Dems block GOP bill ensuring federal worker, military paychecks continue during shutdown
Senate Democrats again blocked a plan by Republicans to ensure that federal workers and the military would receive a paycheck as the shutdown back and forth revs into high gear. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., again tried to advance a modified version of his “Shutdown Fairness Act” bill that would see federal workers and the military paid now and during subsequent government shutdowns. However, the bill failed 53-43 with 3 Democrats defecting to support the bill. Georgia Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico voted for the bill. Last month, it was blocked over concerns from Senate Democrats that it did not include furloughed workers. SCHUMER, DEMS UNVEIL ALTERNATIVE SHUTDOWN PLAN, ASK FOR ONE-YEAR EXTENSION TO OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES Johnson noted on the Senate floor that after discussions with Senate Democrats he changed the bill to include furloughed workers, and that his legislation had the backing of several federal employee unions. “They are sick and tired, being used as pawns in this political dysfunction here. They’re tired of it,” Johnson said. Still, after fireworks on the Senate floor where Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who initially blocked the bill over concerns that it allowed President Donald Trump to pick and choose who got paid, the bill was blocked largely along party lines. THUNE SAYS ‘WHEELS CAME OFF’ AS REPUBLICANS MULL NEXT SHUTDOWN MOVE “It’s about leverage, isn’t it? Isn’t that what y’all have been saying? It’s about leverage,” Thune said. “This isn’t leverage. This is the lives of the American people.” Johnson’s bill appearing on the floor wasn’t the initial plan Senate Republicans had going into Friday. Thune wanted to put the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) up for a vote again, but newfound Democratic unity after a sweeping victory on Election Night earlier this week had derailed bipartisan attempts to build an off-ramp. The GOP’s attempt to pay federal workers amid the ongoing, 38-day shutdown came as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus announced their counter-offer to Senate Republicans’ plan to reopen the government. ‘TWISTED IRONY’: DEMOCRATS RISK BETRAYING THEIR OWN PET ISSUES WITH GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GAMBLE Schumer’s offer included attaching a one-year extension onto expiring Obamacare subsidies — the main sticking point of the shutdown — in exchange for the Democratic votes to reopen the government. But the offer, which a source told Fox News Digital had been made in private to Senate Republicans last week and was summarily rejected, was again not going over well with Republicans. The Senate is expected to return on Saturday to vote on the House-passed plan for a 15th time. Whether Schumer and his caucus block it once more remains to be seen.
EXCLUSIVE: House Republican targets ‘woke’ testing in bill to restore classical education at military schools
Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., has introduced legislation that would require U.S. service academies and federally operated secondary schools to incorporate a new standardized test based on classical learning principles. The Promoting Classical Learning Act of 2025, introduced in the House Nov. 7, would direct West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and other service academies to accept the Classic Learning Test (CLT) alongside the SAT and ACT for admissions. It would also require federally-run schools to administer the exam to 11th grade students. “America’s service academies should represent the highest ideals of our nation — courage, integrity and intellect. The Classic Learning Test upholds those same ideals,” Miller said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. TEACHERS UNIONS LOSE, PARENTS WIN UNDER MAJOR POLICY MOVE SAYS RED STATE SCHOOLS CHIEF “Requiring our military academies to accept the CLT will help cultivate a new generation of leaders who are not only exceptionally capable but deeply grounded in the principles that make America strong.” “The College Board claims to be neutral but pressures schools to adopt leftist curricula while censoring right-of-center materials,” Miller’s office said in a summary of the legislation. “The CLT validates the educational choices of millions of families nationwide who choose private, religious, classical and homeschool models.” NATION’S REPORT CARD GIVES PUBLIC SCHOOLS A FAILING GRADE. PARENTS ARE DEMANDING BETTER Miller introduced the measure in partnership with Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind. The bill would compel both the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to administer the CLT to all 11th grade students in their school systems. According to Miller’s office, the proposal would codify Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s earlier directive that U.S. service academies begin accepting the CLT starting with the 2027 admissions cycle, a policy the Pentagon formally announced in September 2025. Created in 2015 by Jeremy Tate, the CLT assesses reading, writing and math skills using classical texts drawn from the Western canon. Supporters describe it as an alternative to the Common Core-aligned SAT and ACT. More than 320 colleges and universities nationwide now accept CLT scores, and Florida and Arkansas have approved the exam for use in public schools. Miller’s office says more than 120,000 students in Florida have taken the test since September 2023. “The College Board acts as a taxpayer-funded monopoly that dictates the curriculum for schoolchildren despite being unelected and unaccountable,” Miller’s summary continues. “This bill codifies Secretary Hegseth’s directive to military academies to accept the CLT beginning in 2027.” Miller’s office says the legislation is designed to break up that monopoly and expand access to “classical testing” for students in federal schools, offering what it calls a rigorous, standards-based alternative rooted in logic and timeless literature. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Brennan, Strzok, Page subpoenaed as part of federal Russiagate probe: Sources
