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Moderate Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill cruised to comfortable victories in the Virginia and New Jersey governors’ elections on Tuesday, on an election night seen as a referendum on Donald Trump’s second presidential term.Pitting centrist Democrats against Trump-aligned Republicans, both elections were seen as signaling whether middle-of-the-road voters had made peace with the president’s radical cost-slashing agenda — or plan to give his party a bloody nose in 2026.Trump has driven a steamroller through the federal bureaucracy since returning to office in January, shuttering entire agencies and cutting an estimated 200,000 jobs even before the government shutdown.Spanberger’s win in Virginia — which is second only to California in the size of its federal workforce — was no surprise, as polls had shown her holding a steady lead of seven to 12 points throughout the campaign.The former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman was projected to beat Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran and staunch Trump ally, by a comfortable margin that makes her Virginia’s first-ever female governor. “You all chose leadership that will focus relentlessly on what matters most — lowering costs, keeping our communities safe and strengthening our economy for every Virginian,” Spanberger said in her victory speech.- Pledge to stand against Trump -Casting herself as a bulwark against Trump’s aggressive federal downsizing, Spanberger vowed to be “a governor who will stand up” for the thousands of federal workers laid off by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.Earle-Sears ran a campaign aimed at firing up conservatives, mirroring the playbook of outgoing, term-limited Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to focus on culture war issues such as transgender athletes and abortion.In New Jersey, Democratic former Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill was also seen as the favorite, although she was locked in a closer battle with Republican businessman Jack Ciattarelli.The race became increasingly tight in the home stretch, with some polling showing it as a margin-of-error tussle that could go either way.But Trump’s decision to freeze funding for the Hudson Tunnel project — a vital link between New Jersey and New York — was seen as an important boost for Sherrill, who had built up a double-digit lead by the time her race was called. On a pivotal day in US democracy, with elections at various levels of government taking place across the country, Pennsylvanians were picking new state supreme court justices while California was delivering its verdict on redistricting measure Proposition 50.California Governor Gavin Newsom spearheaded the plan to redraw congressional districts in response to Trump pressuring Texas into a rare and contentious mid-decade redistricting.The Texas move, aimed at yielding five more Republican seats in the closely divided US Congress, would likely be canceled out by approval for Proposition 50 in left-leaning California. 

Opening arguments will begin in Chicago on Wednesday in the first civil trial against US aviation giant Boeing over the 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX aircraft, which killed 157 people, after a full day of jury selection.  Five women and three men will serve on the jury in the proceedings, which got underway Monday at a federal court. The jury will rule on the suits filed by family members of 155 victims between April 2019 and March 2021, alleging wrongful death and negligence, among other claims.On four prior occasions, attorneys reached last-minute settlements that averted a trial, and an out-of-court settlement remains possible even during the trial. Each side will have 90 minutes on Wednesday to present its case. Judge Jorge Alonso, who is overseeing all civil claims tied to the accident, allowed lawyers on Tuesday to participate in the process, Robert Clifford, lead counsel for one of the plaintiffs, told AFP. “I think his goal was to get as unbiased a jury as he could obtain,” he said. “Even if he asked a lot more questions than maybe would be normal… it wouldn’t have surprised me that a case as complex as this could easily have taken two days to select a jury.”- ‘Battle lines are drawn’ -Lawyers for Boeing and the families of victims of the fatal crash were originally expecting to give opening statements on Tuesday, but those were pushed to the next day because it took six hours to finish jury selection.As many as 50 potential jurors packed the courtroom on the 19th floor of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Tuesday, while the public filled the pews on the other side.With the jury selected, it is less likely that the two parties will settle the case, Clifford said, adding that the plaintiffs have not talked with the defendants about settling.”The battle lines are drawn and there’s no active negotiations going on,” the lawyer said.The eight-person jury that was picked will be hearing the case concerning the March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight that went down six minutes after departing Addis Ababa for Nairobi, killing all on board.The two principal plaintiffs in the trial are the families of Shikha Garg of New Delhi and Mercy Ndivo of Kenya.Garg had been a consultant for the United Nations Development Program who had been traveling to Nairobi for a UN Environment Assembly.She had gotten married three months earlier and had planned to travel with her husband, who canceled his flight at the last minute because of a professional meeting. Garg had attended the landmark 2015 UN climate talks in Paris.Ndivo and her husband, who also died in the crash, were parents of a girl who is now almost eight years old. She was returning from London, having attended a graduation ceremony after earning a Masters in Accountancy.Boeing has said it is “deeply sorry” for the Ethiopian Airlines crash and for a separate MAX crash on Lion Air that killed 189 people on a domestic flight in Indonesia in 2018.The American manufacturer has also stressed its commitment to settling cases when possible.The firm has “accepted responsibility for the MAX crashes publicly and in civil litigation because the design of the MCAS… contributed to these events,” a Boeing lawyer said last October.The MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) flight stabilizing software was implicated in both the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes.Boeing also faced dozens of complaints from Lion Air family victims. Just one case remains open.

