Supreme Court rejects appeal from county clerk who sought to overturn same-sex marriage decision
The Supreme Court on Monday said it will not revisit its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, leaving intact the 2015 protections granted to couples in Obergefell v. Hodges. Justices rejected an appeal brought by Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who was held in contempt after she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs. The Court declined to take up her appeal without explanation and without any noted dissents. SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP TARIFF POWERS IN BLOCKBUSTER CASE Though Davis’s appeal centered largely on First Amendment issues and questions of religious protection, her lawyers also requested that the Supreme Court consider overturning the 5-4 ruling in Obergefell, or the 2015 decision that granted same-sex couples the constitutional right to marry. It is time for a “for a course correction” on Obergefell, her lawyers argued. Davis was briefly jailed in 2015 after she refused to issue the marriage licenses to same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs, prompting a federal judge to hold her in contempt. She was also ordered by the court to pay $100,000 in damages to the couple, and to cover their legal fees. “If ever a case deserved review,” Davis’s lawyers said in their appeal, “the first individual who was thrown in jail post-Obergefell for seeking accommodation for her religious beliefs should be it.” JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA Though her appeal was considered a long shot, it had prompted fresh speculation about whether the court’s conservative majority might agree to review the seminal case, especially in light of the court’s 2022 decision to overturn abortion protections in Roe v. Wade. Others noted that three of the justices that dissented from the majority in Obergefell — Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts — remain on the court. Davis’s lawyers also hewed closely to language used by Justice Clarence Thomas in their appeal, who used a concurring opinion in 2022 to urge the court to “reconsider” gay marriage and other constitutional protections after it overturned Roe v. Wade. Even so, it takes four votes to get a case onto the docket — a somewhat heavy lift for the court. The decision also comes at a time when justices have agreed to review a number of politically charged cases in their upcoming term.
Senate vote to end government shutdown ignites Democrat civil war
The eight critical votes that advanced a short-term spending package on Sunday evening and put the government on the path to re-opening also tore the seams of Democratic Party unity, bringing scrutiny to its shutdown strategy and leadership. One of the eight said that the plan Democrats had rallied around at its outset had crumbled. “After six weeks — going on seven weeks — that path wasn’t working,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said. “It wasn’t going to happen. The question was: Does the shutdown further the goal of achieving some needed support for the extension of the tax credits? Our judgment was that it will not produce that result.” “The evidence for that is almost seven weeks of fruitless attempts to make that happen. Would it change in a week? Or another week? Or after Thanksgiving? There’s no evidence that it would.” SHUTDOWN IGNITES STRATEGIST DEBATE: WILL TRUMP AND GOP PAY THE POLITICAL PRICE IN 2026? To other Democrats, it’s the party’s top figures who led a losing effort. “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, said in a post on social media on Sunday. The government first plunged into a shutdown 40 days ago on Oct. 1 when Democrats rejected a short-term spending bill advanced by Republicans in the House meant to keep the government afloat until Nov. 21. Democrats had demanded that lawmakers first consider expiring COVID-era Obamacare subsidies set to phase out at the end of the year. Republicans, who saw spending and the tax credits as completely unrelated, refused to negotiate on the tax credits during the shutdown. Ultimately, Republicans avoided any substantive concessions on the Obamacare credits. The package advanced by the Senate on Sunday looks to reopen the government through Jan. 30, 2026, and also includes a bundle of three yearlong spending bills to fund Veterans Affairs, the country’s agriculture expenses and the legislative branch. In return, Democrats who voted for the package secured the inclusion of language that prevents the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs of federal workers through Jan. 30 and guarantees back pay for federal employees fired since the beginning of the shutdown. Additionally, they secured a stand-alone vote on the tax credit subsidies to be considered later this year, although that vote remains likely to fail without the needed Republican support. To some Democrats, a failure to secure an extension — or even a partial extension — of the Obamacare subsidies was unacceptable. GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AFTER CONGRESS DEADLOCKS ON SPENDING DEAL “I cannot support a deal that still leaves millions of Americans wondering how they are going to pay for their healthcare or whether they will be able to afford to get sick,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said of the proposal. “That’s not a deal. It’s an unconditional surrender that abandons the 24 million Americans whose healthcare premiums are about to double,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said in a post on X. But after 40 days of waiting, frustrations over the lack of an off-ramp didn’t just come from the senators who voted to advance the legislation. “I just don’t get what the point is of delaying even longer,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said moments after opposing the bill. “I want Republicans to grow a backbone and say, ‘Regardless of what Donald Trump says, we’re going to restore these cuts on healthcare,’ but it looks like I’ve lost that fight. So, I don’t want to impose more pain on people who are hungry and who haven’t been paid.” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who pledged to vote against the package over its silence on Obamacare subsidies, said he understood the cracks in the party’s unity. SPEAKER JOHNSON FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM LEADERS WITH STAUNCH WARNING AGAINST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “On healthcare, I’d like to keep trying,” Coons said. “But I understand, I respect my colleagues who are saying it’s time.” A final vote on the spending package is expected to take place in the Senate early this week. After that, it must clear the House of Representatives before it can become law and reopen the government.
