Key Trump ally jumps into New York governor’s race days after shocking Mamdani mayoral victory
Rep. Elise Stefanik will officially launch her long-anticipated campaign for New York governor on Friday, entering the 2026 race as a Republican challenger to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, multiple sources confirmed to Fox News on Thursday. Stefanik, a top House Republican and one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies, represents a conservative-leaning district in upstate New York and has been weighing a gubernatorial run for months. “It will be very, very soon and people are very excited,” Stefanik said Thursday in an interview on Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum.” “There’s been an outpouring of support from Republicans, Democrats, independents, all across our great state,” Stefanik touted. “Many Democrats who previously supported Kathy Hochul are lining up in support.” STEFANIK WRITING NEW BOOK AMID GUBERNATORIAL RUN BUZZ Stefanik, a member of the House Republican leadership, for months has repeatedly charged that Hochul is “the worst governor in America.” And Stefanik has blasted Hochul over the governor’s endorsement earlier this autumn of Zohran Mamdani, who this week was elected mayor of New York City. REPUBLICANS AIM TO LINK VULERNABLE DEMOCRATS TO MAMDANI “People are looking for strong, commonsense leadership to be a check on this radical insanity that we’re seeing play out in New York City with Zohran Mamdani as a tax-hiking, defund the police, antisemite socialist,” Stefanik said in her Fox News interview, again linking Hochul to the progressive mayor-elect. Stefanik, who once criticized Trump, has since become one of his staunchest defenders in Congress. After Trump’s White House victory last year, he briefly considered naming Stefanik U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but ultimately backed off amid concerns that her departure would shrink the GOP’s razor-thin House majority. It has been more than two decades since a Republican last won a New York gubernatorial race. The last was former Gov. George Pataki’s re-election in 2002. COULD THIS TRUMP ALLY BREAK THE GOP’S 20-YEAR LOSING STREAK IN THIS KEY STATE? Hochul, meanwhile, could face a tough re-election fight. A former lieutenant governor, Hochul took office in 2021 after Democrat Andrew Cuomo resigned amid multiple scandals. She defeated then-Rep. Lee Zeldin by just over six points in 2022 to win a full four-year term. But Zeldin’s showing was the best by a Republican gubernatorial nominee since Pataki won re-election to a third term in 2002. Meanwhile, Trump, who lost New York by 23 points in the 2020 presidential election, trimmed his deficit by 10 points last November. Hochul, a moderate Democrat from Buffalo, is facing a primary challenge from New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, in a very rare move by a lieutenant governor to primary challenge a sitting incumbent. Stefanik is expected to hammer Hochul as she focuses her campaign on the issue of affordability. “People are very concerned about affordability and I have a strong record of delivering for families,” she highlighted in her Fox News interview. And she charged that Hochul had made New York “the most unaffordable state in the nation. We have the highest taxes, the highest energy prices, the highest utility prices, the highest grocery prices, and rent that continues to skyrocket.” Democrats notched double-digit victories this week in New Jersey and Virginia, emphasizing affordability as a top issue. Stefanik said those results show Republicans must put forward a clear economic vision. “You have to have a vision, and you have to put forth policies to make your state affordable again,” she said. “We are going to win the affordability message because her [Hochul] record is making it the most unaffordable state in the nation.” But New York State Democratic Party Spokesperson Addison Dick charged that “Elise Stefanik is a rubber stamp in Washington for Trump’s deeply unpopular agenda that is raising costs, gutting health care, and defunding New York schools, hospitals, and police.” And Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe charged that “from gutting health care to backing cost-raising tariffs, Stefanik’s record as Trump’s cheerleader in chief could not be more toxic with New York voters.” Earlier this year, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York seriously mulled a run for governor. But Lawler announced in July that he would seek re-election and forgo a gubernatorial run. Stefanik, however, has already begun assembling a seasoned campaign team that includes veteran Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, who served as chief pollster for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. But Stefanik may not have the Republican nomination to herself. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Trump ally who was re-elected this week, may be eyeing a run for governor, GOP sources in New York confirmed to Fox News.
