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Tag: New Jersey

  • Future data centers are driving up forecasts for energy demand. States want proof they’ll get built

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    HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The forecasts are eye-popping: utilities saying they’ll need two or three times more electricity within a few years to power massive new data centers that are feeding a fast-growing AI economy.

    But the challenges — some say the impossibility — of building new power plants to meet that demand so quickly has set off alarm bells for lawmakers, policymakers and regulators who wonder if those utility forecasts can be trusted.

    One burning question is whether the forecasts are based on data center projects that may never get built — eliciting concern that regular ratepayers could be stuck with the bill to build unnecessary power plants and grid infrastructure at a cost of billions of dollars.

    The scrutiny comes as analysts warn of the risk of an artificial intelligence investment bubble that’s ballooned tech stock prices and could burst.

    Meanwhile, consumer advocates are finding that ratepayers in some areas — such as the mid-Atlantic electricity grid, which encompasses all or parts of 13 states stretching from New Jersey to Illinois, as well as Washington, D.C. — are already underwriting the cost to supply power to data centers, some of them built, some not.

    “There’s speculation in there,” said Joe Bowring, who heads Monitoring Analytics, the independent market watchdog in the mid-Atlantic grid territory. “Nobody really knows. Nobody has been looking carefully enough at the forecast to know what’s speculative, what’s double-counting, what’s real, what’s not.”

    Suspicions about skyrocketing demand

    There is no standard practice across grids or for utilities to vet such massive projects, and figuring out a solution has become a hot topic, utilities and grid operators say.

    Uncertainty around forecasts is typically traced to a couple of things.

    One concerns developers seeking a grid connection, but whose plans aren’t set in stone or lack the heft — clients, financing or otherwise — to bring the project to completion, industry and regulatory officials say.

    Another is data center developers submitting grid connection requests in various separate utility territories, PJM Interconnection, which operates the mid-Atlantic grid, and Texas lawmakers have found.

    Often, developers, for competitive reasons, won’t tell utilities if or where they’ve submitted other requests for electricity, PJM said. That means a single project could inflate the energy forecasts of multiple utilities.

    The effort to improve forecasts got a high-profile boost in September, when a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member asked the nation’s grid operators for information on how they determine that a project is not only viable, but will use the electricity it says it needs.

    “Better data, better decision-making, better and faster decisions mean we can get all these projects, all this infrastructure built,” the commissioner, David Rosner, said in an interview.

    The Edison Electric Institute, a trade association of for-profit electric utilities, said it welcomed efforts to improve demand forecasting.

    Real, speculative, or ‘somewhere in between’

    The Data Center Coalition, which represents tech giants like Google and Meta and data center developers, has urged regulators to request more information from utilities on their forecasts and to develop a set of best practices to determine the commercial viability of a data center project.

    The coalition’s vice president of energy, Aaron Tinjum, said improving the accuracy and transparency of forecasts is a “fundamental first step of really meeting this moment” of energy growth.

    “Wherever we go, the question is, ‘Is the (energy) growth real? How can we be so sure?’” Tinjum said. “And we really view commercial readiness verification as one of those important kind of low-hanging opportunities for us to be adopting at this moment.”

    Igal Feibush, the CEO of Pennsylvania Data Center Partners, a data center developer, said utilities are in a “fire drill” as they try to vet a deluge of data center projects all seeking electricity.

    The vast majority, he said, will fall off because many project backers are new to the concept and don’t know what it takes to get a data center built.

    States also are trying to do more to find out what’s in utility forecasts and weed out speculative or duplicative projects.

    In Texas, which is attracting large data center projects, lawmakers still haunted by a blackout during a deadly 2021 winter storm were shocked when told in 2024 by the grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, that its peak demand could nearly double by 2030.

    They found that state utility regulators lacked the tools to determine whether that was realistic.

    Texas state Sen. Phil King told a hearing earlier this year that the grid operator, utility regulators and utilities weren’t sure if the power requests “are real or just speculative or somewhere in between.”

    Lawmakers passed legislation sponsored by King, now law, that requires data center developers to disclose whether they have requests for electricity elsewhere in Texas and to set standards for developers to show that they have a substantial financial commitment to a site.

    Electricity bills are rising, too

    PPL Electric Utilities, which delivers power to 1.5 million customers across central and eastern Pennsylvania, projects that data centers will more than triple its peak electricity demand by 2030.

    Vincent Sorgi, president and CEO of PPL Corp., told analysts on an earnings call this month that the data center projects “are real, they are coming fast and furious” and that the “near-term risk of overbuilding generation simply does not exist.”

    The data center projects counted in the forecast are backed by contracts with financial commitments often reaching tens of millions of dollars, PPL said.

    Still, PPL’s projections helped spur a state lawmaker, Rep. Danilo Burgos, to introduce a bill to bolster the authority of state utility regulators to inspect how utilities assemble their energy demand forecasts.

    Ratepayers in Burgos’ Philadelphia district just absorbed an increase in their electricity bills — attributed by the utility, PECO, to the rising cost of wholesale electricity in the mid-Atlantic grid driven primarily by data center demand.

    That’s why ratepayers need more protection to ensure they are benefiting from the higher cost, Burgos said.

    “Once they make their buck, whatever company,” Burgos said, “you don’t see no empathy towards the ratepayers.”

    ___

    Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter.

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  • New Jersey man is first to die of red meat allergy linked to lone star ticks

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    A 47-year-old New Jersey man is the first known person to die from an allergy to red meat caused by alpha-gal syndrome, a disease transmitted by various ticks. 

    A study published Wednesday in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology documented the man’s death and the increasing population of lone star ticks in the Northeast. The species is the most common carrier of alpha-gal syndrome, though deer ticks — the carriers of Lyme disease — also can carry it. 

    MORE: Nurse who beat hard-to-treat cancer says she stayed strong by thinking of herself as a ‘survivor’

    These developments warrant a “major need” for public education about alpha-gal syndrome, including its cause and symptoms, researchers wrote.

    Here’s what to know about lone star ticks and alpha-gal syndrome, including how the allergy is treated and prevented.

    What is alpha-gal syndrome?

    Alpha-gal syndrome, or AGS, also is known as the red meat allergy or the tick bite meat allergy. It is caused by alpha gal, a sugar molecule found in the tissues of most mammals. The molecule is not naturally found in humans, but it can be passed to them through the tick’s saliva. 

    When a tick carrying this sugar molecule bites a person, it may be transferred into the bloodstream. This triggers an immune response, because the immune system recognizes it as a foreign substance and perceives it as a threat. When the person then consumes red meat or animal products containing the sugar molecules, the immune system may go into overdrive two or more hours afterward. 

    Symptoms of this allergic reaction may include hives, swelling, abdominal pain and nausea. Some people may go into anaphylactic shock. 

    The allergy’s severity can increase with additional tick bites or exposure to foods with the sugar molecule. Not everyone who is bitten by a lone star tick will develop AGS or have consistent reactions. 

    How did the New Jersey man die? 

    The man, whose name and hometown were not disclosed in the study, became ill after a family camping trip last summer. After eating a dinner of beef steak, he awoke in the middle of the night and experienced severe abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. 

    The pain was so severe that the man told his son he thought he would die from it, but his condition gradually improved. Two weeks later, he ate a hamburger at a barbecue with his wife. Hours afterward, the man’s son found him unconscious on the bathroom floor and surrounded by vomit. He was pronounced dead that night, with the autopsy ruling the cause as a “sudden unexplained death.” 

    But the man’s wife pressed for answers, and a postmortem blood sample showed more than 2,000 nanograms per milliliter of tryptase, an enzyme that is released during an allergic reaction. She informed a medical team that her husband had had 12 or 13 chigger bites, which researchers said likely were the larvae of lone star ticks. 

    The man’s death is the first documented anaphylactic death tied to AGS in which symptoms started several hours after meat was consumed. 

    How common is AGS?

    There were 110,000 suspected cases of alpha-gal syndrome identified in the United States between 2010 and 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2023. But as many as 450,000 people may have been impacted by AGS. 

    That’s because many people may not seek testing due to the ambiguity of the syndrome’s symptoms, and many medical professionals are unfamiliar with AGS or do not know how to diagnose it, the CDC found. 

    Some people may have AGS without realizing it, the Mayo Clinic says.

    How is AGS diagnosed and treated? 

    To be diagnosed with AGS, people must undergo a physical examination and discuss their symptoms and medical history with a medical provider. A blood test may be ordered to confirm the presence of alpha-gal antibodies in the blood, but the Mayo Clinic notes that it’s possible to have the antibodies without developing AGS.

