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By Sarah Naffa
October 08, 2025
By Sarah Naffa
October 08, 2025
In the news today: Staffing shortages cause more U.S. flight delays amid the government shutdown; a judge halted a Florida immigration law months ago but some officers are still enforcing it; and Britain's Conservative Party is battling to avoid extinction. Also, surveillance footage helped a Lowe's store in Virginia track down Francine the cat after she hitched a ride in a delivery truck.
A plane takes off near the air traffic control tower at Harry Reid International Airport, Tuesday, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
POLITICS
Staffing shortages cause more US flight delays as government shutdown reaches seventh day
Staffing shortages led to more flight delays at airports across the U.S. on Tuesday as the federal government shutdown stretched into a seventh day, while union leaders for air traffic controllers and airport security screeners warned the situation was likely to get worse. Read more.
Why this matters:
The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing issues at airports in Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia, and at its air traffic control centers in Atlanta, Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The agency temporarily slowed takeoffs of planes headed to the first three cities and reported issues on Monday at the airports in Burbank, California; Newark, New Jersey; and Denver.
The risk of wider impacts to the U.S. aviation system "is growing by the day" as federal workers whose jobs are deemed critical continue working without pay, travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said.
A judge halted a Florida immigration law months ago. Some officers are still enforcing it
Two men last weekend were wrongly charged under a far-reaching Florida immigration law that's currently suspended by a judicial order, according to a report from the state attorney general's office. Read more.
Why this matters:
Both men were charged in separate instances under a Florida law that outlaws people living in the U.S. illegally from entering the state, even though a federal judge earlier this year said the law could not be enforced while it's challenged in court. Both men faced a state charge of illegal entry, but those will be dropped by prosecutors.
Britain's once-mighty Conservative Party is battling to avoid extinction
Britain's Conservatives used to boast they were the world's most successful political party. Not anymore. The center-right party that governed the U.K. for more than 60 of the last 100 years before being ousted in 2024 is embracing Donald Trump-style policies as it battles to remain a contender for power. Read more.
Why this matters:
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has shifted the party to the right, announcing policies with a distinct MAGA flavor. She says a Conservative government will scrap carbon emissions reduction targets and deport 150,000 unauthorized immigrants a year with a removals force similar to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the U.S. while sharply reducing legal immigration.
Employees welcome back Francine, the store cat, at the Richmond, Va., Lowe's, on Tuesday. (Kevin Ridley/Lowe's via AP)
Purrfect ending: Missing Virginia store cat found after hitching a ride to another state Francine the cat is back home at a Lowe's store in Virginia after going missing for a few weeks. After employees at the Richmond store discovered Francine was missing, surveillance footage revealed the calico cat had hopped onto a delivery truck and hitched a ride to a sister facility.
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sarah
