Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that diplomatic and military pressure have forced Hamas to agree to free the hostages it is holding. As Israel and Hamas prepare to take part in indirect talks in Cairo, Mr Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump for his peace plan.
Also in the programme: protests in Georgia; and 50 years of the Rocky Horror Show.
(Picture: Hostages Square 2-Year Rally - a large banner reads: 'It's Now or Never' - displayed in response to Trump's Gaza peace plan to end the war and the return of all the remaining hostages: The rally was held at Hostages Square to mark two years since the October 7 attacks. Credit: Hostages Families Forum)
On Tuesday, the nomination of E.J. Antoni, the Chief Economist at The Heritage Foundation, to become the next Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was withdrawn. In his first long-form interview since his withdrawal, Antoni joins “The Signal Sitdown” for an inside look at life as a presidential nominee and the problems with our economic data that President Donald Trump is trying to solve.
When Antoni met with the president in the Oval Office upon his nomination, the biggest piece of advice that Trump gave him was “always tell the truth.”
In the months since President Donald Trump nominated him for the position in August, Antoni has lived the unique life of a presidential nominee—constant meetings on Capitol Hill, continued preparation for the nominated role in the administration, and very little sleep. But, day after day, Antoni took the president’s words to heart and told Senators the hard truths about our economy and our economic data.
Antoni explained why the BLS is in desperate need of reform, ”The problems were starting to surface, really, many, many years ago with things like people just not responding to government surveys anymore. Those response rates have been steadily trending down,” Antoni told The Daily Signal.
Federal workers across the United States are feeling the impact of the government shutdown. This comes after months of turmoil for federal workers as agencies have slashed their workforces as part of the Trump administration's large-scale government job cuts.
NPR's Andrea Hsu talks to Andrew Limbong about her reporting on the federal workforce and the challenge of finding people willing to talk about their experiences.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Kira Wakeam and Avery Keatley. It was edited by Adam Raney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
Nate and Maria discuss their favorite topic: poker! In this episode, they dive into the nuanced strategy of online poker: how to manage your schedule, how to prioritize information, and whether quantity trumps quality as you strive to improve.
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
Diane Foley, founder of the Foley Foundation and mother of slain journalist James Foley, joins Mike to discuss America’s fragmented hostage-recovery system, wrongful detentions, and why the U.S. response lags far behind countries like Israel. In the Spiel, Mike looks at the 20-point Gaza plan, Israeli hostages, and the very different ways nations value their own citizens.
Quickie with Bob: Galaxy Wave; News Items: Redrawing the Human Family Tree, Fig Wasps, ALS May Be Autoimmune, Complex Chemistry on Enceladus, Genius Act; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Kea Intelligence; Science or Fiction
Hamas says it will release all hostages remaining in Gaza, as part of President Trump’s ceasefire deal, as long as its conditions are met. Fourth day of the shutdown as Democrats did not budge in a Senate vote. State governments are making cuts to their Medicaid programs affecting people in nursing home care all over the country.
Israel's military says it's still operating in Gaza City and has warned Palestinians it's too dangerous to return. Earlier, President Trump told Israel to stop bombing the territory after Hamas said it accepted part of his peace plan -- including the release of all the hostages it's holding. But Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence agency says Israeli attacks continued overnight.
Also in the programme: Japan's governing party has chosen Sanae Takaichi as its leader -- putting her on course to become the country's first woman prime minister; the Czech writer, playwright and former dissident Ivan Klima has died at the age of 94; and Peanuts, the comic strip that gave the world Snoopy and Charlie Brown, is 75 today!
(Photo: There have been regular protests in Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, as families of those taken by Hamas demand their return. Credit: EPA)
An 18-year-old entrepreneur who has helped more than twenty thousand teenagers get skills, training and mentoring has been recognised with a global student prize. Adarsh Kumar grew up in poverty in rural Bihar and says he was inspired by wanting to solve the problems he saw around him - and the example set by his hardworking single mother. He plans to use the ten thousand dollar prize to help improve the lives of even more people - and believes the first step in changing the world is to change his home state.
Also: we find out how teenagers who've been struggling with school attendance are learning important life lessons - from three year olds. The scheme pairs them with a nursery child to give them a sense of responsibility and helping others.
We celebrate the winner of Fat Bear Week in Alaska - which saw tens of thousands of people around the world vote for the brown bear who'd done best at gorging on salmon and berries to prepare for winter.
How new technology is helping Premier League football fans with sight problems, the jollof rice wars heat up with a record breaking dish in Nigeria, and the people spreading joy over the internet through memes.
Plus an inspirational speech from a 12-year-old who wants to improve understanding about autism. Leo Bird says he's not broken, just different, and that's why his friends love him.
Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.
Presenter: Jannat Jalil. Music composed by Iona Hampson