    The only way to treat alpha-gal syndrome is to avoid eating red meat and other animal products that may trigger reactions, the Mayo Clinic says. Some studies have indicated that AGS reactions wane as people avoid additional tick bites and make dietary changes. 

    Allergy medications may help calm mild allergic reactions, the Mayo Clinic says. An anaphylactic response may require epinephrine and treatment in an emergency department. 

    How can AGS be prevented?

    Preventing tick bites is the easiest way to avoid AGS. 

    Ticks typically thrive in grassy, wooded areas and often on animals. When outdoors, avoid densely wooded areas, and walk in the center of trails. Treating clothes and boots with permethrin also can help.

    Conduct tick checks after being outdoors. Look for them on your body, clothes and pets. Showering shortly after coming inside can wash off unattached ticks.

    At home, treat outdoor areas with pesticides and remove leaf litter. Clear away tall grasses and brush, and mow the yard frequently. 

    What are lone star ticks?

    Lone star ticks are native to the southeast, but they have been spreading north and west over the last two decades. They were first observed in Pennsylvania in 2017, and now are widely distributed across the Northeast, South and Midwest. 

    The increased prevalence of ticks, including deer ticks, has been partially attributed to rising deer populations, which are common hosts for ticks. Ticks are commonly found in forests but also live in yards and urban parks.

    Lone star ticks are larger and have longer limbs than deer ticks, also known as black-legged ticks. They are comparable in size to dog ticks, but have shorter limbs. Female lone star ticks have a white spot on their backs, which gives the species its name. But both male and females can transmit alpha-gal syndrome. 

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    Molly McVety

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  • Alleged Mobster Suspected of Involvement in NJ Illegal Betting Ring

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    Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna, 55, a suspected mafia associate, along with several relatives, was among 14 individuals charged Thursday in connection with an alleged multimillion-dollar illegal gambling operation in New Jersey that involved student athletes.

    A Suspected Mafia Member Is Among the 14 Charged Individuals

    Perna, who is allegedly from the Lucchese crime family, faces charges including racketeering, conspiracy, gambling-related offenses, and money laundering, according to a statement from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. Investigators claim that Joseph M. Perna oversaw a “nationwide network” of bookmakers, allegedly managed day-to-day by his son, Joseph R. Perna, 25, who is accused of supervising dozens of what authorities described as “subordinate agents.”

    The charges follow a federal indictment issued last month that named alleged Lucchese associates, along with members of other crime families, in connection with multimillion-dollar fixed poker games. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player Damon Jones were also charged in relation to the alleged operation. Billups’ attorney has denied any involvement on his client’s part. Rozier also denies participation, and his attorney said he “looks forward” to contesting the case. Jones entered a not-guilty plea in court last week.

    Authorities Detail Alleged Lucchese-Linked Betting Scheme

    New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice director Theresa L. Hilton said in a statement that authorities were alleging that a member and associates of the Lucchese crime family were running a sophisticated sports betting operation. According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, betting operations allegedly involving student athletes, as well as offshore gambling websites, “systematically enticed individuals to place bets” totaling $2 million between 2022 and 2024, with the money distributed throughout the criminal network.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin stated that, despite the expansion of legal betting, gambling continued to be a mainstay among members and associates of organized crime. He also stated that although locations and methods had evolved, illegal gambling, which also includes sports betting, remains a persistent issue that authorities would continue to prosecute.

    Platkin emphasized that responsible gaming helps protect individuals. He added that any college students of legal age who are in New Jersey are permitted to gamble on their phones through lawful platforms, but should not engage in gambling through operations backed by organized crime, which he described as his “parental advice.”

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    Stefan Velikov

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  • Property destroyed at US Attorney Alina Habba’s office after ‘disgruntled’ man denied a meeting

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    A “disgruntled” man ripped photos off a wall at the New Jersey federal prosecutor’s office after he was turned away from speaking with acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, a senior official familiar with the matter said.

    On Wednesday night, an unidentified man went to the Rodino Federal Building in Newark while carrying a baseball bat, an official said. He was not allowed entry, but later returned without the bat and went through security screening.

    He then went to the seventh floor, where the offices for the state’s U.S. Attorney are located. The man went through unlocked glass doors to the office foyer, where he spoke with a receptionist and asked to speak with Habba, the senior official said.

    The receptionist, who was behind secured glass, told him he did not have an appointment, so the man continued to wait in the foyer for a short time. While he waited, he never gained access to the U.S. Attorney’s offices, which are behind a locked buzzer door, the senior official told NBC New York a preliminary review of the incident showed.

    After some time, the man left the foyer and went back into the hallway outside the office. That is where he allegedly ripped down at least two photos hanging on the wall of the common area before leaving the building.

    No injuries were reported, and the extent of any damage was not clear. Law enforcement was reviewing security camera footage to try and identify the man.

    Investigators were looking into the incident. Why the man appeared to be acting in an angry or disgruntled manner, and his motive for trying to get into the U.S. Attorney’s office, were not immediately clear.

    A spokesperson for the FBI in Newark said, “we are aware of the alleged attack at the US Attorney’s office and are working on getting more information.”

    Multiple members of the Trump administration, including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, posted on social media earlier in the day in response to the incident, which they said was an apparent threat to Habba.

    “Last night, an individual attempted to confront one of our U.S. Attorneys — my dear friend @USAttyHabba — destroyed property in her office, and then fled the scene. Thankfully, Alina is ok. Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period. This is unfortunately becoming a trend as radicals continue to attack law enforcement agents around the country,” Bondi wrote on X.

    Habba later replied to Bondi’s post, saying “I will not be intimidated by radical lunatics for doing my job.”

    FBI Director Kash Patel also added that the bureau “will lead the hunt against all who threaten our brave public servants,” saying there is “zero tolerance for these acts of violence.”

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    Jonathan Dienst and Tom Winter

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  • Trump is ramping up a new effort to convince a skeptical public he can fix affordability worries

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is adjusting his messaging strategy to win over voters who are worried about the cost of living with plans to emphasize new tax breaks and show progress on fighting inflation.

    The messaging is centered around affordability, and the push comes after inflation emerged as a major vulnerability for Trump and Republicans in Tuesday’s elections, in which voters overwhelmingly said the economy was their biggest concern.

    Democrats took advantage of concerns about affordability to run up huge margins in the New Jersey and Virginia governor races, flipping what had been a strength for Trump in the 2024 presidential election into a vulnerability going into next year’s midterm elections.

    White House officials and others familiar with their thinking requested anonymity to speak for this article in order to not get ahead of the president’s actions. They stressed that affordability has always been a priority for Trump, but the president plans to talk about it more, as he did Thursday when he announced that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk would reduce the price of their anti-obesity drugs.

    “We are the ones that have done a great job on affordability, not the Democrats,” Trump said at an event in the Oval Office to announce the deal. “We just lost an election, they said, based on affordability. It’s a con job by the Democrats.”

    The White House is keeping up a steady drumbeat of posts on social media about prices and deals for Thanksgiving dinner staples at retailers such as Walmart, Lidl, Aldi and Target.

    “I don’t want to hear about the affordability, because right now, we’re much less,” Trump told reporters Thursday, arguing that things are much better for Americans with his party in charge.

    “The only problem is the Republicans don’t talk about it,” he said.

    The outlook for inflation is unclear

    As of now, the inflation outlook has worsened under Trump. Consumer prices in September increased at an annual rate of 3%, up from 2.3% in April, when the president first began to roll out substantial tariff hikes that suddenly burdened the economy with uncertainty. The AP Voter Poll showed the economy was the leading issue in Tuesday’s elections in New Jersey, Virginia, New York City and California.

    Grocery prices continue to climb, and recently, electricity bills have emerged as a new worry. At the same time, the pace of job gains has slowed, plunging 23% from the pace a year ago.

    The White House maintains a list of talking points about the economy, noting that the stock market has hit record highs multiple times and that the president is attracting foreign investment. Trump has emphasized that gasoline prices are coming down, and maintained that gasoline is averaging $2 a gallon, but AAA reported Thursday that the national average was $3.08, about two cents lower than a year ago.

    “Americans are paying less for essentials like gas and eggs, and today the Administration inked yet another drug pricing deal to deliver unprecedented health care savings for everyday Americans,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai.

    Trump gets briefed about the economy by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials at least once a week and there are often daily discussions on tariffs, a senior White House official said, noting Trump is expected to do more domestic travel next year to make his case that he’s fixing affordability.

    But critics say it will be hard for Trump to turn around public perceptions on affordability.

