The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Wednesday that air traffic would be slashed by 10% beginning on Friday at 40 of the busiest airports in the United States. CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/list-40-airports-faa-flight-cancellations-capacity-cuts-government-shutdown-proposed/">reported</a> Thursday morning that it had obtained the list of the airports facing major flight disruptions due to the FAA&#8217;s decision.
The airports affected stretch from coast to coast and include New York&#8217;s John F. Kennedy International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Chicago O&#8217;Hare International, and Los Angeles International. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference on Wednesday that the FAA is taking “proactive” steps to “keep the airspace safe” amid the government shutdown, which is now the longest in U.S. history.
The reduction in air traffic comes just weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, which is typically the busiest travel weekend of the year in the United States. Here&#8217;s the complete list reported by CBS News and compiled in alphabetical order:
<ul>
<li>Anchorage International (ANC)</li>
<li>Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)</li>
<li>Boston Logan International (BOS)</li>
<li>Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)</li>
<li>Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)</li>
<li>Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)</li>
<li>Dallas Love (DAL)</li>
<li>Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)</li>
<li>Denver International (DEN)</li>
<li>Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)</li>
<li>Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)</li>
<li>Newark Liberty International (EWR)</li>
<li>Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)</li>
<li>Honolulu International (HNL)</li>
<li>Houston Hobby (HOU)</li>
<li>Washington Dulles International (IAD)</li>
<li>George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH)</li>
<li>Indianapolis International (IND)</li>
<li>New York John F Kennedy International (JFK)</li>
<li>Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)</li>
<li>Los Angeles International (LAX)</li>
<li>New York LaGuardia (LGA)</li>
<li>Orlando International (MCO)</li>
<li>Chicago Midway (MDW)</li>
<li>Memphis International (MEM)</li>
<li>Miami International (MIA)</li>
<li>Minneapolis/St Paul International (MSP)</li>
<li>Oakland International (OAK)</li>
<li>Ontario International (ONT)</li>
<li>Chicago O&#8217;Hare International (ORD)</li>
<li>Portland International (PDX)</li>
<li>Philadelphia International (PHL)</li>
<li>Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)</li>
<li>San Diego International (SAN)</li>
<li>Louisville International (SDF)</li>
<li>Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)</li>
<li>San Francisco International (SFO)</li>
<li>Salt Lake City International (SLC)</li>
<li>Teterboro (TEB)</li>
<li>Tampa International (TPA)</li>
</ul>
Due to the government shutdown, air traffic controllers have gone weeks without pay, leading some to call in sick and seek work elsewhere. In an interview on &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; Thursday morning, Duffy said, &#8220;We receive increased pressure in these 40 markets, and we looked at the data — this is data-driven — and so taking 10% of the flights out will reduce that pressure.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We are assessing the risk in the airspace. Delays and cancellations will be based on which controllers are coming to work.
Reducing 10% of flight volume will reduce the pressure on controllers, while prioritizing safety, and getting more flights out on time. <a href="https://t.co/AbMyfyJCV0">pic.twitter.com/AbMyfyJCV0</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1986437253552275509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Duffy added that he&#8217;s hopeful the decision to cut air traffic will result in more flights departing on time.
&#8220;We had massive delays at Newark early in the summer, and we reduced the capacity at Newark, and all the flights flew on time. There were no more delays,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I can&#8217;t guarantee that&#8217;s the case here, but I&#8217;m hopeful that we&#8217;re going to have more on-time flights, less cancellations.&#8221;
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Wednesday that the decision to cut back on air traffic was due to evidence that air traffic controller fatigue has been increasing.
“We do recognize that the controllers have been working fastidiously for the last five weeks with this huge burden over their heads [from] lack of compensation,” Bedford said. “We are starting to see some evidence that fatigue is starting to build in the system in ways we feel we need to work toward relieving some of that pressure.”
Both Bedford and Duffy stressed the importance of taking precautionary measures to ensure air travel remains safe during the air traffic controller shortage.
“Our primary mission at the FAA is to manage airspace in the safest manner possible,” said Bedford. “That is our only focus.”

FAA flight reduction

40 Airports Face Major Flight Disruptions From Democrat Shutdown. Here’s The List.

Air and Space

Air Travel

airport

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Government Shutdown

Politics

Sean Duffy

The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Wednesday that air traffic will be slashed by 10% in 40 &#8220;high-volume&#8221; markets beginning on Friday due to the air traffic controller shortages brought on by the record-breaking government shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference alongside FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford that the FAA is taking &#8220;proactive&#8221; steps to &#8220;keep the airspace safe&#8221; as the government shutdown moves into its 37th day.
&#8220;In the end, our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible,&#8221; Duffy said. &#8220;There is going to be a 10% reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDuffy</a> announces a 10% reduction in scheduled flight capacity at the nation&#8217;s top 40 high-traffic markets due to the Democrat Shutdown&#8217;s strain on air traffic controllers. <a href="https://t.co/g6yJygA96W">pic.twitter.com/g6yJygA96W</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1986182615372849270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The air traffic reduction comes just weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, which is typically the busiest travel weekend of the year in the United States. Bedford said the administration would share more information on the 40 markets affected by the 10% reduction at a later time.
The Transportation Secretary said that the decision is &#8220;data-based&#8221; and focused on areas where air traffic controllers are feeling the most pressure. Duffy did not say where the disruptions should be expected, adding that he and Bedford are set to meet with airline leaders later on Wednesday to discuss the flight reduction.
&#8220;Our primary mission at the FAA is to manage airspace in the safest manner possible,&#8221; said Bedford. &#8220;That is our only focus.&#8221;
Bedford added that flight controllers are experiencing increased fatigue as fewer controllers show up to work. As the government shutdown drags on, air traffic controllers have gone weeks without pay, causing some controllers to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/11/05/nx-s1-5598420/air-traffic-controllers-government-shutdown">call in sick</a> so they can seek work elsewhere.
&#8220;We do recognize that the controllers have been working fastidiously for the last five weeks with this huge burden over their heads [from] lack of compensation,&#8221; Bedford said. &#8220;We are starting to see some evidence that fatigue is starting to build in the system in ways we feel we need to work toward relieving some of that pressure.&#8221;
Republicans continue to push Democrats to agree to a short-term bill that would immediately fund the government, while negotiations could continue on a larger piece of legislation. Democrats have refused to pass the GOP&#8217;s short-term spending plan for five weeks.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump urged Republican senators in a White House meeting to terminate the filibuster &#8220;this afternoon,&#8221; so the party could reopen the government and pass some of the administration&#8217;s priorities.
“I think it’s very important. We have to get the country open, and the way we’re going to do it this afternoon is to terminate the filibuster,” he said. “And it’s possible you’re not going to do that, and I’m going to go by your wishes. You’re smart people. We’re good friends, but it would be a tremendous mistake, it would be a tragic mistake, actually. It’s time.”
GOP Senate leaders appear to be unmoved by Trump&#8217;s request to end the filibuster.