Left-wing candidate who lashed out at GOP senator with death threats failed to advance in local race
The Helena, Montana city commissioner candidate who made headlines for lobbing threats and wishing a painful cancer death on Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., in an expletive-filled voicemail, failed to crack the threshold of the top 2 candidates. Haley McKnight made national headlines earlier this week after audio of her voicemail she left for the senator in July came to light. The voicemail came from over the summer, shortly after Sheehy voted with his Republican colleagues to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping tax and spending package from Republicans that angered many Democrats, including McKnight, following its passage. “Hi, this is Haley McKnight. I’m a constituent in Helena, Montana,” McKnight started off in her voicemail, a recording of which was obtained and verified by Fox News Digital. “I just wanted to let you know that you are the most insufferable kind of coward and thief. You just stripped away healthcare for 17 million Americans, and I hope you’re really proud of that. I hope that one day you get pancreatic cancer, and it spreads throughout your body so fast that they can’t even treat you for it.” WHAT JAY JONES’ VICTORY MEANS FOR DEMOCRATS AND THE ‘NEW ERA OF VIOLENT RHETORIC,’ ACCORDING TO EXPERTS The anger didn’t stop there, either. During the roughly minute-long voicemail that phone logs reportedly show came on the afternoon of July 1, McKnight launches into insults about Sheehy’s fertility and his children, before warning the senator not to “meet me on the streets.” “I hope you die in the street like a dog,” McKnight continued. “One day, you’re going to live to regret this. I hope that your children never forgive you. I hope that you are infertile. I hope that you manage to never get a boner ever again.” In an interview with Fox News Digital, McKnight questioned the timing of her voicemail’s release, but Sheehy’s office told a local news outlet it had not been aware of the threatening voicemail sent to them over the summer until just recently. As the headlines documenting McKnight’s expletive-filled voicemail reverberated nationally, she was gearing up for a local election Tuesday night alongside all the nationally recognized races that took place that day, including the race for Virginia and New Jersey governor, which both saw Democratic Party victories. And it wasn’t just those two races – Democrats saw a blue wave Tuesday with victories in all the high-profile races, as well as most of the lesser-known ones too. VIRGINIA SLAMMED FOR ‘TRULY DEMONIC’ ELECTION THAT EXCUSED POLITICAL VIOLENCE TO SPITE TRUMP, CRITICS SAY But that blue wave wasn’t enough to carry local candidates like McKnight to victory. She garnered only 20% of the vote, falling in third among a field of four candidates. Those who beat McKnight to obtain the two city commissioner seats up for grabs were Melinda Reed and Ben Rigby. Reed obtained 36.5% of the vote, while Rigby garnered 31.2%. The candidate who came in fourth garnered 11.5% and write-ins got 0.52% of the vote. Speaking to Fox News earlier in the week about her voicemail, McKnight answered “no comment” when pressed if she stood by her rhetoric. She did note that her intention was not to threaten, or hurt, the senator, but added that she believed her rage was justifiable. “I wanted to drive home the struggles that people that I know are going through because of his policies. I think people were kind of shocked at my specificity, but these are things that are affecting people in my community,” McKnight told Fox News Digital, adding that Sheehy was spending too much time blocking the release of “the Epstein files” as opposed to understanding the struggles Montanans are going through. Fox News Digital reached out to McKnight to inquire about whether she thought her voicemail had any impact on the outcome of her election. Once again, McKnight replied, “No comment.”