    “He’s in real trouble and I think it’s bigger than just cost of living,” said Lindsay Owens, executive director of Groundwork Collaborative, a liberal economic advocacy group.

    Owens noted that Trump has “lost his strength” as voters are increasingly doubtful about Trump’s economic leadership compared to Democrats, adding that the president doesn’t have the time to turn around public perceptions of him as he continues to pursue broad tariffs.

    New hype about income tax cuts ahead of April

    There will be new policies rolled out on affordability, a person familiar with the White House thinking said, declining to comment on what those would be. Trump on Thursday indicated there will be more deals coming on drug prices. Two other White House officials said messaging would change — but not policy.

    A big part of the administration’s response on affordability will be educating people ahead of tax season about the role of Trump’s income tax cuts in any refunds they receive in April, the person familiar with planning said. Those cuts were part of the sprawling bill Republicans muscled through Congress in July.

    This individual stressed that the key challenge is bringing prices down while simultaneously having wages increase, so that people can feel and see any progress.

    There’s also a bet that the economy will be in a healthier place in six months. With Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s term ending in May, the White House anticipates the start of consistent cuts to the Fed’s benchmark interest rate. They expect inflation rates to cool and declines in the federal budget deficit to boost sentiment in the financial markets.

    But the U.S. economy seldom cooperates with a president’s intentions, a lesson learned most recently by Trump’s predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, who saw his popularity slump after inflation spiked to a four-decade high in June 2022.

    The Trump administration maintains it’s simply working through an inflation challenge inherited from Biden, but new economic research indicates Trump has created his own inflation challenge through tariffs.

    Since April, Harvard University economist Alberto Cavallo and his colleagues, Northwestern University’s Paola Llamas and Universidad de San Andres’ Franco Vazquez, have been tracking the impact of the import taxes on consumer prices.

    In an October paper, the economists found that the inflation rate would have been drastically lower at 2.2%, had it not been for Trump’s tariffs.

    The administration maintains that tariffs have not contributed to inflation. They plan to make the case that the import taxes are helping the economy and dismiss criticisms of the import taxes as contributing to inflation as Democratic talking points.

    The fate of Trump’s country-by-country tariffs is currently being decided by the Supreme Court, where justices at a Wednesday hearing seemed dubious over the administration’s claims that tariffs were essentially regulations and could be levied by a president without congressional approval. Trump has maintained at times that foreign countries pay the tariffs and not U.S. citizens, a claim he backed away from slightly Thursday.

    “They might be paying something,” he said. “But when you take the overall impact, the Americans are gaining tremendously.”

    _____

    Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

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  • Democrats are hopeful again. But unresolved questions remain about party’s path forward

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — For a day, at least, beleaguered Democrats are hopeful again. But just beneath the party’s relief at securing its first big electoral wins since last November’s drubbing lay unresolved questions about its direction heading into next year’s midterm elections.

    The Election Day romp of Republicans stretched from deep-blue New York and California to swing states Georgia, Pennsylvania and Virginia. There were signs that key voting groups, including young people, Black voters and Hispanics who shifted toward President Donald Trump’s Republican Party just a year ago, may be shifting back. And Democratic leaders across the political spectrum coalesced behind a simple message focused on Trump’s failure to address rising costs and everyday kitchen table issues.

    The dominant performance sparked a new round of debate among the party’s establishment-minded pragmatists and fiery progressives over which approach led to Tuesday’s victories, and which path to take into the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections and beyond. The lessons Democrats learn from the victories will help determine the party’s leading message and messengers next year — when elections will decide the balance of power in Congress for the second half of Trump’s term — and potentially in the 2028 presidential race, which has already entered its earliest stages.

    People cheer as Democrat Abigail Spanberger walks out on stage after she was declared the winner of the Virginia governor’s race during an election night watch party Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

    “Of course, there’s a division within the Democratic Party. There’s no secret,” Sen. Bernie Sanders told reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference about the election results.

    Sanders and his chief political strategist pointed to the success of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, as a model for Democrats across the country. But Rep. Suzan Del Bene, who leads the House Democrats’ midterm campaign strategy, avoided saying Mamdani’s name when asked about his success.

    Del Bene instead cheered the moderate approach adopted by Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill in successful races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey as a more viable track for candidates outside of a Democratic stronghold like New York City.

    “New York is bright blue … and the path to the majority in the House is going to be through purple districts,” she told The Associated Press. “The people of Arizona, Iowa and Nebraska aren’t focused on the mayor of New York.”

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a likely Democratic presidential prospect who campaigned alongside Democrats in several states leading up to Tuesday’s elections, noted the candidates hit on a common issue that resonated with voters, regardless of location.

    “All of these candidates who won in these different states were focused on peoples’ everyday needs,” Shapiro said. “And you saw voters in every one of those states and cities showing up to send a clear message to Donald Trump that they’re rejecting his chaos.”

    Intraparty criticism

    Amid Democrats’ celebratory phone calls and news conferences, members of the party’s different wings had some sharp critiques for each other.

    While Shapiro cheered the party’s success during a Wednesday interview, he also acknowledged concerns about Mamdani in New York.

    Shapiro, one of the nation’s most prominent Jewish elected leaders, said he’s not comfortable with some of Mamdani’s comments on Israel. The New York mayor-elect, a Muslim, has described Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks as “genocide” against the Palestinian people and has been slow to condemn rhetoric linked to anti-Semitism.

    “I’ve expressed that to him personally. We’ve had good private communications,” Shapiro said of his concerns. “And I hope, as he did last night in his victory speech, that he’ll be a mayor that protects all New Yorkers and tries to bring people together.”

    Meanwhile, Sanders’ political strategist, Faiz Shakir, warned Democrats against embracing “cookie cutter campaigns that say nothing and do nothing” — a reference to centrist Democrats Spanberger and Sherrill.

    Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat who defeated democratic socialist Omar Fateh to win a third term, said at a news conference Wednesday that “we have to love our city more than our ideology.”

    “We need to be doing everything possible to push back on authoritarianism and what Donald Trump is doing,” Frey said. “And at the same time, the opposite of Donald Trump extremism is not the opposite extreme.”

    Signs welcomes voters on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Del Mar, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

    Signs welcomes voters on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Del Mar, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

    Democrats win everywhere

    Despite potential cracks in the Democratic coalition, it’s hard to understate the extent of the party’s electoral success.

    In Georgia, two Democrats cruised to wins over Republican incumbents in elections to the state Public Service Commission, delivering the largest statewide margins of victory by Democrats in more than 20 years.

    In Pennsylvania, Democrats swept not only three state Supreme Court races, but every county seat in presidential swing counties like Bucks and Erie Counties, including sheriffs. Bucks County elected its first Democratic district attorney as Democrats there also won key school board races and county judgeships.

    Maine voters defeated a Republican-backed measure that would have mandated showing an ID at the polls. Colorado approved raising taxes on people earning more than $300,000 annually to fund school meal programs and food assistance for low-income state residents. And California voters overwhelmingly backed a charge led by Gov. Gavin Newsom to redraw its congressional map to give Democrats as many as five more House seats in upcoming elections.

    Key groups coming back to Democrats

    Trump made inroads with Black and Hispanic voters in 2024. But this week, Democrats scored strong performances with non-white voters in New Jersey and Virginia that offered promise.

    About 7 in 10 voters in New Jersey were white, according to the AP Voter Poll. And Sherrill won about half that group. But she made up for her relative weakness with whites with a strong showing among Black, Hispanic and Asian voters.

    The vast majority — about 9 in 10 — of Black voters supported Sherrill, as did about 8 in 10 Asian voters.

    Hispanic voters in New Jersey were more divided, but about two-thirds supported Sherrill; only about 3 in 10 voted for the Republican nominee, Jack Ciattarelli.

    The pattern was similar in Virginia, where Spanberger performed well among Black voters, Hispanic voters and Asian voters, even though she didn’t win a majority of white voters.

    This combination of photos taken on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, shows Abigail Spanberger in Richmond, Va., left, Zohran Mamdani in New York, center, and Mikie Sherrill in East Brunswick, N.J. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, Yuki Iwamura and Matt Rourke)

    This combination of photos taken on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, shows Abigail Spanberger in Richmond, Va., left, Zohran Mamdani in New York, center, and Mikie Sherrill in East Brunswick, N.J. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, Yuki Iwamura and Matt Rourke)

    Democrats will soon face a choice

    The debate over the party’s future is already starting to play out in key midterm elections where Democrats have just begun intra-party primary contests.