Duffy Warns Of Worsening US Flight Delays As Paychecks Run Out

FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS IMMINENT: Air Traffic To Be Slashed By 10% This Week Due To Government Shutdown

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday that “mass chaos” and potential airspace shutdowns will affect air travelers if the government shutdown continues into next week, with shortages of air traffic controllers and TSA agents reaching a critical level.
“If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays,” Duffy told reporters at a Tuesday news conference held by Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick (R) and Sen. John Fetterman (D), one of only three Democrats who have repeatedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wire-sits-down-with-john-fetterman-who-doesnt-hear-from-democrats-anymore">voted</a> to end the shutdown.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: The Department of Transportation might be forced to shut down airspace in certain parts of the country if the government shutdown continues into next week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Tuesday.
Read more: <a href="https://t.co/8OnWWD1VUl">https://t.co/8OnWWD1VUl</a> <a href="https://t.co/dHrYJVreDQ">pic.twitter.com/dHrYJVreDQ</a>
— ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1985763806228988307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”
Nearly 50% of major air traffic control facilities across the country already face critical staffing shortages as the shutdown extends into its 35th day, with approximately 13,000 controllers currently required to work without paychecks during the shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/delays-safety-concerns-shortages-air-traffic-controllers/story?id=127055961">reported</a> on Friday that 80% of aviation staff in the New York area had called out, a problem Duffy only expects to worsen as the shutdown continues.
“If this shutdown doesn’t end now, air traffic controllers will receive another $0 paycheck,” Duffy wrote Monday on X. “Many controllers are not coming to work because they have to find a job that WILL pay them so they can survive.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Yesterday saw another horrible record set: 84% of delays were due to staff shortages.
If this shutdown doesn’t end now, air traffic controllers will receive another $0 paycheck.
Many controllers are not coming to work because they have to find a job that WILL pay them so they… <a href="https://t.co/PHK4gwaPzt">pic.twitter.com/PHK4gwaPzt</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1985420348687516025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Delays and disruptions have already <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/flight-delays-shutdown-air-traffic-control-staffing-issues">impacted</a> airports in the Los Angeles area, Newark, and Denver over the past month, with Duffy stating that staffing shortages were the cause of 84% of the delays over the weekend.
The staffing shortages have led to many controllers working overtime or covering roles that other controllers would otherwise fill, in addition to their own.
“There is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that’s doing two jobs instead of one,” Duffy warned on Saturday amid a ground stop that was in effect at Newark Liberty International Airport due to staffing issues. “We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe.”
The shutdown shows no sign of resolution in the near future, as nearly every Senate Democrat has <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/04/us-news/trump-admin-may-be-forced-to-close-parts-of-us-airspace-if-shutdown-lasts-into-next-week-duffy-says/">voted</a> 14 times against a stopgap measure that would fund the government until November 21, using it as leverage to force concessions from Republicans to extend Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of this year.
The Obamacare tax credits were expanded under former President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the New York Post.
In an interview with The Daily Wire on Monday, Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman said he didn’t buy his party’s justification for the shutdown.
“I think shutting our government down simply because we have to ‘fight,’ or because that’s part of this resistance, I don’t agree with it,” the senator said. “And I think we’re gonna hurt the kinds of people who are at the center of our party.”

CrowdedAirport

‘We Just Cannot Manage’: Duffy Warns Shutdown Will Force Airspace Closures

Congress

Department of Transportation

John Fetterman

Trump Administration

U.S. carrier Alaska Airlines said Friday it had restored operations after a technology outage that grounded flights across the country and forced it to cancel more than 400 flights, disrupting travel for more than 49,000 passengers.
Alaska Air Group said it planned to take immediate actions to upgrade its IT systems after the failure at its primary data center, adding it did not yet have an estimate of the financial impact the disruption may have on its fourth-quarter results.
Shares of the airline closed down 6% in heavy volume on Friday.
&#8220;We&#8217;re working to get everyone to their destinations as quickly as we can,&#8221; it said, adding &#8220;this level of performance is not acceptable.&#8221;
An IT outage had also forced the airline to ground all its flights for about three hours in July, which trimmed roughly 10 cents from its third-quarter profit per share.
Alaska Air said that, following the disruption in July, it had taken action to improve its IT systems, &#8220;but this failure underscores the work that remains to be done to ensure system stability.&#8221;
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
&#8220;(We are) immediately bringing in outside technical experts to diagnose our entire IT infrastructure to ensure we are as resilient as we need to be,&#8221; it added.
Alaska Airlines asked the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday evening for a temporary ground stop, which also affected Horizon Air, a subsidiary.
The halt was lifted at 11:30 p.m. PDT (0630 GMT Friday), the airline said, adding that the disruption resulted from a system outage and not a cyber attack.
The carrier on Thursday forecast fourth-quarter profit well below analysts&#8217; expectations, owing to higher fuel costs and operational challenges.
It also postponed its earnings call, originally scheduled for October 24, following Thursday&#8217;s outage.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Ismail Shakil, David Shepardson, Mrinmay Dey, Shivansh Tiwary and Abhinav Parmar; Additional reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan; Editing by Jamie Freed, Christopher Cushing, Jane Merriman, Shinjini Ganguli and Edmund Klamann)

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines Vows IT Upgrades After Major Outage Forced Over 400 Cancellations

Alaska

General

Technology

U.S.