First pressuring South Africa, and now threatening Nigeria, President Donald Trump is letting US domestic politics steer his policy on Africa — boding ill for foreign governments hit with his fury.Trump last week said he would put Nigeria on a blacklist on religious freedom over treatment of Christians — a long-running demand of evangelicals who are one of his most loyal bases — but took a stunning turn by also threatening military action against Africa’s most populous nation.Trump’s sudden intervention comes despite otherwise showing limited interest in sub-Saharan Africa, which in his first term he was the first president in recent times not to visit.Trump has highlighted US diplomacy in securing a fragile peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but largely in the context of boasting that he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize and of the United States securing mineral wealth.Nigeria has witnessed years of deadly clashes between mostly Christian farmers and Fulani Muslim herders.The violence centers on clashes over dwindling resources, although on the surface it falls along ethnic and religious lines.”It is incredibly irresponsible of President Trump to threaten military action,” said Representatives Gregory Meeks and Sara Jacobs, the top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Africa subcommittee respectively.”Providing security support is one thing; threatening military intervention to ‘defend Christians’ is a reckless response to distorted facts which risks embroiling the United States in another war,” they said in a joint statement.Republicans who champion the evangelical movement applauded Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” on religious freedom, which can carry sanctions, although they steered clear of cheering on military intervention.The blacklisting is a “critical step in holding accountable and changing the behavior of Nigerian officials who have facilitated and created an environment conducive to the outrages in Nigeria,” Senator Ted Cruz said.- Evangelical narrative as ‘Gospel’ -Pauline Bax, an Africa expert at the International Crisis Group, which supports conflict resolution, said that pressure groups had been key in channeling information on Africa to the Trump administration, which has sidelined traditional diplomats.”In the US, there’s a surge of what you could call Christian nationalism, partly fueled by the Trump administration. So I think conflict in Africa risks being sometimes framed in that light,” she said.Cameron Hunter, a former Africa director on the National Security Council, said that Trump’s base has invested in the narrative of Christians as persecuted, both at home and abroad.”They’re applying a kind of parochial worldview to, in this case, Nigeria. But it could be Iraq tomorrow, or the Philippines, or any other country. It just so happens that they spun the wheel and it landed on Nigeria,” he said.”The problem is that this presidency isn’t questioning the analysis of the Christian Right. They’re literally taking their assessment of this conflict for Gospel.”Following South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu requested a meeting with Trump to clear the air.The White House visit went disastrously for Ramaphosa, who was played footage by Trump who alleged a “genocide” against the white minority by the post-apartheid government, a narrative promoted online by white nationalists.Hudson said meeting Trump would be the “absolute wrong move” for Tinubu, seeing that the US leader has shown he is not willing to accept explanations from others.Instead, Hudson said Nigeria could leverage Trump’s anger by asking for more security assistance to help fight Boko Haram militants.The United States is inching toward sending attack helicopters approved for Nigeria in 2022. The Trump administration in August approved another $346 million arms sale to Nigeria.Nigeria has “a very real interest in combating Boko Haram and extremist threats in the country,” Hudson said.”If the Nigerians were smart, they would look for ways to use these threats and turn them into a cooperative arrangement that actually helps them.”

