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Democratic Lawmakers Urge DeSantis To Declare Emergency and Buy Supplies for Food Pantries

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**Florida Democrats Urge Gov. DeSantis to Declare State of Emergency Amid Looming Food Assistance Crisis**

Florida Democrats in the Legislature are imploring Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency and allocate state funds to purchase food for distribution to food pantries. This urgent request comes as nearly 3 million Floridians face losing access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to an ongoing federal government shutdown.

Led by Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) and House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa), legislative Democrats sent a letter to Gov. DeSantis on Tuesday. They urged him to use his emergency powers to ensure that millions of Floridians who rely on SNAP do not go hungry when their benefits expire this Saturday.

The letter also requests that DeSantis direct the Department of Children and Families—the agency responsible for administering SNAP—to coordinate with local food banks and community partners to distribute food immediately.

> “For families already struggling under record food and housing costs, the loss of this critical support would be catastrophic,” the letter states.
> “Local food banks and pantries have already reported overwhelming demand and depleted supplies. We are days away from a full-blown hunger emergency that will leave families without food during the holiday season. The state cannot stand by.”

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried echoed the urgency in a separate statement:

> “This moment is bigger than politics. This is about showing up for our fellow Americans and keeping Floridians safe and fed.”

### The Scope of SNAP in Florida

SNAP provides essential nutritional support for low-income seniors, people with disabilities living on fixed incomes, and other individuals and families facing food insecurity. Florida ranks fourth nationwide in SNAP enrollment, with nearly 2.94 million residents relying on the assistance—behind California, Texas, and New York.

Nationwide, approximately 41.7 million people depend on SNAP benefits, according to August 2025 data.

### Federal Shutdown and SNAP Funding Stalemate

The DeSantis administration recently posted a notice warning that SNAP benefits are about to expire, following an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). On Friday, the USDA reported it would not tap into $6 billion in contingency funds to maintain benefits during the government shutdown.

It would take roughly $9 billion to cover SNAP costs through November. However, a federal memo—initially reported by Axios—claims that contingency funds cannot be used to sustain the program during the shutdown. The memo states:

> “Contingency funds are only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits. The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists.”

This partisan impasse has resulted in a 28-day government shutdown, which began on October 1, the start of the federal fiscal year.

### Florida Democrats Demand State Action

In their letter, Florida Democrats emphasized SNAP’s critical role:

> “SNAP is one of the most effective programs for addressing hunger and food insecurity in the state. Especially after the recent cuts stemming from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, Floridians cannot afford another day without action by the state. Florida has the fiscal strength to respond. What’s needed now is the moral will to act. No parent should have to choose between paying rent and feeding their kids. No child should go hungry because politicians in Washington can’t agree. We urge you to act immediately.”

Senate Leader Lori Berman called the governor’s inaction “heartless”:

> “Florida has $5 billion in its ‘rainy day’ fund that DeSantis could use to avert the food cliff low-income families face. The sudden loss of those benefits would be an economic and humanitarian nightmare. With the stroke of a pen, the Governor can keep food on peoples’ tables. He has a responsibility to the people of this state to put partisanship aside and lead. Refusing to act would be truly heartless.”

House Leader Fentrice Driskell also criticized the governor:

> “He brags about ‘maxing out’ the amount of savings in the state’s ‘rainy day’ fund. If millions of hungry Floridians isn’t an economic storm, I don’t know what is. This is a crisis but an entirely solvable one. We can make sure Floridians do not go hungry. It costs a little more than $6 a day to feed someone. Isn’t every Floridian worth that?”

### Additional Recommendations

The letter further asks Gov. DeSantis to instruct the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to implement universal school meals programs for the duration of the declared emergency.

As of now, the governor’s office has not responded to requests for comment from Florida Phoenix.

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*Reported by Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix*
https://flaglerlive.com/democratic-lawmakers-urge/

The 2025 November Elections Preview

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A Breakdown of the Races in New York, Virginia, and New Jersey

Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Happy Tuesday!

A new app, Endless Summer, uses AI to generate images of you vacationing in places you’ve never been. Finally: a way to show off on Instagram without the authenticity or pleasure of a real holiday.