With a government shutdown underway because Democrats are demanding $1.5 trillion in new spending, here are five brutal consequences of the stoppage.
Troops Protecting America Will Go Without Pay 
Thanks to the shutdown, members of the military working to protect America will go without pay until new funding is approved. Despite not getting paid, military personnel will still be expected to stay on duty and perform their required tasks. 
“Military personnel on active duty, including reserve component personnel on Federal active duty, will continue to report for duty and carry out assigned duties. This includes duty involving excepted and, to the extent they can be performed without incurring new obligations, non-excepted activities,” <a href="https://wjla.com/resources/pdf/79d6e679-134e-465a-ade4-dbb99d290dd9-CONTINGENCYPLANGUIDANCEFORCONTINUATIONOFOPERATIONSINTHEABSENCEOFAPPROPRIATIONS.pdf">according </a>to the Department of War’s shutdown contingency plan. 
Civilian employees of the military who are not needed in support roles will be furloughed while the shutdown continues. At the same time, other federal law enforcement officers, such as those working for the Department of Homeland Security, will also go without pay. 
“Our [Homeland Security] law enforcement officers will continue to work throughout the Democrats’ Shutdown to make sure our homeland is safe and secure. More than 200,000 of these patriots will go without pay,” <a href="https://x.com/Sec_Noem/status/1973229586910683546">said</a> Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “The Democrats will be forcing over 150,000 officers and nearly 50,000 members of the military—our frontline of defense—to continue protecting our nation without pay.”
<div id="attachment_979633" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-979633" class="size-full wp-image-979633" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2237786142.jpg" alt="Members of the National Guard patrol near the US Capitol on the National Mall in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. National Guard troops deployed to Washington, DC for President Donald Trump's &quot;safe and beautiful mission&quot; are set to keep working in the city, without pay, if the US government shuts down over a funding dispute between the White House and congressional Democrats." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2237786142.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2237786142-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2237786142-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2237786142-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images.</div>
Law Enforcement Operations
The shutdown could stifle the work of certain federal law enforcement task forces cracking down on violent crime across the country, the National Association of Police Organizations <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-led-shutdown-will-put-law-enforcement-lives-on-the-line-without-pay-top-orgs-warn?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Democrat-Led+Shutdown+Will+Put+Law+Enforcement+%E2%80%98Lives+On+The+Line%E2%80%99+Without+Pay%2C+Top+Orgs+Warn">warned</a>. 
“Federal funding for task forces will stop flowing,” the organization warned. “Federal grants, resources, and supports for state and local law enforcement will stop, leaving vital public safety initiatives in the lurch.”
The organization, which represents 250,000 law enforcement agents, stated that law enforcement personnel should not be expected to put their lives on the line without adequate compensation.
“To have them risk their lives without pay undermines support for the work they are doing and increases the stresses and strains the job puts on them and their families,” the organization added. “We are calling on all lawmakers to do the right thing and enact a continuing resolution to fund the government before time runs out.”
Veterans Will Lose Assistance
Military veterans will also lose access to key Department of Veteran Affairs assistance programs, <a href="https://www.legion.org/information-center/news/veterans-benefits/2025/october/whats-affected-by-the-government-shutdown">according</a> to the American Legion. They will no longer be able to receive transition program assistance or career counseling, regional benefit centers will be closed, and there will be no ground maintenance or placement of permanent headstones at VA cemeteries. Additionally, multiple hotlines will be closed. 
“President Trump opposes a lapse in appropriations, and on September 19, the House of Representatives passed, with the Trump Administration’s support, a clean continuing resolution to fund the government through November 21. Unfortunately, Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands,” the VA <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/government-shutdown-2025-trump-live-updates-rcna234261">said</a> in a letter to veterans. 
Travel 
While airports will continue to operate across the country, there could be delays as thousands of Federal Aviation Administration employees are <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/faa-would-furlough-11000-employees-us-government-shutdown-2025-09-30/">expected</a> to be furloughed. Additionally, aircraft controllers and TSA employees will also be working without pay throughout the shutdown. 
“Under [President Trump’s] leadership, [the Department of Transportation] has hired 20% more air traffic controllers than the previous administration did in the same time period. Our team at the [FAA] did tremendous work to make this happen AHEAD of schedule,” said Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. “Now, [Sen. Schumer] and [Rep. Jeffries] are holding their paychecks HOSTAGE to push their America Last agenda through Congress.”
“The American people shouldn’t have to suffer through endless delays and cancellations because Democrats are too busy fighting for benefits for illegal immigrants! Make it make sense!” Duffy added. 
<div id="attachment_979635" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-979635" class="size-full wp-image-979635" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2231890603.jpg" alt="Travelers wait in line at the TSA security checkpoint at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) in Dallas, Texas, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. For the first time in almost 20 years, pre-flight screening as of last month no longer requires passengers to take off their shoes and run them through X-ray machines, and officials have signaled they intend to ease the rule limiting containers of carry-on liquids to no more than 3.4 ounces." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2231890603.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2231890603-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2231890603-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2231890603-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photographer: Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images.</div>
Healthcare Programs Expire, Nutrition Programs Languish 
Certain healthcare programs have either expired or are expected to face delays as the shutdown continues. 
For example, the Acute Hospital Care at Home Initiative, which enables hospitals to obtain approval to treat Medicare patients with conditions such as respiratory diseases or bacterial infections at home, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/popular-health-program-will-expire-if-senate-dems-force-government-shutdown-white-house-warns?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Popular+Health+Program+Will+Expire+If+Senate+Dems+Force+Government+Shutdown%2C+White+House+Warns">expired</a> on Tuesday. The popular program required congressional approval to continue and had been benefiting approximately 1,200 patients per month. 
Two other healthcare programs that could be impacted by the shutdown are the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides low-income families with additional nutrition, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is intended to provide food benefits to low-income individuals. 
The <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/government-shutdown-2025-air-travel-social-security-impact-rcna234594">programs</a> will move forward “subject to the availability of funding,” and House Speaker Mike Johnson said they could be significantly hampered by the program. 
Vice President JD Vance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jd-vance-tells-ben-shapiro-democrat-support-for-shutdown-is-cracking?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=JD+Vance+Tells+Ben+Shapiro+Democrat+Support+For+Shutdown+Is+‘Cracking’">told</a> Ben Shapiro that he believed the shutdown was a politically untenable situation for Democrats, who voted Tuesday and Wednesday to block a temporary spending plan.
“You already see, I think, the Democrats cracking a little bit because they realize it’s such a preposterous position to say, ‘We’re gonna shut down TSA, we’re gonna not pay our troops because you guys won’t give us benefits for illegal aliens.’ It’s crazy, and I don’t think it’s a tenable political situation for them to be in,” Vance said.

