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A daughter of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy denounced an “absurdly invasive pat-down” at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint on social media, suggesting that if her father were in charge of the agency, he would try to abolish it, the New York Times reports.
Said Evita Duffy-Alfonso: “I should not be treated like a terrorist for traveling within my own country by an agency that’s trash at its job anyway.”
A traveler who posted a photo of his first class boarding pass to brag that he could afford it “because of Trump” ended up finding out someone used this information to cancel his flight reservation.
“U.S. airlines are predicting another record Thanksgiving holiday travel period and are upbeat now that the travel-snarling government shutdown has ended,” CNBC reports.
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“U.S. flight cancellations have fallen sharply over the last day as air traffic control absences shrank just hours before the House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill on Wednesday to end a record-setting government shutdown,” Reuters reports.
“President Trump threatened to dock the pay of air-traffic controllers who don’t return to work, as flight cancellations and delays spread across the country because of the government shutdown,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“He said he would recommend air-traffic controllers who didn’t take off time during the shutdown receive a $10,000 per person bonus.”
“Airlines braced for further chaos this week, despite a deal in the Senate to end the government shutdown,” the New York Times reports.
“About 5,000 flights were canceled from Friday through Sunday as federal restrictions on flying at the nation’s busiest airports kicked in… The disruption peaked at 10 percent of scheduled flights on Sunday, the fourth worst day for cancellations this year. By Monday morning, more than 1,400 flights had been canceled for the day, more than 5.5 percent of scheduled trips.”
“Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air travel delays and cancelations will only spread as the country barrels into the third day of government-mandated flight cuts on Sunday, Nov. 9,” USA Today reports.
Said Duffy: “It’s only going to get worse. I look to the two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle.”
“The disruptions from federal restrictions on flying at the nation’s busiest airports were challenging, but relatively contained this weekend. But the cuts are expected to grow in the coming days, threatening to wreak havoc for airlines and travelers as Thanksgiving approaches,” the New York Times reports.
Politico: U.S. airlines cancel more than 1,000 flights for a second straight day largely due to shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that flight cancellations across the U.S. could rise to 15%—or even 20%—if the government shutdown continues, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Duffy: “If this shutdown doesn’t end relatively soon, the consequence is that more controllers don’t come to work. I don’t want to see that.”
“A wave of flight cancellations hit the United States on Friday morning, bringing home the effects of the government shutdown to many more Americans,” the New York Times reports.
Washington Post: Travelers brace for turmoil as flight cuts kick in at major U.S. airports.
“Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is set to headline a meet-and-greet event for his son-in-law, Michael Alfonso, who is running for Congress in Wisconsin, but the White House did not approve it,” NOTUS reports.
“Duffy, who previously held the same Wisconsin seat before retiring in 2018, is now backing his son-in-law to win the seat vacated by Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor.”
“Transportation officials’ plans to slash traffic by 10 percent at 40 major airports because of the government shutdown could affect hubs across the country, including New York, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle and many other cities,” the New York Times reports.
“U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed on Wednesday that he would order a 10% reduction in scheduled air traffic at 40 major airports starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached,” Reuters reports.
“U.S. air travel is beginning to show real signs of strain as the government shutdown drags on, with traffic controller shortages snarling thousands of flights running into the weekend,” Bloomberg reports.
Vice President JD Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that Americans could face a travel “disaster” as Thanksgiving approaches next month without an end in sight to the government shutdown, CNN reports.
“Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that flight delays could get worse as the U.S. government shutdown enters its 28th day and air traffic controllers miss their first full paycheck,” Bloomberg reports.
“More than 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents now face working without pay during the shutdown.”
“Over the next several years, Elon Musk aims to take astronauts to the moon using a 403-foot rocket, launch a fleet of autonomous vehicles that lack a steering wheel or pedals, and turn millions of existing Teslas into self-driving cars overnight,” the Washington Post reports.
“Musk has acknowledged his ambitions require overcoming regulatory hurdles, roadblocks presented by NASA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”
“Throwing caution to the wind, Musk took aim at the man overseeing each one of those agencies in X posts this week — Transportation Secretary and acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy — igniting a new public feud with the Trump administration through an official who possesses direct oversight of his business empire.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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