Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Block Full SNAP Payments Amid Shutdown Funding Battle

The Justice Department seeks an emergency stay to halt billions in food stamp disbursements ordered by a lower court — as millions of Americans face uncertainty and state leaders vow to deliver aid despite political gridlock.

WASHINGTON, D.C. | The Trump administration filed an emergency request with the U.S. Supreme Court late Friday seeking permission to withhold full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November, escalating a legal and political battle over food aid funding during the ongoing government shutdown.

The move came just hours after the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration’s emergency stay request, affirming a lower court order that required the government to pay out full SNAP benefits to more than 42 million Americans.

In the filing, Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the high court to intervene “by no later than 9:30 p.m. Friday,” warning that distributing billions in benefits could result in an “irretrievable transfer of funds” that might undermine other federal nutrition and social welfare programs.

“Once those billions are out the door, there is no ready mechanism for the government to recover those funds — to the significant detriment of other critical social programs,” Sauer wrote in the government’s brief.

The emergency application was directed to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who oversees such matters for the 1st Circuit. Jackson may decide on the stay individually or refer the matter to the full Supreme Court.

UPS and FedEx Ground MD-11 Cargo Fleets After Fatal Kentucky Crash: Boeing Issues Urgent Safety Recommendation

The two global shipping giants suspend operations of their MD-11 aircraft “out of an abundance of caution” following a deadly UPS crash in Louisville that killed 14, as federal investigators and Boeing launch a joint review into the aging jet’s safety systems.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a dramatic and precautionary move, UPS and FedEx have grounded all McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo aircraft after a catastrophic crash at UPS’s Worldport hub in Louisville, Kentucky, that killed 14 people earlier this week. The decision comes at the recommendation of aircraft manufacturer Boeing, which absorbed McDonnell Douglas in 1997 and remains responsible for oversight of the aircraft’s maintenance and airworthiness advisories.

Both shipping leaders described the move as “an abundance of caution” aimed at protecting flight crews, ground workers, and the communities surrounding major air freight hubs.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve,” UPS said in a late Friday statement.

FedEx confirmed in a separate statement that it would also temporarily ground its MD-11 fleet while conducting a “thorough safety review” based on Boeing’s recommendation.

CDC Vaccine Panel Presentation Distorts Research on Safety of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

A presentation by scientists to a work group of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel highlighted various alleged “safety uncertainties” of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including concerns about cancer and changes to the immune system. Scientists, however, told us that many of the cited studies are either misconstrued or of poor quality.

As with all medical products, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are not 100% safe. But the vast majority of people experience only temporary and mild side effects, which are expected. Serious side effects are rare.

In its Sept. 19 meeting, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ultimately voted to recommend the COVID-19 vaccines for all ages 6 months and up, as long as the decision is discussed with a health care provider. The group, however, nearly voted to require everyone to get a prescription for the shots and also endorsed unfounded or misleading claims about the risks of the vaccines. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who previously led an anti-vaccine organization, replaced the panel in an unprecedented move and installed new members, many of whom either lack expertise in vaccines or have spread inaccurate information about vaccines.

Trump Officials Cite Dubious Estimates of Medication Abortion Harms

As justification for a Food and Drug Administration review of a drug used in medication abortion, two Trump administration health officials have referenced an April report from an anti-abortion group that claims to show a far higher rate of serious side effects from the drug than has been found previously. However, the report, which is not peer-reviewed research, didn’t disclose where it got its data and has substantial methodological issues, reproductive health experts say.

The drug in question, mifepristone, is used alongside misoprostol for medication abortion and is FDA-approved for terminating pregnancies through 10 weeks of gestation. As we have written before, serious side effects from medication abortion are rare.

Medication abortions make up most abortions in the U.S. — 63% of them in 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports reproductive rights. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary have repeatedly promised an FDA review of mifepristone. In a May 14 Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee hearing, Kennedy called the April report “alarming” and said that it “indicates that at very least the label should be changed” for the drug. Kennedy and Makary reiterated the promise of a review in a Sept. 19 letter, again citing the April report as reason for concern about the drug’s safety.