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general

How to complete Water Troubles quest in ARC Raiders

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ARC Raiders Water Troubles Quest Walkthrough

The Water Troubles quest in ARC Raiders is offered by Celeste. In this mission, you need to locate the Flood Access Tunnel and then find the intake to the District’s water supply. Once you do that, you have to sample the water. Completing all these steps in a single round is crucial — extracting before finishing all segments will render the quest incomplete.

In this article, we provide a detailed guide to help you successfully complete the Water Troubles quest in ARC Raiders.

Mission Objectives

  • Locate the Flood Access Tunnel under the Red Lake Berm.
  • Find the intake to the District’s Water Supply and sample the water.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the walkthrough.

Quest Location

For this mission, you will deploy to the Dam Battlegrounds map. Your main destination is the Research & Administration point of interest.

Once you arrive there, head southeast and explore the area beside the Research & Administration building. You will find a stairwell leading underground. Take the stairs down until you reach a zipline. Interact with it to slide down to the bottom.

Sampling the Water

At the bottom of the zipline, you will see a drainage pipe emerging from one of the small drainage tunnels. Approach this pipe and press and hold your interact button to sample the water.

After sampling the water, the Water Troubles quest will be marked as complete. Your next step is to exfiltrate and hand over the completed quest to the vendor to redeem your rewards.

Final Tips

Remember, all objectives must be finished in one round. Leaving early will result in failure to complete the quest. Careful navigation and attention to the mission details will ensure your success.

Related Guides

For a comprehensive overview of all quests, objectives, and rewards, check out our All Quests in ARC Raiders guide.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/esports/how-complete-water-troubles-quest-arc-raiders

business, economy

Trump says he doesn’t know who Binance Founder CZ is, despite pardoning him

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Last year, Changpeng Zhao (AKA “CZ”), the founder of Binance—the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange—pleaded guilty to money laundering charges.

Last month, he was pardoned by President Donald Trump. However, this week, Trump stated that he has no idea who CZ is.

During an interview on the latest episode of 60 Minutes, Trump revealed that he doesn’t know much about CZ, despite having pardoned him just weeks ago.

“Okay, are you ready? I don’t know who he is,” Trump said during the interview, as quoted by CNBC. “I don’t know the man at all. I don’t think I ever met him,” he continued.

When asked how he came to pardon a man he doesn’t know, Trump explained that his family’s involvement in the crypto business influenced his decision.

“My sons are involved in crypto much more than I—me. I—I know very little about it, other than one thing. It’s a huge industry,” he said.

Trump also added that he “was told” CZ was a victim of the Biden Administration.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146671/donald-trump-doesnt-know-cz-binance

general

‘Bad for business’: CEO suing Trump in Supreme Court rails against ‘unlawful’ policy

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The Supreme Court is preparing to hear a lawsuit brought by Learning Resources CEO Rick Woldenberg against President Donald Trump regarding the latter’s unilateral use of emergency powers to impose tariffs.

Woldenberg is challenging Trump’s invocation of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977, arguing that using it to slap tariffs on imported goods without Congressional approval is “unlawful.” Speaking to MSNBC on Tuesday, he described the tariffs as an “asphyxiating tax” costing his company millions of dollars each year and hindering its ability to make sound business decisions.

“The size of the problem and the size of the implications meant that we had to take action to defend ourselves. I think that the case is actually pretty simple,” Woldenberg said. “The government brags that it’s $50 billion a month in proceeds. That’s just not bearable. And they’ve also promised that this is permanent. So we either choose to pay a tax we believe is unlawful, or we challenge it and ask the court to review it and decide.”

Woldenberg and his legal team are pushing for a prompt decision following Wednesday’s oral arguments. He highlighted the financial impact the tariffs have had on his company, noting that in 2024 their tariff-related expenses were zero, but in 2025 they are expected to spike to approximately $14 million, with costs potentially doubling in 2026.

“We’re behaving the way someone would behave if they had a sudden and irreversible expense of $14 million,” he explained. “We’re hiring fewer people. We’re spending less money on capital expenditures. We’re developing fewer products. We’re reducing our marketing spend. It’s bad for business because it’s diverting us from exercising our business judgment, which is how we got this far and what we want to do going forward.”

Woldenberg also criticized the administration’s accounting of the tariffs’ effects. “I think that the math that the administration is showing is a one-sided equation. They don’t really care to think about the costs,” he said. “They contend that there are advantages that I think are principally negotiating advantages. But many of the problems that they say they’ve solved were problems that are a result of high tariffs.”

