The United States Department of Agriculture announced on October 26th, 2025, that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not be issued on November 1st due to the ongoing government shutdown, stating "the well has run dry." This development occurred within the reporting window of October 26th, 2025, 10:15:04 PM to 10/26/2025, 11:15:04 PM UTC. In New Jersey, early in-person voting data released on October 26th, 2025, shows a shift favoring Democrats. On the first day of early voting, 35,533 Republicans and 38,060 Democrats cast ballots, resulting in a Democratic raw vote edge of 2,527 (2.79%). According to reporting from MichaelPruser on X, this represents a 1.6% leftward shift compared to the first day of early voting in 2024. E_DataGuy on X also reported that as of October 24th, 2025, a total of 439,554 ballots had been cast before early in-person voting began, with Mikie Sherrill leading Jack Ciattarelli by 7.64%. Further data from October 26th indicates Mikie Sherrill's lead has narrowed to 5.15% over Jack Ciattarelli, with the "Democratic firewall" rising to 191,380 votes. Separately, Congressman Jared Golden's stance on the government shutdown was highlighted by Representative Don Bacon on X, who stated that Democrats are driving the shutdown to appease "Far Left groups." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking on CBS News's Face the Nation on October 26th, 2025, labeled Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev "a Russian propagandist." In New York City, mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa was seen campaigning with supporters holding his signs in Brooklyn, as reported by Leeroypress on X. A car rally for Sliwa was also noted in Whitestone, according to the New York Post. Meanwhile, Forest Hills Stadium was reportedly filling up for an event featuring Mamdani, with approximately 13,000 attendees expected, according to JCColtin on X, who also listed several political figures in attendance. Past reporting from October 26th, 2025, indicated that the Trump administration had secured trade agreements with Cambodia and Malaysia and frameworks with Thailand and Vietnam. Concurrently, Senator Lindsey Graham stated the U.S. would employ military force against foreign drug cartels. Lawyers representing an individual in a Chicago case challenged a statement from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin regarding Border Patrol's use of tear gas, calling it "a lie." The State Department also announced visa revocations for individuals supporting terrorism.
