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US flight cancellations accelerate as airlines comply with government shutdown order

Summary

  • FAA to reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 major U.S.
  • Cuts include airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago
  • Move aims to maintain during government shutdown strain
  • plan to limit disruptions, focusing cuts on smaller routes

U.S. airlines began canceling hundreds of flights Thursday due to the Federal Administration’s order to reduce traffic at the country’s busiest airports starting Friday because of the government shutdown.

Nearly 500 flights scheduled for Friday were already cut nationwide, and the number of cancellations climbed throughout Thursday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.

That’s more than four times the number of flights canceled on Thursday.

The FAA has ordered airlines to phase in a 10% reduction in their flight schedules at 40 of the busiest airports across more than two dozen states. The disruptions will affect service at many smaller airports, too, and on Thursday some travelers began changing or canceling their itineraries preemptively.

Airlines were scrambling to figure out where to cut, and travelers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervously to see if their flights would take off as scheduled.

The affected airports include busy connecting hubs and those in popular tourist destinations, including Atlanta, Denver, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports will be affected.

Airlines will phase in the cuts at the direction of the FAA, starting with eliminating 4% of flights at the 40 airports on Friday and working up to 10%, according to three familiar with what the agency said, but who were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

United Airlines will cut 4% of its flights over the weekend based on FAA guidance, said company spokesperson Josh Freed.

The FAA had not yet published an official order as of midday Thursday and didn’t immediately respond to questions about implementation details.

Some airlines plan to focus on slashing routes to and from small and medium-sized cities.

“This is going to have a noticeable impact across the U.S. air system,” industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said.

The flight reductions coming just weeks before the busy holiday season have travelers already changing their plans or looking at other options.

Fallon Carter canceled her Friday flight from New York to Tampa, Florida, where she planned to spend the weekend at the beach. She was worried about making it back to Long Island for her best friend’s wedding where she’ll be a bridesmaid.

“I don’t know if I get there, will I get home?” Carter said.

The FAA said Wednesday it would reduce air traffic by 10% across “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown.

It’s imposing the reductions to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay during the shutdown and have been increasingly calling off work. The move also comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown.

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side to help cover bills unless they call out.

The FAA in recent weeks has delayed flights when airports or its other facilities are short on controllers.

Airlines shuffling schedules

Passengers should start to be notified about cancellations Thursday. Airlines said they would try to minimize impact on customers, some of whom will see weekend travel plans disrupted with little notice.

United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said they would offer refunds to passengers who opt not to fly, even if they purchased non-refundable tickets.

The head of Frontier Airlines recommended that travelers buy backup tickets with another airline to avoid being stranded.

The cuts also could disrupt package deliveries because two airports with major distribution centers are on the list — FedEx operates at the airport in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this week’s deadly cargo plane crash.

The cuts could affect as many as 1,800 flights, or upward of 268,000 passengers, per day, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Airlines are used to dealing with canceling thousands of flights on short notice during severe weather, but the difference now is that these cuts during the shutdown will last indefinitely until safety data improves.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

Shutdown already straining travel
The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and damaging confidence in the U.S. experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman.

Kelly Matthews, who lives in Flat Rock, Michigan and frequently flies for work, said she has canceled most of her upcoming trips and understands why federal airport employees have stopped showing up.

“You can’t expect people to go into work when they’re not getting a paycheck for the continuation of over a month now,” she said. “I mean, it’s not a matter of them not wanting to do the job — but you can’t afford to pay for gas, your day care and everything else.”

Controller staffing worsening

The past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an AP analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.

Scale AI to open Crystal City office in December

Scale , a San Francisco-based provider of data and full-stack technologies for applications, is saying goodbye to its Washington, D.C., office for greener pastures in , according to a Tuesday announcement.

In December, plans to open a new 22,000-square-foot office at 2231 Crystal Drive, which the company described in a news release as “a growing technology and innovation corridor.”

Previously, about 30 team members worked out of a 5,500-square-foot office at 2121 K Street NW in Washington, D.C., according to a spokesperson.

The new office has capacity for 100 team members. “It will enable closer collaboration with our federal and defense partners featuring upgraded collaboration spaces for customer engagements,” Scale AI stated in the announcement.

The company, founded in 2016, currently has 1,000 employees and plans to add 200 positions “across all areas of the business,” the news release stated.

invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI for a 49% stake this summer, according to multiple news reports. Scale AI’s founder Alexandr Wang has joined Meta to work on its AI efforts.

