Travelers face cancellations and frustration as the FAA orders flight cuts due to the shutdown
The Federal Aviation Administration’s order to scale back flights nationwide because of the government shutdown is now in effect. Flights at 40 major airports including in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are being cut Friday. FlightAware says airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Phoenix led the way with the most disruptions so far. The FAA says its goal is to reduce flights by 10% by next weekend to ease pressure on unpaid air traffic controllers. Hundreds scheduled for Friday already have been canceled. The impact is expected to be felt across the U.S. air transportation system, affecting passengers and package deliveries.
Trump administration seeks to halt SNAP food aid payments after a court order
BOSTON (AP) — The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order to distribute November’s full SNAP benefits during a U.S. government shutdown. U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. had given the administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. However, the administration is seeking to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than available in a contingency fund. Meanwhile, some states, like Wisconsin, have already started distributing the payments. The ongoing court battle adds to weeks of uncertainty for the food program, which serves about 1 in 8 Americans.
Trump is ramping up a new effort to convince a skeptical public he can fix affordability worries
WASHINGTON (AP) — Expect to hear President Donald Trump talk a lot about affordability in coming months. The White House is adjusting its messaging strategy after voters in this week’s elections said the economy was their biggest concern. Trump says his team is doing a “great job on affordability,” promoting a new plan to lower the cost of anti-obesity drugs. But data shows prices for groceries and electricity bills are climbing. Part of the plan will be a push to educate people ahead of tax season about new tax cuts. The White House also hopes the Federal Reserve will do more to cut interest rates.
Multiple explosions shake a mosque in an Indonesian high school and injure 55
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities have identified a 17-year-old boy as the suspect in an attack on a mosque at a high school in Jakarta. The incident during Friday prayers injured at least 55 people, mostly students. Police are investigating and say it is too early to characterize it as a terror attack. Witnesses reported hearing two loud blasts. The suspect, a student at the school, is undergoing surgery. Police are examining a toy gun found at the scene that appeared to be marked with white supremacist references. Most victims suffered injuries from glass shards and burns.
China seeks to project power far beyond its coast with the new Fujian aircraft carrier
BANGKOK (AP) — China has commissioned its latest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, after extensive sea trials. This marks a significant step in expanding its naval power beyond its own waters. The Fujian is China’s third carrier and the first designed and built domestically. Chinese state media reported Friday that it was commissioned Wednesday at a naval base on Hainan island. Experts say this move helps China close the gap with the U.S. Navy. The Fujian features advanced electromagnetic launch systems, allowing it to deploy a wider range of aircraft. However, China’s carriers are conventionally powered, limiting their range compared to the U.S.’s nuclear-powered fleet.
Supreme Court weighs longshot appeal to overturn decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide
WASHINGTON (AP) — A call to overturn the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide is on the agenda Friday for the justices’ closed-door conference. Among the new cases the justices are expected to consider is a longshot appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Davis had been trying to get the court to overturn a lower court order for her to pay $360,000 in damages and attorney’s fees to a couple whom she denied a marriage license. Clarence Thomas is the only justice to call for erasing the same-sex marriage ruling.
Typhoon Kalmaegi rampages across Vietnam as the Philippines prepares for a new storm
DAK LAK, Vietnam (AP) — Typhoon Kalmaegi has brought fierce winds and torrential rains to Vietnam, and left at least five people dead and thousands of homes damaged before weakening into a tropical storm. The storm moved into Cambodia later on Friday. Authorities also say three people are missing and more than 1.6 million households lost power as recovery efforts began in hard-hit Vietnamese provinces. In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had declared a state of national emergency after Kalmaegi left at least 188 dead and 135 missing earlier this week. The country now braces for another major storm, Typhoon Fung-wong, expected to make landfall early next week.
European Union vessel reaches ship raided by pirates off Somalia; all 24 crew on board safe
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A European Union vessel has reached a ship taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia and found all its 24 crew members safe. The EU vessel, the ESPS Victoria, will remain alongside the Malta-flagged tanker Hellas Aphrodite until it could sail under its own power. Special forces from the Spanish frigate boarded the tanker and released the 24 crew members who had locked themselves inside the ship’s citadel when the attack began Thursday. The vessel was carrying a load of gasoline from India to South Africa.
Republican US Rep. Elise Stefanik is running for governor of New York
NEW YORK (AP) — Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is running for governor of New York. Stefanik represents a sprawling congressional district in northern New York. She launched her campaign Friday. She had stoked speculation for a future run for governor, ramping up her criticism of Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in recent months. Any Republican faces long odds of winning the governor’s mansion in New York, but Stefanik’s campaign will bring strong name recognition, fundraising prowess and ties to President Donald Trump. Last year, Trump picked Stefanik to be the administration’s ambassador to the United Nations, but later rescinded the nomination over concerns about Republicans’ tight margins in the House.
Wall Street slips and is headed for a losing week
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell on Wall Street and are on track for their first weekly loss in the last four. The S&P 500 fell 0.7% in morning trading Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 130 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 1%. Markets are reacting to the latest quarterly reports from U.S. companies. Payments company Block, which operates the Square and Cash App businesses, sank after turning in results that fell short of forecasts. Exercise equipment maker Peloton jumped after its results beat estimates. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market.
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