Watch the segment below:
https://www.rawstory.com/bad-for-business-ceo-suing-trump-in-supreme-court-rails-against-unlawful-policy/

general

Trump’s policies and inflation drive governor’s race in New Jersey, where GOP has been making gains

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**New Jersey Voters Head to the Polls in High-Stakes Governor’s Race**

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey voters are casting their ballots Tuesday to elect the state’s next governor in a closely watched race that may reveal whether Democrats can maintain control of a state that has traditionally been reliably blue, but has shown signs of shifting toward Republicans in recent years.

Jack Ciattarelli, a former state legislator endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is seeking to become New Jersey’s first Republican governor since 2018. He faces U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat in her fourth term in Congress, who would become the state’s second female governor if elected.

The outcome of the election could serve as a gauge of how the electorate is responding to Trump’s policies and whether key groups of Democratic voters still have confidence in the party’s leadership.

Ciattarelli, 63, is running for governor for the third time. He lost a Republican primary in 2017, then narrowly lost the general election in 2021 to Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who is now term-limited. This campaign, Ciattarelli frames the race as an opportunity for voters to remove Democrats who have controlled both the governor’s office and the state Legislature for nearly eight years.

He has emphasized his background as a business owner with deep roots in New Jersey, along with his experience as a state and local elected official. Ciattarelli has touted his close relationship with Trump, saying it will benefit the state.

“Make no mistake. We cannot afford another four years of Phil Murphy’s failed policies,” Ciattarelli said during a rally earlier in the campaign.

Sherrill, 53, has centered her campaign around pushing back against Trump’s influence. She has recently highlighted the Trump administration’s sudden freeze on funding for a multibillion-dollar project to replace the aging rail tunnels that connect New Jersey to New York City beneath the Hudson River.

“This is what we’re fighting for in this country—to make sure that we have a president who has to follow the law,” Sherrill said.

Sherrill’s biography includes service as a U.S. Navy officer and helicopter pilot as well as work as a prosecutor. She has painted Ciattarelli as a candidate who would align with Trump’s actions regardless of the consequences.

If elected, Sherrill would join Christine Todd Whitman—who served from 1994 to 2001—as New Jersey’s only female governors.

In the 2024 presidential election, former Vice President Kamala Harris won New Jersey, but Trump narrowed his margin of loss significantly by shifting Hispanic voters toward the Republican side. Additionally, Democrats’ voter registration advantage has been eroding in recent years.

Ciattarelli has walked a fine line on Trump, praising him and giving the former president an “A” grade, while simultaneously seeking to appeal to Hispanic voters. Although he supports Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship, Ciattarelli has also spoken about creating a “pathway to recognition,” which would involve providing driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers to undocumented immigrants without criminal records—a stance at odds with current Trump administration policies.

However, Ciattarelli has not clarified the specifics of what he means by a “pathway to recognition.” It is worth noting that New Jersey already issues driver’s licenses to some undocumented immigrants, and the federal government issues Social Security numbers.

With a tight race anticipated, the U.S. Department of Justice announced plans to monitor polling sites in Passaic County, a former Democratic stronghold that Trump won in 2024. New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, a Democrat, criticized the monitoring program as “highly inappropriate,” noting it was requested by the state Republican Party.

Sherrill and Ciattarelli have debated twice and continue to campaign across the state, meeting voters at diners and relying on surrogates to spread their messages.

Prominent Democratic governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Wes Moore of Maryland, along with former President Barack Obama, have all rallied in New Jersey to support Sherrill.

Meanwhile, Trump has campaigned for Ciattarelli through telephone rallies, urging voters to back the Republican candidate. He has pledged that Ciattarelli would “rapidly” reduce energy and other costs, though details have not been specified.

In addition to the governor’s race, all 80 seats in the New Jersey State Assembly are on the ballot. Currently, Democrats hold a 52-28 majority.
https://ktar.com/national-news/trumps-policies-and-inflation-drive-governors-race-in-new-jersey-where-gop-has-been-making-gains/5770102/

general

La Jolla High boys beach volleyball: Blocks at the net and running commentary

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A Persistent Mental Image: Zepher Smith Soars Above the Net

LA JOLLA — A persistent mental image of 6-foot-3 Zepher Smith leaping at the net and seemingly disappearing into the stratosphere above sticks with volleyball fans. The La Jolla High School senior has, time and again, gone forward in beach volleyball matches to block his opponent’s hit at crucial moments.