State Department revoked more than 80K nonimmigrant visas this year, including 8K student visas
The Trump administration said it has rescinded tens of thousands of nonimmigrant visas since January, pointing to criminal activity as the primary reason. The State Department announced Thursday that 80,000 visas have been revoked this year, noting this is more than twice the number revoked last year. More than 8,000 student visas were among those affected. LABOR UNIONS SUE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING OF VISA HOLDERS The top reasons for these revocations were assault, theft and driving under the influence, according to the State Department. These three crimes accounted for nearly half of the revoked visas this year. The agency said it pulled more than 16,000 visas for DUIs, more than 12,000 for assault and more than 8,000 for theft. “Promises made, promises kept,” the State Department wrote on X, adding that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “will always put the safety and interests of the American people first.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO VET LEGAL IMMIGRANT APPLICANTS FOR ‘ANTI-AMERICANISM’ AND ANTISEMITISM The State Department may revoke a visa for reasons such as indicators of an overstay, criminal activity, a threat to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity or providing support to a terrorist organization. The administration has broadly defined support for terrorism to include criticism of U.S. support for Israel and the Jewish State’s military action and support for Palestinians. The federal government has previously used this as a justification to cancel visas. Since Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has searched for online posts to target foreigners for the potential rescinding of their visas. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order to ensure visa holders “do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security.” Over the summer, the State Department said it would start asking applicants to make their social media accounts public for government monitoring and that interviews with applicants would determine who may pose a threat to national security.
Trump says more nations lining up to join Abraham Accords after Kazakhstan
President Donald Trump said more countries are lining up to join the Abraham Accords in an effort to normalize relations with Israel. Kazakhstan is expected to join the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, which had formalized relations with the Jewish state. On Thursday, Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan. NETANYAHU TO SKIP TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST PEACE SUMMIT IN EGYPT AS NEW REGIONAL DYNAMICS TAKE SHAPE “Kazakhstan is the first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is a major step forward in building bridges across the World. Today, more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords.” The Abraham Accords were first signed in 2020 in an effort to broker ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors. TEAM ISRAEL GYMNASTS SPEAK OUT AFTER BEING BARRED FROM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BY INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT Trump signaled that more nations, including Syria, may be joining the Abraham Accords, with Saudi Arabia at the forefront of efforts to expand the historic Israel-Arab normalization pact. Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to meet with Trump at the White House next week, followed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman Nov. 18. In January 2021, Sudan signed a U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords declaration, but those efforts have since been derailed by internal political unrest. “We will soon announce a Signing Ceremony to make it official, and there are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH,” Trump wrote. “So much more to come in uniting Countries for Stability and Growth — Real progress, real results. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Travel industry sounds alarm over how shutdown will impact Americans ahead of Thanksgiving
Hundreds of tourism and travel industry groups are warning those planning to fly this Thanksgiving holiday that if the government shutdown doesn’t end before the holiday arrives, passengers could face higher costs and increased wait times, delays and cancellations that could derail family travel plans across the country. The groups, collectively under the banner of the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group representing the U.S. travel industry, also warned in a letter to leaders in Congress of long-term economic harm to American workers, businesses and the economy amid the Thanksgiving holiday if the current government shutdown does not come to an end soon. The trade group estimates America’s travel economy has already lost $4 billion due to the shutdown. Earlier this week, the U.S. Travel Association sent a letter to Senate leaders John Thune and Chuck Schumer and their counterparts in the House, Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries, urging the leaders to come to an agreement and pass “a clean continuing resolution” that will reopen the government after weeks of a shutdown that has been the longest in history. Democrats and Republicans have been gridlocked over whether to approve enhanced tax credits for Obamacare passed during the COVID-19 pandemic. FLIGHT CHAOS GRIPS US AIRPORTS AS SOME AIRLINES ADVISE BOOKING ‘BACKUP TICKET’: SEE THE LIST The letter warned that the longer the government is shut down, the more money the travel economy will lose, leading to negative downstream economic effects. Additionally, the letter, signed by nearly 500 travel and tourism industry organizations, warned that the longer the shutdown remains, the more strain airports will face from staffing shortages, which, if exacerbated further, could lead to major “chaos” as families try to fly for the Thanksgiving holiday. “Last year, during Thanksgiving week, over 20 million passengers took flights in the United States,” the letter to congressional leaders states. “Thanksgiving is not only a time of national tradition and family connection, but also one of the most economically important travel weeks of the year. “Travel spending during the holiday generates billions of dollars in economic activity, supporting jobs, local tax bases, and small businesses nationwide. A continued shutdown is likely to significantly suppress travel demand and spending, creating a real threat to American workers, businesses, and the overall economy. FAA’S REDUCTION PLAN EXPECTED TO IMPACT THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS ACROSS 40 AIRPORTS “The American people expect and deserve a fully functioning federal government during the peak holiday travel season,” the letter continued. “Congress must act without delay to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government immediately and ensure full federal operations are restored in advance of the Thanksgiving travel period. The cost of continued inaction will be felt by families, workers, businesses, and communities in every part of the country.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced this week that his agency would order a 10% cut in flights across 40 major U.S. airports, citing air traffic controller shortages and safety concerns, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. In response to the directive, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said while the decision showed that safety is the No. 1 priority for the travel industry, it will nonetheless “inevitably affect the travel experience, leading to fewer flights, longer delays and more disruptions for travelers.” “All government shutdowns are irresponsible, and this decision underscores the urgent need to reopen the government,” Freeman added. “The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system, forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience. The fault for this situation rests squarely at the feet of Congress.”