—

**Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories**

President Donald Trump met this morning with Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, signing a rare earth minerals deal with the country. Reuters reported that Takaichi is set to announce new purchases of trucks, gas, and soybeans from the U.S., along with a new shipbuilding deal.

This comes ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, a discussion he hopes will yield a trade deal. The U.S. and China agreed to a framework for a deal on Sunday that addresses export curbs and tariffs, but the specific terms have yet to be finalized.

Meanwhile, Chinese state-sanctioned media reported Monday that Chinese fighter jets conducted “confrontation drills” near Taiwan. Taiwan’s defense ministry did not report any incidents and dismissed the news as a propaganda tactic. A Taiwanese general told Fox News that China’s military drills could be preparations for a blockade against the island.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson warned on Monday that the government could not reallocate federal funds to temporarily sustain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

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**Insights and Opinions**

– Kyla Scanlon discusses how the American economy is coming to resemble a casino. *(New York Times)*
– Matthew Hennessey argues it’s the worst time to be a jewel thief. *(Wall Street Journal)*
– John Cassidy writes that Trump’s pardon of Binance’s founder shows presidential power going unchecked. *(The New Yorker)*
– Austin Vernon explores the feasibility of returning to a “nuclear fission regulatory blank slate.” *(Substack)*

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**International Headlines**

– BBC: Trump says he had a “perfect” MRI at Walter Reed Hospital.
– 8NewsNow: Director of Las Vegas Committee Tackling DUI Issues Faces DUI Charge.
– Rudaw: Iraqi Husband Uses Own Picture on Wife’s Campaign Posters.

—

**About Our Reporters**

**Charles Hilu** is a reporter for The Dispatch based in Washington, D.C. Before joining the company in 2024, he was the Collegiate Network Fellow at the Washington Free Beacon and interned at both National Review and the Washington Examiner. When he is not chasing down lawmakers on Capitol Hill, he is probably listening to show tunes or following the premier sports teams of the University of Michigan and the city of Detroit.

**Peter Gattuso** is a Morning Dispatch reporter for The Dispatch, also based in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the company in 2024, he interned at The Dispatch, National Review, the Cato Institute, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. When Peter is not fact-checking, he is probably watching baseball, listening to music on vinyl records, or discussing the Jones Act.

**Ross Anderson** is the Editor of The Morning Dispatch, based in London. Prior to joining the company in 2025, he was an editor at The Spectator, columnist at The New York Sun, and a Tablet fellow. When Ross isn’t working on TMD, he’s probably trying out new tech, lifting weights, or hanging out with his cat, Teddy.

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**Stay Informed**

Click sign up to start receiving your newsletters and stay up to date with the latest news and analysis.

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**Related Posts**
[Links to related articles would be inserted here.]
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/the-2025-november-elections-preview/

Food assistance to be halted as government shutdown drags on

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The Trump administration has announced that federal food assistance programs will stop on November 1 if the government shutdown continues.

This development raises concerns about the impact on millions of Americans who rely on these programs for their daily meals.

Elise Preston reports on the implications and potential consequences of this suspension.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/food-assistance-to-be-halted-as-government-shutdown-drags-on/

H-1B Visas Have Become a Boon for “So-Called American Companies”

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“So-called American companies say they have no choice but to use the H-1B program because they ‘can’t find Americans for these jobs,’” says InvestAzoria CEO James Fishback.

“Here’s the ugly truth,” he writes, “they’re not even looking for Americans. They refuse to interview them. They hide job postings in obscure newspapers to ‘check the box,’ and when no one ‘applies,’ they import another foreign worker—denying yet another qualified American a job, a wage, and the dignity and purpose that come with both. It’s disgraceful. It’s time to finally and fully dismantle the H-1B scam.”

A community note correctly points out that the postings are required by law and are legal, but this does not change the main point. American companies prioritize H-1B visa holders and abuse the program. They aren’t genuinely seeking American candidates.

Currently, several companies are suing against the $100,000 fee per applicant that President Trump imposed. The former president has vowed to fight these legal challenges.

### The Program Is an Exercise in Abuse

The H-1B visa program is often criticized for being exploited by employers to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign labor, particularly in the IT sector. This practice leads to wage suppression and raises national security concerns.

