Government shutdown halts food aid for millions; FBI thwarts Halloween terror plot in Michigan; Dodgers earn second straight World Series win; and more.

Our host, Matthew Garcia, takes us through top headlines from the week: the federal government shutdown suspends CalFresh benefits for millions; the FBI thwarts a Halloween terror plot in Michigan; President Trump and Xi Jinping reach a new trade agreement; and the Dodgers celebrate back-to-back World Series victories — and more.

Creators and Guests

Editor

Jason Lee

MG

Producer

Matthew Garcia

What is The Chimes Weekly?

Bite-sized podcast episodes with your top news stories from The Chimes and Biola.

By Biola University students, for Biola University students. Previously known as Chimes Rundown and KBR Daily News Updates by KBR The Torch.

From The Torch Podcast Network, This is The Chimes Weekly.

I’m Matthew Garcia, here to start off your week with major headlines and what’s coming up.

It’s Monday, November 3rd.

As of October 31, the federal government shutdown has stretched 31 days with the Senate once again failing to pass spending legislation amid a bitter partisan standoff. Over nine hundred thousand government employees have been suspended or discharged due to the ongoing shut down. As of November 1, the shutdown will eliminate SNAP benefits, better known as CalFresh in California, for at least 42 million Americans. According to Fox 11, California officials filed a lawsuit against the government in hopes of maintaining the continuation of benefits for the 5.5 million residents of California. For information on how to receive help, call 211. The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation will also provide free snacks and dinner for youth, teens, and seniors during the CalFresh shutdown.
Also as of October 31, 2025, the FBI arrested multiple individuals in Dearborn, Michigan, following the discovery of an alleged plot to carry out an attack during Halloween weekend. According to the Associated Press, authorities intervened after identifying credible threats that prompted heightened security measures across the region. Federal officials have not yet released the names of the suspects or detailed the nature of the plot, citing an ongoing investigation. Local law enforcement has increased patrols throughout Dearborn and nearby communities to ensure public safety during the Halloween festivities.
Last Thursday, President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in South Korea to negotiate after months of trade conflict between the two superpowers. The United States agreed to lower certain tariffs in response to Chinese commitment to take action on chemicals used to produce fentanyl, a drug which has been the cause of many overdose deaths in the U.S. China has also agreed to resume buying soybeans from American farmers, after a season in which it had not booked any U.S. soybean purchases for months. China also agreed to ease some of the restrictions it placed on exports of rare-earth minerals that previously hurt American businesses that dominate the production of such materials.

Last week, Hurricane Melissa struck across the Caribbean, affecting the nations of Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica. The hurricane left many dead and widespread destruction of infrastructure and housing. Haiti's Civil Protection Agency reported 25 deaths and 18 missing people. In Jamaica, at least eight are dead.

Both the men and women’s cross country teams for Biola won the PacWest Conference Championships with the women’s team securing their fourth straight conference crown. Senior Bethany Mapes and junior Melt von Molendorff earned the PacWest individual titles in addition to the team win. The Eagles will travel this Saturday to the NCAA Division II West Regionals at the Ash Creek Preserve in Monmouth, Oregon. Make sure to listen to next week’s episode to find out more about the team’s results.

Also in sports, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in Game 7 to secure the 2025 MLB World Series title in extra innings. Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was named MVP after his performance in Game 7. This is the Dodgers second consecutive world series win, and the first time a team has won twice in a row in the MLB since the Yankees's three-peat from 1998-2000.

That’s all for last week’s headlines. Now, let’s dive into what’s happening this week at Biola.

The office of Student Enrichment and Intercultural Development (or SEID) is celebrating National FirstGen Day with its annual celebration on Wednesday, November 5 from 12-3 p.m. at Fluor Fountain. Join in celebrating FirstGen College Students with free boba for the first 100 people, spin the wheel for special swag such as T-shirts & FirstGen pins, write a thank you note to a mentor and more. Biola students, staff and faculty are all welcome to join! For more on first-generation college students, stay tuned for a bonus episode tomorrow. I will be interviewing two current FirstGen students to understand what it means to be FirstGen, their experiences, and ways to support.

Biola’s Crowell School of Business is hosting a Free EngageX Event on Nov. 6, 2025, at Andrews Banquet Room, Featuring Cheryl Goodman and Neil Ahlsten on “The Hope of AI for Business and for Good” and “How Google, Meta and Startup Leaders Use AI to Reinvent Business.” For more information, please check our show notes.

The Conservatory of Music will be hosting a Piano Area Recital tonight at 5:30 p.m. in Crowell Music Building’s Lansing Recital Hall where Conservatory student pianists present an evening of solo piano works.

Biola Symphony Orchestra Presents Fall Concert on Nov. 7, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in Crowell Music Building’s Lansing Recital Hall — Directed by Artist-in-Residence Yoon Jae Park
Tickets are $10 for students. For more information please check our show notes.

And that’s all for this week.

Thanks for listening! As always, if you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review and share it with a friend or a roommate.

To read stories from The Chimes, see our show notes, or head over to our website at ChimesNewspaper.com.

The Chimes Weekly is a production of The Chimes Media Group and The Torch Podcast Network.

This episode was produced by Matthew Garcia with headlines written by Marc Aguilera, Matthew Garcia, Reagan Glidewell, and Jason Lee. This episode was engineered by Jason Lee. Our theme music is from Warner Chappell [“chapel”] Productions. Thomas Rakhola is our Editor-in-chief, and Reagan Glidewell is our managing editor.

I’m Matthew Garcia, and we’ll see you all next week.