Some 20 million Americans trying to enroll in marketplace insurance for 2026 are about to have their morning coffee ruined. Open enrollment for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act begins today, and most enrollees’ premiums are expected to jump by 26% on average, with some expected to more than double.

What happened?

Pandemic-era enhanced tax credits to lower premiums are expiring. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 extended those subsidies until the end of 2025. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act did not extend them further, meaning prices will rise for virtually all marketplace participants:

• Approximately 22 million of the 24 million people enrolled in the marketplace receive these enhanced subsidies, which limit the percentage of their yearly income that they have to pay for health insurance.
• These percentage limits are different based on income, so someone making $28,000 a year wouldn’t be required to spend more than $325 a year or about 1.2% of their annual income, according to the nonpartisan health policy group Kaiser Family Foundation. Without the subsidy, that amount rises to $1,562.

The government shutdown, which is now the second-longest in history, began over the loss of these subsidies. House Democrats would not support Republicans’ spending bill unless the credits were reinstated. And Republicans say they would be open to negotiating an extension of the subsidies if Democrats reopen the government, but not before.

In the meantime, prices are going up. The increase in healthcare premiums will vary from state to state and depend on age, with higher-income enrollees, older individuals, and those in rural areas expected to face steep hikes. But ultimately, no one is likely to escape a price increase.

While many Republicans want the subsidies gone for good, calling them rife with fraud, some have warned that skyrocketing premiums could jeopardize the party’s success in the midterms.—MM

Court orders Trump administration to keep disbursing SNAP benefits. A federal judge in Rhode Island yesterday ruled that the Trump administration must use contingency funds to continue paying out SNAP food assistance ASAP, as regular funding was due to run out today because of the government shutdown. A group of cities and nonprofits sued the federal government after it said it wouldn’t use the rainy day funds to keep SNAP funds flowing, arguing that the program no longer exists since Congress failed to fund it. In a separate case brought by several states, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled yesterday that the Trump administration’s plan to cease disbursing SNAP benefits was likely unlawful. The program provides food assistance to approximately 42 million lower-income Americans and costs the government around $8 billion per month. The $5 billion in emergency cash is expected to enable at least partial payments in the coming weeks.—SK

The FBI thwarted a “potential terrorist attack” in Michigan targeting “pumpkin day.” In a statement posted to X yesterday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the suspects were “allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend.” CBS reported that federal agents conducted operations in the cities of Dearborn and Inkster, MI, and that five individuals between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested. It also reported that the FBI had been monitoring an online conversation in an ISIS chat room regarding the possibility of a terrorist attack over the weekend, but the plot was not concrete. In his statement, Patel said, “Through swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a potential act of terror was stopped before it could unfold.” Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, posted on X that Patel had briefed her. She said, “As details continue to develop, I am grateful for the swift action of the FBI and MSP protecting Michiganders.”—HVL

Disney pulls its content from YouTube TV. You might have to go to your grandma’s who still has cable to tune into ESPN, ABC, Nat Geo, or other Disney-owned channels after the House of Mouse pulled its content from the Google-owned paid TV service amid a dispute over carriage fees. YouTube said that Disney was asking for fees that would’ve forced it to jack up the TV subscription price and called their decision to yank its channels a negotiating tactic. If the standoff continues for a prolonged period, YouTube said it would compensate subscribers $20 a month for their lost ability to experience second-hand embarrassment every time the New York Jets play.—SK

As Ozymandias might have said, “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and take a selfie.” After 32 years and $1 billion, the Grand Egyptian Museum, outside Cairo, fully opens today.

As big as the Nile: Billed as the world’s largest museum dedicated to one civilization, the facility covers the equivalent of about 80 football fields. According to CBS News, it took workers seven months just to excavate and remove sand to prepare the site. It also hit historic delays due to events including the Arab Spring and the pandemic, before soft-launching some parts of the museum last year.

Pharaoh-minded: The museum’s star attraction might be its complete collection of artifacts from King Tut’s tomb—all in one place for the first time since 1922. But it’s got around 100,000 other cool things, including:

• A 53-foot-high Hanging Obelisk (the world’s only).
• An 83-ton statue of King Ramses II that’s 3,200 years old.
• A boat belonging to King Khufu, who built the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Past and future: Egypt is betting big on tourism, with officials aiming to double the number of international visitors by 2032, according to The Guardian. The museum has already caught the eye of the rich and famous, with several stars having visited as part of a private event last year: Bilt Rewards CEO Ankur Jain’s lavish wedding to former WWE wrestler Erika Hammond.—BC