Closing summary
It was election eve in many states across the country, which could be a test for how voters feel in the first year of Trump’s second administration. New York City saw mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa traverse the city to drum up support, with progressive candidate Mamdani in the lead. Californians readied for a vote on Proposition 50 that would allow for redistricting in the state that would carve out five additional Democratic seats for Congress. And New Jersey and Virginia were focused on gubernatorial races. Meanwhile, it was day 34 for the government shutdown.
Here’s what else happened today:
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Drama in New York City mayor’s race intensified as Donald Trump urged voters to back Cuomo. In a social media post on Monday afternoon, Trump threated to pull federal funding for the city if Mamdani won, repeatedly calling the democratic candidate a “communist”. Mamdani is the frontrunner in the race, much to the ire of the president. In a 60 Minutes interview, Trump said that he’s “not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other”, but he would rather see the former governor – who is running as an Independent – win against the progressive candidate. Mamdani shot back during a final campaign event saying: “The Maga movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him – not the best mayor for New York City.”
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The Trump administration has said in a court filing that it plans to partially fund food aid for millions of Americans after two judges ruled last week that it must use contingency funds to pay for the benefits in November during the government shutdown. The administration laid out the US Department of Agriculture’s plan in a filing in federal court in Rhode Island at the direction of a judge who had last week ordered it to use emergency funds to at least partially cover November’s Snap benefits. While the administration said it would fully deplete the $5.25bn in contingency funds, it would not use other funding that would allow it to fully fund Snap benefits for 42 million Americans, which cost $8bn to $9bn per month.
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As the government shutdown continued on, Republican leaders maintained they have no plans to abolish the filibuster. Speaking to reporters on Monday, House speaker Mike Johnson said his colleagues in the Senate saw the 60-vote threshold needed in the Senate to end debate on a bill, as an “important safeguard” from the “Democrats’ worst impulses”. This, despite Trump decrying the measure on social media, and in a recent interview with 60 Minutes. Johnson said that the president is simply very “passionate” about this issue. “I think what you see in this debate – we’re having on our own side is a reflection of the anger that we feel, the real desperation that we feel, because we want the government to be reopened,” he added.
Key events
Voters in Huntington Beach, California, are no longer required to show photo identification at their polling locations after a California appeals court struck down the city’s law mandating such ID, saying it violates state law.
“The state must strike a careful balance between, on the one hand, ensuring that only eligible voters are able to vote in elections while, on the other hand, not discouraging or preventing disadvantaged voters and communities from participating in the political process,” the panel of three judges said in their 15-page ruling.
“Permitting the city to make its own rules, in violation of the state Elections Code, would upset the state’s delicate balance and could impugn the integrity of the city’s elections,” the panel added.
Earlier this year, two lawsuits were filed against Huntington Beach, including one from California attorney general, Rob Bonta, and secretary of state Shirley Weber, who applauded today’s decision.
“All along, Secretary of State Weber and I have maintained that Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy is unlawful,” Bonta said in a statement. “No city in our state, charter and non-charter alike, can make it more difficult for voters to cast their ballots.”
The judges agreed that “voter identification requirements may interfere with the ability of eligible voters to cast their ballots by placing a practical and financial hurdle between voters and the ballot box.”
Voter fraud is incredibly rare and voter ID laws have been shown to disproportionately impact minorities, low-income individuals and disabled voters.
Coral Murphy Marcos
Laura Loomer, a rightwing political activist known for spreading conspiracy theories and using hate speech, has gained credentials to cover the defense department, the Washington Post reports.
Loomer, a former congressional candidate in Florida, joins a new cohort of right-wing media outlets that have agreed to the Pentagon’s new restrictive press policy. Her addition comes amid a sweeping overhaul of the department’s media rules, which bars reporters from seeking information not explicitly made public by the government.
Last month, journalists covering the Pentagon walked out en masse to protest the new policy, sparking widespread criticism from major outlets, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, among others.
The defense department has since presented what it calls the “next generation of the Pentagon press corps”, made up of roughly 60 journalists from far-right outlets, many of which have promoted conspiracy theories. The Gateway Pundit, the Post Millennial, and LindellTV (the streaming service founded by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell) as well as independent journalists and online influencers who have not previously covered the Pentagon in person, are among those who have agreed to the restrictive policies.
Zohran Mamdani called out Donald Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding in New York City. The remarks came during a campaign event in Queens on Monday.
“I will address that threat for what it is: It is a threat. It is not the law,” Mamdani said, according to the New York Times. “And too often, we treat everything that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth as if it is already legal, just by virtue of who is saying it.”
Trump had earlier posted on social media that if Mamdani was elected “it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required”. The president repeatedly called Mamdani a “communist” and urged voters to back Andrew Cuomo, who’s running as an independent, for mayor.
“The MAGA movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him – not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration,” Mamdani said at the campaign event.
“This funding is not something that Donald Trump is giving us here in New York City,” Mamdani added. “This is something that we are, in fact, owed in New York.”
Andrew Cuomo said that if he were in a one-on-one contest against Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor he would win. The remark came shortly after Donald Trump urged voters to back Cuomo for mayor, saying a vote for republican candidate Curtis Sliwa is a “vote for Mamdani”.
