On today's newscast: Carbondale’s Fire District is asking voters to approve a 1.5% sales tax this November; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called SNAP or food stamps, will be paused if the federal government shutdown continues past Nov. 1; and Navajo Technical University is working on a sovereign database system to track and support families of missing Indigenous relatives. Tune in for these stories and more.

The federal government remains shut down. The NPR Network is following the ways the shutdown is affecting services across the country.

Newcomer Zohran Mamdani, age 34, has used social media and big progressive ideas to shoulder past Andrew Cuomo, who's 67 and long a member of Democratic Party royalty.

The phrase appeals more to several demographics that strongly align with Trump, says Republican strategist Frank Luntz, including older voters, for whom he suggests it signals "a more simple past."

It wouldn't be spooky season without ghosts. But they weren't always the evil spirits we see in books and movies today. For Word of the Week, we look back on the origins of "ghost."

The Spanish soccer league said Tuesday that plans for Barcelona to play a game against Villarreal outside Miami in December have been called off, following increased opposition to the match.

President Trump's pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted.