Wednesday, October 29th, 2025 - Gaza ceasefire over; U.S. strikes off Colombia; Trump appeals convictions; Arctic drilling; Hurricane Melissa
Description
Today’s Headlines: The fragile Gaza ceasefire is officially over after 18 days, with Israel launching new airstrikes in Rafah after claiming Hamas fired rockets and mishandled the return of hostage remains. Hamas still holds the bodies of 13 hostages, and the stalled recovery effort is blocking the next phase of negotiations — including disarmament and postwar governance. Meanwhile, the U.S. carried out deadly strikes on boats off Colombia’s coast, killing 14 people; Mexico’s president condemned the attack as a breach of international law. Back home, Trump’s legal team is appealing his 34 felony convictions from the hush money case, arguing the trial violated his supposed immunity. A federal judge extended an order blocking the administration from firing federal employees during the shutdown, which continues to drag on. ICE is seeing a wave of leadership purges as the White House pushes for higher deportation numbers, and Trump just greenlit over 1.5 million acres of Alaska’s Arctic refuge for oil drilling, reversing Biden-era protections and alarming conservationists. Globally, the U.N. warned that the world will “inevitably” overshoot the 1.5°C warming target, while Bill Gates called for a “strategic pivot” away from limiting warming toward reducing poverty and disease instead. Hurricane Melissa slammed Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm — one of the strongest in Atlantic history — and Trump’s Truth Social is launching Truth Predict, a crypto betting platform for everything from sports to elections, because of course it is.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
AP News: Gaza ceasefire tested as Israel and Hamas exchange fire and blame
AP News: US launches strikes on 4 alleged drug-running boats in the eastern Pacific, killing 14
Axios: Trump appeals felony conviction citing Supreme Court immunity
Axios: Trump indefinitely barred from firing federal workers during shutdown
Axios: Trump administration purges ICE field officials
The Guardian: White House approves increased oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s national wildlife refuge
AP News: Bill Gates calls for climate fight to shift focus from curbing emissions to reducing human suffering
AP News: Live updates: Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica with historic 185-mph winds
Wired: Donald Trump’s Truth Social Is Launching a Polymarket Competitor
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
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