Food Stamp Lawsuits, Amazon Layoffs, & Hurricane Melissa Video

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Adam Rogers
October 29, 2025

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Democratic leaders from 25 states sued the Agriculture Department on Tuesday to prevent federal food stamp benefits from stopping this weekend. SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans are expected to end Saturday because of the government shutdown, which would be the first cutoff in the program's 60-year history.
The lawsuit argues the USDA is legally required to use contingency funds to continue benefits during the shutdown. The plaintiffs seek a temporary restraining order requiring the USDA to maintain benefits through November. States are directing recipients to food banks and urging them to stock up on shelf-stable items before benefits run out.
The USDA said contingency funds are earmarked only for disasters and cannot be used for regular benefits without a federal budget. They department blamed Senate Democrats for voting 12 times against funding the program, though Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over the 2026 federal budget.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine people in Gaza Tuesday night, including two children, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered "powerful strikes" following an alleged Hamas attack on Israeli forces in Rafah. Hamas denied involvement and called the strikes "a flagrant violation" of the ceasefire brokered by President Trump.
The escalation follows a dispute over deceased hostages. Hamas said it has faced difficulties recovering bodies and asked Israel for heavy equipment and access to restricted areas, which Israel refused. Hamas postponed returning a hostage body Tuesday, citing Israeli "violations." Netanyahu claimed the remains Hamas returned overnight were body parts of a hostage recovered by Israeli troops nearly two years ago.
Vice President JD Vance downplayed the strikes as "little skirmishes here and there," saying Trump's "peace is going to hold despite" the violence.

Amazon announced Tuesday it will cut 14,000 corporate jobs, its biggest layoff round in years, as it invests more in artificial intelligence. The cuts represent about 4% of Amazon's 350,000 corporate employees worldwide.
The cuts are part of a broader tech layoff wave driven by AI. Meta cut 600 jobs on Wednesday, Microsoft eliminated 9,000 in July, and Salesforce reduced its workforce by 4,000 in September. Banks are also trimming, with Goldman Sachs recently saying it would cut jobs due to AI efficiencies.
Affected employees get 90 days to find internal roles before termination. Amazon said it expects more cuts ahead as it finds "additional places to remove layers and realize efficiency gains.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the government can't find money to pay air traffic controllers during the shutdown, telling Senate Democrats to either reopen government or pass worker payment legislation. (More)

Alpha Sigma Phi's international leadership permanently closed its Rutgers chapter after a hazing incident that hospitalized a 19-year-old student, who is now recovering after being in critical condition. (More)

A judge ordered Border Patrol official Greg Bovino to meet her daily at 6 pm to discuss Chicago immigration raids after agents tear-gassed kids at a Halloween parade. (More)

Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with record 185 mph winds, killing at least three people and knocking out power to 77% of the island. (More)

Tetsuo Yamagami pleaded guilty to killing Japan's longest-serving prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, telling the court he blamed Abe for religious abuse tied to his mother's church. (More)

At least 60 people died in Rio's worst day of violence as 2,500 officers raided favelas controlled by a powerful drug gang that fought back with weaponized drones. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Tuesday (S&P +0.23%, Nasdaq +0.80%, Dow +0.34%). Stocks hit record highs again, a day before the Fed will announce its interest rate cut decision. (More)

Apple's value briefly topped $4 trillion Tuesday, joining Microsoft and Nvidia as the only companies to hit that mark. (More)

Nvidia bought a $1 billion stake in Nokia, sending the telecom company's shares up 22%. The companies will develop 6G networks and AI technology together. (More)

Toronto beat Los Angeles 6-2 in World Series Game 4 to tie the series. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his seventh postseason homer to become the Blue Jays' all-time playoff leader. (More)

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier owes the IRS $8 million in unpaid taxes from 2023, separate from his recent arrest for allegedly pulling himself from a game in a gambling scheme. (More)

Hulu renewed its hit comedy Only Murders in the Building for a sixth season that will take stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez to London. (More)

Walking for 15 minutes or longer each time lowers heart disease and death risks more than short walks, a decade-long study of 33,000 adults found. (More)

Researchers found a new antibiotic 100 times stronger than expected by testing chemical steps used by bacteria to make existing antibiotics, showing promise against MRSA and drug-resistant superbugs. (More)

Scientists found that all North American bat species they tested glow green under UV light, suggesting they inherited this trait from a common ancestor, though its purpose remains unknown. (More)

Miami is sinking concrete cars to create an artificial reef.

Chevy Camaro tops list of most stolen cars.

The income needed to be in the top 5% in every state.

Watch: US Air Force releases footage from inside Hurricane Melissa.

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