Good evening, everyone. Here’s where things stand: SNAP benefits are finally being paid out. Despite the Trump administration rushing an emergency appeal into the courts, officials have begun releasing full SNAP funds and states are already reporting money hitting recipients’ cards. How long this reversal holds is an open question, and we’ll be watching closely for the next turn in this fast-moving fight.
At the same time, a wave of coordinated protests swept across the country today, with faculty, staff, and students at more than 100 campuses rallying against the administration’s escalating pressure on higher education.
Despite appealing a judge’s order that condemned delays, the Trump administration told states it will temporarily issue full SNAP benefits during the shutdown even though it argues it only has funding for partial payments, leaving millions reliant on food aid caught in an unprecedented budget standoff.
Today, students, faculty, and staff at more than 100 US campuses held coordinated protests condemning Trump’s attempts to force universities to follow his ideological agenda, urging schools to reject his proposed funding “compact” and calling for academic freedom, affordability, and protections for vulnerable students.
Chuck Schumer proposed reopening the government if Republicans agree to extend expiring healthcare subsidies for one more year. Republicans have since rejected this proposal.
The Trump administration issued new State Department guidance telling U.S. visa officers they can deny applicants who are obese or have a wide range of medical conditions, citing potential long-term healthcare costs, drawing criticism for its sweeping and discriminatory scope.
Trump suggested he might exempt Hungary from Russian oil sanctions while praising Viktor Orbán’s hardline immigration policies during a friendly White House meeting.
The Trump administration asked a federal appeals court to halt a judge’s order requiring the distribution of full November food stamp benefits during the shutdown.
Transportation secretary Sean Duffy warned that prolonged shutdown conditions could force the DOT to increase flight cancellations to 15–20% as more air traffic controllers stop reporting to work. The FAA sharply reduced commercial air travel capacity after weeks of unpaid labor weakened the system, contributing to roughly 800 US-linked flight cancellations on Friday.
Trump pardoned Michael McMahon, a former NYPD officer convicted of acting as an unregistered agent for China in an Operation Fox Hunt intimidation scheme, after McMahon lobbied Trump allies and claimed he’d been duped by Chinese spies.
Trump repeatedly touted Walmart’s Thanksgiving meal as proof of a “golden age” economy, claiming it costs 25% less than last year, while critics note the bundle is cheaper largely because it contains fewer items than the 2024 version.
Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he has directed the justice department to investigate major meatpacking companies for alleged price fixing and collusion that he claims are inflating beef costs. The move follows recent settlements by Tyson and Cargill, which together with other industry giants control most of the market and have faced accusations of restricting supply to raise prices.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a major overhaul of the Pentagon’s weapons-buying system, declaring that the old acquisition process is being replaced with a “warfighting” model designed for rapid, wartime-focused procurement. The shift, driven by a Trump executive order, centralizes authority, slashes bureaucracy, and makes commercial tech the default as the military seeks faster access to weapons amid escalating global threats.
A federal judge ruled that the Department of Education violated employees’ First Amendment rights by inserting partisan, anti-Democrat shutdown blame into their out-of-office emails, barring the administration from altering furloughed workers’ messages with political speech.
A prolonged federal shutdown has driven US consumer sentiment to its lowest point since 2022, with Americans across ages, incomes, and politics expressing deepening worries about the economy. Slowing job growth, rising layoffs, and the blackout of federal data have added to the sense of strain and uncertainty.
The Washington National Opera is considering leaving the Kennedy Center after Trump’s self-appointment as chair led to a collapse in ticket sales, a steep drop in donor support, and widespread audience boycotts. Leadership upheaval, politicization of the institution, and dwindling confidence in the center’s new management have left the opera financially strained and searching for alternative venues for future seasons.
Donald Trump granted a pardon to former Mets star Darryl Strawberry for past tax evasion and drug-related convictions, pointing to Strawberry’s long-term sobriety and Christian faith. Strawberry, an eight-time All-Star whose post-career years were marked by legal and health struggles, had pleaded guilty in the mid-1990s to failing to report hundreds of thousands in income and later faced drug and probation violations before turning his life around.
Cornell University reached a settlement with the Trump administration that restores more than $250m in federal research funds in exchange for admissions data and investments in agriculture-focused research.
Republican representative Elise Stefanik formally launched her campaign for New York governor, positioning herself as an “ultra-MAGA” contender and seeking key GOP endorsements.
