--:-- Corvette Coleman: This message comes from NPR's sponsor, Odoo Business Management Software. Some say Odoo is like fertilizer because it promotes growth. Others say it's a magic beanstalk, scaling with efficiency. Odoo, exactly what a business needs. Sign up today at odoo.com.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corvette Coleman. This is Day 37 of the federal government shutdown. It's held up the payment of food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: These benefit cuts could end up being far steeper this month than expected. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports on a new analysis.
--:-- Jennifer Ludden: Under court order, the Trump administration is tapping a contingency fund to restart SNAP Food Aid. It said it should cover about half of people's benefits for November.
--:-- Katie Berg: But Katie Berg, with the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, says it appears most people will actually get less than that. In fact, almost 5 million people will receive no benefits at all.
--:-- Jennifer Ludden: The center also estimates the administration will not spend all of its contingency fund. The Agriculture Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: Meanwhile, some states say the formula for calculating partial payments is too labor and getting them to people will take weeks.
--:-- Jennifer Ludden: Jennifer Lutton NPR News Washington reports on the issue.
--:-- Jennifer Lutton: The Trump administration has held a classified briefing for top congressional leaders It was about deadly U.S. military strikes on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. President Trump alleges they're involved in drug trafficking.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: NPR's Claudia Grisales has more.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: Republicans and Democrats left the classified meeting divided on President Trump's ordered strikes, but agreed the military is relying on strong intelligence targeting drug traffickers.
--:-- House Speaker Mike Johnson: House Speaker Mike Johnson argued the operation has, quote, saved lives. We have a high reliability. These are the cartels. These are the people involved in it. They are doing this deliberately. They are intending to traffic this into the country, and it does great harm to the American people.
--:-- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, quote, we need a lot more answers.
--:-- Claudia Grisales: The meeting follows growing frustrations. The Trump administration has withheld information about the attacks that could lead to war with Venezuela.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: The U.S. Supreme Court heard lengthy arguments yesterday about President Trump's tariffs. The president is using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose these, but the law does not explicitly say a thing about tariffs.
--:-- Amy Howe: Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog says some of the court conservative justices expressed doubt that the president has the power to use the law this way.
--:-- Amy Howe: They certainly did seem to have the vote of Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was one of the strongest defenders of the challengers. And Justice Amy Coney Barrett had some questions that were skeptical. Chief Justice John Roberts also had some questions that seemed to be very skeptical.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: So it seemed that there was probably a majority to strike down the tariffs.
--:-- Amy Howe: Despite the justices' skepticism, it is not clear what their final decision will be. The decision is expected sometime next year.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: This is NPR.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: Kentucky officials have increased the death toll to 12 people from Tuesday's UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard to help.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: Big tech company Google and video game maker Epic Games have agreed to settle a long-running dispute.
--:-- John Riewicz: NPR's John Riewicz reports the two companies are asking a federal court to approve their settlement.
--:-- John Riewicz: Epic Games sued Google five years ago arguing that Google Play Store for apps on Android devices was a monopoly with high fees.
--:-- John Riewicz: Epic won in 2023 and a judge later said Google must allow other app stores on Android But Google appealed late last year and the case has dragged on.
--:-- John Riewicz: Now, Google and Epic say they've agreed to a set of changes to Android and Google Play. Google says they focus on expanding developer choice and flexibility, lowering fees, and encouraging more competition while keeping users safe.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: If approved, the settlement ends one of several cases that Google faces challenging its dominance over swaths of the Internet.
--:-- John Riewicz: Google is a financial supporter of NPR.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: French auditors are calling on the Louvre Museum in Paris to speed up their security modifications.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: This comes after burglars stole millions of dollars in historical jewels in a brazen daytime robbery.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: The French officials say the museum began a security audit years ago, but the recommended upgrades to the Louvre Museum will not be finished until 2032.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: On Wall Street and pre-market trading, stock futures are mixed.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: This is NPR.
--:-- Corvette Coleman: This message comes from Mint Mobile. Starting at $15 a month, make the switch at mintmobile.com slash switch. $45 upfront payment for three months. Five gigabyte plan equivalent to $15 a month. Taxes and fees extra. First three months only. See terms.