In an interview on 77WABC radio, Cuomo, who’s a former democrat but is running as an independent, said “The president is right… A vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani. That’s why this election is up to the Republicans.” In the interview, Cuomo suggested it was selfish of Sliwa to stay in the race.
Earlier in the day, Elon Musk – the once close ally and adviser to Trump – also told voters to back Cuomo saying: “Bear in mind that a vote for Curtis is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is.”
Trump told 60 Minutes in an interview on Sunday that he preferred a “bad Democrat” for New York City mayor, in reference to Cuomo. He said that was better than a “communist”, meaning Mamdani. Mamdani, who’s the democratic candidate for mayor, responded on X saying “Congratulations @AndrewCuomo. I know how hard you worked for this.”
Trump threatens to yank federal funds for New York City if Zohran Mamdani wins mayoral election
In a Truth Social post, Trump called Mamdani the “Communist Candidate” and said New York City is his “beloved first home” and that the city has “ZERO chance of success, or even survival” with a “Communist at the helm”.
This isn’t the first time Trump has levied such a threat. After Mamdani won the democratic primary for mayor last June, Trump said he’d cut New York City from federal funds. Mamdani has since been a topic of conversation on Truth Social, with Trump railing against the mayoral candidate calling him “terrible” and “not very smart”. In July, the Trump administration suggested stripping Mamdani of his citizenship.
In the final hours before Election Day in the city, polls show Mamdani is leading the race against independent Andrew Cuomo and republican Curtis Sliwa.
Trump reluctantly backed Cuomo, a former democrat, on Monday and said in his Truth Social post: “I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE.”
Mamdani, not Cuomo, is the democratic candidate for mayor.
Two courts are ordering Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to deport a man who spent more than 40 years in prison and was recently exonerated.
Subramanyam Vedam, 64, had a murder conviction overturned last month and was released from Pennsylvania state prison. But then, he was immediately taken into immigration custody and was told he faced deportation to India. He’s currently being held in a short-term detention center in Louisiana.
An immigration judge stayed his deportation last week until the Bureau of Immigration Appeals decides whether to pick up his case, according to the Associated Press. US District Court in Pennsylvania also stayed Vedam’s case late last week. Vedam legally immigrated to the US from India as an infant.
He was convicted for murder in 1980 and given a life sentence. Vedam maintained his innocence and four decades later he was exonerated for the crime and set free. ICE says that a separate drug charge against Vedam, for delivering LSD when he was 20, is grounds for his deportation.
Vedam’s sister told the Associated Press on Monday that the family is relieved about the judges’ rulings. “We’re also hopeful that Board of Immigration Appeals will ultimately agree that Subu’s deportation would represent another untenable injustice,” Saraswathi Vedam said, “inflicted on a man who not only endured 43 years in a maximum-security prison for a crime he didn’t commit, but has also lived in the U.S. since he was 9-months-old.”
After receiving complaints from lawmakers, Donald Trump is reportedly aiming to brief more members of Congress about his hardline anti-narcotics strategy in the Caribbean and Pacific. According to Axios, the president told his staff to reach out to members of Congress and provide an overview of the intelligence the administration has gathered.
The move comes as the US military has struck and sunk 15 boats off the coast of Venezuela, killing at least 64 unarmed individuals.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly already given a briefing to Intelligence committee chairs and vice-chairs, along with the “Gang of Eight”, a bipartisan group of leaders from both chambers of Congress, according to Axios. Rubio and Pentagon lawyers are reportedly slated to give more briefings on Wednesday.
Nearly two dozen states have sued the Trump administration over its new rule that limits student loan forgiveness for people who work for non-profits or the government. The lawsuit is being led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and has been joined by 20 attorneys general in states including Arizona, Illinois and Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia’s attorney general.
The US Department of Education issued the final rule last week, which changes the definition of “qualifying employer” and excludes organizations “that engage in unlawful activities” such as “supporting terrorism and aiding and abetting illegal immigration”. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness law was signed into force by George W Bush in 2007.
“Public Service Loan Forgiveness was created as a promise to teachers, nurses, firefighters, and social workers that their service to our communities would be honored,” James said in a statement. “Instead, this administration has created a political loyalty test disguised as a regulation.”
Donald Trump has long criticized student loan forgiveness programs and has aimed to roll back debt relief bolstered during the Biden administration, which included making it easier for people to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Here’s a recap of the day so far
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The Trump administration has said in a court filing that it plans to partially fund food aid for millions of Americans after two judges ruled last week that it must use contingency funds to pay for the benefits in November during the government shutdown. The administration laid out the US Department of Agriculture’s plan in a filing in federal court in Rhode Island at the direction of a judge who had last week ordered it to use emergency funds to at least partially cover November’s Snap benefits. While the administration said it would fully deplete the $5.25bn in contingency funds, it would not use other funding that would allow it to fully fund Snap benefits for 42 million Americans, which cost $8bn to $9bn per month.
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As the ongoing government shutdown enters its 34th day, Republican leaders maintain they have no plans to abolish the filibuster. Speaking to reporters today, House speaker Mike Johnson said his colleagues in the Senate saw the 60-vote threshold needed in the Senate to end debate on a bill, as an “important safeguard” from the “Democrats’ worst impulses”. This, despite Donald Trump decrying the measure on social media, and in a recent interview with 60 Minutes. Johnson said today that the president is simply very “passionate” about this issue. “I think what you see in this debate – we’re having on our own side is a reflection of the anger that we feel, the real desperation that we feel, because we want the government to be reopened,” he added.
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As election day inches closer, candidates to be New York City’s next mayor spent the day traversing the city with eleventh-hour pitches to voters. Early voting in the closely watched mayoral race ended on Sunday. More than 735,000 New Yorkers cast their ballots ahead of Tuesday’s election. The Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani, is still the frontrunner in the race, much to the ire of the president. In his 60 Minutes interview, Trump said that he’s “not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other”, but he would rather see the former governor – who is running as an Independent – win against the progressive assemblyman leading the polls. “If it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” Trump said.
Watchdog for federal housing regulator set to be ousted – report
The inspector general for the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is being removed from his role, according to Reuters. Citing three unnamed people familiar with the matter, the outlet reports that Joe Allen is being removed from his role overseeing the office responsible for rooting out waste, fraud and abuse at the FHFA.
Reuters also noted that the website for the FHFA’s Office of Inspector General listed the position as “currently vacant”. It was unclear when the website was updated.
In recent weeks, the agency’s leader, Bill Pulte, has made himself known as a loyal supporter of Donald Trump’s efforts to target those he sees as political adversaries. He’s accused Federal Reserve governor, Lisa Cook, of mortgage fraud, and pushed the justice department to investigate New York attorney general Letitia James – who recently plead not guilty after being indicted on two charges of bank fraud, and making false statements to a financial institution.
In response, Elizabeth Warren – the top Democratic senator on the banking committee – issued a statement today.
“What happened to the watchdog overseeing his agency? What does Pulte have to hide as he continues to use his role to investigate President Trump’s perceived political enemies while failing to lower housing costs for the American people?,” the lawmaker representing Massachusetts said.
On election eve, New York mayoral candidates traverse the city
As election day inches closer, candidates to be New York City’s next mayor spent the day traversing the city with eleventh-hour pitches to voters.
Democratic nominee, and frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani, former governor Andrew Cuomo who is running as an Independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, all spent a jam-packed weekend attending campaign events and getting as much face time with New Yorkers as possible. A reminder that early voting, which ended on Sunday, saw a record high turn out throughout the city.
My colleague, Anna Betts, has been covering the latest on the ground. You can read more of her reporting below.
Richard Luscombe
The city of Miami’s mayor Francis Suarez is weighing in on Tuesday’s mayoral race in New York, with none-too-complimentary comments about Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate and frontrunner.
Suarez, a Republican, was speaking to reporters this lunchtime ahead of the two-day America Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday and Thursday, which Donald Trump will attend.
“New York seems to be on the precipice of electing a Democratic socialist, a young charismatic leader. But we’ve been to that movie before, here in Miami,” said Suarez, the termed-out, eight-year mayor whose successor will also be elected on Tuesday.
“In this city we’ve had young charismatic leaders that promised us, you know, ‘Give us all your businesses, give us all your property, we’ll make everybody equal’. And they did. They made everybody equally poor, equally miserable and equally repressed,” he said.
Suarez says the impact on Miami if Mamdani is elected will be significant, and he predicts an exodus from New York. “There’s going to be a 20, 30, maybe even 40% spike in demand and in real estate prices here in Miami, it’s an inevitable consequence,” he added. “I don’t have a border, you know, I can’t prevent people from coming.”
Trump is the headline speaker at the conference, which features luminaries from the worlds of politics, business and sport. They include sports stars Lionel Messi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams; Javier Milei, the far-right president of Argentina; Steve Witkoff, Trump adviser and Middle East envoy; and María Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel peace prize that Trump was angling for.
As is customary during these dueling press conferences throughout the shutdown, each party continues to blame the other for failing to reopen the government.
Jeffries just called Donald Trump the “puppet master” of the Republican party, and said that GOP lawmakers refuse to negotiate due to their ongoing deference to the president.
Top House Democrat holds press conference on day 34 of government shutdown
Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, is now speaking to reporters at the US Capitol. A reminder that the lower chamber is still out of session as the government shutdown enters its 34th day.
Further to that, the Trump administration said $600m would be used to fund states’ administrative costs in administering Snap benefits, leaving $4.65bn that will be obligated to cover 50% of eligible households’ current allotments.
The partial payments are unprecedented in the program’s history. A USDA official warned in a court filing that at least some states, which administer Snap benefits on a day-to-day basis, would need weeks to months to make system changes that would allow them to provide the reduced benefits.
US district judge in Rhode Island John McConnell and another judge in Boston, US district judge Indira Talwani, said on Friday the administration had the discretion to also tap a separate fund holding about $23bn.
Patrick Penn, deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services at the USDA, said in a court filing the agency was carefully considering using those funds but determined they must remain available for child nutrition programs instead of Snap.
