FAA cuts air traffic; SNAP ruling faces pushback : NPR

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Today's top news

Starting today, the Federal Aviation Administration will reduce air traffic by 10% at many of its busiest airports. This step is intended to help ensure the safety of the country's airspace as the agency deals with air traffic controller shortages and the government shutdown. Airlines began canceling flights to comply with FAA orders.

• 🎧 Shutdown hurts air traffic controllerswho are required to work without pay. NPR's Joel Rose reports Up first There are suggestions that the reduction in air travel is due to mostly PR or political stunt due to the end of the stop. During the shutdown, the air traffic control system functioned reasonably well until staffing shortages occurred simultaneously at dozens of facilities over the weekend. Travelers have expressed concern about what could happen if their flights are canceled due to the changes made by the FAA.

The Trump administration is appealing a court ruling ordering it to restore full funding for SNAP benefits by today. The government previously said it would restore partial benefits in response to an earlier decision. IN a new decision was made yesterdayU.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island ruled that the government failed to take into account the harm to people who rely on those benefits.

• 🎧 The SNAP Continuation Emergency Fund was only sufficient to pay a portion of benefits, leading McConnell to say that the administration will have to use money from customs revenues. The judge's deadline is for the government to distribute the money to states, but even if it succeeds, NPR's Tovia Smith says it's hard to imagine the funds getting to people that quickly. The administration has previously said cutting benefits is a complex process that could take weeks or months and is unclear. should this process be canceled now?.

President Trump's allies have expressed concern that he is spending too much time on the rest of the world and not enough on domestic issues. The President is advancing international relations, from hosting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the White House to last night's dinner with Central Asian leaders. He has also previously threatened to strike Nigeria. The moves came the same week that the government shutdown became the longest in history.

• 🎧 The election results also indicate Trump may be losing his edge on the economy. president approval ratings are also lowsays NPR's Franco Ordonez. Among Trump's allies, Vice President J.D. Vance said Republicans need to focus on what's happening domestically while commenting on Democratic victories at the polls. The White House informed Ordoñez that there would be more focus on the US economy, pointing to yesterday's events. announcement of price reductions for anti-obesity drugs.

Deep Dive

In an investigation, NPR examined how a person's credit history affects their auto insurance costs and why their credit history matters to insurance companies. After reviewing data from Quadrant Information Services, Startling differences in car insurance rates were found between drivers with bad credit and drivers with excellent credit, often resulting in thousands of dollars in annual insurance premiums.

• 🚗 Insurance companies and industry groups have defended the use of credit scores to set premiums. They say this is a powerful indicator of whether a driver will suffer an insured loss.
• 🚗 Consumer advocates note that low-income Americans and people of color have consistently lower credit scores.
• 🚗 Will Guzzardi, a Democratic legislator who represents the predominantly Latino Chicago area in the Illinois Legislature, has been working on auto insurance fairness issues for about two years. His efforts include introducing legislation that would require insurers to prove their practices do not harm policyholders based on race, gender or other factors.

Search your zip code for comparisons of how your credit score affects your insurance premiums. Here.

Weekend selection

Check that NPR Watching, reading and listening this weekend:

🍿Movies: Sydney Sweeney plays Christy Martin, considered the most successful female boxer of the 1990s. Christie. The film chronicles her rise to fame and reveals the emotional and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her then-husband.

📺TV: Mini-series It's all her fault The story follows a mother, played by Sarah Snook, as she desperately tries to find her 5-year-old son. As the show progresses, flashbacks also reveal parts of many of the characters' pasts.

📚Books: Memoirs of Palestinian scientist Tarek Bakoni. Fire in all directionsexplores themes of queer identity, family history, and political awakening. Plus, six other books released this week.

🎵Music: About Rosalia Luxshe explores the classics of symphonic sound and operatic vocals. She says her goal with the album is to align with her desire to create music that is both enjoyable and challenging.

🎭Theater: The pilot program allows underperforming original Broadway shows to air. adapted for student theater productions. Listen to these students prepare for the premiere one of the performances.

🍽️ Food: Cambodian-American chef Nite Yoon, who was born in a refugee camp, has released her debut cookbook. My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook. She also shared kroeng recipepaste of aromatic herbs, with Morning Edition.

❓ Quiz: Hooray! I got a “near perfect” 9/10 this week! Now this it's your turn to get impressive results.

3 things you need to know before your trip

1. Sean Charles Dunn, the man who was charged with assault for throwing a Subway sandwich at a federal officer in Washington, D.C., was found not guilty. The incident has become a symbol of resistance to Trump's federal surge in the city.
2. NPR's “word of the week” is “honest,” and its popularity online and in conversation has skyrocketed in recent years. Here how the word developed.
3. Tesla shareholders have approved a conditional salary package for CEO Elon Musk, who could unlock up to a trillion dollars in shares if the company meets certain criteria, according to preliminary results from the annual shareholder meeting.

This newsletter has been edited Yvonne Dennis.