Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments
BOSTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration’s emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order to fully fund SNAP food aid payments amid the government shutdown. A judge had given the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked an appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund. After the appeals court declined to immediately intervene, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an order late Friday pausing the requirement to distribute full SNAP payments until the appeals court rules on whether to issue a more lasting pause.
US airlines cancel 1,000 flights while complying with shutdown order
Anxious travelers across the U.S. are feeling a bit of relief as airlines have mostly stayed on schedule while gradually cutting flights because of the government shutdown. At least 1,000 flights were called off on Friday as airlines comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce service. Some passengers were forced make last-minute changes and rebook on different flights. Plenty of nervousness remained, as more canceled flights are expected in the coming days. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and Dallas led the way with the most disruptions. The upheaval will intensify the longer the shutdown lasts and could become chaotic if it extends into the Thanksgiving holiday.
The shutdown has disrupted air travel. Will that drive a surge in car rentals and train bookings?
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government shutdown has rattled air travel — most recently with an unprecedented effort from the Federal Aviation Administration to cut flights by 10% at airports nationwide. And the disruptions are causing some to instead hit the road or buy a train ticket. That could mean more and more business for car rentals, long-haul buses and commuter rails like Amtrak — particularly if flight delays and cancellations continue piling up as the U.S. approaches Thanksgiving and other peak holiday travel. Amid the latest scramble, Hertz is already reporting a sharp increase in one-way car rentals. Meanwhile, Both Amtrak and Greyhound owner Flix North America are also preparing for potential growing demand.
Cornell University to pay $60M in deal with Trump administration to restore federal funding
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cornell University has agreed to pay $60 million and accept the Trump administration’s interpretation of civil rights laws in order to restore federal funding and end investigations into the Ivy League school. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff announced the agreement on Friday, saying it upholds the university’s academic freedom while restoring more than $250 million in research funding that the government withheld amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations. The university agreed to pay $30 million directly to the U.S. government along with another $30 million toward research that will support U.S. farmers.
Trump has accused boat crews of being narco-terrorists. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced
GÜIRIA, Venezuela (AP) — One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet. And a fourth was a down-on-his-luck bus driver. The men had little in common beyond their Venezuelan seaside hometowns and the fact all four were among the more than 60 people killed since early September when the U.S. military began attacking boats that the Trump administration alleges were smuggling drugs. The Associated Press learned the identities of four of the men – and pieced together details about at least five others – who were slain.
Typhoon Kalmaegi rampages across Vietnam as the Philippines prepares for a new storm
DAK LAK, Vietnam (AP) — Typhoon Kalmaegi has brought fierce winds and torrential rains to Vietnam, and left at least five people dead and thousands of homes damaged before weakening into a tropical storm. The storm moved into Cambodia later on Friday. Authorities also say three people are missing and more than 1.6 million households lost power as recovery efforts began in hard-hit Vietnamese provinces. In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had declared a state of national emergency after Kalmaegi left at least 204 dead and 109 missing earlier this week. The country now braces for another major storm, Typhoon Fung-wong, expected to make landfall early next week.
Supreme Court weighs longshot appeal to overturn decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide
WASHINGTON (AP) — A call to overturn the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide is on the agenda Friday for the justices’ closed-door conference. Among the new cases the justices are expected to consider is a longshot appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Davis had been trying to get the court to overturn a lower court order for her to pay $360,000 in damages and attorney’s fees to a couple whom she denied a marriage license. Clarence Thomas is the only justice to call for erasing the same-sex marriage ruling.
Trump pardons former Mets great Darryl Strawberry on past tax evasion and drug charges
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry on past tax evasion and drug charges. Strawberry, an eight-time All-Star, struggled with legal and personal issues after his baseball career. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 1995 and went to prison on drug-related charges. A White House official said Trump approved the pardon, highlighting Strawberry's Christian faith and longtime, post-career sobriety. Strawberry expressed gratitude on Instagram. He emphasized that it wasn't about politics. Strawberry played for the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants from 1983 to 1999. He was 1983 National League Rookie of the Year and was on four World Series-winning teams with the Mets and Yankees.
James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix shape of DNA, has died at age 97
Scientist James Watson, who shared a Nobel prize for helping discover the double-helix shape of the DNA molecule, has died. He was 97. His death was announced by his former research lab. Watson also helped guide efforts to map the human genome. But he was widely condemned for racist remarks later on and left his job as chancellor of the prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. Watson shared a 1962 Nobel Prize with collaborator Francis Crick and scientist Maurice Wilkins for discovering in 1953 that DNA was shaped like a long, gently twisting ladder. Knowing the structure of DNA was key to figuring out how the genetic material works.
Stocks wind up mixed on Wall Street after spending most of the day in the red
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes wound up mixed on Wall Street but still clocked their first weekly loss in the last four. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1% Friday after spending most of the day in the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%. Quarterly reports from U.S. companies were a key focus. Payments company Block, which operates the Square and Cash App businesses, sank after turning in results that fell short of forecasts. Exercise equipment maker Peloton jumped after its results beat estimates. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market.
