C (2:00)

Some breaking news and a fast moving story about those SNAP food stamp payments to 42 million of the most underprivileged of Americans. Those that are below the poverty line that that count on food stamps and other food assistance to stop hunger. Public interest groups like Democracy Forward have had a run Back to Judge McConnell today, on Tuesday, on Election Day to because the Trump administration in a public filing and Donald Trump in a social media post have just flipped the bird to the federal judges and said they're not going to be making the snap payments as ordered to do so. Judge McConnell of Chief Judge of Rhode island had ordered that by no later than Monday and or Wednesday that the federal government begin making snap payments, that they make it from the reserve of the $6 billion that Congress had set aside and that they find a way to top it off to 8 billion to make a full payment so that people can pay for their food, people can pay for the basic necessities that they need to have dignity in our life and are not used as a political pawn for cheap political points by Donald Trump as Americans die on his watch. And in response, yes, there was a filing by the federal government. Yes, they got a guy who's like an undersecretary of the federal Department of Agricult Culture, Mr. Penn, to file a declaration that said, well, we know we're supposed to fund by Wednesday, but it might be weeks or months, Judge. And we're not gonna do the full payment of $8 billion full funding. We're gonna make a half a payment to everybody because we don't wanna take money that we have laying around in other programs to use it to help people from dying. I mean, that's my, that's my artist rendering of his actual affidavit, which I will read from. Well, that's not good enough. And now we've got Democracy Forward, who represents a series of church groups and public interest groups and cities. Run back now today to judge McConnell with another emergency application saying, look what they just filed from the Department of Agriculture. They're not gonna make the payments for weeks or months and it's only gonna be partial payments. That is arbitrary and capricious agency action. You have to put a stop to it, Judge McConnell. And while all that's going on and they're debating the fine points of an affidavit filed by Mr. Penn about why it's taking him so long and why he doesn't want to go take money that he could get from other departments under his jurisdiction to make sure that children, the elderly, babies, veterans, disabled don't die. Donald Trump decides to weigh in. Perfect. On election Day. Think about the sharp contrast. Americans are going to the polls in New Jersey, in Virginia, in Pennsylvania, in State, State Supreme Court votes at Prop 50 in California. And Donald Trump thinks today's the day to announce out loud that he's not gonna comply with a federal order about snap payments. He just had his treasury secretary go on on Sunday, Scott Bessant and go on Jake Tapper and say, well, we're not gonna appeal. We're gonna try to make the benefit payments. And now Donald Trump, just as we came on the air here, here's what Donald Trump has to say. SNAP and see if you can find the punishing human beings and taking away their dignity and their ability to survive to make a cheap political point. See if you can spot that in this posting. SNAP benefits which increased by billions and billions of dollars many fold during crooked Joe Biden's disastrous term in office due to the fact that they were haphazardly handed to anyone who was asking will be given only when the radical left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do and not before. Thanks for your attention to this matter. President DJT how callous, how indifferent to the suffering of Americans. 42 million of them, more than almost 15% of our population. By, by the guy that's sitting in the Oval Office, he thinks that's the proper tone from the top to be set today on Election Day as, as he is on the ballot. Because if we're right about the polls, if we're right about the, the crowds and the courage that's out there to take down the Trump administration, to reject the Trump administration today at the polls, he's going to lose in Virginia, he's going to lose in New Jersey, he's going to lose on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court voting, he's going to lose Prop 50 and he's to lose a fair number of the municipal elections as well. And today's the day he looks America in the eye and says, I don't care if you die. Hunger is time of the is time of the essence. Let me read to you from the filing a motion to enforce the temporary restraining order for the that has just been filed within hours by Democracy Forward. I'm going to have Sky Perryman of Democracy Forward, who's with us on Legal af, join me on Friday to talk about all these things. But right now, we can't wait till Friday for the interview. We got to go right now with the filing.

F (7:16)

Hey everybody, Ben Meiselas here from the Midas Touch Network. I wanted to let you know about my podcast partner Michael Popak's new law firm. It's called the Popak Firm. Michael Popo's pursuing his dream of starting his own law firm, really based on the popular demand by all the Midas mighty and legal A effers who are approaching Michael Popak with their cases and saying, can you help us? And at that time, Popak was not able to. So he went out on his own he started the POPOC firm where he is now handling catastrophic injury cases like car accident cases, trucking cases, malpractice cases, big negligence cases, wrongful death cases. So if you or someone you know have a case like this, the consultation with Popox firm is free. Give him a call. See if you have a case. It's thepopoc firm.com thepopoc firm.com or you can call 877-popak-af pop okay af. So 1-877-pop-now, af. Give Michael Popak a call. And I'm really proud of you, Popak. Thanks for all the hard work you're putting in.

