10 things you need to know today: October 1, 2013

(Image credit: (Mark Wilson/Getty Images))

last updated 8 January 2015

1. Government begins shutting down

Eleventh-hour moves by the White House, the Senate, and the House failed to result in a deal around the budget, leading to the first government shutdown in more than 17 years. On Monday, Senate Democrats flatly rejected multiple attempts by House Republicans to tie provisions of ObamaCare to a budget agreement, leading to the legislative impasse. Around 800,000 federal workers will remain on unpaid furlough because of the shutdown, and a million more will be asked to work without pay. [New York Times]

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The National Security Agency's reach is not limited to phone records and email correspondence, according to documents that Edward Snowden provided to The New York Times. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are apparently also routinely placed under surveillance, a practice which began in 2010 and allows the NSA to diagram subjects' whereabouts, companions, social interactions, and correspondence. [CNN]

The days of powering down before takeoff may be reaching their end. U.S. aviation regulators issued a report on Monday suggesting that airlines should allow greater use of laptops, tablets, and e-readers on board. Though newer planes are designed to withstand low-level interference from such devices, officials say that older planes could present a problem. The report was welcome news to Amazon, the prominent seller of the Kindle, which called it "a big win for customers." [Reuters]

At the U.N. on Monday, Walid al-Moallem, Syria's foreign minister, alleged that rebel forces in Syria are al Qaeda-affiliated militants who eat the hearts of their victims, dismember them while they are still conscious, and send severed limbs to their relatives. In a remarkably undiplomatic assessment of the minister, the U.S. State Department in 2011 called al-Moallem a "shameless tool and a mouthpiece" of President Bashar al-Assad. [CBS]

Brazilian congressman and evangelical pastor Marco Feliciano cut short a speech he was delivering to 70,000 spectators at a gospel festival to order the arrest of two women sharing a kiss nearby. In Brazil, disturbing a religious ceremony — the women's alleged offense — is punishable by up to 13 months in prison. The women objected to their treatment, saying that they were physically attacked upon arrest and that their right to freedom of expression was being repressed. [Dayton Daily News]

After two seasons, and with a year still left on his contract, Cubs manager Dale Sveum was fired on Monday. Sveum's successor will be the fourth manager that the Cubs have had in five years. Cubs officials let on that they believed Sveum lacked the skills to develop young players and displayed poor in-game decision-making, among other complaints. The Cubs finished this season with a record of 66-96, after last season's dismal 61-101, the first time in about 60 years that the team had lost more than 100 games in a season. [Chicago Tribune]

Sharon Weissburg was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island and is studying Italian literature and American history at Boston University. Follow her @thekidette.

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