海角大神

2025
September
29
Monday

Today, President Donald Trump is set to meet with top congressional leaders at the White House to try to avert a government shutdown tomorrow at midnight, when the current fiscal year ends. Such brinkmanship, increasingly common in recent years, is normally solved by a short-term bipartisan deal that extends the deadline for agreeing to a new annual budget.聽

Absent such a deal, we have seen temporary furloughs 鈥 and temporary pain for the party held responsible. But a shutdown now could have long-term consequences, our Cameron Joseph writes today, because the White House has to cut employees whose programs aren鈥檛 mandated by law and aren鈥檛 鈥渃onsistent with the president鈥檚 priorities.鈥

Those cuts could become permanent, advancing President Trump鈥檚 goals. We鈥檒l keep you posted on how this unfolds over the next two days.


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News briefs

The UN reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program after last-minute diplomacy failed at the UN General Assembly. The sanctions will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran, and penalize any development of Iran鈥檚 ballistic missile program, among other measures. On Sunday, Iran鈥檚 government prepared for a possible confrontation with the West, even as some pushed for continued negotiations to ease the economic pain squeezing the country. 鈥 The Associated Press

A gunman opened fire at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation in Michigan, setting the building ablaze during a crowded Sunday service and killing four people. The local police chief said people inside shielded children and moved them to safety during the attack, and officers responding to a 911 call were at the church within 30 seconds. Police fatally shot the attacker, an ex-Marine. It was the latest of many shootings at houses of worship in the U.S. over the past 20 years. 鈥 AP

The Trump administration ordered 200 Oregon National Guard troops to be deployed under federal authority, while the state filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump鈥檚 move to send military forces into the Democratic-run city of Portland. The president said they would be used to protect federal immigration facilities against 鈥渄omestic terrorists鈥 and that he was authorizing them to use 鈥渇ull force, if necessary.鈥 鈥 Reuters

President Trump is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House this morning to discuss a U.S.-Arab plan to end the war in Gaza and return all hostages still held by Hamas. Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro will lose his U.S. visa for his 鈥渋ncendiary actions鈥 at a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the UN headquarters in New York on Friday, according to the State Department. Mr. Petro urged U.S. soldiers to 鈥渄isobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity.鈥 鈥 Staff

Denmark reported new drone sightings at several military locations. The statement on Sunday came a day after NATO announced plans to enhance vigilance in the Baltic Sea region. Unexplained drone activity, including sightings over five Danish airports last week, has raised security concerns amid suspected Russian aggression. Germany and Sweden are providing support to Denmark, while Russia denies involvement in the incidents. 鈥 AP

Moldova鈥檚 pro-EU party won a resounding victory over its Russian-leaning rival in a key parliamentary election. The strong performance on Sunday by President Maia Sandu鈥檚 party will be a relief for the government and its European partners who had accused Moscow of seeking to influence the outcome. Tiny Moldova has long vacillated between Russia and Europe. 鈥 Reuters

Eight months after wildfires devastated parts of Southern California, an independent report commissioned by Los Angeles County has suggested a number of reforms. These include boosting emergency response staff, clarifying roles and procedures across jurisdictions, and updating communications systems. The Eaton and Palisades fires killed 31 people and destroyed thousands of homes. A county supervisor told the Los Angeles Times that the report shows 鈥渨here we fell short鈥 and 鈥渨here we must do better.鈥 鈥 Staff


Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

President Donald Trump and congressional leaders have agreed to meet on Monday. If they don鈥檛 reach a deal, the administration says it will use the shutdown to fire significant numbers of federal employees.

A deeper look

Sabrina Budon/Special to 海角大神
Housing estates like Ch锚ne Pointu 鈥 the epicenter of the 2005 riots 鈥 have been or are being renovated, April 2, in Clichy-sous-Bois, France.

In France, the relationship between nonwhite youth and police remains tense. The collective memory of a tragedy 20 years ago highlights this tension 鈥 and one town鈥檚 efforts to heal.


The Monitor's View

AP
Mumford & Sons perform at the Grand Ole Opry's international debut Sept. 26 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

From Bach to Beyonc茅, music remains a universal language. Puccini plays well in Shanghai鈥檚 opera house. Tokyo has dozens of jazz clubs. Paul Simon tapped in South African rhythms for his album 鈥淕raceland.鈥 Yet it has taken a century for America鈥檚 country music to reach this magical milestone: For the first time, a Grand Ole Opry show has left the United States, relocating from Nashville, Tennessee, for a one-night performance Sept. 26 at London鈥檚 famed Royal Albert Hall.

Country, twang and all, has finally hit a high note in another country, Queen鈥檚 English and all.

The official reason for this temporary musical transplant across the pond is that the world鈥檚 longest-running live radio show 鈥 first called 鈥淲SM Barn Dance鈥 鈥 has been celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Another is a cowboy hat-tip to one of the genre鈥檚 origins: the Scottish and Irish settlers to America who, from the 17th century on, blended their folk singing with the blues and lyrical narration of Black people. The fiddle and the banjo found a common home in Appalachia and the South.

Yet another reason is a recent burst of interest in country music in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. In Britain, it is now the fastest-growing genre. 鈥淚 just think country music is a place that everybody can go and enjoy,鈥 Grammy-nominated singer Luke Combs told BBC News.

Or, as writer Kristen Amiet explains in The Australian, the universal appeal of this music from America helps explain 鈥渉ow a nation that can鈥檛 agree on healthcare or gun control or immigration or law enforcement or education can come together at a Dolly Parton concert and get along.鈥

About 15% of visitors to the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville are from abroad. This iconic institution 鈥 as iconic as Albert Hall 鈥 has helped musicians blend new sounds, such as rap. Yet the music still keeps a bass note of community and comfort. The genre is 鈥渟o expansive in terms of the spectrum of music and fan base that it can address today, and I think that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 a movement, not a moment,鈥 Patrick Moore, CEO of Opry Entertainment Group, told the Nashville Business Journal.

The Opry鈥檚 first-ever overseas broadcast reflects a confidence that it, as well as country music, will exist for another 100 years. This unique universal language is not only eternal; it hits a chord with a harmony that builds bridges, even across oceans.


A 海角大神 Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication 鈥 in its various forms 鈥 is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church 鈥 The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston 鈥 whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

Cherishing God as divine Life lifts us out of morbid fascination and brings a sense of freedom and joy.


Viewfinder

Owen Humphreys/PA/AP
Replica Locomotion No. 1, a steam engine, passes through Heighington, England, Sept. 26, 2025, on its first official journey in 200 years from the Locomotion Museum in Shildon to Darlington, as part of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of British passenger rail services. Britain鈥檚 Office of Rail and Road reported some 1.73 billion rail journeys in the U.K. between April 2024 and March 2025, an uptick from the previous year.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

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2025
September
29
Monday

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