National
The longest government shutdown in history – forty-three days – came to an end on November 12, as the U.S. Senate received the necessary amount of Democratic votes to pass the stopgap with a 60-vote majority – avoiding Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-SD) potential use of the “nuclear” option to pass the resolution with a simple majority.
November 9 saw a bipartisan agreement negotiated, with Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Angus King (I-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) all break from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-Park Slope) prerogative. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is the only Republican who did not vote in favor of the stopgap.
The negotiated bill will fund the government until January 30; fund full-year appropriations for military construction and Veterans’ affairs, Congress, and the Department of Agriculture, the last of which oversees food stamps; kick in $203.5 million for members of Congress’ security; $852 million for Capitol Police; fund the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) through FY2026; grant backpay for about 4,000 furloughed federal employees; and prevent the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from instituting mass layoffs until January 30, among other initiatives.
The bill also allows for Senators to sue the federal government for at least $500,000 in statutory damages if their records and/or devices are collected by investigators without their knowledge. It is set to apply retroactively on January 1, 2022, just months before the Arctic Frost investigation. Arctic Frost is an investigation that, within the context of the questions around the 2020 election, saw the issuing of 197 subpoenas for records on about 430 Republican individuals and entities.
The shutdown saw an estimated furloughed of about 900,000 employees, with an additional 700,000 remanded to work without pay, according to the Partnership for Public Service.
In the redistricting “arms race”, Indiana Senate Republicans say there aren’t enough votes to advance a GOP gerrymander that would axe the two lone Democratic seats in the Hoosier State’s U.S. House delegation.
In Kansas, lawmakers say they won’t pursue a special session to shuffle their maps to oust four-term Congresswoman Sharice Davids (D- KS-03), the only Democratic member of the Sunflower State’s delegation. However, they saw that the issue will be a “top priority” for the Kansas State Legislature come the start of the regular session in January, according to Senate President Ty Masterson (R).
Meanwhile, Maryland Democrats remain intent on shuffling their maps to draw out the Old Line State’s lone GOP member, Congressman Andy Harris (R, MD-01). Governor Wes Moore (D-MD) created a redistricting advisory commission after Texas Republicans kicked off the national “arms race” in August.
However, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) opposes the effort, citing concerns that a 9D-0R gerrymander could face judicial scrutiny from the Maryland Supreme Court – a bench where five of the seven justices were appointed by former Governor Larry Hogan (R). Maryland Democrats attempted such a gerrymander during regular redistricting in 2021, but the map was struck down.
The most significant redistricting development thus far this week is in Utah, where Utah District Court Judge Dianna Gibson tossed a GOP-drawn map that would have created two competitive, albeit red-leaning seats, a stark difference from the current 4R-0D map that constitutes four solidly-red districts.
In other electoral news, New York City isn’t the only major American city with a socialist mayor-elect.
Democrat Katie Wilson upset one-term Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell (D) on November 4. The margin was razor-thin; Wilson unseated Harrell 50.20% to 49.47%.
Wilson is the co-founder and executive director of the Transit Riders Union, an organization that seeks to bolster public transportation and workers’ rights. The election essentially came down to a referendum on Proposition 1A versus Proposition 1B, the latter endorsed by the now-defeated Harrell. Proposition 1A created a new business tax to fund social housing. Proposition 1B would have, if passed, appropriated funding for said housing from an existing tax.
The self-described Democratic Socialist will take office on January 1, 2026, and govern the nation’s eighteenth-most populous city for a four-year term.
Judge Gibson instead chose a map that includes a safe-blue seat in the Salt Lake City area. Former Congressman Ben McAdams (D-UT), a moderate Democrat who flipped an old iteration of the SLC-based seat in 2018, is seeking a political comeback in 2026. McAdams was ousted by former NFL safety Burgess Owens (R).
A police officer is in critical condition after a crash involving several police vehicles escorting a motorcade for Vice President J.D. Vance (R-OH) in Marysville, Tennessee, on Saturday evening. The incident happened just outside of Knoxville.
