US air travel should normalize Sunday after ground stop triggers mass cancellations, FAA says
Airlines have canceled thousands of flights across the U.S. as they work to recover from a nationwide ground stop that left passengers scrambling for seats and disrupted travel around the world. The Federal Aviation Administration says U.S. air travel schedule should be back to normal by the end of Sunday, two days after what was the nation’s longest ground stop in 25 years. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is blaming a contractor that had been replacing a section of the air traffic control system’s old copper wire with new fiber wire. Duffy says that work somehow caused the system overload.
Why a problem on the ground can affect flights thousands of miles away among other issues
Regional U.S. air traffic control centers communicate using a complex network that is “one of the largest telecommunications systems in the country,” and disruptions like those seen this weekend following an hourslong, nationwide grounding of flights can reverberate widely, according to an aviation expert. The order was lifted late Friday, and federal authorities predicted a full recovery by late Sunday. Michael McCormick, a former airspace manager with the Federal Aviation Administration, said the problem involved what’s known as a rolling outage that can impact air traffic control centers unpredictably. Here’s a look at what happened, how air traffic control centers work, how controllers communicate and why a problem on the ground can affect flights thousands of miles away:
Judge temporarily blocks Trump from moving ahead on Washington public golf course redevelopment
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ordered a two-week delay to any work at a historic Washington public golf course not far from the White House. The order Saturday from U.S. District Judge Ana Ryes blocks for now President Donald Trump’s push to redevelop the site along the Potomac River into a championship-level venue. Under Trump's plan, the East Potomac Golf Links was due to close on Sunday for 15 months. Trump had announced work would begin that day despite the legal challenge initiated against the project in February by the DC Preservation League and two local golfers. The plaintiffs argue Trump's plan would change the course's character and make it unaffordable. Trump denies the claims.
With shifting Iran rhetoric following US elections, Trump leaves Mideast in limbo about path ahead
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has been all over the map as he's articulated his thinking about the Iran war since last week's midterm elections. He's backed away from additional strikes on Iran — but also from additional talks. On Monday, Trump suggested the war was partly to blame for Republican losses and said the conflict "militarily is effectively over." By Thursday, he dismissed the need for a deal with Iran, redirecting Vice President JD Vance to focus on domestic issues. Trump's shifting tone adds uncertainty to the conflict's future. Meanwhile, U.S. officials say the decision on how to proceed rests with Trump, who remains confident in his economic strategy against Iran.
Zelenskyy says a new European security framework floated by US could benefit Putin
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the U.S. has raised the idea of a new postwar security framework for Europe. He warns this could allow Russia to weaken NATO and reshape borders. On Friday, Zelenskyy said Moscow might use these talks to change European security rather than focus on ending the war. He also said that the U.S. asked if Ukraine would withdraw from parts of Donbas in exchange for NATO membership. Zelenskyy insists Ukraine won't surrender territory. He stresses any security changes in Europe must be decided by European NATO members after the war ends.
Israeli drone strike kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza, and other Mideast news
An Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinians in Jabaliya, on the northern edge of Gaza City, hospital officials said. Several others were wounded, though the number was not specified. The Israeli military said it targeted two Hamas militants. The strike on Saturday comes amid continued violence in Gaza, where more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire was reached more than a year ago. A vigil was also held in Jabaliya on Saturday night for 70 people killed in the war whose bodies were recovered recently in the rubble. Meanwhile, Iranian state TV reported that three oil tankers struck naval mines and caught fire around the Strait of Hormuz.
SpaceX’s Starship returns from orbit and is captured by launch pad arms in a dramatic first
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s Starship is back on Earth, captured in midair by giant mechanical arms at its Texas launch pad. Starship descended from orbit Saturday, returning to where its journey began 22 hours earlier. It was the grand finale that Elon Musk and his team hoped for — the first-ever capture of a Starship flying back from space. Musk ascended the launch tower later in the day, hugging the spacecraft and taking close-up video with his phone. Despite Starship's triumphant return, SpaceX fell short of its desired double catch. The first-stage booster exploded over the Gulf of Mexico shortly after Friday’s liftoff.
New Orleans port sues to get control of tanker that crashed into cruise ship on Mississippi River
New Orleans port officials have sued the owner of a tanker that slammed into a cruise ship on the Mississippi River. One aim of the lawsuit is to allow federal officials to gain control of the Atlantic Asphalt tanker. All 197 passengers and crew on the American Heritage cruise ship survived the crash Friday. About 100 of them ended up in the river after the boat rolled on its side before they could get off the ship. The cruise ship remains on its side in the Mississippi River. The Coast Guard says it could take weeks to remove it.
Pope denounces ‘suffering and humiliation’ of African enslaved people during Peru visit
ZAÑA, Peru (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has denounced the “suffering and humiliation” endured by African enslaved people as he made a tangible show of remorse in Peru following his historic apology for the Holy See’s own role in legitimizing the African slave trade in the Americas. The U.S.-born Leo, whose own family tree includes enslaved people and slave owners, delivered the remarks in the northern Peruvian city of Zaña, a UNESCO-recognized memorial site of slavery and a center of the Afro-Peruvian community today. In remarks to the community, Leo said Zaña “preserves the memory of generations of Africans who were torn from their homes and subjected to slavery.”
What to know about flights after the US nationwide ground stop
The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted a nationwide ground stop. Officials said Saturday the system was stable after Friday's massive disruption. Still, more than 6,400 flights scheduled Saturday were canceled. Airline operations were expected to return to normal by the end of Sunday. New technology for the air traffic control system overloaded antiquated equipment, causing it to overload. Officials stress the system never went dark. When they couldn’t quickly locate the cause of the overload, they decided to keep flights grounded nationwide. “We did that out of an abundance of caution,” said Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford. Officials say the ground stop was unrelated to recent Microsoft outages or cyberattacks.
