US government shutdown disrupts thousands of flights

More than 5,000 US flights were delayed or canceled on Saturday as the government shutdown hit air traffic control staffing.

Disruption had been limited because October is a slow month, but last week saw “the first indication of a broader, systemwide slowdown,” The Washington Post reported: The shutdown is in its second month, and controllers have now missed a paycheck. The transportation secretary said staff were having to decide whether to work unpaid or “drive for Uber or DoorDash.”

Vice President JD Vance said it “could be a disaster” for Thanksgiving travel. President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the ongoing impasse, telling CBS that they were “crazed lunatics” and saying the shutdown would only end when they gave in.