Republicans target 2 key Democratic races with Mamdani connection strategy
As Republicans eagerly look to pin the Democratic Party to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, two specific races look like early opportunities to do just that: the Michigan Senate primary and Colorado’s 8th Congressional District. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed hopes to become the state’s next U.S. senator. In Colorado, Manny Rutinel is running to unseat freshman Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo. On both fronts, the Republican National Committee (RNC) hopes audiences will see a connection to the mayor-elect in New York. REPUBLICANS PUSH TO MAKE MAMDANI THE NEW FACE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY “Manny Rutinel and Abdul El-Sayed have anchored themselves to Mamdani, thinking he will get them across the finish line. Republicans are watching,” RNC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told Fox News Digital. Republican strategists hope that the efforts to tie socialism to Democrat candidates will diminish their chances outside of New York. For the Democrat candidates themselves, that introduces a question: Will the immediate momentum of the Mamdani brand bring the long-term downsides Republicans are counting on? Or could similarities to Mamdani’s recent success help them stand out? El-Sayed is walking that line carefully. When asked if he would embrace the idea of becoming Michigan’s Mamdani, El-Sayed said he would carve out his own image. “I am the Michigan Abdul,” he said. “I always have been. I always will be.” But like Mamdani, El-Sayed has made affordability — and the role of government — key pieces of his campaign. In addition to calling for lowering housing costs, he’s advocated for Medicare for all, opposes corporate tax carve-outs, and he supports tuition-free access to higher education. He expects voters from New York, Michigan and beyond to continue in that direction. “You’re seeing that kind of resonance here in Michigan for sure. And I’m not surprised that you’re seeing that in New York, too. Government ought to be available to set an equal playing field for everybody and to offer those basic things that everybody needs and deserves,” El-Sayed said. El-Sayed endorsed Mamdani ahead of the mayoral election last week. WILL ELECTION DAY 2025 BE REMEMBERED AS THE RISE OF THE SOCIALISTS? Rutinel, the Democrat challenger in Colorado, hasn’t made his policy platform as clear. The first-term state representative doesn’t have any positions listed on his website. And besides signing a letter calling for the release of an ICE detainee, he hasn’t publicly made statements that would separate him from most of the Democrat Party. That hasn’t stopped the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) from drawing the Mamdani connection anyway. The CLF, an arm of the House Republican fundraising apparatus, highlighted a video posted to Instagram of a Mamdani campaign rally, offering it as proof that Rutinel belongs in the same bucket as Mamdani. The video briefly shows someone who looks like Rutinel standing behind Mamdani. “What does the CO-08 race have in common with the NYC Mayoral Race? Democrat Manny Rutinel is campaigning in both,” CLF pointed out recently in one of its ads. Rutinel’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The office of Evans, the current representative for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, didn’t immediately draw a connection to Mamdani but made the case that New York and Colorado have very different electorates. They suggested that an attempt to replicate Mamdani’s strategy in Colorado would play out differently in the Centennial State. “When people tell you who they are, believe them. Democrats have fully endorsed the far-left socialist, extremist base of their party — the same base that’s anti-law enforcement and handcuffs work rather than rewarding it. Those policies may sell in New York, but Coloradans aren’t buying it,” a spokesperson for Evans said. DNC EMBRACES SOCIALIST MAMDANI AS RESURFACED ANTI-ISRAEL REMARKS RAISE ALARM: ‘BIG TENT PARTY’ A strategist familiar with the thinking of campaigns in Colorado and Michigan believes that more Democrats may use an apparent similarity to Mamdani to stand out in the short term, especially in the wake of Tuesday’s election. “I think — at least in crowded primaries — many candidates are just thinking they need to get through the primary,” the strategist said. “It riles up the base. The base sees Mamdani as the new face of the party. They finally have someone.” “I just don’t think it’s going to be helpful in a general election,” they added. Bomar, the RNC spokeswoman, said that if more Democrats decide to lean into that connection, Republicans will be waiting. “Americans want no part of socialism and Mamdani will ultimately sink Democrats’ chances around the country,” Bomar said.
