--:-- Ryland Barton: This message comes from Total Wine and More. November is all about gathering. Total Wine and More has wines, beers, and spirits for special moments. Find what you love and love what you find. Spirits not sold in Virginia and North Carolina. Drink responsibly. Be 21.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
--:-- Ryland Barton: A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP food benefits during the government shutdown. It comes after the administration said it would only partially fund food aid. Cities and nonprofits sued over the lower rate, and last week, courts ordered the government to use an emergency fund to pay for the benefits, as NPR's Jennifer Ludden explains.
--:-- Jennifer Ludden: The judge, in this case, ordered the Trump administration to use a $4 or $5 billion contingency fund to at least pay partial benefits. But he and another judge in Boston in a separate lawsuit both said there is a bigger pot of money from customs revenues that the Trump administration could use to make full snap payments. Now, the government had declined to do that. It said it wants to keep that money for other uses like child nutrition programs. But depending on how this appeal plays out, of course, if there is a final order to make full snap payments, that bigger pot is where they may turn for the money.
--:-- Ryland Barton: NPR Jennifer Ludden reporting.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Several federal employee unions are suing over a Trump administration essay question that now appears on many job applications. NPR's Andrea Hsu explains.
--:-- Andrea Hsu: Job applicants are asked to identify one or two of the president's executive orders or policy priorities that are significant to them and explain how they'd help implement them. According to the lawsuit, the question has appeared on close to 6,000 federal job listings for positions that have nothing to do with politics, including research biologists and air traffic control specialists. The Office of Personnel Management has told agencies not to disqualify applicants who don't respond, saying it shouldn't be used as an ideological litmus test. Still, the plaintiffs in the case argue the essay question does amount to an unlawful loyalty test, one that puts partisan politics over expertise.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Andrea Hsu, NPR News.
--:-- Ryland Barton: The Trump administration has nominated former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pierce to lead the Bureau of Land Management. As Wyoming Public Radio's Hannah Mersbach reports, reaction has been mixed.
--:-- Hannah Mersbach: The Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies, says a seven-term conservative congressman understands the value of energy development. Republican Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lemmes says his nomination is a major win for the West. But for Sierra Club's Dan Ritzman, it's going to be bad news for our public lands, it's bad news for the climate. Ritzman says Pierce has a reputation for promoting oil and gas drilling on federal land. The League of Conservation Voters has classified 96% of Ritzman's votes on key issues for them as anti-environment. If confirmed, he'll oversee a quarter billion acres of public land.
--:-- Ryland Barton: For NPR News, I'm Hannah Mersbach in Jackson, Wyoming.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Wall Street lost ground as tech stocks fell today. The S&P 500 fell over 1%.
--:-- Ryland Barton: This is NPR News from Washington.
--:-- Ryland Barton: A judge says she will order federal agents in Chicago to restrict using force against peaceful protesters and media. The temporary ruling came after testimony from people describing being tear gassed, shot in the head with pepper balls, while praying and having guns pointed at them when recording agents.
--:-- Ryland Barton: A paramilitary group accused of killing thousands of civilians in Sudan has agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire proposed by U.S.-led mediators. NPR's Jewel Bright reports this will allow aid to reach desperate civilians.
--:-- Jewel Bright: The Rapid Support Forces says it accepted the truce to address the urgent humanitarian consequences of the war and to ensure the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people. U officials have been working with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates on a ceasefire between the RSF and the Sudanese army for months. It remains unclear if the Sudanese army will agree to the truce. Senior army officials have said previously they would only agree to a truce that includes RSF fighters withdrawing from civilian areas and giving up their weapons. The war in Sudan erupted more than two years ago and has killed over 40,000 people, forced at least 14 million from their homes, and caused farming.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Joe Bright, NPR News Lagos.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Staff from soccer's international governing body, FIFA, set a Guinness World Record for holding a game with the most number of nationalities. The match was organized in Morocco and featured FIFA employees from 69 countries, each taking the field and playing at least 10 minutes.
--:-- Ryland Barton: I'm Ryland Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.
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