Reuters World News - SNAP cuts, nukes and Halloween

Episode Date: October 31, 2025

Nearly 42 million Americans are about to lose their SNAP food benefits as the government shutdown enters its second month. President Donald Trump orders the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing, and the order causes confusion. And King Charles strips Prince Andrew of his royal title. Plus, trick-or-treating in Washington, D.C. means politically charged Halloween decorations.    Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Halloween. I'm Sharon Reich Garson in New Jersey. It's Friday, October 31st. Today, nearly 42 million Americans lose food benefits as the shutdown drags on. Trump's nuclear testing announcement prompts some confusion. Plus, D.C. gets spooky with some very political Halloween decorations. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. Today marks the last day of food benefits for nearly 42 million people across the United States,

as the government shutdown enters its second month. Reporter Leah Douglas says that while Washington feels the political heat, millions are wondering how they'll feed their families come November. Both Republicans and Democrats have been very clear that losing SNAP benefits in November, will be hugely destructive to the households that depend on these benefits. What varies between the parties is that each blames the other for the situation. Democrats have said that Republicans are to blame, in part because the Trump administration has said it will not use about $5 billion in an emergency fund that could partially pay for

November benefits. Meanwhile, Republicans and the administration have blamed Democrats for withholding their votes on a spending bill, and a banner on the USDA website, the Democrats are holding out for, quote, health care for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures, end quote, in not funding the government. The average household gets $350 a month through SNAP. That's about $170 per person.

And Leah says some states aren't waiting for Congress. They're stepping in to protect their residents. So Vermont, lawmakers have approved enough money for two weeks of November, and Virginia declared a state of emergency to pay for at least a month of benefits if needed. But the rest of the states pointed to a couple of factors for why they can't do that. And one is simply the cost. I've spoken to several SNAP recipients that have expressed a lot of alarm and concern about what will happen to them in their households in November. For instance, Roma Hammonds, who lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she took custody

of her grandchildren five years ago and has relied on SNAP to feed her family of four, receiving about $560 in monthly benefits. And when I asked her what her family will do starting Saturday when benefits expire, she said, I really don't know. Trump wants to ditch the Senate filibuster rule and dodge a Democratic roadblock during the shutdown. He posted on social media saying, it's time for Republicans to play their Trump card, and, quote, get rid of the filibuster and get rid of it now.

And just a reminder, the filibuster is the Senate rule that requires 60 out of 100 members to agree before most legislation can pass. Meanwhile, President Trump's surprise order for the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing has created some confusion. In his truth's social post, Trump said he's ordering the tests, quote, because of other country's testing programs, but no other nuclear power other than North Korea back in 2017 has carried out explosive nuclear testing in over 25 years.

Our national security correspondent Jonathan Landy says the specifics of Trump's order remain unclear. Where would the U.S. immediately resume testing? The U.S. used to test regularly hundreds of underground nuclear devices at the Nevada test site, but it hasn't done so since 1992. The site is badly contaminated, and there are estimates that it would take up to at least three years for the U.S. to rebuild the infrastructure at the Nevada site to resume underground explosive nuclear tests. Or was he talking about testing nuclear-capable weapons, ICBMs, nuclear-capable cruise missiles?

it's really unclear what he was referring to. Landy says Trump's order comes as China expands its own nuclear arsenal. Beijing has repeatedly rejected calls to enter into a three-way arms control agreement with the U.S. and Russia. This could be an attempt by Trump to put pressure on China to reconsider its stand. The other question is the United States has had a moratorium on underground explosive tests of nuclear devices, since 1992, and that moratorium was codified in law the following year by Congress. So if the Trump administration intends to restart underground explosive nuclear tests, that would violate that law.

The U.S. is also partial to a U.N. treaty that banned atmospheric tests to limit fallout from nuclear weapons. And it was signed also by the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. Russia says it hopes Trump knows Moscow has no intention of resuming nuclear tests. And this morning, Reuters is exclusively reporting that Russia's been firing a missile at Ukraine that was banned under a Cold War treaty that Donald Trump pulled out of back in 2019. Ukraine says Russia's launched the 9M-729 cruise missile 23 times since August. Washington has said the missile was being developed in the United States.

secret and that it violated the treaty because it could fly way beyond the 500-kilometer limit, which Russia denied. The missile can carry a nuclear or a conventional warhead. One fired on October 5th flew over 1,200 kilometers into Ukraine. Russia's defense ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. President Trump is capping U.S. refugee admissions at 7,500 for next year, the lowest number ever. He wants to prioritize white South African farmers saying they're being persecuted in Black majority South Africa, a claim the government denies. Democrats say the move is illegal because Trump never consulted Congress. China's overdependence on investment and exports to power its $19 trillion economy appears to have reached a limit. Beijing is signaling a sharper

pivot to supporting consumption over the next five years and raising its share in GDP. This week, the Communist Party leadership pledged to raise public service spending, step up consumer-focused policies, and improve household to income distribution. Andrew will be stripped of his royal title and forced to move out of his Windsor home. That's according to Buckingham Palace. King Charles's decision to cut his brother loose comes as the the royal family seek to distance themselves from Andrew's links to Jeffrey Epstein. He'll now be known as Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor.

And finally, it's Halloween, which for Washington, D.C., means some very spooky and highly political decorations. Halloween displays with a political edge have long been a seasonal tradition in the heavily Democratic city. This year, 10 months into Trump's second term, some residents are using the holiday to protest what they see as threats to democracy. One house has a skeleton in a Trump wig, dressed as a clown, with the sign, elect a clown, expect a circus. Christine Payne, who's actually the next-door neighbor of RFK Jr., has a skeleton in her window with the sign,

Wish I had taken my vaccine. It's been a very good neighbor. It's very pleasant. We have no complaints, But I don't agree with his politics. So stance on shots is a little bit disconcerning, I would say. And for your recommended listen, check out our latest episode of On Assignment with Christopher Wall Jasper, out tomorrow. He takes a look at the relationship between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and President Donald Trump, how it's shaped America's stance on Venezuela,

and what it means for those caught in the crosshairs. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. And if you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.