00:00Flight delays spreading from Chicago to Houston to Boston, no pay, no planes, as the shutdown grounds air traffic.
00:07Plus, National Guard troops land in Illinois, sent by Texas.
00:11The standoff between the president and the governor now playing out in Chicago.
00:15And a heated day on the Hill.
00:17Attorney General Pam Bondi clashes with senators over Jeffrey Epstein, James Comey, and more.
00:24The stories that matter, clear and credible.
00:27From across the country to around the world, these are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:36Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:38We begin with the government shutdown and its widening impact on air travel.
00:42For a second straight day, flight delays stretched across the country as the FAA warns of growing staffing shortages.
00:49Some of the nation's busiest airports from Boston and Philadelphia to Chicago and Las Vegas
00:54reported hours-long delays Tuesday as more air traffic controllers called out sick.
00:59The FAA says controllers are essential employees still required to work without pay until the government reopens.
01:06Their union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, insists it does not support any actions that put flight safety at risk.
01:14Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says sick calls have been on the rise since the shutdown began last week,
01:21putting even more pressure on already thin staffing.
01:24Meanwhile, the Trump administration is suggesting some federal workers may not receive back pay once the shutdown ends,
01:32despite a 2019 law requiring it.
01:35A draft White House memo argues that furloughed workers are, quote,
01:38not entitled to pay for forced time off.
01:41I would say it depends on who we're talking about.
01:44I can tell you this, the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy,
01:49but it really depends on who you're talking about.
01:51But for the most part, we're going to take care of our people.
01:54There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of,
01:57and we'll take care of them in a different way.
01:59The Office of Management and Budget quietly removed references to that 2019 back pay law
02:04from its official guidance last week.
02:06In the Senate, lawmakers plan another vote today on dueling bills to reopen the government.
02:12But after five failed attempts, the stalemate shows no signs of breaking.
02:17The Texas National Guard has arrived in Illinois,
02:21despite strong opposition from state and city leaders who called the deployment illegal and dangerous.
02:27Aerial video shows troops at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood.
02:31That's about 50 miles southwest of Chicago.
02:33They're part of a federal immigration enforcement mission ordered by President Trump
02:38and joined by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who called them his state's elite National Guard.
02:44Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have filed a lawsuit to block the deployment,
02:50calling it unconstitutional and a violation of state sovereignty.
02:53Their case is scheduled to be held tomorrow.
02:56Pritzker says he's had no contact from the administration or the Guard about their arrival,
03:01calling the move chaotic and dangerous.
03:03President Trump defended the move, saying he's using his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets.
03:10So far, there's no timeline for how long the troops will remain in Illinois,
03:14but defense contractors say they're preparing housing and dining facilities for at least 250 soldiers.
03:20So what exactly is the National Guard?
03:23And why is its role now at the center of a political fight?
03:26I want to break it down a bit for you and show you some background.
03:29The National Guard is a state-based military force with units in all 50 states, plus D.C. and U.S. territories.
03:37They're weekend soldiers who train part-time, about one weekend a month and two weeks a year,
03:42but can be called up in emergencies.
03:45Typically, governors activate them to help with disasters or civil unrest, not for federal law enforcement.
03:51President Trump's recent deployments mark a major shift, using the Guard in Democratic-led cities to crack down on crime and immigration protests.
04:00Legal experts say it pushes boundaries of the Posse Comitadas Act, which bans using the military as a police force on American soil.
04:08The National Guard's roots date back to 1636, and over the decades, they've stood at some of the most defining moments in American history,
04:17from escorting black students into Little Rock's Central High in 1957,
04:21to patrolling Los Angeles streets during the 1992 riots, to delivering relief after Hurricane Katrina.
04:28Today, their mission remains the same, to protect Americans, but it has not faced this kind of scrutiny in decades.
04:35Attorney General Pam Bondi faced fierce questioning on Capitol Hill Tuesday
04:40as Democrats pressed her on whether the Justice Department is being used to protect President Trump
04:45and bury the so-called Epstein files.
04:48Bondi, a longtime Trump ally, sparred with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee
04:52in a five-hour hearing that quickly turned heated.
04:55At one point, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse asked her about public reporting
05:00that Epstein showed people photographs of Trump with half-naked young women.
05:04Did the FBI find those photographs that have been discussed publicly by a witness
05:11who claimed Jeffrey Epstein showed them to him?
05:16You don't know anything about that?
05:19Okay.
05:21So who gave the order to flag records related to President Trump?
05:27To flag records for President Trump?
05:30To flag any records which included his name.
05:34I'm not going to discuss anything about that with you, Senator.
05:38Eventually, you're going to have to answer for your conduct in this.
05:41You won't do it today, but eventually you will.
05:43I yield, Mr. Chairman.
05:45Bondi also refused to say whether she had discussed possible prosecutions of Trump's political rivals,
05:51including former FBI Director James Comey,
05:53who's set to be arraigned this morning on federal charges of lying to Congress.
05:56The hearing ended without clear answers, but with plenty of fireworks.
06:00Across the world, Israel's military has now intercepted another Gaza-bound aid flotilla
06:06just days after a similar shipment was stopped and activists detained,
06:11sparking international outrage and protests.
06:13The group behind the mission, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition,
06:16says Israeli forces jammed communications and boarded at least two boats.
06:20Israel's foreign ministry confirmed the interception, calling it, quote,
06:25another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone.
06:30Those on board are being taken to an Israeli port for questioning before being deported.
06:35The coalition says the ships were carrying more than $100,000 in medical aid,
06:39including respirators, medicine and food supplements, for Gaza's overwhelmed hospitals.
06:44It marks the second time in less than a week that Israel has intercepted a humanitarian flotilla headed for Gaza.
06:51Finally this morning, the famous oil landscape painter,
06:54whose features include happy little trees and mountains, among others, is on a fundraising mission.
07:00Paintings by artist Bob Ross are heading to auction to help raise money for public television stations
07:06after funding cuts by the Trump administration.
07:08The auction house, Bonhams, says 30 of Ross's original works will go under the hammer, so to speak,
07:15starting November 11th in Los Angeles, with more sales planned in New York, London, Boston and online.
07:21All proceeds will go to public stations that air programs from American public television,
07:26including the best of Ross's show, The Joy of Painting.
07:29In all, the collection could fetch up to $1.4 million.
07:33Not enough to erase the $1 billion in funding cuts,
07:37but art enthusiasts often say that every masterpiece starts with a happy little brush stroke.
07:43All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
07:46At 10 this morning, former FBI Director James Comey will be arraigned in Virginia,
07:50facing charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a federal probe.
07:54At 11, labor union leaders rally outside AFGE headquarters in Washington,
07:59pressing lawmakers to end the government shutdown.
08:01Later, the Federal Reserve releases minutes from its last meeting.
08:05Investors are watching for clues on future interest rate cuts.
08:08And at 3, President Trump participates on a roundtable discussion on Antifa.
08:14Headlines that hit harder than your expresso.
08:16Sign up for our Unbiased Updates newsletter.
08:18Go to san.com slash newsletters.
08:21Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Wednesday.
08:23We'll see you back here tomorrow.
08:24For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
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