Trump unveils deals to lower costs of some weight-loss drugs

US President Donald Trump announced deals Thursday with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of some popular weight-loss drugs, in exchange for relief from threatened tariffs.Both companies “have agreed to offer their most popular GLP-1 weight-loss drug,” Trump said at the White House, “at drastic discounts.””Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are committing to offer Zepbound and Wegovy at ‘Most Favored Nation’ rates for American patients,” Trump added, saying this would lower the costs of products for those eligible.During the announcement event in the Oval Office, a company representative standing behind Trump collapsed. He was later examined by Mehmet Oz, Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who said he was okay.The new generation of appetite-suppressing drugs using GLP-1 agonists — which include the brands Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro — have exploded in popularity in recent times due to their ability to help people lose weight.But the sky-high prices of such drugs, which can cost more than $1,000 a month in the United States, have raised concerns.- ‘A triumph’ -The latest move is set to cut costs of starting oral doses of GLP-1s to as low as around $150 for certain groups of people once approved, a senior US official said.”It’s a triumph for American patients that will save lives and improve the health of millions and millions of Americans,” Trump told reporters. This price would apply to those on Medicare — which is for seniors — the safety net Medicaid, or via the direct-to-consumer website TrumpRx once it launches, the official added.But the costs for injectables would be higher.US officials said that the direct-to-consumer channel will see costs of injectable GLP-1s start at an average of $350 per month, and that this should scale down over time.This would apply to drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, according to a White House fact sheet.Starting around the middle of next year, Medicare and Medicaid coverage for the injectable drugs will be at $245 for those meeting certain medical criteria. Medicare copayment for eligible beneficiaries will be $50.The starting point for each Medicaid program depends on each state’s participation.”These low prices will enable Medicare to cover Wegovy and Zepbound for patients with obesity and related comorbidities for the first time,” the White House said.In exchange, the pharmaceutical companies will have certainty around tariff issues and access to beneficiaries who otherwise would not be covered by Medicare for obesity issues, an official added.- Fine print -Scott Kahan, director of a clinic called the National Center for Weight and Wellness, said the announcement “has the potential to be very valuable for many people.”But the final price to consumers once commercial insurance is factored in remains “unclear as yet,” he added.The three-year grace period from expected pharmaceutical tariffs threatened by Trump is similar to deals struck by Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Both had also reached agreements to lower drug costs in exchange for tariff relief.Trump has revived drug pricing efforts from his first presidential term, taking steps since returning to the White House to pressure pharmaceutical companies into voluntarily lowering their prices.Over the summer, he sent letters to 17 drugmakers, calling for them to lower prices or face punishment — a move meant to give Americans relief from medicine costs much higher than elsewhere in the world.Trump has previously threatened tariffs of 100 percent for branded pharmaceutical products unless companies were building manufacturing plants in the United States.The prevalence of obesity among American adults is estimated at 40 percent, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Stocks slide as investors weigh data, interest rate cuts