At least three people died and 11 more were injured after a UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Tuesday from Louisville International Airport in Kentucky, exploding into flames as it crashed into businesses adjacent to the airport, sending a massive plume of black smoke over the area. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 departing for Hawaii crashed at around 5:15 p.m. local time (2215 GMT). Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told a press briefing that he expected the number of dead and injured was going to rise, with the current toll including only those on the ground that were currently accounted for.UPS said in a statement that three crew members were on board the aircraft, adding that “we have not confirmed any injuries/casualties.”Beshear said the status of the three crew members was unknown and said that he was “very concerned” for them.The cause of the crash was under investigation by the FAA and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Video shared by local broadcaster WLKY appears to show the aircraft’s left engine on fire as it tried to lift off.Louisville serves as the main US air hub for UPS, according to a company fact sheet. The package delivery giant travels to more than 200 countries via nearly 2,000 flights per day, with a fleet of 516 aircraft. UPS owns 294 of those planes and hires the rest through short-term leases or charters. Aerial footage of the crash site showed a long trail of debris as firefighters blasted water on the flames, with smoke billowing from the disaster area.Governor Beshear said the aircraft hit a petroleum recycling facility “pretty directly.”- Government shutdown -The crash comes amid one of the longest government shutdowns in US history, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning of “mass chaos” earlier Tuesday due to a lack of air traffic control staff. “You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers,” Duffy told reporters.In a statement on X, Duffy called footage of the crash “heartbreaking,” adding: “Please join me in prayer for the Louisville community and flight crew impacted by this horrific crash.”In January, an American Eagle airliner hit a military Black Hawk outside Washington’s Ronald Reagan airport, killing 67 people.That crash, which ended the United States’ 16-year streak of no fatal commercial air crashes, has added to concerns about the US air traffic control system, which some regard as an understaffed operation beset by problems with old equipment.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger will be the first woman to run the US state of Virginia after winning back the governor’s mansion from Republicans Tuesday, US media projected — in voters’ first verdict on Donald Trump’s return to office.  While the high-profile mayoral contest in New York City grabbed the headlines, the race in Virginia — alongside a gubernatorial election in New Jersey — was seen as offering a sharper critique of Trump 2.0 and a clearer preview of how next year’s midterm elections might play out.Pitting centrist Democrats against Trump-aligned Republicans, both elections were seen as signaling whether middle-of-the-road voters had made peace with the president’s radical cost-slashing agenda — or plan to give his party a bloody nose in 2026.Trump has driven a steamroller through the federal bureaucracy since returning to office in January, shuttering entire agencies and cutting an estimated 200,000 jobs even before the government shutdown.The result in Virginia — which is second only to California in the size of its federal workforce — was no surprise, as polls had shown Spanberger holding a steady lead of seven to 12 points throughout the campaign.The former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman was projected to beat Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran and staunch Trump ally, by a comfortable margin that even threatened to end in double digits. “All year, Virginians have seen our economy come under attack, jobs get ripped away, and prices skyrocket,” Spanberger posted on social media before the polls closed.”They’re tired of the chaos. They’re ready for a Governor who will be laser-focused on growing our economy and lowering costs — a Governor who will put them first.”- Tighter race -Casting herself as a bulwark against Trump’s aggressive federal downsizing, Spanberger vowed to be “a governor who will stand up” for the thousands of federal workers laid off by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.Earle-Sears ran a campaign aimed at firing up conservatives, mirroring the playbook of outgoing, term-limited Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to focus on culture war issues such as transgender athletes and abortion.In another first, Ghazala Hashmi was projected to beat Republican talk show host John Reid in the Virginia lieutenant governor’s race, becoming the first Muslim woman to win a statewide race in US history. In New Jersey — which was due to be called later Tuesday — Democratic former Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill was also seen as the favorite, but locked in a tighter battle with Republican businessman Jack Ciattarelli. Trump’s decision to freeze funding for the Hudson Tunnel project — a vital link between New Jersey and New York — was seen as a boost for Sherrill, who has vowed to “fight this tooth and nail.” On a pivotal day in US democracy, with elections at various levels of government taking place across the country, Pennsylvanians were picking new state supreme court justices while California was delivering its verdict on redistricting measure Proposition 50.California Governor Gavin Newsom spearheaded the plan to redraw congressional districts in response to Trump pressuring Texas into a rare and contentious mid-decade redistricting.The Texas move, aimed at yielding five more Republican seats in the closely divided US Congress, would likely be canceled out by approval for Proposition 50 in left-leaning California. 

