appropriations that belongs to Congress.
--:-- A. Martinez: All right, that's NPR's Stephen Fowler. Stephen, thanks.
--:-- Stephen Fowler: Thank you.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: And that's Up First for Monday, October 13th. I'm Amy Martinez. And I'm Michelle Martin. For your next listen, consider this from NPR. At Up First, we give you the three big stories of the day. Or consider this, colleagues take a different approach. They dive into a single news story and what it means to you. Learn about a big story of the day in less than 15 minutes. Listen now on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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--:-- A. Martinez: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kate Bartlett, Vincent Nee, Jason Breslow, Mohamed Elbardisi, and Martha Ann Overland. It was produced by Ziad Batch, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. And we get engineering support from David Greenberg. Our technical director is Zach Coleman. Join us again tomorrow.
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--:-- A. Martinez: This message comes from Jackson. Seek clarity in retirement planning at jackson.com. Jackson is short for Jackson Financial, Inc., Jackson National Life Insurance Company, Lansing, Michigan, and Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York. Purchase New York.
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--:-- A. Martinez: Support for NPR and the following message come from Rosetta Stone, the perfect app to achieve your language learning goals no matter how busy your schedule gets. It's designed to maximize study time with immersive 10-minute lessons and audio practice for your commute. Plus, tailor your learning plan for specific objectives like travel. Get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off and unlimited access to 25 language courses. Learn more at rosettastone.com slash NPR.
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--:-- A. Martinez: That's all for today. Thanks for listening to Up First.