FAA reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 ‘high-volume’ markets during government shutdown

Summary:

  • to cut air traffic 10% across 40 major markets Friday
  • working unpaid since Oct. 1 shutdown
  • Staffing shortages causing growing delays at U.S.
  • , unions urge Congress to end record-long shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning to maintain during the ongoing government shutdown.

The reduction stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide because the FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily, including commercial passenger flights, cargo planes and private aircraft.

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. With some calling out of work, staffing shortages during some shifts have led to flight delays at a number of U.S. airports.

Citing growing staffing pressures, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency would not wait for a crisis to act

“We can’t ignore it,” he said.

Bedford and Secretary said they would meet with airline executives later Wednesday to determine how to safely implement the reduction in flights. Until then, both declined to name the affected markets. Bedford said a list would be released sometime Thursday.

“If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures,” Bedford said, “we’ll come back and take additional measures.”

The Associated Press on Wednesday sent requests for comment on the FAA’s decision to major U.S. airlines, including Delta, United and American Airlines.

Southwest Airlines said it was evaluating potential impacts to its schedule and would reach out as soon as possible to customers whose travel plans may be impacted.

“We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity,” the carrier said.

The FAA sometimes slows down or stops flights from taking off toward an airport due to weather conditions or when there aren’t enough controllers and other personnel or facilities are unable to pick up the slack. Last weekend saw some of the worst staffing shortages of the shutdown, which became the longest on record early Wednesday.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 different facilities announced there was some potential for limited staffing, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans sent through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown

During weekend periods from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional centers that oversee multiple airports and facilities that monitor traffic at higher altitudes announced the potential for staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.

Most controllers have continued to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown. That leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage payments and other expenses unless controllers call out.

Major airlines, unions and the wider travel industry have urged Congress to end the shutdown.

Wednesday’s announcement came on the heels of Duffy warning a day earlier that there could be chaos in the skies next week if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paychecks next Tuesday.

Duffy said the FAA wanted to take a proactive approach instead of reacting after a disaster. He pointed to the deadly mid-air collision in January between a commercial jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

“We learned from that. And so now we look at data, and before it would become an issue, we try to assess the pressure and try to make moves before there could be adverse consequences,” Duffy said. “And that’s what’s happening here today.”

___

By MATTHEW DALY, JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT Associated Press; Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Irish data center power manufacturer opens first US plant in James City County

An Irish energy infrastructure manufacturer focused on has established its first U.S. plant in James City County, a $5.225 million investment expected to create 250 within the next year, announced Wednesday.

Dublin, Ireland-based CEL Critical ‘s new 400,000-square-foot facility will produce power systems that will serve data centers throughout the United States. CEL already has 50 employees at its new facility across engineering, research and development, finance, management and sales. The number of jobs is expected to rise to 500 by 2030, Youngkin said.

“We are thrilled to welcome CEL to Virginia as they establish their first-ever American site right here in the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Everyone involved in this project moved at the speed of Virginia to make this possible, and the impact is already being felt on the ground.”

The company has signed a long-term lease on a recently constructed manufacturing facility for the project. According to a company spokesperson, CEL’s news facility has been operational since June this year and has been shipping finished products to its US customers since July.

Right now, CEL is manufacturing from just 165,000 square feet of space but it expects to expand into the rest of the facility over the coming years as demand grows.

In a statement, Secretary of Commerce and Trade Juan Pablo Segura said the facility’s location shows “the positive ripple effects” of growth.

“With this new plant, we are ensuring every dollar invested in Virginia data centers stays in Virginia,” he said. “For data centers in other parts of the country or the world, Virginia is uniquely positioned to provide fast, reliable transportation of the products they need.”

CEL Managing Director Niall McFadden, an Irish investor, thanked Youngkin for his support of the project in a statement.

Founded in 1982, designs and manufactures power solutions for the global and cloud industry. Products include low-voltage power distribution systems, switchgear equipment and remote power panels.

The company says its products are able to handle increased workloads of the next generation of microchips, such as those designed by Nvidia.

The topic of increased energy demands driven by the development of more data centers and increased use of AI has become a major source of controversy in Virginia, as some localities have rejected such projects. According to Dominion Energy, the state’s energy demand is expected to increase 5% each year over the next 20 years and double by 2045, leaving the utility and state lawmakers grappling with how best to produce  needed electricity.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with James City County and the to secure the project for Virginia. CEL will also be supported through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consulting services and funding to companies creating jobs at no cost to the businesses.

