Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert. I need a “Bearista” cup.
Quick look at Thursday’s news:
Flight cuts coming to major airports
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in a news conference that there will be a 10% reduction in flights at 40 major airports at the end of the week due to the impacts of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
What happened next: The drastic plan for flight reductions sent airlines scrambling to make significant reductions in flights in just 36 hours and passengers flooded airline customer service hotlines with concerns about air travel in the coming days.
“Regional flying” may be on the chopping block. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby promised refunds to customers who did not want to fly during restrictions on flights.
Will my flight change? If your flight is affected by shutdown-related staffing issues, you may not be entitled to much. Duffy did not specify how long these restrictions might last or which airports would be impacted — but stated that they will begin Friday morning.
Justices question Trump tariffs
A Supreme Court that has been largely deferential to President Donald Trump’s expansive claims of executive authority may be ready to pump the brakes. During nearly three hours of debate Wednesday, the justices questioned whether Trump has the power to impose sweeping tariffs on most imports. Experts told USA TODAY they observed a “notable skepticism from justices.”
More news to know now
What’s the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
In 1909, Pittsburgh police rounded up 400 Black men without cause
Drawn by its booming steel mills and factories, Black Americans moved to industrial Pittsburgh in record numbers at the start of the 20th century. But there loomed another, more immediate danger — the police. On the evening of Feb. 2, 1909, police arrested every Black man who could not immediately provide proof of employment. The pretense for the roundup was a series of vague, unsubstantiated reports of “assaults” on white women and girls. Here’s what happened to the 400 Black men arrested.
This story is part of the “Injustices” series, published by the USA TODAY Network in collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative. The reporting seeks to confront the realities of racial injustice, reckon with their enduring effects, and preserve these narratives as part of America’s collective history.
Could remote work fix America’s baby bust?
Americans are having have fewer and fewer babies. In 2024, the birth rate fell to an all-time low, with American women having on average 1.6 babies each, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. But a new study suggests a “positive relationship” between the recent trend in remote and hybrid work schedules and having kids. Couples who work from home, even just one day a week, are more likely to have kids.
Today’s talkers
Everyone’s buzzing about the blood test that detects 50 types of cancer
USA TODAY wellness reporter David Oliver took the Galleri multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test Galleri — a $949 blood test that studies DNA fragments shed into the bloodstream. Patients need a prescription before pulling up their sleeves (it’s not currently FDA-approved). In studies, Galleri discovered cancer signals in 216 people, and 133 of them indeed had cancer. It also correctly predicted the cancer’s origin 92% of the time. The big question: Is this the future of cancer treatment?
Photo of the day: Pop stars and a prince
Prince William arrived for his annual Earthshot Prize awards on Wednesday, welcoming celebrities including singer-songwriters Shawn Mendes and Kylie Minogue. The night celebrated innovative global environmental solutions.
Prince William poses with Australian singer Kylie Minogue and Canadian musician Shawn Mendes at the Earthshot Prize 2025 awards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flight cuts, shutdown, air travel, tariff, SNAP, cancer: Daily Briefing