Top conservative group jumps into Republican primary fight in race to flip key swing state Senate seat
FIRST ON FOX: The political wing of a fiscally conservative political advocacy group with a powerful grassroots outreach operation is taking sides in a Republican Senate primary battle. The winner will move on to a race for a key swing state seat that the GOP aims to flip next year. Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action) on Monday announced it is backing former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu’s 2026 bid to return to the Senate in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. The Senate battle in New Hampshire is one of a handful in next year’s midterm elections that will determine if the GOP is able to not only defend but possibly expand its majority in the chamber. The endorsement of Sununu, who is facing off against former Sen. Scott Brown for the GOP nomination, was shared first with Fox News Digital on Monday. FORMER GOP SENATOR RUNNING TO FLIP KEY SWING STATE SEAT SAYS HE WANTS TO ‘WORK WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP’ “John Sununu is exactly the kind of principled leader New Hampshire needs in the U.S. Senate,” AFP Action Director Nathan Nascimento said in a statement. “His deep roots in the Granite State and proven record of advancing limited government principles, cutting wasteful spending, and driving smart regulatory reform make him uniquely qualified to represent New Hampshire’s values in Washington.” The endorsement by AFP Action is the third in 2026 Senate races, following their backing of former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley in North Carolina and former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, who’s making his second straight Senate run. But it’s the group’s first endorsement in a Senate race where President Donald Trump remains neutral to date. FORMER REPUBLICAN SENATOR ON POTENTIAL BID TO FLIP SWING STATE SEAT RED: ‘THIS IS A RACE I KNOW I CAN WIN’ Sununu is a former three-term representative who defeated then-Gov. Shaheen in New Hampshire’s 2002 Senate election. But the senator lost to Shaheen in their 2008 rematch. Shaheen announced earlier this year that she wouldn’t seek re-election in next year’s midterms and Republicans are working to flip the seat as they aim to not only defend but expand their 53-47 Senate majority. Now, after nearly two decades in the private sector, Sununu is returning to the campaign trail in New England’s only swing state. It’s been 15 years since Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in swing-state New Hampshire. But Sununu is confident he can break his party’s losing streak. “This is a race I know I can win,” Sununu said in a recent Fox News Digital interview. “It’s the right message, the right set of issues, and also the right person.” Sununu is a brand name in New Hampshire politics. The former senator’s father, John H. Sununu, is a former governor who later served as chief of staff in then-President George H.W. Bush’s White House. And one of his younger brothers is former Gov. Chris Sununu, who won election and re-election to four two-year terms steering the Granite State. SCOOP: FORMER TRUMP AMBASSADOR SHOWCASES MAJOR FUNDRAISING HAUL IN BATTLE TO FLIP DEM SENATE SEAT But Sununu won’t have a smooth path to the GOP nomination. Brown, who was elected and served three years in the Senate in neighboring Massachusetts, and who, as the 2014 GOP Senate nominee in New Hampshire, narrowly lost to Shaheen during her first re-election, jumped into the race in late June. “John can have all the support of the DC insiders and special interest groups in the world, and it won’t matter because New Hampshire primary voters know he’s not one of them,” Brown said in a statement to Fox News Digital. And Brown emphasized, “Like John, AFP has gone all-in on stopping President Trump. And like John, they have failed each time because they’re out of touch with our party’s base and relics from the past. History has a way of repeating itself, because New Hampshire voters are always smarter than the insiders give them credit for.” Brown was referencing the 2024 Republican presidential primary endorsements of Trump rival Nikk Haley by both AFP Action and by Sununu. AFP Action’s national and New Hampshire political teams met with both candidates before deciding to endorse Sununu. “John E. Sununu is an unapologetic and proven champion of New Hampshire values like limited accountable government, personal responsibility and free markets. He is the perfect antidote for what’s wrong with Washington today and will make the Granite State proud in the U.S. Senate,” AFP regional director Greg Moore said. AFP, the influential and deep-pocketed grassroots network founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers, highlights that in the 2024 election cycle, it and AFP Action engaged in a record-breaking 647 races, knocking on 20 million doors, and reaching 30 million voters. And the group says they expect “to significantly exceed those 2024 metrics across the board” in the 2026 cycle. “We will put our unrivaled grassroots operation in full support of this effort and will work to ensure that this race becomes about the issues that matter most to New Hampshire residents and not about the political noise that has become a feature of politics lately,” Moore emphasized. Republicans are working to expand their 