National News - Page 34

USDA Orders States to Undo November SNAP Payments

By Alexandra Marquez The U.S. Department of Agriculture said states that issued full November SNAP benefits to recipients following a court decision should “immediately undo” the distributions and that failure to comply could result in the cancellation of future federal funds. “To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized. Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025,” Patrick A. Penn, the deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, wrote Saturday regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. “Failure to comply with this memorandum may result in

Judge Orders Trump Admin to Restore Full SNAP Payments

By Aria Bendix A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to deliver SNAP payments in full to states by Friday. The order, which U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued Thursday afternoon, followed two weeks of chaos and confusion about the fate of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, during the government shutdown. McConnell ruled last week that the Trump administration had to distribute benefits as soon as possible, in response to a lawsuit filed by the progressive legal advocacy group Democracy Forward. The group sued the Department of Agriculture late last month, after the agency said SNAP funding

MacKenzie Scott Gifts $300M to Strengthen HBCUs Nationwide

Dr. Harry L. WilliamsHeadlines in recent weeks have indicated a flurry of philanthropic activity from a well-known donor: MacKenzie Scott. More than $300 million was invested by Scott to the historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) community. Alabama State University, Alcorn State University, Howard University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Virginia State University received substantial donations, many of them the single largest in institutional history. This isn’t Scott’s first time supporting the HBCU community. In 2020, she provided more than $500 million to HBCUs across the country. Scott has an indirect connection to Howard University, studying under Howard alumna Toni Morrison while at Princeton

FAA Cuts Flights Amid Shutdown, Travelers Face Delays

By Kate Reilly, Doha Madani, Jay Blackman and Tom Costello Travelers are bracing for widespread flight delays after the Federal Aviation Administration announced it will begin cutting the number of flights in and out of 40 “high-traffic” airports Friday. The airports facing a reduction include Chicago O’Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Miami International Airport and all three New York-area airports. The flight reductions will go into effect Friday, which will be Day 38 of the record-long federal government shutdown. Hundreds of Friday flights had already been canceled by Thursday afternoon, according to the airlines. American had canceled 220 flights, United 188, Southwest about 100 and Delta

FAA Cuts Flights as Shutdown Strains Air Traffic Controllers

By Corky Siemaszko and Marlene Lenthang The Federal Aviation Administration will begin cutting the number of flights in the “high traffic” parts of the country as the government shutdown grinds on and local airports have reported staffing shortages, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday. “There is going to be a 10% reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations,” Duffy said. “This is about where’s the pressure and how do we alleviate the pressure.” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the reduction in capacity, spurred by “fatigue” plaguing air traffic controllers, would start Friday. The list of markets impacted will be released Thursday, he said. Airlines were

USDA Raises SNAP Benefits to 65% Amid Government Shutdown

By Gary Grumbach An official with the Agriculture Department told a federal court Wednesday that allotments to SNAP beneficiaries for November will be 65% of their normal rate instead of the 50% previously estimated by the Trump administration. The administration had told a federal judge Monday that it would use more than $4 billion in contingency funds to distribute half of the monthly benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, during the ongoing government shutdown. The revised figures mean a family of four in the lower 48 states will receive about $646 for the month. It’s unclear what prompted the

UPS Plane Crash in Louisville Kills at Least Seven

By Phil Helsel At least seven people are dead after a UPS plane crashed as it was taking off late Tuesday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, causing a large fire and hitting an area with two businesses, officials said. UPS Flight 2976, with three crew members on board, crashed around 5:15 p.m. departing Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. At least seven people are dead, Gov. Andy Beshear said on X Tuesday night, “with that number expected to rise.” He said earlier that at least 11 were injured. Beshear called the event “a catastrophic crash.” The plane crashed adjacent

AAMU Professors Present HBCU Research at Global Conference

Two Alabama A&M University professors – Dr. Nathan Blom and Dr. Samantha Strachan – represented the University and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on a global stage this fall when they presented at the 2025 STAR Global Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. The event, held Oct. 9–12 at Istanbul Aydın University under the auspices of UNESCO, convened educators and researchers from across the globe to discuss “Advancing Local Knowledge for a Brighter and Sustainable Future.” Blom and Strachan presented their research, “Addressing STEM Teacher Shortages: The Promise of AAMUTeach and HBCU Educator Preparation Programs.” Their work explores how HBCUs, including Alabama A&M, are

Virginia Humanities Names 7 New HBCU Scholars Fellows

Virginia Humanities has announced seven new recipients of its HBCU Scholars Fellowships, bringing together a diverse group of educators, writers and researchers from historically Black colleges and universities in Virginia and North Carolina. “Through their research and public engagement, our fellows demonstrate the enduring relevance of the humanities and collectively confront some of the most pressing social and cultural questions of our time,” said Yosef Medina, Virginia Humanities’ director of strategic initiatives. “The HBCU fellowship represents a vital investment in cultivating diverse scholarship and amplifying underrepresented narratives at a time when intellectual freedom and public discourse around inclusion are increasingly

U.S. Faces Record Shutdown as Congress Stalls on Deal

By Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur and Frank Thorp V The lengthy standoff between President Donald Trump and congressional Democratic leaders is poised to become the longest government shutdown in American history this week. Election Day on Tuesday, when voters will head to the polls in Virginia, New Jersey and New York, will tie the record for the longest shutdown. If the shutdown continues into Wednesday, which lawmakers believe is almost certain, it will shatter that record, set during Trump’s first term. That 35-day federal closure in late 2018 and early 2019 resulted from a fight over Trump’s demand for a border wall, which Democrats refused to

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