    The choice is stark in Maine’s high-stakes Senate race, where Democrats will pick from a field that features establishment favorite, Gov. Jan Mills, and Sanders-endorsed populist Graham Platner. A similar dynamic could play out in key contests across Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Michigan.

    Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is aligned with the progressive wing of the party, said the people he speaks to are demanding bold action to address their economic concerns.

    “Folks are so frustrated by how hard its become to afford a dignified life here in Michigan and across the country,” he said.

    “I’m sure the corporate donors don’t want us to push too hard,” El-Sayed continued. “My worry is the very same people who told us we were just fine in 2024 will miss the mandate.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Mike Catalini in Newark and Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed.

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  • NJ shelter may have to euthanze 10 dogs next week due to overcrowding. The shutdown made it worse

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    An animal shelter in New Jersey’s largest city is so full, the people who run it say some animals may have to be euthanized. Now they’re reaching out to the community, hoping to find loving homes before it’s too late.

    Typically, the Associated Humane Societies in Newark can comfortably house about 120 to 125 animals. At this point, they have about 170, 50 more dogs than they can handle, and are taking in an average of eight a day.

    Normally, the shelter averages one or two take-ins a day, says Sherri Laraway, who works with the shelter.

    Laraway, a dedicated rescue coordinator, says that given the current state, the shelter may have no other option than to euthanize at least 10 dogs, a measure she says it doesn’t often have to take. A 10-month-old Huskie is among those set to be put down, should the dogs not get rescued before Wednesday’s euthanization deadline.

    “It never feels like we are ahead of the game,” Laraway said.


    News 4

    News 4

    A 10-month-old Huskie named Fade is among those on the list to be euthanized.

    Laraway says it’s unusual to see so many animals given up at this time of year.

    “People are calling saying, “I don’t know how much longer I can keep my pet because our SNAP program is ending. We’re not getting the money we need. We have to feed our families,” Laraway says.

    State governments are trying to help fill the void. It may not be enough.

    The Newark shelter isn’t the only one seeing a sharp rise in pet abandonment. Last week, St. Huberts put out an urgent plea for pet food after owners lost SNAP benefits. And Pet Resqu Inc urged people to donate pet food to owners in need. Laraway says the shelter is more than happy to help with food if that’s what owners need.

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    Checkey Beckford

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  • What to know about Trump’s plan to give Americans a $2,000 tariff dividend

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump boasts that his tariffs protect American industries, lure factories to the United States, raise money for the federal government and give him diplomatic leverage.

    Now, he’s claiming they can finance a windfall for American families, too: He’s promising a generous tariff dividend.

    The president proposed the idea on his Truth Social media platform Sunday, five days after his Republican Party lost elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere largely because of voter discontent with his economic stewardship — specifically, the high cost of living.

    The tariffs are bringing in so much money, the president posted, that “a dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.’’

    Budget experts scoffed at the idea, which conjured memories of the Trump administration’s short-lived plan for DOGE dividend checks financed by billionaire Elon Musk’s federal budget cuts.

    “The numbers just don’t check out,″ said Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.

    Details are scarce, including what the income limits would be and whether payments would go to children.

    Even Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, sounded a bit blindsided by the audacious dividend plan. Appearing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,’’ Bessent said he hadn’t discussed the dividend with the president and suggested that it might not mean that Americans would get a check from the government. Instead, Bessent said, the rebate might take the form of tax cuts.

    The tariffs are certainly raising money — $195 billion in the budget year that ended Sept. 30, up 153% from $77 billion in fiscal 2024. But they still account for less than 4% of federal revenue and have done little to dent the federal budget deficit — a staggering $1.8 trillion in fiscal 2025.

    Budget wonks say Trump’s dividend math doesn’t work.

    President Donald Trump speaks during an event to mark Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

    John Ricco, an analyst with the Budget Lab at Yale University, reckons that Trump’s tariffs will bring in $200 billion to $300 billion a year in revenue. But a $2,000 dividend — if it went to all Americans, including children — would cost $600 billion. “It’s clear that the revenue coming in would not be adequate,’’ he said.

    Ricco also noted that Trump couldn’t just pay the dividends on his own. They would require legislation from Congress.

    Moreover, the centerpiece of Trump’s protectionist trade policies — double-digit taxes on imports from almost every country in the world — may not survive a legal challenge that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

    In a hearing last week, the justices sounded skeptical about the Trump administration’s assertion of sweeping power to declare national emergencies to justify the tariffs. Trump has bypassed Congress, which has authority under the Constitution to levy taxes, including tariffs.

    If the court strikes down the tariffs, the Trump administration may be refunding money to the importers who paid them, not sending dividend checks to American families. (Trump could find other ways to impose tariffs, even if he loses at the Supreme Court; but it could be cumbersome and time-consuming.)

    Mainstream economists and budget analysts note that tariffs are paid by U.S. importers who then generally try to pass along the cost to their customers through higher prices.

    The dividend plan “misses the mark,’’ the Tax Foundation’s York said. ”If the goal is relief for Americans, just get rid of the tariffs.’’

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  • US airlines’ daily cancellations exceed 2,700 as shutdown impact extends

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,700 flights on Sunday as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air traffic across the nation would “slow to a trickle” if the federal government shutdown lingered into the busy Thanksgiving travel holiday season.

    The slowdown at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports began to cause more widespread disruptions in its third day. The FAA last week ordered flight cuts at the nation’s busiest airports as some air traffic controllers, who have gone unpaid for nearly a month, have stopped showing up for work.

    In addition, nearly 10,000 flight delays were reported on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions. More than 1,000 flights were canceled Friday, and more than 1,500 on Saturday.

    The FAA reductions started Friday at 4% and were set to increase to 10% by Nov. 14. They are in effect from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time and will impact all commercial airlines.

    Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta stood to have the most cancellations Sunday, followed by Chicago O’Hare International, where wintry weather threatened. In Georgia, weather could also be a factor, with the National Weather Service office in Atlanta warning of widespread freezing conditions through Tuesday.

    Traveler Kyra March finally arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson on Sunday after a series of postponements the day before.

    Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel.


    Follow on

    “I was coming from Tampa and that flight got delayed, delayed, delayed. Then it was canceled and then rebooked. And so I had to stay at a hotel and then came back this morning,” she said.

    The FAA said staffing shortages at Newark and LaGuardia Airport in New York were leading to average departure delays of about 75 minutes.

    Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan was mostly empty Sunday morning, with minimal wait times at security checkpoints as delays and cancellations filled the departures and arrivals boards.

    Earlier Sunday, Duffy warned that U.S. air traffic could decline significantly if the shutdown persisted. He said additional flight cuts — perhaps up to 20% — might be needed, particularly if controllers receive no pay for a second straight pay period.

    “More controllers aren’t coming to work day by day, the further they go without a paycheck,” Duffy told “Fox News Sunday.”

    And he prepared Americans for what they could face during the busy Thanksgiving holiday.

    “As I look two weeks out, as we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” Duffy said.

    With “very few” controllers working, “you’ll have a few flights taking off and landing” and thousands of cancellations, he said.

    “You’re going to have massive disruption. I think a lot of angry Americans. I think we have to be honest about where this is going. It doesn’t get better,” Duffy said. “It gets worse until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid.”

    The government has been short of air traffic controllers for years, and multiple presidential administrations have tried to convince retirement-age controllers to remain on the job. Duffy said the shutdown has exacerbated the problem, leading some air traffic controllers to speed up their retirements.

    “Up to 15 or 20 a day are retiring,” Duffy said on CNN.

    Duffy said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth texted him with an offer to lend military air traffic controllers, but it’s unclear whether the staff is certified to work on civilian systems.

    Duffy denied Democratic charges that the flight cancellations are a political tactic, saying they were necessary due to increasing near-misses from an overtaxed system.

    “I needed to take action to keep people safe,” Duffy said. “I’m doing what I can in a mess that Democrats have put in my lap.”

    Airlines for America, a trade group representing U.S. carriers, said air traffic control staffing-related delays exceeded 3,000 hours on Saturday, the highest of the shutdown, and that staffing problems contributed to 71% of delay time.

    From Oct. 1 to Nov. 7, controller shortages have disrupted more than 4 million passengers on U.S. carriers, according to Airlines for America.

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  • Voters’ anger at high electricity bills and data centers looms over 2026 midterms

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    Voter anger over the cost of living is hurtling forward into next year’s midterm elections, when pivotal contests will be decided by communities that are home to fast-rising electric bills or fights over who’s footing the bill to power Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers.

    Electricity costs were a key issue in this week’s elections for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, a data center hotspot, and in Georgia, where Democrats ousted two Republican incumbents for seats on the state’s utility regulatory commission.

