--:-- Dave Mattingly: Support for this podcast and the following message come from the University at Buffalo, where researchers have developed an imaging system that uses radar and AI to assess wounds without removing bandages. More at buffalo.edu slash NPR.
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--:-- Dave Mattingly: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Federal investigators say they've recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the fiery crash of a UPS cargo plane in Kentucky. Tuesday's crash occurred during takeoff in Louisville, resulting in a massive fireball.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: The death toll has risen to at least 12. Most of those killed were on the ground. Some people are still missing.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: The Federal Aviation Administration says the ongoing government shutdown will result in airlines offering fewer flights beginning tomorrow.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says flight capacity will be reduced by 10 percent at 40 major airports across the U.S. That's likely to affect thousands of flights.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: The shutdown has been causing flight delays at airports across the country because of staffing shortages.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: In addition, Duffy says, I also offered air traffic controllers who are of the age of retirement a 20 percent upfront cash bonus to actually stay on. Some of the best controllers we have don't retire; keep working for us.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: This is day 37 of the shutdown, it's the longest on record.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Amid the shutdown, cuts to food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could end up being far steeper this month than expected.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports on a new analysis.
--:-- Jennifer Ludden: Under court order, the Trump administration is tapping a contingency fund to restart SNAP Food Aid, it said it should cover about half of people's benefits for November.
--:-- Jennifer Ludden: But Katie Berg, with the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, says it appears most people will actually get less than that.
--:-- Katie Berg: In fact, almost 5 million people will receive no benefits at all.
--:-- Katie Berg: The center also estimates the administration will not spend all of its contingency fund.
--:-- Jennifer Ludden: The Agriculture Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
--:-- Jennifer Ludden: Meanwhile, some states say the formula for calculating partial payments is too labor-intensive, and getting them to people will take weeks.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Money to help Americans pay their heating bills in the winter is on hold because of the shutdown.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Emily Russell with North Country Public Radio reports.
--:-- Emily Russell: The low home energy assistance program known as LIHEAP serves about 6 million households across the country.
--:-- Emily Russell: In New York, the application period was supposed to open earlier this week but it's now indefinitely delayed due to the shutdown.
--:-- Emily Russell: Florence Wright and her husband live in Colton, New York, about 40 miles south of the Canadian border.
--:-- Florence Wright: They rely on the program to keep their home warm.
--:-- Florence Wright: Yeah, I mean, we burn fuel oil. What are we going to do if the heat don't go through?
--:-- Florence Wright: One tank of fuel is half of our income a month.
--:-- Emily Russell: Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota have also delayed LIHEAP enrollment amid the shutdown.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: For NPR News, I'm Emily Russell in Saranac Lake, New York.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Wall Street futures are mostly lower this morning.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: This is NPR News.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Shareholders of electric vehicle maker Tesla are expected to decide today whether to grant the company's CEO, Elon Musk, enough stock to potentially make him the world's first trillionaire.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Tesla's annual shareholders meeting is being held in Austin, Texas.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Polls are showing a majority of Americans object to President Trump's decision to demolish the east wing of the White House to add a grand ballroom.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: NPR's Frank Langfitt has more.
--:-- Frank Langfitt: A YouGov poll found half of Americans are against the ballroom while a third support it.
--:-- Frank Langfitt: A Washington Post poll found 56 percent oppose it while only 28 percent back the plans.
--:-- Frank Langfitt: William Johnson came to the site to try to see where the East Wing had been.
--:-- William Johnson: He objects to the way President Trump ordered it leveled with no outside consultation.
--:-- William Johnson: If you connect the dots, there's a lot of hubris. Forget about what our representatives want. The administration does what they feel, so there's no accountability.
--:-- Frank Langfitt: Trump says the ballroom is sorely needed so that the White House will not have to rely on tents to celebrate visits by foreign leaders.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Washington.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: The $300 million ballroom is being funded by private donations from individuals and corporations.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: The NHL's all-time scoring leader has reached another milestone.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is also the first player to score 900 goals in a career.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: He reached that milestone in the second period of last night's 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: In April, Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky as hockey's all-time leading scorer.
--:-- Dave Mattingly: I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.
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--:-- Dave Mattingly: This is NPR News.
