The Supreme Court extended an order blocking full SNAP payments Tuesday amid signals that the government shutdown could soon end and food aid payments resume.<\/p>\n
The order keeps a chaotic situation in place at least for a few more days. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed their families in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing.<\/p>\n
The Senate has approved a bill to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history<\/a>, and the House could vote on it as early as Wednesday.<\/p>\n Reopening the government would restart the program, which helps 42 million people buy groceries, but it\u2019s not clear how quickly full payments would resume.<\/p>\n The Latest:<\/p>\n Speaker Johnson faces an unruly House as lawmakers return for shutdown vote<\/p>\n After refusing to convene the House during the government shutdown<\/a>, Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a> is recalling lawmakers back into session \u2014 and facing an avalanche of pent-up legislative demands from those who have largely been sidelined from governing.<\/p>\n Hundreds of representatives are preparing to return Wednesday to Washington after a nearly eight-week absence<\/a>, carrying a torrent of ideas, proposals and frustrations over work that has stalled when the Republican speaker shuttered the House doors nearly two months ago.<\/p>\n First will be a vote to reopen the government<\/a>. But that\u2019s just the start. With efforts to release the Jeffrey Epstein files<\/a> and the swearing in of Arizona\u2019s Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva<\/a>, the unfinished business will pose a fresh test to Johnson\u2019s grip on power and put a renewed focus on his leadership.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more about Johnson and an unruly House<\/a><\/p>\n What to know about Trump\u2019s plan to give Americans a $2,000 tariff dividend<\/p>\n The president boasts that his tariffs protect American industries, lure factories to the United States, raise money for the federal government and give him diplomatic leverage.<\/p>\n Now he\u2019s claiming that they can finance a windfall for American families, too: He\u2019s promising a $2,000 tariff dividend.<\/p>\n The president proposed the idea on his Truth Social media platform Sunday, five days after his Republican Party lost elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere largely because of voter discontent with his economic stewardship and the high cost of living.<\/p>\n Budget experts scoffed at the idea, which conjured memories of the administration\u2019s short-lived plan for DOGE dividend checks paid for by billionaire Elon Musk\u2019s federal budget cuts.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more on what to know about Trump\u2019s plan<\/a><\/p>\n Jeffries expects House Democrats to strongly oppose funding bill that would reopen government<\/p>\n Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said it is his \u201cstrong expectation\u201d that they will oppose the bill, which is expected to come before the House on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Jeffries and other Democratic lawmakers addressed reporters Tuesday evening. They unveiled a proposed amendment that calls for a three-year extension of enhanced tax credits that make health insurance coverage more affordable for millions.<\/p>\n Their proposal has no chance of passage in the Republican-led House, but it does give them another chance to make the case that Democrats are trying to protect people from massive premium hikes next year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe only lose the fight if we give up the fight,\u201d said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico.<\/p>\n Newsom tells AP the 8 senators who struck the shutdown deal aren\u2019t alarmed enough about Trump<\/p>\n California Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> said Tuesday that he was stunned by the senators\u2019 decision<\/a> to break with Democrats and end the government shutdown. He warned that they are not alarmed enough about the president\u2019s shattering of norms.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not coming in to punch anybody in the face, but I\u2019m not pleased that, in the face of this invasive species that is Donald Trump, who\u2019s completely changed the rules of the game, that we\u2019re still playing by the old rules of the game,\u201d Newsom said in an interview at the COP30 U.N. Climate Conference in Brazil. \u201cAnd in my core, I\u2019m stunned.\u201d<\/p>\n Newsom also criticized the United States\u2019 absence at the key climate talks, calling it \u201cdoubling down on stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that the country risks losing economic power due to climate inaction and that while states like California are making efforts, the federal absence sends a negative message globally.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more about Newsom\u2019s remarks on the shutdown<\/a> and on the climate conference<\/a><\/p>\n Supreme Court extends its order blocking full SNAP payments with shutdown potentially near an end<\/p>\n The order keeps a chaotic situation in place at least for a few more days. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed their families in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing.