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US Supreme Court temporarily blocks November SNAP payments
The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked Friday night a lower court’s order that the Trump administration pay for a full month of food benefits, hours after some states began loading nutrition assistance funds on payment cards held by the 42 million Americans who use the program.
In a two-page filing, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson accepted the government’s request to pause a Thursday order from Rhode Island Chief U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell while a lower appeals court hears the case.
His order Thursday compelled the U.S. Department of Agriculture to transfer funds from other programs to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, for November. The Trump administration had said the ongoing government shutdown meant it could not pay November SNAP benefits.
“The applicants assert that, without intervention from this Court, they will have to ‘transfer an estimated $4 billion by tonight’ to fund SNAP benefits through November,” Jackson, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, wrote.
A stay is needed to reach an “expeditious resolution,” she wrote.
Jackson’s order froze SNAP payments to states that the USDA had appeared to authorize earlier Friday before the administration appealed to the high court.
It was unclear Friday night what effect that might have on individual recipients’ electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards. A press release earlier Friday from California Gov. Gavin Newsom said some Californians had begun to see full benefits on their cards, following an order from a lower court.
High court challenge
In a Friday evening brief to the Supreme Court that followed a day of conflicting messages from the administration, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the high court should step in to protect the executive branch’s power from what he characterized as unprecedented overreach by McConnell.
By demanding that the USDA transfer money from a $23 billion fund for child nutrition programs to pay for November SNAP benefits, McConnell substituted his judgment for the agency’s, a violation of the constitutional separation-of-powers doctrine, Sauer argued.
The department’s decision to pay for partial November benefits, by using the roughly $5 billion remaining in a contingency fund, rather than by paying about $9 billion for a full month of benefits, was its decision to make and not reviewable by courts, Sauer said.
“USDA reasonably determined that the best course was to combine partial SNAP payments with stable funding for Child Nutrition Programs—versus jeopardize the latter to guarantee full payments with the former,” Sauer wrote. “The district court would have done otherwise. But it had no legal basis to ‘substitute its own policy judgment for that of the agency.’”
Confusion in states
The lower court order — as well a midday Friday letter from the USDA to state SNAP administrators — had also led to confusion among states who started to demand SNAP funds in a way Sauer compared to a bank run.
Several states announced full funding would be available and began sending money to beneficiaries.
Immediately after McConnell’s order was published, Wisconsin demanded “100% of SNAP benefits,” Sauer wrote. Even though the USDA system rejected the file, the private-sector processor of the payment “moved forward, resulting in Wisconsin currently overdrawing its letter of credit by $20 million,” he said.
Kansas made a similar move. And some California SNAP users received their full benefits, according to Sauer’s brief.
16 million children on SNAP
McConnell on Thursday had ruled the department’s decision to withhold SNAP benefits arbitrary and capricious — the standard for judicial review of an executive branch action.
The $23 billion fund could spare the $4 billion needed to make November SNAP benefits whole and still maintain its intended purpose well beyond the month, so there was no need to maintain that fund at that level, he wrote.
Instead, the decision “predictably magnifies harm and undermines the very purpose of the program it administers,” McConnell wrote.
While federal agencies are due discretion from courts, such a “poor” use of decision-making power must be remedied, he said.
“Contrary to what the Defendants claim, 29 million children who participate in the Child Nutrition Program are not at risk of immediately going hungry in the event of a transfer,” he said. “Instead, SNAP recipients—16 million of whom are children—will go hungry if they do not receive their SNAP benefits this month.”
‘Starve Peter to feed Paul’
But Sauer responded that was not McConnell’s call to make.
The trial judge’s ruling improperly assumed that Congress would eventually replenish the child nutrition program fund, but the USDA was within its right to take a more cautious approach toward protecting the child nutrition funding, said the solicitor general.
“It obviously was not unlawful for the agency to see things differently—and refuse to starve Peter to feed Paul, by gambling school lunches tomorrow in exchange for more SNAP money today,” he wrote. “Indeed, that sort of hard tradeoff is precisely the sort of decision that Congress committed to agency discretion and placed beyond the reach of judges.”
While the USDA had not denied that it was able to move money to different priorities after Congress had appropriated it, the government did not have to do so, Sauer said.
Allowing McConnell’s ruling to stand would invite a stampede to litigation, the government maintained.
