November 1, 2025 1:22 am
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced new state-led efforts on Friday to support Pennsylvania’s charitable food network and the two million Pennsylvanians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after the Trump Administration refused to fund SNAP benefits in November amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. Shapiro is driving out $5 million in state funding immediately to Feeding Pennsylvania to distribute through its network of food banks across the Commonwealth. The Governor also signed a declaration of disaster emergency to expedite the delivery of Commonwealth funding and ensure relief reaches Pennsylvanians as quickly as possible. The declaration will allow state resources to be driven out more quickly, streamline contracting, and provide the Governor with additional tools to address the harm caused by the federal government shutdown. “Nearly two million Pennsylvanians rely on SNAP every month — and they shouldn’t have to wonder where their next meal will come from because of the dysfunction in Washington,” said Governor Shapiro. “There is no substitute for the federal government’s decision not to release SNAP benefits, but my Administration is stepping up to use every tool we have — state resources, private sector support, and the compassion of our communities — to make sure our food banks are fully stocked and our families are fed. The federal government has the money to keep people fed — they’re just refusing to use it. In Pennsylvania, I won’t let our families or food banks shoulder that burden alone, and I’m not going to stand by while the federal government lets Pennsylvanians go hungry.”
November 1, 2025 3:53 am
The Shapiro Administration is reminding residents that this weekend’s clock change to Standard Time is a perfect time to check the batteries in all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Officials state that working smoke alarms can decrease the risk of dying in a house fire by as much as one half. They also say that once a fire starts, you may have fewer than 2 minutes to safely exit. Escape plans are also critical. The plans should include two ways out of each room, a designated meeting place outside, and a method to assist young children, older adults and those with functional needs. Free smoke alarms are available. You can register for one here.
October 31, 2025 2:53 pm
BOSTON (AP) — Two federal judges have ruled that the Trump administration must continue to fund the SNAP food aid program using contingency 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.
October 31, 2025 3:10 pm
(AP) – Instacart says it will offer customers who receive SNAP benefits 50% on their next grocery order to ease strain as the government prepares to cut off payments. The benefit will be available even if payments are made as scheduled on Nov. 1. Instacart said any customer who placed an order in October using a SNAP/EBT card will be eligible. Instacart is one of several companies reacting to the government’s plan to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because of the government shutdown. DoorDash is also planning to waive service and delivery fees for an estimated 300,000 orders for SNAP recipients in November.
October 30, 2025 4:39 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster. That’s so the Republican majority can bypass Democrats and reopen the shutdown federal government. Trump on social media called getting rid of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate the “nuclear option.” His call to do so came as certain senators and House Speaker Mike Johnson know it’s time for the government shutdown to come to an end. From coast to coast, fallout from the dysfunction of a shuttered federal government is hitting home. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says, “People are stressing,” as food options in her state grow scarce. But even with Saturday’s deadline for a potential shut off in SNAP food benefits, there is no end yet to settling the political stand off with negotiations.
October 31, 2025 4:35 am
GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Asia-Pacific leaders his country would help to defend global free trade as U.S. President Donald Trump snubbed an annual economic regional forum. Xi took center stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that began Friday in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, as Trump left the country a day before the summit opened after reaching some deals with Xi meant to ease their escalating trade war. This year’s two-day APEC summit has been heavily overshadowed by the Trump-Xi meeting that was arranged on the sidelines.
October 31, 2025 4:36 am
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba (AP) — Communities across the northern Caribbean are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. In Jamaica, emergency relief efforts are underway as residents clear roads and assess damage. The storm has left many without homes, power or communication. Authorities have confirmed at least 19 deaths, and thousands remain in shelters. In Cuba, heavy equipment is clearing roads and the military is assisting isolated communities. No deaths have been reported there but significant damage has occurred. In Haiti, dozens were dead or missing after catastrophic flooding. The storm tied records for Atlantic hurricanes making landfall when it hit Jamaica.
October 31, 2025 4:43 am
BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — President Donald Trump has appeared to suggest on social media that the U.S. resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades. There was no indication that the U.S. would start detonating warheads, but the president offered few details about what seemed to be a significant shift in U.S. policy. He made the announcement on social media minutes before meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea. The U.S. military already regularly tests its missiles that are capable of delivering a warhead, but it has not detonated the weapons since 1992 because of a test ban.
October 31, 2025 4:41 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is investigating whether leaders in the Black Lives Matter movement defrauded donors who contributed millions of dollars during racial justice protests in 2020. That’s according to multiple people familiar with the matter. In recent weeks, federal law enforcement officials have issued subpoenas and warrants as part of an investigation into the Black-led organizations that helped spark a national reckoning on systemic racism. The investigation invites fresh scrutiny to a foundation whose leaders in recent years have faced criticism about their public accounting of donations. But the recent burst of investigative activity is also unfolding at a time when civil rights groups have raised concerns about the Trump administration targeting left-leaning groups.
October 31, 2025 4:19 am
Attorneys representing Jordan Clarke of Peters Township filed a motion in Washington County court and are asking that his capital homicide case be dismissed. They claim that the prosecution has been “contaminated” by a bogus death certificate filed by the Washington County Coroner, allegedly, at the behest of the District Attorney. According to the Observer-Reporter, the 271 page extraordinary relief filing offers several options for the case ranging from dismissal to holding a new preliminary hearing to possibly subpoenaing District Attorney Jason Walsh to testify if the case goes to trial. Clarke is accused of shaking his 11 week old son in their Peters Township home in May of 2022, causing fatal injuries. The infant died in a Pittsburgh hospital. The filing makes claims of prosecutorial misconduct by Walsh with him misleading a judge to believe the child died in Washington County. No hearing date has been set for the motion. Clarke is also involved in a case brought by the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation asking for a “kings bench” ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to restrict Walsh’s ability to seek the death penalty.
