By Alexandra Banner

During a CNN town hall on Wednesday, progressive lawmakers Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced tough questions about the government shutdown and other pressing national issues. If you missed it, these are the key takeaways.

Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

(Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

Shutdown layoffs

A judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately halt its efforts to lay off roughly 4,000 federal workers during the government shutdown, calling the move unlawful. The ruling, issued Wednesday, follows a warning from the Office of Management and Budget director that layoffs could climb "north of 10,000." On Friday, the Trump administration began issuing reduction-in-force, or RIF, notices to thousands of employees across multiple agencies, following a memo in September that instructed agencies to prepare for mass layoffs in the event of a shutdown. The unions have argued that the government is unlawfully using the lapse in funding as justification for the layoffs, which have targeted programs and agencies favored by Democrats.

Israel-Gaza ceasefire

In the coming hours, the Israeli government is set to hold state memorial ceremonies for the victims of the October 7 attack amid increasing anger that the bodies of several hostages have not been returned. So far, only nine of the 28 deceased hostages have been returned to Israel since the ceasefire deal took effect. Hamas said Wednesday that it has handed over all the bodies it can access and will need "significant efforts and special equipment" to recover more remains. As the dispute over the deceased hostages continues, President Donald Trump told CNN that Israeli forces could resume fighting in Gaza "as soon as I say the word" if Hamas does not uphold its end of the ceasefire deal.

Airport cyber breach

Unauthorized pro-Palestinian political messages praising Hamas and attacking President Trump and Israel's prime minister were broadcast through public address systems in terminals at four airports in the US and Canada on Tuesday, disrupting operations and sparking investigations into the apparent hacks. The unauthorized recordings were played at Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania, Windsor International Airport in Ontario, and at Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport in British Columbia. "This is absolutely unacceptable and understandably scared travelers," US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on social media, adding that the FAA is working to "get to the bottom of this hack."

Drug smuggling

President Trump said Wednesday he has authorized the CIA to operate inside Venezuela to clamp down on illegal flows of migrants and drugs from the South American nation. The president tied the authorization to his efforts to go after drug smuggling. "We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea ... but we're going to stop them by land also," Trump said in the Oval Office. The comments came a day after Trump announced the US military conducted yet another strike on a boat alleged to be trafficking drugs off the coast of Venezuela, killing six people on board.

Titan submersible

Faulty engineering led to the implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible that killed five people on the way to the wreck of the Titanic in 2023, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded in a report Wednesday. Everyone on board the submersible died instantly in the North Atlantic when the Titan suffered a catastrophic implosion as it descended to the wreck. The NTSB report states that the submersible "failed to meet necessary strength and durability requirements." It also said that OceanGate, the owner of the Titan, failed to adequately test the vehicle and was unaware of its true durability. The implosion of the Titan killed OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and led to lawsuits and calls for tighter regulation of private deep-sea expeditions.

NYC mayoral candidates to face off in first general election debate

The candidates for New York City's mayoral race are slated to square off in the first general election debate today at 7 p.m. ET. Frontrunner and Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is set to face off against independent former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa for one of two debates before the November 4 election.

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$200 million

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5 Things AM is edited by CNN's Andrew Torgan.

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