By The Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s administration faces deadlines on Monday to tell two federal judges whether it will comply with court orders that it continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net — and it costs about $8 billion per month nationally.

The situation leaves millions with uncertainty about how they will feed themselves. Benefits will be delayed in November regardless of the outcome of the court cases because many beneficiaries have their cards recharged early in the month and the process of loading cards can take a week or more in many states.

Democratic state attorneys general or governors from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions. Cities and nonprofits also filed a lawsuit.

On Friday, judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ruled separately that the administration must continue to pay for SNAP. They both gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November.

The USDA has a $5 billion contingency fund for the program, but the Trump administration reversed an earlier agency plan to use that money to keep SNAP running. Democratic officials argue that the administration could also use a separate fund of about $23 billion.

U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, said SNAP must be funded using at least contingency funds, and he asked for an update on progress by Monday.

He said all previous work requirement waivers must continue to be honored. During the shutdown, the USDA has terminated existing waivers that exempted work requirements for older adults, veterans and others.

In Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled the suspension was unlawful and said USDA has to pay for SNAP. Talwani ordered the federal government to advise by Monday whether they will use emergency reserve funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program using both contingency funds and additional available funds.

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Advocates and beneficiaries say halting the food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills. The majority of states have announced more or expedited funding for food banks or novel ways to load at least some benefits onto the SNAP debit cards.

To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a family of four’s net income after certain expenses can’t exceed the federal poverty line, which is about $32,000 per year. Last year, SNAP assisted nearly 42 million people, about two-thirds of whom were families with children.

By ROBERT YOON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after Donald Trump retook the White House and set into motion a dramatic expansion of executive power, the Republican president figures prominently in state and local elections being held Tuesday.

The results of those contests — the first general election of Trump’s second term — will be heralded by the victors as either a major repudiation or resounding stamp of approval of his second-term agenda. That’s especially true in high-profile races for Virginia and New Jersey governor, New York City mayor and a California proposition to redraw its congressional district boundaries.

More than half of the states will hold contests on Tuesday. Here’s a look at some of the major statewide and local races on the ballot:

Governors: New Jersey and Virginia

In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are the nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Sherrill is a four-term U.S. representative and former Navy helicopter pilot. Ciattarelli is a former state Assemblyman backed by Trump. In 2021, Ciattarelli came within about 3 percentage points of toppling Murphy.

In Virginia, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger look to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. While Spanberger has made some efforts to focus on topics other than Trump in stump speeches, the president remained a major topic of conversation throughout the campaign, from comments Earle-Sears made about him in 2022 to some of his more polarizing policies, such as the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill tax and spending cut measure and the widespread dismissal of federal workers, many of whom live in northern Virginia.

This combination photo of candidates for the Virginia governor’s election shows Democrat Abigail Spanberger in Henrico County, Va., Nov. 25, 2024, left, and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in Richmond, Va., Jan. 25, 2022. (AP Photo)

Trump was scheduled to participate in telephone rallies for the candidates on Monday night.

As the only gubernatorial races held in the year following a presidential election, the contests have long served as the first major test of voter sentiment toward the party holding the White House. In every race for governor since 1973, one or both states have elected a governor from a party different than that of the sitting president.

New York City Mayor

The race to lead the nation’s largest city features Democratic state legislator Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate and former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

From left, Independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, Pool)

Mamdani’s comfortable victory over Cuomo in the June primary generated excitement from the party’s more progressive wing and apprehension among the party establishment. Party leaders like Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries eventually endorsed the self-described democratic socialist months after he won the nomination.

The winner will replace outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who initially sought renomination as a Democrat. After losing the primary Adams opted to run as an independent, but dropped out of the race in September and eventually endorsed Cuomo. In February, the Trump Justice Department asked a court to drop corruption charges against Adams because the case impeded Trump’s “immigration objectives.” Trump later said he’d like to see both Adams and Sliwa drop out of the race in an effort to defeat Mamdani.