53-47 majority in next year’s midterms. And Shaheen’s seat in New Hampshire is a top GOP target, along with battleground Michigan, where Democrat Sen. Gary Peters isn’t running for re-election, and Georgia, where Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff faces a rough road to securing a second six-year term in the Senate. “We believe that this will be among the most competitive races nationally this year, and we feel that AFP Action can make a huge impact in getting John E. Sununu back in the Senate,” Moore said. Ahead of AFP Action’s announcement, Brown landed the endorsement of former Republican Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire. Sununu defeated then-Sen. Smith in the 2002 GOP Senate primary, and Brown topped Smith in the 2014 primary. “I got to know Scott during the 2014 campaign when we ran against each other, and
Reagan-appointed federal judge resigns to speak out against Trump’s ‘assault on the rule of law’
A federal judge appointed by former President Ronald Reagan announced in an op-ed published Sunday that he resigned from his position, relinquishing his lifetime appointment to speak out against President Donald Trump, whom he views as eroding judicial independence and using the law to reward allies and punish opponents. Mark Wolf, who was appointed by Reagan in 1985, said in The Atlantic that he had looked forward to serving on the bench for the rest of his life but felt compelled to resign. “My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom. President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment,” he wrote. “This is contrary to everything that I have stood for in my more than 50 years in the Department of Justice and on the bench. The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable.” FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE WARNS PARTISANSHIP PLAYS ‘TOO MUCH OF A ROLE’ IN JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS The former federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts said he began his career in public service at the Department of Justice in 1974, several years after the Watergate scandal. Wolf served under former President Gerald Ford’s Attorney General Edward Levi, who he argued helped shape his views on what it means to uphold the rule of law and to seek justice in a nonpartisan way. “I decided all of my cases based on the facts and the law, without regard to politics, popularity, or my personal preferences. That is how justice is supposed to be administered—equally for everyone, without fear or favor. This is the opposite of what is happening now,” he wrote. DOJ ACCUSES FEDERAL JUDGE OF MAKING ‘MOCKERY OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS’ IN SNAP APPEAL Wolf’s successor was selected and nominated after he became a senior judge in 2013, and the seat was officially filled by Judge Indira Talwani in 2014. “I hope to be a spokesperson for embattled judges who, consistent with the code of conduct, feel they cannot speak candidly to the American people,” he told The New York Times. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Fox News Digital that judges who “want to inject their own personal agenda into the law have no place on the bench.” “Here’s the reality: with over 20 Supreme Court victories, the Trump Administration’s policies have been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court as lawful despite an unprecedented number of legal challenges and unlawful lower court rulings,” Jackson said. “And any other radical judges that want to complain to the press should at least have the decency to resign before doing so.”
US carries out more ‘lethal’ strikes on alleged drug boats in international waters, Secretary Hegseth says
War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced two additional airstrikes against alleged drug smuggling vessels in international waters on Monday. The two attacks bring the total number of Trump administration airstrikes against alleged drug vessels to 19. Footage of the two strikes released by the Pentagon shows the vessels exploding into flames and debris. “Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, two lethal kinetic strikes were conducted on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route in the Eastern Pacific,” Hegseth said in a statement. “Both strikes were conducted in international waters and 3 male narco-terrorists were aboard each vessel. All 6 were killed. No U.S. forces were harmed,” he added. TRUMP’S WAR ON CARTELS ENTERS NEW PHASE AS EXPERTS PREDICT WHAT’S NEXT “Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people,” he said. At least 72 suspected narco-terrorists have been killed in recent strikes and three survived. US MILITARY KILLS 2 SUSPECTED NARCO-TERRORISTS IN 16TH EASTERN PACIFIC STRIKE, HEGSETH SAYS The Trump administration has created a new counter-narcotics Joint Task Force operating near the U.S. Southern Command in an effort “to crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe.” TOP DEMOCRAT BACKS US INTEL ON NARCO-TRAFFICKING STRIKES, FAULTS BIDEN FOR ‘NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH’ ON MADURO CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The task force will coordinate air, maritime and special-operations missions across the region — marking the largest U.S. military effort in the Caribbean in decades. This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.