US Government Shutdown Looms With Trump, Democrats At Odds

Five Brutal Consequences If Democrats Continue Government Shutdown

Here Are Five Of The Biggest Negative Impacts From The Government Shutdown

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JD Vance

Law Enforcement

U.S. Military

On April 28, air traffic controllers lost all radar and radio contact with planes headed into one of the nation’s largest airports.
For nearly 90 seconds, air traffic controllers couldn’t see, hear, or communicate with flights inbound to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/05/air-traffic-controllers-newark-airport-delays.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newark Liberty International Airport</a> — a horrifying blackout that underscores the urgent need for a complete overhaul of our air traffic control system.
The culprits were a fried copper wire transmitter and a failed backup communications line — symptoms of an antiquated air traffic control infrastructure that faces mounting pressure with every passing day.
Although flight remains the safest form of commercial travel, we shouldn’t tempt fate. It’s foolish and negligent to continue standard operating procedures amid the aviation sector’s rapid deterioration.
At present, <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-108162" target="_blank" rel="noopener">76%</a> of all functioning air traffic control systems are “unsustainable” or “potentially unsustainable.” Moreover, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/business/air-traffic-controllers-understaffed.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90% of towers nationwide</a> are significantly understaffed amid glaring failures in recruitment and training.
But these visible failures signal a deeper problem with American aviation: consistent obstruction of necessary investments in America’s aviation infrastructure.
Congress has repeatedly failed to allocate enough funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Even when it does provide funding, it is often distributed by agencies in an inefficient manner due to burdensome regulatory processes. At times, these bureaucratic hurdles block funding altogether.
With all the wasteful spending and other non-essential things American taxpayers fund, upgrading the nation&#8217;s air traffic control system is, correctly, a top priority for President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
But if we expect to keep our airways safe and secure, and ensure that America has the best air traffic control system in the world, it also needs to be a top priority for Congress.
To make matters worse, the FAA is presently without clear, stable leadership. Nearly two months after the president’s nomination of Bryan Bedford to lead the FAA, Congress has yet to schedule his confirmation hearing. Bedford’s nomination has received overwhelming support from airline industry leaders, and his swift confirmation would expedite the implementation of necessary reforms in American aviation.
Recently, Secretary Duffy reiterated the urgency of enacting such reforms, unveiling a comprehensive plan to realize Trump’s vision to restore safety and excellence to the industry. The plan includes immediate emergency funding for the most critical system updates, multi-year budgets so the FAA can prioritize innovation, and supercharging the air traffic controller training and hiring pipeline.
Cooperation from enforcement and budgeting agencies and their leaders is critical for implementing this ambitious and necessary plan and ensuring that funding is directed toward the most acute areas of concern. Once Congress moves to provide funding, swift action and coordination from departments like the Office of Management and Budget, where I once served, is paramount to seamless air travel and this plan’s success.
The funding approval and regulatory enforcement processes must be expedited so that funds can easily and efficiently reach air traffic control towers, operators, and training centers. We cannot allow these urgent reforms to be derailed by bureaucratic backlogs, red tape, and delays in leadership appointments.
Frugality to the extreme can quickly become recklessness — especially when it means gambling with the lives of pilots and passengers. There is no badge of honor for continuing to push off essential upgrades to ensure safety in the skies. We must ensure that the funding Congress allocates is distributed in a rational, efficient manner.
Once implemented, Secretary Duffy’s proposals will radically overhaul our air traffic control infrastructure by building six new control towers, replacing antiquated radars and communications systems — including WWII-era radar monitoring platforms and 1980s technologies like floppy disks — with updated wireless and satellite technologies, and streamlining hardware and software systems for a common national platform.
The American people have entrusted their safety to the government. President Trump and Secretary Duffy have answered that call with a plan of action. Once congressional funding is secured, it will be our agency leaders’ duty to steward taxpayer dollars toward this end in an efficient and responsible manner.
Overhauling our air traffic control systems will be a joint effort between Congress, the president, and our executive agencies. Together, their regulatory and enforcement work must be a catalyst, not a speed bump, in making the president’s vision a reality.
Once a paragon of innovation and excellence, America’s air traffic system has descended into atrophy. But this administration finally has a chance to enact the change we so desperately need — a chance to restore American ingenuity and maintain safety in flight in perpetuity.
Joe Grogan served as Assistant to President Donald Trump for Domestic Policy from 2019-2020 and Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget from 2017-2019.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-AVIATION-FAA-TRAVEL