<\/p>\n The Senate has approved a bill to end the shutdown, and the House could vote on it as early as Wednesday. Reopening the government would restart the program, which helps 42 million people buy groceries, but it\u2019s not clear how quickly full payments would resume.<\/p>\n The justices chose what is effectively the path of least resistance, anticipating that the shutdown will end soon while avoiding any substantive legal ruling about whether lower-court orders to keep full payments flowing during the shutdown are correct.<\/p>\n Long-awaited swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva set for Wednesday<\/p>\n The newest member of the House will be sworn in that day at 4 p.m. by Speaker Mike Johnson.<\/p>\n Grijalva, a Democrat, won a Sept. 23 special election in Arizona to fill the seat previously held by her father, Rep. Ra\u00fal Grijalva, who died in March.<\/p>\n Her swearing in has been delayed for nearly two months as Johnson kept the chamber out to put pressure on the Senate to reach a shutdown deal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been waiting for this so long that it\u2019s still surreal,\u201d Grijalva told AP. \u201cIt\u2019s very emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n She has said her first act in Congress will be to provide the final signature needed for a discharge petition to trigger a vote on releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n US attorney general says federal officials will investigate protesters at Turning Point event in Berkeley<\/p>\n The protests occurred Monday ahead of the last stop on Turning Point USA\u2019s campus tour after founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated.<\/p>\n UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof says about 900 people attended the gathering of the conservative political group, and they were met by an estimated 150 protesters.<\/p>\n Attorney General Pam Bondi called the protests \u201cviolent riots\u201d and said they will be investigated by the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force.<\/p>\n But Mogulof said the event was \u201csafely and successfully held and proceeded without disruption.\u201d<\/p>\n He said campus police arrested two people for failing to comply with orders. City police separately arrested a man on suspicion of theft, for allegedly snatching a chain from another man\u2019s neck, leading to a scuffle.<\/p>\n No Vets Day decorations or ceremony at major NY military cemetery due to government shutdown<\/p>\n Calverton National Cemetery on Long Island, one of the largest<\/a> burial grounds maintained by the National Cemetery Administration, announced on its Facebook page last week<\/a> that it was cancelling the Tuesday ceremony due to the \u201congoing federal government funding lapse.\u201d<\/p>\n The burial ground remained open to visitors Tuesday, and local police and firefighters in Riverhead instead hung a giant American flag between two ladder trucks near the cemetery gates, Newsday reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018What?\u2019 Obama surprises veterans on honor flight from Wisconsin<\/p>\n The flight landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from Madison on Saturday.<\/p>\n Then, over the loudspeakers, someone said a familiar, \u201cHello, everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n To which one of the 87 Korean and Vietnam War veterans aboard exclaimed, \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n It was none other than former President Barack Obama, who had come to greet the veterans on their honor flight to Washington, according to video provided by Obama\u2019s office.<\/p>\n The former president greeted everyone and gave each of them one of his commemorative presidential coins as they got off the plane.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we approach Veterans Day, I just wanted to stop by and just say thank you for your extraordinary service. To you, your family, the sacrifices that all of you made to protect our country is something that will always be honored and we are very grateful,\u201d Obama said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we also happened to welcome you with a 70-degree day in D.C., which doesn\u2019t always happen around here,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Trump endorses a salary cap in college sports<\/p>\n The president called into ESPN\u2019s Pat McAfee Show and predicted that, with college football teams offering top recruits big money to play for them, \u201cYou got to have like NFL-type payroll\u201d levels to compete.<\/p>\n He said that \u201ccolleges don\u2019t make that much money.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump suggested a salary cap like the NFL and other leagues have would help, and added of college sports, \u201cBad things are going to happen unless they figure this out.\u201d<\/p>\n The president also repeated his past criticisms of the NFL kickoff rule, saying it didn\u2019t promote safety but made the game \u201cso unromantic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope college doesn\u2019t change\u201d its kickoff rules, Trump said while wishing, \u201cSomeday, the NFL will stop it and go back to football.