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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 3, 2025, 9:22 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 3, 2025, 9:30 AM EDTBy Rebecca ShabadWASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Friday that it is putting $2.1 billion in funding for Chicago infrastructure projects on hold, the latest move to target Democratic-run cities during the government shutdown.The director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, said in a post on X that the funding is for “specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project.” He said it has been “put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting.”The Department of Transportation said the decision to pause the funding comes after it issued an interim final rule this week barring “race- and sex-based contracting requirements from federal grants.” It said it sent letters on Friday to the Chicago Transit Authority to notify officials that the projects “are under administrative review to determine whether any unconstitutional practices are occurring.””The American people don’t care what race or gender construction workers, pipefitters, or electricians are. They just want these massive projects finally built quickly and efficiently,” the department said in its announcement. It added that the government shutdown “has negatively affected the Department’s staffing resources for carrying out this important analysis.””We urge Democrats in Congress to stop holding the federal government’s budget hostage so USDOT can get back to the important work of the American people,” the department’s release said.Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.President Donald Trump and administration officials warned that they planned to target programs favored by Democrats during the government shutdown. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment on what cities the administration might be planning to target next, referring NBC News to the Office of Management and Budget for further information.The halt in Chicago rail project money comes after Vought announced on Wednesday, the first day of the government shutdown, that the administration was putting $18 billion for two infrastructure projects in New York City on hold. They include a new commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River and an expansion of the Second Avenue subway line. Freezing money for the projects stands to impact constituents of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who are leading the Democratic opposition in Congress to the Republican short-term government funding bills.Separately, the Department of Energy announced Thursday that it was terminating $7.56 billion in financial awards for 223 energy-related projects. Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee said that the funding targeted 16 Democratic-led states, including 108 congressional districts represented by Democrats and 28 represented by Republicans.Rebecca ShabadRebecca Shabad is a politics reporter for NBC News based in Washington.Jay Blackman contributed.

- Latest News - October 3, 2025

The Trump administration announced Friday that the White House is putting $2.1 billion in funding for Chicago infrastructure projects on hold, the latest move to target Democratic-run cities during the.

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Oct. 3, 2025, 5:43 AM EDTBy Freddie ClaytonLONDON — Something is shifting in the skies of Denmark.Europe’s leaders met in Copenhagen this week with security fears pressing in from every direction and a new determination to face down what they say is a mounting threat from the Kremlin.Fortified by intense security measures after a wave of drone incursions above airports and sensitive sites, two high-stakes summits in the Danish capital offered a mounting sense of collective clarity — and a possible solution that sounds like science fiction: a “drone wall.” “There is only one country that are willing to threaten us, and it is Russia,” Danish President Mette Frederiksen told reporters on Wednesday, adding that Europe was in the middle of a “hybrid war.”“I think we are in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the end of the Second World War,” she added. “I want us to rearm. I want us to buy more capabilities. I want us to innovate more.”The advent of advanced, low-cost drones has transformed the landscape of war and security, helping Ukraine to match its far larger adversary but also leaving Western powers scrambling to adjust. NATO launched an initial effort to bolster its flank last month after Poland shot down Russian drones that had violated its airspace. Renewed reports of drone sightings from Germany to Sweden have fueled pressure to do more.

- Latest News - October 3, 2025

Europe’s leaders gathered at summits in Denmark to respond to Vladimir Putin after a wave of drone incursions above airports and sensitive sites.

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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleBy Jamie GrayLONDON — A woman has been named to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury for the first time in the history of the Church of England. The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, will be installed into the church’s most senior role in March 2026. Mullally is the first female Archbishop of Canterbury to be chosen since women were allowed to become bishops in 2014. As the spiritual leader of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury heads a global Anglican community of around 85 million people, across 165 countries.In a statement following her appointment, Mullally said: “As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager.” “At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply — to people and to God’s gentle prompting — to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing.” Mullally’s appointment comes 11 months after the previous archbishop, Justin Welby, resigned after a damning report into his handling of the case of a prolific child abuser associated with the church. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Mullally’s appointment, saying she would play “a key role in our national life.”“The Church of England is of profound importance to this country. Its churches, cathedrals, schools, and charities are part of the fabric of our communities,” he said in a statement.Jamie GrayJamie Gray is a senior desk editor for NBC News based in London. 

- Latest News - October 3, 2025

Sarah Mullally is the first woman to be named to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury in the history of the Church of England.

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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 3, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Berkeley Lovelace Jr.Most of President Donald Trump’s supporters back keeping enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans, the central obstacle in ending the government shutdown, according to a new poll from the nonpartisan health policy research group KFF. It was conducted Sept. 23 through Sept. 29, just days before Congress failed to pass a funding measure to keep the government open.More than 22 million people receive the subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress extends them. Losing the subsidies could mean that average out-of-pocket premium payments could double in 2026, from $888 a year to $1,904, an earlier KFF analysis found.Around 4 million people are projected to go without coverage next year because they can no longer afford it, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Extending them would cost the federal government around $350 billion over the next decade.The new survey found 59% of Republicans and 57% of “Make American Great Again” supporters favor extending the enhanced subsidies.The nationally representative sample of 1,334 adults were asked whether they support extending the subsidies, not whether they support including them in budget negotiations. Whether to include them is a sticking point in the ongoing budget battle, with Democrats arguing they must be extended before open enrollment next month, when many enrollees will be shocked to find their premiums are increasing.Overall, more than three-quarters of the public — 78% — say they want Congress to extend them. That includes 92% of Democrats and 82% of independents.“We get a very clear message that the majority of the public, regardless of their partisanship, regardless of their insurance, support Congress extending these tax credits,” said Ashley Kirzinger, the director of survey methodology and associate director of the public opinion and survey research program at KFF. “It’s really hard to take a benefit away after it’s been given to people.”The enhanced subsidies were put into place under the 2021 American Rescue Plan, which made ACA plans affordable for many middle-class families. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 extended them through 2025.Standard ACA subsidies for people with very low incomes are expected to continue — although their premiums are expected to rise too without the additional tax credit, and they also may be at risk of losing their coverage.According to the poll, about 4 in 10 people with an ACA plan say they would go without insurance if the amount they had to pay each month nearly doubled.Similar shares — 37% — said they would continue to pay for their current health plan, while 2 in 10 say they would get coverage from another source, like an employer.“That’s going to result in a large number of individuals losing health coverage and becoming uninsured,” Kirzinger said. “When people don’t have health coverage, not being able to go to the doctor, not being able to get primary care, it can result in all kinds of detrimental health outcomes.”Dr. Adam Gaffney, a critical care physician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, said going without insurance can also devastate people’s finances.“They accrue large bills, debt and even go bankrupt,” he said.Some people who keep their insurance may also take a hit to their finances. When respondents were asked if they could afford coverage if their premiums nearly doubled, 7 in 10 who purchase their own insurance say they would not be able to afford the premiums without significantly cutting back on their household budgets.Despite the risk to peoples’ health and finances, many Americans still don’t know that the enhanced subsidies are set to end.Among people who buy their own coverage, about 6 in 10 said they’ve heard just “a little” or “nothing at all” about the subsidies’ expiration.Art Caplan, the head of the medical ethics division at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said many will learn for the first time when open enrollment begins on Nov. 1.They’re at real risk of “sticker shock,” Caplan said. “And most of these people, who tend to be working-class folks, tend to be more MAGA. They won’t like it.”When people who support extending the subsidies were asked who deserves the most blame if they expire, 39% said President Donald Trump and 37% said Republicans in Congress. Just 22% said that Democrats would deserve the blame.Berkeley Lovelace Jr.Berkeley Lovelace Jr. is a health and medical reporter for NBC News. He covers the Food and Drug Administration, with a special focus on Covid vaccines, prescription drug pricing and health care. He previously covered the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with CNBC.

- Latest News - October 3, 2025

Most of President Donald Trump’s supporters back keeping tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, the central obstacle in ending the government shutdown, according to a new poll.

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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 3, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Erika EdwardsMeasles outbreaks continue to simmer and spread across the country, with cases now popping up quickly in Minnesota.On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health alerted residents that it had confirmed 10 new cases since Monday, bringing the state’s tally so far this year to 18.“We have been worried about this all year,” said Dr. Chase Shutak, a pediatrician and medical director at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis. “When the outbreaks began in Texas, all of us anticipated that it would eventually work its way up into our state.”Shutak was referring to a massive measles outbreak in West Texas, which totaled 762 cases. Ninety-nine patients needed to be hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, and two young girls died. In Minnesota, as of Thursday afternoon one child had been hospitalized at Children’s Minnesota, a spokesperson said. Most of the Minnesota cases are among families who traveled within the U.S., according to the state’s health department. None of the children had received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. It was unclear, however, whether the patients were old enough to qualify for the shots, usually given in two doses starting around age 1. Arizona, too, is dealing with a large, growing outbreak that has spread across the area bordering southwestern Utah. Fifty-nine cases have been confirmed in Arizona, with one hospitalization. Most cases are in Mohave County, located in the state’s far northwestern corner, bordering Utah. “You can safely say that we are actually a part of Northern Arizona’s outbreak,” said David Heaton, public information officer for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. “There’s one town that straddles the state line, and all of our cases appear to be linked.”Forty-four measles cases have been identified in Utah, largely among unvaccinated young people. Five needed to be admitted to the hospital but have since recovered, Heaton said.If outbreaks continue around the country until the end of January, the United States will lose its status of having had eliminated measles 25 years ago. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 1,544 confirmed measles cases. Of those, just 21 cases were diagnosed in people visiting the U.S. from other countries. The government shutdown hasn’t affected the CDC’s monitoring of the ongoing measles spread, according to a person in leadership who was not authorized to speak to the media.Falling vaccination ratesA recent NBC News investigation found notable declines in childhood vaccination rates in more than three-quarters of counties and jurisdictions since 2019. And among states with data on kids who get the MMR vaccine, 67% don’t have enough coverage for herd immunity.

- Latest News - October 3, 2025

Measles outbreaks continue to simmer and spread across the country, with cases now popping up quickly in Minnesota

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