Johnson takes victory lap in first comments after Senate shutdown deal: ‘Vindicated’
EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is glad the Senate finally managed to break through its weeks-long standoff on the government shutdown, he told Fox News Digital on Monday morning. “It’s a great development. It’s long overdue. It vindicates our position in this all along,” the House leader said. He added that he would have “a lot more to say at a press conference this morning.” Asked how soon the House would return to session, Johnson said, “Immediately.” SENATE DEMOCRATS CAVE, OPEN PATH TO REOPENING GOVERNMENT “We’re going to get everybody back on a 36-hour notice, so it’ll be happening early this week,” Johnson said. The House has not been in session since Sept. 19, when lawmakers there first passed a bill to avert a shutdown by extending current federal funding levels through Nov. 21. Democrats rejected that deal, however, kicking off weeks of a worsening impasse where millions of Americans’ federal benefits and air travel were put at risk. Eight Senate Democrats joined all but one Senate Republican in breaking a filibuster to advance an updated government funding deal late on Sunday night. EIGHT SENATE DEMOCRATS BREAK RANKS WITH PARTY LEADERSHIP TO END HISTORIC GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN It came on Day 40 of the government shutdown — which already holds the record for being the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Terms of the deal include a new extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30, in order to give congressional negotiators more time to strike a longer-term deal on FY 2026 spending. It would also give lawmakers some headway with that mission, advancing legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch. They are three of 12 individual bills that are meant to make up Congress’ annual appropriations, paired into a vehicle called a “minibus.” In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off. It also guarantees Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Extending the enhanced subsidies for Obamacare, formally called the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was a key ask for Democrats in the weeks-long standoff. No such guarantee was made in the House, however, so Democrats effectively folded on their key demand in order to end the shutdown — a move that infuriated progressives in Congress. “Tonight, eight Democrats voted with the Republicans to allow them to go forward on this continuing resolution,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in a video he posted Sunday night. “And to my mind, this was a very, very bad vote.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., also announced his opposition over the lack of concrete movement on Obamacare. “We will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” he said in a statement. Several Republicans also pointed out the final deal was not dissimilar to what Senate GOP leaders had been offering Democrats for weeks.
Airlines cancel 3,300 US flights amid fears travel could ‘slow to trickle’
US senators reach stopgap deal to end government shutdown, raising hopes for end to six-week-long impasse. Airlines in the United States have cancelled more than 3,300 flights amid a top transport official’s warning that air travel could “slow to a trickle” due to the ongoing government shutdown. The cancellations on Sunday came as Republicans and Democrats reached a stopgap deal on ending the shutdown after the impasse over the passage of a funding bill dragged into its 40th day. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Travel disruption has been mounting since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week ordered reductions in air traffic amid reports of air traffic controllers exhibiting fatigue and refusing to turn up for work. Some 13,000 air traffic controllers, who are deemed “essential” employees under US government rules, have been forced to work without pay since the start of the shutdown on October 1. A total of 3,304 US flights were cancelled and more than 10,000 flights were delayed on Sunday, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware. More than 1,500 flights were cancelled on Saturday, following the cancellation of about 1,000 flights on Friday. Under the FAA’s phased-in reduction in air traffic, airlines were ordered to reduce domestic flights by 4 percent from 6am Eastern Standard Time (11:00 GMT) on Friday. Flights are set to be reduced by 6 percent from Monday, 8 percent by Thursday, and 10 percent by Friday. In media interviews on Sunday, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy warned that air travel could grind to a standstill in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday on November 27. Advertisement “As we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle, as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” Duffy told Fox News. “It doesn’t get better,” Duffy added. “It gets worse until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid.” The period around Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times for travel in the US calendar. An estimated 80 million Americans travelled during the Thanksgiving period in 2024, with airports screening a record 3.09 million passengers on the Sunday after the holiday alone. As fears of travel chaos mounted on Sunday, US senators said they had reached a compromise agreement to restore funding for government operations through the end of January. In a late night session, the Senate voted 60-to-40 to break the filibuster and advance the funding package after a group of moderate Democrats joined Republicans to support the resumption of government funding. The funding plan still needs to be approved by the Senate and the US House of Representatives, and then signed into law by US President Donald Trump, before the shutdown ends. It is also unclear whether travel disruption could persist after the government reopens. The FAA said last week that decisions on lifting its flight reductions would be “informed by safety data”. Al Jazeera has contacted the FAA for comment. Richard Aboulafia, managing director at the consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory, said that if air traffic controllers have been skipping work due to pay, the disruptions should quickly dissipate once the shutdown ends. But there are also suspicions among aviation analysts that the flight restrictions are an “arbitrary” measure designed to raise political pressure for an end to the government shutdown, Aboulafia said. “The decision to restrict capacity was understandable if the facts and data support it,” Aboulafia told Al Jazeera. “Secretary Duffy says the data does indeed support it, but he has not shared any of that data. People are right to be suspicious, particularly in light of other unnecessary cuts by the administration.” Adblock test (Why?)