\u201d<\/p>\n Connecticut moving ahead with vote on emergency state response fund<\/p>\n Connecticut state lawmakers are still pushing ahead with a plan to set aside $500 million in state budget reserves to help backstop delays in federal food and heating assistance funding, even though it appears the federal government shutdown could be nearing an end.<\/p>\n If a deal to reopen the federal government is finalized soon, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday the $500 million could help address federal funding cuts in the sweeping tax and spending law dubbed the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act\u201d by Republicans.<\/p>\n There are concerns as to how the massive federal budget law will impact Medicaid, food benefits and other safety net programs in Connecticut.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, at least one Democratic state senator has called for the state to cover the health insurance tax credits under the Affordable Care Act that expire Jan. 1, 2026. The subsidies total $350 million annually in Connecticut.<\/p>\n The bipartisan proposal to create a \u201cstate response fund,\u201d announced Monday, is scheduled for a vote during a special legislative session on Wednesday and Thursday.<\/p>\n LULAC urges VA to accelerate benefit reform to help Latino veterans<\/p>\n The League of United Latin American Citizens is urging Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs and state governments to accelerate benefit reform that would expand health access, strengthen suicide-prevention outreach for veterans and invest in culturally responsive support for Latino veterans and families.<\/p>\n LULAC National Vice President for Military Affairs, Lawrence Romo said Veterans Day serves as a standing promise that the U.S. government will \u201cstand by its defenders long after the battles have ended.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLatino veterans have never hesitated to serve,\u201d Romo said. \u201cNow the nation must ensure that they receive benefits, strong mental health support and real pathways to rebuild their live. Anything less is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump wraps up Veterans Day speech<\/p>\n The president told veterans: \u201cWe love you. We salute you. And we will never forget what you\u2019ve done to keep America safe, sovereign and free.\u201d<\/p>\n The president acknowledged a long list of administration officials present at the ceremony, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.<\/p>\n He saluted Johnson for the \u201cbig victory\u201d of the government being on the verge of reopening after a lengthy shutdown.<\/p>\n Trump said he\u2019d like to personally acknowledge more people attending, but that low temperatures made him rethink that: \u201cIt\u2019s a little cold.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey did one thing above all else. They put America first,\u201d Trump said of veterans, adding they were \u201cvery, very special people and always in our heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Democratic Wisconsin governor won\u2019t criticize those who voted to end shutdown<\/p>\n Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday that he was not going to criticize Democratic senators who voted for the deal to reopen the federal government.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have good reasons for doing it,\u201d Evers told The Associated Press. \u201cI\u2019m not here to complain about them.\u201d<\/p>\n Evers said it was \u201chard to say\u201d whether the deal will make it easier or more difficult to extend health care tax credits that expire Jan. 1 as Democrats had pushed for.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be difficult regardless because Republicans have been pretty clear that they don\u2019t want to do anything,\u201d Evers said. \u201cBut I think at the end of the day, when they see what\u2019s happening locally, we might have some progress.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump pardons Tennessee Republican congresswoman\u2019s husband<\/p>\n Trump has pardoned the husband of Rep. Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee.<\/p>\n Robert Harshbarger Jr., who was a licensed pharmacist, pleaded guilty in 2013 to substituting a cheaper drug imported from China that was not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a drug the FDA had approved for kidney dialysis patients.<\/p>\n A White House official on Tuesday defended the pardon, saying Harshbarger was a victim of \u201cexcessive prosecution\u201d and had engaged in a practice that\u2019s common among pharmacists.<\/p>\n Harshbarger was sentenced to and served four years in prison.<\/p>\n The pardon was among a batch that Trump granted on Friday.<\/p>\n At Arlington National Cemetery, Trump thanks veterans for serving<\/p>\n \u201cToday, to every veteran — we love our veterans — we say the words too often left unsaid: Thank you for your service. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n He was introduced to the audience in the amphitheater by Vice President JD Vance, a former Marine.<\/p>\n Judge adopts Utah congressional map creating a Democratic-leaning district for 2026<\/p>\n A Utah judge has rejected a new congressional map<\/a> drawn by Republican lawmakers, adopting an alternate proposal creating a Democratic-leaning district and throwing a curveball to the GOP in a state where they expected a clean sweep ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.<\/p>\n Republicans hold all four of Utah\u2019s U.S. House seats and had advanced a map to protect them. Judge Dianna Gibson ruled just before a midnight Monday deadline that it \u201cunduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats,\u201d despite her order to draw a map that complies with standards established by voters to ensure districts don\u2019t deliberately gerrymander to favor a party.<\/p>\n Gibson ultimately selected a map drawn by the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government that puts Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district, instead of dividing the heavily Democratic population center among all four.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more about the Utah ruling and its impact<\/a><\/p>\n Top G7 diplomats meet in Canada amid Trump trade tensions<\/p>\n Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies<\/a> are converging on southern Ontario as tensions rise between the U.S. and traditional allies like Canada over defense spending, trade and uncertainty over President Donald Trump\u2019s ceasefire plan in Gaza<\/a> and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war<\/a>.<\/p>\n Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand<\/a> said in an interview with The Associated Press that \u201cthe relationship has to continue across a range of issues\u201d despite trade pressures as she prepared to host U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> and their counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n Anand also invited the foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more about developments at the G7 summit<\/a><\/p>\n US Navy aircraft carrier group moves closer to Caribbean Sea<\/p>\n The USS Gerald R. Ford has officially entered the U.S. Southern Command region, almost three weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth first announced he was ordering<\/a> the aircraft carrier to aid in the campaign against alleged drug smugglers, according to a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, since the region\u2019s borders reach well into the Atlantic Ocean, coming within a few hundred miles of Africa, it\u2019s not clear just how close the carrier or its accompanying destroyers are to Caribbean waters. Multiple military officials wouldn\u2019t offer further location details when asked by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n The Navy\u2019s press release said the Ford and three destroyers \u2014 the USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and USS Winston Churchill \u2014 will join seven other ships, including three that carry a Marine Expeditionary Unit made up of thousands of Marines, that have been in the Caribbean for months.<\/p>\n Trump lays wreath at Arlington Cemetery to mark Veterans Day<\/p>\n Trump and Vice President JD Vance both wore gloves and overcoats against the cold in Washington, and the president also had a red scarf.<\/p>\n Trump stepped forward and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, then reached out and touched the wreath before taps was played.<\/p>\n He, Vance and other top administration officials saluted throughout the song.<\/p>\n Public Citizen demands OpenAI withdraw deep-faking Sora 2, citing danger to democracy<\/p>\n The typical Sora video, made on OpenAI\u2019s app<\/a>, is designed to be amusing to click and share on TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook. But a growing chorus is raising alarms about the dangers of letting people create AI videos showing just about anything they can type into a prompt, leading to the proliferation of nonconsensual images and realistic deepfakes.<\/p>\n \u201cOur biggest concern is the potential threat to democracy,\u201d Public Citizen tech policy advocate J.B. Branch in an interview as the nonprofit watchdog sent a letter Tuesday to OpenAI, its CEO Sam Altman and to Congress. \u201cI think we\u2019re entering a world in which people can\u2019t really trust what they see. And we\u2019re starting to see strategies in politics where the first image, the first video that gets released, is what people remember.\u201d<\/p>\n OpenAI didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more about how advocates see OpenAI\u2019s Sora videos threatening democracy<\/a><\/p>\n Graham Platner thinks Democratic voters will overlook his past to support him for Senate<\/p>\n In another world, problematic social media posts, a tattoo closely resembling a Nazi symbol and a sudden turnover in campaign staffers would have sunk any political candidate. But Graham Platner<\/a>, looking to flip a Maine U.S. Senate seat in a key 2026 contest, isn\u2019t stepping aside.<\/p>\n A plain-speaking oyster farmer and combat veteran, Platner has been open about his mistakes and struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. He\u2019s convinced his brand of gruff populism<\/a> and calls for economic equality are what\u2019s needed to beat Gov. Janet Mills for the Democratic nomination and then unseat five-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not doing this because I want power, I want influence, or I want money,\u201d Platner told The Associated Press. \u201cI\u2019m doing it because we need a better politics, and I\u2019m committed to that project.\u201d<\/p>\n