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Travel industry sounds alarm over how shutdown will impact Americans ahead of Thanksgiving
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Hundreds of tourism and travel industry groups are warning those planning to fly this Thanksgiving holiday that if the government shutdown doesn’t end before the holiday arrives, passengers could face higher costs and increased wait times, delays and cancellations that could derail family travel plans across the country.
The groups, collectively under the banner of the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group representing the U.S. travel industry, also warned in a letter to leaders in Congress of long-term economic harm to American workers, businesses and the economy amid the Thanksgiving holiday if the current government shutdown does not come to an end soon. The trade group estimates America’s travel economy has already lost $4 billion due to the shutdown.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Travel Association sent a letter to Senate leaders John Thune and Chuck Schumer and their counterparts in the House, Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries, urging the leaders to come to an agreement and pass «a clean continuing resolution» that will reopen the government after weeks of a shutdown that has been the longest in history.
Democrats and Republicans have been gridlocked over whether to approve enhanced tax credits for Obamacare passed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Passengers wait at a security check-in line at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
The letter warned that the longer the government is shut down, the more money the travel economy will lose, leading to negative downstream economic effects. Additionally, the letter, signed by nearly 500 travel and tourism industry organizations, warned that the longer the shutdown remains, the more strain airports will face from staffing shortages, which, if exacerbated further, could lead to major «chaos» as families try to fly for the Thanksgiving holiday.
«Last year, during Thanksgiving week, over 20 million passengers took flights in the United States,» the letter to congressional leaders states. «Thanksgiving is not only a time of national tradition and family connection, but also one of the most economically important travel weeks of the year.
«Travel spending during the holiday generates billions of dollars in economic activity, supporting jobs, local tax bases, and small businesses nationwide. A continued shutdown is likely to significantly suppress travel demand and spending, creating a real threat to American workers, businesses, and the overall economy.
FAA’S REDUCTION PLAN EXPECTED TO IMPACT THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS ACROSS 40 AIRPORTS
A sign that says «The U.S. Capitol Visiting Center is closed due to a lapse in appropriations» is displayed at the entrance of the Capitol Visiting Center as the U.S. government shutdown stretches to the longest in recorded history. (Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)
«The American people expect and deserve a fully functioning federal government during the peak holiday travel season,» the letter continued. «Congress must act without delay to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government immediately and ensure full federal operations are restored in advance of the Thanksgiving travel period. The cost of continued inaction will be felt by families, workers, businesses, and communities in every part of the country.»
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced this week that his agency would order a 10% cut in flights across 40 major U.S. airports, citing air traffic controller shortages and safety concerns, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
In response to the directive, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said while the decision showed that safety is the No. 1 priority for the travel industry, it will nonetheless «inevitably affect the travel experience, leading to fewer flights, longer delays and more disruptions for travelers.»
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced this week that his agency would order a 10% cut in flights across 40 major U.S. airports, citing air traffic controller shortages and safety concerns ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.; Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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«All government shutdowns are irresponsible, and this decision underscores the urgent need to reopen the government,» Freeman added. «The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system, forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience. The fault for this situation rests squarely at the feet of Congress.»
travel,government shutdown,politics,thanksgiving occasions lifestyle,holiday occasions lifestyle
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Son of British couple detained in Iran ‘let down’ by Starmer’s leadership on parent’s imprisonment amid war
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The son of a British couple who have remained jailed in Iran for more than a year is appealing to President Donald Trump as the war in Iran complicates the situation.
«Conditions have intensified over the last couple of weeks, to say the least, as you might imagine with the complexity of war,» Joe Bennett told Fox News Saturday.
He said the notorious Evin Prison, where his parents are being held in Tehran, was already at capacity, and a recent surge of protesters has created severely crowded conditions.
«Food is scarce,» he added. «We’re worried about the replenishment of their stocks of food. I mean, it’s unsanitary conditions. It has been described as ‘hell on Earth’ by them.
FREED IRANIAN PRISONER SAYS ‘IN TRUMP, THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC HAS MET ITS MATCH’
Family and supporters of Lindsay and Craig Foreman hold up a sign in London calling for their freedom in January on the first anniversary of their detention. (Brook Mitchell/AFP via Getty Images)
«With the bombs that are dropping and the activity that’s happening there at the moment, the anxiety is heightened for us and for them as well.»
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were arrested in January 2025 by Iranian authorities while on a global motorcycling trip and were later sentenced to 10 years in prison on suspicion of spying.
Bennett spoke in Washington, D.C., Thursday at the McCain Institute’s US-UK Transatlantic Conference on Hostage-Taking and Arbitrary Detention, criticizing British leaders’ — namely Prime Minister Keir Starmer — «non-existent» advocacy for his parents, BBC News reported.
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«The clear message to the U.K. government and Starmer is to stop hiding behind this as a consular case,» Bennett told Fox News. «I think that was put out the window when they were sentenced to 10 years for espionage, accused of being spies for the Israeli Mossad and the U.K. government.
Joe Bennett, center, stands in front of 10 Downing Street in London with a petition in January. (Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images)
«What we haven’t seen is leadership qualities from Keir Starmer. We haven’t seen him advocate since their sentencing to, as you say, condemn this sham process and the treatment of U.K. nationals.»