Supreme Court hands Trump victory on transgender passport policy change
The Supreme Court cleared the way for the State Department to require people to state their biological sex on new or renewed passports, a victory for the Trump administration as it aims to tighten policies involving transgender people. The high court found in a 6-3 order temporarily greenlighting the policy that a lower court in Massachusetts had erred in blocking it. “Displaying passport holders’ sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth—in both cases, the Government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment,” the majority wrote in the unsigned order. TRUMP ADMIN ASKS SUPREME COURT TO ALLOW IT TO ENFORCE PASSPORT SEX DESIGNATION POLICY The three liberal justices dissented. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Biden appointee, blasted her Republican-appointed colleagues in a lengthy dissent for what she said had become a “routine” of siding with the Trump administration on the emergency docket. The majority “fails to spill any ink considering the plaintiffs, opting instead to intervene in the Government’s favor without equitable justification, and in a manner that permits harm to be inflicted on the most vulnerable party,” Jackson wrote, adding that transgender people have been permitted to state their preferred gender on passports for more than three decades. The class action lawsuit, brought by a dozen self-described transgender, nonbinary or intersex people on behalf of themselves and others in their situation, will continue to proceed through the lower courts. The plaintiffs had argued in court papers that passports should “reflect the sex [people] live as and express, rather than the sex they were assigned at birth.” SUPREME COURT REJECTS SOUTH CAROLINA’S BID TO ENFORCE TRANSGENDER BATHROOM BAN Solicitor General John Sauer wrote on behalf of President Donald Trump that passports effectively communicate information to foreign governments and private citizens cannot force the president to communicate in a way that defies his foreign policy preferences and “scientific reality.” The policy, which reversed the Biden administration’s allowance of an “X” gender option on passports, was implemented as part of a string of executive orders Trump issued when he took office aimed at requiring transgender people to identify as their biological sex in certain situations, including in gender-exclusive sports and in the military. Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated that the high court had handed the Department of Justice roughly two-dozen wins this year on the emergency docket, sometimes referred to as a shadow or interim docket, where cases are fast-tracked so that the Supreme Court can potentially offer temporary resolutions until the merits of the cases are examined. “Today’s stay allows the government to require citizens to list their biological sex on their passport,” Bondi said on social media. “In other words: there are two sexes, and our attorneys will continue fighting for that simple truth.”
