Apple News Today – November 11, 2025

Episode: Why flight cancellations could drag on long after the shutdown ends

Host: Shumita Basu
Main Theme:
A breakdown of the ongoing consequences of the US government shutdown on air travel, financial stress signaled by rising car repossessions, President Trump’s confrontation with the BBC, and literary news featuring the Booker Prize.

Government Shutdown’s Lingering Impact on Air Travel

Key Points:

• Senate voted to reopen the US government, with hopes it could happen as early as Wednesday, but significant effects remain, especially at airports.
  • “But while the shutdown may be reaching its end game, its consequences are still being felt, especially at the airports.” – Shumita Basu [00:54]
• More than 2,000 flights canceled on Monday, following a record day for cancellations.
  • “The government is continuing to limit takeoffs across the US on Monday, more than 2,000 flights were canceled…” – Host [01:01]
• Airport scenes are tense and difficult.
  • “Been seeing the canceled flights and the frustration and the people sitting with their babies for hours because they can't get somewhere. So, you know, the irritability level is rising…” – Julie Gainsley, airport concierge [01:24]

Ongoing Flight Issues:

• FAA-mandated flight cancellations predicted to reach 6% today, may increase further.
• Even after the shutdown ends, issues will persist due to longstanding air traffic controller shortages and training backlogs.
  • “It's going to be harder for me to come back after the shutdown and have more controllers controlling the airspace. So this is going to live on in air travel well beyond the timeframe that this government opens back up.” – Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy [01:50]
• FAA has operated with a shortage of approximately 3,000 air traffic controllers even before the shutdown.
  • “The system is about 3,000 controllers short of what it needs.” – Lori Aratani, Washington Post [02:11]
• Many controllers working 6-day weeks, 10-hour days, under mandatory overtime.

Safety Concerns and Confidential Reports:

• FAA flight reductions based on safety concerns and pilot reports.
  • “They were seeing these confidential reports come in where pilots are saying something's not right. They sound like they’re more stressed out…” – Lori Aratani [02:52]

Prolonged Disruptions:

• Recovery won't be immediate:
  • "Some experts have told us that you don’t just say, oh, hey, you can restore all your flights. There’s sort of the logistics of trying to rearrange your schedule again if you're an airline.” – Lori Aratani [03:18]

Notable Quotes:

• On controller stress: “There’s a lot of stress and strain on the controllers that are working because if you’re short 3,000 people… mandatory overtime…” – Lori Aratani [02:24]

Labor, Pay, and Political Reactions

Key Points:

• Second missed payday for FAA staff and air traffic controllers.
• Mixed messages from administration – praise for workers, but stricter talk from President Trump:
  • “He also said controllers who missed no work during the shutdown could receive bonuses of up to $10,000.” – Shumita Basu [03:52]
• Union support for recognizing hardworking staff:
  • “Anything that recognizes their hard work is a good thing and called them unsung heroes during the government shut.” – Air traffic controllers’ union president [04:07]

President Trump vs. the BBC

Key Points:

• President Trump demands $1 billion in damages after a BBC documentary stitched together portions of his speech, implying he incited January 6th violence.
  • “Trump now says he wants $1 billion in damages for the way the BBC stitched together his words...” – Host [05:01]
• Documentary edit controversy:
  • Edited version implied explicit encouragement:
    “We're gonna walk down to the Capitol... we fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.” – Donald Trump in documentary edit [05:35]
  • True version softened intent, with the “fight like hell” line coming an hour later.
• BBC leadership resignations and a leaked internal memo amplified the crisis:
  • “Nobody noticed it at the time... but about a week ago, an internal memo from a former BBC advisor... was leaked and covered by the Telegraph newspaper. And that's what has started this snowball effect…” – Brian Stelter, CNN [06:14]
• BBC apologizes, calls it an “error of judgment.”
• Trump known for using legal threats against media outlets:
  • “Trump was notorious for sending threatening legal letters and sometimes filing blustery lawsuits that would get thrown out of court.” – Brian Stelter [06:59]
• Settlements can harm news organizations’ reputations:
  • “When media companies cave when they try to write them a check to make them go away, the companies suffer. Reputationally, they suffer in the court of public opinion…” – Brian Stelter [08:07]

Notable Moment:

• BBC’s top leaders (Director General and CEO of News) resign amid these and domestic controversies.

Warning Signs in the Economy: Car Repos on the Rise

Key Points:

• Car loan delinquencies, especially among subprime borrowers, have doubled since 2021.
  • “The percentage of subprime borrowers who are at least 60 days late on their car loans has doubled since 2021.” – Host [09:21]
• 1.73 million vehicles repossessed last year—the most since 2009.
  • “An estimated 1.73 million vehicles were repossessed last year, which is the most since 2009.” [10:04]
• The “repo man” business is changing:
  • Arrival of ‘forwarders’ (middlemen) has cut compensation per repo by half.
    • “As a consequence of that, the amount of money that the repossessors get per car has fallen by about half in a lot of cases.” – Scott Calvert [10:29]
• Repo work is dangerous and emotionally tough.
  • “People who are about to lose their car... there’s a certain amount of, I think, desperation. It’s pretty distressing to see that happen.” – Scott Calvert [11:19]
  • Violent incidents reported: one repo driver shot at, another narrowly escapes as owner drives car off tow truck.
• K-shaped recovery highlighted—economic fortunes diverge starkly between wealthy and struggling Americans.

Other Major Stories Covered

Supreme Court:

• Declined to revisit same-sex marriage.
• Will hear a case on counting mail-in ballots after Election Day, a practice Trump opposes. [12:07-12:35]

US-Syria Relations:

• Historic meeting: Syria’s President Ahmed Al Sharah visits White House, agrees to help fight ISIS in exchange for sanctions relief and US support after Assad’s toppling. [12:44-13:16]

Booker Prize Winner:

• David Soloi’s “Flesh” wins; praised for its sparse style and “use of white space” on the page.
  • “The prize chair said he's never read a novel that uses the white space on the page so well, inviting the reader to fill that space.” – Host [13:42]

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “It's going to be harder for me to come back after the shutdown and have more controllers controlling the airspace. So this is going to live on in air travel well beyond the timeframe that this government opens back up.” – Secretary Sean Duffy [01:50]
• “There’s a lot of stress and strain on the controllers that are working because if you’re short 3,000 people… mandatory overtime…” – Lori Aratani [02:24]
• “Been seeing the canceled flights and the frustration and the people sitting with their babies for hours...” – Julie Gainsley [01:24]
• “When media companies cave when they try to write them a check to make them go away, the companies suffer. Reputationally, they suffer in the court of public opinion.” – Brian Stelter [08:07]
• “People who are about to lose their car... there’s a certain amount of, I think, desperation. It’s pretty distressing to see...” – Scott Calvert [11:19]

Episode Flow

1. Flight cancellations & air travel chaos [00:34–04:23]
2. Trump vs. BBC, documentary editing scandal [04:23–08:41]
3. Car repossessions & economic warning signals [09:10–11:52]
4. Quick news updates: Supreme Court’s docket, Syria relations, Booker Prize [12:07–13:49]

Summary Useful For
Listeners who want context on the lasting impacts of the US government shutdown, current tensions between the White House and foreign media, worrisome economic signals in the auto market, and snapshots of top news headlines—all with memorable quotes and clear insight from trusted journalists.