The most critical of these moments came during the Vikings’ finals appearance on October 23 against the dominant Torrey Pines team, the eventual winner of the tournament. Smith and his partner, fellow senior Chase Ostrom, split their first two games against Cullen Gibson and Cruz Acers—a name so perfect, it almost sounds made up.

In the third and deciding game, the Viking pair went on a decisive run, taking the set 15-6. It was the only match the La Jolla side won that day.

“He can touch 11 feet from a standing position,” says La Jolla High School associate head coach Dave Jones, a long-time participant in the local volleyball scene, referring to the leaping Zepher, who always plays wearing a cap.

Smith is lanky and wiry. One action photo from La Jolla’s 5-0 win over Classical Academy in the semifinals captures his heavily developed shoulder muscles straining as he dives into the sand to dig a ball. Boys’ volleyball, still considered a club sport waiting for official sanction, continues to grow in the area.

Team Dynamics and Atmosphere at “The Pit”

Another notable feature of this fall’s march to the Division II finals has been junior Nate Dickinson’s running commentary of teammates’ moves. As he warms up alongside the courts at “The Pit,” La Jolla’s home away from home located in South Mission Beach opposite the Giant Dipper roller coaster in Belmont Park, Dickinson’s energetic observations add flavor to matches.

“Zepher with a block,” the diminutive Dickinson, who stands 5’5” and partners with Mercan Findikoglu on the Vikings’ fives pair, announces to no one in particular, drawing either chuckles or resigned tolerance from his teammates.

“Adam with a set from another world,” Nate intones about senior Grushkevich, a four-year indoor volleyball veteran who partners with classmate Sonny Wiczynski this season.

“We’ve been playing together since the third or fourth grade,” says Sonny. “He kept playing, and I took some time away, then we played together again. We went to the same elementary school, then Muirlands Middle School.”

This highlights the sheer veteran experience of the Vikings’ lineup—how long they have each been playing, and how that experience has paid off in their successful run this year. They’ve faced teams that are only in their second year of existence, like Madison, or squads slowly gaining their track record on the sand, such as La Jolla Country Day.

Looking Ahead: A Search for a Home Court

Among La Jolla’s present challenges is trying to find a home court closer to campus for both the boys’ and girls’ beach volleyball teams. Currently, players must make the long trek down to South Mission Beach for matches and practice.

“The option to talk with Muirlands’ administration seems more possible at this point,” said boys’ assistant coach Cantrell Schlecht on October 21.

Earlier in the season, Schlecht had mentioned that nearby Bishop’s School has purchased a church property near Kate Sessions Elementary School. La Jolla might consider discussing shared space with them or with Muirlands Middle School about playing on campus, especially since baseball already utilizes the diamond at Muirlands.

As the Vikings continue to grow and develop their beach volleyball program, securing a closer home court would be a significant step forward in supporting both the boys’ and girls’ teams.

https://timesofsandiego.com/sports/2025/11/03/la-jolla-boys-beach-volleyball-running-commentary/

general

MacKenzie Scott gifts $80 million to Howard University, marking one of the school’s largest donations in its 158-year history

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On Sunday, Howard University announced that Scott, who is worth an estimated $35.6 billion, donated $80 million to the historically Black college. True to Scott’s style, the gift is unrestricted, meaning the university can use the resources as it chooses. Of the $80 million, $63 million will go toward Howard University, and $17 million will be allocated to the school’s College of Medicine.

This marks one of the largest single donations to Howard in its 158-year history.

“This historic investment will not only help maintain our current momentum, but will help support essential student aid, advance infrastructure improvements, and build a reserve fund to further sustain operational continuity, student success, academic excellence, and research innovation,” said Wayne A. I. Frederick, Howard’s interim president and president emeritus, in a statement.

Howard University says the gift comes at an “opportune time,” as the federal government shutdown has delayed annual federal appropriations that the school receives to support student success, academic programming, research, and the operations of the university and Howard University Hospital.

Due to the shutdown that began on October 1, new grant awards from the Department of Education have been halted because nearly 95% of non-student aid staff were furloughed, leaving only essential staff working. Key programs like the HBCU Capital Financing Program, which offers renovation and construction loan subsidies, are now left in limbo.

The timing is particularly unfortunate considering that in September, the Education Department announced a $495 million increase for HBCUs and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) for FY 2025.

At the same time, however, education experts find this action difficult to reconcile with the Trump administration’s desire to dissolve the Department of Education.

