标签： North America

Over 42 million Americans are anxiously awaiting a critical decision from the Trump administration regarding the use of emergency funds to sustain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island have mandated the administration to provide updates by Monday at 12:00 EST (17:00 GMT) on how it plans to allocate $5.25 billion in emergency funds to ensure partial SNAP payments. This comes as the program faces a funding crisis due to the prolonged US government shutdown, which began on October 1 after Congress failed to agree on a budget. Since Saturday, millions of Americans have been left without essential food assistance as SNAP funds have been exhausted. While individual states manage the distribution of benefits, the program relies entirely on federal funding, which has been suspended during the shutdown. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that the administration is exploring legal avenues to reallocate funds, with payments potentially resuming as early as Wednesday. However, the process remains uncertain. Half of the US states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against the administration, arguing that it has a legal obligation to continue the program. Meanwhile, some states have pledged to use their own resources to fund SNAP benefits temporarily. SNAP is a lifeline for low-income families, providing reloadable debit cards to purchase groceries. On average, a family of four receives $715 per month, equating to less than $6 per person daily. The ongoing uncertainty has left millions of vulnerable Americans in a precarious position, highlighting the broader impacts of the government shutdown.

A chaotic scene unfolded in Mississippi last week after a truck transporting monkeys overturned, leading to the escape of several primates. One of the escaped monkeys was shot dead by Jessica Bond Ferguson, a local mother of five, who claimed she acted out of concern for her children’s safety. Ferguson stated that she and other residents had been warned the monkeys might carry diseases. “I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” she told the Associated Press. The monkeys were being transported from Tulane University’s National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they were housed for scientific research. Officials from the university clarified that the monkeys did not carry any infectious agents. Ferguson’s 16-year-old son alerted her to a monkey in their backyard, prompting her to grab her gun and cell phone. She described shooting the animal twice before it fell. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the incident, noting that the monkey was later taken into custody by the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Confusion persists regarding the escape, including the number of monkeys transported, their ownership, and the cause of the truck accident. Tulane University emphasized that it did not own, transport, or have custody of the monkeys at the time of the incident but sent animal care experts to assist. Videos circulating online showed the monkeys moving through tall grass near the highway, with wooden crates labeled “live animals” visible. The transported monkeys were Rhesus macaques, a species commonly used in biomedical research, particularly for infectious disease studies and vaccine development.

As November sets in, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is gearing up for a shift in weather patterns, with cooler temperatures and sporadic rainfall expected across the region. According to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), light rains are forecasted for Monday, November 3, accompanied by partly cloudy skies. Coastal and island areas are likely to experience increased cloud cover.

As the federal government shutdown extends into its fifth week, hundreds of thousands of federal workers across the United States are grappling with severe financial strain, forcing many to seek assistance from food banks to feed their families. The shutdown, which began on October 1 due to a political impasse over healthcare funding and other policy priorities, has left 1.4 million federal employees without pay, including 670,000 furloughed workers and 730,000 who continue to work without compensation. In Queens, New York, long lines of federal workers formed outside a church on October 28, waiting to collect basic produce like peppers, onions, and carrots from the Food Bank For New York City. Among them was Jacquelin, a federal employee who tearfully shared her struggles, including the inability to celebrate her daughter’s birthday or afford basic meals. Christina Dechabert, a Transportation Security Administration employee at JFK Airport, echoed these sentiments, expressing frustration at having to dip into savings meant for retirement to cover daily expenses. The crisis has also impacted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with November benefits delayed for over 40 million Americans, deepening food insecurity nationwide. Legal battles have ensued, with dozens of states suing the Trump administration over the SNAP cuts, while federal judges ruled on October 31 that SNAP funding must continue during the shutdown. Economically, the shutdown is projected to cause significant losses, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating a permanent $7 billion hit to the U.S. economy if it ends this week, and up to $14 billion if it extends through November 26. The travel industry is also suffering, with national parks partially closed and airports experiencing delays due to staffing shortages. While federal workers will receive backpay once the government reopens, contractors face permanent losses. Economists warn that the shutdown disproportionately affects lower-income Americans, exacerbating inequality and eroding trust in the political system. As negotiations remain stalled in Washington, the human toll of the shutdown continues to grow, with federal workers bearing the brunt of the crisis.