Today’s Headlines: It’s Election Day for nearly half the country, with record early turnout in New York City — over 735,000 voters — and key races for governors in New Jersey and Virginia, plus major ballot questions in California and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, a small bipartisan group in Congress is maybe edging toward a deal to end the weeks-long government shutdown, which has crippled air travel and left millions unsure when they’ll receive SNAP benefits. After two court orders, the Trump administration says it’ll partially fund food assistance, though payments could still be delayed for weeks. Trump’s team is also reportedly drawing up plans for a potential U.S. military mission in Mexico targeting drug cartels (because what could go wrong?). The Department of Homeland Security wants states to hand over driver’s license data to help identify noncitizens on voter rolls, sparking privacy alarms. In California, ICE shot a 25-year-old U.S. citizen who’d stopped to warn officers that children would soon arrive nearby — the second ICE shooting there this week. Elsewhere, a watchdog report revealed that most donors to Trump’s new ballroom are government contractors who’ve scored $279 billion in deals despite ongoing investigations for labor and environmental violations. OpenAI just inked a $38 billion deal to rent Amazon’s computing power. And rounding out the chaos, Rep. Nancy Mace reportedly went off on TSA agents at a South Carolina airport, she of course claims it’s all fake news.

Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:

Axios: House Dems and GOP float compromise plan to end shutdown

Axios: Bessent says SNAP payments "could be" made this week

NBC News: Flight delays pile up as government shutdown enters second month

NBC News: Trump administration is planning new mission in Mexico against cartels, current and former U.S. officials say

LA Times: U.S. citizen shot from behind as he warned ICE agents about children gathering at bus stop, lawyers say

ProPublica: DHS asked Texas to hand over driver's license data for citizenship checks

WaPo: Report: Donors to Trump’s White House ballroom have $279B in federal contracts

WSJ: OpenAI, Amazon Sign $38 Billion Cloud Deal

Wired: Nancy Mace Curses, Berates Confused Cops in Airport Meltdown: Police Report

Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson

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