“If [the Trump administration] actually cared about HBCUs and tribal colleges, then you would not see such a big attack on other sectors of higher education,” Mike Hoa Nguyen, an associate professor of education at UCLA, recently told The American Prospect.

### MacKenzie Scott’s DEI Dedication

Scott’s gift to Howard builds on other recent DEI-focused donations. She donated $42 million to 10,000 Degrees, a Bay Area nonprofit focused on expanding college access for low-income and largely non-white students, alongside other eight-figure commitments to Native student scholars and HBCU endowments through the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

In September, Scott made a $70 million donation to the UNCF as part of a campaign to bolster pooled endowments across 37 HBCUs. This strategy is designed to increase revenue streams and narrow historical wealth and funding gaps.

In October, the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced a $40 million gift from Scott—twice the size of her previous donation to the organization in 2021—representing 20% of its fundraising so far.

Scott emphasizes, though, that while the dollar amounts are high, they don’t fully represent their level of impact.

“When my next cycle of gifts is posted to my database online, the dollar total will likely be reported in the news,” she wrote in an October 15 essay on her organization Yield Giving’s site. “But any dollar amount is a vanishingly tiny fraction of the personal expressions of care being shared into the world this year.”

“The potential of peaceful, non-transactional contribution has long been underestimated, often on the basis that it is not financially self-sustaining, or that some of its benefits are hard to track,” she continued. “But what if these imagined liabilities are actually assets?”
https://fortune.com/2025/11/03/mackenzie-scott-80-million-gift-howard-university/

general

Scott Bessent Explains The Big Picture Everyone is Missing During the Shutdown [WATCH]

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**Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Highlights Impact of Trump Administration’s Spending Cuts Amid Shutdown**

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Sunday that the Trump administration’s reduction in government spending has largely gone unnoticed during the ongoing shutdown but has played a crucial role in helping the United States avoid a recession.

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Bessent discussed the administration’s fiscal policies alongside the Federal Reserve’s recent interest rate cuts. The Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday that it would lower its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point, bringing the range to between 3.75% and 4.00%.

During the interview, CNN host Jake Tapper asked Bessent whether the U.S. risked entering a recession if the Fed continued cutting rates too aggressively.

“I believe that we are in a transition period here as we are seeing the Trump administration has cut back on government spending,” Bessent explained. “What has gone unnoticed during the shutdown is, for the fiscal year that ended September 30, the government spent less than it did the year before. And because the GDP grew, the deficit-to-GDP—which had been 6.4%, 6.5% deficit, the highest when we weren’t at war and weren’t in a recession—was brought down to 5.9%.”

Bessent continued, “So we are bringing down government spending, and I would think that the Fed would want to assist with that. Because if we go back and look, MIT just published a study that said 42% of the great inflation of 2022 came from excess government spending. So if we are contracting spending, then I would think inflation would be dropping. [If] inflation is dropping, then the Fed should be cutting rates.”

—

### Major Spending Cuts Save Taxpayers Billions

The Trump administration began implementing major spending cuts earlier in 2025, targeting what officials described as “inefficient or duplicative” programs across multiple agencies. According to an October 4 update from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the administration’s cost-reduction initiatives saved an estimated $214 billion for taxpayers—roughly $1,329 per taxpayer.

These spending reductions coincided with a broader effort to rein in the federal deficit while addressing the shutdown’s fiscal impact. Administration officials have argued that reduced government outlays are helping stabilize inflation and ease pressure on working families, despite temporary disruptions caused by the shutdown.

—

### Federal Reserve Rate Cuts and Policy Tensions

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had previously warned that continued rate cuts could increase inflationary risks if not balanced by sound fiscal management. However, tensions between Powell and President Donald Trump over rate policy have been ongoing for months.

Trump has repeatedly called for the central bank to lower rates more aggressively to support growth, arguing that high interest rates are hindering small business expansion and homeownership. Powell said earlier this year that the Fed would have cut rates sooner if not for the trade and tariff policies enacted by the administration.

The Fed’s first rate cut came on September 17, lowering the benchmark by a quarter-point to a range of 4.00% to 4.25%. A second cut followed in October, bringing the rate to its current level between 3.75% and 4.00%.

Because of the government shutdown, most federal economic data releases have been delayed, leaving analysts without recent updates on job growth, consumer spending, or inflation trends.

—

### Economic Outlook and Potential Risks

Tapper pressed Bessent on whether he believed the economy could slip into a broader recession if the Fed halts rate cuts.

