JD Vance in Israel; White House under construction: NPR

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Today’s top stories

Vice President JD Vance is in Israel, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The ceasefire in Gaza has been in force for almost two weeks. Vance says the deal continues to move forward despite fighting between Israel and Hamas over the weekend. The vice president, along with several other U.S. officials in Israel, is working to get both sides to take next steps under the agreement.

• 🎧 Next phase of ceasefire poses challenges as Gaza has no governmentand it’s unclear when it will get one, says NPR’s Greg Myre up first. Vance says other things must happen first, like getting food, medicine and security for the people of Gaza. Other big problems that needs to be addressed are calls for the next phase for Hamas to disarm, Israeli troops to withdraw, and international troops to take their place in Gaza as a stabilization force. To work on these priorities, U.S. troops built a civil-military coordination center outside Gaza for officials from the United States and other countries, as well as other organizations working in Gaza, so they can synchronize efforts.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries believes public pressure will intensify on Republicans in the coming days. expand health insurance subsidies, which are a key point in the shutdown fight. The federal government remains shut down after the Senate failed to pass a spending bill again on Monday. Congressional leaders continue to avoid negotiating an end to the shutdown. The White House has attempted to end the standoff between the two sides by threatening Democrats with more spending and workforce cuts.

• 🎧 President Trump has praised Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought for cutting “Democratic priorities.” that the game will not return. The president has repeatedly referred to “Democratic programs,” but NPR’s Stephen Fowler says there are no such things, because federal employees who process Social Security payments and handle taxes work on a nonpartisan basis. Vought has announced plans to cancel grants for energy projects in Democratic-led cities and states and other efforts to make Democrats feel the tax impact. The off-year election is Nov. 4 and could reflect voter discontent with Republican government, including the shutdown, Fowler says.

Images of an excavator tearing down the facade of the East Wing of the White House went viral this week. The construction marks the groundbreaking for the president’s $250 million ballroom project. Trump has wanted to build the ballroom for more than a decade, but not everyone is happy with the progress and historic preservation groups are raising concerns.

• 🎧 The demolition has taken many people by surprise because Trump minimized the impacts when he announced the project in July, says NPR’s Tamara Keith. The National Capital Planning Commission would normally have a role in approving a project like this, but it is currently not operating due to the government shutdown. Trump says he is funding part of the ballroom project, and other donors include large corporations with business before the government, Keith says. Google is donating more than $20 million to settle a civil lawsuit filed by Trump. Watchdogs say this is one of the many reasons why The project is an ethical red flag..

today’s listening

Karine Jean-Pierre gives an interview about her new book “Independent: a look inside a broken White House, outside party lines.”

Bronson Arcuri/NPR

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Bronson Arcuri/NPR

Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who served during the Biden administration, published her new book, Independent: A look inside a broken White House, outside party lines. He wrote about how the Democratic Party’s internal dysfunction led to its downfall during the 2024 presidential election. Before his new book hit shelves, morning edition Host Michel Martin sat down with Jean-Pierre. During their conversation, Jean-Pierre reflected on her decision to leave the party she once represented and the scrutiny she faced in her role as press secretary. Watch his interview here. Listen to Jean-Pierre talk about it decision to identify as independent and read five takeaways from the conversation.

life tips

Grab a cup! It’s already autumn.

Stefania Pelfini la Waziya/Getty Images

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Stefania Pelfini la Waziya/Getty Images

From vibrantly colored leaves to comforting weather, fall is many people’s favorite season. With all the excitement the season brings, you may be feeling eager to make the most of this time of year. Life Kit has put together a list of simple ideas to help make the run-up to Halloween festive.

• 🍂 Make simple adjustments as the days get shorter, like switching from a cold to a hot breakfast or lighting candles, to prepare your nest.
• 🍂 When decorating, think about your commitment to keeping the decorations. This could be especially important as the end-of-year holidays approach.
• 🍂 Don’t feel pressured to find the perfect Halloween costume. It can be fun to try something unexpected, like dressing up as an inanimate object. Have you ever considered being a fruit or a Windex bottle?

For tips on how to adopt a lifestyle of rest and comfort, Listen to this episode from NPR. Life Kit. Subscribe to he Life Kit fact sheet for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.

3 things you should know before you go

Researchers say fewer children developed peanut allergies after guidelines calling for introducing peanut products to young children were implemented.

Patrick Sison/AP

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Patrick Sison/AP

1. A new study in the journal. Pediatrics reveals that a rollback in health guidelines on when to feed babies peanuts helped prevent tens of thousands of cases of peanut allergy in children under 3 years old in the US.
2. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will honor its founderRobert Redford, who died in September at the age of 89. The January event will also include a program about Park City’s heritage with film screenings from past editions and artist talks. (through KPCW)
3. A federal judge ordered the Defense Department to return books on gender and race to five school libraries on military bases, saying the removal violated students’ First Amendment rights.

This newsletter was edited by Susana Nuyen.