Spanberger names transition team leaders

Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail announced her Wednesday, as she prepares to take office in January 2026.

The Democratic , who will be Virginia’s first female governor, named seven transition team co-chairs. They include:

  • Yohannes Abraham, former executive director for the Biden-Harris transition team, former U.S. ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a visiting professor at the University of Virginia;
  • Kelly Cannon, CEO of Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Foundation;
  • Marvin Figueroa, vice president of health and life sciences for BGR Group, and former state deputy secretary of health and human resources under former Gov. Ralph Northam;
  • Daun Hester, City of Norfolk treasurer and former Virginia delegate;
  • Laura Lafayette, CEO of the Richmond Association of Realtors and the Regional Multiple Listing Service;
  • Chris Lu, former executive director for the Obama-Biden transition team, former U.S. deputy secretary of labor and James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at U.Va.’s Miller Center;
  • Samson Signori, campaign manager for Spanberger’s gubernatorial campaign and former manager of her 2022 congressional campaign.

Spanberger’s transitional chief of staff will be Bonnie Krenz-Schnurman, who previously was her chief of staff for five years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and her transition director will be Karen Mask, Spanberger’s former district director. Mask will serve as deputy chief of staff for operations once Spanberger takes office, according to the announcement.

Krenz-Schnurman was a senior policy adviser during the Obama administration, focusing on energy and climate change policy. Mask was a senior policy analyst for the Virginia Department of Health and led the state’s K-12 schools pandemic response. In the private sector, she was in senior leadership at Toys”R”Us, and later worked in pediatric health and clinical research.

Five current and former elected officials also will serve as honorary co-chairs. They include: Virginia State Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas; House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott; Del. Candi Mundon King; former U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton and former U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat who represented Southwest Virginia from 1983 to 2011. Wexton, a Democrat who represented parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties from 2019 until January, did not seek re-election due to her diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy.

Spanberger will take office Jan. 17, 2026, along with fellow Democrats Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi and Attorney General-elect Jay Jones. Democrats also increased their majority in the 100-seat House by 13 seats and will be coming in with a 64-seat majority.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth workers win Virginia’s first casino union contract

SUMMARY:

  • Rivers Casino ‘s 29 slot attendants voted 95% to approve Virginia’s first casino contract
  • Union leaders say the deal will set a precedent as more open across the state
  • The three-year agreement includes wage increases, employer-paid health care, job protections and added paid time off

In a first for Virginia’s industry, workers at have approved a three-year union contract with a 95% yes vote.

Represented by Local 822, 29 slot attendants at the casino are now the first casino workforce in the state to ratify a agreement. Union leaders say the deal will set a precedent for wages and workplace protections as casinos continue to expand across Virginia.

The contract covers pay, locks in employer-paid health care coverage, provides protections from at-will employment and grants additional paid time off.

“This is history in the making,” Local 822 President James Wright said in a statement. “For the first time, Virginia gaming workers have a legally binding union contract that delivers guaranteed raises, strong benefits and just cause protections. This agreement proves that when workers stand together, they can transform their industry.”

Negotiations lasted about two years, according to Veronica Sawyer, assistant director of convention trade show and casino division for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who said health care was a top priority. Union coverage is saving some workers as much as $100 or more a month.

In a statement, slot attendant and Local 822 member Natasha O’Guinn said the contract meant stability for her and her family.

“I know my job is protected, my health care is covered and my wages and tips together give me the security to plan for the future,” she said. “We finally have a voice and a fair contract that respects what we do every day.”

According to Sawyer, the agreement only applies to the casino’s 29 slot attendants, as employees with other roles at the casino are not yet represented by the union. Since opening in 2023, the casino employs about 1,200 .

However, Sawyer says the contract will have broad implications for the state’s casino industry, likely influencing others to advocate for similar agreements.

“I think it’s going to play a big part in the gaming industry,” she said. “A new casino is coming in Norfolk. And you know, people are paying attention. Health care is a big issue with workers having to pay a lot of money for company health insurance, and the employer has control over how much they pay. And so I think when people see the health care that the slot attendants have, others are going to be reaching out and wanting to get on board, just for that alone.”

Virginia has three casinos operating in Bristol, Danville and Portsmouth, and temporary casinos are set to open soon in Norfolk and Petersburg, with permanent casinos to follow.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth did not comment about the precedent this agreement may set or how it might impact employee recruitment and retention or whether these types of agreements are common across properties. However, the company said it valued its workers and remains committed to “providing a supportive and rewarding workplace for all our team members while furthering our investment in Portsmouth.”