Starmer’s silence has left Bennett’s family feeling «let down,» he said. «We feel there’s an opportunity to do so and there still is.»
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Bennett stressed that his parents’ detention and sentencing «is hostage taking.»
Joe Bennett, the son of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, urged President Trump to be precise with Iranian strikes. (Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty Images)
«It affects not just the U.K., the U.S. as well and Western civilization,» Bennett added.
«Innocent people are being targeted for leverage as political pawns.»
He also urged Trump to be «concise» with Iranian strikes and not to forget that Brits and Americans are in that prison.
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«Two things I’d like to say to Mr. Trump is, firstly, that safety is important,» Bennett told Fox News. «Missiles have hit Evin in June of last year but also were very close.
«So, I think the target — I just want him to be concise that, you know, so that Evin isn’t a part of that, and, secondly, is to not forget that they are there.»
He noted that, along with his parents, U.S. nationals are also imprisoned at Evin.
«And as a humanitarian plea, from a son for his mother’s release is what I’m asking for,» he said.
war with iran,world,iran,donald trump,united kingdom
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La embajada de Estados Unidos denuncia trato cruel contra ancianos y enfermos en Nicaragua
La Embajada de Estados Unidos en Nicaragua denunció este sábado la “crueldad del régimen” que presiden Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo contra los disidentes del Gobierno, destacando la situación de personas de edad avanzada y con problemas de salud que permanecen detenidas. Según reportó la Agencia EFE, la representación diplomática expresó en sus redes sociales que “la crueldad del régimen hacia quienes se atreven a alzar la voz es irrazonable”.
En el mensaje, la embajada estadounidense en Managua criticó que la administración de Ortega y Murillo mantenga bajo arresto a opositores ancianos y enfermos. Puso como ejemplo el caso de Brooklyn Rivera Brayan, exdiputado indígena miskito de 73 años, quien se encuentra privado de libertad desde el 29 de septiembre de 2023. Rivera, líder del partido indígena Yapti Tasba Masraka Nanih Aslatakanka (Yatama, en lengua miskita, que significa ‘Hijos de la Madre Tierra’), fue arrestado poco antes de las elecciones regionales celebradas en marzo de 2024, detalló la Agencia EFE.
Posteriormente a la detención de Rivera, el Consejo Supremo Electoral (CSE) de Nicaragua, bajo control oficialista, canceló la personalidad jurídica de Yatama. El CSE argumentó que esa organización ejecutó acciones que menoscaban la independencia, la soberanía y la autodeterminación del país. Se la acusó además de incitar a la injerencia extranjera, cargos calificados como traición a la patria por la legislación local.
LA NACION / ZUMA PRESS)
La embajada estadounidense sostuvo que “estas personas —ancianos y enfermos— fueron encarceladas por el simple hecho de discrepar con el régimen y permanecen injustamente detenidas en condiciones inhumanas, privadas de derechos fundamentales y de atención médica”. La delegación enfatizó que la privación de derechos básicos y la falta de acceso a atención sanitaria agravan la situación de los detenidos.
De acuerdo con cifras del Mecanismo para el Reconocimiento de Personas Presas Políticas, avaladas por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH), en Nicaragua existen actualmente 46 personas detenidas por motivaciones políticas, quince de las cuales son adultos mayores. Entre estos figuran, además de Rivera, los excomandantes de la revolución sandinista Bayardo Arce y Henry Ruiz, así como el antiguo asesor de Ortega y general en retiro Álvaro Baltodano Cantarero. También se encuentran bajo arresto los dirigentes indígenas Steadman Fagoth Müller y Nancy Elizabeth Henríquez, junto a militares retirados como Carlos Brenes, Víctor Boitano y Eddie Moisés González Valdivia, según la información difundida por la Agencia EFE.
Las elecciones se realizaron con sus principales adversarios políticos en prisión, quienes luego fueron expulsados del país y despojados de su nacionalidad y derechos políticos bajo acusaciones de “golpismo” y traición a la patria, explicó la Agencia EFE.
La embajada estadounidense subrayó que la represión contra la disidencia política se manifiesta especialmente en el trato a presos de edad avanzada, que sufren condiciones de reclusión especialmente severas. El organismo diplomático llamó la atención sobre la falta de garantías para el ejercicio de los derechos fundamentales y reiteró su preocupación por el deterioro de la situación de los derechos humanos en Nicaragua.
El comunicado de la representación estadounidense se produce en un contexto de persistente denuncia internacional por la situación de los presos políticos y las restricciones a la participación política en Nicaragua. Organismos como la CIDH y entidades de la sociedad civil han solicitado la liberación de los detenidos y el cese de las represalias contra quienes expresan opiniones críticas al Gobierno.
La Agencia EFE consignó que, junto a Rivera y los otros líderes detenidos, permanecen privadas de libertad personas identificadas por su oposición política, muchas de ellas con problemas de salud que requieren atención médica especializada. La embajada de Estados Unidos remarcó que la situación de los ancianos encarcelados constituye una muestra de la dureza de las políticas represivas del Ejecutivo nicaragüense y pidió el respeto a los derechos fundamentales de todos los ciudadanos.
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