Originally, the program was designed to fill jobs that are specialized and hard to fill with American workers. However, widespread abuses have undermined the job market for Americans and fueled concerns about its integrity.

Ongoing investigations and regulatory changes aim to address these issues and ensure the program serves its intended purpose without harming U.S. workers.

### Legal Challenges to the $100,000 Fee

The Trump administration is preparing to defend its controversial new H-1B visa policy in federal court, following a wave of lawsuits challenging the $100,000 fee imposed on new visa applicants. The administration argues that this fee hike is necessary to protect American jobs and restore integrity to the skilled worker program.

However, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce contends that the new $100,000 fee is unlawful because it overrides requirements set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Specifically, the litigation asserts that visa fees must be based on the government’s actual costs in processing visas—a benchmark that the six-figure fee drastically exceeds.

In addition to the Chamber’s filing, a broad coalition of unions, employers, educators, and religious groups has filed separate lawsuits in federal courts across Washington, D.C., and California. These groups claim the fee is “arbitrary and capricious” and argue it will ultimately harm critical U.S. industries relying on high-skilled foreign talent.

### Impact on the Tech Sector

The tech sector, including companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, heavily utilizes the H-1B program to fill specialized roles. These legal battles reflect deep divisions over how to balance the needs of American workers with the demand for skilled foreign labor.

Despite these challenges, critics argue that many corporate interests represented by groups like the Chamber of Commerce have little regard for protecting American workers. Instead, their agendas often prioritize access to cheaper foreign labor.

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As debates continue, the future of the H-1B program remains uncertain. Policymakers must carefully weigh the interests of American workers, employers, and national security to craft a fair and effective skilled worker visa system.
https://www.independentsentinel.com/h-1b-visas-have-become-a-boon-for-so-called-american-companies/

New blood test can predict risk of postpartum depression with more than 80% accuracy

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Like many first-time mothers, Lisette Lopez-Rose thought childbirth would usher in a time of joy. Instead, she experienced panic attacks as she imagined something bad happening to her baby, coupled with a heavy sadness that wouldn’t lift. The San Francisco Bay Area mother recognized that her extreme emotions weren’t normal, but she was afraid to tell her obstetrician. What if they took her baby away?

At about six months postpartum, Lopez-Rose discovered an online network of women with similar experiences and ultimately opened up to her primary care doctor. “About two months after I started medication, I started to feel like I was coming out of a deep hole and seeing light again,” she says.

Today, Lopez-Rose works at Postpartum Support International, coordinating volunteers to help new mothers form online connections.

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### Understanding Postpartum Depression

About one in eight U.S. women go through a period of postpartum depression (PPD), making it one of the most common complications of childbirth. It typically occurs in the first few weeks after delivery, coinciding with a sudden drop in the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone.

As scientists unravel the chemical and genetic changes caused by these shifting hormones, they are discovering new ways to diagnose and treat postpartum depression — and even ways to identify who is at risk.

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### A New Era in Postpartum Depression Diagnosis and Treatment

The first-ever drug specifically for postpartum depression, containing a derivative of progesterone, received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2019. This marked a new approach to treating the disorder.

This winter, in another major advance, a San Diego–based startup will launch a blood test called myLuma that predicts a pregnant woman’s risk of postpartum depression with more than 80 percent accuracy. This product will be the first commercially available test to use biomarkers in the blood to predict the onset of a psychiatric disorder, much like blood tests that detect signs of diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Pregnant women who learn they are at risk for postpartum depression could take preventive steps, such as starting antidepressants after childbirth or arranging for extra support.

Jennifer Payne, a reproductive psychiatrist at the University of Virginia and a lead investigator on the studies behind myLuma, says, “If we have a blood test, it brings psychiatry down to the level of biology, which I think your average person can understand as something that needs treatment and isn’t just in somebody’s head.”

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### The Unpredictable Effects of Hormones

In 2001, Payne became intrigued by postpartum depression as a window into the onset of mood disorders. This raised a key question: Why does the sudden drop in hormones after childbirth significantly affect some women but not others?

While transient feelings of anxiety and sadness are common within days of giving birth, only some women develop a deeper, more persistent depression.

Payne teamed up with Zachary Kaminsky, an epigeneticist then at Johns Hopkins University, who studied how estrogen affects mouse brains. Epigenetics involves small chemical groups called methyl groups attaching to genes, affecting how active these genes are. Environmental factors like pollution and nutrition can influence this reversible methylation.

By comparing female mice given high estrogen levels to those without, Kaminsky found estrogen caused specific gene methylation patterns in the hippocampus—a brain region involved in mood control.

These findings guided analyses of blood samples Payne collected from 51 women with histories of mood disorders, tracked throughout pregnancy and afterward. Two estrogen-sensitive genes — HP1BP3 and TTC9B — emerged as significant. Over 80 percent of women who developed postpartum depression showed greater methylation on one gene and less on the other.

Moreover, these gene changes were detectable throughout pregnancy, meaning “you can predict which women will develop postpartum depression,” Kaminsky says.

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### Validating the Biomarkers

Kaminsky, Payne, and collaborators replicated the findings in further studies. A 2016 Neuropharmacology paper reported that methylation patterns of these genes correctly predicted over 80 percent of postpartum depression cases in 240 pregnant women without psychiatric histories.

Another 2020 study published in Psychiatry Research, involving scientists from Johns Hopkins, Emory University, and the University of California, Irvine, confirmed these results in 285 pregnant women.

This epigenetic research forms the basis of the myLuma test, which also incorporates additional biomarkers to improve accuracy, according to Kaminsky.

Beginning January 2026, myLuma is expected to be available in some doctors’ offices in Florida, Texas, and California. Although not yet FDA-approved, doctors may use such lab tests to assist clinical decisions.

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### Exploring Other Hormonal Factors: Neuroactive Steroids

Not all postpartum depression cases involve these epigenetic changes. Researchers continue to explore other biomarkers, focusing on neuroactive steroids — molecules produced from progesterone in the brain and other tissues.

One key neuroactive steroid, allopregnanolone, has calming effects by affecting a brain receptor called GABA-A, known for stress reduction. Allopregnanolone levels rise during pregnancy and drop sharply after delivery.

Other related steroids include pregnanolone, which has similar effects, and isoallopregnanolone, which reduces the antidepressant effect of allopregnanolone, increasing stress.

A 2025 study in Neuropsychopharmacology on 136 pregnant women found that an imbalance of pregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone during pregnancy increased the likelihood of developing postpartum depression.

Measuring these chemicals’ ratios in blood could provide another way to predict postpartum depression, says reproductive psychiatrist Lauren M. Osborne of Weill Cornell Medicine.

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### Advances in Treatment: Synthetic Neuroactive Steroids

Allopregnanolone has also proven valuable in treating postpartum depression. A synthetic form, brexanolone, developed by Sage Therapeutics, was FDA-approved in 2019, becoming the first drug specifically for postpartum depression.

These “transformative therapies” work rapidly, according to a 2025 Annual Review of Medicine article.

Women at high risk might benefit from preventive use of zuranolone, another drug under study, though this has not yet been tested, notes Samantha Meltzer-Brody, a reproductive psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina.

The availability of blood tests like myLuma “opens up that entire line of questioning on how do you get ahead of it, so you don’t have to wait until someone starts suffering,” she adds.

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### Additional Biomarker Research

In a 2022 Molecular Psychiatry article, neuroscientist Sarven Sabunciyan and colleagues described a study showing that RNA types carried in blood differ in women who develop postpartum depression. Specifically, RNA related to autophagy — the cellular cleanup process — decreased. Autophagy has links to other psychiatric disorders.

Clinical psychologist Eynav Accortt from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found altered protein patterns in plasma samples from women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum depression. These proteins are involved in neuron function and inflammation, which is known to contribute to depression.

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### Moving Towards FDA Approval

Payne is leading a large clinical trial to provide more detailed data on myLuma, particularly regarding false positives (women identified as at risk who don’t develop postpartum depression) and false negatives (women who develop postpartum depression but weren’t identified).

This step is essential for FDA approval, which would eventually allow the test to be offered directly to pregnant women.

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### Looking Back: A Mother’s Perspective

Lopez-Rose recalls the fear she felt in the months after her daughter’s birth. In those dark times, she quit her job, barely slept, and was overwhelmed by negative thoughts and self-doubt.

