Today in one sentence: The Trump administration will restart SNAP payments but only at half the usual amount; the government shutdown entered its 34th day and is on track to become the longest in U.S. history as Trump refused to negotiate with Democrats over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies; CBS News heavily edited Trump’s “60 Minutes” interview – the same standard editorial practice that led him to sue the network last year over its editing of a Kamala Harris segment; a federal judge permanently blocked Trump’s order requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration; for the third time a federal judge blocked Trump from deploying the National Guard to Portland, saying there was “no credible evidence” protests had grown out of control before his order; the Justice Department told lawmakers the Trump administration doesn’t need congressional approval to keep striking alleged drug-smuggling boats because the War Powers Resolution doesn’t apply; 52% of voters blamed Trump and congressional Republicans for the ongoing government shutdown; 67% of Democrats said they’re frustrated with their party; Trump’s approval rating fell to 37%, his lowest of his second term; two-thirds of voters said Trump has not lived up to their expectations on the economy and cost of living; 49% of Americans say the nation’s best times are behind it; and 55% of Americans say political violence will increase.

1/ The Trump administration will restart SNAP payments but only at half the usual amount, using the program’s $4.65 billion contingency fund after two judges ordered the government to keep the program running during the shutdown. USDA said it will deplete that fund entirely to issue the partial November benefits, leaving no reserve for December or future emergencies if the shutdown continues. The decision leaves roughly 42 million Americans with reduced and delayed payments, as states must reprogram their outdated systems before payments can begin. USDA declined to draw from a separate $23 billion emergency account for child nutrition, saying “Section 32 Child Nutrition Program funds are not a contingency fund for SNAP.” Hours before millions of Americans lost their supplemental food benefits, Trump hosted a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago titled “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.” (NBC News / CNN / New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / CNBC / Axios / Reuters / Associated Press / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CBS News / NPR)

  • EARLIER: Two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to keep paying SNAP benefits during the shutdown using emergency funds, with Judge Indira Talwani calling the suspension “unlawful” and requiring a plan by Monday (today), and Judge John J. McConnell Jr. directing immediate use of contingency funds. McConnell’s written order said the government must make full payments by today or partial payments by Wednesday. Trump said, “If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding,” while warning that payments would be delayed. (Associated Press / Axios / New York Times / NBC News / Politico / CNBC)

2/ The government shutdown entered its 34th day and is on track to become the longest in U.S. history as Trump refused to negotiate with Democrats over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. Trump said he “won’t be extorted” and claimed that Democrats “have lost their way,” adding that “If they don’t vote, that’s their problem.” Trump, meanwhile, urged Republicans to “end the filibuster” so “we can do exactly what we want.” Senate Republicans, however, rejected the idea, with Majority Leader John Thune calling the 60-vote rule “a safeguard” and Speaker Mike Johnson warning it “would radically change the Senate.” (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / The Hill / The Guardian / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Politico / CBS News)

3/ CBS News heavily edited Trump’s “60 Minutes” interview – the same standard editorial practice that led him to sue the network last year over its editing of a Kamala Harris segment. The interview, his first with the show in five years, aired one year after Paramount, CBS’s parent company, paid $16 million to settle that lawsuit. CBS cut Trump’s remarks that “60 Minutes paid me a lotta money,” his praise for new editor in chief Bari Weiss — “a great new leader” — and his approval of the Skydance takeover of Paramount, which he called “the greatest thing that’s happened in a long time to a free and open and good press.” Trump told Norah O’Donnell, “You don’t have to put this on, because I don’t want to embarrass you.” CBS cut that entire exchange and said the interview was “condensed for clarity” and offered no explanation for the removals. The unedited transcript also showed a tense exchange over Trump’s pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to money-laundering. Trump claimed “I don’t know who he is,” called the prosecution a “Biden witch hunt,” and added, “My sons are involved in crypto much more than me.” Zhao’s company, Binance, had earlier facilitated a $2 billion deal with the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, before receiving the pardon in October. Trump also defended ICE raids as necessary, saying they “haven’t gone far enough,” and suggested he could invoke the Insurrection Act “in a heartbeat” to send troops into U.S. cities. When pressed about agents using tear gas in Chicago and smashing car windows, he said, “Yeah, because you have to get the people out,” blaming “liberal judges that were put in by Biden and Obama” for slowing deportations. Trump also confirmed plans to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in decades, saying, “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. We’re not going to be the only country that doesn’t test.” Democrats, meanwhile, called for an FCC review of CBS’s edits, citing possible “news distortion” under standards set by Trump’s own FCC. Chair Brendan Carr, however, dismissed the idea as “frivolous.” (Axios / CNN / New York Times / Washington Post / The Guardian / NBC News / CNBC / CBS News / The Hill / Bloomberg / Axios)

