00:01It's election day, from New York City's mayoral showdown to governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia.
00:06The results could say a lot about where voters stand right now.
00:10Plus, finally a glimmer of hope to end the shutdown.
00:13But there's a new problem, how long the fix would actually last.
00:17And half payments, full politics.
00:20The SNAP showdown heats up on Capitol Hill.
00:24The stories that matter, clear and credible.
00:27From across the country to around the world, these are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:36Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:37It's election day in America, and while President Trump is not on the ballot, some believe his presidency is very much on the line.
00:45From New York to California, voters are deciding races that could reveal where the country stands in his second term.
00:51There are five key contests happening across the country that we want to tell you about, starting in New York City.
00:57Democrat Zoran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic Socialist and progressive favorite, faces former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
01:08It's a battle between the party's future and its old guard, with Mamdani promising affordability, and Cuomo promising a return to experience.
01:16Trump threw his support behind Cuomo Sunday night, calling him a bad Democrat, but better than a communist.
01:22And then again on Truth Social, saying you really have no choice but to vote for him, meaning Cuomo.
01:27Across the Hudson, New Jersey voters are choosing a new governor.
01:31Democrat Mikey Sherrill faces Republican Jack Cittarelli in a race centered on one thing, affordability.
01:37With rising taxes and utility costs, Cittarelli calls Sherrill a Washington insider, while she warns he's too close to Trump.
01:45The state has leaned blue for years, but this one's tight.
01:48In Virginia, a state feeling the effects of the ongoing government shutdown, they too will be picking a governor.
01:54Democrat Abigail Spanberger holds a lead over Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears.
02:00Spanberger's message, focus on the cost of living and federal workers hurt by Trump's downsizing.
02:06Earl Sears is running on a platform of tax cuts and tougher school policies on trans students.
02:12In Pennsylvania, voters aren't picking candidates, but choosing whether to keep three Democratic justices on the state Supreme Court.
02:19The result could shape how the court rules on election cases in 2028, including mail-in ballots and redistricting.
02:26In California, a ballot measure with national stakes, Prop 50.
02:30It would replace the state's nonpartisan congressional map with one drawn by Democrats, potentially adding five House seats to the party's column.
02:39Supporters call it needed to counter GOP redistricting in Texas.
02:43Critics, including former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, call it a power grab.
02:47Now to breaking news, and it is major.
02:50One of the most powerful and controversial figures in modern American politics has died.
02:56Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a man who shaped U.S. policy for a generation, has died at the age of 84.
03:03Cheney served two terms under President George W. Bush, becoming the driving force behind America's war on terror and the invasion of Iraq after 9-11.
03:11Long considered the most influential vice president in history, he was known for his steely style, his defense of enhanced interrogation,
03:20and his unwavering belief that he did what was necessary to keep America safe.
03:24In later years, Cheney broke sharply with his own party, calling Donald Trump a, quote, coward, and, quote, the greatest threat to the republic.
03:33He died surrounded by family at his home in Wyoming.
03:35We may finally be seeing an end in sight to what's now tied as the longest government shutdown in American history.
03:43After 13 failed attempts to pass a short-term funding bill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he's optimistic Congress can reopen the government this week.
03:52But there's a catch.
03:54The House-approved bill only funds the government through November 21st.
03:58Thune says that date has to change.
04:00Quote, I think that would be the objective here, is to try and get something that we could send back to the House that would open up the government.
04:08House Speaker Mike Johnson struck a similar tone at a news conference Monday, saying GOP leaders are working against the clock as the current bill's expiration date nears.
04:17We're very mindful of the calendar.
04:20We're very frustrated by that.
04:21It's part of the reason we're so angry about this, because they're eating up the clock, and the Democrats know how much more we have to do here this year.
04:27But we cannot do it if the government's not opened and not serving the people.
04:31And so this is a very important matter.
04:35It's something that we're giving all of our attention to.
04:36Our leaders will go and meet on the calendar right now.
04:39The Senate is expected to vote again today on that short-term bill.
04:43If it fails, tomorrow will mark the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
04:48As the government shutdown drags on, millions of Americans who rely on food stamps are left wondering how they will feed their families.
04:55The Trump administration says it will send partial SNAP payments this month, a temporary fix for about 42 million Americans who depend on the program.
