Good morning, it’s Friday, November 7, 2025. In today’s edition, judge orders administration to pay SNAP benefits; Missouri redistricting foes collect 200,000 signatures; Stefanik to enter New York governor’s race:
Top Stories
SHUTDOWN: U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits for November, giving the federal government until today to make payments to states. The Justice Department filed a motion to appeal, further delaying payments to a program 42 million Americans rely on for food aid. (Associated Press)
The State Affairs team visited food pantries in five states to assess the strain the SNAP delay is causing on food banks and the customers who visit them. Read the story here.
REDISTRICTING: Opponents of Missouri’s new congressional district map have collected more than 200,000 signatures to force a vote on the plan. The group needs just 106,000 signatures to force a vote, and they have until Dec. 11 to turn them in. National Republican groups have created a political action committee to counter the referendum campaign. (KCUR)
If supporters have gathered enough signatures, it would delay implementation of the new maps beyond the 2026 elections and revert to an old version in which Democrats held two of the state’s eight seats in the U.S. House.
TRANSPORTATION: Pennsylvania Rep. Marty Flynn (D) has introduced legislation to legalize flying cars and to allow operators to travel on both roadways and through the air. The bill would require flying cars to take off and land at airports. New Hampshire and Minnesota have both approved measures recognizing flying cars as legal modes of transportation. (State Affairs)
Flynn calls his legislation the Jetsons Act.
HOUSING: Connecticut lawmakers will return to Hartford next week for a special session to finalize compromise legislation on housing, after Gov. Ned Lamont (D) vetoed a package earlier this year. Lamont said the compromise bill aimed to create as many as 150,000 new units. One sticking point has been parking requirements for developers. (CT Insider)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The Illinois legislature has adopted the Clean Slate Act, a bill to require law enforcement agencies to seal eligible criminal records every six months. The bill excludes convictions for sexual violence against minors, DUIs, reckless driving, cruelty to animals and serious violent crimes. It could make up to 2.2 million state residents eligible to have records sealed by 2031. (Capitol News Illinois)
CYBERSECURITY: Hackers who perpetrated a cyberattack on Nevada computer systems entered those systems three months before the attack began. The hackers attempted to extort the state, but officials said no ransom was paid. About 90% of the affected data has been recovered, while the rest is not essential to restoring state services. (Nevada Current)
In Politics & Business
NEW YORK: U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) will announce as early as today that she will challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) next year. Stefanik, a former aide to President George W. Bush and former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R), has refashioned herself as an unapologetic ally of President Trump. (New York Times)
GEORGIA: A new Atlanta Journal Constitution poll of the gubernatorial primary shows former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) leading the Democratic field with 40% of the vote, well ahead of DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond (D) at 11%. Four other contenders are in the single digits. On the GOP side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) leads with 22%, followed by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) at 15% and Attorney General Chris Carr (R) at 7%. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
CALIFORNIA: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) leads the field in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) with 13% of the vote, followed by ex-U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D) at 11%, former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) and businessman Steve Hilton (R) at 8% each, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) at 5%. A full 44% remain undecided. (UC Berkeley)
Porter’s support has dropped a signifiant six points since she walked out of an interview with a reporter.
OREGON: Former Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley (R) is considering another run for governor, fifteen years after he came within a point and a half of beating then-Gov. John Kitzhaber (D). Dudley would join Sen. Christine Drazan (R) and Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethel (R) in the GOP primary. (Willamette Week)
IOWA: Farmer and businessman Zach Lahn (R) is the fifth Republican to join the race to replace retiring Gov. Kim Reynolds (R). Lahn entered the race Thursday pitching himself as an America First candidate. (Des Moines Register)
PEOPLE: Auburn Hills, Mich., City Council candidate Greg Ouellette, a longtime leader of the city’s planning commission, died Tuesday, shortly after an election in which he won a seat. It had been his lifelong dream to serve on the city council, his wife said. (Detroit Free Press) Our condolences to Ouellette’s friends and family.
By The Numbers
17,000: The number of commercial fishing jobs in Alaska in 2024, a new low as the industry struggles with low prices and foreign competition. It’s the fifth straight year the industry has lost jobs. (Anchorage Daily News)
61: The number of rabid bats confirmed in Los Angeles County so far this year, the second-highest number recorded, after 2021. Many of the cases have been found in the Santa Clarita Valley. (Los Angeles Times)
7’9”: The height of Olivier Rioux, a freshman center at the University of Florida who became the tallest player ever to play an NCAA college basketball game. Rioux played the final 2:09 of the Gators’ win over the University of North Florida on Thursday. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
The Farmers’ Almanac will cease publication after its 2026 edition, citing growing financial costs. The publication was first printed in 1818, using a secret formula based on sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles to generate long-range weather forecasts. (Associated Press)
Auburn University has apologized for accidentally sending out three emergency alerts to students in short order on Thursday, warning of an active shooter, a tornado and a hazardous waste spill all in the space of 20 minutes. The school said they are working to fix the automated error. (Alabama Reflector)
A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit against famed Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register over a pre-election poll that showed then-Vice President Kamala Harris leading President Trump in Iowa by three points. Trump won the state by 13 points. Another suit, filed by Trump himself, remains pending. (KCRG)
Quote of the Day
“Just calm down. Everybody overreacts. Let’s see how things sort out over the next few months.”
— Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D), on fears about the impacts of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) taking office. (Hartford Courant)