EXCLUSIVE: A federal grand jury has subpoenaed former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, among others as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, Fox News Digital has learned. Sources told Fox News Digital Brennan; Strzok, the FBI’s former deputy assistant director of counterintelligence; and Page, a former FBI lawyer, were served with federal subpoenas on Friday. Law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital that up to 30 subpoenas will be issued in the coming days relating to the investigation. The grand jury is out of the Southern District of Florida. U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones is supervising the probe. Fox News Digital first reported this summer that Brennan was under criminal investigation. Strzok and Page first came under scrutiny in 2018 when Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz uncovered a series of anti-Trump text messages between them. Both were assigned to work on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team in 2017. Page served on Mueller’s team on a short detail, returning to the FBI’s Office of General Counsel in July 2017. Strzok, though, was removed from the team and was reassigned to the FBI’s Human Resources Division. Prior to serving in the special counsel’s office, Strzok was a top agent in the bureau’s counterintelligence division. Strzok is the FBI agent who, in July 2016, opened the FBI’s initial Russia investigation, which was nicknamed “Crossfire Hurricane” inside the bureau. Page resigned from the bureau in May 2018, and Strzok eventually was fired in August 2018. EX-OBAMA INTEL BOSS WANTED ANTI-TRUMP DOSSIER INCLUDED IN ‘ATYPICAL’ 2016 ASSESSMENT DESPITE PUSHBACK Strzok was fired from the bureau in August 2018 after months of scrutiny regarding the anti-Trump text messages exchanged between himself and Page. During congressional testimony in 2018, Strzok confirmed that he and Page were involved in an extramarital affair. As for the criminal investigation into Brennan, CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital. Sources, at the time, said that the referral was received and told Fox News Digital that a criminal investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to provide further details. It is unclear, at this point, if the investigation spans beyond his alleged false statements to Congress. The Brennan investigation came after Ratcliffe, this summer, declassified a “lessons learned” review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). The 2017 ICA alleged Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election to help then-candidate Donald Trump. But the review found that the process of the ICA’s creation was rushed with “procedural anomalies,” and that officials diverted from intelligence standards. It also determined that the “decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.” The dossier — an anti-Trump document filled with unverified and wholly inaccurate claims that was commissioned by Fusion GPS and paid for by Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC — has been widely discredited. Last week’s review marks the first time career CIA officials have acknowledged politicization of the process by which the ICA was written, particularly by Obama-era political appointees. Records declassified as part of that review further revealed that Brennan did, in fact, push for the dossier to be included in the 2017 ICA. Brennan testified to the House Judiciary Committee in May 2023, however, that he did not believe the dossier should be included in that intelligence product. Ratcliffe was not surprised by the review’s findings, a source familiar told Fox News Digital, given the director’s long history of criticizing Brennan’s politicization of intelligence. But Ratcliffe was compelled to refer aspects of Brennan’s involvement to the FBI for review of possible criminality, the source said. WHITE HOUSE WANTS OBAMA INTEL OFFICIALS ‘HELD ACCOUNTABLE’ FOR ROLE PEDDLING 2016 RUSSIA HOAX The source was unable to share the sensitive details of Ratcliffe’s criminal referral to the FBI with Fox News Digital, but said that Brennan “violated the public’s trust and should be held accountable for it.” The false statements portion of the probe stems from a newly declassified email sent to Brennan by the former deputy CIA director in December 2016. That message said that including the dossier in the ICA in any capacity jeopardized “the credibility of the entire paper.” “Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness,” the new CIA review states. “When confronted with specific flaws in the Dossier by the two mission center leaders – one with extensive operational experience and the other with a strong analytic background – he appeared more swayed by the Dossier’s general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns.” The review added: “Brennan ultimately formalized his position in writing, stating that ‘my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.’” OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW But Brennan testified the opposite in front of Congress in May 2023. “The CIA was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment,” Brennan testified before the House committee, according to the transcript of his deposition reviewed by Fox News Digital. “And so they sent over a copy of the dossier to say that this was going to be separate from the rest of that assessment.” CIA officials at the time of its creation pushed back against the FBI, which sought to include the dossier, arguing that the dossier should not be included in the assessment, and casting it as simply “internet rumor.” Ultimately, Steele’s reporting was not included in the body of the final ICA prepared for then-President Barack Obama, but instead detailed in this footnote, “largely at the insistence of FBI’s senior leadership,” according to a review by the Justice Department inspector