Now, she understands that reaching out for help was a sign of strength and a good mother.

Today, her daughter is four and thriving, as is Lopez-Rose. She says a blood test would have warned her what to watch for, “instead of it being so shocking when I was going through my depression.”
https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/new-blood-test-can-predict-risk-of-postpartum-depression-with-more-than-80-percent-accuracy

Federal workers in South Florida left disheartened, struggling to get by amid government shutdown

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**Federal Workers in South Florida Struggle Amid Ongoing Government Shutdown**

*FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN)* — Federal workers across South Florida are facing financial hardships and growing disheartenment as the federal government shutdown continues, caught in the crossfire of a political battle.

At Miami International Airport on Friday, several Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents were seen picking up food distributed by Feeding South Florida. With no end to the shutdown in sight, these federal workers are navigating tough times.

“It does help, especially for us that have kids at home and stuff, so it helps,” said one TSA worker. Another added, “I’m grateful for all the things that we are receiving today.” A third TSA agent commented, “It’s very nice of them, because we could use it.”

Friday marked the first payday federal employees have gone without their paychecks since the government shutdown began. Republican and Democratic lawmakers failed to pass a spending bill to keep the government open past October 1st. Currently, about 1.4 million federal workers are either on unpaid leave or working without pay.

Caught in the middle of the political stalemate, many federal workers are left trying to manage their finances amid uncertainty.

“So now you have to pick and choose, what can I pay now, what can I postpone, can I call the creditors to see if they’ll work with me,” said a 10-year federal employee who wished to remain anonymous. Having previously served in the military, including deployment to Afghanistan, she expressed deep frustration.

“It’s disheartening ’cause I’ve served with, you know, my country and I chose to do it again. On this side, it’s almost like a slap in the face,” she said.

Retired TSA instructor Harry Herring told 7News the financial stress caused by the shutdown adds to an already stressful job for TSA employees.

“Rent, car loans, car insurance, all those expenses that have to be taken care of, it’s not gonna be taken care of,” said Herring. “That causes what I call ‘interference with my ability to do my duty.’”

Shaunellia Ferguson, who represents nearly 700 Social Security Administration workers for the American Federation of Government Employees in eastern Florida, said her members continue to work despite the hardship.

“We are human beings too. We don’t make a lot of money, we’re not wasteful, we’re not parasites the way they’re calling us, we’re not,” said Ferguson. “Especially now without getting paid, you’re still doing it, you’re still hearing all the concerns and you’re sitting there wondering ‘How is my rent gonna be paid?’ or ‘How am I gonna cover child care?’ We have feelings just like everyone else and we work and we are here to serve you, the American public.”

Organizations like Feeding South Florida have been working tirelessly to support federal workers throughout the country. However, Ferguson emphasized that what federal employees truly want is for politicians to come together and find a solution.

*Copyright.*
https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/federal-workers-in-south-florida-left-disheartened-struggling-to-get-by-amid-government-shutdown/

Trump Ends Canada Trade Talks Over Television Ad Using Reagan Speech Against Tariff Policy

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President Trump abruptly halted trade negotiations with Canada on Thursday night, citing a television ad airing in the United States that he claims amounts to foreign interference in a pending Supreme Court case over his administration’s “reciprocal” tariff policy.

His decision followed the Canadian province of Ontario purchasing airtime on U.S. television to run a commercial featuring a speech from President Ronald Reagan, in which Reagan spoke out against tariffs.

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social. He was referring to the Supreme Court’s November 5 scheduled oral arguments regarding legal challenges to a major portion of his tariff policies, which include country-specific rates.

“They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts,” he added.

The ad, which aired during an American League Championship Series game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, begins with Reagan saying, “When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs, and sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time.”

“But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer,” Reagan continues in the ad, which was also posted on X by Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford.

“Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together,” Mr. Ford wrote in his post.

In response, the Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute announced it was “reviewing its legal options” regarding the use of Reagan’s remarks. The foundation stated that “the ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.”

This is not the first time Mr. Trump has ended trade negotiations with Canada. In June, he declared he was “terminating ALL discussions on trade with Canada,” citing concerns about how American tech companies and dairy farmers were being treated.

