Hundreds of flights canceled; Senate blocks limits on Trump’s war powers
Flight cutbacks begin Friday as the government shutdown continues. Long lines, exhausted travelers and increasing fears that the system could collapse before the holidays build up.
Plus, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully restore November’s SNAP benefits, rejecting its plan to send partial payments during the shutdown.
And Tesla shareholders have approved a massive pay deal for Elon Musk — one that could make him the world’s first trillionaire.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.
Air traffic cuts take effect at 40 airports across the country
The political gridlock is now turning into a runway gridlock.
The Trump administration has ordered airports to slash flights as the government shutdown drags into its sixth week, impacting travelers nationwide.
Airlines have already canceled more than 800 flights, according to FlightAware.
The FAA ordered 40 of the country’s busiest airports to cut traffic by 10%. It’s a direct result of air traffic controllers working without pay, stretched thin by a nationwide shortage.
Airlines like American, United and Delta say they’re trying to rebook most passengers, but for many travelers, it’s the final straw in a standoff that shows no signs of ending.
“Well, I almost canceled my trip because I was like, I don’t even know what’s gonna happen, and then I just decided, all right, we’re just gonna go for it and see what happens,” said Sandy Humes, an airline passenger. “But yeah, it’s just all unexpected. I’m just sick of it. It’s like, what about us?”
The FAA describes the cuts as a “proactive safety measure” aimed at reducing fatigue and burnout.
FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said flight levels will return to normal once staffing stabilizes, but warned that if conditions worsen, more cuts could follow.
And with Thanksgiving travel just over two weeks away, many flyers are already wondering if their holiday plans will be grounded, too.
Judge orders full SNAP payments, says Trump admin must immediately release benefits
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully fund food stamps this month, after sharply rebuking officials for what he called “deliberate delays” that risked leaving millions of families without aid during the government shutdown.
Judge John J. McConnell said, “This should never happen in America,” calling it unacceptable that low-income families have gone nearly a week without food assistance.
He ruled that the USDA must immediately release full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments to the states on Friday, utilizing emergency funds that the agency had previously resisted tapping.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who joined one of the lawsuits against the administration, said, “I am relieved that people will get the food they need. But it is outrageous that it took a lawsuit to make the federal government feed its own people.”
The Justice Department says it will appeal, leaving SNAP benefits in limbo for now.
The case stems from the Trump administration’s decision to delay or reduce payments during the shutdown, despite the USDA’s admission that it had access to billions in reserves.
McConnell called that move “arbitrary and capricious,” saying 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, rely on SNAP to eat.
The White House has not yet commented on the ruling.
GOP offers Democrats a new incentive to ‘proceed’ as Senate gathers for shutdown vote
Day 38 of the government shutdown, and another vote will take place Friday in the U.S. Senate to try to break the stalemate.
This time, Republicans are dangling a new incentive, hoping Democrats will take the deal.
CBS News reported that Republicans are adding language to the bill that would guarantee a future vote on extending health care subsidies set to expire under the Affordable Care Act.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he’s hopeful that enough Democrats will proceed.
Meanwhile, some GOP leaders are considering changing the filibuster rules specifically for this vote in an effort to reopen the government with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of the current 60.
The resolution itself would be a clean bill with no add-ons or policy riders. But even inside the Republican party, support for that so-called “nuclear option” is limited, meaning for now, the shutdown grinds on.
Senate rejects block on Venezuela military action
The U.S. Senate has rejected a bipartisan effort to pass a resolution that would require congressional approval for any military action by the Trump administration against Venezuela.
Even though it only required a simple majority to pass, the resolution failed 49 to 51, with two Republicans — Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul — joining all 47 Democrats in voting for the measure.
“The message all of us should send to the president of the United States is, quit engaging in illegal actions in the Caribbean, in international waters, blowing up boats and people,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said.
He continued, “And when it comes to Venezuela, stop making these threats and amassing military assets off the shore and claiming you somehow have the authority to do that.”
However, some Republicans opposed muting the president’s commander-in-chief powers simply because Congress disagreed with their actions.
“Never in the history of our country has Congress terminated a military action because it did not give permission to the commander-in-chief. Never in the history of the country has the Supreme Court ruled that Congress has the power to terminate hostilities simply because it disagrees with the president. Because the day that becomes the norm, then you’ve taken the power of the commander-in-chief away from the president, you conferred it upon us,” Sen. Linsey Graham, R-S.C., said.
Just hours after that resolution failed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced another deadly strike on a boat he claimed was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.
It was at least the 17th U.S. strike targeting narco-terrorists, as the Trump administration calls them, in South American waters.
So far, 69 people have been killed in the strikes.
Tesla gives Elon Musk path to become world’s first trillionaire
Elon Musk’s new pay package from Tesla puts him on track to possibly become the world’s first trillionaire. Shareholders approved the new deal, announced in September, during an annual company meeting.
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
Elon Musk’s net worth is estimated to be around $490 billion.
Voters holding more than 75% of the company’s shares voted to approve the deal. That excludes the percentage of the company Musk already owns.
He doesn’t take a salary as Tesla’s CEO, but the new pay package is a giant stock grant. It would give him up to 423.7 million additional Tesla shares over the next decade, increasing his ownership from 13% to 25%.
That will only happen if Tesla reaches an $8.5 trillion market cap in ten years. It requires Tesla shares to jump in value by 466% over the next decade and would put them 70% above Nvidia, currently the world’s most valuable company.
The pay package lays out a dozen milestones for Tesla to reach so Musk can fully cash in on the new deal.
Those milestones include market valuations, 20 million Tesla vehicles delivered, 10 million full self-driving subscriptions, 1 million Bots (Tesla’s Optimus) sold and 1 million robotaxis in commercial operation.
Each milestone comes with benefits for Musk.
At Thursday’s meeting in Austin, Musk told cheering visitors that the company is about to embark not just on a new chapter but a whole new book.
Tesla’s board said it’s about rewarding his moonshot performance. But critics called it unchecked power and runaway capitalism.
Mega Million jackpot hits $843 million
It might not be Elon Musk money, but the Mega Millions jackpot keeps climbing as the game hits its longest streak ever without a winner.
There have now been 37 consecutive drawings without a winner, and tonight’s lucky number 38 is estimated to be worth $843 million, making it the eighth largest in the game’s history.
The longest stretch without a Mega Millions winner was in 2020, lasting 37 drawings until someone claimed a billion-dollar jackpot.
The odds of Friday night’s drawing? 1 in 290,472,336. That’s why they used to call it “a dollar and a dream.”
The drawing is scheduled for 11 p.m. EST.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Local Nevada election decided by card draw after tie
In the small Nevada town of Gerlach, a local election was decided by a game of chance after the vote ended in a tie. Many U.S. states, including Nevada, have laws specifying how to handle ties in local elections. In some cases, random selection methods such as a card draw, coin flip or drawing straws are explicitly allowed.
Carl Copek and Seth Schrenzel, longtime friends, ran for election to the Gerlach General Improvement District (GGID) Board of Directors. There were four seats up for election on the GGID Board, ABC News reported, and the top three candidates with the most votes would each get a full four-year term, which would last until 2028.
Copek and Schrenzel each received 67 votes out of 335 total votes cast among five candidates, tying for third place. A tiebreaker was required to determine which candidate would take the third-place seat with a full term and who would finish fourth with a shorter term. Read the full story now>
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