It’s Time For Congress To Stop Gambling With Airline Safety

Airline Crash

Airplane

Donald Trump

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Dozens of commercial aircraft were left virtually flying blind after a Monday outage at Denver airport’s air traffic control left pilots unable to communicate with controllers for 90 seconds.
The incident occurred Monday afternoon at the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center in Longmont, which oversees aircraft movement across nine states.
Between 15 and 20 commercial aircraft approaching Denver International Airport lost all communication with controllers when multiple radio transmitters failed.
While initial reports indicated an outage of up to six minutes, the FAA has since clarified that the outage was approximately 90 seconds, and that it is &#8220;investigating&#8221; the cause.
According to ABC7, controllers were already <a href="https://www.denver7.com/news/investigations/outage-leaves-up-to-20-pilots-headed-to-denver-airport-unable-to-contact-air-traffic-control-on-monday">operating</a> on a backup fifth frequency when the system crashed, as four of the other frequencies had already crashed.
When the final frequency went down, a controller eventually reached one pilot using a seldom-used distress channel, who then relayed instructions to other aircraft.
David Riley, a retired air traffic controller with 32 years of experience, said this incident was a sign that the FAA’s equipment was “getting old” and is no longer a risk that should be tolerated.
“The biggest risk is you have airplanes that you&#8217;re not talking to. And then, therefore, the pilots have to try to figure it out themselves,” Riley said. &#8220;They still had radar coverage, but that&#8217;s like watching a car crash happen and not be able to do anything about it.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not acceptable. And the biggest problem is the fact that the FAA does not have stable funding to replace this equipment and maintain it in an appropriate fashion.&#8221;
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently acknowledged the outdated infrastructure problem.
“We should be using fiber, but it&#8217;s copper. We use radar from the 1970s. Some of them are from the 80s, but most of them are from the 70s,” Duffy said. “So, this technology is 50 years old that our controllers use to scan the skies and keep airplanes separated from one another.”
The Transportation Department now <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/08/us-news/transportation-secretary-sean-duffy-calls-for-multi-billion-dollar-overhaul-of-failing-air-traffic-control-system-by-2028/">plans</a> to ask Congress for billions to overhaul the system, including replacing 618 radars and upgrading all FAA computers that controllers use.
The FAA has experienced severe staffing shortages, with Newark Liberty International Airport recently <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/business/newark-airport-delays-staffing-shortage.html">operating</a> with just three controllers when 14 were needed.
In a statement to Fox Business on Thursday, the FAA <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/denver-air-traffic-controllers-temporarily-lose-radio-communications-aircraft">admitted</a> that the Denver outage was partially due to how the &#8220;antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce.&#8221;
The incident comes amid growing concerns about air safety following several high-profile aviation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/small-plane-crashes-on-busy-florida-road-killing-all-three-on-board?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Small+Plane+Crashes+On+Busy+Florida+Road%2C+Killing+All+Three+On+Board">accidents</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/passengers-forced-to-evacuate-after-delta-jet-bursts-into-flames?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Passengers+Forced+To+Evacuate+After+Delta+Jet+Bursts+Into+Flames">near-misses</a> across the United States in recent months.

Denver Air Traffic Goes Dark, Leaving Nearly 20 Planes Stranded Mid-Air In Latest Scare

A high-ranking Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official confirmed that the hotline between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and the Pentagon became inoperable during the Biden administration in March 2022.
On January 29, American Airlines Flight 5342, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew members on board, collided in midair near the airport with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that had three people on board. Multiple American figure skaters and coaches returning from a training camp were on the flight. There were no survivors.
An internal preliminary report from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/federal-aviation-administration-faa">FAA</a> said that staffing at the tower was &#8220;not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/29/us/plane-crash-washington-dc">according to The New York Times</a>. The newspaper said the controller who was dealing with helicopters around the airport was also instructing airplanes that were landing and departing, tasks which are typically assigned to multiple people.
On Wednesday, Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/5/faa-reauthorization-one-year-later-aviation-safety-air-traffic-and-next-generation-technology_2">questioned</a> Franklin McIntosh, the FAA Deputy COO of air traffic control, about proper procedures.
“On April 25 for the first time since the January 28 mid-air collision, the army resumed flying in the national capital region,” Cruz noted. “Less than a week later, air traffic control had to command two commercial aircraft on final approach to abort their landing at DCA due to an Army Blackhawk on an apparent training mission at the Pentagon, having wandered far too close to the commercial aircraft flightpath.”
“Shortly thereafter, and just 10 days after having resumed limited flight in the national capital region, the army aviation brigade, suspended operations in the DC area,” he continued. “I’ve been told that prior to the army aviation brigade’s decision to suspend operations on May 5, the FAA was preparing to suspend the letter of agreement between the army and the FAA that gives the army the ability to operate the DC air space without having to first ask for FAA clearance for each flight. Was the FAA prepared to suspend the letter of agreement, and if so, what was concerning enough to justify such a decision?”
“We were extremely troubled by the incident that occurred, especially in light of DCA and the events that led up to the accident,” McIntosh admitted. “We were ready to deploy any option available that we could use or that we felt was necessary to bring safety measures and better behaviors from the DOD in this instance. &#8230; We were ready to do any option available to include what you just spoke to, which was removing the ability to fly.”
“Just to be clear, does that mean the FAA did actually draft an order suspending the army’s ability to fly in the DC area?” Cruz asked.
“I’m not 100% aware if we drafted an order, but we did have a discussion if that was an option that we wanted to pursue,” McIntosh replied. “I do know that the DOD came back and suspended operations on their own based on that event so we’re still working with DOD to improve that process.”
“Is it true that the hotline, the direct line between the Pentagon air traffic control and the DCA tower, has been inoperable since March 2022?” Cruz asked. When McIntosh confirmed that the hotline indeed had been inoperable, Cruz continued, ‘Who maintains that hotline?”
“I believe the DOD maintains that hotline but I think the next question would be why were we not aware of it and insist upon it being fixed? “ McIntosh replied. “We take safety responsibilities extremely seriously in the FAA and those were the questions we were asking and we were not aware, but we became aware after that event and now that we became aware of that event we are were insisting upon that line to be fixed before we resume any operations out of the Pentagon.
“While army flights were ongoing, if the hotline was not operational, how did controllers communicate?” Cruz wanted to know.
“We still have landline abilities; we can make phone calls from the helipad to the operation where the supervisor or the controller in charge can answer so we’re aware of the activity and if there was a departure clearance needed, we’d be able to relay it via that mechanism,” McIntosh answered.
“Is it also true that the air traffic control positions for local traffic and helicopters were combined early just as they were on the day of the mid-air collision?” Cruz pressed.
“Yes sir, it was,” McIntosh confirmed.
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this article.

