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Ryland Barton (0:18)
In Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Trump administration says it will fully fund snap food benefits during the government shutdown. That's even as it appeals a new court order to pay for them. A federal judge admonished the administration for saying it would make only partial snap payments. He said officials failed to consider the, quote, needless suffering that it would cause millions of people. Senate Democrats say they're offering a compromise to reopen the government. Republican Leader John Republican Senate Leader John Thune says it's a non starter. NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports.
Barbara Sprunt (0:49)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a proposal to reopen the government with a one year extension of Affordable Care act tax credits. Those credits are set to expire at the end of the year and have been central to this government shutdown. Most Democratic senators have been holding out on voting to fund the government until Republicans agree to extend those credits. Schumer also proposed establishing a bipartisan committee to negotiate on long term health care reforms. Republicans want to address health care subsidies after the government reopens. Any deal in the Senate would also have to pass the House, which remains out of town. Barbara Sprunt, NPR News, the Capitol.
Ryland Barton (1:25)
The Trump administration began scaling back flights because of the government shutdown today. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta and Denver are among those with the most disruptions. The FAA is trying to reduce flights by 10% to ease pressure on unpaid air traffic controllers. Scientist James Watson, who co discovered the structure of DNA, has died at the age of 97. As NPR's Nell Greenfield Boyce reports, his life was full of fame and controversy.
Nell Greenfield Boyce (1:51)
James Watson was not yet 25 years old back in 1953 when he and Francis Crick pieced together clues to figure out the chemical structure of DNA. This historic breakthrough revealed how one molecul could encode so much of life's complexity. Watson's memoir about the discovery was a bestseller, but the book and Watson got a lot of criticism for the shoddy treatment of Rosalind Franklin, a scientist who did key lab research that Watson and Crick relied on. Watson spent his entire career advancing DNA science, but he spent his later years effectively shunned by researchers in the field he pioneered after he made prejudiced remarks about black people, women, women and others. Nell Greenfield Boyce, NPR News, taking up.