The Canadian government responded by imposing quotas on steel products.

Prime Minister Carney made a trip to the White House in early October, and relations between the two nations appeared to have improved. During an Oval Office appearance with Mr. Carney, President Trump discussed the “mutual love” between the United States and Canada.

However, tensions remain. “We want Canada to do great,” he said. “But you know, there’s a point at which we also want the same business.”
https://www.nysun.com/article/trump-ends-canada-trade-talks-over-television-ad-using-reagan-speech-against-tariff-policy

Trump’s CZ pardon draws fury from Maxine Waters over ‘pay-to-play’ crypto ties

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United States Representative Maxine Waters has strongly criticized former US President Donald Trump for his decision to pardon Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao.

Trump pardoned Zhao on Thursday, stating that people told him “what he did is not even a crime.” Waters, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Financial Services, responded later that day with a sharp rebuke. In a statement, she claimed, “Trump is doing massive favors for crypto criminals who have helped line his pockets.”

Waters continued, “Trump’s pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao—who pleaded guilty to enabling money laundering and facilitating suspicious transactions with child abusers, drug dealers, and terrorists—is an appalling but unsurprising reflection of his presidency.”

According to Trump, his decision to pardon Zhao followed advice from “a lot of people” who told him CZ was not guilty. “It wasn’t a crime; he was persecuted by the Biden Administration,” Trump asserted.

### Waters Disagrees

Maxine Waters further accused CZ of lobbying Trump and his family for months while funneling billions into Trump’s personal crypto company, World Liberty Financial. She insisted that the pardon was a direct result of these efforts and called it “a blatant example of the kind of pay-to-play corruption that Trump and his Administration continue to engage in.”

These statements come amid recent reports highlighting an extraordinary rise in Trump’s personal wealth during what would have been his second term in office. This wealth increase has been driven, in part, by a sprawling cryptocurrency empire linked to the president and his family.

### Trump Family’s Crypto Ventures

The Trump family’s crypto ventures are reported to have generated more than $1 billion in pre-tax profit over the past year. The family does not shy away from this fact; Trump’s son, Eric Trump, even claimed that their actual profits were “probably more.”

### World Liberty Financial’s Success

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), named by Waters, is at the center of this new wealth. The decentralized finance (DeFi) company was founded by Trump’s sons and close associates. It has sold billions of dollars in tokens and stablecoins, bolstering the family’s crypto fortune.

Back in June, Trump disclosed $57.4 million in income derived from his involvement with World Liberty Financial. In the following month, the family’s stake in WLFI surged to $5 billion after a token unlock. More recent estimates suggest that the family’s earnings from WLFI this year alone have reached approximately $550 million.

—

*Related: Polymarket bets that Sam Bankman-Fried gets pardon surge to 12%*
*Related: Crypto execs fork over cash at Trump’s ballroom fundraiser*
https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-accused-of-rewarding-crypto-criminals-after-pardoning-binance-s-cz?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

An open, transparent, accessible government protects everyone.

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Though we needed no reminders, the latest outrages out of Washington have proven that would-be dictators and their empowered henchmen will seek to shut down free speech and hide their misdeeds whenever they can.

Fortunately, in Connecticut, government by and for the people has remained much healthier. This is thanks to heroes ensuring that our state and municipal meetings, records, and officials remain open and accessible, and that the freedom to speak—to critique and criticize—remains robust.

I am on the board of the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, which for more than three decades has sought to educate the public about the vital need for freedom of information. As part of that effort, we honor its champions. We are journalists, lawyers, professors, state and local officials, and others dedicated to the notion, as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously asserted, that “If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.”

We know—and we want the public to know—that open government benefits liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, and everyone in between. All parties and people should be able to see what their public officials are doing and both take part in decisions or comment on them. If they could, they would understand government better and stop believing the wild conspiracy theories, myths, and misinformation that bad actors peddle.

Open, transparent, accessible government is bipartisan—call it what you will. It is for everyone. It protects everyone.

Sadly and dangerously, President Trump doesn’t agree.

In just the last month, he’s had his FCC chairman threaten TV networks unless they stifle Jimmy Kimmel and other critics. His Attorney General has threatened to prosecute people for “hate” speech. His Vice President has encouraged people to report critiques of Charlie Kirk and other matters to their employers, hoping those uttering criticism will be fired.

Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans and the Justice Department refuse to release the Epstein files. The FBI refuses to release the tape of immigration czar Tom Homan allegedly accepting cash in a paper bag from those seeking border security contracts. The administration refuses to produce documents, tapes, or other evidence that the Venezuelan boats it has blown out of the water were actually smuggling drugs.

Information is not free in this administration. Government is not transparent.

But here in Connecticut, the Freedom of Information Act is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

There are those, to be sure, who want to limit access to public records and keep government meetings closed to the public. But the overwhelming majority of state and local officials—led by the Freedom of Information Commission, leadership in the General Assembly, and hundreds of sterling mayors, first selectmen, town clerks, and town councilors—are keeping records available and meetings open.

Last week, more than 100 guardians of those rights gathered at the Mark Twain House & Museum to honor some of those heroes. Among them were the Republican and Democratic leaders of the state House of Representatives, Vincent Candelora and Jason Rojas, who have distinguished themselves in recent years—and particularly this year—by defending government transparency in the face of determined efforts to shield government actions from the public.

As leaders admired by their respective caucuses, they are both uncommonly influential when they take a stand on issues, and have proven their philosophical opposition to government secrecy when reviewing proposed legislation.

This year, in contrast to Washington—where compromise and bipartisan agreement are almost nonexistent—they were instrumental in promoting sincere caucus-to-caucus discussions that ultimately defeated bills that would have:

– Kept hidden higher education records pertaining to teaching or research

– Restricted access to voter records

– Permitted public review of complaints against police and corrections officers only after they had been “investigated and adjudicated by the proper legal authority”

– Allowed school superintendents to attend closed executive sessions of boards of education without limitation, creating a slippery slope that might have unleashed unlimited closed sessions by councils, boards of selectmen, and other public bodies in future years

Other honorees included The Housing Collective, which works to create affordable homes across Connecticut. Each week, it publishes a comprehensive listing of land-use commission meetings’ times, locations, and agendas—where housing creation decisions are made—so residents can attend and voice concerns. It also provides a list of vacancies on land-use boards so residents can seek appointment or election, along with explanations of what land-use boards are empowered to decide and information on how to understand their actions and offer input.

If every policy organization in Connecticut—environmental, public health, education—did the same, government would be more visible and less mysterious. Connecticut residents would be less inclined to believe the misinformation and conspiracy theories fed to them by those trying to mislead them.

Journalist Katherine Revello, of CT Inside Investigator, was also honored for writing more than 150 pieces in the last year explaining the Freedom of Information Act and open meetings law.

Colleen M. Murphy, the current executive director and general counsel of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, received a special award for her steadfast advocacy of open government. With 35 years as an FOI attorney and 20 years as the commission’s leader, she is widely respected as a fair, objective, and brilliant attorney, and is a sought-after speaker nationally on government transparency, privacy, and FOI issues.

The honor they all received—the Mitchell W. Pearlman Freedom of Information Award—is named after the first executive director of the state FOI Commission and the father of the state’s FOI Act. He attended the ceremony, standing to the side, smiling.

We will all have a reason to keep smiling if government records, officials, and meetings remain open and accessible.

But “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln understood, will perish from the earth if the abuses out of Washington continue and spread. Democracy will only remain alive if we ensure that “We the People”—all the people—can see, petition, and shape their government.

The heroes honored last week were richly deserving. But they can’t do it alone. We have to be heroes, too.

*David Fink is a Board Member of the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government.*
https://ctmirror.org/2025/10/24/an-open-transparent-accessible-government-protects-everyone/

Soybean farmer says aid announced by Trump falls short as losses mount from trade war

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Last month, President Trump announced that he would use revenue generated by tariffs to bail out American soybean farmers affected by the ongoing trade war with China.

Farmers were expecting around $13 billion in assistance to help offset their losses. However, the administration is only offering a quarter of that amount, leaving many growers concerned about their financial future.

As Lana Zak reports, these farmers are now facing growing financial strain amid the unresolved trade tensions.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/soybean-farmer-says-aid-announced-by-trump-falls-short-as-losses-mount-from-trade-war/