California Proposition 50

California voters will decide a statewide ballot measure that would enact a new congressional map that could flip as many as five Republican-held U.S. House seats to Democratic control.

Brenda Haynes places signs throughout a conference room before a No on Prop 50 rally in Redding, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Proposition 50, championed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, is in response to a new Texas map that state Republicans enacted in August as part of Trump’s efforts to keep the U.S. House under Republican control in the 2026 midterms. The Texas plan, which could help Republicans flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats, has sparked an escalating gerrymandering arms race among states to pass new maps outside of the regular once-a-decade schedule.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will be at stake when voters cast Yes or No votes on whether to retain three justices from the high court’s 5-2 Democratic majority.

Partisan control of the court could have major implications for the 2028 presidential race, since justices might be asked to rule on election disputes, as they did in 2020. Spending on Tuesday’s contests is on track to exceed $15 million as Republicans have campaigned to end the majority and Democrats have responded.

A campaign sign in favor of retaining three Democratic Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices stands next to a road in Renfrew, Pa., Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Yoon)

If all three justices are ousted, a deadlock in the confirmation process to replace them could result in a court tied at 2-2. An election to fill any vacant seats for full 10-year terms would be held in 2027.

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Other notable contests

VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Republican incumbent Jason Miyares seeks a second term against Democrat Jay Jones. Much of the fall campaign has focused on text messages suggesting violence against political rivals that Jones sent in 2022.

TEXAS-18: Sixteen candidates hope to fill a vacant congressional seat previously held by the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner.

STATE LEGISLATURES: Control of the Minnesota Senate and Virginia House of Delegates is at stake, while New Jersey Democrats defend their 52-28 General Assembly majority.

BALLOT MEASURES: Maine voters will decide statewide questions on voting and a “red flag” law aimed at preventing gun violence. Texas’ 17 ballot measures include constitutional amendments on parental rights and limiting voting to U.S. citizens. Colorado and Washington also have statewide measures on the ballot.

MAYORS: Detroit, Pittsburgh, Jersey City and Buffalo will elect new mayors, while incumbents in Atlanta, Minneapolis and Cincinnati seek another term.

ST. PAUL — Over 20 years ago, Native-led nonprofit Dakota Wicohan was formed in southwestern Minnesota with the vision of revitalizing and preserving the Dakota language.

Gabrielle Strong is vice chair for the organization’s board of directors. Her mother, Yvonne Leith, was one of three founders who started the grassroots organization.

“She was born a first-language Dakota speaker and, as many others in her generation, experienced the brutality of the education system. Efforts to annihilate culture and annihilate language, that was her experience,” Strong said.

She says when Leith entered kindergarten, where English was the only spoken language, she slowly started to forget her first language over time.

“Later in life, she began her own personal journey and commitment to reclaim all of that,” Strong said.

She says Leith was active in her community and initiatives to reclaim Native identity and culture. In her early 60s, Leith co-founded Dakota Wicohan.

“There was no office, there was no building at that time. It was just pure elbow grease and determination that sparked those original efforts,” she said.

Dakota Wicohan now has an office in Morton and has expanded its offerings through cultural teachings and several programs.

Executive director Doris Stands said they hope to expand programs, like their existing youth horse program.

Youth participants of Sunktanka Wicahyuapi (They Care for Horses), wearing ribbon skirts, pose with horses dressed in regalia. (Courtesy of Dakota Wicohan)

“I think it’s a win for our community and the people that we serve, to have these opportunities. It’s sort of a trickle effect. It’s a benefit for the community,” Stands said.

She said the organization has been expanding its reach into other communities, such as Rapid City, South Dakota.

Dakota Wicohan staff and leaders participated in the Indigenous Peoples Day parade this year, where Stands says they were recognized.