“I think that we are in good shape, but I think that there are sectors of the economy that are in recession, and the Fed has caused a lot of distributional problems there with their policies,” Bessent said. “I wrote a 7,000-word essay on that. We’ve seen the biggest hindrance for housing here is our mortgage rates. So if the Fed brings down mortgage rates, then they can end this housing recession. Low-end consumers who have gotten killed under President Biden—these high rates are hurting them because they have debt, not assets. So I think that there are sections of the economy that could go into recession.”

Bessent reiterated his belief that the economy is in a “transition period,” contrasting his outlook with that of former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Yellen, under the Biden-Harris administration, characterized inflation as “transitory,” a view later proven incorrect as consumer prices surged during her tenure.

Bessent clarified that his use of “transition” referred instead to a short-term shift in economic conditions as the administration reduces spending and stabilizes long-term growth.

—

*Watch the full interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”*
https://www.lifezette.com/2025/11/scott-bessent-explains-the-big-picture-everyone-is-missing-during-the-shutdown-watch/

general

Thanks to a donation from a Silicon Valley billionaire, the nation’s largest police fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks is about to hit the streets of Vegas

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“Welcome to the future of policing,” Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a recent press conference, surrounded by Cybertrucks while drones hovered overhead and a police helicopter circled above him.

The fleet of 10 black-and-white Cybertrucks of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with flashing lights and sirens, are wrapped with the police department’s logo. About 400 officers have been trained to operate the trucks, which will use public charging stations.

The all-electric vehicles are equipped with shotguns, shields, ladders, and additional battery capacity to better handle the demands of a police department, McMahill said.

### Concerns Over Private Donations and Corporate Influence

The donation has raised concerns from government oversight experts about private donors’ influence on public departments and a potential boost to the Tesla brand. The department is the latest U.S. city to turn to Tesla models even as Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company has faced criticism because of Musk’s actions earlier in the year, which included advancing the president’s political agenda and downsizing the federal government.

McMahill noted the trucks will help keep officers safer because they are bulletproof, unlike Metro’s other squad cars. Each Cybertruck is valued between $80,000 and $115,000 and will be used to respond to calls such as barricades and shootings, in addition to regular patrols.

The Cybertrucks also offer unique benefits such as a shorter turning radius, he said.

“They look a little bit different than the patrol cars that we have out there, but they represent something far bigger than just a police car,” the sheriff said. “They represent innovation. They represent sustainability, and they represent our continued commitment to serve this community with the best tools that we have available, safely, efficiently, and responsibly.”

### Cybertrucks Have Been Repeatedly Recalled

The fleet comes amid a roller coaster year for Tesla, which has faced multiple recalls.

In March, U.S. safety regulators recalled virtually all Cybertrucks on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall, covering more than 46,000 Cybertrucks, warned that an exterior panel running along the left and right side of the windshield can detach while driving, creating a dangerous hazard for other drivers and increasing the risk of a crash. Tesla offered to replace the panels free of charge through notification letters sent out in May.

In late October, Tesla announced another recall of more than 63,000 Cybertrucks in the U.S. because the front lights are too bright, potentially distracting other drivers and increasing the risk of collision.

Las Vegas officer Robert Wicks from the department’s public information office said all Tesla recalls will have been resolved before the Cybertrucks patrol the streets. The March panel issue recall was handled before the department received the trucks.

Federal regulators have also opened a new investigation into Tesla’s self-driving feature after dozens of incidents involving vehicles running red lights or driving on the wrong side of the road, sometimes crashing and causing injuries. The Cybertrucks modified for the Las Vegas police fleet do not have any self-driving features.

### Community Concerns About Militarization and Safety

Laura Martin, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund, criticized the trucks’ design.

“The imposing trucks with their sharp angles seem like they’re designed for intimidation and not safety,” she said. “Cybertrucks arriving on the streets of Clark County shows that Sheriff McMahill is prioritizing corporate giveaways and police militarization over real community needs.”

### Privacy and Surveillance Worries

The donation follows President Donald Trump’s purchase of a Tesla on the White House driveway earlier this year, which he said he hoped would help the company amid struggling sales and declining stock prices.

Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, expressed concern over the Cybertrucks’ surveillance capabilities that the public may be unaware of, fearing Tesla might gain access to police data. After a Cybertruck exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas tower earlier this year, Tesla provided detailed data about the driver’s movements leading up to the incident.

### Expert Views on Private Donations

Ed Obayashi, a special prosecutor in California and an expert on police practices, said private donations to law enforcement are not uncommon or illegal unless prohibited by law. He explained that since the donation is a physical asset, the money cannot be diverted elsewhere.

