November 2, 2025 6:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The twin crises at the heart of the government shutdown fight in Washington are coming to a head. The federal food assistance program is facing delays and uncertainty. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are set to see a dramatic rise in health insurance bills. The Trump administration’s plans to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have been halted by federal judges. But a delay in payouts will still likely leave millions of people short on their grocery bills. The shutdown is the second longest in history and entered its second month on Saturday, yet there’s little urgency in Washington to end it.
November 2, 2025 7:15 am
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria. The warning posted Saturday on social media was an escalation of his allegations that the government is failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the West African country. The threat came after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed back against Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” for alleged persecution of Christians. On Saturday, Tinubu stated that Nigeria values religious freedom and opposes persecution. Trump, in a social media post on Friday, claimed Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria due to radical Islamists.
November 2, 2025 6:50 am
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Former President Barack Obama is urging voters to use Tuesday’s elections in Virginia and New Jersey to rebuke President Donald Trump and candidates loyal to him. Governor races in those states may signal the national mood 10 months into Trump’s second presidency. Republicans also were campaigning Saturday, but without national star power. Republicans sidestepped talk of the president and instead tried to localize the contests. On the west coast, California advocates are making a final push for a statewide referendum to redraw the state’s congressional map in Democrats’ favor. This effort is part of a national redistricting battle.
November 2, 2025 6:48 am
PARIS (AP) — The Paris prosecutor says two new suspects have been handed preliminary charges for their alleged involvement in the crown jewels heist at the Louvre museum. Laure Beccuau, the prosecutor, said in a statement Saturday that a 37-year-old suspect was charged with theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy. The other, a 38-year-old woman, is accused of being an accomplice. They were both incarcerated. They both denied involvement, the prosecutor said. Officials said the jewels have not been recovered.
November 2, 2025 6:45 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says the remains of three people Hamas handed over to the Red Cross do not belong to any hostages. It’s the latest setback to the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. It was unclear Saturday who the remains belonged to. Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages. Eleven remain in Gaza. Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress. Hamas has said Gaza’s devastation complicates the work.
November 2, 2025 6:42 am
LONDON (AP) — British police say that two people remain in life-threatening condition after the mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train. Police also said they do not consider the attack on Saturday evening to be a terrorist incident. Overnight, police said nine of the 10 people injured were in a life-threatening condition. British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless said four of those have now been discharged. He also said that the two people arrested remain in custody and confirmed that they were born in the United Kingdom. He says one is a 32-year-old Black British individual, the other a 35-year-old man of Caribbean descent.
November 2, 2025 6:12 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)-Nearly 30 passengers were rescued from the Monongahela Incline on Saturday after the cars stopped with people inside. A Pittsburgh Regional Transit spokesperson says the incline stopped working unexpectedly between 30 and 40 feet from the stations around 2:25 p.m. Operations staff tried to restart the incline before a manual rescue effort began. Twenty-two passengers were on the east car, which stopped close to the lower station, the spokesperson says. Five passengers were on the west car, which stopped close to the upper station. Pittsburgh paramedics had rescued all five passengers from the west car using a rope system by 4:30 p.m., the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department says. Four passengers from the east car had been individually rescued by 5:44 p.m. To hasten the process, crews began bringing passengers down using a fire ladder truck until all passengers had been rescued by 6 p.m. No injuries were reported. The incline will not be operational on Sunday as PRT works to determine what caused the cars to stop, a spokesperson says. PRT will operate shuttle buses from the bus stop behind Station Square to the Mon Incline Upper Station until the incline reopens. Buses will run every 15-20 minutes. “I want to extend my deepest thanks to the first responders – paramedics, firefighters, and police officers who helped get these riders to safety,” said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman. “I also want to apologize to the riders who were inconvenienced today and thank them for remaining calm in a high-stress situation.”
November 2, 2025 6:08 am
With winter approaching, PennDot is suggesting motorists prepare their vehicles for winter’s snow, ice and cold. Vehicle checks include; fluid levels, lights, defrosters and windshield wiper blades. Tires should be inspected for proper air pressure and adequate tread depth for performance on ice and snow. Inside the car, PennDot suggests motorists carry an emergency kit that has non-perishable food, water, first aid supplies, warm clothes, a blanket, cell phone charger and a small shovel. Kits may also contain baby supplies, extra medicine, pet supplies and children’s games. According to PennDot, Last winter there were 8329 crashes with 29 fatalities and 2959 injuries. Motorists are asked to use extra caution when driving in winter weather. More information may be found at www.511PA.com
November 1, 2025 4:40 am
BOSTON (AP) — Two federal judge have ruled that the Trump administration must continue to fund the SNAP food aid program using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown. The rulings Friday came a day before the payments were due to be halted. SNAP is used by 1 in 8 Americans to buy groceries and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. The administration has said it can’t fund SNAP with the government shuttered. Democratic state officials challenged the plan to freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1, saying there’s a legal obligation to keep providing the assistance for low-income people. Judges agreed, but gave the administration some leeway on the details.
November 1, 2025 10:19 am
Thousands of furloughed federal workers are trying to navigate the unemployment system, in a sharp increase that is still a fraction of the 670,000 furloughed during the shutdown. About 26,000 federal workers filed initial claims from Sept. 28 through Oct. 18. The unemployment process presents those workers with some challenges. It generally takes two to three weeks to receive payments once approved in normal times. And now, the Labor Department has warned of delays. Recipients receive different amounts state by state. If they receive back pay as expected when the shutdown ends, they will need to repay the unemployment money.