Californians were voting Tuesday in a ballot measure likely to further tilt the liberal state towards the Democrats, as the party seeks to neutralize gerrymandering ordered by President Donald Trump.Governor Gavin Newsom and his allies want voters to approve a temporary re-drawing of electoral districts that could give the Democratic Party five more seats in the scramble for control of the US Congress in next year’s midterm elections.They say they are only doing it to level the playing field after Texas Republicans pushed through their own redistricting — under White House pressure — to help maintain a narrow Congressional majority that has so far given Trump carte blanche.Republicans say it is a naked power grab that will disenfranchise the party’s voters in California, a state where they are heavily outnumbered by Democrats.Unsurprisingly in today’s America, one figure looms over the proceedings, with a finger perpetually hovering over the caps lock.”The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,” Trump wrote on his social media site on Tuesday.That prompted a now-customary zinger from Newsom, who is staking his claim to Democratic leadership — and a likely White House shot — on standing up to Trump.”The ramblings of an old man that knows he’s about to LOSE,” the governor wrote.- Gerrymandering -Electoral districts across the US are traditionally drawn following the national census taken every ten years, theoretically so the electoral map reflects the people who live there.In reality, most boundaries are party political decisions, so whichever grouping is in power at the time gets to set the rules for the next decade’s contests.California did away with such partisan gerrymandering under former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, giving the power instead to an independent panel. But if “Proposition 50” passes on Tuesday, politically drawn boundaries will take effect for all elections until the next census, when the panel will once again determine the maps.The vote is “a political ink-blot test,” Los Angeles Times columnist Mark Barbarak wrote Monday.”A reasoned attempt to even things out in response to Texas’ attempt to nab five more congressional seats. Or a ruthless gambit to drive the California GOP to near-extinction.”What many California voters see depends on, politically, where they stand.”People at the polls in Los Angeles on Tuesday said the vote was about fighting back against Republican shenanigans elsewhere in the country.”I’ll take anything we can get, anything we can get. We got to sometimes use the methods they’re using, whatever will get us moving forward,” Casey Mason told AFP.Makela Yepez said he wasn’t particularly pleased that the state’s independent boundary commission was taking a temporary back seat, but felt the ends justified the means.”I think we’re using the tools that are at our disposal, and I think we have to have faith that it’s going to work,” he said.

A new lawsuit alleges streaming giant Spotify turns a blind eye to vast networks of bots that inflate streaming figures to benefit megastars such as Drake at the expense of lesser-known artists.The legal action, filed in a US federal court on Sunday, claims the Canadian rapper gets millions of dollars in revenue from such fake streams, while Spotify garners significant commercial value from appearing to have more users than it really does.”This mass-scale fraudulent streaming causes massive financial harm to legitimate artists, songwriters, producers and other rightsholders,” says the lawsuit, filed by rapper RBX — Snoop Dogg’s cousin.Spotify uses a pro-rata model to pay artists from a central pot of income derived from subscriptions and advertising.Inflated streaming figures for high-profile performers would therefore diminish the proportion of money available for other artists.”Data analysis shows that billions of fraudulent streams have been generated with respect to songs of ‘the most streamed artist of all time,’…professionally known as Drake,” the suit says.”But while the streaming fraud with respect to Drake’s songs may be one example, it does not stand alone.”The class action suit — in which Drake is not named as a defendant and which does not allege any wrongdoing on the part of the “One Dance” hitmaker — is “brought on behalf of Plaintiff and a similarly situated class of music recording artists, song writers, performers, and other music rights holders.””Plaintiff gives a voice to more than one hundred thousand rightsholders who, among other things, may be unable or too afraid to challenge Spotify, a powerful force in the music business whose failure to act has caused significant problems and great financial harm.”Spotify is the only defendant named in the suit, which focuses on the company’s alleged unwillingness to clamp down on fraud.”To satisfy constant pressure from shareholders to grow the business and increase stock prices, Spotify needs an ever-expanding population of users to engage on its platform,” the suit says.”The more users (including fake users) Spotify has, the more advertisements it can sell, the more profits the company can report, all of which serves to increase the purported value delivered to shareholders.”The suspicion of streaming fraud has beset services like Spotify since they displaced downloads as the main way music is consumed.A company spokesperson told AFP that they were unable to comment on pending litigation, but denied Spotify benefited from such fraud.”We heavily invest in always-improving, best-in-class systems to combat it and safeguard artist payouts with strong protections like removing fake streams, withholding royalties, and charging penalties,” the spokesperson said.The lawsuit is not the first legal action on streaming fraud.Last year Drake accused record label Universal Music of conspiring to inflate streaming figures for a diss track by rival Kendrick Lamar.That case — part of a high-profile beef between the two men — was dismissed in October. Drake is appealing the decision.

