NPR News: 10-31-2025 4PM EDT
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What is the current status of federal food assistance in the U.S.?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. It's not yet clear if more than 40 million people in the United States will still be able to access federal food assistance tomorrow. That's when the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is set to run out of money because of the federal government shutdown. Today, there were two major federal rulings on SNAP. In Massachusetts, a judge gave the administration until Monday to advise the court on its plan to continue SNAP benefits. That suggests SNAP still goes away tomorrow. But another ruling out of Rhode Island barred the government from halting the SNAP payments. Millions of low-income American households caught in the middle of a political fight that 31 days in shows no sign of ending.
What are the implications of the recent SNAP court rulings?
NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports.
At a Maryland town hall, voters told Democratic Senator Angela also Brooks to stand her ground in not voting alongside Republicans to fund the government. Here's Christina Thompson.
It's clear whose shutdown this is. You know, the Republicans hold all the leverage and all the cards. And if we back out now. then, you know, we're just showing again that the party has no backbone.
Democrats have said they're not voting to fund the government with Republicans unless the GOP negotiates with them on extending COVID-era boosted health care subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans blame Democrats for the shutdown. Democrats blame Republicans for the shutdown.
How are U.S. lawmakers responding to the government shutdown?
Barbara Sprint, NPR News, Washington.
Some leading Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are urging the administration to consider putting a paramilitary group fighting in Sudan on a terrorism blacklist. They say the rapid support forces the RSF is carrying out a targeted assault on civilians in Darfur. Here's NPR's Michelle Kellerman.
The Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch, and the ranking Democrat, Gene Shaheen, were joined by four other senators in sounding the alarm about the atrocities in Sudan's civil war now in its third year. They say the U.S. should designate the RSF as a foreign terrorist organization or put it on another terrorist blacklist. They blame both sides, the RSF and the Sudanese armed forces, of committing atrocities, and they say several countries are fueling the conflict and profiting from it. That includes the United Arab Emirates, which backs the RSF, as well as Russia, Iran, China, and other governments that are involved.
What actions are being proposed regarding the RSF in Sudan?
Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington.
Fifty-eight years after Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Latouli died, the South African government is now ruling that the anti-apartheid leader was beaten to death by police. Until now, authorities had been claiming he was accidentally struck by a train. Latouli led the African National Congress and in 1960 became the first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize for leading a civil disobedience campaign against racial segregation by South Africa's white minority government. This is NPR News.
It's Halloween, and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody turns 50 years old.
Over the decades, new generations of fans have gravitated to this song, inspiring flash mob performances, acapella covers, and an overall surge in interest on social media. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Trick or Treat for UNICEF, the UN's children's agency. The program involves children who collect money for other needy children abroad. Reporter Ari Daniels says the milestone comes as the U.S. dramatically scales back its foreign aid.
Over the years, the UNICEF initiative has been championed by celebrities. It's raised a total of $200 million, paying for food, vaccines, and school supplies. And it's raised awareness among American children of the needs of kids elsewhere in the world.
This program has been running for 75 years for a reason, right? It's that a lot of Americans really do care, despite what's going on in Washington.
Charles Kenney is with the Center for Global Development think tank. Trick or treat for UNICEF began a decade before USAID was established.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the current status of federal food assistance in the U.S.?
0:01–0:45
2
What are the implications of the recent SNAP court rulings?
0:45–1:24
3
How are U.S. lawmakers responding to the government shutdown?
1:24–2:22
4
What actions are being proposed regarding the RSF in Sudan?
2:22–4:19
5
What new findings have emerged about Albert Latouli's death?
4:19–4:35
6
What is the significance of UNICEF's Trick or Treat campaign this year?
4:35–4:39