“People who knew us, they were, you know, cheering us on and saying, ‘You guys do amazing work, and it’s good to see you.’ And so that was really inspiring, to know that we are reaching far and wide,” she said.

This is the first year the foundation has awarded the prize to two separate organizations, splitting the award evenly, according to the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s senior director of partnerships, Kari Onyancha.

“One for metro area-based organizations and one for Greater Minnesota,” she said. “We really saw the need to ensure and guarantee through our structures that a Greater Minnesota-based organization received dollars through this award.”

Dakota Wicohan is the Greater Minnesota honoree for the 2025 Bush Prize: Minnesota. The organization will receive $250,000 that can be used for any charitable purpose within the state.

Onyancha highlighted Dakota Wicohan’s impact on the communities it serves through its youth horse program and language revitalization.

“They’re building cultural lifeways in a community that the U.S. government has historically disenfranchised and even punished for their cultural heritage. So, there was a recognition that the work that Dakota Wicohan is doing within our community here in Minnesota is really vital,” Onyancha said.

Strong said Dakota Wicohan is grateful for the recognition of their efforts in preserving the Dakota language and lifeways.

“Rural efforts such as this don’t often get the visibility and attention. So, there’s hidden gems like Dakota Wicohan in rural, grassroots areas,” Strong said.

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Strong hopes the organization will continue to grow in the upcoming years, with the community working together toward language and culture preservation.

“I hope for the continuation of Dakota Wicohan’s efforts formally, but even informally,” she said, “among our people, within our communities, to continue to work together, to be able to ensure that our next generations have something to hold on to — that we’re able to speak Dakota language, that we’re able to practice our Dakota lifeways and our traditions.”

DETROIT— If the Vikings have an upcoming game set to be played on Sunday afternoon, it’s commonplace for head coach Kevin O’Connell to lead a team meeting on Saturday night at the team hotel.

With the Vikings preparing for the Detroit Lions this weekend, O’Connell decided to take a backseat. Instead, he let his captains do pretty much all of the talking, trusting that would provide a spark ahead of a game the Vikings absolutely needed to win.

“There were a lot of folks that wanted to play the game last night,” O’Connell said after the Vikings found a way to score a 27-24 upset win over the Lions. “We just had to wait until 1 o’clock this afternoon.”

The list of captains for the Vikings includes quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Aaron Jones, receiver Justin Jefferson, right tackle Brian O’Neill, edge rusher defense Jonathan Greenard, safety Josh Metellus, safety Harrison Smith and long snapper Andrew DePaola.

“The captains were very adamant,” O’Connell said. “They wanted to make sure that everybody heard all of them individually stand up and deliver messages of encouragement.”

They all took turns speaking to their teammates. Some opted for a fiery speech. Some opted for simple words of encouragement.

“We had everybody say what they expected for the whole team,” Jefferson said. “It was great for everybody to hear that.”

What did he say?

“I said a lot,” Jefferson said with a smile. “The main thing was, ‘It’s time for us to go out there and play like we’re supposed to play.’ Let’s go out there and play ball and have fun doing it. I feel like we definitely had fun out there making our plays and executing.”

It’s fitting that the captains led the way, whether it was McCarthy, Jones, Jefferson, and O’Neill on offense, Greenard, Metellus, and Smith on defense, or DePaola on special teams.

“We haven’t scratched the surface of our potential,” McCarthy said. “This team is so talented.”

In that same breath, McCarthy hammered home what he believes makes this version of the Vikings special, emphasizing the tight bond that has been fostered throughout the organization from top to bottom.

“That’s very hard to achieve,” McCarthy said. “You can’t buy it.”

As for McCarthy, he gave a little bit of insight as to what he said to his teammates, noting that reiterated the importance of simply controlling what they can control.

“We’ve just got to focus on the next opportunity and the next challenge to overcome,” McCarthy said. “It eliminates all anxiety, all nerves, all outside noise when we just put one foot in front of the other.”

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