Senate Dems clash over why Sec Duffy is reducing flights and air traffic ahead of Thanksgiving
Democratic senators on Capitol Hill offered differing responses as to why they believe Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the call to reduce flights and air traffic ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel surge. After news broke that Duffy was ordering a 10% reduction in flight capacity at 40 airports across the country, Republicans remained largely unified in their messaging that any chaos caused by the forced reductions fell at the feet of Democrats. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said short of “planes falling out of the sky,” Democrats will not vote to reopen the government. “Democrats are flirting with disaster,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, wrote on X in response to Wednesday’s announcement, adding that there was no choice but to reduce air traffic to keep it safe. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., appeared to agree in comments he made to reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday about the move, telling them “we’ve got to make sure that flights are safe.” REDUCING AIR TRAVEL CAPACITY AT 40 AIRPORTS IS ‘DATA-DRIVEN’ DECISION, DUFFY SAYS “I don’t question Secretary Duffy,” Kaine added. “He wants to make sure that flights are safe.” Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., had a much more sinister view about Duffy’s motivations for compelling a reduction in air traffic ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday. According to Coons, the new directive is an attempt by the Trump administration to “pressure” Democrats to reopen the government without their demands on Obamacare being met. Coons argued that air traffic controllers and other airport personnel have been facing strains since before the shutdown due to cuts from the president’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk. “I think it’s appropriate for us to focus on improving air safety. It is more urgent for us to focus on the health care cliff that is impacting millions of Americans,” Coons told reporters Thursday following Duffy’s announcement. “My impression is this is another attempt at putting pressure on Congress to reopen the government,” Coons added. FLIGHT CHAOS GRIPS US AIRPORTS AS SOME AIRLINES ADVISE BOOKING ‘BACKUP TICKET’: SEE THE LIST Coons was not the only congressional Democrat to chastise the Trump administration for the decision. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., called the move to order a reduction in flights “unprecedented” and insisted the move demanded “more transparency.” “The FAA must immediately share any safety risk assessment and related data that this decision is predicated on with Congress,” Larsen said after news of the reduction. “If we want to resolve issues in the National Airspace System, let us fix health care, open government and pay air traffic controllers.” In response to the directive to reduce air traffic ahead of the holiday, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman reaffirmed his group’s call for lawmakers to reopen the government or face potential “chaos” during the Thanksgiving surge. “Today’s announcement from Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford reinforces that safety is the number one priority in our nation’s air travel system. The decision to reduce scheduled flight capacity, while necessary to keep our skies safe, will inevitably affect the travel experience, leading to fewer flights, longer delays and more disruptions for travelers,” Freeman said. All government shutdowns are irresponsible and this decision underscores the urgent need to reopen the government. The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system, forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience. The fault for this situation rests squarely at the feet of Congress.” Earlier this week, the travel industry trade group sent a letter to leaders in Congress warning of long-term economic impacts that could hurt American workers, businesses and the economy amid the Thanksgiving holiday if the current government shutdown does not come to an end soon. The letter, undersigned by hundreds of tourism and travel industry groups, also warned those planning to fly this Thanksgiving holiday that they could face higher costs and increased wait times, delays and cancellations that could derail family travel plans across the country, if the government shutdown doesn’t end before Thanksgiving arrives. “Last year, during Thanksgiving week, over 20 million passengers took flights in the United States. Thanksgiving is not only a time of national tradition and family connection, but also one of the most economically important travel weeks of the year,” the letter states. “The cost of continued inaction will be felt by families, workers, businesses, and communities in every part of the country.”