“If allowed to stand, this decision will metastasize and sow further shutdown chaos,” Sauer said. “Every beneficiary of a federal program could run into court, point to an agency’s general discretion to prioritize funding, and claim that failing to prioritize their chosen program was arbitrary and capricious.”
Trump social media post
Sauer also said McConnell read too much into Trump’s social media post this week that threatened to withhold SNAP funding for the duration of the shutdowns.
McConnell cited in his order the post, in which Trump said SNAP benefits would “be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” showed the true purpose of the USDA move was political leverage.
Sauer said that was improper.
“The court below had no basis to transfer of billions of dollars from school lunches to its preferred program based on its tendentious view of ‘the administration’s true motivations.’”
In a statement, Skye Perryman, the president and CEO of Democracy Forward, an advocacy group that is leading the litigation to force SNAP payments, said the group would continue to work to “secure benefits for the American people”
“The Trump-Vance administration continues to attempt — over and over — to take food out of the hands of families, seniors, workers, and children,” Perryman said. “And every time they tried, the courts told them what the law already makes clear: they cannot. American families should not be used as political props in a shutdown that this White House manufactured.”
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Electric Vehicles - Latest News | Carscoops
- Long Before The Chevy Bolt, GM Built An Electric Egg On Wheels
Long Before The Chevy Bolt, GM Built An Electric Egg On Wheels
- The 1969 512 Electric Experimental shows how long GM’s pursued EVs.
- Just 86 inches long, the fiberglass microcar used an 84-volt battery.
- A household charge took seven hours and delivered 58 miles of range.
In 1969, the automotive world was a study in contrasts. Two concept cars, each wearing the same 512 badge yet conceived on opposite sides of the globe, were redefining what “experimental” could mean.
One was the competition-inspired V12-powered Ferrari 512 S Berlinetta Speciale, a supercar wedge that pre-dated the Lamborghini Countach concept by two years and looked like it could break the sound barrier. The other was a tiny orange ball of an EV from GM that could barely break the speed limit outside a school.
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We’ve taken a look at GM’s 512 Electric Experimental before, but the automaker has really jumped on the modern EV trend since then and has a new Chevy Bolt out for 2027, so the time feels right to throw the spotlight on it again.
How Small Is Small?
Designed strictly for urban duties and part of an entire family of experimental GM microcars displayed at the Transpo ’72 trade show that used a mix of electric, petrol and hybrid engines, the 512E was every bit as tiny as it looks in these pictures.
Measuring just 86.3 inches (2,190 mm) long and 56 inches (1,420 mm) wide, it was an incredible foot (300 mm) shorter than an original Smart ForTwo and 3 inches (75 mm) narrower.
Access to its two seats was through a weird combination of a lift-up canopy that makes it look like a helmet with the visor up and side-hinged front door that reminds us of one of those grandma bathtubs for the mobility impaired.
Tiny wheels are pushed into each corner and wear fat rubber, like the kind of thing you’d see on tuned Mini in 1969.
The wraparound canopy must make for excellent visibility, though even if it had A-pillars like elephants legs you’d have plenty of time to look around them.
Slow And Steady Power
The top speed is just 30 mph and it takes 12 seconds to get there, which sounds terrible until you remember that the Citroen Ami, the modern incarnation of this very idea, is also restricted to a similar speed (28 mph / 45 kmh).
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Citroen quotes a 47-mile range, which the 512E beats by 11 miles (though certainly measured differently), but the Ami can be fully charged in four hours compared with seven hours for the GM satsuma.
Where they differ most, of course, is in the design of the batteries providing those range miles. Like all modern EVs, the Ami uses lithium ion batteries, whereas the 512E relies on old-fashioned lead-acid packs from Delco-Remy.
The fiberglass-bodied GM car is still surprisingly light at 1,250 lbs (567 kg), though the Ami is lighter still at 1,065 lbs (483 kg).
The 512E project didn’t put a tiny EV in Chevy showrooms during the 1970s or 1980s, but the fact that GM unveiled the Impact EV concept, and put it into production as the EV1 six years later, proved that it hadn’t given up on the idea of small electric cars.
Half a century later, GM is still in that game, this time with the upcoming 2027 Bolt, though one can’t help but wonder how much more fun it’d be with a flip-up canopy and a hint of that 1970s optimism.
