US to cut 10% of flights; Shutdown deal in danger after Democratic wins
The federal shutdown is now hitting the skies. With thousands of flights on the chopping block, air traffic control shortages are forcing major cutbacks.
Plus, at least a dozen people are dead after a UPS cargo plane exploded during takeoff in Louisville. Investigators say the jet barely cleared the runway before a huge fireball lit up the sky.
And fresh off big election wins, Democrats are doubling down, and that could spell trouble for any deal to reopen the government.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.
Trump administration to cut 10% of air traffic across major markets
The Trump administration is taking drastic action this morning to keep the skies safe, announcing a 10% cut in air traffic across 40 of the nation’s busiest airports.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the move is aimed at relieving pressure on air traffic controllers, most of whom haven’t been paid in more than a month.
Duffy says the cuts, which are expected to take effect on Friday, are a preemptive safety measure as the shutdown drags into its 37th day.
Analysts estimate it could force airlines to cancel up to 1,800 flights in a single day, and create major ripple effects as the busiest travel season of the year begins.
“This is proactive. We don’t want to find ourselves in a situation, I think the administrator said we don’t want the horse out of the barn and then look back and say there were issues we could have taken that we didn’t,” Duffy said. “So we are going to proactively make decisions that keep the space, the airspace safe.”
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford says the decision was based on safety data, not politics, and warned that further cuts could be necessary if staffing shortages worsen.
“I feel bad for people not getting paid. Nobody wants to work for free, but essential jobs are essential. We have to have them, and I wish they would hurry up and fix this,” said one traveler.
The FAA plans to release the full list of affected airports on Thursday, but officials say the impact will be felt nationwide.
UPS plane crash investigation: Black boxes recovered, 12 dead including child
New details are coming out regarding the deadly UPS plane crash in Louisville. Investigators confirm at least twelve people have now died, including a child.
The cargo plane exploded into a fireball just seconds after takeoff Tuesday night, carving a half-mile path of destruction through a commercial area near the airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says the left engine detached midair. Investigators found it on the airfield.
Both black boxes have now been recovered and sent to Washington for analysis. CCTV video shows the moment the plane burst into flames, followed by massive clouds of black smoke.
A local worker who captured the aftermath said the blast was so powerful that it knocked him to the ground.
Investigators say at least eleven others were hurt, many with severe burns and blast injuries.
The FBI is now assisting the NTSB on scene as crews search through twisted metal and debris.
Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency as crews move from rescue to recovery mode. Air traffic has resumed in Louisville in a limited capacity, but the airport remains a disaster zone.
Shutdown deal in doubt, Democrats emboldened by election wins
President Donald Trump is turning up the pressure on Senate Republicans, calling on them to abolish the filibuster as the government shutdown drags on through another week.
Hopes for a deal now seem more uncertain after Tuesday’s election results.
Democrats swept those elections, resulting in gains they say validate their decision to hold the line until expired health care subsidies are addressed.
Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy said, “It would be very strange if on the heels of the American people rewarding Democrats for standing up and fighting, we surrendered without getting anything.”
He says Democrats are in an “enormously strong position right now.”
Still, some moderate Democrats are quietly working with Republicans on a way forward, insisting the election hasn’t changed their approach.
Meanwhile, Trump is frustrated by the impasse and is pushing harder for Senate Republicans to act. He called the shutdown a major factor behind Republican losses on Tuesday.
“I don’t think it was good for Republicans. I don’t think it’s good. I’m not sure it was for anybody. But we had an interesting evening and we learned a lot,” Trump said. “ If you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor. Negative for the Republicans.”
The president has refused to meet with Democrats until the government reopens and is urging the Senate to end the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to pass any bill.
But Majority Leader John Thune says that’s not happening. He’s promising Democrats a vote on healthcare as part of any deal — one that would still fall under filibuster rules.
USDA revises SNAP payouts, cuts 35% not 50%
November’s SNAP benefits will be cut less severely than initially expected.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised its guidance, stating that SNAP benefits this month will be cut by 35% rather than the 50% initially announced.
The change comes as the agency works to comply with a federal court order requiring it to access SNAP’s $5.25 billion contingency fund during the government shutdown.
The new figures show that a family of four in the lower 48% will get roughly $646 this month, according to NBC News.
The Agriculture Department didn’t clarify what caused the revision, but a Justice Department filing on Wednesday stated there had been an “error” — one they quickly corrected “as soon as it was discovered.”
Judge orders ICE fixes, calls Chicago facility conditions “unnecessarily cruel”
The presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Chicago is once again making headlines — this time over the conditions inside the Broadview Detention Center, which has long been the focus of protests and complaints.
A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to improve conditions at the facility, stating that people should not be sleeping next to overflowing toilets or on top of one another.
ICE now has two weeks to make improvements.
Under the order, detainees must be given a safe place to sleep, access to medication and basic supplies like soap, toothbrushes and toilet paper.
The judge called the current conditions “unnecessarily cruel,” requiring that holding areas be cleaned twice a day, that detainees be allowed to shower every other day, receive three meals a day and be provided with bottled water.
The ruling also mandates private access to attorneys.
ICE must submit a status report on those improvements by noon Friday.
Ovechkin makes NHL history as first player to 900 career goals
Washington Capitals legend Alexander Ovechkin made NHL history Wednesday night by doing what he does best: scoring.
This wasn’t just any goal — it was number 900.
Ovechkin is now the first player in NHL history to reach that milestone.
The milestone occurred just 2.5 minutes into the second period against the St. Louis Blues, a game the Capitals went on to win 6-1.
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NEW YORK — For years, a five-man crime ring prowled outside New York City’s gay nightclubs, running a deadly hustle: Target intoxicated revelers, offer them fentanyl-laced drugs and rob them when they black out. Two victims overdosed and died in 2022.
That same year, prosecutors said, two men copied that playbook, drugging and robbing 21 people in Lower Manhattan. Five people died. In 2023, a woman allegedly ran a similar scheme that killed four more men.
Now, in a precedent-setting move, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged all three cases as second-degree murders, arguing that the defendants acted with depraved indifference to human life and used fentanyl as a murder weapon.
Legal experts told Straight Arrow News this approach mirrors a national trend: as opioid deaths climb, prosecutors are increasingly treating fatal overdose events as high-level homicides. Murder convictions in New York overdose cases could embolden prosecutors across the country and raise the charging ceiling for drug-facilitated crimes. Read the full story now>
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