US-AVIATION-ACCIDENT

Hotline Between Reagan National Airport, DOD Became Inoperable During Biden Admin

Department of Defense

Reagan national Airport

Ted Cruz

President Donald Trump deepens U.S. ties in the Middle East with historic economic partnerships, while domestic battles over tax cuts and Medicaid rage on in Congress. The Federal Aviation Administration calls an urgent meeting with airlines to address critical staff shortages and faulty equipment at major travel hubs, grounding thousands of flights. And, a sweeping ICE raid in Nashville nets nearly 200 illegal aliens, sparking backlash from the city’s Democratic mayor and a larger national debate on Homeland Security protocols. 
It’s Thursday, May 15, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
 
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<h2>Budget Battle Continues</h2>
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Topline: House Republicans negotiated Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” this week in marathon sessions that began Tuesday and stretched well into Wednesday morning. Lawmakers muscled the legislation forward to prepare it for passage by the end of next week.
As budget negotiations continue to shape the bill, Congressional Republicans are focused on permanently extending Trump’s 2017 &#8220;Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.&#8221; On top of that, Republicans want to make good on Trump’s campaign promises, such as no tax on tips, and boost funding for the military and immigration enforcement.
“We&#8217;re checking all the boxes,&#8221; Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Newsmax. “ [The president] promised no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security, no taxes on, for example, interest on car loans that are made in America. A number of those things are woven into this bill, and we&#8217;ve made all the math work so we can do that.“
So far, Republicans have agreed on new tax exemptions for tips and overtime pay for those earning less than $160,000 annually. The government will pay $1,000 to parents for babies born through December 31, 2028. The House bill also raises the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction from $10,000 up to $30,000, which some Republicans in blue states have said is still not enough.
However, to balance the books, the GOP must find funding offsets. For example, the bill limits itemized deductions for the 37% top bracket, and some Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for electric vehicles and green energy will be scrapped, though not entirely until 2029. The bill would also introduce work requirements for able-bodied people to access Medicaid, and would create new safeguards to prevent waste and fraud, although those reforms could face opposition in the Senate.
And… Yesterday, the White House announced an agreement that it said would generate an economic exchange worth $1.2 trillion with Qatar. As part of that deal, Qatar Airways said it plans to buy as many as 210 planes from Boeing. The U.S. has also agreed to deeper military cooperation with Qatar. Earlier this week, the president struck deals with Saudi Arabia that the White House says are worth about $600 billion.
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<h2>FAA Reforms</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration is putting pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after several deadly plane crashes and concerns with staffing shortages.
On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy testified to lawmakers on a House Appropriations subcommittee about the Transportation Department’s new budget request. He’s asking for billions of dollars to update the country’s air traffic control system, which has been the target of widespread criticism after several deadly disasters and major snarls in the system.
Hundreds of flights were grounded at Newark Liberty International Airport last week when air traffic controllers lost communications with planes for about 90 seconds. Newark needs 38 air traffic controllers – it only has 24, and five of them are on a 45-day trauma leave due to stress resulting from recent problems. Also, construction at Newark has caused about 34 flight cancellations per day. Duffy blamed the Biden administration for failing to fix a broken system.
“This did not have to be our story,” Duffy said. “Over the last four years, the last administration, they knew this was a problem. And by the way, during COVID, when people weren’t flying, that was a perfect time to fix these problems.”
On Wednesday, airlines met with the FAA to address the situation at Newark. The FAA is already working on the Newark airport — it installed a software update to prevent another outage and is slashing the number of flights for now.
Duffy has made reversing the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI ) hiring practices implemented under the Obama and Biden administrations a major focus and has introduced a new recruitment program to address the air traffic controller shortage. He also <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5290613-sean-duffy-air-traffic-control-overhaul/">wants</a> to invest in new equipment — new radios for air traffic controllers, radar on the ground, tarmac sensors, and a new flight management system to improve airspace efficiency. As he was testifying to Congress on Wednesday, Duffy’s Transportation Department announced it had just approved dozens more infrastructure grants, for a total of 405 grants worth nearly $5 billion so far. The department says it has cleared about 13% of the backlog under former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who served during the Biden administration.
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<h2>Nashville ICE Raids Nab Nearly 200 Illegals</h2>
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Topline: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out a week of raids in Nashville, Tennessee, arresting nearly 200 illegal aliens and prompting outrage from the city’s Democratic mayor.
A week-long ICE raid in Nashville that started on May 3 captured nearly 200 illegal aliens, many of whom have been convicted of criminal offenses. Of the 196 illegal aliens detained by ICE, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending charges, and 31 had illegally re-entered the United States after previously being deported.
A Daily Wire investigation found that one of the illegal aliens captured is a 60-year-old Iraqi national who was convicted of rape and failed to register as a sex offender. Another is a 33-year-old from El Salvador believed to be affiliated with MS-13, a violent gang that was recently designated a foreign terror organization by the Trump administration. The government of El Salvador also suspects the man of committing aggravated murder. There’s also a Haitian male convicted of possessing meth with the intent to distribute, a Salvadoran convicted of possessing cocaine with the intent to manufacture and sell the drug, and a Guatemalan national with a conviction for aggravated assault.
Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell said that ICE’s immigration enforcement raids caused “deep community harms” and added that he was “heartbroken” over the federal law enforcement agency’s actions. O’Connell announced the creation of the “belonging fund,” a joint project between the city of Nashville and a local foundation to support organizations that assist illegal aliens with their childcare, transportation, and food needs. The mayor also signed an executive order requiring city employees and police to report any communications with ICE to his office.
But Nashville Legal Director Wally Dietz said that the city government can do nothing to prevent ICE from carrying out enforcement operations in Nashville. “We are powerless. We have absolutely no authority to instruct ICE not to carry out their enforcement actions…we have no authority to tell [Tennessee Highway Patrol] they cannot cooperate with ICE.”
Tricia McLaughlin, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, called O’Connell a “pro-open borders politician&#8221; who would “rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.” O’Connell was also slammed by ICE acting director Todd Lyons, who said that the Nashville mayor should be thanking the federal law enforcement agency for protecting his city.

