Chapter 1: What are the latest updates on the federal government's flight order after the shutdown?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Airlines are waiting for the federal government to lift its order to cut flights after the government shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration says it won't do so until safety metrics improve, but it also says airlines won't have to cut flights at the 40 busiest airports by 10 percent by this weekend as initially planned during the shutdown. As NPR's Joel Rose reports, air traffic controller staffing has already improved significantly.
Airlines seem pretty confident that they can ramp up quickly. I mean, once the air traffic control situation is stabilized, maybe within just a few days of getting the word from the FAA. Chris Sununu is the CEO of Airlines for America, the industry trade group. He addressed this question on a call with reporters yesterday.
Chapter 2: How has the government shutdown affected national parks and their funding?
Sununu says it might take up about a week for airlines to get back to full pre-shutdown normal, as he put it. But he is optimistic that they can get there before the Thanksgiving holiday rush that begins in earnest next week.
NPR's Joel Rose reporting. Watchdog groups led by former Park Service employees say the government shutdown has made the funding and environmental crisis at national parks even worse.
Chapter 3: What does the American Psychological Association say about AI chatbots for mental health?
NPR's Kirk Siegler reports the Trump administration ordered most national parks to stay open with a skeleton staff.
Thousands of furloughed National Park Service employees are now returning to work after the 43-day shutdown. Many entrance gates at parks remained open but unstaffed. One estimate by Watchdog Groups predicts the service may have lost upwards of $40 million in entrance fee revenue. This is a big deal because it follows cuts to the agency ordered by President Trump and his Doge team,
Since January, the Park Service lost a quarter of its entire staff, from scientists to janitors to rangers.
Chapter 4: What is the current health status of Jesse Jackson?
Meanwhile, the return of the remaining staff is seen as a relief, following reports of vandalism of artifacts at Arches National Park in Utah, base jumpers off El Capitan at Yosemite, and damage to a stone wall at historic Gettysburg. Kirk Sigler, NPR News.
The American Psychological Association has released a health advisory about artificial intelligence chatbots to address mental health needs. The advisory says consumers should not rely on these chatbots for therapy or any kind of psychological treatment. NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports.
A recent U.S. survey found that nearly 50% of people with a mental health condition who use AI chatbots use them for psychological support.
Chapter 5: What new treatments are being developed for malaria?
But the new advisory notes that most AI chatbots were not designed to treat psychological disorders. And so consumers should not use them to replace mental health care from a trained provider. AI apps and chatbots can create a false sense of therapeutic relationship, with some chatbots falsely claiming that they are licensed therapists.
The report also points out that several AI chatbots have engaged vulnerable youth in harmful interactions, encouraging them to self-harm and even attempt suicide. Ritu Chatterjee, NPR News.
You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Jesse Jackson is in the hospital with a rare neurological disorder. His Chicago-based civil rights organization says the 84-year-old was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy in April and is under observation.
Jackson was told he had Parkinson's disease about a decade ago but continued to make public appearances, including at last year's Democratic National Convention. He has been unable to walk, relying on a wheelchair. Family members say in recent months he's been unable to speak. Malaria patients may soon have a new kind of treatment after decades of relying on one kind of medication.
NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports.
Since the early 2000s, a single class of drugs called artemisinin has treated the vast majority of malaria. Derived from the wormwood plant, artemisidins have saved millions of lives. But their power to treat malaria is fading in some parts of the globe as the parasite that causes malaria evolves resistance. Without alternatives, deaths could surge.
But malaria researchers are cheering as a new drug just cleared a big scientific hurdle. Ganlum, manufactured by Novartis, cured over 97% of patients in a large clinical trial across a dozen African countries. Researchers presented the results at a meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The team hopes for regulatory approval within the next year and a half.
Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.
Doritos and Cheetos are getting a makeover. PepsiCo says it's launching toned-down versions of its bright orange snacks that won't have any artificial colors or flavors. The new chips are set to hit store shelves December 1st. I'm Ryland Barton.
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Chapter 6: What changes are being made to popular snacks like Doritos and Cheetos?
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