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump, Mamdani front-and-center in Empire State battle
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Obama once urged Black men to back Harris — then he, Democrats reversed race rhetoric legacy in 2025 -Duffy says air travel may take ‘days if not a week’ to return to normal, even after shutdown ends -Justice Barrett urges students to ‘take the high road like Erika Kirk’ amid campus hostility President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani are not on the ballot next year, but they are smack in the political spotlight in New York State’s 2026 race for governor. Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, in her first interview after declaring her candidacy for governor on Friday, linked Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to Mamdani, the 34-year-old socialist state lawmaker who won election on Tuesday as New York City mayor. “Kathy Hochul endorsed him and bent the knee,” Stefanik charged in an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” as she pointed to Mamdani, who she claimed is “a raging anti-Semite, pro-Hamas communist who wants to raise taxes.”…READ MORE. BENEFITS BATTLE: DOJ accuses federal judge of making ‘mockery of separation of powers’ in SNAP appeal RESEARCH DOLLARS: Cornell University to pay $60M in deal with Trump administration to restore federal funding DEAL OR NO DEAL: Trump considers granting Hungary potential exemption on Russian oil just weeks after imposing sanctions COMMANDING RESPECT: Trump says Hungary’s border stance keeps crime down, says Europe ‘flooding’ with migrants DRAGON SETS SAIL: China launches third aircraft carrier as Xi pushes military modernization against US influence STALEMATE SHIFT: Schumer, Dems unveil alternative shutdown plan, ask for one-year extension to Obamacare subsidies ‘WHEELS CAME OFF’: Thune says ‘wheels came off’ as Republicans mull next shutdown move NO DEAL IN SIGHT: Sen Kennedy says shutdown could last 2 more weeks amid ongoing Obamacare dispute ‘TWISTED IRONY’: ‘Twisted irony’: Democrats risk betraying their own pet issues with government shutdown gamble GROUNDED NATION: House Democrat sides with Trump officials on air traffic cuts amid shutdown chaos ‘FALSE NARRATIVE’: Nancy Mace’s ex claims she fabricated sexual assault allegations in plot with friend’s estranged wife: report STOP THE GAMES: Charlamagne Tha God calls on Dems to ‘stop playing politics with people’s lives’ and reopen the government SCANDALOUS CHOICE: Jay Jones’ transition team to be co-led by ex-governor from blackface scandal, abortion outrage UNDER WATCH: ADL launches ‘Mamdani Monitor’ to track NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani over antisemitism concerns Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
US lawmakers call on UK’s ex-prince Andrew to testify over Epstein ties
United States lawmakers have written to Andrew, Britain’s disgraced former prince, requesting that he sit for a formal interview about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a day after King Charles III formally stripped his younger brother of his royal titles. Separately, a secluded desert ranch where Epstein once entertained guests is coming under renewed scrutiny in the US state of New Mexico, with two state legislators proposing a “truth commission” to uncover the full extent of the financier’s crimes there. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list On Thursday, 16 Democratic Party members of Congress signed a letter addressed to “Mr Mountbatten Windsor”, as Andrew is now publicly known, to participate in a “transcribed interview” with the US House of Representatives oversight committee’s investigation into Epstein. “The committee is seeking to uncover the identities of Mr Epstein’s co-conspirators and enablers and to understand the full extent of his criminal operations,” the letter read. “Well-documented allegations against you, along with your longstanding friendship with Mr Epstein, indicate that you may possess knowledge of his activities relevant to our investigation,” it added. The letter asked Andrew to respond by November 20. The US Congress has no power to compel testimony from foreigners, making it unlikely Andrew will give evidence. The letter will be another unwelcome development for the disgraced former prince after a turbulent few weeks. On October 30, Buckingham Palace said King Charles had “initiated a formal process” to revoke Andrew’s royal status after weeks of pressure to act over his relationship with Epstein – who took his own life in prison in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges. Advertisement The rare move to strip a British prince or princess of their title – last taken in 1919 after Prince Ernest Augustus sided with Germany during World War I – also meant that Andrew was evicted from his lavish Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor and moved into “private accommodation”. King Charles formally made the changes with an announcement published on Wednesday in The Gazette – the United Kingdom’s official public record – saying Andrew “shall no longer be entitled to hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of ‘Royal Highness’ and the titular dignity of ‘Prince’”. Andrew surrendered his use of the title Duke of York earlier in October following new abuse allegations from his accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, in her posthumous memoir, which hit shelves last month. The