Global stocks mostly fell Tuesday as investors weighed the recent tech rally on Wall Street against growing fears of an AI bubble and concerns over the US interest-rate outlook.A flood of multibillion-dollar investment into artificial intelligence has been a key driver of the surge in mostly technology equities across the globe this year, sending valuations to record highs.But there is increasing speculation that tech-led gains may have gone too far and a painful correction could be on the way.”Wall Street CEOs have also put investors on notice for a correction in the next 1-2 years,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB.”It seems like the investment community has taken heed of this message,” she added.Shares of Palantir slumped 8.0 percent despite the company reporting a 63 percent surge in revenues to $1.2 billion, enabling profits of more than three times the year-ago level.”We have very high expectations with respect to what the future has in store for AI stocks,” said Adam Sarhan of 50 Park Investments.”The second big concern is the fact that there’s lack of (momentum) in other areas in the market” besides AI, he said.US chipmaker Nvidia and Deutsche Telekom, meanwhile, said a one-billion-euro ($1.1 billion) industrial artificial intelligence hub would soon be launched in Germany, Europe’s latest bid to catch up in the global AI race.This came a day after ChatGPT-maker OpenAI signed a $38 billion deal with Amazon’s AWS cloud computing arm.Wall Street’s main indices retreated on Tuesday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite finishing down more than two percent.In Europe, the Paris and Frankfurt stock markets ended lower.The British pound retreated against the dollar after finance minister Rachel Reeves hinted at tax rises in a pre-budget speech.That helped London’s FTSE 100 index that includes many multinationals whose earnings are inflated by a weak pound, and which finished the day slightly higher. The weakness in North America and Europe tracked a lackluster day in Asia, with Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai stocks falling.Cautious remarks from US Federal Reserve officials did little to provide support for further buying after the central bank’s chief, Jerome Powell, indicated last week that a third rate cut this year was not definite.Data on Monday indicated some further weakness in the US economy, with a key gauge of activity in the manufacturing sector contracting more than expected and for an eighth straight month in October as demand and output weakened.In company news, shares in British energy giant BP were flat after a drop in oil prices on Tuesday overshadowed its strong earnings report.Crude prices shed over half a percent as the market anticipated oversupply.”The oil price slid amid ongoing concerns about oversupply despite OPEC+’s decision to pause output increases early next year,” said analyst Axel Rudolph at IG trading platform.Shares of biotech company Metsera soared more than 20 percent after it disclosed that it received a fresh takeover bid from Novo Nordisk of about $10 billion that topped a raised bid from Pfizer to about $8.1 billion. Pfizer shed 1.4 percent.- Key figures at around 2120 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 47,085.24 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 1.2 percent at 6,771.55 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 2.0 percent at 23,348.64 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,714.96 (close) Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,067.53 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.8 percent at 23,949.11 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.7 percent at 51,497.20 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.8 percent at 25,952.40 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,960.19 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1479 from $1.1520 on MondayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3019 from $1.3140Dollar/yen: DOWN at 153.66 yen from 154.22 yenEuro/pound: UP at 88.17 pence from 87.66 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.8 percent at $60.56 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.7 percent at $64.44 per barrelburs-jmb/md

The US government shutdown entered its 35th day on Tuesday, matching a record set during Donald Trump’s first presidency, as his administration warned of potential chaos at airports going into one of the busiest travel periods of the year.The federal closure appears almost certain to become the longest in history, with no major breakthroughs expected before it goes into its sixth week at midnight — although there were fragile signs in Congress that an off-ramp was closer than ever.The government has been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and pain has been mounting as welfare programs — including aid that helps millions of Americans afford groceries — hang in limbo.About 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, have been placed on enforced leave without pay or made to work for nothing.The Trump administration sounded the alarm Tuesday over turmoil at airports nationwide if the shutdown drags into a sixth week, worsening staff shortages, snarling airport lines and closing down sections of airspace.”So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos… You will see mass flight delays,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told a news conference in Philadelphia.”You’ll see mass cancelations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”Thanksgiving air travel is expected to set a new record this year, the AAA projected — with 5.8 million people set to fly domestically over the November 27 holiday. More than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay, and the White House has warned that increasing absenteeism could mean chaos at check-in lines.  Airport workers calling in sick rather than working without pay — leading to significant delays — was a major factor in Trump bringing an end to the 2019 shutdown, the joint-longest alongside the current stoppage.Some lawmakers are hoping a slew of elections taking place in New York, Virginia, New Jersey and California on Tuesday will provide the momentum they need to reopen the government. But both sides remain dug in over the main sticking point — health care spending.- ‘Defiance’ -Democrats say they will only provide votes to end the funding lapse after a deal has been struck to extend expiring insurance subsidies that make health care affordable for millions of Americans.But Republicans insist they will only address health care once Democrats have voted to switch the lights back on in Washington.While both sides’ leadership have shown little appetite for compromise, there have been signs of life on the back benches, with a handful of moderate Democrats working to find an escape hatch.A separate bipartisan group of four centrist House members unveiled a compromise framework Monday for lowering health insurance costs.Democrats believe that millions of Americans seeing skyrocketing premiums as they enroll onto health insurance programs for next year will pressure Republicans into seeking compromise.But Trump has held firm on refusing to negotiate, telling CBS News in an interview broadcast Sunday that he would “not be extorted.” The president has sought to apply his own pressure to force Democrats to cave, by threatening mass layoffs of federal workers and using the shutdown to target progressive priorities.Last week, his administration threatened to cut off a vital aid program that helps 42 million Americans pay for groceries for the first time in its more than 60-year history, before the move was blocked by two courts.Trump nevertheless insisted Tuesday — in apparent defiance of the court orders — that the food aid would be disbursed only after the government shutdown ends.The White House later clarified, however, that it was “fully complying” with its legal obligations and was working to get partial SNAP payments “out the door as much as we can and as quickly as we can.”

