Former VP Dick Cheney dies; Election Day races : NPR
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Dick Cheney, widely considered the most powerful vice president in American history, died yesterday.according to a statement from his family. He was 84 years old. The cause of death was complications of pneumonia and heart and vascular disease, the statement added. Learn more about his life and legacy here.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who extolled the power of the presidency, died Monday at the age of 84, his family said in a statement.
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Alex Wong/Getty Images
Voting ends today in a series of closely watched races across the United States. – including the New York mayoral election and the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. In California, a special election on redistricting could have national implications, as it could help determine which party takes power in Congress next year. Here’s a closer look at the four races to watch.
- 🎧 Many Democratic candidates are favored to winbut there are significant differences between them, says NPR’s Ashley Lopez. First. In New York, front-runner Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, and Abigail Spanberger, who could become Virginia’s first female governor, represent different parts of the Democratic coalition.
- ➡️ Keep up to date with the latest news on the 2025 elections here.
Trump administration says it will restart SNAPthe national food aid program, using funds from a contingency fund of the Ministry of Agriculture. The money will allow recipients to receive partial payments. It’s unclear when low-income families who rely on the program will receive these funds, as the administration anticipates significant delays. In the meantime, communities across the country are taking steps to fill this gap.
- 🎧The contingency fund has approximately $4.5 billion, which will allow the administration to pay citizens half of the benefits. they usually receive, NPR’s Jennifer Ludden reports. In a court filing yesterday, a USDA official said some state processing systems are decades old, which could cause delays in benefit distribution of weeks or even months. The administration notes that because it is depleting its contingency fund, there is no money to enroll new people in SNAP this month.
Around 375,000 more people are starving in war-torn Sudanwith many of these people in Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces, the group opposing the government, reportedly moved into El Fasher in the Darfur region, killed many people and put the rest in danger.
- 🎧 NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu says the city has been under siege by the RSF for a year and a half. Residents were forced to eat food and animal skins while community kitchens were bombed. According to the UN, around 70,000 people fled, but fewer than 10,000 have been found. The majority of those who managed to escape are women who saw their loved ones shot and tortured, according to organizations helping them.
- 🎧 Hear more about what’s happening in the big cityas well as the thoughts of Emi Mahmoud, a Sudanese-American poet, who grew up in El Fasher and watches from afar.
Deep dive
Members of the National Guard patrol near the U.S. Capitol in March in Washington.
Éric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images
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Éric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images
Members of the National Guard patrol near the U.S. Capitol in March in Washington.
Éric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images
For years, President Trump and several senior officials in his second administration have discussed using the National Guard to help with mass deportations and immigration raids. This consideration arises despite U.S. laws that generally prohibit the use of the military to enforce domestic law. During Trump’s second term, he and Stephen Miller, his right-hand man on immigration, considered invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow the president to deploy the military to the United States in specific circumstances. Legal experts, activists and watchdog groups now fear that the Trump administration will fundamentally change how the military operates on U.S. soil.
- ➡️ The idea is part of Project 2025, a conservative action plan.
- ➡️ Miller has publicly promoted the concept for years, most notably in 2023 on the late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s podcast.
- ➡️ Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, says she is concerned about what the troop presence could mean for voters as they cast their ballots in the upcoming 2026 election.
Learn more about why Trump’s troop deployment isn’t random here.
Image exhibition
“So, what’s my name? Attention! I’m Black Freddie, and I’m blaaaack. Ha ha ha ha ha. Even as we get older, there’s an inner child… that’s inside us. They’re us, you know. We’re still them because the inner child lives inside us,” said Antwone Coward dressed as Black Freddy Krueger at New York Comic Con in 2024.
Isaac Campbell for NPR
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Isaac Campbell for NPR
Black and Caribbean cosplayers say they find New York Comic Con exciting because it’s a safe space that welcomes geeks and nerds of all backgrounds. Many told NPR that they grew up feeling isolated, both within their own community and among other cosplayers. For four days, NYCC made them feel valued and seen. Check out photos of cosplayers reuniting with their community at Comic Con.
3 things to know before you leave
Tylenol, which contains acetaminophen, has been at the center of a controversial claim that it is linked to autism.
Scott Olson/Getty Images North America
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Scott Olson/Getty Images North America
- Consumer giant Kimberly-Clark, which makes Huggies diapers and Kleenex tissues, is buying Kenvue, the company that makes Tylenol and Band-Aids, in a merger deal valued at nearly $49 billion.
- Rates of chronic absenteeism in primary and secondary schools, which nearly doubled during the pandemic, are finally showing steady signs of improvement, according to a new report.
- The Trump administration is reviewing the safety of a common vaccine additive containing aluminum, raising concerns among public health experts that it may try to eliminate the ingredient.
This newsletter was published by Majd Al-Waheidi.