US senators advance bill to end record government shutdown
Senators in the United States have voted to move forward with a stopgap funding package aimed at ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history. In a procedural vote on Sunday, some eight Democrats broke rank and voted in favour of advancing a Republican measure that will keep the government reopen into January 30. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The measure would also fund some parts of the government, including food aid and the legislative branch, for the next year. But there was no guarantee of an extension of healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Instead, the deal struck between the centrist Democrats and the Republicans promises a vote on the issue by December. The subsidies have been a Democratic priority during the funding battle. Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, said the procedural vote passed with 60 in favour and 40 against. “Now, this is what is called a cloture vote – a procedure by which the Senate agrees to continue the debate about the legislation and begin introducing and passing the bills aimed at ending the shutdown,” Hanna said. “The important thing about the cloture vote is that once it is passed, at that 60 percent majority, every subsequent vote is by a simple majority. So it would appear to be plain sailing in the Senate to pass this bill and the continuing resolution to refund the government and ending the closure,” he added. If the Senate eventually passes the amended bill, the package still must be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days. Advertisement The Democratic senators who voted in favour of advancing the measure include Dick Durbin of Illinois, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Tim Kaine of Virginia. Angus King of Maine, an independent who causes with the Democrats, also voted in favour of the measure. Democrats, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, also voted yes. Ahead of the vote, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he could not “in good faith” support the proposal. Schumer, who received blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep the government open, said that Democrats have now “sounded the alarm” on health care. “We will not give up the fight,” he said. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats, said giving up the fight was a “horrific mistake.” Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, also agreed, saying that in last week’s elections people voted overwhelmingly Democratic “to urge Democrats to hold firm”. Since the shutdown began on October 1, Democrats had voted 14 times not to reopen the government as they demanded the extension of tax credits that make coverage more affordable under the ACA. Republicans, however, have maintained they are open to addressing the issue only after government funding is restored. The bipartisan agreement on Sunday includes bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government – food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things – for next year. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving legislators more than two months to finish additional spending bills. The deal would reinstate federal workers who had received reduction in force, or layoff, notices and reimburse states that spent their own funds to keep federal programs running during the shutdown. It would also protect against future reductions in force through January and guarantee federal workers would be paid once the shutdown is over. Niall Stanage, a political analyst and the White House columnist for The Hill, said the eight Democrats who voted in favour of the package have caused an uproar within the party. “The critics within the Democratic Party note that the party won a number of significant elections just last Tuesday. They believe they had the upper hand and they have been effectively sold out by these eight who have voted to open the government,” he told Al Jazeera. It was unclear whether the two parties would be able to find any common ground on the health care subsidies before the promised December vote in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not commit to bring it up in his chamber. Advertisement Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies and argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals. Other Republicans, including Trump, have used the debate to renew their yearslong criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled. Meanwhile, the consequences of the 40-day shutdown have been compounding. US airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights on Sunday for the first time since the shutdown began, and there were more than 7,000 flight delays, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions. Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that air travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday will be “reduced to a trickle” if the government does not reopen. At the same time, food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown. And in Washington, DC, home to tens of thousands of federal workers who have gone unpaid, the Capital Area Food Bank said it is providing 8 million more meals ahead of the holidays than it had prepared for this budget year – a nearly 20 percent increase. Adblock test (Why?)
