Here in the United States, many food banks are reporting record demand, even after the longest government shutdown came to an end with a promise to restore SNAP food assistance benefits that the Trump administration withheld beginning on November 1. A tally by the Associated Press found about two-thirds of states had issued only partial benefits or none at all before the government shutdown ended late Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the White House says the Bureau of Labor Statistics may never release October data on inflation and job losses, blaming the government shutdown. Data from the private sector firm ADP show the U.S. economy lost about 11,000 jobs per week through late October.