Angela Harris, a quality assurance manager, at work in Terrapin Brew Company's beer lab in Athens, Georgia, Oct. 7, 2025.
SpaceX's 11th Starship test flight lights up the skies as seen from the Kennedy Space Center on Monday.

Morning! I'm Nicole Fallert. What are the most iconic Halloween costumes?

Quick look at Tuesday's news:

  • The government shutdown entered a 14th day Tuesday.
  • President Donald Trump anticipates a "new Middle East."
  • Meet the women changing America's beer.

Government shutdown impacts Americans

As the government shutdown stretches on, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday the country is "barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history."

USA TODAY is covering what the shutdown means for you:

  • What do Democrats and Republicans want in order to reopen?
  • Here's what to know about impact to Social Security payments.
  • The shutdown is blocking millions from National Flood Insurance Program coverage.
  • Trump cabinet members blamed the upcoming "No Kings" protests for prolonging the shutdown.
  • Waiting at the airport? The cause may be the weather.
  • Are military members getting paid tomorrow?

Trump looks ahead to the next phase of Gaza ceasefire deal

President Donald Trump is back in the U.S. after a whirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt to celebrate the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan held in the shaken region. Yesterday, Trump discussed the next steps in his ceasefire plan with world leaders in Egypt, saying he’s already onto the second phase, including the return bodies of some deceased hostages.

  • Who were the hostages released? Hamas has released 20 hostages held in Gaza after 738 days in captivity.
  • "Now the rebuilding begins": Trump also discussed a new vision for Gaza after two years of war. Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including minors and militants' bodies.
  • "Hamas still holds my son." One mother writes for USA TODAY Opinion about her son held in Gaza, whose return is not guranteed.

More news to know now

  • What is Trump’s approval rating?
  • These authors say George Orwell's "1984" feels closer to real life than ever before.
  • In this state, obesity is a major problem. A new GLP-1 benefit is failing to catch on.
  • Alec Baldwin and Stephen Baldwin "crushed" a car into a tree.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

The world just passed a climate threshold

As Earth's coral reefs plunge into dire conditions, the planet has now reached its first tipping point for human-caused climate change, according to the second Global Tipping Points Report released Monday. Warm-water coral reefs — on which nearly 1 billion people and a quarter of all marine life depend — suffer widespread coral dieback unless global warming is reversed. Extensive reefs as we know them will be lost.

Meet the women dominating the beer boys' club

Angela Harris, 33, said she has found it difficult at times to make her voice heard as a woman in the beer industry. At Terrapin Beer Company in Athens, Georgia, she's a quality assurance manager who helped form a rare all-women brew lab. While beer workers need to "have a beard and wear flannels" at some other places in order to fit in, she said, at Terrapin she can be herself. Harris and other women in beer shared with USA TODAY how grassroots organizations are working to make breweries more inclusive spaces.

Today's talkers

  • Messi will play with Argentina at Inter Miami's stadium Tuesday.
  • Here's what we clocked in Taylor Swift's Eras Tour docuseries trailer.
  • Is MTV no more?
  • Are the Blue Jays cooked in the MLB playoffs?

Where Penn State went wrong with James Franklin

As the season hits its midpoint, the college football coaching carousel is already shifted into high gear. Penn State's James Franklin’s recent losses to UCLA and Northwestern earned him a trip to buyout beach — Penn State owes Franklin a buyout topping $49 million, according to his term sheet, the second-largest severance payday in college football history. But that’s what happens when a school awards a coach a fully guaranteed contract.

Photo of the day: Not a UFO

SpaceX’s massive Starship lifted off from Brownsville, Texas, on its 11th flight Monday. As it soared into the sky, it was visible from its possible future launch location — Cape Canaveral.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daily Briefing: Shutdown stretches on

Reporting by Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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