Air travel snarled by shutdown; Texas National Guard troops arrive in Chicago
The government shutdown is now significantly affecting travelers. Delays are starting to spread nationwide as understaffed air traffic control towers struggle to keep pace.
Texas National Guard troops have arrived in Chicago amid a bitter standoff over immigration enforcement between President Donald Trump and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
And on Capitol Hill, Attorney General Pam Bondi faced sharp questioning from Democrats on everything from Jeffrey Epstein to the prosecution of James Comey.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
Air travel snarled as government shutdown enters second week
The government shutdown has had a widening impact on air travel, and there’s no end in sight.
For a second straight day, flight delays stretched across the country as the FAA warned of growing staffing shortages.
Some of the nation’s busiest airports — from Boston and Philadelphia to Chicago and Las Vegas — reported hours-long delays Tuesday as more air traffic controllers called out sick.
The FAA said controllers are “essential” employees. Therefore, they’re still required to work without pay until the government reopens.
Their union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, has insisted it does not support any actions that put flight safety at risk.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said sick calls have been on the rise since the shutdown began last week, putting even more pressure on already-thin staffing.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has suggested some federal workers may not receive back pay once the shutdown ends. The comment comes despite a 2019 law requiring it.
A draft White House memo argues that furloughed workers are “not entitled” to pay for forced time off.
“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about. I can tell you this. The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you’re talking about,” President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday. “But for the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”
The Office of Management and Budget quietly removed references to that 2019 back pay law from its official guidance last week.
In the Senate, lawmakers are scheduled to hold another vote on Wednesday on dueling bills to reopen the government.
Texas National Guard troops arrive in Illinois, near Chicago
The Texas National Guard has arrived in Illinois despite strong opposition from state and city leaders who call the deployment illegal and dangerous.
Aerial video shows troops at the U.S. Army reserve center in Elwood, about fifty miles southwest of Chicago.
They’re part of a federal immigration enforcement mission ordered by Trump and joined by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who called them his state’s “Elite national guard.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have filed a lawsuit to block the deployment, calling it unconstitutional and a violation of state sovereignty. Their case is scheduled for tomorrow.
Pritzker said he has not received any communication from the administration or the guard about their arrival, calling the move chaotic and dangerous.
Trump defended the move, saying he’s using his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets.
So far, there’s no timeline for how long the troops will remain in Illinois. However, defense contractors say they’re preparing housing and dining facilities for at least 250 soldiers.
What is the National Guard? Understanding its role and why it matters now
So what exactly is the National Guard, and why is its role now at the center of a political fight?
The National Guard is a state-based military force with units in all 50 states, plus D.C. and U.S. territories.
They’re weekend soldiers who train part-time, about one weekend a month, two weeks a year, but can be called up in emergencies.
Typically, governors activate them to help with disasters or civil unrest, not for federal law enforcement.
Trump’s recent deployments mark a shift, using the guard in Democratic-led cities to crack down on crime and immigration protests.
Legal experts say it pushes boundaries of the Posse Comitatus Act, which bans using the military as a police force on U.S. soil.
The National Guard’s roots date back to 1636. Over the decades, they’ve stood at some of the most defining moments in American history: from escorting black students into Little Rock’s Central High in 1957 and patrolling L.A. streets during the 1992 riots, to delivering relief after Hurricane Katrina.
Today, their mission remains the same: to protect the American people. However, it hasn’t faced this kind of scrutiny in decades.
Bondi questioned over DOJ, Epstein files and Trump records
Attorney General Pam Bondi faced questioning on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as Democrats pressed her on whether the Justice Department is being used to protect Trump and to bury the so-called Epstein files.
Bondi, a longtime Trump ally, clashed with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee during a five-hour hearing that quickly intensified.
At one point, Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., asked her about reports that Epstein showed people photographs of Trump with half-naked young women:
Whitehouse: “Did the FBI find those photographs that have been discussed publicly by a witness who claimed Jeffrey Epstein showed them? You don’t know anything about that.”
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.: So, who gave the order to flag records related to President Trump?
Bondi: “To flag records for President Trump?”
Durbin: “To flag any record which included his name.”
Bondi: “I’m not going to discuss anything about that with you, senator.”
Durbin: “Eventually, you’re going to have to answer for your conduct in this, and you won’t do it today, but eventually you will.”
Bondi also refused to say whether she had discussed possible prosecutions of Trump’s political rivals, including former FBI director James Comey, who’s now under federal indictment.
The hearing ended without clear answers.
Israel intercepts second Gaza aid flotilla
Another Gaza-bound aid flotilla has been intercepted by Israel’s military — just days after a similar shipment was stopped and activists detained. The move sparked international outrage and protests.
The group behind the mission — the Freedom Flotilla Coalition — said Israeli forces jammed communications and boarded at least two boats.
Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed the interception, calling it “another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone.”
Those on board were transported to an Israeli port for questioning before deportation.
The coalition said the ships carried more than 100,000 gallons of medical aid, including respirators, medicine, and food supplements, to Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals.
It marked the second time in less than a week that Israel had intercepted a humanitarian flotilla headed for Gaza.
Bob Ross paintings to be auctioned to help fund public broadcasters
The well-known oil landscape painter, known for features like happy little trees and mountains, will soon be part of a fundraising mission.
Paintings by artist Bob Ross will head to auction to help raise funds for public television stations after the Trump administration cut funding.
Bonhams, the auction house, announced that 30 of Ross’s original works will be sold starting Nov. 11 in Los Angeles, with additional sales planned in New York, London, Boston and online.
All proceeds will go to public stations that air programs from American public television, including the best of Ross’s show, “The Joy of Painting.”
Overall, the collection could raise up to $1.4 million.
It’s not enough to erase the $1 billion funding cuts, but it’s a start.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Air traffic controller shortage leaves Chicago O’Hare most delayed US airport
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport operated on a partial staff of air traffic controllers Tuesday night, according to several reports. The shortage of controllers appears to be a combination of sick calls and staffing issues as the government shutdown continues.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground delay at O’Hare International Airport (ORD), which is the eighth-busiest airport in the world.
“It’s something that’s put in place to make the FAA aware that staffing levels are down a little bit, so they can take the appropriate measures to maybe slow down traffic to the level of staffing,” Drew MacQueen, a union rep for that region from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, or NATCA, told WGN9. “What they don’t need is the fatigue of dealing with that job while being short-staffed, working six days a week, 10 hours a day. Now they’re worried about when they’ll get paid.”
FlightAware’s aptly named Misery Map showed that ORD had the most delays in the country Tuesday night, averaging 41 minutes.The shortage at O’Hare was projected to last for nine hours Tuesday night, going until about 4 a.m. local time Wednesday. Read the full story now >
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