A Maryville police motorcycle and a Tennessee Highway Patrol SUV collided, causing Marysville Police Field Training Officer Justin Brown to sustain critical injuries. A group of citizens immediately rushed in to render life-saving aid.
Also on Saturday, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) received twenty stitches after suffering a fall near his home in the Pittsburgh suburb of Braddock, where he had previously served as mayor. A spokesperson for Fetterman said that the Senator, upon evaluation, had suffered a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that led him to feel light-headed and collapse, resulting in abrasions to his face.
Fetterman has received criticism from the far-left wing of his party for being staunchly outspoken in his support for Israel, as well as being one of the core members of the Senate’s Democratic caucus to vote to reopen the federal government.
State
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) is facing pressure to approve a ban on horseshoe crab farming. She vetoed such a measure last year.
The Assembly version of the bill, A.04997, passed 100-45 with 5 absences. Suffolk delegation Assemblymembers Tommy John Schiavoni (D-North Haven), Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson), Doug Smith (R-Holbrook), Phil Ramos (D-Brentwood), Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills), and Kwani O’Pharrow (D-West Babylon) voted in favor.
Assemblymembers Jodi Giglio (R-Baiting Hollow), Joe DeStefano (R-Medford), Jarett Gandolfo (R-Sayville), Mike Fitzpatrick (R-St. James), Mike Durso (R-Massapequa Park), and Keith Brown (R-Northport) voted against it.
The Senate version of the bill, S.4289, passed 43-16 and earned the support of Suffolk delegation Senators Monica Martinez (D-Brentwood), Mario Mattera (R-St. James), and Alexis Weik (R-Sayville). Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) voted against it, while Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue) had an excused absence.
Proponents argue that the crabs must be protected due to population decline, overfishing, and loss of habitat. Horseshoe crabs play an ecological role in providing food for migratory shore birds, mixing sediment that oxygenate the mudflats, and contributing to coastal health due to their bottom-feeding propensities. Their exoskeletons also provide habitats for other bottom-feeders.
Opponents argue that commercial fishers would be hurt by the ban and that the bill would run counterintuitive to previous legislation that limits the number of crabs used for bait.
Bonnie Brady, Executive Director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, wrote in an op-ed for the National Fisherman last month, that the ban would “devastate small, working fisheries that depend on horseshoe crab, particularly New York’s conch and American eel fisheries.”
New Jersey and Connecticut have already stopped commercial fishers from using the horseshoe crabs as bait. New Jersey enacted their ban in 2008, while Connecticut did so in 2023.
The legislation would also prevent fishers from utilizing the crabs’ blood, an asset the pharmaceutical industry uses to test for toxins in medical products and vaccines.
Local
Suffolk County hosted Career Con 2025 last week, and saw more than 1,200 residents descend on the Suffolk Credit Union Arena at Suffolk Community College’s Brentwood campus. More than 130 employers connected with job-seekers with new opportunities and insight.
“Suffolk County is committed to helping our residents who are seeking employment, including those who are seeking a new career opportunity to those who are interested in a seasonal job opportunity for the upcoming holidays,” said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) in a statement. “Throughout the last two years, we have been proactive in assisting hundreds of residents through various events, including career fairs, youth employment fairs and now Career Con.”
In other local news, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) placed a maximum three-ton weight limit for the Smith Point Bridge effective immediately and until further notice.
The cause is “structural deterioration”, according to the County, discovered after a routine NYSDOT inspection.
The Suffolk County Department of Public Works (DPW) is working with the State to conduct in-depth analysis of the structure and consider their options.
The restriction is imposed on trucks crossing the bridge and comes amidst a plan to break ground next year on a new, pedestrian-friendly bridge that will succeed the existing drawbridge.
Effective Monday night, new hours for Smith Point County Park are 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. All visitors will need to leave the park by 7:00 p.m. daily, which includes the outer beach and all fishing.
