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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwali Saikautau. Two judges today said it's unlawful for the Trump administration to suspend SNAP food benefits that end tomorrow. NPR's Jennifer Ledin reports it's not clear when that assistance may reach the millions of people who rely on it.
A federal judge in Boston said the administration not only can but must use contingency funds to keep SNAP going. She said it could also shift other money, but left it up to the administration to decide whether to do so. The contingency funds fall short of SNAP's November budget, so the Trump administration may decide to issue only partial payments.
Chapter 2: What recent legal decisions affect SNAP food benefits?
It has warned that would be logistically challenging and time-consuming. The administration has until Monday to decide on a plan. States and cities across the country are shifting their own money and stepping up food donations to help millions of low-income people get by despite this loss of food aid. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.
The Trump administration is creating a National Guard quick reaction force. The troops are expected to be trained and ready to deploy nationwide by January, as NPR's Quill Lawrence reports.
The National Guard has had a reaction force for decades, ready to deploy in all 50 states in case of natural disasters or other emergencies. But in August, the Trump administration ordered the Guard to create a standing quick reaction force that could be deployed nationwide. A Guard spokesman told NPR those troops have been training and will be ready, equipped with riot gear, by the new year.
President Trump has spoken openly about sending guard troops and even active-duty military troops into U.S. states and cities led by his political opponents. Trump says the troops are needed for immigration enforcement and to control largely peaceful protests. Lawsuits challenging the president's right to do that are working their way through the courts. Quill Lawrence, NPR News.
Staffing shortages among air traffic controllers working without pay are contributing to extensive delays across the country today. More on this from NPR's Joel Rose.
Much of the nation's airspace was a mess, with a combination of staffing shortages and high winds leading to major delays. The Federal Aviation Administration said staffing shortages contributed to ground delays at a number of airports, including Boston, Nashville, Dallas, Houston, New York, and Newark, New Jersey. while high winds limited operations around New York City and Washington, D.C.
That combination made for one of the worst days to fly since the government shutdown began a month ago. Air traffic controllers are required to work without pay until the shutdown ends. They missed their first full paycheck earlier this week. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.
In Gyeongju, South Korea, President Lee Jae-myung is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit on Saturday. You're listening to NPR News from New York. The American Academy of Pediatrics says it does not recommend the routine use of leucovorin to treat autism in children, citing limited evidence.
The guidance comes as pediatricians continue to face questions from parents about a drug touted by President Trump to help treat autism.
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