Democrat lawmakers referenced Giuffre’s memoir in their letter, specifically claims that she feared “retaliation if she made allegations against” Andrew, and that he had asked his personal protection officer to “dig up dirt” on his accuser for a smear campaign in 2011. “This fear of retaliation has been a persistent obstacle to many of those who were victimised in their fight for justice,” the letter said. “In addition to Mr. Epstein’s crimes, we are investigating any such efforts to silence, intimidate, or threaten victims.” Giuffre, who alleges that Epstein trafficked her to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, twice when she was just 17, took her own life in Australia in April. In 2022, Andrew paid Giuffre a multimillion-pound settlement to resolve a civil lawsuit she had levelled against him. Andrew denied the allegations, and he has not been charged with any crime. Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch as seen on July 8, 2019 [KRQE via AP Photo] On Thursday, Democratic lawmakers also turned the spotlight on Zorro Ranch, proposing to the House of Representatives’ Courts, Corrections and Justice Interim Committee that a commission be created to investigate alleged crimes against young girls at the New Mexico property, which Epstein purchased in 1993. State Representative Andrea Romero said several survivors of Epstein’s abuse have signalled that sex trafficking activity extended to the secluded desert ranch with a hilltop mansion and private runway in Stanley, about 56 kilometres (35 miles) south of the state capital, Santa Fe. “This commission will specifically seek the truth about what officials knew, how crimes were unreported or reported, and how the state can ensure that this essentially never happens again,” Romero told a panel of legislators. Advertisement “There’s no complete record of what occurred,” she said. Representative Marianna Anaya, presenting to the committee alongside Romero, said state authorities missed several opportunities over decades to stop Epstein. “Even after all these years, you know, there are still questions of New Mexico’s role as a state, our roles in terms of oversight and accountability for the survivors who are harmed,” she said. New Mexico laws allowed Epstein to avoid registering locally as a sex offender long after he was required to register in Florida, where he was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. Republican Representative Andrea Reeb said she believed New Mexicans “have a right to know what happened at this ranch” and she didn’t feel the commission was going to be a “big political thing”. To move forward, approval will be needed from the state House when the legislature convenes in January. Adblock test (Why?)
US Senate votes against limiting Trump’s ability to attack Venezuela
Polls find large majorities of people in the US oppose military action against Venezuela, where Trump has ramped up military pressure. Republicans in the United States Senate have voted down legislation that would have required US President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval for any military attacks on Venezuela. Two Republicans had crossed the political aisle and joined Democrats to vote in favour of the legislation on Thursday, but their support was not enough to secure passage, and the bill failed to pass by 51 to 49 votes. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “We should not be going to war without a vote of Congress,” Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said during a speech. The vote comes amid a US military build-up off South America and a series of military strikes targeting vessels in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia that have killed at least 65 people. The US has alleged, without presenting evidence, that the boats it bombed were transporting drugs, but Latin American leaders, some members of Congress, international law experts and family members of the deceased have described the US attacks as extrajudicial killings, claiming most of those killed were fishermen. Fears are now growing that Trump will use the military deployment in the region – which includes thousands of US troops, a nuclear submarine and a group of warships accompanying the USS Gerald R Ford, the US Navy’s most sophisticated aircraft carrier – to launch an attack on Venezuela in a bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has accused Maduro of drug trafficking, and Trump has hinted at carrying out attacks on Venezuelan soil. Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, referencing Trump’s military posturing towards Venezuela, said on Thursday: “It’s really an open secret that this is much more about potential regime change.” Advertisement “If that’s where the administration is headed, if that’s what we’re risking – involvement in a war – then Congress needs to be heard on this,” he said. Earlier on Thursday, a pair of US B-52 bombers flew over the Caribbean Sea along the coast of Venezuela, flight tracking data showed. Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the two bombers flying parallel to the Venezuelan coast, then circling northeast of Caracas before heading back along the coast and turning north and flying further out to sea. The presence of the US bombers off Venezuela was at least the fourth time that US military aircraft have flown near the country’s borders since mid-October, with B-52s having done so on one previous occasion, and B-1B bombers on two other occasions. Little public support in US for attack on Venezuela A recent poll found that only 18 percent of people in the US support even limited use of military force to overthrow Maduro’s government. Research by YouGov also found that 74 percent of people in the US believe that the president should not be able to carry out military strikes abroad without congressional approval, in line with the requirements of the US Constitution. Republican lawmakers, however, have embraced the recent strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, adopting the Trump administration’s framing of its efforts to cut off the flow of narcotics to the US. Questions of the legality of such attacks, either under US or international law, do not appear to be of great concern to many Republicans. “President Trump has taken decisive action to protect thousands of Americans from lethal narcotics,” Senator Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in remarks declaring his support for the strikes. While only two Republicans – Senators Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski – defected to join Democrats in supporting the legislation to limit Trump’s ability to wage war unilaterally on Thursday, some conservatives have expressed frustration with a possible war on Venezuela. Trump had campaigned for president on the promise of withdrawing the US from foreign military entanglements. In recent years, Congress has made occasional efforts to reassert itself and impose restraints on foreign military engagements through the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which reaffirmed that Congress alone has the power to declare war. Adblock test (Why?)
Hundreds of US flights cancelled as regulator orders cuts to air traffic
The Federal Aviation Administration is cutting air traffic by 10 percent due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. Hundreds of flights across the US have been cancelled following an order from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily cut air traffic by 10 percent at the country’s 40 largest airports to maintain safety amid a shortage of air traffic controllers due to the government shutdown. More than 790 flights scheduled for Friday were cut from airline schedules, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list That number, already four times higher than Thursday’s daily total of cancellations, was likely to keep climbing, while almost 500 have been cancelled for Saturday so far, according to the website. The FAA issued its order on Thursday in response to the growing number of absences by air traffic controllers amid the record-breaking US government shutdown, as Republicans and Democrats remain locked in a standoff in Congress over legislation to fund government services. “Since the beginning of the shutdown, controllers have been working without pay,” the FAA order said. “This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers. This past weekend, there were 2,740 delays at various airports,” it said. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the decision to cancel flights was a proactive safety decision rather than a political measure as the shutdown enters its 38th day on Friday. “My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,” Duffy said. Advertisement “It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking,” he said. .@USDOT has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue working without pay. It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because… pic.twitter.com/YRrq5sdy4T — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 7, 2025 The FAA’s phased-in cuts to air traffic over the next week will see a 4 percent reduction in air traffic on Friday, and will end with 10 percent by November 14. The FAA’s order also specifies that airlines do not need to cut international flights, although this decision will be left up to their discretion. Impacted airports include Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Chicago O’Hare, and New York’s John F Kennedy international airports. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said his department would not hesitate to take “further action”, suggesting further cuts to flights could be made down the road. The FAA decision puts renewed pressure on Senate Democrats, who are blocking a government spending bill over healthcare spending, as the US is preparing for its busiest travel days of the year at the end of November. The FAA employed just over 14,000 air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2024, according to its website. They are among the 730,000 “essential” federal employees who have been working without pay for the past five weeks, while another 670,000 have been furloughed, according to the Washington, DC-based Bipartisan Policy Center. Adblock test (Why?)
Mumbai’s traffic to ease with 4 lane overbridge, to reduce travel time between Thane to Dombivli from 1 hour to…
The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has upgraded its plan for a rail overbridge (ROB) project at the Mothagaon level crossing in Dombivli, expanding it from two lanes to four to make it convenient to accommodate higher traffic.
Maha Dy CM Ajit Pawar claims ‘no connection’ with Pune land deal, ‘I have never given…’
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar distanced himself from the high-value land transaction in Pune’s upscale Mundhwa-Koregaon Park involving his son Parth Pawar, saying that he was not even remotely connected with the deal.