Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks. UPS, FedEx ground MD-11 fleets after deadly Louisville crash UPS and FedEx said on Friday they have grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes following a crash in Louisville, Kentucky this week that killed at least 14 people.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

FAA bars MD-11 flights after fiery UPS jet crash

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday said it was prohibiting MD-11 planes from flying for now, pending inspections, after a crash earlier in the week of a UPS MD-11 cargo freighter killed at least 14 people in Kentucky. UPS and FedEx said they have already grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes following a recommendation by planemaker Boeing.

Major US air traffic staffing shortages snarl thousands of flights

Major air traffic control staffing shortages snarled thousands of flights on Saturday as the government shutdown caused mounting travel woes and raised alarm among airline officials. The Federal Aviation Administration said there were air traffic control staffing issues affecting 42 airport towers and other centers and delaying flights in at least 12 major U.S. cities - including Atlanta, Newark, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Flights crossing six different high-traffic areas were also facing delays.

US warns it could force 20% flight cuts if shutdown continues

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday he could force airlines to cut up to 20% of flights if the government shutdown did not end, as U.S. airlines on Friday scrambled to make unprecedented government-imposed reductions. The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4% of flights on Friday at 40 major airports because of the government shutdown. The cuts will rise to 10% by November 14.

US airlines brace for third day of government-mandated flight cuts

Major airlines braced for a third day of government-mandated flight cuts Sunday after rising air traffic control staffing shortages snarled thousands of flights on Saturday. The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4% of daily flights starting on Friday at 40 major airports because of air traffic control safety concerns. The shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks.

UPS, FedEx ground MD-11 fleets after deadly Louisville crash

UPS and FedEx said on Friday they have grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes following a crash in Louisville, Kentucky this week that killed at least 14 people. A UPS MD-11 crashed late on Tuesday, erupting into a fireball moments after takeoff from Louisville's international airport. The death toll from the crash, the cause of which is still under investigation, has risen to 14, according to a post on X by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg on Friday.

US Justice Department probes meatpackers, attorney general says

President Donald Trump on Friday accused meatpacking companies of driving up U.S. beef prices, which have hit records, through manipulation and collusion, and ordered the Justice Department to investigate. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an X post the probe was under way and being run by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater. Slater leads the Justice Department's antitrust division, which investigates price-fixing and other practices that stifle competition.

Talks to end US shutdown look promising, Senate majority leader says

Bipartisan talks in the U.S. Senate to end the federal shutdown have taken a positive turn, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Saturday, with lawmakers working on deals to temporarily reopen the government and introduce three longer-term funding bills for some agencies. Asked by reporters whether there have been bipartisan talks within the last 24 hours that have been positive in nature, Thune, a South Dakota Republican, responded, "Yeah. I'd say so."

Exclusive-US Army to buy 1 million drones, in major acquisition ramp-up

The U.S. Army aims to buy at least a million drones in the next two to three years and could acquire anywhere from a half million drones to millions of them annually in the years that follow, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said. Driscoll detailed the major ramp-up in the Army's drone acquisition plan in an interview with Reuters, acknowledging the challenges given that the biggest branch of the U.S. military acquires only about 50,000 drones annually today.

US FCC chair to testify before Senate after Kimmel episode

U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr will testify on December 17 before the Senate Commerce Committee after he faced bipartisan criticism for pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel off air. Senator Ted Cruz, the committee chair, announced the oversight hearing late on Friday, which will also include commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez.

Crew of fatal UPS cargo flight tried to control aircraft before crash, NTSB says

As a bell sounded in the cockpit, three UPS pilots tried to control a cargo flight that crashed this week in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least 13 people, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday. While UPS flight 2976 started uneventfully, a repeating bell was heard on the aircraft's flight cockpit voice recorder just 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, NTSB member Todd Inman told reporters.

First blast of winter weather forecast from Great Lakes to South Florida

An early taste of winter is expected for the eastern half of the U.S. beginning this weekend, as a fast-moving storm system sweeping down from Canada clears a path for frigid temperatures as far south as Florida, forecasters said. About 155 million people, from northern Great Plains to the deep South, will experience some freezing conditions through Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

US Supreme Court lets Trump withhold $4 billion in food aid funding for now

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump's administration to withhold for now about $4 billion needed to fully fund a food aid program for 42 million low-income Americans this month amid the federal government shutdown. The court's order, known as an administrative stay, gives a lower court additional time to consider the administration's formal request to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, for November. The administration had faced a judge-ordered Friday deadline to fully fund the program.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)