05:04But officials admit many families could only get half of their normal benefits, and no one knows when those payments will arrive.
05:12States will have to recalibrate their systems.
05:14And the administration warns it could take weeks, even months in some places.
05:19The White House says it cannot legally tap other accounts to cover full payments.
05:23A move courts have already questioned.
05:25The USDA says it's using about $5.5 billion in contingency funds, enough to cover only half of November benefits,
05:34and won't tap a separate $23 billion school lunch account that Democrats had urged it to use.
05:40The decision sparked a fiery debate Monday night in the Senate over how much help low-income Americans should get as the shutdown enters week six.
05:48Food deprivation is not a correct strategy for any government in the United States of America.
05:56Trump's make America hungry again agenda is wrong.
06:03It is immoral.
06:05Republicans shot back, accusing Democrats of politicizing hunger and holding up the budget deal that would reopen the government.
06:12This isn't lawmaking.
06:14This is a political stunt by the Democrats.
06:18The resolution they're offering is empty.
06:21It is meaningless.
06:22Democrats shut down this government.
06:25Democrats have voted against reopening the government 13 times.
06:30Democrats are holding food assistance for 42 million Americans hostage.
06:34The USDA says it's moving as fast as possible to issue those partial payments,
06:39but anti-hunger groups warn the decision could leave some families without enough to eat
06:44and states without funds for new applicants or emergency aid.
06:48Federal prosecutors are pushing back hard, urging a judge not to dismiss the case against former FBI Director James Comey.
06:56Comey's facing charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding,
07:00stemming from his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee back in 2020.
07:05Prosecutors say he leaked information to the media and misled lawmakers about his actions while running the FBI.
07:12Comey calls the case political payback, saying he's being targeted by the Trump Justice Department for his criticism of the president.
07:19But in new filings Monday, prosecutors fired back, writing,
07:22quote, the defendant is a former FBI director who lied to Congress about his conduct while at the helm of the nation's primary federal law enforcement agency.
07:32Comey has pleaded not guilty, and the judge has yet to rule on his motion to dismiss.
07:36A Hollywood legend and one of its true originals has died.
07:40Three-time Academy Award nominee Diane Ladd has died at her home in California.
07:45She was 89.
07:46Her daughter, actress Laura Dern, confirmed her mother's passing, calling her my guiding light and my heart.
07:53With more than six decades in film and television, Ladd was known for bringing depth, humor, and heart to every role,
07:59from Chinatown and Wild at Heart to Rambling Rose and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore,
08:04the latter three earning her Oscar nominations.
08:07She also made Hollywood history as half of the first mother-daughter duo ever nominated for Academy Awards in the same year.
08:13Diane Ladd, remembered as a performer of strength, soul, and grace.
08:19Finally this morning, People Magazine has made its pick for 2025's Sexiest Man Alive,
08:24and this year's honor goes to Jonathan Bailey.
08:27The British actor, best known as Lord Anthony Bridgerton in Bridgerton,
08:31has gone from period drama heartthrob to full-blown leading man.
08:36He starred in Jurassic World Rebirth and the upcoming Wicked movie,
08:39even earned an Emmy nomination for his role in Showtime's Fellow Travelers.
08:44Bailey told Jimmy Fallon he thought he was being punked when he got the news,
08:48calling it absurd, but also the honor of a lifetime.
08:51All right, I have a little confession to make this morning.
08:54When I pre-read this story, I had to Google who Bailey was.
08:58The reason being, like every year it's either Brad Pitt or George Clooney
09:03or Hugh Jackman for a news anchor like myself to read, Sexiest Man Alive.
09:07I had no idea who this person was.
09:10And I guess now I do.
09:13All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
09:15House Republicans stepped to the mic this morning at 10,
09:18with Speaker Mike Johnson and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Daramer set to address the stalemate.
09:23Later, the White House press briefing at 1,
09:25where questions about SNAP benefits and negotiations are expected to dominate.
09:29At 2, a federal appeals court in New York takes up San Bankman-Fried's bid
09:34to overturn his 25-year fraud sentence.
09:37No spin, no drama, just the news you need.
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09:52Got all that.
09:53Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Tuesday.
09:55We'll see you back here tomorrow.
09:56For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
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