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Today’s Big Story

Flight Problems Will Linger

Disruptions, delays and cancellations will persist even after shutdown ends, airlines warn

The good news is that the longest-running federal government shutdown could (and should soon) come to an end. But the bad news is that it will not immediately fix the problems afflicting air travel.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to reduce air traffic at 40 of the nation's busiest airports, with cuts still ramping up to 10% of flights by Friday. The agency has been dealing with persistent staffing shortages of air traffic controllers, who are required to work without pay during the shutdown. Even if the government ends the flight restrictions, it will take several days (maybe a week) for airlines to recover. And longstanding challenges to the nation’s aviation system remain.

“Even before the shutdown, there was widespread recognition that we were dealing with an ailing air traffic control system,” a coalition of groups representing all facets of aviation, from pilots to airlines to airplane manufacturers, said in an open letter to Congress on Tuesday, urging lawmakers to reopen the government.

This past weekend, the FAA reported staffing shortages at dozens of facilities, prompting the agency to slow air traffic to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who did show up to work. On Tuesday, airlines canceled more than 1,200 flights, according to the aviation tracking site FlightAware.

President Donald Trump, in a post Monday on Truth Social, threatened to dock the pay of air traffic controllers who have missed work and said he would recommend a $10,000 bonus for those who haven’t taken any time off. “For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU,” Trump wrote.

Meanwhile, the airlines tried to reassure their customers they were doing everything they could to get passengers to their destinations. “We are providing additional flexibility to our customers traveling to, from or through the impacted markets to change, cancel or refund their flights, including Delta Main Basic fares, without penalty during this travel period,” Delta Airlines said in a statement.

Supreme Court Keeps Full SNAP Payments on Hold

The White House has twice asked the Court to stop other judges from forcing it to fully fund benefits

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday kept in place a pause on a lower-court order that had directed the Trump administration to pay full food assistance benefits to millions of Americans, preventing federal officials, for now, from having to provide the aid. The high-stakes court battle has been waged because the Trump administration has resisted pulling the money from other government funding sources, saying this would lead to shortfalls elsewhere. States, cities, nonprofits and other groups have sued to force the administration to release the funding.

The decision comes as House members prepare to vote as early as today on a Senate-passed bill to reopen the government. But until that happens, the “administrative stay” will continue to block a lower court order that required the administration to provide full federal food benefits. The funding lapse has been grueling for Americans who rely on the government’s largest anti-hunger program, leaving families struggling to figure out what—if any—money would become available.

In the meantime, many independent bookstores have taken on a new role as hubs for food donations (just another reason to support your local bookstore). As the New York Times points out, indie bookshops have long operated as hubs for activism and community service. In recent years, some stores have increasingly waded into political and social issues by conducting voter registration drives, sending free books to L.G.B.T.Q. prison inmates and distributing emergency contraceptives to women in states where abortion access has been restricted.

Climate Risks Are Rising

But progress is slowing while oil and gas demand is projected to surge

Well, this isn’t great news. Global oil and gas demand is projected to keep rising through 2050 under most industrialized nations’ current policies despite growth in renewables and electric cars, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

According to Axios, the IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook could influence policymakers, big business, investors, academics and anyone else trying to understand where the energy mix might head. "There is less momentum than before behind national and international efforts to reduce emissions, yet climate risks are rising," it states. Big changes are "reshaping the energy landscape" in the U.S., notably huge policy shifts under the GOP. IEA sees U.S. oil output rising slowly to 2035 under existing policies, and continued gas production increases, though coal output keeps falling.

Reason isn’t very optimistic, either. They point out that atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperatures have been on the rise for three decades, thanks to fruitless negotiations by the United Nations. “Since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was negotiated at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the concentration of greenhouse warming carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere has been anything but close to stabilized.” Why have all these international negotiations largely failed? Political scientist Roger Pielke, Jr. blames the “iron law of climate policy.” As he puts it, “when policies focused on economic growth confront policies focused on emissions reductions, it is economic growth that will win out every time.”

Pause for Effect (and Ads)

Streamers are betting big on ‘pause ads’

I’m in the media business, so I know that advertising is an essential part of the ecosystem that is our constant flow of information and entertainment. But even I don’t appreciate ads interrupting my content. Perhaps that’s why streamers are looking at new ways to get ads in front of eyeballs.

Now, a “moment that is frozen in time has become one of the media industry’s hottest areas of focus,” reports Variety. But big streamers like Amazon’s Prime Video, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max, NBCU’s Peacock and Disney’s Hulu and Disney + have been working to monetize millions of viewers’ decision every day to “pause” their selection, with ads of various sizes and shapes popping on screen just a few seconds after the action stops. A pause, after all, isn’t forced on the audience like a traditional commercial break, and media companies hope consumers will be more willing to consider ads that surface on screen only when they choose to make their video halt.

After all, 91% of viewers said they hit pause all the time or sometimes while watching streaming TV, and 70% of viewers said they hit pause all the time or sometimes while watching traditional TV, according to a recent survey. And while some advertisers may think viewers hit pause to take a break from the content they’re watching, the majority of viewers actually hit pause to remain engaged. Digiday reports that most viewers said they pause to either avoid missing an important scene, to rewind and rewatch something important, or to wait for someone else to join them to watch together.

Does Your Can Insurance Cover What Really Matters?

Does your car insurance cover what really matters?

Not all car insurance is created equal. Minimum liability coverage may keep you legal on the road, but it often won’t be enough to cover the full cost of an accident. Without proper limits, you could be left paying thousands out of pocket. The right policy ensures you and your finances are protected. Check out Money’s car insurance tool to get the coverage you actually need.

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