Friday morning news: November 7, 2025

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Flight traffic cutback update » Travelers across the U.S. are facing potential chaos today as federal authorities begin reducing air traffic at 40 airports this morning to help ensure safety. Those include major hubs like Atlanta and Denver.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy:

DUFFY:  We were seeing increased pressure, uh, in these 40 uh, markets, and we looked at the data. This was data driven, and so taking 10% of the flights out, uh, will reduce that pressure, which is what we wanna do.

The move comes amid staffing shortages, with air traffic controllers being asked to work without pay since the government shutdown began more than a month ago.

Allied Pilots Association spokesman Dennis Tajer says the air traffic cutback was the right call.

TAJER: Our airlines plan for mother nature, but they don’t plan for government nature.

And Nick Daniels, the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, says the timing of the now longest-ever government shutdown couldn’t have been worse. He said they had a staffing crisis even before the shutdown.

DANIELS: That's why Secretary Duffy and I were so passionate about getting out in front of this, ensuring the long, you know, uh, the, the hiring and supercharging of air traffic control, hiring, uh, also insuring and fixing the equipment. This is putting us in an absolute tailspin.

Concerns are growing now that many Americans could find their Thanksgiving travel plans disrupted if the shutdown does not end soon.

Drug price White House announcement » President Trump has unveiled a deal with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and cut prices for their popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy.

The drugs are part of a new generation of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity in recent years.

TRUMP:  This will slash the cost of Wegovy from $1,350 a month to ultimately $250 a month, 1003 50 to 250.

Access to the drugs has been a consistent problem for patients because of their cost and spotty insurance coverage.

UPS crash investigation » Federal investigators continue digging for clues as they try to determine what caused Tuesday’s deadly crash of a UPS cargo plane in Kentucky.

National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman:

INMAN:  UPS has told us at this time, there were no maintenance work done on the aircraft in question immediately prior to the flight that would delay it in any way, shape, or form.

He said investigators are combing through the maintenance history of the aircraft. And of course, they are also gathering evidence on the ground at the crash site. He said they found multiple pieces of engine fan blades and other engine parts.

Authorities say a wing caught fire and one of the engines fell off, just before the plane crashed on takeoff from Louisville’s international airport.

The explosion sent a fireball and column of black smoke into the sky.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg called it horrific and tragic.

GREENBERG:  This was worse than the movies half a mile long standing there where you could just see the destruction, the charred, mangled metal. In some cases, at that point, there were still some smoke rising from piles of debris.

The death toll from the crash has now risen to 13.

SCOTUS says administration can block irregular gender markers » The U.S. Supreme Court is backing, at least for now, a rule that requires passports to list biological sex and not a person’s self-identified gender. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: The high court is temporarily upholding Trump administration rule that blocks a lower court decision that would have allowed people identifying as transgender or nonbinary to choose any sex on their passports.

President Trump’s January executive order overturned a Biden-era policy that let applicants select either male or female or choose to list an “X” option.

The court said listing biological sex is simply stating a historical fact — and that is not discrimination.

The ruling keeps the Trump policy in place while lower courts review the case.

The three liberal justices dissented.

They argued the rule could cause fear and anxiety for transgender passport holders.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Israel update » A freed Israeli hostage is speaking out about the horrific treatment he says he endured at the hands of Hamas.

Rom Braslavski told Israel Channel 13 his Palestinian captors beat him and sexually abused him.

BRASLAVSKI: [Speaking Hebrew]

He said it's hard for him to talk about, but that they did things even the Nazis didn't do.

Meanwhile, along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon:

SOUND: [Israeli tanks]

Israeli tanks were seen on the move as jets struck three towns in southern Lebanon.

Israeli officials say the target was the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah.

Government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian:

BEDROSIAN: We will not allow Hezbollah to rearm themselves, to recover, build back up its strength to threaten the state of Israel. And the continuous terrorist activities by Hezbollah constitute a violation of the understanding between the ceasefire.

The Israeli military gave residents advance notice just before the airstrikes, urging them to evacuate.

Pelosi announced retirement » Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says … she plans to call it a career next year. She made the announcement a video message to her constituents in San Francisco.

PELOSI: I will not be seeking reelection to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.

Pelosi joined Congress in 1987 and was elected speaker 20 years later becoming the first woman to hold that position.

The 85-year-old Democrat relinquished her leadership role three years ago.

Cowboys player suicide » Police in a Dallas suburb say 24-year-old Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was found dead Thurday morning of an apparent suicide  after evading authorities in his vehicle and fleeing the scene of an accident on foot.

Police said Kneeland didn’t stop for Texas DPS troopers over a traffic violation on Wednesday night.

Authorities say Marshawn Kneeland had expressed suicidal ideation prior to his death.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the battle for the heart of conservatism on Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, a trip to the streets of Ukraine.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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