00:01Flights grounded as the government shutdown hits the skies.
00:04Why thousands could be canceled.
00:06Plus, a deadly fireball in Louisville.
00:08The death toll rising overnight.
00:10What investigators have found and why the plane barely got airborne.
00:14And Democrats emboldened by big election wins.
00:17Is a deal to end the shutdown now slipping away?
00:21The stories that matter, clear and credible,
00:25from across the country to around the world.
00:27These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:33Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:35The Trump administration is taking drastic action this morning to keep the skies safe,
00:40announcing a 10% cut in air traffic across 40 of the nation's busiest markets.
00:46Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the move is aimed at relieving pressure on air traffic controllers,
00:52most of whom haven't been paid in more than a month.
00:55Duffy says the cuts, expected to take effect Friday, are a preemptive safety measure.
01:01Analysts estimate it could force airlines to cancel up to 1,800 flights in a single day
01:06and create a major ripple effect just as the busiest travel season of the year begins.
01:11This is proactive.
01:13We don't want to find ourselves in a situation, I think the administrator said,
01:16we don't want the horse out of the barn, and then look back and say there were issues we could have taken that we didn't.
01:23So we are going to proactively make decisions that keep the airspace safe.
01:29FAA Administrator Brian Bedford says the decision was based on safety data, not politics,
01:35and warns that more cuts could come if staffing shortages worsen.
01:39I feel bad for people not getting paid.
01:41Nobody wants to work for free, but, you know, essential jobs are essential, and we have to have them,
01:46and I wish they would hurry up and fix this.
01:48The FAA plans to release the full list of affected airports later today,
01:52but officials say the impact will be felt nationwide.
01:56New details this morning in that deadly UPS plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky,
02:01as investigators confirm at least 12 people have now died, including a child.
02:06The cargo plane exploded into a fireball just seconds after takeoff on Tuesday night,
02:11carving a half-mile path of destruction through a commercial area near the airport.
02:16The NTSB says the left engine detached midair.
02:20Investigators found it on the airfield.
02:22Both black boxes have now been recovered and sent to Washington for analysis.
02:27CCTV video shows the moment the plane burst into flames,
02:31a fireball followed by massive clouds of black smoke.
02:34And look at this.
02:36A local worker who captured the aftermath said the blast was so powerful it knocked him to the ground.
02:42Investigators say at least 11 others were hurt, many with severe burns and blast injuries.
02:47The FBI is now assisting the NTSB on scene as crews search through twisted metal and debris.
02:53Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency as crews move from rescue to recovery mode.
02:59Air traffic has resumed in Louisville in a limited capacity, but the airport remains a disaster zone.
03:06President Trump is turning up the pressure on Senate Republicans,
03:10calling on them to abolish the filibuster as the government shutdown drags on through another week.
03:16Hopes for a deal now seem more uncertain after Tuesday's election results.
03:20Democrats swept those elections.
03:22Gains, they say, validate their decision to hold the line until expired health care subsidies are addressed.
03:28Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy saying it would be very strange if on the heels of the American people
03:34rewarding Democrats for standing up and fighting, we surrendered without getting anything.
03:39He says Democrats are in an enormously strong position right now.
03:43Still, some moderate Democrats are quietly working with Republicans on a way out,
03:48insisting the election hasn't changed their approach.
03:52Meanwhile, President Trump, frustrated by the impasse, is pushing harder for Senate Republicans to act,
03:57calling the shutdown a major factor behind Republican losses on Tuesday.
04:02I don't think it was good for Republicans.
04:04I don't think it was good.
04:05I'm not sure it was good for anybody.
04:06But we had an interesting evening and we learned a lot.
04:10If you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans.
04:16The president has refused to meet with Democrats until the government reopens and is urging the Senate to end the filibuster,
04:22which requires 60 votes to pass any bill.
04:25But Majority Leader John Thune says that's not happening.
04:28He's promising Democrats a vote on health care as part of any deal, one that would still fall under filibuster rules.
04:35November's SNAP benefits won't be cut as deeply as first expected.
04:39The U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised its guidance, saying SNAP benefits this month will be reduced by 35 percent instead of the 50 percent previously announced.
04:50The change comes as the agency works to comply with a federal court order requiring it to tap into SNAP's $5.25 billion contingency fund during the government shutdown.
05:01The new numbers mean a family of four in the lower 48 states will receive about $646 this month.
05:08That's according to NBC News.
05:10The Agriculture Department did not explain what prompted the revision, but a Justice Department filing on Wednesday said there had been an error,
05:18one they moved to correct as soon as it was discovered.
05:21The Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in Chicago is back in the headlines this morning,
05:26this time over conditions inside the Broadview detention facility, long the focus of protests and complaints.
05:33A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to clean up conditions at that facility,
05:37saying people should not be sleeping next to overflowing toilets or on top of one another.
05:43ICE now has two weeks to make improvements.
05:45Under the order, detainees must be given a safe place to sleep, access to medication, and basic supplies like soap, toothbrushes, and toilet paper.
05:53The judge called the current conditions unnecessarily cruel, requiring that holding areas be cleaned twice a day,
06:01that detainees be allowed to shower every other day, receive three meals a day, and be provided with bottled water.
06:07The ruling also mandates private access to attorneys.
06:11ICE must submit a status report on those improvements by noon tomorrow.
06:15Finally this morning, he's done it again.
06:18Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin made NHL history last night by doing what he does best.
06:24Scoring.
06:24And this was not just any goal.
06:26It was number 900.
06:27Wow.
06:28Ovechkin is now the first player in NHL history to hit that mark.
06:32900.
06:33The milestone came just two and a half minutes into the second period against the St. Louis Blues,
06:37a game the Caps won 6-1.
06:39And now the question every hockey fan is asking, can he get to 1,000?
06:44It's not a lock.
06:45Here's why.
06:46Ovechkin is 40 years old in the final year of his contract and has not decided if he will play next season.
06:51And by the way, for those wondering about Wayne Gretzky, yes, the great one still holds the points record at close to 3,000,
06:58but his goal total stopped at 894.
07:00So now it's the great eight, Alex Ovechkin, who stands alone when it comes to goals.
07:06Follow me there?
07:07Gosh, I love hockey.
07:08And I'll be on the ice this weekend.
07:10Hey, a little bit of fun and finance on tap today.
07:13Here's what we're tracking.
07:14The National Toy Hall of Fame unveils its class of 2025, everything from Battleship and Catan to Furby and the lightsaber in the mix.
07:23At 11, President Trump makes an announcement from the Oval Office.
07:26Then at noon, the National Retail Federation releases its holiday sales forecast.
07:31And all eyes are on Tesla this afternoon, where shareholders will decide whether to approve Elon Musk's massive trillion-dollar pay package.
07:40Hey, we're the fastest, fairest few minutes in news.
07:42Be sure to tell your friends about us.
07:44You can always watch us on SAN.com or on our app or stream us on Spotify.
07:49That's neat, right?
07:50Hey, you're all caught up this morning.
07:51Those are Unbiased Updates for this Thursday.
07:54We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday.
07:55We love that.
07:56For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
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