Good morning, it’s Tuesday, November 4, 2025. It’s Election Day, go vote! In today’s edition, SNAP delay could take months; Indiana lawmakers put off redistricting session; final polls show Virginia AG race a nail-biter:
Top Stories
SHUTDOWN: The Trump administration said Monday it would fund just half of SNAP benefits in November after a federal judge ordered the government to spend reserve money. But the story is more complicated in the states, where U.S. Agriculture Department officials say it could take weeks or months to process partial benefits. Some states may have to manually override outdated computer systems to process the partial benefits. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: Indiana lawmakers will convene in early December to decide whether to redraw congressional district lines. Gov. Mike Braun (R) had called lawmakers into special session beginning yesterday, though lawmakers instead decided to wait until after Organization Day on Nov. 18, which marks the official start of next year’s legislative session, to meet. (State Affairs)
It’s still not clear that Republicans have the votes to draw a map that would give them an extra seat in Congress.
AID IN DYING: The Illinois legislature last week approved a bill to allow adults who have less than six months to live to obtain prescriptions for life-ending medication. Illinois is the third state this year to approve aid in dying legislation, after New York and Delaware. (Pluribus News) Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) says he’s still deciding whether to sign the bill. (Chicago Tribune)
EDUCATION: More than 20 Democratic-led states are challenging a Trump administration policy aimed at blocking nonprofit and government workers from a student loan cancelation program. The policy is aimed at organizations that work with immigrants and transgender youth. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) called the policy “a political loyalty test disguised as a regulation.” (Associated Press)
MORE: Florida lawmakers are considering legislation to require the teaching of cursive writing in grades two through five. The bill would add a cursive writing proficiency test in fifth grade. (MyNews13)
ENVIRONMENT: The Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Interim Committee has advanced a bill banning the release of “atmospheric contaminants” in the sky. The measure, based on the chemtrails conspiracy theory, would ban geoengineering. A second bill banning cloud seeding died in a tie vote. (WyoFile)
In Politics & Business
VIRGINIA: A final batch of polls shows former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) in the driver’s seat as voters cast ballots today. InsiderAdvantage has Spanberger leading Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) 50%-40%. YouGov has Spanberger up 57%-42%. Quantus Insights pegs it at a 53%-44% lead. And the Trafalgar Group (R) has Spanberger ahead 50%-43%.
MORE: Those same polls show a nail-biter in the race for attorney general. InsiderAdvantage has former Del. Jay Jones (D) reclaiming a statistically insignificant lead over Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), 49% to 47%. Quantus Insights has the two candidates tied at 47%, while Trafalgar has them tied at 46%.
Our take: The text message scandal gave Miyares an opening, and he can still win. But that story broke a month ago, and Spanberger’s expanding advantage over Earle-Sears may be enough to pull Jones over the line.
FLORIDA: Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings (D) has formally entered the race for governor. He joins former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, a Republican-turned-Democrat, in the Democratic primary. A total of 29 candidates (!) have filed to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). (Associated Press)
ALASKA: Senate Minority Leader Mike Shower (R) is resigning to run for lieutenant governor. Shower, who holds the Wasilla-based seat formerly held by Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R), is businesswoman Bernadette Wilson’s (R) running mate. (Alaska Beacon)
PEOPLE: Former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at 84. Cheney, who served as House Minority Whip before President George H.W. Bush tapped him to serve as defense secretary, visited 47 states as he considered a presidential bid of his own in 1993 and 1994. (New York Times)
By The Numbers
1,334,572: The number of votes cast in New Jersey’s elections this year as of Monday, according to VoteHub. Democrats accounted for 41.6% of in-person early votes and 61.9% of mail-in votes. Republicans accounted for 35.4% of in-person votes and just 20.8% of mail-in votes. (New Jersey Globe)
14: The number of cities that are casting votes today using ranked-choice voting. That includes Minneapolis and St. Paul, Santa Fe, and Fort Collins, Colo., which is using ranked-choice voting for the first time. (FairVote)
More than 40,000: The number of invasive European green crabs the Metlakatla Indian Community has removed from beaches around their home on Annette Island, Alaska, this year. Last year, the tribe found and removed just 1,800 of the species, which destroy eelgrass beds that are vital habitat for salmon and other native species. (Alaska Beacon)
Off The Wall
What do you get for the man who has everything? Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) decided to give President Trump a box of ties — including a custom potato-patterned tie. “Gov. Little wanted to ensure President Trump and his team never run short of potato ties,” a spokesman told the Idaho Statesman.
Somehow we doubt President Trump will wear that one for his next press conference.
A Kentucky woman expecting a package of medicine instead received a box of human hands and fingers. The box was meant for surgical training. The woman eventually received her medication — though we can imagine she was a little shaken up. (NBC News)
Quote of the Day
“These are municipal elections, and while I know everybody pays attention to the presidential and a lot pay attention to the gubernatorial, what really makes a difference in their day-to-day life are the folks they are electing during their municipal and school board elections.”
— Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D), urging people to vote today. (Topeka Capital-Journal)