Israel and Hamas Peace Deal is Established

On Oct. 8, President Donald Trump announced the first phase of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, which was further agreed upon by both parties the following day. The agreement has resulted in a ceasefire in Gaza, which was initiated on Oct. 10. Additionally, hostages are expected to be fully exchanged by both sides by Monday, Oct. 13, and Israel has agreed to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza as part of Trump’s peace deal. The later phases of Trump’s 20-point plan include key steps such as Israel fully withdrawing from Gaza, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) being deployed, and demilitarizing the region. However, any of these proposals could potentially be argued against by either party. Features of the deal could likely cause political instability on both sides as well, but the prospect of rebuilding Gaza provides a hopeful look for the future.

Chicagoan Wins Nobel Prize Award

On Oct. 6, 2025, Fred Ramsdell and his colleagues, Mary Brunkow and Shimon Sakaguchi, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of how human cells know not to attack the healthy cells in the body. Fred Ramsdell, 64, grew up in Elmhurst, a suburb near Chicago, and is currently an immunologist living in California. After achieving his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of California, San Diego, and his doctorate at the University of California, Los Angeles, Ramsdell went on to work at several biotech companies. In 2019, he co-founded Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company in San Francisco, CA. In their studies, Ramsdell and his other co-winners used mice to figure out the now-known fundamentals of peripheral immune tolerance, the process by which the immune system differentiates between the body’s own tissues and foreign invaders. When he was announced as a winner of the prize, Ramsdell was on a three-week backpacking trip in Wyoming with his wife.

“We got snowed on and were completely off grid,” Ramsdell said in an interview with Adam Smith, editorial director of Nobel Media. “There’s no service up there or anything, so my phone is on airplane mode… apparently I won the Nobel Prize.” 

Continuing Delays at O’Hare Airport Amid Government Shutdown

Over the course of the government shutdown, starting on Oct. 1, thousands of flights across the country, including hundreds from O’Hare and Midway, have been delayed due to staffing shortages. On Saturday, Oct. 11, at O’Hare Airport, more than 200 flights had been delayed and 8 had been cancelled as a result of a shortage in airport staff. More than 900,000 federal workers are not being paid, with thousands of them being air traffic controllers, TSA agents and safety inspectors working at airports. These airports, such as O’Hare, are running slower due to the increase in workers calling in sick due to their lack of pay.

“The air traffic controllers get a little tired, a little frustrated,” Professor of Computer Science and Aviation Expert Sheldon Jacobson at the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering told USA TODAY. “Historically, this has happened and it’s happening now.” 

Experts say that these delays will most likely continue until the government shutdown is resolved, which is expected to last through next week.