US and European stocks slumped Thursday as investors weighed another wave of corporate results, economic data and the likelihood of another interest rate cut.After rising throughout the summer and early part of the fall, US stocks have been choppy in recent weeks as a government shutdown depletes investors of key updates on the economy.”We are in a sense running out of catalysts right now to either support or propel stock prices,” said Sam Stovall of CFRA Research. “The market decided to take whatever profits it can and await additional news that could become encouraging once again.”Investors and policymakers alike have been left in a fog as the government has delayed the release of key data on employment, trade, retail sales and others.”Financial markets find themselves groping around in the dark,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at investing and trading platform IG.Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee, who has been supportive of lowering interest rates, told CNBC in an interview that making cuts amidst a lack of data on inflation made him “uneasy.”With key economic data produced by the US government unavailable due to the shutdown, investors have been turning to private data sources.A report by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said the number of layoff announcements in October hit the highest level in 22 years.The report “painted a grim picture of the jobs market,” said Joe Mazzola, head trading and derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab brokerage.The report found that this year has been the worst for layoffs since 2020, when the labor market was decimated by the pandemic, and that hiring has slowed to a 14-year low.However the report “bolstered the case for a Federal Reserve rate cut in December despite Chairman Jerome Powell’s unexpectedly hawkish tone following the Fed meeting last month,” Mazzola added.Investors were also digesting news that a majority of the US Supreme Court was skeptical about the legality behind a swath of Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which also lent support to equities.”Is it good news? Paradoxically, not really,” said Swissquote Bank senior analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya, who noted that the litigation means heightened uncertainty on international trade dynamics and how much tariff revenue will be available to the US Treasury.Investors were also reacting to the Bank of England’s decision, in a tight vote, to keep its key interest rate unchanged before the UK’s Labor government presents its budget this month.Weighing on European sentiment were some poorly received company earnings and official data that showed industrial production in Germany rebounded less than expected in September.Shares in Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM plunged more than 14 percent after it reported a drop in third-quarter net profit.In New York, shares in chip-maker Qualcomm fell 3.6 percent despite a positive earnings report. Tesla shares dropped 3.5 percent ahead of a vote by shareholders on a pay package for Elon Musk that could reach as much as $1 trillion.- Key figures at around 2120 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.8 percent at 46,912.30 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 1.1 percent at 6,720.32 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 1.9 percent at 23,053.99 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 9,735.78 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 1.4 percent at 7,964.77 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 1.3 percent at 23,734.02 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 50,883.68 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 2.1 percent at 26,485.90 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 4,007.76 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1548 from $1.1492 on WednesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3135 from $1.3050Dollar/yen: DOWN at 153.04 yen from 154.12 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.91 pence from 88.06 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $63.38 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $59.43 per barrelburs-jmb/des

