Food stamps — More than 47 million Americans who receive food stamps will see their benefits go down starting today, just as Congress has begun negotiations on further cuts to the program. Beginning in November, a temporary benefit from the 2009 economic stimulus that boosts food stamp dollars will no longer be available. According to the Agriculture Department, that means a family of four receiving food stamps will start receiving $36 less a month. The benefits, which go to 1 in 7 Americans, fluctuate based on factors that include food prices, inflation and income.

Israel and Syria — Israeli warplanes attacked a shipment of Russian missiles inside a Syrian government stronghold, officials said Thursday, a development that threatened to add another volatile layer to regional tensions from the Syrian civil war. An Obama administration official confirmed the Israeli airstrike overnight, but provided no details. Another security official said the attack occurred late Wednesday in the Syrian port city of Latakia and that the target was Russian-made SA-125 missiles.

Texas abortion law — A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that most of Texas’ tough new abortion restrictions can take effect immediately — a decision that means at least 12 clinics won’t be able to perform the procedure starting as soon as Friday. A panel of judges at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said the law requiring doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital can take effect while a lawsuit challenging the restrictions moves forward. The panel issued the ruling three days after District Judge Lee Yeakel said the provision serves no medical purpose.

Stop-and-frisk — A federal appeals court on Thursday blocked a judge’s ruling that found the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy discriminated against minorities, and it took the unusual step of removing her from the case, saying interviews she gave during the trial called her impartiality into question. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ruling by U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin will be on hold pending the outcome of an appeal by the city. But it may be a nonissue after next week’s mayoral election: Democrat Bill de Blasio, who’s leading in polls, has said he would drop objections to the ruling.

Nominees blocked — Senate Republicans Thursday thwarted the confirmation of two of President Barack Obama’s nominees, setting up a confrontation with Democrats that could escalate into a larger fight. The refusal to consider the nominees, one to a powerful appeals court and another to a home-lending oversight post, could affect debate over limiting the filibuster and restricting how far the minority party can go to block a president’s agenda.

Drug tunnel — A tunnel designed to smuggle drugs from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Diego was equipped with lighting, ventilation and an electric rail system, U.S. authorities said Thursday, making it one of the most sophisticated secret passages discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border. Authorities seized 81⁄2 tons of marijuana and 327 pounds of cocaine in connection with the tunnel’s discovery, according to court records. Three men who authorities say worked as drivers were charged Thursday with possession of marijuana and cocaine with intent to distribute.

Wrestling mat death — The U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday that it had opened a formal review of the death of a 17-year-old boy found in a rolled-up wrestling mat at his Georgia high school in January. The death of the student, Kendrick Johnson, has been the subject of questions since his body was found in the upright blue mat in Valdosta, Ga., on Jan. 11, a day after his mother reported him missing. Although the state and local authorities determined that Johnson’s death was an accidental one caused by positional asphyxia, his parents disagreed and called for a renewed inquiry.

Virginia Tech lawsuit — Virginia Tech’s warnings to students as a mass shooting began in 2007 were not negligent, the state’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday, ending a wrongful-death lawsuit brought on behalf of two students killed in the attacks. The families of the students, Julia Pryde and Erin Peterson, sought damages of $10 million, asserting that the university had delayed a campuswide alert that might have saved lives.

Google Glass citation — An early adopter of Google’s Internet-connected eyeglasses plans to fight a citation for wearing the device while driving in San Diego, saying the technology makes navigation easier than smartphones and GPS devices. Driver Cecilia Abadie was pulled over for speeding Tuesday evening, when a California Highway Patrol officer noticed she was wearing Google Glass and tacked on a citation usually given to drivers who may be distracted by a video or TV screen. A challenge to what may be a first-of-its-kind citation could force authorities to re-examine laws and consider how best to regulate evolving gadgetry that may one day become mainstream.