GM
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Electric Vehicles - Latest News | Carscoops
- New Zeekr X Got Me Questioning My Feelings For Volvo | Review
New Zeekr X Got Me Questioning My Feelings For Volvo | Review
Chinese automakers have been bombarding us with new and updated models faster than our browsers can keep up, but every once in a while, one stands out for more than just novelty. The Zeekr X is one of those. A sibling to the Volvo EX30, it carries sharper styling, a dash of swagger, and a promise of premium polish that suggests it’s aiming a little higher than your typical Chinese EV.
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The Geely-owned brand has recently landed in my home country, Greece, giving me the chance to see what the compact-sized Zeekr X is all about and, more importantly, take it for a drive.
QUICK FACTS
| Model | Zeekr X RWD | Zeekr X AWD |
| Powertrain | Single Electric Motor | Dual Electric Motors |
| Output | 268 hp (200 kW / 272 PS) and 343 Nm (253 lb-ft) | 422 hp (315 kW / 428 PS) and 543 Nm (401 lb-ft) |
| Battery | 49 kW / 69 kWh | 69 kWh |
| Range (WLTP) | 446 km (277 miles) | 425 km (264 miles) |
| 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) | 5.6 seconds* | 3.8 seconds* |
| Top Speed | 190 km/h (118 mph)* | – |
| Length | 4,432 mm (174.5 inches) | – |
| Width | 1,836 mm (72.3 inches) | – |
| Height | 1,566 mm (61.6 inches) | – |
| Wheelbase | 2,750 mm (108.3 inches) | – |
| Weight | 1,885 kg (4,156 lbs)* | 1960 kg (4,321 lbs)* |
| Price | €34,990 ($40,700)** €39,990 ($46,500)** | €44,990 ($52,300)** |
* Manufacturer | **Prices in Greece including a €3,000 local incentive for EVs
The X was introduced in late 2023 as the entry-level EV in Zeekr’s growing lineup. It has already been updated in China with more powerful motors and new color and trim options, but those have yet to reach export markets.
Like its Volvo EX30 and Smart #1 relatives, it rides on Geely’s SEA platform, which also underpins the Lynk & Co 02. It even made headlines as Euro NCAP’s safest EV, outperforming some far pricier rivals, including the Porsche Macan. Still, there’s more to this compact SUV than a glowing safety score.
Aggressive Looks, Familiar DNA
Zeekr is still a young brand, having been born in 2021. In terms of styling language, there’s a clear family resemblance with Geely stablemate Lynk & Co, yet Zeekr sits higher in the group’s hierarchy, positioned above Volvo and Polestar in terms of its premium aspirations.
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The Zeekr X has a sharp and modern exterior that will make you look twice when it passes by. Its “double-edged” headlights, greenhouse, door handles, mirrors, and taillights are reminiscent of the Lynk & Co 02, though without the coupe-SUV stance.
Other highlights include the glossy black cladding around the wheel arches and a sharp character line on the profile that extends to the side windows.
Photos Thanos Pappas for CarScoops
At 4,432 mm long, it’s 199 mm longer than the Volvo EX30 and 28 mm shorter than the Lynk & Co 02. That puts it right among Europe’s compact premium EV-SUVs, including the BMW iX1, Audi Q4 e-tron, and Mercedes EQA.
Our press tester was the Long Range RWD variant, which sounds like a sweet spot in the lineup. It pairs a single 268 hp (200 kW) motor with the larger 69 kWh battery for up to 446 km (277 miles) of WLTP range. Visually, it rides on 19-inch alloy wheels rather than the 20-inch option which is reserved for the 422 hp AWD flagship.
Premium Aspirations
Open the frameless doors and you immediately sense that this brand aims for BMW territory in terms of perceived quality. Soft-touch materials cover most surfaces, complemented by futuristic ambient lighting and ASMR-friendly switchgear finished in copper.
The configurable switches on the steering wheel are a nice touch, as they can also serve as physical controls for the A/C so you don’t have to fiddle with the screen all the time.
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The seats are upholstered in soft vegan leather and feature hard outer shells adding a futuristic note. Geely designers played safe in terms of the dashboard layout, combining a 14.6-inch central touchscreen with an 8.8-inch instrument cluster.
There is also a 24.3-inch augmented reality head-up display helping keep your eyes on the road. Equipment is generous, including a panoramic sunroof, a 13-speaker Yamaha sound system, and a full suite of ADAS.
