Good morning! The weekend edition is 700 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Potential Michigan terror plot thwarted

• Billionaires to give fortune away

• Healthiest Halloween candy

First-time reader? Sign up here!

Today’s Big Story

Judge Blocks SNAP Cutoff

• A federal judge ordered the Agriculture Department on Friday to distribute food stamp benefits immediately, one day before funding for 42 million SNAP recipients was set to lapse. Judge John McConnell ruled the USDA must use $6 billion in contingency funds to pay benefits during the government shutdown.

• McConnell rejected the USDA's argument to save contingency funds for hypothetical disasters like hurricanes, saying the need to feed millions of people outweighs saving money for potential emergencies. The judge said irreparable harm will occur if benefits aren't distributed.

• A second federal judge in Boston ruled Friday that the SNAP suspension is unlawful. Both judges ordered the USDA to report back Monday on compliance. The rulings follow a lawsuit filed by 25 Democratic state leaders seeking to force the USDA to use contingency funds.

Saturday’s Quick Hits

• President Trump called for eliminating the Senate filibuster to end the 31-day shutdown, but Republican leaders quickly rejected it. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other top Republicans said the 60-vote threshold benefits conservatives long-term. Trump argued Republicans should act before Democrats do it themselves when they regain power. Regardless, Republicans lack the votes, needing 50 senators plus VP Vance's tiebreaker while facing multiple defections. (More)

• Drugmakers recalled over 580,000 bottles of the blood pressure medication prazosin because some may contain a cancer-causing chemical. New Jersey's Teva Pharmaceuticals and distributor Amerisource Health Services issued voluntary recalls this month. The FDA says some bottles have nitrosamine impurities that can form during manufacturing or storage. Doctors prescribe prazosin to lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels. (More)

• The FBI arrested five teenagers in Michigan on Friday for planning a Halloween attack, though no concrete plan existed. The suspects, ages 16 to 20, chatted online about ISIS and were inspired by a National Guard member arrested in May for plotting an attack on a Detroit Army site. FBI agents monitored their discussions but said nothing real developed. (More)

• YouTube TV dropped all Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC, after the companies couldn't agree on payment terms. The blackout affects college football, NBA, NFL, and NHL games this weekend. YouTube says Disney wants too much money and is helping its own services, Hulu, and Fubo. Disney says Google is using its size to underpay. YouTube TV has 9 million subscribers and will give each a $20 credit if this lasts. (More)

• Wisconsin became the 36th state to ban cellphones during class. Schools must prohibit phone use during instruction by July, with exceptions for emergencies, health needs, or teacher-approved educational use. Governor Evers said phones distract from learning and harm kids' mental health. Seventeen states and DC passed similar restrictions this year. (More)

• Physicists say they've proven the universe can't be a computer simulation. A team led by Mir Faizal used century-old math proofs showing that some truths can't be calculated, no matter how powerful your computer. Since reality needs something beyond computation to work, it can't run like a program. This also means there's no simple mathematical formula that explains everything in physics. (More)

Weekly Dose of Positive

• Houston billionaires Nancy and Rich Kinder are giving away 95% of their $11 billion fortune to their city, funding parks, schools, and arts projects already reshaping Houston. (More)

• Military flights evacuated 1,000 Alaskans from typhoon flooding but banned pets. A rescue group raised $22,000 to save 50-100 dogs and has already reunited some of them with their families. (More)

• Scientists successfully transplanted a kidney converted from blood type A to universal O using enzymes, avoiding days of antibody removal and heavy immune-suppressing drugs patients normally need. (More)

• A Utah developer has spent over $140 million building homes for displaced Ukrainians since 2022, creating Hansen Village near Kyiv that now houses 2,000 people with schools and clinics. (More)

Extra Credit

Photographer captures photo of the first known white Iberian lynx in the wild.

Peanut M&Ms are the healthiest Halloween candy. (You’re Welcome)

…and where the pumpkin-carving tradition originated.

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday.