--:-- Janine Herbst: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
--:-- Janine Herbst: The Federal Aviation Administration says it will reduce air traffic by 10 percent across some of the country's busiest airports to maintain safety during the government shutdown.
--:-- Janine Herbst: This as it deals with persistent staffing shortages of air traffic controllers. And Piers Joel Rose has more.
--:-- Piers Joel Rose: The FAA is planning to reduce air traffic in 40 high-volume markets beginning on Friday.
--:-- Piers Joel Rose: FAA Administrator Brian Bedford says the agency wants to reduce the pressure at those airports before safety is compromised.
--:-- Piers Joel Rose: We're not going to wait until we see something flashing red to say, oh, we should take action now.
--:-- Piers Joel Rose: The FAA has already been delaying flights at some airports because of staffing shortages among air traffic controllers.
--:-- Piers Joel Rose: Those controllers are required to work without pay during the shutdown, but some have taken on second jobs and many are calling out sick.
--:-- Janine Herbst: Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.
--:-- Janine Herbst: The Trump administration says the partial amount of November SNAP food assistant benefits it will distribute from contingency funds will be higher than first thought with recipients getting at most 65 percent of their normal benefits.
--:-- Janine Herbst: The USDA was ordered by two federal judges last week to use the fund to pay out benefits amid the government shutdown.
--:-- Janine Herbst: This after the left Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that the USDA's original analysis wouldn't use all of the funds and would have left some recipients with no payments this month.
--:-- Janine Herbst: Former Speaker of the House and California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi says she won't seek re-election in 2027.
--:-- Janine Herbst: Imperial's Barbara Sprunt reports her departure marks the end of an era in Congress.
--:-- Barbara Sprunt: First elected in 1987, Pelosi would go on to become one of the most effective leaders of the Democratic Party.
--:-- Barbara Sprunt: She cemented her place in the history books in 2007 when she was elected to become the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House.
--:-- Barbara Sprunt: She could reliably deliver Democratic votes on must-pass legislation when necessary, although her first speakership came at a complicated time with a looming financial crisis.
--:-- Barbara Sprunt: She reclaimed the gavel in 2019.
--:-- Barbara Sprunt: During her 10 years as speaker, she oversaw the passage of landmark legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, and enacted trillions in new spending as part of the American Rescue Plan
--:-- Janine Herbst: Barbara Sprint NPR News Washington
--:-- Janine Herbst: Pope Leo says U immigration officials have to respect the rights of migrants
--:-- Janine Herbst: NPR Jason DeRose has more
--:-- Jason DeRose: Pope Leo spoke to a group of reporters just outside Rome and expressed concern about the mass arrests and deportations taking place in the United States under the Trump administration.
--:-- Jason DeRose: To underscore his point, Leo referred to a passage from the Gospel of Matthew heard in many Catholic churches recently.
--:-- Jason DeRose: Jesus says very clearly at the end of the world, we're going to be asked, how did you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or not?
--:-- Jason DeRose: The Pope was specifically responding to immigration authorities, not allowing migrants arrested in Chicago to receive Holy Communion.
--:-- Janine Herbst: NPR's Jason DeRose, this is NPR.
--:-- Janine Herbst: President Trump is hosting the leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House today.
--:-- Janine Herbst: The summit and dinner with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan comes as Trump looks for alternatives to China for rare earth metals needed for high-tech devices.
--:-- Janine Herbst: Central Asia holds deep reserves of the minerals, but it needs investment to develop the resources.
--:-- Janine Herbst: Big tech company Google and the video game maker Epic Games have agreed to settle a long dispute
--:-- Janine Herbst: Epic makes the hit video game Fortnite
--:-- Janine Herbst: Their dispute has been over Google App Store
--:-- Janine Herbst: NPR's John Riewicz reports the two companies are asking a federal court to approve their settlement.
--:-- John Riewicz: Epic Games sued Google five years ago, arguing that Google's Play Store for apps on Android devices was a monopoly with high fees.
--:-- John Riewicz: Epic won in 2023, and a judge later said Google must allow other app stores on Android.
--:-- John Riewicz: But Google appealed late last year, and the case has dragged on.
--:-- John Riewicz: Now, Google and Epic say they've agreed to a set of changes to Android and Google Play.
--:-- John Riewicz: Google says they focus on expanding developer choice and flexibility, lowering fees, and encouraging more competition while keeping users safe.
--:-- John Riewicz: If approved, the settlement ends one of several cases that Google faces challenging its dominance over swaths of the Internet.
--:-- Janine Herbst: Google is a financial supporter of NPR.
--:-- Janine Herbst: John Riewicz, NPR News.
--:-- Janine Herbst: Wall Street sharply lowered this hour as AI stocks resumed their decline.
--:-- Janine Herbst: The Dow is down 467, NASDAQ down 424, S&P 500 is down 75.
--:-- Janine Herbst: I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.