Photos Thanos Pappas for CarScoops
Rear passengers are also treated well. Thanks to the longer wheelbase, the X offers noticeably better rear legroom and headroom than the Volvo EX30, making it a far more comfortable choice for adults or small families.
There is also plenty of in-car storage including a multi-functional central armrest. However, the boot is equivalent of a subcompact hatchback with a capacity of 362 lt (12.8 cubic feet), and the tiny 21 lt (0.4 cubic feet) frunk is mostly for storing charging cables.
Comfort Is the Key
My drive was brief, just a few hours during the local media presentation, so this is not a full review, but it was enough to get a good feel for the Zeekr X’s personality.
As with the Volvo EX30, the excellent SEA platform has the robustness of larger segments. Here, it is combined with a softer suspension setup for even higher levels of comfort and slightly better soundproofing.
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The steering has a nice feel, although I didn’t notice enough differentiation between the available modes (Comfort, Standard, and Sport). Still, the Zeekr X is more engaging than your average Chinese EV while keeping a neutral and predictable character in line with its Swedish R&D genes. The ADAS worked well overall, but a few over-eager alerts popped up on roads with faint lane markings.
Photos Thanos Pappas for CarScoops
Performance-wise, the 268 hp RWD version feels plenty quick for daily use, making the 422 hp AWD variant seem somewhat indulgent. Interestingly, China’s updated models have bumped outputs to 335 hp and 489 hp respectively, hinting that future exports could get an extra jolt of power.
Overall, the extra range that should be around 400 km (250 miles) in real-life conditions and the extra playfulness of the RWD make it the preferred choice from my point of view – especially considering it offers a nearly identical equipment at a lower price.
The 69 kWh battery pack doesn’t have the ultra-fast charging capabilities of the Zeekr 001 flagship, but can go from 10-80% in under 30 minutes when connected to an 150 kW DC charger.
How Much Does It Cost?
In Greece, where we tested it, the base Core RWD starts at €34,990 ($40,700), while the Long Range RWD sits at €39,990 ($46,500), and the top Privilege AWD costs €44,990 ($52,300). Each trim comes fully loaded.
The closely related Volvo EX30, by comparison, ranges from €36,175 to €48,448, while the larger Tesla Model Y starts from €36,175. All prices include Greece’s €3,000 EV incentive.
Another indirect competitor at a similar price point is the larger and more practical Tesla Model Y that currently starts from €36,175 ($42,100) in the same market. Keep in mind that all of the aforementioned prices include a €3,000 incentive for EVs.
More: Zeekr’s Flagship 9X Costs Lincoln Money But Crushes Hypercar Power
Zeekr representatives told us that the company plans on keeping prices consistent across all European markets. This means that the X will start from around €38,000 ($44,200) before incentives in Germany, undercutting its Volvo sibling and the Tesla Model Y by a couple of grand, while being almost €10,000 ($11,600) cheaper than the entry-level BMW iX1.
Eyes on Europe
Photos Thanos Pappas for CarScoops
Zeekr has sold a total of 550,000 vehicles since its inception in 2021. The European rollout of the brand started in 2023, with new countries being added every year. The next step is to enter major European markets including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the UK by the end of 2026.
The brand’s R&D and design hub in Gothenburg, Sweden and regional offices in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, complement its Chinese operations, signaling long-term European ambitions.
Beyond the X compact SUV, Zeekr is currently offering the 7X midsize SUV and the 001 flagship shooting brake in the Old Continent. Still, the company’s Chinese lineup is much broader, including the 007 sedan, the Mix and 009 minivans, and the new 9X flagship SUV.
Verdict
After a short but telling encounter, the Zeekr X left a lasting impression. It feels more spacious, more comfortable, and more polished than the Volvo EX30 it shares bones with, while coming in cheaper. The ride quality, cabin refinement, and safety credentials suggest it’s one of the most convincing Chinese EVs yet to reach Europe.
If you can get past the unfamiliar badge, the Zeekr X makes a compelling case as a smart, well-rounded alternative in the compact electric SUV space.
Gallery: Sessions & Roadeo at TSD 2025
FRISCO, Tx. — Saturday featured a keynote from special education attorney Betsey Helfrich and numerous breakout sessions on collaborating across departments for the safety and support of students with special needs.
Additionally, the Roadeo Competition was coordinated by Women in Transportation (wit.) offsite at Frisco Independent School District.