Senate Republicans block bipartisan effort to halt military action, drug boat strikes in the Caribbean
Senate Republicans blocked an attempt to end President Donald Trump’s ability to continue attacks against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., forced a vote on a war powers resolution that would have halted the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug boats. Kaine, along with senators Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced the resolution earlier this month after Trump signaled he would authorize strikes on Venezuelan soil. They argued that the strikes, and possible intervention on the ground, shouldn’t be able to continue without congressional authorization. TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING? Despite the strikes on alleged drug boats giving members on both sides of the aisle heartburn, the push failed largely along party lines except for Paul and a defection by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who voted for a previous resolution to block Trump’s strikes in the Caribbean earlier this month. Trump earlier this month acknowledged that he authorized the CIA operations in the region for two reasons; that Venezuela had “emptied their prisons into the United States of America” and that drugs were flowing in from the country. “We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea,” Trump said. “So, you get to see that, but we’re going to stop them by land also.” SENATORS LOOK TO BLOCK TRUMP FROM ENGAGING IN ‘HOSTILITIES’ IN VENEZUELA In their resolution, the trio contended that whether United States forces should be engaged in hostilities within or against Venezuela should be answered following a full briefing to Congress and the American public of the issues at stake, a public debate in Congress, and a congressional vote as contemplated by the Constitution.” So far, the administration has carried out 16 strikes against vessels in the region that led to a death toll of 66 people. Trump earlier this week ordered that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford head to the Caribbean as part of his administration’s ongoing fight against drugs. WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS OF TRUMP PREPARING TO HIT MILITARY TARGETS INSIDE VENEZUELA The failed vote also came after congressional leaders and chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees were briefed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday as part of a bid by the administration to clue lawmakers in on the rationale behind the strikes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the briefing, “What we heard isn’t enough. We need a lot more answers.” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair James Risch, R-Idaho, said he was “fully satisfied” by the briefing, adding the administration has a “good legal justification for what they’re doing.” “The president really ought to be congratulated for saving the lives of young American people,” Risch said.
Optimism fades as Senate Democrats dig in, hold out over Obamacare demands
Any optimism either side of the aisle had that the government shutdown could end this week appeared to fade on Capitol Hill, as Senate Democrats appear ready to hold out longer for a deal on expiring Obamacare subsidies. Senate Democrats left another long closed-door caucus lunch on Thursday, signaling a unified front as the shutdown entered its 37th day amid Republican demands to make a deal to reopen the government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus are still riding high after a successful Election Day Tuesday that saw Democratic candidates pummel their Republican opponents. While there are bipartisan talks among centrist Senate Democrats and Republicans on a way out, the majority of the caucus appeared ready to hold the line. MIKE JOHNSON SHOOTS DOWN OBAMACARE VOTE GUARANTEE AFTER THUNE FLOATS COMPROMISE IN SENATE “We had a very good, productive meeting,” Schumer said as he exited the lunch. Others espoused messages of unity among the ranks and bristled that they were holding out from reopening the government. “It’s not about holding out,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said. “We fight for access to healthcare for millions of people across this country. Affordability is a giant issue for American families. They told us that at the polls on Tuesday, but they tell us that every day of their lives.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to put the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) on the floor again Friday to test Democrats’ resolve. It’s expected they’ll block the bill once again. Thune and Republicans have remained firm in their position that the Obamacare issue would be considered after the government reopens, and he has offered Senate Democrats a vote on the matter, which is also expected to fail. SENATE DEMS EMBOLDENED IN SHUTDOWN STRATEGY AFTER ELECTION SWEEP But Senate Democrats demand that President Donald Trump get involved and negotiate a deal on the expiring subsidies. Democrats also brushed aside comments from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who earlier in the day said he would not promise a vote in the House on the expiring subsidies. “I can tell you that Mike Johnson is only going to do what one person tells him, and that one person is Donald Trump, who has declared himself basically the Speaker of the House,” Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said. Still, Senate Republicans hope that Senate Democrats will accept the offer, along with the plan to pair the CR with a trio