Monday, Oct. 20, is the deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania. Then, you have until Oct. 28 to apply for a mail-in ballot. County election offices must receive completed mail-in ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Jan Carabeo has the top headlines in the Philadelphia area, and Meteorologist Grant Gilmore has the latest NEXT Weather forecast this Sunday morning.

Due to the ongoing government shutdown, Pennsylvania SNAP recipients will not receive benefits that were slated to be paid in November.

In a post on the state’s official website, the Department of Human Services notes that as of Oct. 16, SNAP benefits will not be paid until the federal government shutdown ends and funds are released to the state.

SNAP recipients will be properly notified when payments can resume and when future payments can be expected.

If recipients need immediate food assistance, they are urged to call 211 or visit the Feeding Pennsylvania website or the PA Navigate website.

The Department of Human Services is also reminding residents that they are still responsible for completing renewals and reporting any changes to their income, contact information, or the people living in their home during the government shutdown. 

More SNAP changes beginning Nov. 1

A congressional bill passed in July 2025 will result in further changes to SNAP benefits as of Nov. 1, 2025. Those receiving benefits will need to report their work, schooling, or volunteer participation to the Department of Human Services.

Beginning Nov. 1, to keep or become eligible for SNAP benefits, certain people will have to meet SNAP work requirements that include working, volunteering, or participating in an education or training program for at least 20 hours a week (or 80 hours each month) and report that they are meeting these work requirements. 

If SNAP recipients are not meeting this requirement, they will be limited to three months of SNAP benefits for a three-year period.

The expanded work requirements will apply to you if you are between 18 and 64 years old, do not have a dependent child under 14 years old, and are considered physically and mentally able to work.

In addition, being a veteran or current, or former foster youth between the ages of 18 and 24 will no longer be an exemption. Some people may still be exempt from these requirements if they meet a different exemption.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recalled to “The Breakfast Club” in a new interview how he tried to deliver then-President Joe Biden bad news about the election before Biden dropped out of the race.

Nearly a year after the 2024 election, which was seen as a reckoning for Democrats, the party is still trying to make sense of where they have gone wrong in recent years.

Shapiro, who presents himself as a moderate for the party who goes out of his way to engage with conservatives, spoke candidly about his sober warnings to Biden when Biden was still the de facto 2024 Democratic nominee.

“I went directly to the president and spoke to him about what I saw were, you know, his challenges in Pennsylvania. I was really honest with him,” Shapiro said. “We got together at a coffee shop in Harrisburg. I think this has been reported. I mean, I’ll just share with you. He said, ‘How’s it going?’ I was very clear: ‘It’s not going well.’”

He then recalled what he had told Biden at the time.

“’Polls are showing it’s not going well,” he said. “I don’t think you’re handling the cost question. Back to what we talked about before with rising costs. It was a big theme in the campaign. Big issue in Pennsylvania. I didn’t think they were handling that well. I expressed that I thought people thought he wasn’t up to the job.”

Shapiro argued that his personal style and approach shaped the way he handled this conversation. 

“Look, maybe it’s old school, but I believe that if you got something to say, you say it directly to that person’s face, and he’s the president of the United States. I respected him, still respect him, and I respect him enough to say it directly to his face,” he said. 

When asked how this sobering assessment was received at the time, Shapiro replied, “I think he heard it. He told me that their poll numbers were different, and he seemed committed to continuing forward. And, listen, that’s his call.”

He also recalled arguing to Biden that part of his issue was that Biden’s team wasn’t straightforward with its own boss.

“Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne tha God argued that such stories need to be told by any future Democratic Party contenders for the presidency, arguing that “anybody that wants to lead this party in the future has to throw that old regime under the bus.”

Shapiro, however, disagreed. 

“I don’t believe that you get ahead in life by throwing people under the bus,” he said. “I don’t believe that I got to kick somebody in order to get ahead. I think you’ve got to show your work. I think you’ve got to show a vision. I think you’ve got to tell people what you’re all about.”

Shapiro was vetted as a possible running mate for Kamala Harris, but she ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Shapiro was prescient about Democrats’ issues in his state because Trump went on to win Pennsylvania and the presidency.

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s staff and did not receive an immediate response.