A Lunch & Learn saw Blue Bird and Zonar client representatives discuss fuel of choice and technology case studies.
The post Gallery: Sessions & Roadeo at TSD 2025 appeared first on School Transportation News.
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School Transportation News
- Legal Keynote Opens Attendees’ Eyes to Federal Special Needs Transportation Laws
Legal Keynote Opens Attendees’ Eyes to Federal Special Needs Transportation Laws
FRISCO, Texas — Betsey Helfrich said school district polices never trump the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. “There is always an exception for a child with a disability,” said the special education legal expert during her keynote address, Avoiding the Bumps & Legal Hazards in Student Transportation, Saturday during the Transporting Students with Disabilities (TSD) and Special Needs Conference.
Helfrich, who practices special education law in Missouri and Kansas, provided an overview of legal updates, court cases and compliance practices in student transportation. She focused on students with disabilities under IDEA and Section 504. The session emphasized how transportation decisions intersect with legal requirements, equity and student safety, urging districts to train staff, document decisions and avoid blanket policies.
Despite current events on the federal level, such as the proposed closing the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and funding cuts, IDEA and Section 504 remain fully in effect. Congress would need to vote to disband the U.S. Department of Transportation as well as where IDEA and Section 504 oversight would move to. Funding shifts do not change the underlying rights, she said.
She provided brief overview of each law, noting that attendees in the room should go back to their school districts and teach their school bus drivers the same thing, so they understand the importance of federal requirements.
IDEA is a funded law requiring Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Transportation can be a “related service” if necessary for a student to benefit from an free and appropriate public education, or FAPE, in the least restrictive environment, or LRE. Section 504 is a civil rights law focused on equal access and nondiscrimination. It is broader, older and less specific than IDEA, and not tied to any monetary gains. She said Section 504 has not been updated since it was written in 1977.
Typically, Helfrich said, students should not have both an IEP and a 504 plan, as everything in the IEP is essentially a contract. She advised being cautious with automatic decisions like “door-to-door” transport, noting that the IEP team must determine needs on a case-by-case basis.
She provided court case examples, citing instances in which parents won and others which districts won, depending on the request and circumstances. She particularly stressed the importance of avoiding discrimination on field trips, extracurricular activities and other events.
For districts that rely on policy, she said they are opening themselves up a lawsuit, as “we don’t do that here” is not a legal defense.
An attendee told School Transportation News following the keynote that Helfrich is very knowledgeable and was able to speak globally on transporting students with disabilities. Even though she touched on different states, the attendee said the rules are the same, because the laws are the same.
The attendee from Maryland said she will be involved in a case next week. She noted that while her school district policy says one thing, it doesn’t mean it meets the needs of the student and federal law. “That was a huge eye-opening moment for me,” she said, noting that they shouldn’t be saying some things as it not legally true.
Helfrich said IEPs should specify supports like wheelchair lifts, on-board attendents or aides, and climate-controlled buses, but parents cannot dictate who drives the student and the type of vehicle used, unless it is pertinent to the child’s disability.
She reminded attendees to inform contractors of relevant IEP details, as they are part of the need-to-know under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, that protects student records. It is different from HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects personal health information.
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Students with disabilities also have additional rights regarding behavior and discipline. However, school bus suspensions over 10 days will trigger a Manifestation Determination Review, where the behavior will be evaluated to determine if it is related or not to a student’s disability.
She said school bus drivers should be trained on Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), including triggers and calming strategies. Plus, Helfrich said when a child needs to be searched due to reasonable suspicion of having a weapon, she advised having policies and procedures in place. For instance, does the school bus driver search the child or call for assistance?
While Section 504 provides for the reasonable accommodation of service animals and protects students from being discriminated against for using them, she cautioned the attendees to know the difference between service animals and emotional support animals. Only trained service animals performing tasks are protected under the broader ADA. Emotional support animals are not.
In conclusion, Helfrich advised attendees to train all staff, especially school bus drivers, on IDEA, Section 504 and district procedures. Document all staff participation and policy adherence. She underscored the importance of collaboration with special education and IEP teams before making unilateral changes to the IEP in terms of transportation. She noted the importance of reviewing and updating polices to avoid blanket decisions or discrimination risks and to plan for staff absences and service disruptions.
The post Legal Keynote Opens Attendees’ Eyes to Federal Special Needs Transportation Laws appeared first on School Transportation News.