Travel chaos is hitting the U.S. as the longest government shutdown in history forces the Federal Aviation Administration to cut flights. Starting this friday, airlines will slash up to 10% of domestic flights at 40 major airports, including Atlanta, JFK, LAX, and Chicago O’Hare. The phased reductions began at 4% this morning and will rise to 10% by November 14. International flights remain exempt, but between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day could be canceled. The FAA cites safety concerns as unpaid air traffic controllers report fatigue and even take second jobs to survive.
“Our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
In Asia, Singapore has taken a hard line against online scammers. Parliament passed a law mandating 6 to 24 strokes of the cane for convicted scammers and syndicate recruiters. Scam “mules” who provide bank accounts or SIM cards face up to 12 strokes. The crackdown follows staggering losses of S$3.88 billion (US$2.8 billion) to scams since 2020, with scams now making up 60% of all crimes in the country.
“These are staggering numbers,” said Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs.
Across the Atlantic, Prince Andrew – now Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – faces mounting pressure from U.S. lawmakers to testify before Congress about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The House Oversight Committee has requested his cooperation by November 20, citing financial records referencing “massage for Andrew.” Stripped of royal titles and evicted from his residence by King Charles, Andrew is reportedly “too terrified” to set foot in America, fearing subpoenas and media scrutiny.
“Come clean. Testify voluntarily. Don’t wait for a subpoena,” urged Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s iconic Little Village neighborhood – once bustling with nearly 500 businesses – has turned into a ghost town. Fear of ICE raids under Trump’s immigration crackdown has emptied streets and shops, slashing weekend foot traffic. Local leaders say the fear is “palpable,” despite no confirmed mass raids.
On the tech front, Elon Musk doubled down on his vision after securing a record-breaking $1 trillion Tesla pay package. At the shareholder meeting, Musk claimed the Optimus humanoid robot will “eliminate poverty” and make work optional, ushering in “universal high income.” The plan ties Musk’s payout to Tesla hitting moonshot goals: selling 1 million robots, deploying robotaxis, and pushing Tesla’s market cap to $8.5 trillion by 2035.
“Optimus will actually eliminate poverty,” Musk told cheering investors.
In Washington, politics is now all about affordability. After Democrats swept key races in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City, both parties are pivoting to cost-of-living issues. Democrats credit their wins to relentless messaging on housing, energy, and grocery costs, while Trump advisers admit the GOP “misread the electorate.”
Meta is under fire after leaked documents revealed it earned $16 billion – about 10% of its 2024 revenue – from fraudulent ads on Facebook and Instagram. Internal reports show users were exposed to 15 billion high-risk scam ads daily, including fake e-commerce and investment schemes. Meta allegedly avoided banning top scam accounts to protect revenue, sparking calls for tighter regulation.
Finally, Samsung is preparing to challenge Apple in consumer finance. The Korean giant is in advanced talks with Barclays to launch a U.S. credit card by year-end, backed by Visa. The card will anchor a suite of financial products, including a high-yield savings account and buy-now-pay-later services, as Samsung seeks to replicate Apple’s success with its own ecosystem.