“We look forward to continuing our positive relationship with the Teamsters and are pleased that, through recent negotiations, we were able to bring wages for the individual work group they represent in line with the increases achieved by our other team members,” the casino said in a statement.

In May, Rush Street, a Chicago-based casino developer, and Rivers Casino Portsmouth announced plans to build a $65 million hotel adjacent to the casino, with an estimated opening in early 2027. To be known as the Landing Hotel, the eight-story property will feature 106 guest rooms, including 32 suites. S.B. Ballard Construction was announced as the hotel’s general contractor in July. A casino spokesperson previously said construction began in the summer.

Based in Norfolk, Teamsters Local 822 represents over 3,000 workers across the area working in a variety of industries.

US Steel details plans to invest $11B by 2028

SUMMARY:

  • Nippon to invest $11B to modernize by 2028
  • Company targets $3B in savings through upgrades and efficiencies
  • Plan aims to protect or create more than 100,000 U.S.

 

NEW YORK (AP) — United States Steel on Tuesday detailed its billion-dollar multiyear growth plan with new owner that includes modernizing the century-old steelmaker.

The announcement comes just five months after Nippon Steel finalized a “ historic partnership ” with the Pittsburgh steelmaker in a deal worth nearly $15 billion. That deal included a “golden share” provision that gave the the to appoint a board member and a say in some company decisions.

The combined company became the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker, and Nippon agreed to invest $11 billion to upgrade U.S. Steel’s facilities.

Tuesday the company said it will make the investments by the end of 2028. The plan targets unlocking $2.5 billion in savings from capital investments and another $500 million from operational efficiencies.

U.S. Steel says it has identified more than 200 initiatives to save money across all business segments, assisted by nearly 50 professionals from Nippon Steel. The company is modernizing and expanding its operations and expanding research and development to feature “higher value, lower emission steel.”

CEO Dave Burritt said, “We have a robust pipeline of growth projects, ranging from the of our Gary (Indiana) Works Hot Strip Mill to the new slag recycler at Mon Valley Works (Pennsylvania) and the development of new product capabilities.”

The plan is designed to “protect and create more than 100,000 jobs nationwide in the United States,” although U.S. Steel did not provide more specifics.

David McCall, president of United Steelworkers International, said in a statement, “Since our first engagement with Nippon, we’ve been clear that investing in these workers and their facilities is the best use of the company’s resources. As Nippon and U.S. Steel begin to lay out their vision, we encourage them to prioritize this skilled, workforce – now and well into the future.”

Trump may become the face of economic discontent, a year after such worries helped him win big

SUMMARY:

  • Democrats win key races amid voter anger over rising costs
  • Trump acknowledges warning from voters on issues
  • remains top concern in Virginia, New Jersey, and California

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump got a serious warning from voters that he’s out of touch with their fears about a deteriorating .

Democrats were able to run up the score in key races across the country on Tuesday by harnessing some of the same populist fervor that helped get Trump reelected a year ago — but also by focusing on the kitchen table issues the Republican had vowed to fix. Now, as the incumbent, fears about the economy have made Trump the face of much of the public’s discontent.

“We learned a lot.” Trump acknowledged on Wednesday. He later posted online that, “Affordability is our goal.”

Vice President JD Vance struck a similar tone, posting on X: “We’re going to keep on working to make a decent life affordable in this country, and that’s the metric by which we’ll ultimately be judged in 2026 and beyond.”

That followed voters in the Virginia and New Jersey governor races, the New York City mayoral contest and the California ballot proposition all citing economic concerns as a top issue. Democrats swept those elections, and it was difficult to point to any major race, anywhere, where Republicans had a key victory.

The reversal of fortune from a year ago was stark. Back then, voters returned Trump to the White House on the promise that he could quickly bring down , jump-start factory hiring and shower the country in newfound wealth from steep tariffs he imposed on U.S. allies the world over.

Instead, voters now are expressing concerns that high prices for groceries, electricity bills and housing are draining their bank accounts. Trump has been defiant in insisting that he’s strengthened the economy, so — his early reactions aside — it’s not clear he’ll internalize the need to take on the same inflationary challenges that became a drag for his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.

‘ have 401(k)s’

There are few signs that the public is putting much confidence in Trump’s claims about an American “golden age,” nor his assertion that inflation has been tamped down into submission. Recently pressed on Americans still worried about high grocery prices, Trump pointed to the stock market.