Stocks slide as investors weigh data, interest rate cuts

US and European stocks slumped Thursday as investors weighed another wave of corporate results, economic data and the likelihood of another interest rate cut.After rising throughout the summer and early part of the fall, US stocks have been choppy in recent weeks as a government shutdown depletes investors of key updates on the economy.”We are in a sense running out of catalysts right now to either support or propel stock prices,” said Sam Stovall of CFRA Research. “The market decided to take whatever profits it can and await additional news that could become encouraging once again.”Investors and policymakers alike have been left in a fog as the government has delayed the release of key data on employment, trade, retail sales and others.”Financial markets find themselves groping around in the dark,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at investing and trading platform IG.Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee, who has been supportive of lowering interest rates, told CNBC in an interview that making cuts amidst a lack of data on inflation made him “uneasy.”With key economic data produced by the US government unavailable due to the shutdown, investors have been turning to private data sources.A report by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said the number of layoff announcements in October hit the highest level in 22 years.The report “painted a grim picture of the jobs market,” said Joe Mazzola, head trading and derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab brokerage.The report found that this year has been the worst for layoffs since 2020, when the labor market was decimated by the pandemic, and that hiring has slowed to a 14-year low.However the report “bolstered the case for a Federal Reserve rate cut in December despite Chairman Jerome Powell’s unexpectedly hawkish tone following the Fed meeting last month,” Mazzola added.Investors were also digesting news that a majority of the US Supreme Court was skeptical about the legality behind a swath of Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which also lent support to equities.”Is it good news? Paradoxically, not really,” said Swissquote Bank senior analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya, who noted that the litigation means heightened uncertainty on international trade dynamics and how much tariff revenue will be available to the US Treasury.Investors were also reacting to the Bank of England’s decision, in a tight vote, to keep its key interest rate unchanged before the UK’s Labor government presents its budget this month.Weighing on European sentiment were some poorly received company earnings and official data that showed industrial production in Germany rebounded less than expected in September.Shares in Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM plunged more than 14 percent after it reported a drop in third-quarter net profit.In New York, shares in chip-maker Qualcomm fell 3.6 percent despite a positive earnings report. Tesla shares dropped 3.5 percent ahead of a vote by shareholders on a pay package for Elon Musk that could reach as much as $1 trillion.- Key figures at around 2120 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.8 percent at 46,912.30 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 1.1 percent at 6,720.32 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 1.9 percent at 23,053.99 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 9,735.78 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 1.4 percent at 7,964.77 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 1.3 percent at 23,734.02 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 50,883.68 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 2.1 percent at 26,485.90 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 4,007.76 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1548 from $1.1492 on WednesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3135 from $1.3050Dollar/yen: DOWN at 153.04 yen from 154.12 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.91 pence from 88.06 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $63.38 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $59.43 per barrelburs-jmb/des