Norris wins Brazil GP to extend F1 championship lead over Piastri
McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to surge 24 points clear in the Formula One championship on Sunday, while teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri finished fifth after being penalised for causing a collision. Mercedes’s teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli hung on for a career-best second place, with Max Verstappen an astonishing third for Red Bull after starting from the pit lane. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Verstappen’s performance was all the more impressive after the four-time world champion, who won from 17th at Interlagos last year, suffered an early slow puncture and had to fight back from 18th. “Crazy race,” said Norris of his second successive win and seventh of the season after snatching the championship lead from Piastri in Mexico last month. “To be honest, I don’t think we were the quickest today, but I’m glad to take home the win. “It’s a great win. But seeing how quick Max was, it’s disappointing we were not quicker.” Norris leads McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri during the race [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters] Piastri penalised for causing collision Piastri, who started fourth with Norris on pole, served a 10-second penalty for an early clash with Antonelli, which put Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc out of the race after they went three-abreast. It was another massive blow for the Australian, who crashed out of the Saturday sprint that Norris won on a perfect weekend for the Briton, who has moved up a gear and is now the clear title favourite. George Russell was fourth for Mercedes, who consolidated second place overall in a constructors’ championship already won by McLaren. Advertisement With three races and a Saturday sprint remaining, Norris has 390 points to Piastri’s 366, with Verstappen falling further behind on 341 and his hopes looking slim despite his superlative drive in Sao Paulo. Oliver Bearman was sixth for Haas, another fine performance from the British rookie after his fourth in Mexico, with Liam Lawson seventh for Racing Bulls ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar. Nico Hulkenberg finished ninth for Sauber, and Pierre Gasly completed the points positions for Renault-owned Alpine, a year on from the team’s double podium in Brazil. Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto completed a miserable weekend for Brazil’s only driver, spinning into the wall on the opening lap after being squeezed by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll as Norris led cleanly away. The crash brought out the safety car, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton pitting for a new front wing after he collided with Williams’s Carlos Sainz and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. The seven-time world champion and honorary Brazilian continued with a damaged floor but was given a five-second penalty for causing a collision, and then retired. The double driver retirement was Ferrari’s third of the season and dropped them down to fourth in the constructors’ championship, behind Red Bull in third. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, right, finished the Brazil Grand Prix in third place after beginning the race in the pit lane [Jean Carniel/Pool via Reuters] Not all Piastri’s fault The safety car came in at the end of lap five, and Piastri locked up and made contact with Antonelli, who was pushed into Leclerc at the restart. The Ferrari lost a tyre and stopped, triggering a virtual safety car. “He [Antonelli] left me no space,” the Australian said over the team radio, but stewards disagreed in what some pundits and even rivals felt was a harsh decision. “I wouldn’t go as far as saying that it’s all Oscar’s fault. I don’t think it is,” said Leclerc. Verstappen, who had a new engine and plenty of other changed parts after qualifying 16th, suffered a slow front-right puncture on lap eight after climbing to 13th. He was up to fourth after 24 of the 71 laps, setting fastest laps, and on lap 51, he took the lead when Norris made his second and final stop. Verstappen pitted again on lap 54, dropping to fourth and lighting the touch paper on a thrilling chase for the podium. He passed Russell around the outside at turn one on lap 63, and Antonelli was in his sights four laps later, but the tyres then dropped off and the Italian made no mistakes. “To be on the podium, I did not expect that at all,” said Verstappen. “To finish only 10 seconds from the lead is incredible.” Advertisement His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, was the final driver classified after two 10-second penalties, the second for not serving the first correctly. The next race is Las Vegas on November 22, the first of a final triple header ending in Abu Dhabi on December 7. A marshal waves the checkered flag as Norris crosses the finish line to win the Brazil Grand Prix [Jean Carniel/ Pool via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)