“Look, 401(k)s. People have 401(k)s,” the president said in an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that was broadcast on Sunday. Trump said grocery prices are falling, but the most recent inflation report shows they’re up 2.7% from a year ago.

Overall consumer prices have risen 3% over the past 12 months, which is higher than the rate going into Trump’s 2024 election win. The Federal Reserve targets inflation at 2%.

‘I don’t think it was good for Republicans’

While the stock market is surging and life looks good for tech executives with investments, hiring slowed sharply this summer in the wake of Trump rolling out his .

The AP Voter Poll showed that anxiety about the economy helped the Democrats on Tuesday.

Roughly half of Virginia voters said “the economy” was the top issue, and about 6 in 10 of these voters picked Democrat Abigail Spanberger for governor, powering her to a decisive win.

In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won about two-thirds of voters who called “the economy” the top issue facing the state. Republican Jack Ciattarelli secured about 6 in 10 New Jersey voters who said the top issue was “taxes.”

More than half of New York City voters said the cost of living was the top issue facing the city, and Democrat Zohran Mamdani won about two-thirds of this group.

Slightly fewer than half of California voters said “the economy” was the top issue facing the state, and roughly two-thirds of those voters backed Prop 50. The measure’s approval allows Democrats to redraw congressional maps more favorable to their party in the nation’s largest state and keep up with Republicans who have moved to add potential new red House seats in Texas and elsewhere.

Trump did not actively campaign for his party ahead of Election Day 2025. With votes still being counted, he was already ducking blame, posting that he “WASN’T ON THE BALLOT.”

The morning after the election, while hosting Senate Republicans at the White House, Trump was more reflective. “Last night, it was not expected to be a victory,” he said.

The elections were largely in areas that have recently favored Democrats, so there are limits to interpreting what the results could mean for next year’s broader midterm races. But the size of Democratic margins indicated the degree of frustration with economic conditions under Trump.

“I don’t think it was good for Republicans,” Trump said. “I’m not sure it was good for anybody, but we had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot.”

Later, while traveling to Florida, to lay out what he deems to be his economic successes for an audience of business leaders and athletes, the president posted another message in which he seemed to reacting to the election’s results.

While insisting “Our Economy is BOOMING” he added, “Affordability is our goal.”

That was a departure from last weekend, when Trump threw a lavish Jazz Age-themed “Great Gatsby” party at his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago after jetting back from a trip to Asia dripping with luxury.

The Trump administration has maintained that the working class will soon benefit — along with the billionaires.

“We’re going to see Main Street surge here, along with Wall Street, which we’ve already seen,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week on Fox News Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

In the run-up to Tuesday’s elections, Trump had focused his messaging on mass deportations of immigrants in the country illegally and a push to reduce crime by deploying National Guard troops to cities with Democratic leadership. But the AP Voter Poll found that few of those casting their ballots considered crime or immigration a top priority.

“Our side needs to focus on affordability,” said Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate and Trump ally now running for Ohio governor in 2026. “Make the American dream affordable. Bring down costs, electric costs, grocery costs, health care costs and housing costs. And lay out how we’re going to do it.”

Conservative Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of Trump’s sweeping unilateral tariffs

SUMMARY:

  • weighs Trump’s emergency-based tariff authority
  • Justices Barrett and Gorsuch question limits on presidential
  • Lower courts ruled Trump’s exceeded authority

WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative members of the Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared skeptical of President Donald Trump’s sweeping unilateral tariffs midway through arguments in a case that’s a pivotal test of for a tool central to his broader agenda.

While the questions at times seemed to challenge the rationale for the tariffs, the arguments are still ongoing, and further questioning could shed additional light on their positions. A decision in the case could take weeks or months.

The Republican administration is trying to defend the tariffs central to Trump’s economic agenda after lower courts ruled the emergency law he invoked doesn’t give him near-limitless power to set and change duties on imports.

The Constitution says Congress has the power to levy tariffs. But the Trump administration argues that in emergency situations the president can regulate importation — and that includes tariffs.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett grilled the government on that point. “Has there ever been another instance in which a statute has used that language to confer the power?” she asked.

Justices Neil Gorsuch also questioned the government on whether Trump’s position would hand congressional powers to the president.

Trump has called the case one of the most important in the country’s history and said a ruling against him would be catastrophic for the economy.

The challengers argue the 1977 Trump used doesn’t even mention tariffs, and no president before has used it to impose them. A collection of small businesses say the uncertainty is driving them to the brink of bankruptcy.

