Elisha Brown

For those confused by state of play on SNAP right now: You're not alone
Yesterday, *before* SCOTUS paused order telling Trump admin to send out SNAP $$, a handful of states rushed to issue full SNAP benefits to at least part of their caseload.
This includes CA, OR, WA, MI, and WI—all blue states (🧵)

OutKast is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:

“We started in a little room. Great things start in little rooms”

Full November SNAP benefits to be issued by Trump administration despite shutdown The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states Friday it was releasing full November funding for the nation’s major food assistance program that helps 42 million people afford groceries, complying wit...

BREAKING: Full November SNAP benefits to be issued by Trump administration despite shutdown. @statesnewsroom.com story:

@usdagov.bsky.social confirms it has provided this guidance to all states.

Chapel Hill Transit Marks 20th Anniversary of Fare-Free Service - Chapelboro.com Chapel Hill Transit moved to its fare-free model 20 years ago and continues to explore ways to make transit more accessible and resourceful.

FYI. Buses have been free in Chapel Hill and Carrboro North Carolina for over 20 years. See: chapelboro.com/news/news-tr...

Doctors challenge Arizona abortion laws as unconstitutional burden on patients Arizona abortion law challenge targets restrictions after Prop 139 as doctors testify laws burden patients and care

Arizona abortion providers urged a Maricopa Superior Court judge this week to block a series of anti-abortion laws they claim unreasonably burden patients and violate the Arizona Constitution, report @azmirror.com and @statesnewsroom.com
buff.ly/p76W07y

Democrats who back reproductive rights win key races Despite less focus on abortion in the 2025 election, voters Tuesday supported Democratic candidates who back reproductive rights in New Jersey and Virginia, and retained Democratic justices in Pennsyl...

New from me: Voters in NJ and VA elected Democratic women governors who vowed to protect abortion access. Dems swept the VA races, too, basically ensuring a repro ballot measure in 2026. And PA retained 3 judges bound to take up abortion-related cases. www.newsfromthestates.com/article/demo...

Trump administration must restart SNAP benefits by Wednesday, judge rules • NC Newsline WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Saturday issued a written order saying there is “no question” that U.S. Department of Agriculture contingency funds must be used to provide food assistance for 42 milli...

A federal judge on Saturday issued a written order saying there is “no question” that U.S. Department of Agriculture contingency funds must be used to provide food assistance for 42 million Americans during the government shutdown. ncnewsline.com/2025/11/01/r... By @janenorman.bsky.social #ncpol

Mothers demand TSA follow its own breast milk and formula rules • Kentucky Lantern Despite a law allowing breast-feeding supplies on planes, moms continue to report issues with TSA security in airports.

Mothers demand TSA follow its own breast milk and formula rules
@sofiaresnick.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/30/r...

Losing SNAP could mean more pregnancy complications as food insecurity grows Without action from Congress before Saturday, millions nationwide will be cut off from access to government food assistance, including those who are pregnant or have babies and young children.That pos...

The people who need SNAP assistance come from varying circumstances. I spoke with a woman in rural Idaho who needed food stamps after her partner died by suicide when she was 11 weeks pregnant.

And some have pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes — which requires a strict diet to control.

Poll: Spanberger extends 10-point lead; Miyares up 8 as Hashmi-Reid contest stays close • Virginia Mercury With less than a week to go before Election Day, Democrat Abigail Spanberger holds a commanding 10-point lead over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia’s race for governor, according to a new Ro...

🚨New Roanoke College poll:

• Spanberger (D) leads Earle-Sears (R) for governor 51–41%

• Hashmi (D) and Reid (R) are neck-and-neck 42–40%

• Miyares (R) holds an 8-point edge over Jones (D) for AG

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/30/p...

Ruth A. Lawrence, Doctor Who Championed Breastfeeding, Is Dead at 101

As a pediatrician, she helped elevate breastfeeding from a medical afterthought to a specialty of its own. As a mother of nine, she practiced what she preached www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/h...

Citing Trump Order on “Biological Truth,” VA Makes It Harder for Male Veterans With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage A Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica erects new roadblocks to care for veterans with the rare but deadly cancer. The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive order about “restoring biological truth” in government.

NEW: A Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica sets up new roadblocks to care for male veterans with breast cancer.

The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive order about “restoring biological truth” in government.

CALLOUT: I'm working on a piece about pregnant people or those with newborns/infants who rely on SNAP/WIC, and I'd like to add personal stories to it. If you or someone you know is experiencing this right now or has relied on this program in the past with children, can you send me a DM? Thanks!

‘The pro-life movement still has some real juice’: How Trump’s promise of free IVF fizzled A lobbying blitz by social and religious conservatives paid off last week when Trump announced policies that fell short of his promise to make fertility treatments, which they oppose, free.