MRN 5.15.25 Thu Thumbnail_V1

Morning Brief: Budget Battles, Billion-Dollar Bets & ICE Busts

Budget

Illegal Immigation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Nashville

On Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confronted the question of whether Elon Musk tried to fire air traffic controllers.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/us/politics/trump-musk-doge-power.html?campaign_id=190&amp;emc=edit_ufn_20250307&amp;instance_id=149417&amp;nl=from-the-times&amp;regi_id=78841373&amp;segment_id=192873&amp;user_id=2c0c856b2ce44b95592cc8015e73caee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> back in March that there was a clash in which Duffy vented about staffers from Musk&#8217;s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort trying to lay off air traffic controllers at a time when the Transportation Department was dealing with multiple plane crashes. Musk reportedly denied the claim.
&#8220;Did Elon Musk ask you to cut air traffic controllers directly?&#8221; NBC&#8217;s Kristen Welker asked Duffy during a &#8220;Meet The Press&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/transportation-sec-duffy-says-elon-musk-never-asked-him-to-cut-air-traffic-controllers-239336517927" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a>.
&#8220;So, listen, we were having a conversation about, &#8216;Who do we preserve?&#8217; And, again, I wanted in those probationary employees to preserve air traffic controllers,&#8221; Duffy said. &#8220;We went back and forth, and Elon agreed, the president agreed. Of course you want to keep air traffic controllers. We&#8217;re trying to hire more of them.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;But I think the key is, &#8216;Can your government be more efficient?&#8217; We&#8217;ve had a massive expansion of government. You can actually be more efficient and still accomplish the mission of safety, which is what I think we can do. And actually, we are doing that.&#8221;
Welker pressed Duffy again.
&#8220;Did Elon Musk, though, initially ask you to cut air traffic controllers?&#8221; she asked.
&#8220;No,&#8221; Duffy said.
&#8220;And did you dispute that?&#8221; Welker asked.
&#8220;No,&#8221; Duffy replied.
&#8220;Did you have a disagreement with him about that?&#8221; Welker followed up.
&#8220;So, Elon and I get along really well. He never called me and said, &#8216;Cut air traffic control.&#8217; He would never do that. This was a broader conversation about what positions are going to be preserved, right? So if we&#8217;re going to let probationary employees go, again, they’ve – they&#8217;re new employees. They just were hired on. Some might have been there for a month, some of them 10 months,&#8221; Duffy said.
&#8220;It was the new employees that we were going to let go,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Many of them have come back. But this is not the institutional knowledge of the FAA that&#8217;s being let go. Elon Musk understands the importance of the airspace and the need to have good controllers. Actually, [Musk&#8217;s] SpaceX launches through the airspace and the FAA. We want good controllers that know the airspace to navigate all the issues that come up.&#8221;

Transportation Secretary Clears Air On Whether Elon Tried To Fire Air Traffic Controllers

