In a scathing ruling handed down just minutes ago, Judge John McConnell ordered the Trump administration to immediately deliver full November SNAP benefits to every state, blasting officials for their brazen refusal to obey his earlier mandate. McConnell cited a Truth Social post from Donald Trump as direct evidence that the president intended to defy a federal court, condemning the administration’s behavior as “arbitrary, capricious, and utterly unacceptable.”
I may have another update for you later this evening, but I wanted to make sure you had this real-time snapshot of what is unfolding. The news cycle hasn’t just been fast—it’s been ferocious. A barrage of crises, clashes, and breaking developments has made one truth impossible to ignore: if ever there was a moment when independent journalism mattered, it is right now.
That’s why I’m asking you—directly—to subscribe. Because a subscription isn’t just support; it’s what keeps us independent, fearless, and uncompromising. It’s what allows us to report without permission, to publish without hesitation, and to keep pressing forward when others fall silent. Your subscription is the reason this kind of reporting can exist at all.
Here’s what else you missed today:
Amid the prolonged government shutdown, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully fund November SNAP benefits while the administration simultaneously warned it will cut air traffic by 10% at 40 major airports starting tomorrow if no deal is reached, as negotiations between Democrats and Republicans remain stalled. Judge McConnell found that the Trump Administration violated his order by not paying out SNAP benefits.
Ongoing federal shutdown–driven staffing shortages are forcing the FAA to reduce air traffic at 40 major U.S. airports starting Friday — including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and San Francisco — potentially canceling thousands of flights just two weeks before Thanksgiving.
The Supreme Court approved the Trump administration’s request to enforce a policy requiring passport gender markers to reflect sex assigned at birth, reversing Biden-era rules that allowed transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people to choose “M,” “F,” or “X,” despite dissent from the court’s liberal justices and ongoing legal challenges.
A Washington, D.C., jury acquitted Sean Dunn — dubbed the city’s “sandwich guy” — of a misdemeanor charge for throwing a Subway sandwich at a federal officer, rejecting the Justice Department’s case after viewing the incident as minor and unserious.
U.S. House Democrats investigating Jeffrey Epstein asked former Prince Andrew to testify about Epstein’s network as King Charles III formally stripped him of all royal titles — including “prince,” “royal highness,” and Duke of York — and ordered him to vacate his longtime residence amid renewed scrutiny of his ties to Epstein.
A federal judge in Chicago said she will issue an injunction restricting federal agents from using force against peaceful protesters and journalists—citing repeated violations of earlier orders and finding the government’s account “not credible”—in response to a lawsuit alleging excessive force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Two courts blocked ICE from deporting Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam — a 64-year-old legal permanent resident who spent 43 years wrongly imprisoned before his murder conviction was overturned — while his immigration case is reviewed, despite ICE seeking removal based on a decades-old drug plea.
A jury awarded former Virginia teacher Abigail Zwerner $10 million after finding an assistant principal grossly negligent for ignoring multiple warnings that a 6-year-old had a gun before he shot her, concluding the tragedy was preventable and sending a broader message about accountability and school safety.
President Trump announced a deal with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to significantly discount GLP-1 weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound — lowering monthly costs to roughly $50–$350 through TrumpRx and expanding Medicare/Medicaid coverage — though key details, eligibility, and the scope of benefits remain unclear.
Tesla shareholders are voting on a nearly $1 trillion compensation package for Elon Musk that would require him to increase Tesla’s value eightfold and meet massive production, autonomy, and earnings milestones by 2035 — a plan that could make him the first trillionaire but follows years of legal battles over his earlier rescinded pay package.
Leaked files show that private intelligence firms, allegedly working on behalf of a high-level Qatari state unit, ran a covert operation targeting the woman who accused ICC prosecutor Karim Khan of sexual abuse — seeking her passport data, hacked account information, and details about her family in an effort to undermine her credibility, deepening the turmoil surrounding the court as Khan remains under UN investigation.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