The case centers on two sets of tariffs. The first came in February on imports from Canada, China and Mexico after Trump declared a national emergency over drug trafficking. The second involves the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on most countries that Trump announced in April.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed over the tariffs, and the court will hear suits filed by Democratic-leaning states and small businesses focused on everything from plumbing supplies to women’s cycling apparel.

Lower courts have struck down the bulk of Trump’s tariffs as an illegal use of emergency power, but the nation’s highest court may see it differently.

Trump helped shape the conservative majority court, naming three of the nine justices in his first term. The justices have so far been reluctant to check his extraordinary flex of executive power, handing him a series of wins on the court’s emergency docket.

Still, those have been short-term orders — little of Trump’s wide-ranging conservative agenda has been fully argued before the nation’s highest court. That means the outcome could set the tone for wider legal pushback against his policies.

The justices have been skeptical of executive power claims before, such as when then-President Joe Biden tried to forgive $400 billion in student loans under a different law dealing with national emergencies. The Supreme Court found the law didn’t clearly give him the power to enact a program with such a big economic impact, a legal principle known as the major questions doctrine.

The challengers say Trump’s tariffs should get the same treatment, since they’ll have a much greater economic effect, raising some $3 trillion over the next decade. The government, on the other hand, says the tariffs are different because they’re a major part of his approach to foreign affairs, an area where the courts should not be second-guessing the president.

The challengers are also trying to channel the conservative justices’ skepticism about whether the Constitution allows other parts of the government to use powers reserved for Congress, a concept known as the nondelegation doctrine. Trump’s interpretation of the law could mean anyone who can “regulate” can also impose taxes, they say.

The Justice Department counters that legal principle is for governmental agencies, not for the president.

If he eventually loses at the high court, Trump could impose tariffs under other laws, but those have more limitations on the speed and severity with which he could act. The aftermath of a ruling against him also could be complicated, if the government must issue refunds for the tariffs that had collected $195 billion in revenue as of September.

The Trump administration did win over four appeals court judges who found the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, gives the president authority to regulate importation during emergencies without explicit limitations. In recent decades, Congress has ceded some tariff authority to the president, and Trump has made the most of the power vacuum.

Steelers co-owner donates $50M+ to Hampden-Sydney

SUMMARY:

  • Steelers minority owner and his wife, Cindy, make $50 million-plus gift to
  • Gift is largest in college’s history
  • launches Citrone Scholars Program, offering four-year, full-tuition merit to top prospective students

Billionaire Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner Rob Citrone and his wife, Cindy, are donating more than $50 million to Hampden-Sydney College — the largest gift in the school’s 250-year history — to launch a full-tuition scholarship program for top prospective students.

The Citrone Scholars Program will offer four-year, merit-based scholarships to help Hampden-Sydney attract and educate more “young men of intellect, character and purpose,” according to the college.

“Rob and Cindy’s investment bolsters the college’s ability to attract even more of the most talented young men to Hampden-Sydney, where they will benefit from, and contribute to, the college’s distinctive educational experience,” Hampden-Sydney President Larry Stimpert said in a statement.

Rob Citrone, co-founder of hedge fund Discovery Capital Management, serves on Hampden-Sydney’s Board of Trustees. He graduated from Hampden-Sydney in 1987 with a degree in economics and mathematics before earning his MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

“Hampden-Sydney shaped the foundation of who I am — as a thinker, a leader, and a person,” he said in a statement. “The education I received here didn’t just prepare me for a career — it prepared me for life.”

Cindy Citrone is a former Hampden-Sydney trustee who remains an active member of the college’s James Madison Society. Through their C33 Foundation, the couple support a wide range of philanthropic initiatives ranging from local community engagement to global impact.

“Over many years, the Citrones’ investments in the college’s educational program have provided scholarship funding, supported student research, and helped the college launch new academic and co-curricular initiatives,” Stimpert said in a statement. “In 2020, they provided $6 million to launch Compass, the college’s signature initiative that connects classroom learning with real-world experience. This program guarantees every student a funded internship, research project or study-abroad opportunity.”

The private, men’s liberal arts college has not yet said how many scholarships will be awarded per entering class, what the selection process will entail, or when the first cohort of recipients will be chosen. It also did not specify whether the $50 million investment will support the Citrone Scholars Program permanently or if it planned to grow the program through future fundraising.

Founded in 1775, Hampden-Sydney had a 2024 enrollment of 946 students.