--:-- Lakshmi Singh: This message comes from Dataiku. Companies can struggle to turn data into real AI apps. Dataiku makes it easy with low-code tools so anyone can build and scale AI. Visit dataiku.com slash NPR.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The federal government shutdown could last a few more days with members of the House of Representatives yet to hold a final vote on and President Trump yet to sign legislation that reopens federal agencies.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: Seven Senate Democrats and one independent helped break the stretch of failed votes on the measure when they joined the GOP majority.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: As the nation prepares to emerge from the longest U.S. government shutdown on record, NPR's Domenico Montanaro examines the political headwinds for Democrats and Republicans examining their paths into the midterm elections.
--:-- Domenico Montanaro: Affordability was the main issue of the past election. It's very likely to be again next year. And if that's the case and the cost of living is still pinching people's pockets, then with Trump and Republicans in charge, it's still going to be an edge for Democrats.
--:-- Domenico Montanaro: Plus Democrats have the issues on their side like we said. In addition to affordability, there's health care. And as we know, congressional elections and control of the House are determined in these swing districts. And winning is going to cure a lot of ills if that if the environment stays the way it does.
--:-- Shamira Mohamed: On the ground, a company in Mississippi, Cal Maine, is donating thousands of 12-count eggs to food pantry distributors in the state. The government shutdown has interrupted food benefits known as SNAP.
--:-- Shamira Mohamed: From Mississippi Public Broadcasting, I'm Shamira Mohamed. 13 percent of Mississippi's population relies on SNAP benefits.
--:-- Shamira Mohamed: Cassandra Mobley, interim CEO of the Mississippi Food Network, says food partners around the state accepted the egg donation swiftly.
--:-- Cassandra Mobley: Our 5,400 dozen donation was gone in three text messages.
--:-- Shamira Mohamed: Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gibson says the freeze in SNAP benefits has also hit farmers.
--:-- Andy Gibson: Lots of grocery stores not selling product, not moving product. That trickles back to the farmers. And I think we have to start looking at innovative ways that we can be prepared for this type of a federal shutdown in the future.
--:-- Shamira Mohamed: Mississippi has announced it'll begin to distribute 65 percent of SNAP benefits.
--:-- Shamira Mohamed: For NPR News, I'm Shamir Mohamed in Jackson.
--:-- Ada Peralta: The U.S. says it's providing an additional $12.5 million in international aid to help in hurricane recovery. Jamaica was among the country hardest hit.
--:-- Ada Peralta: Here, NPR Ada Peralta. Most of that money about a million will go to Jamaica. Prime Minister Andrew Holden has met with U officials and thanked them for the aid. It does reaffirm the strong and enduring relationship between Jamaica and the United States.
--:-- Ada Peralta: In total, since the storm hit two weeks ago, the U.S. has pledged $37 million in aid for the region.
--:-- Ada Peralta: Jamaica had also been saving money for just this type of emergency. But this was a historic storm. Western Jamaica is devastated. Schools, hospitals, and tens of thousands of homes have been obliterated.
--:-- Ada Peralta: Insurance companies estimate the loss could total more than $4 billion. Jamaica only has a fraction of that on hand.
--:-- Ada Peralta: Reporting.
--:-- Dr. Jessica Shepard: The FDA is removing black box warnings from hormone therapies for menopause that had long warned of serious health care risks.
--:-- Dr. Jessica Shepard: I'm Dr. Jessica Shepard, chief medical officer for the company HERS. Almost a third of women did not use HRT because of the warning.
--:-- Dr. Jessica Shepard: Even with risk or even with the contraindication, it still allows for a conversation to be had about who can take hormone therapy and if that individual feels that it is for them.
--:-- Andrew Limbong: Museums across the country had to cut programming and delay projects in 2025. That according to a new report from the American Alliance of Museums looking at the overall health of the industry and found that its recovery from the pandemic is stalling.
--:-- Andrew Limbong: Here's NPR's Andrew Limbong. When the federal government cut grants to museums earlier this year, that left a lot of museums with holes in their budgets.
--:-- Andrew Limbong: And then President Trump issued an executive order criticizing the Smithsonian's, quote, divisive race-centered ideology, which had an impact on all museums.
--:-- Marilyn Jackson: We're seeing corporations and foundations thinking twice about funding certain projects or programs that they would have naturally funded in the past.
--:-- Andrew Limbong: The top line result from this study is that museum attendance is down compared to last year.
--:-- Andrew Limbong: The outlook for 2026 doesn't look much brighter as museum leaders worry about further shifts in philanthropy and inflation.
--:-- Andrew Limbong: For NPR News, I'm Andrew Limbong.
--:-- Lakshmi Singh: This message comes from Progressive Insurance and the Name Your Price tool. It helps you find car insurance options in your budget. Try it today at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states.