New Yorkers looked set to elect a young Muslim leftist as mayor Tuesday as US voters cast judgment for the first time on Donald Trump’s tumultuous second presidency in nationwide local elections.While Zohran Mamdani’s rise has dominated headlines, elections for governor in Virginia and New Jersey could also be revealing gauges of the US political mood nearly 10 months since Trump’s return to the White House.Democratic wins in those states may indicate a revived opposition ahead of next year’s midterm elections to decide control of Congress.In New York, Mamdani, aged just 34, is a self-described socialist who was virtually unknown before his upset victory to secure the Democratic nomination.He has focused on reducing living costs for ordinary New Yorkers, building support through his informal personal style and social-media-friendly clips of him walking the streets chatting with voters.Unabashedly playing the race card, President Trump on Tuesday labelled Mamdani, who would be New York’s first Muslim mayor, as a “Jew hater.””Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!” the Republican president posted on his social media platform.Mamdani was on about 44 percent in latest polls, several points ahead of former state governor Andrew Cuomo who is running as an independent.Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels citizen crime patrol group, was on 24 percent — a margin that could sway the vote if enough of his backers shifted to Cuomo. Turnout by midday, with nine hours of voting remaining was 1.195 million, exceeding the total of 1.14 million votes cast in 2021, which saw the election of current Mayor Eric Adams who bowed out when his reelection campaign was hit by scandals and corruption allegations. He endorsed Cuomo, 67.Denise Gibbs, 46, a doctor of physiotherapy, voted at a school in Brooklyn.”I sure hope it improves the city. I want to see it decrease divisiveness and increase livelihoods of working-class households and services for children,” she said, wearing green scrubs.Polls close at 9:00 pm (0200 GMT Wednesday).- Mamdani’s improbable rise -The race has centered on cost of living, crime and how each candidate would handle Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funds from New York.Syracuse University political science professor Grant Reeher said a Mamdani win would set up a clash with Trump.”Trump will treat New York City more aggressively,” he said. “There will be some kind of political showdown.”Mamdani’s improbable rise highlights the Democratic Party’s debate over a centrist or a leftist future.”I think that this has to be a party that actually allows Americans to see themselves in it,” Mamdani said last week.But Cuomo said there was “a civil war in the Democratic Party.” “You have an extreme radical left that is run by the socialists that is challenging what they would call moderate Democrats. I’m a moderate Democrat,” he said after voting.In New Jersey, Democratic Party candidate Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, faces off against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a businessman backed by Trump.In Virginia’s race for governor, Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger has been polling ahead of Virginia’s Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.Both sides wheeled out big guns, with former president Barack Obama rallying support for Spanberger and Sherrill over the weekend and Trump scheduling tele-rallies for both Virginia and New Jersey on the eve of voting.Obama also reportedly spoke to Mamdani over the weekend but — reflecting the internal party debate — held off endorsing him.Emailed bomb threats involving polling stations across New Jersey forced the brief closure of several sites, said state Attorney General Matthew Platkin. Mamdani called the threats “incredibly concerning.” “It’s an illustration of the attacks we are seeing on our democracy,” he said after voting in Astoria, Queens.