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Elon Musk

Executive

A massive shortage of air traffic controllers causes delays, cancellations, and insecurity. Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney discusses tariffs and U.S. statehood with President Donald Trump in an Oval Office meeting, and a surprising rise in Christianity is occurring in the U.S. and Europe, fueled by young converts.
It’s Wednesday, May 7, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>FAA Modernization Efforts</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration is rushing to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after years of chronic understaffing and a string of accidents and near misses on runways.
We all heard about the deadly crash in D.C. a few months back when a military helicopter collided with a commercial jet – but every week at airports around the country, there are roughly a dozen close-calls that largely go unreported. These incidents are referred to as “runway incursions” by the FAA.
In the last few months alone, two planes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were forced to abort landings at the last minute due to a helicopter in restricted airspace. A few weeks before that, at the same airport, two planes clipped wings on a crowded runway. Similar incidents have been reported this year at Chicago Midway, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. And on April 29, air traffic controllers at Newark International experienced a systems outage that knocked out their radar and left numerous planes essentially flying blind. That incident came amid existing air traffic controller shortages and equipment failures at Newark, which have led to 14 straight days of FAA-imposed delays on flights in and out of the airport.
Part of the problem is an ongoing worker shortage – the FAA says it needs 3,500 air traffic controllers to meet its target goal. For months, existing controllers have been stretched thin, working mandatory overtime shifts and six-day work weeks.
To combat those shortages, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched a new initiative to offer new incentives to keep experienced controllers from retiring and fast-track certifications for military veterans. But according to Duffy, the biggest problem plaguing the FAA is outdated technology. Many of the administration’s systems and computers are from the 1980s — many controllers still rely on floppy disks — and because the FAA tech is so old, Duffy says it’s difficult to find technicians who know how to operate on its systems. He’s now calling for Congress to allocate tens of billions of dollars to fund a revolutionary overhaul of the FAA.
Some Democrats say the Trump administration is to blame – they argue the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project&#8217;s cuts have impacted the FAA’s preparedness. While the Trump administration cut around 400 FAA jobs, that amounts to less than 1% of the department’s workforce. According to a Transportation spokesperson, nearly all of those let go were probationary employees who’d been at the agency for less than two years.
<h2>Tariff Updates With Canada, China</h2>
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Topline: Canada’s new prime minister sits down with Trump after weeks of tough talk on tariffs and Canada becoming the 51st state.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived at the White House on Tuesday for talks on trade, as well as the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Carney is one of dozens of world leaders seeking a new trade agreement with the U.S. Canada is the second-largest trading partner for the U.S., behind Mexico, and the U.S. is Canada’s largest trading partner by far.
“We are the largest client in the United States,” Carney said at a joint press conference. “We have a tremendous auto sector between the two of us and the changes we made have been helpful. You know, 50% of a car that comes from Canada is American. That&#8217;s not like anywhere else in the world.”
“We want to make our own cars,” Trump responded.
Meanwhile, another significant U.S. trade partner, China, is starting to feel the impact of ongoing tariffs. According to Goldman Sachs, U.S. tariffs could wipe out 16 million factory jobs in China. Workers are already upset over missed wages and layoffs and have even begun publicly protesting. It’s not clear how much influence this public discontent has on the communist government in Beijing.
A breakthrough in the tariff standoff between the United States and China emerged on Tuesday evening. Treasury Secretary <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0132" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Bessent</a> and U.S. Trade Representative <a href="https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2025/may/ambassador-jamieson-greer-travel-switzerland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamieson Greer</a> are poised to meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland over the weekend to discuss trade and economic matters, according to their respective agencies. China reportedly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/business/economy/us-china-trade-talks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> there will be talks.
<h2>Christianity On The Rise</h2>
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Topline: A surprising shift is taking place across the religious landscape of both the U.S. and Europe. According to new data, Christianity is seeing a notable rise in conversions, particularly among young adults.
New data from the Pew Research Center shows that Christian identification in the U.S. has seen a 12% uptick since 2022, with Catholicism up 10%. In some dioceses, the rise is much more pronounced. The Diocese of Fort Worth, for instance, reports a 72% jump in converts just from 2023 to 2024. Meanwhile, when we look at Protestantism, particularly evangelical and nondenominational branches, it’s up 14% overall, and many pastors are reporting that they’re seeing record attendance and baptisms.
This same trend is playing out in Europe, with countries like France and Germany reporting a 15% increase in Catholic conversions and a 10% surge in Protestant affiliations, especially among Pentecostals and Baptists. Catholic pilgrimages, like the Chartres Pilgrimage, have seen record attendance — more than 15,000 participants last year, mostly under 35.
The majority of these converts aren’t older generations returning to faith — they&#8217;re young adults, disproportionately young men, reversing decades-long trends where women were more religious. Sociologist Dr. Ryan Burge has written that young men are rejecting the “feminization” of liberal churches, seeking instead the structure of traditional worship.
Sociologists argue that our culture is experiencing a “post-secular” moment – the rapid pace of political developments has left many people feeling unmoored. And also, conservatives tend to be more religious, and as the country has shifted to the right, this has coincided with this more muscular, public Christianity. For countries like France, England, and the U.S., where citizens feel their cultures are being erased by mass immigration, there also seems to be a desire to bolster the Christian character of their nations.

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Morning Brief: Dangerous Air Traffic Controller Shortage, & Christianity Growing Throughout World

Canada

Christianity

Mark Carney

Media

Morning Wire

Earlier Friday, a small plane crashed in Boca Raton, Florida, killing the three people on board and injuring one man on the ground, authorities said.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a Cessna 310R that took off from Boca Raton Airport bound for Tallahassee International Airport and crashed less than 20 minutes into its flight.
All three people aboard the small plane were killed, while one man on the ground sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Michael LaSalle, assistant fire chief for Boca Fire Rescue, said the plane &#8220;had apparently some mechanical issues and went down here on Military Trail.&#8221; He added, &#8220;He hit a tree because of all the debris and the fire.&#8221;
A witness recalled seeing the aircraft flying uncommonly close to nearby buildings, appearing as though it might clip the roof of one structure before it veered off.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
JUST IN: A plane has crashed in Boca Raton, Florida resulting in three de*ths, according to local news reports.
The plane was approaching Boca Raton Airport with “mechanical issues,” according to Boca News Now.
Fire rescue was reportedly on “alert” as the plane was nearing the… <a href="https://t.co/ST3oGmOsgv">pic.twitter.com/ST3oGmOsgv</a>
&mdash; Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1910712201117392996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I saw the plane, basically, turn, come back, and I heard it and saw it go over our building,&#8221; Dillon Smith <a href="https://www.wpbf.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> to local West Palm Beach ABC affiliate WPBF.
Smith describes momentarily losing sight of the plane, but said it then &#8220;came back — it was looking like maybe it was going toward the [nearby Boca Raton] airport.&#8221;
&#8220;I just saw it drop below the trees&#8221; and &#8220;heard a boom,&#8221; Smith said. The office windows shook violently and he saw a &#8220;fireball.”
Footage taken after the incident shows the plane’s wreckage situated on railroad tracks adjacent to a heavily traveled roadway.
The flames ignited by the crash were extinguished by first responders, who arrived on the scene to address both the blaze and assist the injured driver.
Authorities confirmed that the individual in the vehicle was transported to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are <a href="https://x.com/NTSB_Newsroom/status/1910762941743276075">reviewing</a> data from the flight and examining the wreckage to determine why the plane experienced difficulties shortly after taking off.
Local officials have also cordoned off a wide area around the crash site to collect further evidence and ensure there are no additional safety threats.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a plane crash occurred earlier today within our community. At this time, details are still emerging, and we are working closely with emergency responders and authorities,” Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer <a href="https://apnews.com/article/small-plane-crash-florida-boca-raton-84f2a5d7874a4daaeaafd92d2295b974?taid=67f94feb645bb30001316a84&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">said</a> in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event. We ask for patience and respect for the families involved as investigations continue.”

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Small Plane Crashes On Busy Florida Road, Killing All Three On Board

Plane Crash

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