of spending bills to jump-start the government funding process. SCHUMER PUSHES SHUTDOWN INTO RECORD BOOKS AFTER REJECTING GOP BILL A 14TH TIME “I think the clear path forward here with regard to the [Obamacare] issue, open up the government, and we head down to the White House and sit down with the president and talk about it,” Thune said. “But I just, right now there is hostage taking, as you all know. The consequences are getting more pronounced.” There is also the question of whether the Senate stays in over the weekend ahead of a scheduled recess for Veterans Day next week. Senate Democrats want to remain, but Republicans aren’t keen to stick around unless there are signs of real progress toward reopening the government. “I do expect to be here this weekend,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Charts show shutdown airport disruption
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Mamdani slammed for jetting to ‘luxury resort’ for Puerto Rico conference during shutdown -Nancy Pelosi will not seek re-election, ending decades-long House career –Neighboring states invite disaffected NY, NJ, VA voters to move after Dems’ election sweep The nation’s air travel system is buckling under the weight of the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, raising fears of major disruptions ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday. Since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, flight delays and cancellations have surged, snarling operations at airports across the country. Major hubs along the East Coast — including Newark, Washington, D.C., and Boston — reported some of the highest numbers of delayed flights, while large airports in Chicago, Dallas–Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Atlanta also experienced significant disruptions…READ MORE. NO FREE RIDES: Trump State Department orders global visa crackdown under revived ‘public charge’ rule KEY RULING: Appeals court orders judge to reconsider whether to move Trump case to the federal system ESCALATING INQUIRY: DOJ actively preparing to issue grand jury subpoenas relating to John Brennan investigation: sources PACIFIC SHOWDOWN: High stakes on the high seas as US, China test limits of military power ATOMIC ARMS RACE: Russia drawing up plans to conduct nuclear tests after Trump announcement MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Top Democrat backs U.S. intel on narco-trafficking strikes, faults Biden for ‘not going far enough’ on Maduro FISCAL FIASCO: GOP lawmaker warns of possible food, medicine shortages as flights grounded GAME ON: House GOP probe targets Soros-linked groups over alleged Antifa funding ties ‘REALLY CRITICAL’: House Dem deflects on whether election is a warning to Democrats, demands party ‘stand strong’ PUNISHING POLITICS: New MAMDANI Act would block federal funds to NYC after socialist’s inauguration ‘A LITTLE CREEPY’: Senate hearing gets heated over shutdown after ‘stalking’ accusation flies ‘SUCH IS LIFE’: Elizabeth Warren called out for trying to blame Trump for ‘Monday Night Football’ blackout CAPITOL RETURN: Former House Democrat targets Trump in bid for political comeback CAMPUS DEBATE: ‘Free speech isn’t optional’: Next generation of legal thinkers push back on campus conformity GOLDEN GATE OPENS: Battle for the House: GOP gets boost in bid to flip swing district after Democrat bows out COURT STEPS IN: Federal judge says ICE detainees ‘shouldn’t be sleeping next to overflowing toilets’ at Chicago-area facility ‘NO COMMENT’: Top Mamdani transition leader was heavily influenced by Soros network during Biden admin DEMOCRACY CHECK: More than 500,000 Californians demand voting overhaul, back ‘straightforward’ ID law Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Federal judge rules Trump must fully fund SNAP program by Friday
A federal judge in Rhode Island on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the nation’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food aid program by Friday, rejecting the administration’s effort to only partially fund the benefits program for some 42 million low-income Americans. “People have gone without for too long,” U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell said in court Thursday. He scolded the Trump administration for failing to comply with the order he issued last week, which required the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund the SNAP benefits programs before its funds were slated to lapse on Nov. 1, marking the first time in the program’s 60-year history that its payments were halted. TWO JUDGES RULE TRUMP ADMIN MUST KEEP SNAP BENEFITS IN PLACE AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON The judge also said Trump officials failed to address a known funding distribution problem that could cause SNAP payments to be delayed for weeks or months in some states. He ordered the USDA to tap other contingency funds as needed. “It’s likely that SNAP recipients are hungry as we sit here,” McConnell said Thursday. Trump administration officials said in a court filing this week that they would pay just 65% of the roughly $9 billion owed to fund the SNAP program for November, prompting the judge to update his order and give the administration just 24 hours to comply. TWO JUDGES RULE TRUMP ADMIN MUST KEEP SNAP BENEFITS IN PLACE AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON “The evidence shows that people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur,” McConnell said. “That’s what irreparable harm here means.” This is a breaking news story. Check back shortly for updates.