Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Fresh off a record government shutdown, the people tasked with keeping the skies safe for flying are in the thick of what may very well be the busiest Thanksgiving holiday travel period the U.S. has experienced in 15 years.
Chapter 2: What are the implications of the recent government shutdown on air travel?
The FAA projected today would be the peak travel day with more than 52,000 flights. Meanwhile, the agency says it is investigating whether airlines complied with mandatory flight reductions during the government shutdown. NPR's Joel Rose reports the agency required airlines to cut flights at dozens of major airports.
The FAA says it's sending letters of investigation to airlines that may not have complied with the agency's order to reduce capacity during the shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says there could be consequences.
When we have a directive from the FAA, we need our airlines to comply with it. There should be accountability, and that'll be an ongoing discussion and investigation.
The FAA said the reductions were necessary to keep the aviation system safe, as the agency dealt with staffing shortages of air traffic controllers who were required to work without pay during the shutdown. The FAA originally aimed for a 10% reduction of domestic flights, but froze the caps at 6% before reducing and then lifting them entirely. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.
Arizona U.S. Senator Mark Kelly tells MSNOW he won't be silenced as the Pentagon investigates him for allegedly violating military law. The retired Navy captain and astronaut is among a group of congressional Democrats with either military or intelligence backgrounds who recently released a video telling U.S. service members to adhere to their obligations and reject illegal orders.
President Trump calls it treason, but a judge advocate general working group, including retired Air Force Major General Stephen Leppard, says the group reaffirmed current law.
There is a strong presumption in military law that all orders are lawful. And it is only the exception when an order is patently or manifestly unlawful does a military member have the obligation to disobey it.
A month into a new fiscal year, the federal government is already deep in the red. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the government ran a deficit of $284 billion in October.
Tax collections were higher in October than they were a year ago, partly because that was the due date for taxpayers who got an extension last April as a result of the Los Angeles wildfires.
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Chapter 3: How is the FAA ensuring airline compliance after the shutdown?
Government spending, however, grew even more, despite the federal shutdown, which delayed some payments last month. One of the government's biggest expenses was interest on the federal debt, which topped $100 billion in October, more than the government spent on the military. Tariff collections have more than quadrupled from a year ago, as importers paid $33 billion in tariffs last month.
But that didn't begin to narrow the deficit. Corporate tax collections were lower than they would have been without the Republican tax cut and spending bill passed during the summer. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
It's NPR News. Retail sales picked up slightly in September, two-tenths of a percent from the month before. The Commerce Department's report was delayed more than a month due to the government shutdown. The government's expected to start guaranteeing bigger home loans starting next year.
The Federal Housing Financial Agency says mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which it oversees, will be able to acquire loans of up to $832,750 on single-family homes in most of the United States. Ahead of Thanksgiving, President Trump utilized a power only he has, the presidential pardon.
NPR's Deepa Shivaram says today Trump took part in a longstanding White House tradition and pardoned two Thanksgiving turkeys.
The two turkeys, Waddle and Gobble, were spared a future of being eaten. At a ceremony in the Rose Garden, President Trump said the turkeys weighed about 50 pounds each. His remarks were interrupted a few times by a gobble from Gobble.
Today, we continue a time-honored American tradition. Boy, that's a well-trained turkey. See how happy he is? In a few moments, I will grant a full, absolute and unconditional presidential pardon to two handsome Thanksgiving turkeys.
The turkeys will spend the rest of their lives at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The president, for his part, will spend his holiday in Florida. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, the White House.
The Dow's closed up 664 points or 1.4 percent. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.
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