LFI “passionnément antisémite”: Raphaël Enthoven relaxé du délit d’injure

Qualifier La France insoumise de “passionnément antisémite” n’excède pas les limites de la liberté d’expression et participe du “débat d’intérêt général”, a jugé jeudi le tribunal correctionnel de Paris, qui a relaxé le philosophe Raphaël Enthoven du délit d’injure et débouté le parti mélenchoniste.”La France insoumise est un mouvement détestable, violent, complotiste, passionnément antisémite”. Le 1er mai 2024, dans un message publié sur X, Raphaël Enthoven s’en était vigoureusement pris au parti de la gauche radicale, en réagissant à l’exfiltration d’un cortège à Saint-Etienne de Raphaël Glucksmann, sous des jets de peinture et de canettes.A cinq semaines des élections européennes, celui qui conduisait la liste Place publique-PS avait alors pointé “des énergumènes” appartenant à La France insoumise comme ses agresseurs, notamment aiguillé par le témoignage d’un militant local, drapeau LFI sur l’épaule, qui avait admis “avoir fait partie de ceux qui ont expulsé” le leader social-démocrate.LFI avait déposé plainte contre le tweet de Raphaël Enthoven en lui réclamant 10.000 euros de dommages et intérêts, relevant deux autres passages qu’elle considérait comme injurieux: “Ils sont tellement cons” et “On n’en peut plus, de ce club de déficients”.Le tribunal a débouté le parti de l’ensemble de ses demandes.Certes, ont noté les magistrats, les propos du philosophe ont “une portée outrageante” à l’égard de LFI et “comportent un caractère injurieux”, d’autant que Raphaël Enthoven jette “le discrédit sur ce mouvement dans son entier, de façon généralisante et essentialisante”.Mais ces messages litigieux s’inscrivent “dans le sillage” d’un “débat d’intérêt général majeur suscité” par ces violences survenues ce 1er mai 2024, “dans lequel une responsabilité dans ce climat de haine et de violence sur fond d’antisémitisme, comme l’a dénoncé Raphaël Glucksmann, a été imputée à La France insoumise”, a considéré le tribunal.Les juges ont encore considéré que ce débat prenait “également sa source dans tout un ensemble de polémiques récurrentes à propos de pratiques et de propos jugés violents, outranciers, complotistes et/ou antisémites de membres” de LFI.Dans un communiqué, diffusé sur X par le coordinateur du parti, Manuel Bompard, La France insoumise s’est dit “sidérée par une telle décision, qui revient à reconnaître un privilège de droit d’injure accordé à certains contre d’autres”.- “Juif Süss” -Lors de l’audience le 23 septembre, Raphaël Enthoven avait fait l’exégèse de chacun de ses mots, écrits “sous la colère”.Antisémites ? “Quand Jean-Luc Mélenchon présente le peuple juif comme déicide”, “j’estime qu’on est antisémite”, avait développé l’essayiste.Le triple candidat malheureux à la présidentielle avait expliqué en 2020 ne pas savoir “si Jésus était sur la croix, mais, paraît-il, ce sont ses propres compatriotes qui l’y ont mis”.Passionnément ? “Parce qu’ils sont convaincus de ne pas l’être”, “mais on peut être aisément antisémite à l’abri de la loi”, avait encore estimé Raphaël Enthoven, en développant l’idée d’un “antisémitisme d’atmosphère”. Illustré, selon lui, par David Guiraud, député LFI, lorsqu’il évoque les “dragons célestes”, ou par un visuel publié sur les réseaux sociaux par plusieurs personnalités Insoumises ciblant l’animateur Cyril Hanouna “sous les traits du juif Süss”.Jean-Luc Mélenchon avait encore qualifié le député PS Jérôme Guedj – dont il fut autrefois un proche – de “lâche de cette variété humaine que l’on connaît tous, les délateurs”, lui reprochant de “s’agiter autour du piquet où le retient la laisse de ses adhésions”. “Salopard antisémite”, lui avait répondu l’intéressé.”Ce sont donc toutes ces polémiques antérieures que le message (de Raphaël Enthoven) reprend à son compte, en s’inscrivant ce faisant dans le débat d’intérêt général”, a fait valoir le tribunal correctionnel, en considérant que les propos du philosophe “n’ont pas excédé les limites admissibles de la liberté d’expression”.”La France insoumise est un mouvement antisémite, passionnément antisémite. C’est même le premier parti antisémite de France. Et le dire est un élément du débat. Désormais, c’est ainsi, c’est une opinion. Ce n’est pas un délit”, a réagi Raphaël Enthoven après l’énoncé du jugement de relaxe.”Chaque citoyen a le droit de critiquer un parti politique comme il l’entend”, a ajouté son avocat, Me Richard Malka.L’avocat de LFI, Me Mathieu Davy, a dénoncé auprès de l’AFP une “décision scandaleuse” et indiqué “réfléchir très sérieusement à faire appel”, ce qui n’est possible, pour les parties civiles, que pour demander d’éventuels dommages et intérêts.”Il n’y a pas de justice pour vous, Insoumis!”, a tonné Jean-Luc Mélenchon jeudi soir, lors d’une conférence devant des militants. “Vous devez arrêter de croire que quand vous êtes insultés par le bras armé des puissants, vous avez des droits égaux à ceux des puissants”.Il a promis que le jugement serait envoyé aux plus de 500.000 militants du mouvement, soulignant que “tout est occasion d’éducation politique de masse”.