    Voters in New Jersey, Virginia, California and New York City all cited economic concerns as the top issue, as Democrats and Republicans gird for a debate over affordability in the intensifying midterm battle to control Congress.

    Already, President Donald Trump is signaling that he’ll focus on affordability next year as he and Republicans try to maintain their slim congressional majorities, while Democrats are blaming Trump for rising household costs.

    Front and center may be electricity bills, which in many places are increasing at a rate faster than U.S. inflation on average — although not everywhere.

    “There’s a lot of pressure on politicians to talk about affordability, and electricity prices are right now the most clear example of problems of affordability,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of politics and government and pollster at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

    Rising electric costs aren’t expected to ease and many Americans could see an increase on their monthly bills in the middle of next year’s campaigns.

    Higher electric bills on the horizon

    Gas and electric utilities are seeking or already secured rate increases of more that $34 billion in the first three quarters of 2025, consumer advocacy organization PowerLines reported. That was more than double the same period last year.

    With some 80 million Americans struggling to pay their utility bills, “it’s a life or death and ‘eat or heat’ type decision that people have to make,” said Charles Hua, PowerLines’ founder.

    In Georgia, proposals to build data centers have roiled communities, while a victorious Democrat, Peter Hubbard, accused Republicans on the commission of “rubber-stamping” rate increases by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of power giant Southern Co.

    Monthly Georgia Power bills have risen six times over the past two years, now averaging $175 a month for a typical residential customer.

    Hubbard’s message seemed to resonate with voters. Rebecca Mekonnen, who lives in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain, said she voted for the Democratic challengers, and wants to see “more affordable pricing. That’s the main thing. It’s running my pocket right now.”

    Now, Georgia Power is proposing to spend $15 billion to expand its power generating capacity, primarily to meet demand from data centers, and Hubbard is questioning whether data centers will pay their fair share — or share it with regular ratepayers.

    Midterm battlegrounds in hotspots

    Midterm elections will see congressional battlegrounds in states where fast-rising electric bills or data center hotspots — or both — are fomenting community uprisings.

    That includes California, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

    Analysts attribute rising electric bills to a combination of forces.

    That includes expensive projects to modernize the grid and harden poles, wires and substations against extreme weather and wildfires.

    Also playing a role is explosive demand from data centers, bitcoin miners and a drive to revive domestic manufacturing, as well as rising natural gas prices, analysts say.

    “The cost of utility service is the new ‘cost of eggs’ concern for a lot of consumers,” said Jennifer Bosco of the National Consumer Law Center.

    In some places, data centers are driving a big increase in demand, since a typical AI data center uses as much electricity as 100,000 homes, according to the International Energy Agency. Some could require more electricity than cities the size of Pittsburgh, Cleveland or New Orleans.

    While many states have sought to attract data centers as an economic boon, legislatures and utility commissions were also flooded with proposals to try to protect regular ratepayers from paying to connect data centers to the grid.

    Meanwhile, communities that don’t want to live next to one are pushing back.

    It’s on voters’ minds

    An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from October found that electricity bills are a “major” source of stress for 36% of U.S. adults.

    Now, as falls turns to winter, some states are warning that funding for low-income heating aid is being delayed because of the federal government shutdown.

    Still, the impact is still more uneven than other financial stressors like grocery costs, which just over half of U.S. adults said are a “major” source of stress.

    And electric rates vary widely by state or utility.

    For instance, federal data shows that for-profit utilities have been raising rates far faster than municipally owned utilities or cooperatives.

    In the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid from Illinois to New Jersey, analysts say ratepayers are paying billions of dollars for the cost to power data centers — including data centers not even built yet.

    Next June, electric bills across that region will absorb billions more dollars in higher wholesale electricity costs designed to lure new power plants to power data centers.

    That’s spurred governors from the region — including Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, Illinois’ JB Pritzker and Maryland’s Wes Moore, all Democrats who are running for reelection — to pressure the grid operator PJM Interconnection to contain increases.

    High-rate states vs. lower-rate rates

    Drew Maloney, the CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, a trade association of for-profit electric utilities, suggested that only some states are the drivers of higher average electric bills.

    “If you set aside a few sates with higher rates, the rest of the country largely follows inflation on electricity rates,” Maloney said.

    Examples of states with faster-rising rates are California, where wildfires are driving grid upgrades, and those in New England, where natural gas is expensive because of strained pipeline capacity.

    Still, other states are feeling a pinch.

    In Indiana, a growing data center hotspot, the consumer advocacy group, Citizens Action Coalition, reported this year that residential customers of the state’s for-profit electric utilities were absorbing the most severe rate increases in at least two decades.

    Republican Gov. Mike Braun decried the hikes, saying “we can’t take it anymore.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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  • Trump administration renews Supreme Court appeal to keep full SNAP payments frozen

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    President Donald Trump’s administration returned to the Supreme Court on Monday in a push to keep full payments in the SNAP federal food aid program frozen while the government is shut down, even as some families struggled to put food on the table.

    The request is the latest in a flurry of legal activity over how the program that helps 42 million Americans buy groceries should proceed during the historic U.S. government shutdown. Lower courts have ruled that the government must keep full payments flowing, but the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to keep them frozen for now.

    The high court is expected to rule Tuesday.

    The seesawing rulings so far have created a situation where beneficiaries in some states, including Hawaii and New Jersey, have received their full monthly allocations and those in others, such as Nebraska and West Virginia, have seen nothing.

    Brandi Johnson, 48, of St. Louis, said she’s struggling to make the $20 she has left in her SNAP account stretch. Johnson said she has been skipping meals the past two weeks to make sure her three teenage children have something to eat. She is also helping care for her infant granddaughter, who has food allergies, and her 80-year-old mother.

    She said food pantries have offered little help in recent days. Many require patrons to live in a certain ZIP code or are dedicated to helping the elderly first.

    “I think about it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, literally,” Johnson said. “Because you’ve got to figure out how you’re going to eat.”

    Millions receive aid while others wait

    The Trump administration argued that lower court orders requiring the full funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program wrongly affect ongoing negotiations in Congress about ending the shutdown. Supreme Court Solicitor General D. John Sauer called the funding lapse tragic, but said judges shouldn’t be deciding how to handle it.

    The Senate Monday passed a compromise funding package that would end the government shutdown and refill SNAP funds. It now goes to the House for consideration.

    Trump’s administration initially said SNAP benefits would not be available in November because of the shutdown. After some states and nonprofit groups sued, judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled the administration could not skip November’s benefits entirely.

    The administration then said it would use an emergency reserve fund to provide 65% of the maximum monthly benefit. On Thursday, Rhode Island-based U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell said that wasn’t good enough, and ordered full funding for SNAP benefits by Friday.

    Some states acted quickly to direct their EBT vendors to disburse full monthly benefits to SNAP recipients. Millions of people in at least a dozen states — all with Democratic governors — received the full amount to buy groceries before Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson put McConnell’s order on hold Friday night, pending further deliberation by an appeals court.

    Delays cause complications for some beneficiaries

    Millions more people still have not received SNAP payments for November, because their states were waiting on guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP. Several states have made partial payments, including Texas, where officials said money was going on cards for some beneficiaries Monday.

    “Continued delays deepen suffering for children, seniors, and working families, and force nonprofits to shoulder an even heavier burden,” Diane Yentel, President and CEO, National Council of Nonprofits, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said in a statement Monday. “If basic decency and humanity don’t compel the administration to assure food security for all Americans, then multiple federal court judges finding its actions unlawful must.”

    Trump’s administration has argued that the judicial order to provide full benefits violates the Constitution by infringing on the spending power of the legislative and executive branches.

    Wisconsin, which was among the first to load full benefits after McConnell’s order, had its federal reimbursement frozen. The state’s SNAP account could be depleted as soon as Monday, leaving no money to reimburse stores that sell food to SNAP recipients, according to a court filing.

    New York Attorney General Letitia James said Monday that some cardholders have been turned away by stores concerned that they won’t be reimbursed — something she called to stop.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said Trump was fighting “for the right to starve Americans.”

    “It’s the most heinous thing I’ve ever seen in public life,” he said.

    The latest rulings keep payments on hold, at least for now

    States administering SNAP payments continue to face uncertainty over whether they can — and should — provide full monthly benefits during the ongoing legal battles.

    The Trump administration over the weekend demanded that states “undo” full benefits that were paid during a one-day window after a federal judge ordered full funding and before a Supreme Court justice paused that order.