4/ A federal judge permanently blocked Trump’s order requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, calling it unconstitutional. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that “the President lacks the authority to direct such changes,” saying only Congress and the states control election rules. The decision finalizes an earlier injunction and blocks the Election Assistance Commission from enforcing the order. (The Guardian / Axios / Democracy Docket / Votebeat)

5/ For the third time a federal judge blocked Trump from deploying the National Guard to Portland, saying there was “no credible evidence” protests had grown out of control before his order. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut ruled that violence was “isolated and sporadic” and caused no serious injuries or major damage. The decision followed a three-day trial over whether the administration met the legal threshold for using troops against domestic protests. The Ninth Circuit is set to rehear the case, leaving the Guard federalized, but not deployed. (CNN / Associated Press)

6/ The Justice Department told lawmakers the Trump administration doesn’t need congressional approval to keep striking alleged drug-smuggling boats because the War Powers Resolution doesn’t apply. A senior administration official said the operations didn’t place U.S. troops in danger and that “the kinetic operations underway do not rise to the level of ‘hostilities.’” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also required Pentagon personnel to get prior approval before talking to Congress about the strikes or other “sensitive military operations.” The military, meanwhile, carried out another strike in the Caribbean that Hegseth said killed three people, bringing the total killed in roughly 15 strikes since early September to at least 64. (Washington Post / CNN / Wall Street Journal / The Guardian / NBC News)

poll/ 52% of voters blamed Trump and congressional Republicans for the ongoing government shutdown, while 42% blamed Democrats. The share blaming Democrats was the highest recorded for the party in three decades. Overall, 34% said they or a family member has been personally affected by the shutdown. Democrats remained deeply unpopular, with 28% viewing the party positively and 53% negatively, while Republicans were rated 37% positive and 46% negative. A record 57% of voters said they would vote to replace every member of Congress if given the chance. (NBC News)

poll/ 67% of Democrats said they’re frustrated with their party, up from about half in 2021 and 2019, citing the party’s failure to “push back hard enough against the Trump administration.” Republican frustration fell to 40%. Overall, 75% of Americans said they’re frustrated with Democrats and 65% with Republicans. 28% said the Democratic Party made them feel hopeful, compared to 36% who said the same about the Republican Party. (Pew Research Center)

poll/ Trump’s approval rating fell to 37%, his lowest of his second term, with 63% disapproving. 68% of Americans say things in the country are going badly, 72% call the economy poor, 61% say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, 52% say Trump has gone too far using presidential power, and 55% say Republicans in Congress are doing too much to support him. Democrats hold a 47% to 42% lead on a generic congressional ballot, with 67% of Democratic-aligned voters “extremely motivated” to vote, compared with 46% of Republican-aligned voters. (CNN)

poll/ Two-thirds of voters said Trump has not lived up to their expectations on the economy and cost of living, and 52% said he’s done more to undermine the Constitution than to protect it. (NBC News)

poll/ 49% of Americans say the nation’s best times are behind it, while 41% say they lie ahead. Two-thirds say it is at least probably true that the government “often deliberately lies to the people.” 46% say the American Dream no longer exists. 52% believe “radical change” is needed to make life better in America. Despite all that, 64% say they are proud to be American. (Politico)

poll/ 55% of Americans say political violence will increase, and a majority believe a political candidate is likely to be assassinated within five years. 24% say violence is sometimes justified, including more than one in three Americans under 45, while 64% say political violence is never justified. 41% say they feel hesitant to share their political views in public. (Politico)

⏭️ Notably Next: Your government has been shut down for 34 days; the 2026 midterms are in 365 days.

Three years ago today: Day 653: "A defining moment."
Four years ago today: Day 288: "A turning point."
Five years ago today: Day 1384: "Fired up, ready to go."
Eight years ago today: Day 288: The only one that matters.