Today's Top Stories from NBC News

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2025

In today's newsletter: Misleading claims about the government shutdown. Police chiefs call for more repercussions for political threats. And after pageantry for Trump, the Royal Family finds itself in trouble again.

Here's what to know today.

▼ The Lead

Fact-checking the GOP's health care claim at the center of shutdown fight

(Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images)

Republican leaders are pounding the same message on why the government shutdown is happening: "Democrats are grinding America to a halt in order to give illegal immigrants free health care."

That message, in a new ad from the National Republican Congressional Committee, has been echoed by the Trump administration and GOP lawmakers, attacking the Democrats' funding bill as negotiations stall.

The claim is highly misleading. U.S. law already prohibits unauthorized immigrants from gaining any federally subsidized health care coverage — through Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Children's Health Insurance Program, or otherwise.

The Democratic bill would not change existing law barring people who are in the U.S. illegally from getting federal health care coverage.

Republicans are seeking to prohibit Medicaid or ACA eligibility for immigrants whom the federal government has decreed as "lawfully present," but who haven't formally been given legal status that is enforceable in court.

There are an estimated 1.4 million people considered "lawfully present" in the United States — including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program beneficiaries, who came to the U.S. illegally as children; people who have Temporary Protected Status; and refugees and people seeking asylum who are still going through the legal process.

The Democratic bill would restore access to federal health care programs for "lawfully present" immigrants — but not for undocumented people who lack protected status. The party is also seeking to reverse $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, a core goal for Democrats.

Read the full story.

More politics news:

The Office of Management and Budget director told House Republicans that the administration will start firing federal employees in the next "one to two" days.

A federal assistance program that provides free food to low-income pregnant women, new moms and young children could run out of funds if the shutdown continues.

The Trump administration said it was looking into 1,000 cases to identify immigration fraud in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Twenty state prosecutors announced they are suing the Trump administration to block new restrictions on federal funding to help some victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

The Supreme Court deferred action on whether President Donald Trump can immediately fire Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook.

Current and former police leaders are expressing alarm over a "disturbing rise in rhetoric from political and community leaders that has contributed to acts of violence against law enforcement officers, elected officials, and members of the public."

They have called for the criminal prosecution of "individuals, including elected and public figures, who incite violence or contribute to a climate that fosters targeted attacks."

In an unusual step, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, one of the country's largest police associations, recently passed a resolution condemning the "incitement of violence."

Former police leaders warned that the number of threats to the public, schools, political leaders and law enforcement was the highest they had seen in their careers.

Read the full story.

Jane Goodall, renowned chimpanzee researcher and animal advocate, dies at 91

Jane Goodall, a renowned researcher who documented the behavior and social lives of chimpanzees and later became a leader of the animal conservation movement, died Wednesday.

Goodall was 91. She died of natural causes while she was in California as part of a speaking tour, the Jane Goodall Institute said in a statement.

"Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world," the statement said.

Goodall, who was born in Britain, became famous first for her pioneering work with chimpanzees in Tanzania in the 1960s. She fastidiously documented how the animals lived and interacted in research that would continue over several decades.

She took an "unorthodox approach" to her research of chimpanzees, according to the foundation, by "immersing herself in their habitat and their lives to experience their complex society as a neighbor rather than a distant observer."

Read the full story.

FCC chair to testify before Senate panel after blowback over Kimmel suspension

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who drew sharp criticism from both sides of the aisle over his threats related to Jimmy Kimmel's show, will testify before the Senate Commerce Committee.

The panel, which has jurisdiction over the FCC, is chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, one of the first congressional Republicans to chastise Carr's actions. A date has not been set for the hearing.

Trump has repeatedly praised Carr for his actions leading up to Kimmel's suspension, telling reporters last month that Carr should revoke broadcasters' licenses for unfavorable coverage.

Read the full story.

▼ Read All About It

Israeli forces have intercepted an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, boarding boats and detaining activists including Greta Thunberg who were seeking to break the blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

Police said they had shot a man suspected in a stabbing and car-ramming that left four people injured Thursday at a synagogue in the northern English city of Manchester.

U.S. companies shed 32,000 jobs in September, a surprising decline that adds to growing concerns about the rapidly weakening labor market.

Colorado investigators said they will review the death of renowned writer Hunter S. Thompson after his widow requested that officials revisit the case two decades later.

Actor and singer Tyrese Gibson has a warrant out for his arrest after his dogs killed another dog, according to court documents.

▼ Staff Pick

Royally bad vibes

Britain's Royal Family is in turmoil again. Just two weeks ago, King Charles and the royals were basking in pageantry, welcoming Donald Trump on a state visit while Prince Harry seemed on the cusp of reconnection after a long-awaited meeting with his father. For a moment, a family battered by crises looked steady again.

But the calm didn't last. Harry has since accused palace insiders of "sabotage" and spreading false accounts of that reunion. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are once again under scrutiny for their Jeffrey Epstein connections, while Prince William admitted to enduring "the hardest year" of his life.

What began as a rare show of unity has quickly unraveled into fresh turbulence — with Harry back at the center of the storm, and the palace once again fighting to protect its reputation.

– Freddie Clayton, reporter

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