    A federal appeals court in Boston left the full benefits order in place late Sunday, though the Supreme Court order ensures the government won’t have to pay out for at least 48 hours.

    “The record here shows that the government sat on its hands for nearly a month, unprepared to make partial payments, while people who rely on SNAP received no benefits a week into November and counting,” Judge Julie Rikleman of the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals wrote.

    U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, presiding over a case filed in Boston by Democratic state officials, on Monday paused the USDA’s request from Saturday that states “immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits.”

    In a hearing later that Monday, Talwani said that communication to states was confusing, especially because the threat came just a day after USDA sent letters to states saying SNAP would be paid in full.

    Federal government lawyer Tyler Becker said the order was only intended for states to receive the full amount of SNAP benefits, and “had nothing to do with beneficiaries.”

    Talwani said she would issue a full order soon.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island; Nicholas Riccardi in Denver; and Stephen Groves and Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

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  • Baby formula recalled after reports of infant botulism in 10 U.S. states

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    Federal and state health officials are investigating 13 cases in 10 states of infant botulism linked to baby formula that was being recalled, authorities said Saturday.

    ByHeart Inc. agreed to begin recalling two lots of the company’s Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

    All 13 infants were hospitalized after consuming formula from two lots: 206VABP/251261P2 and 206VABP/251131P2.

    The cases occurred in Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.

    No deaths were reported. The FDA said it was investigating how the contamination happened and whether it affected any other products.

    A container of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. 

    Business Wire via AP


    “The safety and well-being of every infant who uses our formula is our absolute highest priority,” Mia Funt, ByHeart’s co-founder and president, said in a statement. “We take any potential safety concern extremely seriously, and act quickly to protect families. As parents ourselves, we understand the concern this news may raise. This voluntary recall is out of an abundance of caution and comes from our ongoing commitment to transparency and safety for babies and their parents.” 

    Available online and through major retailers, the product accounted for an estimated 1% of national formula sales, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    People who bought the recalled formula should record the lot number if possible before throwing it out or returning it to where it was purchased, the CDC said in a statement.

    They should use a dishwasher or hot, soapy water to clean items and surfaces that touched the formula. And they should seek medical care right away if an infant has consumed recalled formula and then had poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing or decreased facial expression.

    Infant botulism is caused by a bacterium that produces toxins in the large intestine.

    Symptoms can take weeks to develop, so parents should keep vigilant, the CDC said. According to the CDC, symptoms of infant botulism can include constipation, poor feeding, ptosis or drooping eyelid, sluggish pupils, a flattened facial expression, diminished suck and gag reflexes, a weak and altered cry, respiratory difficulty and possible respiratory arrest.

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  • Infant Botulism in 10 US States Linked to Formula Being Recalled

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    Federal and state health officials are investigating 13 cases in 10 states of infant botulism linked to baby formula that was being recalled, authorities said Saturday.

    ByHeart Inc. agreed to begin recalling two lots of the company’s Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

    All 13 infants were hospitalized after consuming formula from two lots: 206VABP/251261P2 and 206VABP/251131P2.

    The cases occurred in Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.

    No deaths were reported. The FDA said it was investigating how the contamination happened and whether it affected any other products.

    Available online and through major retailers, the product accounted for an estimated 1% of national formula sales, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    People who bought the recalled formula should record the lot number if possible before throwing it out or returning it to where it was purchased, the CDC said in a statement.

    They should use a dishwasher or hot, soapy water to clean items and surfaces that touched the formula. And they should seek medical care right away if an infant has consumed recalled formula and then had poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing or decreased facial expression.

    Infant botulism is caused by a bacterium that produces toxins in the large intestine.

    Symptoms can take weeks to develop, so parents should keep vigilant, the CDC said.

    A ByHeart spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Joe Biden calls for Democratic momentum in Nebraska speech, urges party to ‘dream big’

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    Former President Joe Biden spoke to Nebraska Democrats on Friday evening.His appearance at the annual Ben Nelson Gala comes just days after nationwide elections. And, it was one of a handful of times we’ve heard from the former president since he left office and was undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer.On Friday, he addressed a crowd of several hundred in downtown Omaha with a message of momentum for the state of Nebraska.“Did you see the results Tuesday?” he asked, igniting another round of cheers as he listed Democratic victories from governorships in New Jersey and Virginia to the mayoral seat in New York to a redistricting decision in California, according to the Associated Press.It was a joyful return to the political stage for the former president, whose party’s effort to remain in the White House was rejected just over a year ago. Biden called for a political comeback, though not for himself, but to an audience hungry for a fight.”You have an election soon, an open seat right here in Omaha,” Biden said. “We can’t be afraid to dream big.”“You know what it feels like to be outnumbered,” he told Democrats in Nebraska, where Republicans have carried the state in every presidential election since 1968. “But every election, you put up the yard signs and you make your voices heard. The country needs you badly.”It was the kind of pep talk that sells in a place where Democrats lose statewide but have staged winning races for the Omaha area’s 2nd District electoral vote, elected a Democratic mayor for the first time since 2009 and feel energized about capturing the 2nd District seat in 2026.Biden’s speech centered around his time in office and the changes he said now hit American families during President Donald Trump’s term.He brought up the ongoing pause of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and the demolition of the East Wing.The major point from the former president centered around the future of his party.”The Democratic Party is back,” Biden said. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal. We’ve never lived up to it, but we’ve never walked away from it. And folks, we’re not going to walk away from it now. Tuesday night was a good start.”Biden was honored at the gala by four Native Nebraska tribes, draping a blanket quilt over his shoulders, which was then followed by a performance dedicated to the former president.Several other Democrats were at the gala, including Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr.__The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Former President Joe Biden spoke to Nebraska Democrats on Friday evening.

    His appearance at the annual Ben Nelson Gala comes just days after nationwide elections. And, it was one of a handful of times we’ve heard from the former president since he left office and was undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

    On Friday, he addressed a crowd of several hundred in downtown Omaha with a message of momentum for the state of Nebraska.

    “Did you see the results Tuesday?” he asked, igniting another round of cheers as he listed Democratic victories from governorships in New Jersey and Virginia to the mayoral seat in New York to a redistricting decision in California, according to the Associated Press.

    It was a joyful return to the political stage for the former president, whose party’s effort to remain in the White House was rejected just over a year ago. Biden called for a political comeback, though not for himself, but to an audience hungry for a fight.

    “You have an election soon, an open seat right here in Omaha,” Biden said. “We can’t be afraid to dream big.”

    “You know what it feels like to be outnumbered,” he told Democrats in Nebraska, where Republicans have carried the state in every presidential election since 1968. “But every election, you put up the yard signs and you make your voices heard. The country needs you badly.”

    It was the kind of pep talk that sells in a place where Democrats lose statewide but have staged winning races for the Omaha area’s 2nd District electoral vote, elected a Democratic mayor for the first time since 2009 and feel energized about capturing the 2nd District seat in 2026.

    Biden’s speech centered around his time in office and the changes he said now hit American families during President Donald Trump’s term.

    He brought up the ongoing pause of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and the demolition of the East Wing.

    The major point from the former president centered around the future of his party.

    “The Democratic Party is back,” Biden said. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal. We’ve never lived up to it, but we’ve never walked away from it. And folks, we’re not going to walk away from it now. Tuesday night was a good start.”

    Biden was honored at the gala by four Native Nebraska tribes, draping a blanket quilt over his shoulders, which was then followed by a performance dedicated to the former president.

    Several other Democrats were at the gala, including Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr.

    __
    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Mikie Sherrill on why there’s too much “caution” and “mediocrity” in the Democratic Party

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    New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill said in an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that the voters who sent her to the governor’s office earlier this week “wanted to see an agenda to get their costs down” — and quickly.

    Sherrill, a House Democrat and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, told CNN on Wednesday that “there is too much caution and mediocrity in the party.”

    Asked by Brennan to expand on that point, Sherrill said she believes voters want their elected leaders to move with a “sense of urgency.” She pointed to her campaign promise to declare a state of emergency aimed at freezing utility rates.

    “I’m not writing a strongly worded letter. I’m not doing a 10-year plan. I’m on Day 1 declaring a state of emergency,” Sherrill said.

    Sherrill defeated Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli by 13.6 points Tuesday, a decisive win in one of the first statewide elections since President Trump’s victory last year. 

    The cost of living was a core issue for both candidates. Sherrill sought to link Ciattarelli — who was endorsed by Mr. Trump — to the president’s policies, including his tariffs on foreign imports and his moves to halt funding for a transit tunnel project between New Jersey and New York City. Meanwhile, Ciattarelli accused Democrats of mismanaging the state. 

    Sherrill’s interview will air on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, Nov. 9.

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  • Trump admin asks Supreme Court to halt order providing full SNAP payments for November

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    A federal appeals court leaves an order in place that requires President Donald Trump ‘s administration to provide full SNAP food benefits for November amid a U.S. government shutdown.The judge gave the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.After the appeals court declined to do so, the Trump administration quickly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its request.The food program serves about 1 in 8 Americans, mostly with lower incomes.The court filing came even as the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a memo to states that it’s working to make funds available Friday for full monthly SNAP benefits.Officials in at least a half-dozen states confirmed that some SNAP recipients already were issued full November payments on Friday.Which states issued SNAP payments”Food benefits are now beginning to flow back to California families,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.In Wisconsin, more than $104 million of monthly food benefits became available at midnight on electronic cards for about 337,000 households, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said. The state was able to access the federal money so quickly by submitting a request to its electronic benefit card vendor to process the SNAP payments within hours of a Thursday court order to provide full benefits.Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said state employees “worked through the night” to issue full November benefits “to make sure every Oregon family relying on SNAP could buy groceries” by Friday.Officials in Kansas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania also said they moved quickly to issue full SNAP benefits Friday, while other states said they expected full benefits to arrive over the weekend or early next week. Still others said they were waiting for further federal guidance.Many SNAP recipients face uncertaintyThe court wrangling prolonged weeks of uncertainty for Americans with lower incomes.An individual can receive a monthly maximum food benefit of nearly $300 and a family of four up to nearly $1,000, although many receive less than that under a formula that takes into consideration their income.For some SNAP participants, it remained unclear when they would receive their benefits.Jasmen Youngbey of Newark, New Jersey, waited in line Friday at a food pantry in the state’s largest city. As a single mom attending college, Youngbey said she relies on SNAP to help feed her 7-month-old and 4-year-old sons. But she said her account balance was at $0.”Not everybody has cash to pull out and say, ‘OK, I’m going to go and get this,’ especially with the cost of food right now,” she said.Later Friday, Youngbey said, she received her monthly SNAP benefits.Tihinna Franklin, a school bus guard who was waiting in the same line outside the United Community Corporation food pantry, said her SNAP account balance was at 9 cents and she was down to three items in her freezer. She typically relies on the roughly $290 a month in SNAP benefits to help feed her grandchildren.”If I don’t get it, I won’t be eating,” she said. “My money I get paid for, that goes to the bills, rent, electricity, personal items. That is not fair to us as mothers and caregivers.”Franklin said later Friday that she had received at least some of her normal SNAP benefits.The legal battle over SNAP takes another twistBecause of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration originally had said SNAP benefits would not be available in November. However, two judges ruled last week that the administration could not skip November’s benefits entirely because of the shutdown. One of those judges was U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr., who ordered the full payments Thursday.In both cases, the judges ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing more than $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month.On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program and that the other money was needed to shore up other child hunger programs.Thursday’s federal court order rejected the Trump administration’s decision to cover only 65% of the maximum monthly benefit, a decision that could have left some recipients getting nothing for this month.In its court filing Friday, Trump’s administration contended that Thursday’s directive to fund full SNAP benefits runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution.”This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of powers. Courts hold neither the power to appropriate nor the power to spend,” the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in its request to the court.In response, attorneys for the cities and nonprofits challenging Trump’s administration said the government has plenty of available money and the court should “not allow them to further delay getting vital food assistance to individuals and families who need it now.”States are taking different approaches to food aidSome states said they stood ready to distribute SNAP money as quickly as possible.Massachusetts said SNAP recipients should receive their full November payments as soon as Saturday. New York said access to full SNAP benefits should begin by Sunday. New Hampshire said full benefits should be available by this weekend. And Connecticut said full benefits should be accessible in the next several days.Officials in North Carolina said they distributed partial SNAP payments Friday and full benefits could be available by this weekend. Officials in Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and North Dakota also said they distributed partial November payments.Amid the federal uncertainty, Delaware’s Democratic Gov. Matt Meyer said the state used its own funds Friday to provide the first of what could be a weekly relief payment to SNAP recipients.___Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri; Bauer from Madison, Wisconsin; and Catalini from Newark, New Jersey. Associated Press writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Anthony Izaguirre in New York; Mingson Lau in Claymont, Delaware; John O’Connor, in Springfield, Illinois; Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

    BOSTON —

    A federal appeals court leaves an order in place that requires President Donald Trump ‘s administration to provide full SNAP food benefits for November amid a U.S. government shutdown.

    The judge gave the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.

    After the appeals court declined to do so, the Trump administration quickly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its request.

    The food program serves about 1 in 8 Americans, mostly with lower incomes.

    The court filing came even as the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a memo to states that it’s working to make funds available Friday for full monthly SNAP benefits.

    Officials in at least a half-dozen states confirmed that some SNAP recipients already were issued full November payments on Friday.

    Which states issued SNAP payments

    “Food benefits are now beginning to flow back to California families,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

    In Wisconsin, more than $104 million of monthly food benefits became available at midnight on electronic cards for about 337,000 households, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said. The state was able to access the federal money so quickly by submitting a request to its electronic benefit card vendor to process the SNAP payments within hours of a Thursday court order to provide full benefits.

    Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said state employees “worked through the night” to issue full November benefits “to make sure every Oregon family relying on SNAP could buy groceries” by Friday.

    Officials in Kansas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania also said they moved quickly to issue full SNAP benefits Friday, while other states said they expected full benefits to arrive over the weekend or early next week. Still others said they were waiting for further federal guidance.

    Many SNAP recipients face uncertainty

    The court wrangling prolonged weeks of uncertainty for Americans with lower incomes.

    An individual can receive a monthly maximum food benefit of nearly $300 and a family of four up to nearly $1,000, although many receive less than that under a formula that takes into consideration their income.

    For some SNAP participants, it remained unclear when they would receive their benefits.

    Jasmen Youngbey of Newark, New Jersey, waited in line Friday at a food pantry in the state’s largest city. As a single mom attending college, Youngbey said she relies on SNAP to help feed her 7-month-old and 4-year-old sons. But she said her account balance was at $0.

    “Not everybody has cash to pull out and say, ‘OK, I’m going to go and get this,’ especially with the cost of food right now,” she said.

    Later Friday, Youngbey said, she received her monthly SNAP benefits.

    Tihinna Franklin, a school bus guard who was waiting in the same line outside the United Community Corporation food pantry, said her SNAP account balance was at 9 cents and she was down to three items in her freezer. She typically relies on the roughly $290 a month in SNAP benefits to help feed her grandchildren.

    “If I don’t get it, I won’t be eating,” she said. “My money I get paid for, that goes to the bills, rent, electricity, personal items. That is not fair to us as mothers and caregivers.”

    Franklin said later Friday that she had received at least some of her normal SNAP benefits.

    The legal battle over SNAP takes another twist

    Because of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration originally had said SNAP benefits would not be available in November. However, two judges ruled last week that the administration could not skip November’s benefits entirely because of the shutdown. One of those judges was U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr., who ordered the full payments Thursday.

    In both cases, the judges ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing more than $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month.

    On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program and that the other money was needed to shore up other child hunger programs.

    Thursday’s federal court order rejected the Trump administration’s decision to cover only 65% of the maximum monthly benefit, a decision that could have left some recipients getting nothing for this month.

    In its court filing Friday, Trump’s administration contended that Thursday’s directive to fund full SNAP benefits runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution.

    “This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of powers. Courts hold neither the power to appropriate nor the power to spend,” the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in its request to the court.

    In response, attorneys for the cities and nonprofits challenging Trump’s administration said the government has plenty of available money and the court should “not allow them to further delay getting vital food assistance to individuals and families who need it now.”

    States are taking different approaches to food aid

    Some states said they stood ready to distribute SNAP money as quickly as possible.

    Massachusetts said SNAP recipients should receive their full November payments as soon as Saturday. New York said access to full SNAP benefits should begin by Sunday. New Hampshire said full benefits should be available by this weekend. And Connecticut said full benefits should be accessible in the next several days.

    Officials in North Carolina said they distributed partial SNAP payments Friday and full benefits could be available by this weekend. Officials in Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and North Dakota also said they distributed partial November payments.

    Amid the federal uncertainty, Delaware’s Democratic Gov. Matt Meyer said the state used its own funds Friday to provide the first of what could be a weekly relief payment to SNAP recipients.

