by Logan Andrew | FreeWire Magazine — Your News, Your Voice
After a one-week hiatus, this special recap covers the major national and international stories from the past two weeks.
Politics and Government
Nationwide “No Kings” Protests: Millions of Americans in all 50 states marched in “No Kings” rallies to protest the Trump administration, voicing fears that the country is sliding into authoritarianism. In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson told demonstrators that Washington “decided that they want a rematch of the civil war,” vowing “we do not want troops in our city.” His comments came as the Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow deploying National Guard troops to Chicago to fight violent crime, after lower courts halted the plan.
Partial Government Shutdown and Federal Layoffs: A partial federal government shutdown has stretched into its third week. President Trump followed through on threats to slash the federal workforce during the shutdown, notifying about 4,100 employees of layoffs across eight agencies and warning that over 10,000 jobs could be cut. He openly said the cuts would target “Democrat agencies,” according to court filings. This week, a federal judge in California blocked the mass layoffs, ruling that explicitly political firings violated the law. The White House extended a freeze on new hires (except military and political appointees) as the budget standoff continues. Negotiations in Congress have so far failed to end the funding impasse, and an NRSC campaign ad even used an AI-generated deepfake video of Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to mock the opposition during the standoff (with a tiny disclaimer noting the fakery).
EPA Nominee Sparks Controversy: The U.S. Senate is poised to approve President Trump’s nomination of Douglas Troutman, a chemical industry lobbyist, to lead the EPA’s chemical safety office. If confirmed, former industry lobbyists would occupy all four top positions in the EPA’s toxics management offices – a fact raising concerns about public health and safety among environmental advocates. Supporters argue the nominees understand the regulated industries, while critics say this could undermine chemical safety enforcement.
Santos’ Sentence Commuted, Bolton in Court: President Trump announced he has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, the disgraced former congressman who was serving 7+ years for fraud. Santos walked free this week, provoking criticism from both parties (one Democrat quipped they “have no doubt that Santos will ultimately end up in Trump’s cabinet”). In an unrelated legal case, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton pleaded not guilty to federal charges of mishandling classified information, setting up a high-profile trial. Bolton has claimed the charges are politically motivated due to his past criticism of the president.
Immigration and Border
Los Angeles Declares Emergency over ICE Raids: The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 to declare a local state of emergency in response to ongoing federal immigration raids. County leaders said stepped-up ICE raids have “caused widespread fear” in immigrant communities, hurting attendance at workplaces and schools and straining local services. The emergency declaration will funnel resources into rent relief, legal aid, and other support for families impacted by the raids. LA County, home to over 3 million immigrants, plans to request state and federal aid to address the humanitarian fallout. One supervisor said the move ensures “the full weight of County government is aligned to support our immigrant communities who are being targeted by federal actions.”
Passport Gender Marker Policy Change: In a controversial policy shift, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) implemented a rule instructing airlines to ignore “X” gender markers on passports and instead classify travelers as male or female. While courts have so far blocked the administration from entirely banning the nonbinary “X” designation on passports, this new CBP rule effectively forces a binary classification for airline passenger data. Advocacy groups say the change will make travel more difficult for transgender and nonbinary Americans. The Trump administration defends the move as a security standardization measure, but it faces legal challenges from LGBTQ rights organizations.
Crime and Public Safety
Deadly Mass Shooting in South Carolina: A horrific mass shooting erupted at a crowded bar on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, in the early hours of October 12. At least four people were killed and about 20 others injured (with four in critical condition) when multiple gunmen opened fire at an alumni event hosted at the bar. The small island community was shaken by the violence. Investigators believe they have identified suspects involved, but as of mid-week no arrests had been announced. Local authorities have pleaded for witnesses – nearly 700 people were at the event – to come forward with information. The FBI is assisting state and county police in the investigation.
