11-9-25
From the desk of Rich Stephens
News for the week ending 11-8-25
Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.
Today is the 40th day of the federal government shutdown.
Current Events
FAA Flight Reductions
The FAA has announced a 10% reduction in flight volume at 40 airports across the country. Air traffic control staff are missing paychecks and secretary of transportation Sean Duffy fears fatigue and burnout. The reduction will take place over the course of several days, winding down 2% at a time. If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a full refund.
Department of Transportation Statement
Department of Transportation X Statement
UPS Cargo Plane Crash
Unrelated to the shutdown or Air Traffic Control issues, At approx. 5:14PM Tuesday UPS flight 2976 from Louisville to Honolulu was involved in a catastrophic crash. Originally a McDonald Douglas 2, the plane was later modified to be an MD11F, handled by the Boeing Corporation. Loaded with approximately 37,000 gallons of fuel, the plane reached 475 feet of altitude, traveling at 210 miles per hour. During takeoff, the left wing was on fire. The left engine detached from the aircraft, causing the plane to lose altitude. Video shows the plane impacting buildings near the airport and causing large fires. Officials say the fires stretched for a half mile. As of Saturday, fourteen people were confirmed deceased, including the plane’s crew of 3.
FlightRadar details on the aircraft
Abby Zwerner v. Newport News School Board
Thursday, a Virginia jury awarded Abby Zwerner $10M in her lawsuit against the Newport News school board. On January 6, 2023, Zwerner was shot by a 6 year old student in her class. Other students had warned staff that the boy had a gun in his backpack. The school ignored warnings and failed to search the boy or his backpack. The student obtained the 9mm firearm from his mother who possessed it illegally and did not store it securely. She pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and faces up to 25 years in prison. The vice principal Ebony Parker was informed of the threat and neglected to act. She was charged with 8 counts of child abuse and disregard for life. Her case is pending.
Election Day 2025
Tuesday, Americans went to the polls to decide state and local elections. We made a video about the results that you can watch for more details.
Dick Cheney Death
Monday, Robert B. Cheney, the 46th vice president of the united states, died in Virginia. After serving for 4 years as the secretary of defense under George H. W. Bush, Cheney was VP under George W Bush from 2001-2009. Cheney famously shot Harry Whittington by accident during a quail hunting trip in 2006. He also served as CEO of Halliburton from 1995-2000. Dick Cheney was 84 years old.
Politics
Chicago Ice Day Care Incident
Wednesday, Representative Mike Quigley of Illinois’ fifth house district held a press conference about an ICE operation in Chicago. He asserted that ICE officers targeted a day care and arrested a teacher in front of children in the school. DHS responded, saying that they had attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle registered to Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano. Galeano entered the United States illegally in 2023, was released to the interior and given a work authorization. DHS says that the male driver fled, entered the parking lot of the day care and both Galeano and the driver entered the facility. ICE then arrested both parties.
TrumpRx Wegovy, Ozempic, Emgality etc.
On Wednesday, President Trump announced another deal to lower drug prices for Americans. This round involves Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk and reduces prices on weight loss drugs through TrumpRx. Ozempic and Wegovy will fall from 1000 and 1300 respectively to a standardized $350 on the portal. The migrane treatment Emgality will be available at a 60% discount. Popular Insulin pens will be available for $35.
White House Announcement Video
Nancy Pelosi Retirement Announcement
85 year old congresswoman Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement Thursday. After 20 terms and 37 years in office, she will not seek reelection in 2026. She was the 52nd speaker of the house and led the Democrats in the House of Representatives for 20 years.
Nancy Pelosi Thank You San Francisco Video
Finance & Markets
Markets slumped this week. The Dow fell 575 points. Nasdaq fell even more, losing 720 points. The S&P500 lost 112 points, with all three indexes erasing last week’s gains. Gold climbed back to 4009 per ounce, gaining only $13 this week.
Sports
NFL Field Goal Record
Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little set an NFL record on Sunday against the LAs Vegas Raiders. As time expired in the first half, he hit a 68 yard field goal, breaking the NFL record by 2 yards. The Jaguars went on to win that game 30-29 in overtime.
Formula 1 Sao Paulo Brazilian Grand Prix
Moving to sports we begin with formula 1. In Brazil, Lando Norris took pole in the sprint qualifying Friday. He became the first driver to win a Sao Paulo sprint from pole. In qualifying Saturday, neither Red Bull managed to escape Q1. Norris qualified in first with the rookie Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli joining him on the front row. Leclerc qualified third and Piastri fourth. We will bring you the results of today’s race next week.
NCAA Football
In college football, millions of angry college football fans scrambled with free trials and subscription changes for a second week in a row. YouTubeTV has lost ESPN, ABC and all other Disney owned programming in a contract dispute.
Top ranked Ohio state beat Purdue 34-10, Number 8 Texas Tech beat Seventh ranked BYU 29-7.
Fifth ranked Georgia went to Starkville Mississippi and walked away with a 41-21 win. Vanderbilt came back from a 10 point halftime deficit to force overtime and beat auburn 45-38. Indiana beat Pen State 27-24 to remain unbeaten at 10-0. Ninth ranked Oregon held off Iowa for an 18-16 win. And finally the Florida gators traveled to Lexington Kentucky where they lost 38-7 in a game that saw a combined 4 turnovers in the last 7 plays of the first half.
Like it or not, that’s what happened
Rich Stephens
The cold take.