Good News Headlines 10/13/2025
Photo courtesy YouTube screenshot
In A Major Milestone, Hamas Releases Final Group Of Living Israeli Hostages
by Greg Myre and Daniel Estrin, NPR
Hamas on Monday released the last 20 living hostages from Gaza as part of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. In exchange, Israel was expected to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners later on Monday. Earlier Monday, Hamas initially handed over the first seven of the 20 living hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which in turn presented them to the Israeli military. The military is flying the hostages by helicopter from southern Israel to hospitals in the Tel Aviv area. All the hostages are men, mostly in their 20s and 30s.
‘Reading Rainbow’ Returns With New Host, Star-Studded Episodes
by Yi-Jin Yu, GMA
“Reading Rainbow” is returning nearly two decades after the iconic children’s reading program went off the air. This time, the show has found a new host in none other than Mychal Threets, the librarian who went viral on TikTok for sharing heartwarming stories of “library joy.” “Take a look, it’s in a book. After nearly 20 years… Reading Rainbow is returning to motivate, help, and encourage kids to become avid readers with new episodes, new friends, new projects, and of course… new books!” the show wrote Monday in the caption of a joint Instagram video post.
Solar And Wind Power Has Grown Faster Than Electricity Demand This Year, Report Says
by Alexa St. John, AP News
Worldwide solar and wind power generation has outpaced electricity demand this year, and for the first time on record, renewable energies combined generated more power than coal, according to a new analysis. Global solar generation grew by a record 31% in the first half of the year, while wind generation grew by 7.7%, according to the report by the energy think tank Ember, which was released after midnight Tuesday London time. Solar and wind generation combined grew by more than 400 terawatt hours, which was more than overall global demand increased in the same period, it found.
Gavin Newsom Signs First-In-Nation AI Safety Law
by Chase DiFeliciantonio, Politico
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law on Monday that will force major AI companies to reveal their safety protocols — marking the end of a lobbying battle with big tech companies like ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Meta and setting the groundwork for a potential national standard. The proposal was the second attempt by the author, ambitious San Francisco Democrat and state Sen. Scott Wiener, to pass such legislation after Newsom vetoed a broader measure last year that set off an international debate. It is already being watched in Congress and other states.
In Historic Appointment, Sarah Mullally Will Be The First Female Archbishop Of Canterbury
by Catherine Pepinster, Religion News Service
The Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally has been named the 106th archbishop of Canterbury, a historic decision by the Church of England that places a woman as leader of the church and as first among equals among bishops in the 85 million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion. The appointment of Mullally, currently the Bishop of London, was confirmed by Downing Street on Friday morning (Oct. 3) after being approved by King Charles III, 10 months after the dramatic resignation of Justin Welby following a decade-old scandal involving a prolific abuser in Christian youth camps.