NEW w/ @meganmesserly.bsky.social: Trump's IVF policies came nowhere close to fulfilling his campaign trail pledge to make fertility treatments free. Anti-abortion activists, who lobbied the admin for more than a year, are claiming credit for that.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Observations ≠ endorsements

The Hebrew Israelites and Nation of Islam uncs are on the corner outside at Central’s homecoming game. I feel like I’m in Harlem again!

SIX DAYS UNTIL SNAP RUNS OUT FOR 42 MILLION PEOPLE: And just 25 days ago USDA said it would pay out food benefits during the shutdown. That memo has now been deleted from its website and a new memo out Friday says the opposite. Read our story 👇

My First Byline: Tat Bellamy-Walker Board member, Trans Journalists Association

"Journalism is about building relationships and if you go silent or only reach out when you need something it might be difficult to get ahead or stay in the industry long term." yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...

On December 2, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in First Choice v. Platkin, a case stemming from a crisis pregnancy center's attempt to fight a subpoena from the NJ Attorney General. Technically, the question is simple: Is federal or state court the right venue for this fight? But...

Signaling skepticism that exceptions to TN abortion ban are adequate, judges rule against state • Tennessee Lookout A three-judge panel ruled against Tennessee's effort to end a lawsuit challenging the inadequacy of exceptions to the state's abortion ban.

Just in from @anitawadhwani.bsky.social: In a defeat for Gov. Bill Lee’s administration, a three-judge panel ruled against the state’s effort to end a longstanding lawsuit challenging the vagueness and inadequacy of exceptions to Tennessee’s near-total abortion ban.

More than 90% of Black people polled say Medicaid is crucial as cuts loom At least 90% of Black people surveyed for a new poll said Medicaid is important to them or their families, and more than half either have public insurance or a family member who relies on the program....

A majority of Black adults in 10 states say Medicaid is important to them or their families, per a new poll shared exclusively with @statesnewsroom.com. The findings come as Planned Parenthood clinics in Black communities have closed due to Medicaid cuts. www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more...

Trump's IVF announcement disappoints patients, raises concerns for doctor Miraya Gran is the kind of person who Republican President Donald Trump and his administration say they are going to help with new policies on in vitro fertilization.

Miraya Gran is the kind of person Trump and his administration say they are going to help. But unless the cost of IVF goes down a lot, she can’t afford to give her daughter a sibling.

“I’ve got two embryos waiting for me, and I’m not accessing them due to lack of insurance coverage."

New from me:

No Kings day brings millions into US streets in anti-Trump protests WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans packed streets, parks and town squares across the United States Saturday for No Kings day, according to the organizers of the massive day of demonstrations protestin...

Kind of obsessed with this colorful lede-all from @ashleymurray.bsky.social featuring reporting from the great big @statesnewsroom.com family www.newsfromthestates.com/article/no-k...

Planned Parenthood Southeast hires law firm to probe ‘troubling allegations’ after petition drive Planned Parenthood Southeast’s board of directors announced this week that it would be hiring a law firm to investigate allegations of mismanagement that reproductive health advocates say threatens to...

New @georgiarecorder.com: The Planned Parenthood affiliate that covers Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi hired a law firm to investigate new leadership after a group of abortion-rights advocates said management is undermining the organization's mission. www.newsfromthestates.com/article/plan...

Trump looks to expand access to IVF through discount, employer coverage | Alabama Reflector Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren minimized the announcements, saying they fell short of providing the free IVF coverage Trump had pledged to work toward.

Via Jacob Fischler: Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren minimized the announcements, saying they fell short of providing the free IVF coverage Trump had pledged to work toward.

By the way, this move is directly out of the Heritage Foundation’s playbook, which calls for repurposing Title X funds.

Where else can you get 1 (one) email with policy news from all 50 (fifty!) states?

Subscribe for loads of policy news + National Day reminders + pet photos (depending on how I'm feeling). Sign up for @stateline.org's newsletters today:

Nutrition program for women, infants and children to stay afloat through end of month WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is infusing $300 million into a key federal nutrition program to keep it running through October, while a government shutdown continues without an appar...

WIC — a food and nutrition program that helps millions of mothers and babies — is safe for now. www.newsfromthestates.com/article/nutr...

RFK Jr.’s got advice for pregnant women. There’s limited data to support it. Women of reproductive age have long been missing from clinical trials. It’s getting worse where abortion is banned.

The Trump admin's recent warnings against pregnant women taking Tylenol, Covid shots and antidepressants clash with the mainstream medical consensus. But they also highlight a dangerous data vacuum -- one that's gotten worse since the fall of Roe v. Wade.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...