LFI “passionnément antisémite”: Raphaël Enthoven relaxé du délit d’injure

Qualifier La France insoumise de “passionnément antisémite” n’excède pas les limites de la liberté d’expression et participe du “débat d’intérêt général”, a jugé jeudi le tribunal correctionnel de Paris, qui a relaxé le philosophe Raphaël Enthoven du délit d’injure et débouté le parti mélenchoniste.”La France insoumise est un mouvement détestable, violent, complotiste, passionnément antisémite”. Le 1er mai 2024, dans un message publié sur X, Raphaël Enthoven s’en était vigoureusement pris au parti de la gauche radicale, en réagissant à l’exfiltration d’un cortège à Saint-Etienne de Raphaël Glucksmann, sous des jets de peinture et de canettes.A cinq semaines des élections européennes, celui qui conduisait la liste Place publique-PS avait alors pointé “des énergumènes” appartenant à La France insoumise comme ses agresseurs, notamment aiguillé par le témoignage d’un militant local, drapeau LFI sur l’épaule, qui avait admis “avoir fait partie de ceux qui ont expulsé” le leader social-démocrate.LFI avait déposé plainte contre le tweet de Raphaël Enthoven en lui réclamant 10.000 euros de dommages et intérêts, relevant deux autres passages qu’elle considérait comme injurieux: “Ils sont tellement cons” et “On n’en peut plus, de ce club de déficients”.Le tribunal a débouté le parti de l’ensemble de ses demandes.Certes, ont noté les magistrats, les propos du philosophe ont “une portée outrageante” à l’égard de LFI et “comportent un caractère injurieux”, d’autant que Raphaël Enthoven jette “le discrédit sur ce mouvement dans son entier, de façon généralisante et essentialisante”.Mais ces messages litigieux s’inscrivent “dans le sillage” d’un “débat d’intérêt général majeur suscité” par ces violences survenues ce 1er mai 2024, “dans lequel une responsabilité dans ce climat de haine et de violence sur fond d’antisémitisme, comme l’a dénoncé Raphaël Glucksmann, a été imputée à La France insoumise”, a considéré le tribunal.Les juges ont encore considéré que ce débat prenait “également sa source dans tout un ensemble de polémiques récurrentes à propos de pratiques et de propos jugés violents, outranciers, complotistes et/ou antisémites de membres” de LFI.Dans un communiqué, diffusé sur X par le coordinateur du parti, Manuel Bompard, La France insoumise s’est dit “sidérée par une telle décision, qui revient à reconnaître un privilège de droit d’injure accordé à certains contre d’autres”.- “Juif Süss” -Lors de l’audience le 23 septembre, Raphaël Enthoven avait fait l’exégèse de chacun de ses mots, écrits “sous la colère”.Antisémites ? “Quand Jean-Luc Mélenchon présente le peuple juif comme déicide”, “j’estime qu’on est antisémite”, avait développé l’essayiste.Le triple candidat malheureux à la présidentielle avait expliqué en 2020 ne pas savoir “si Jésus était sur la croix, mais, paraît-il, ce sont ses propres compatriotes qui l’y ont mis”.Passionnément ? “Parce qu’ils sont convaincus de ne pas l’être”, “mais on peut être aisément antisémite à l’abri de la loi”, avait encore estimé Raphaël Enthoven, en développant l’idée d’un “antisémitisme d’atmosphère”. Illustré, selon lui, par David Guiraud, député LFI, lorsqu’il évoque les “dragons célestes”, ou par un visuel publié sur les réseaux sociaux par plusieurs personnalités Insoumises ciblant l’animateur Cyril Hanouna “sous les traits du juif Süss”.Jean-Luc Mélenchon avait encore qualifié le député PS Jérôme Guedj – dont il fut autrefois un proche – de “lâche de cette variété humaine que l’on connaît tous, les délateurs”, lui reprochant de “s’agiter autour du piquet où le retient la laisse de ses adhésions”. “Salopard antisémite”, lui avait répondu l’intéressé.”Ce sont donc toutes ces polémiques antérieures que le message (de Raphaël Enthoven) reprend à son compte, en s’inscrivant ce faisant dans le débat d’intérêt général”, a fait valoir le tribunal correctionnel, en considérant que les propos du philosophe “n’ont pas excédé les limites admissibles de la liberté d’expression”.”La France insoumise est un mouvement antisémite, passionnément antisémite. C’est même le premier parti antisémite de France. Et le dire est un élément du débat. Désormais, c’est ainsi, c’est une opinion. Ce n’est pas un délit”, a réagi Raphaël Enthoven après l’énoncé du jugement de relaxe.”Chaque citoyen a le droit de critiquer un parti politique comme il l’entend”, a ajouté son avocat, Me Richard Malka.L’avocat de LFI, Me Mathieu Davy, a dénoncé auprès de l’AFP une “décision scandaleuse” et indiqué “réfléchir très sérieusement à faire appel”, ce qui n’est possible, pour les parties civiles, que pour demander d’éventuels dommages et intérêts.”Il n’y a pas de justice pour vous, Insoumis!”, a tonné Jean-Luc Mélenchon jeudi soir, lors d’une conférence devant des militants. “Vous devez arrêter de croire que quand vous êtes insultés par le bras armé des puissants, vous avez des droits égaux à ceux des puissants”.Il a promis que le jugement serait envoyé aux plus de 500.000 militants du mouvement, soulignant que “tout est occasion d’éducation politique de masse”.