    ___

    Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri; Bauer from Madison, Wisconsin; and Catalini from Newark, New Jersey. Associated Press writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Anthony Izaguirre in New York; Mingson Lau in Claymont, Delaware; John O’Connor, in Springfield, Illinois; Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

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  • New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill on tackling rising cost of living

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    New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s transition is already underway, naming several senior advisers, including her chief of staff. Sherrill sat down with CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent and “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan for an interview that will air on Sunday.

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  • A lesser-known Farmers’ Almanac will fold after 2 centuries, citing money trouble

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    PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — It’s the Maine one, not the main one — a 208-year-old, Maine-based publication that farmers, gardeners and others have relied on for planting guidance and weather predictions will publish for the final time.

    The Farmers’ Almanac, not to be confused with its older, longtime competitor, The Old Farmer’s Almanac in neighboring New Hampshire, said Thursday that its 2026 edition will be its last. The almanac cited the growing financial challenges of producing and distributing the book in today’s “chaotic media environment.” Access to the online version will cease next month.

    The Farmers’ Almanac was first printed in 1818 and the Old Farmer’s Almanac started in 1792, and it’s believed to be the oldest continually published periodical in North America. Both almanacs used secret formulas based on sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles to generate long-range weather forecasts.

    “It is with a heavy heart,” Editor Sandi Duncan said in a statement, “that we share the end of what has not only been an annual tradition in millions of homes and hearths for hundreds of years, but also a way of life, an inspiration for many who realize the wisdom of generations past is the key to the generations of the future.”

    Editors at the other publication noted there’s been some confusion between the two. “The OLD Farmer’s Almanac isn’t going anywhere,” they posted online.

    Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel.


    Follow on

    The two publications come from an era where hundreds of almanacs served a nation of farmers over time. Most were regional publications and no longer exist. The Farmers’ Almanac was founded in New Jersey and moved its headquarters to Lewiston, Maine, in 1955.

    They contain gardening tips, trivia, jokes, and natural remedies, such as catnip as a pain reliever and elderberry syrup as an immune booster. But its weather forecasts make the most headlines.

    Scientists sometimes disputed the accuracy of the predictions and the reliability of the secret formula. Studies of the almanacs’ accuracy have found them to be a little more than 50% accurate, or slightly better than random chance.

    The almanac was a “quaint relic” with a special kind of charm, but its use as a forecasting tool was debatable, said Val Kiddings, a senior fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and a longtime researcher of science and agriculture.

    “It might have had some value looking back, as a historical indicator,” Giddings said, “but I never took any of its prognostications at all seriously.”

    Readers, saddened to hear the news, posted online about how they used it in their families for generations as a guide to help them plant gardens and follow the weather.

    Julie Broomhall in San Diego, California, told The Associated Press in a social media post that she’s used the Farmers’ Almanac for years to decide when to take trips and plant flowers.

    She said she planned a three-month, cross-country trip last year by reading the almanac. On one leg of it, she left Oklahoma the day before a prediction for a major snowstorm in the area. It snowed.

    “I missed several I-40 mishaps because of the predictions,” she wrote.

    In 2017, when the Farmers’ Almanac reported a circulation of 2.1 million in North America, its editor said it was gaining new readers among people interested in where their food came from and who were growing fresh produce in home gardens. It developed followers online and sent a weekly email to readers in addition to its printed editions.

    Many of these readers lived in cities, prompting the publication to feature skyscrapers as well as an old farmhouse on its cover.

    Among Farmers’ Almanac articles from the past is one from 1923 urging folks to remember “old-fashioned neighborhoodliness” in the face of newfangled technology like cars, daily mail and telephones. Editors urged readers in 1834 to abandon tobacco and, in 1850, promoted the common bean leaf to combat bedbugs.

    The almanac had some forward-thinking advice for women in 1876, telling them to learn skills to avoid being dependent on finding a husband. “It is better to be a woman than a wife, and do not degrade your sex by making your whole existence turn on the pivot of matrimony,” it counseled.

    ___

    McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire.

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  • Examining why Democrats swept 2025 elections

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    On Tuesday, Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won their gubernatorial races and exceeded pollsters’ expectations. Political strategists Alex Conant and Ofirah Yheskel, along with CBS News political director Fin Gómez, join with analysis.

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  • America Begins Clapping Back at Donald Trump

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    After such an election thumping, another President might seek a deal to end the shutdown, which is, as of this week, the longest in history, breaking the thirty-five-day record set in Trump’s first term. Not Trump. Escalation not accommodation is his preferred move. On Wednesday, his Administration announced that, owing to air-traffic-controller shortages exacerbated by the shutdown, ten per cent of all flights at forty major airports around the country would be cancelled, causing travel mayhem in a high-stakes bid to force Democrats to end the impasse. I’m not quite sure about Trump’s theory of the case: If Americans didn’t blame the President already for the crisis, wouldn’t they be much more likely to now? (And the data suggest that the electorate already does hold Republicans responsible.) But whatever. The point is to change the subject, to show that he’s not rolling over just because the voters no longer love his party so much in Passaic County, New Jersey, or Lynchburg, Virginia.

    More fights will no doubt soon follow. How long can it be until Trump has successfully picked one with New York’s incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, the thirty-four-year-old Democratic Socialist whose unlikely ascension this year has been greeted with almost as much enthusiasm by national Republican strategists as by young progressives in Brooklyn? Mamdani’s election-night victory speech suggested that he is more than willing to play the foil to Trump, even trolling the TV-obsessed President by telling him to “turn the volume up” so he could hear Mamdani’s come-and-get-us-if-you-can words of defiance. Mamdani knew his man—the White House later confirmed that Trump was, in fact, watching.

    As Washington was still digesting the election results on Thursday, a fund-raising e-mail came across the transom from Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democratic congresswoman who has emerged as one of the Party’s louder TV warriors. Subject line: “His presidency is over y’all.”

    Crockett might have been hyping Trump’s post-election obsolescence a bit, but she was on to something. The whiff of generational change now hangs over American politics. One sensed it in Mamdani’s victory, for sure, but also in those of New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill and Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger, neither of whom, as my colleague Benjamin Wallace-Wells noted, were in politics when Trump first became President. Mamdani ended Andrew Cuomo’s attempt at a comeback, sending the former governor—whose father also held that office—once again into involuntary retirement. Cuomo, for now, is a name to be associated with the past, not the future, of New York politics.

    Election Day itself began with the early-morning news that Dick Cheney, one of the dominant Republicans of his generation, had died at the age of eighty-four. When Cheney first made his mark in Washington, as Gerald Ford’s wunderkind White House chief of staff, he was the same age that Mamdani is now. In a career that had many acts, including as George W. Bush’s influential Vice-President and chief Iraq War promoter, Cheney’s final one—as a fierce opponent of Donald Trump—was perhaps his most surprising. Where other leading Republicans, including his former boss, were largely silent as Trump took over their party and defied constitutional norms and principles that they had once loudly defended, Cheney proudly supported his daughter Liz’s efforts to resist him. One of the more indelible images of how much our politics has changed in recent years was the sight of Cheney on the House floor for a ceremony Democrats held to mark the one-year anniversary of the storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on January 6, 2021; he and Liz were the only Republicans to attend. Democrats, many of whom had once shunned Cheney as tantamount to a war criminal, lined up to shake his hand. The visual, like this week’s elections, underscored something essential: politics moves on. It is not static. Cheney’s resistance to Trump in the final years of his life was a rear-guard action, not a sign of things to come. His version of the G.O.P. no longer exists.

    On Thursday morning, Nancy Pelosi, another giant of our recent politics, announced her decision to retire from Congress at the end of the current term. The two-time Speaker of the House, in which capacity she oversaw major legislative victories, including passage of the Affordable Care Act, during the Obama Administration, is arguably the most powerful woman in American history. During Trump’s first term, she became the President’s greatest scourge, rallying Democrats to come back from the shock of his 2016 victory and retake the House two years later. But this time, with Pelosi already eighty-five years old and no longer in a leadership role, it will be left to others to regroup.

    Trump reacted to Pelosi’s announcement in a text to Fox News’s Peter Doocy. “The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America,” he wrote, calling her “evil,” “corrupt,” and “highly overrated.” He added, “I’m very honored that she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice.” She tried to get rid of me, he might as well have said, but I’m still here.

    The clock, though, is ticking for Trump, too. The President himself knows it. He blamed Tuesday’s losses on the fact that he was not on the ballot to rally Republicans, but he did not mention a larger constitutional truth about his lame-duck status that neither he nor his Party seems to have begun reckoning with: he won’t be on the ballot heading the ticket ever again. ♦

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    Susan B. Glasser

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