LA County’s $828M Abuse Settlement: In California, Los Angeles County reached a tentative $828 million settlement to resolve more than 400 new claims of sexual abuse by employees in its juvenile detention facilities. This comes just six months after the county approved a record $4 billion payout to abaout 11,000 other victims of abuse in juvenile halls, the largest sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history. Officials say there are still 2,500+ additional cases pending, and the mounting settlements have worsened the county’s financial strain. The Board of Supervisors vowed to compensate legitimate victims while screening out any fraudulent claims. The new settlement (which still needs final approval) underscores the enormous scope of the abuse scandal in LA’s youth facilities and the high cost of accountability.
Typhoon Flooding in Alaska: An unusual weather disaster struck western Alaska, where the remnants of Typhoon Halong caused severe coastal flooding in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta. The storm’s surge swamped several remote villages; at least three people were reported missing and dozens had to be rescued from inundated areas. The U.S. Coast Guard and National Guard airlifted stranded residents to safety as high waters damaged homes and infrastructure. Halong’s aftermath in Alaska is a rare instance of a Pacific tropical cyclone’s effects reaching so far north. Local officials have declared a disaster for the affected communities, and relief efforts are underway.
World and Foreign Affairs
Israel–Gaza War and U.S. Mediation: Fighting has raged on in the Gaza Strip over the past two weeks as Israel’s military presses a major offensive against Hamas. Palestinian civilians have suffered heavy losses – for example, in one 24-hour period, over 60 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza. Amid growing humanitarian concerns, President Trump claimed a diplomatic breakthrough: he announced progress toward a potential ceasefire to halt the Gaza war. U.S. officials say Trump has been mediating talks behind the scenes, though no formal agreement has been reached yet. (Notably, the White House expressed frustration that Trump’s efforts in Gaza were “days away” from a deal even as the Nobel Committee chose to honor a different peace effort this week.)
Zelenskyy Visits Washington, Ukraine Aid Uncertain: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Trump at the White House on October 17 to plead for continued U.S. support against the Russian invasion. However, Trump struck a cautious tone on Ukraine’s requests for advanced weaponry. When asked about supplying long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles that Kyiv has sought, Trump suggested he was cool to the idea, saying, “We need Tomahawks and a lot of other things … hopefully [the Ukrainians] won’t need it.” His hesitation followed a phone call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who warned that giving Ukraine the missiles would damage U.S.–Russia relations. Trump even floated plans for a future meeting with Putin in Hungary to discuss ending the war. U.S. military aid to Ukraine has become uncertain – while Trump insists he wants to help stop the war, he has also signaled that European allies must take on a bigger share of the burden.
Nobel Peace Prize Honors Venezuelan Activist: The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for her “tireless” campaign to restore democracy in Venezuela. Machado, who lives in hiding after being barred from running against socialist president Nicolás Maduro, dedicated her Nobel to “the suffering people of Venezuela” and pointedly to President Trump for his “decisive support” of Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement. (Trump has been a vocal critic of the Maduro regime and was nominated for the prize by U.S. lawmakers last year.) The White House in Washington welcomed Machado’s win but simultaneously criticized the Nobel Committee for “plac[ing] politics over peace,” noting it came just after Trump announced a potential Middle East peace deal. The timing stirred a bit of drama: Trump’s spokesman lamented that the committee focused on Venezuela instead of rewarding Trump’s recent peacemaking efforts in Gaza.
U.S.–Colombia Diplomatic Rift: Relations between the U.S. and Colombia plunged to a new low after a fiery exchange over drugs and sovereignty. Over the weekend, U.S. forces in the Caribbean destroyed a vessel suspected of smuggling narcotics for Colombia’s ELN rebel group, killing three people on board. Shortly afterward, President Trump blasted Colombia’s leftist president Gustavo Petro on social media, calling him an “illegal drug leader” who encourages massive drug production. Trump declared the U.S. will cut off all aid payments to Colombia, accusing Petro’s government of flooding America with narcotics and “causing death, destruction, and havoc.” Bogotá reacted with outrage – Colombia’s foreign ministry condemned Trump’s remarks as “offensive” and a direct threat to sovereignty, vowing to rally international support in its defense. The diplomatic row comes after months of tension; since returning to office, Trump has ordered a series of unilateral drug interdiction strikes in Latin America and even revoked visas of some Colombian officials. Petro’s allies say Trump is scapegoating Colombia for the U.S.’s drug demand, while U.S. officials insist tougher action is needed against cartels. The feud marks one of the sharpest breaks in U.S.–Colombian relations in decades.
Science, Culture, and Sports
Nobel Prizes in Literature and Economics: The annual Nobel Prize announcements continued into early October. The Nobel Prize in Literature 2025 went to Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai, praised for his “compelling and visionary” works that confront apocalyptic themes while affirming the power of art. Krasznahorkai, often called a “master of the apocalypse” in literary circles, is the second Hungarian to ever win the literature Nobel. And on October 13, three economists – Joel Mokyr (Northwestern University), Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt – won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for their research on how innovation drives long-term economic growth. Their influential work on technology, productivity, and creative destruction has shaped modern economic policy debates. (Earlier in the month, Nobel prizes in the sciences were awarded as well – including the Medicine prize for discoveries in immune regulation and the Physics prize for breakthroughs in quantum information, though those attracted less media attention.)
Windows 10 Reaches End-of-Life: A milestone in tech: Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 this month, exactly 10 years after the operating system’s 2015 debut. Despite its age, Windows 10 remains hugely popular – roughly 41% of Windows PC users still run it as of this year. The end of support means no more security updates or fixes, pushing both consumers and businesses to finally upgrade to Windows 11 (or beyond). Cybersecurity experts are urging users to update soon, warning that hackers will target unpatched Windows 10 machines. Microsoft’s move marks the end of an era for what was one of its most successful OS versions.
MLB Playoffs – Dodgers in, AL Pennant Up for Grabs: October baseball is in full swing. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League Championship Series, clinching a return to the World Series for the second straight year. In the American League, the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays battled in a hard-fought ALCS that was pushed to the brink. As of Sunday, the Mariners held a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The winner will face the Dodgers in the 2025 World Series, which is set to begin on October 24. Fans are watching to see if Seattle can reach its first World Series in decades or if Toronto will stage a comeback. Meanwhile, other sports news included the NFL season approaching mid-year form and the NCAA football rankings shuffling, but no single upset dominated headlines these past two weeks. All eyes in sports are now turning toward the Fall Classic matchup ahead.
Protesters in inflatable costumes (including characters from SpongeBob SquarePants) march down Pennsylvania Avenue during the “No Kings” anti-Trump rally in Washington, D.C. on October 18, 2025. The nationwide demonstrations had a festive atmosphere even as they delivered a serious pro-democracy message.
Notable Losses
Diane Keaton (1946–2025): Hollywood is mourning the loss of legendary actress Diane Keaton, who died on October 11 at age 79. An Oscar winner for Annie Hall and icon of 1970s–90s American cinema, Keaton was remembered for her unique style, comic timing, and award-winning performances in films such as The Godfather series, Manhattan, Father of the Bride, and Something’s Gotta Give. Her family said Keaton passed peacefully after a brief battle with pneumonia. Tributes poured in from co-stars and fans, celebrating her legacy as one of the era’s defining actresses.
Jane Goodall (1934–2025): Renowned primatologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall passed away on October 1 at age 91. Goodall was a pioneer in the study of wild chimpanzees and a UN Messenger of Peace. Over six decades, her groundbreaking research in Tanzania transformed our understanding of animal behavior and inspired global wildlife conservation efforts. Even in her final years, she traveled the world advocating for environmental causes. Leaders and scientists worldwide paid homage to Goodall as a trailblazer for science and a compassionate voice for nature.
D’Angelo (1974–2025): R&B and soul music fans were saddened by the death of singer D’Angelo on October 14 at age 51. The influential artist, born Michael Archer, succumbed to a brief fight with pancreatic cancer. D’Angelo was a central figure in the neo-soul movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s, famed for hits like “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” and the critically acclaimed album Voodoo. Fellow musicians praised his musical genius and the soulful authenticity he brought to the industry. His passing marks a huge loss for R&B music, which he helped shape for a new generation.