That said, he doesn’t believe the trucks provide any particular advantage beyond being a free vehicle, which saves taxpayers money.

“There’s not going to be any distinct or noticeable advantage or benefits other than the fact that it’s a free vehicle and it saves the taxpayers money to replace equipment,” Obayashi said.

### Donation From Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists

The Las Vegas fleet was a donation totaling about $2.7 million from Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and his wife, Felicia Horowitz.

The couple, who live in Las Vegas, have made multiple donations to the department, including between $8 million and $9 million for Project Blue Sky, the department’s implementation of drones throughout the valley. They have also funded emergency call technology and license plate reader products from companies in which Andreessen Horowitz invests.

Ben Horowitz, who has donated to political campaigns for both Democrats and Republicans, was among the investors backing Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (now known as X). His venture capital firm also hosted Sheriff McMahill and Metro Chief of Staff Mike Gennaro on a podcast in November 2024.

The Horowitzes could not be reached for comment; however, in a 2024 blog post, Ben Horowitz described their interest in donating to the department, emphasizing the importance of public safety and the budgeting challenges faced by public sectors for new technology.

McMahill said the couple wanted to ensure that Las Vegas didn’t “become California when it comes to crime.”
https://fortune.com/2025/11/02/tesla-cybertruck-las-vegas-police-musk-ben-horowitz-a16z/

general

What Food Banks Need Amid SNAP Funding Crisis

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Food banks across the country are experiencing rising demand and resource shortages due to a prolonged government shutdown and uncertainty surrounding the funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

John Sillars, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank in New Orleans, told Good Morning America, “Even before the shutdown, demand was up for our services as a result of USDA policy changes. We are looking to community support more than ever. But we are going to serve those people as best we can.”

Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest in New York City, shared with ABC News, “At City Harvest, we know from experience that even a single missed paycheck or delayed benefit can force families to seek food assistance. We have been distributing food at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, and near LaGuardia and JFK airports to support federal workers impacted by the shutdown.”

**What Happens Next?**

Judge Talwani ordered the federal government to advise the court by Monday on whether they will use the emergency reserve funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program “using both contingency funds and additional available funds.”

The situation remains critical as food banks and federal workers await clarity on the program’s funding and support. Community support continues to play a vital role in helping those in need during this uncertain time.
https://www.newsweek.com/what-food-banks-need-amid-snap-funding-crisis-10976399

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At least 12 dead, dozens injured at Hindu temple in India during stampede

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A crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in southern India left at least 12 people dead and dozens injured, local authorities said Saturday. The death toll rose from nine to 12 people on Saturday, CBS News confirmed.

The incident occurred at the Swamy Venkateswara Temple in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh state, where hundreds of devotees had gathered to mark one of Hinduism’s sacred days, “Ekadashi,” senior police officer K. V. Maheswra Reddy told the Associated Press. On this day, devotees fast and offer prayers to Lord Vishnu, a key Hindu deity known as the preserver and protector of the universe, according to BBC News.

An initial investigation suggests that an iron grille meant to maintain the queue of worshippers at the temple broke, leading to the uncontrolled crowd surge, Reddy said. Senior local government official Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar added that more casualties were feared.

“Initially, we had reports of seven deaths, but two more people have succumbed to their injuries, while the condition of two others is critical,” he said. Of the deceased, eight are women and one is a child, Pundkar noted. At least 16 devotees injured in the crowd surge are being treated at a local hospital, while 20 others are in a state of shock and under observation at a different hospital.

Video footage shared on local media showed people rushing to help those who fainted in the crowd surge and were gasping for breath. Some were seen rubbing the hands of those who fell to the ground.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh’s highest-elected official, N. Chandrababu Naidu, expressed grief and offered their condolences to the families of the bereaved.

State authorities in Andhra Pradesh stated that the location was a private temple on 12 acres of land and was not under government administration control. Despite its maximum capacity of 3,000, the crowd swelled to around 25,000 on Saturday, officials said.

“Arrangements were not made accordingly, nor was information provided to the government by the concerned individual. This is the reason for the accident,” the state’s fact-check unit said in a statement on social media.

Naidu vowed strict action against those responsible for the deadly stampede and ordered an inquiry into the incident, according to local media.

Crowd surges at religious gatherings are not uncommon in India, where massive groups often congregate at temples or pilgrimage sites, sometimes overwhelming local infrastructure and security measures.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hindu-temple-in-india-crowd-stampede/