UN Security Council votes to lift sanctions on Syrian president

The United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a US resolution on Thursday to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, ahead of his White House visit next week. “(The Council) decides that Ahmed al-Sharaa…and (Interior Minister) Anas Hasan Khattab are delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” said the resolution, approved by 14 council members. China abstained.The formal lifting of sanctions on Sharaa is largely symbolic as they were waived every time he needed to travel outside of Syria in his role as the country’s leader. An assets freeze and arms embargo will also be lifted.Nevertheless, the move was lauded by Syria, with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani writing on X: “Syria expresses its appreciation to the United States and to friendly nations for their support of Syria and its people.”US President Donald Trump will host Sharaa for talks on November 10, having said the former jihadist had made “good progress” toward establishing peace in his war-torn country.Washington’s ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Sharaa’s government was “working hard to fulfill its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, on eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons and promoting regional security and stability.”Though it will be Sharaa’s first visit to Washington, it will be his second to the United States after a landmark UN trip in September, where the ex-jihadist became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly in New York.In May, the interim leader, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour.Formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was delisted as a terrorist group by Washington as recently as July.- Syria’s new image -Decisions to lift sanctions are usually made by the Council’s sanctions committee behind closed doors — but they require unanimity, while a full vote of the council does not.China, which abstained, “expressed legitimate concerns about counterterrorism issues — in particular (foreign terrorist fighters) in Syria, and put forward many amendment proposals,” said China’s UN ambassador Fu Cong.”However, (Washington) did not fully heed the views of all members,” he added.Since taking power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break from their own violent extremist past and present a moderate image more tolerable to ordinary Syrians and foreign powers.Syria’s president will discuss issues including lifting remaining sanctions, reconstruction and counterterrorism when he visits Washington later this month, Damascus said Sunday.Syria’s ambassador to the UN Ibrahim Olabi welcomed the vote.”At its core, the resolution reflects the will of Syrian men and women. It reflects their will to return our country to its rightful place among nations. It reflects our will to move forward with confidence and hope towards building a new Syria,” he said.”Today, for the very first time in so many years, the council has united.”Syria and Israel remain technically at war, but they opened direct negotiations after Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led coalition last December.Trump has expressed hope that Syria will join other Arab countries that have normalized ties with Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords.A Syrian official had told AFP earlier this year that Syria expects to finalize security and military agreements with Israel in 2025, in what would be a breakthrough less than a year after Assad’s ouster.

US set for travel chaos as flights cut due to govt shutdown

Travelers across the United States prepared on Thursday for potential chaos ahead of widespread flight cancellations ordered by authorities due to the federal government shutdown.On Friday, airlines will begin implementing a 10-percent reduction in flights in 40 high-traffic areas of the country, complying with a Federal Aviation Administration order made on safety grounds.The shutdown has left tens of thousands of air traffic controllers, airport security staff and others without pay, causing personnel shortages.On Thursday, more than 4,000 flights were delayed, with 96 cancellations, according to the tracking service FlightAware, with travelers facing long lines at security checkpoints.Major airports were impacted, with travelers at Boston and Newark airports facing average delays of more than two hours, and those at Chicago’s O’Hare and Washington’s Reagan National more than an hour.Authorities said they wanted to act before an accident occurred.”We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself, when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.- Peak travel season -The measures come as the country enters its busiest travel time of the year, with the Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away.The new cancellations could affect thousands of flights every day. Flight reductions will begin at four percent on Friday and rise to 10 percent, media outlets reported.Flight reductions are set to hit some of the country’s busiest airports, including in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.Implementing the order on short notice will be a challenge for airlines, which operate complex networks that rely on many moving parts and personnel.United Airlines and Delta, two of the country’s largest carriers, have said they are complying with the order but that it would not affect their international routes.United added that “hub-to-hub” flying would also not be affected, indicating cancellations might hit more local routes.Federal agencies across the United States have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, with some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, still on enforced leave or working without pay.Many in high-stress aviation-related jobs are now calling in sick and potentially working second jobs in order to pay their bills, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Wednesday.FAA Administrator Bedford said the situation was unprecedented.”I am not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” he said Wednesday.”Then again, we’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”