C (8:30)

Here's what they're saying a page one of their of their new filing time is of the essence when it comes to hunger. 42 million people in this country who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP for basic nutritional needs, including children, senior citizens and veterans are now four days into November without any prospect of receiving their payments for weeks or even months. Several months. By defendant's own account, they had this guy, Patrick Penn, file a declaration that said in paragraph 29, which they of course recite, that says it may take several weeks or months for us to be able to figure out the states to be able to figure out how to make payments. That's not what the temporary restraining order said by Judge McConnell. Judge McConnell said, thank you very much, Donald Trump, for acknowledging that you're going to make the payments. You now have my clear order. I mean, he trolled him in the order and you need to make these payments in full by Monday or tell me by Wednesday how you're exercising administrative discretion and why? Because if it's, if it's wrong, then you're being arbitrary and capricious. And I'm going to revise by temporary restraining order. This is what it says. Because this court's order did not contemplate that millions would be deprived of basic nutritional assistance for weeks, let alone months. And indeed made clear that defendants had to expeditiously ensure payments were to be received given the irreparable harm of being deprived of basic nutrition. Plaintiffs request that this court act plaintiffs request that this court act to enforce its temporary restraining order now. And they cite to the declaration affidavit of Mr. Penn, who just says, just, just blindly, just callously, with indifference, bureaucratic indifference, it may take several months. Why don't you, Mr. Penn, why don't you not take out of your bank account whatever your family's using to purchase groceries and nutrition? Why don't you just take it out and try to survive for the next several months and see how that works. And so while we're fighting it out in court with this new filing, and I believe McConnell's gonna move, this is gonna be a fast moving story. This video will go up. Follow me on SUBSTACK live for Legal AF for updates. This is gonna go fast here on Tuesday because McConnell's gonna pull this thing together, either issue a new order or do an emergency hearing. And then we're gonna have to see. And then I got another judge to keep an eye on Judge Telwani, who's in Massachusetts. She issued an order. She's not going to be happy with this filing either by the government because she said, I want to hear what the agency action recommendation is. A proposal is on Monday and if I don't like it, I'm going to issue a temporary restraining order. Watch for me to come back on here and tell you a temporary restraining order has been issued. A second one by Judge Telwani in Massachusetts, brought by 23 Democratic state state attorneys general. The blue states are fighting for the impoverished in this country. The blue states and moderates and Democrats and public interest groups are fighting to make people not die. Hunger is colorblind. Dignity should be colorblind. And people, human beings should not be, should not be political hostages for Donald Trump's trolling of the Democratic Party because he blames them for his inability, although he controls all three branches of government, to keep the government open because he refuses and he wants. And it's the same people, it's the same part of this 42 million who also need health care that the Democrats are fighting for with the shutdown. That's what the shutdown's about. The shutdown is about making sure that Obamacare survives, that people get the tax deduction they need in order to acquire healthcare. It's the same group and a group right above them, the working poor in America who need health care. But, but look at Donald Trump. What, what he what political strategist? I guess it's Donald Trump came up with at the moment when there is a court dispute over a temporary restraining order to troll America on election Day and say you're never going to issue the snap payments to help the most deserving. I'm gonna continue to follow it all right here and all those developments take a minute. Hit the subscribe button on Midas Touch, but slide over to Legal AF YouTube channel and help us continue to on our march to 1 million subscribers and our legal AF substack where I post all of these types of orders for you to read them for yourself and along with other commentary. You want to protect and preserve our honest commentary, our First Amendment rights and your own. Become a paid member of Legal AF on the Substack until my next report, I'm Michael Popak.

G (13:12)

Can't get your fill of Legal af.

C (13:14)

Me neither.

G (13:15)

That's why we formed the Legal AF substack. Every time we mention something in a hot take, whether it's a court filing or a oral argument argument, come over to the substack. You'll find the court filing and the oral argument there, including a daily roundup that I do called Wait for it Morning af.

C (13:31)

What else?

G (13:32)

All the other contributors from Legal AO for there as well. We got some new reporting, we got interviews, we got ad free versions of the podcast and hot takes where Legal AF on Substack come over now to free subscribe.