Judge orders administration to pay SNAP benefits

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from cutting off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beginning this weekend because of the government shutdown, ordering officials to first spend an emergency fund.

The roughly $5.25 billion fund is not enough to fully cover November benefits for the food assistance program, which will cost the government upward of $9 billion.

But U.S. District Judge John McConnell's order prevents the administration from completely drying up the benefit for more than 40 million Americans starting Saturday, rejecting arguments that the emergency fund can be used only for hurricanes or other uncontrollable catastrophes.

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NEWS THIS AFTERNOON

Speaker Johnson warns of consequences of nuking filibuster

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a press conference Friday talked about the downsides of using the “nuclear option” to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to reopen the government but did not directly disagree with President Trump’s call for the upper chamber to get rid of the filibuster.

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Live updates: Ruling orders USDA to use emergency SNAP funds; Trump, Johnson at odds over filibuster

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State employees fired over Charlie Kirk posts inundate courts

State government employees are taking to the courts after being fired over social media posts criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk upon his assassination.

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Republicans battling behind scenes over funding SNAP during shutdown

Cracks are forming in the Senate GOP conference over whether benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should be allowed to lapse this weekend.

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IN OTHER NEWS

Heritage president defends Tucker Carlson's interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts gave a forceful defense of Tucker Carlson interviewing white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes, saying that "canceling" Fuentes "is not the answer."

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Trump won't send 'high level' representatives to COP30 climate summit

The U.S. won't be sending any "high level" representatives to this year's United Nations climate summit, a White House official told The Hill on Friday.

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Duffy pushes back on Kim Kardashian: 'We've been to the Moon before… 6 times!'

Transportation Secretary and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy pushed back against celebrity personality Kim Kardashian's claim that the 1969 moon landing "didn't happen."

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Graham Platner, Maine Democratic candidate, loses another top campaign official

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has lost another top campaign official after a series of controversies centering around old social media comments and an alleged Nazi-linked tattoo derailed his campaign's momentum.

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