Mullin doesn't rule out cyberattack in unprecedented nationwide passenger plane grounding
www.politico.com

... The Homeland Security secretary also said the administration was looking into a new AI air traffic control system, which was rolled out at airports this week.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday that he had "no reason to believe" that an unprecedented nationwide grounding of the nation's air traffic was due to a threat, but he did not rule out a cyberattack.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration issued the nationwide ground stop, its second such order in recent years, citing communication issues.

Mullin, in an interview with reporters outside the White House, said, "There is no indication, and we have no reason to believe as of right now that this was a threat to the United States." However, when later asked if the disruption could have been a cyberattack or an AI intrusion, he said, "That's not known." ...

It's unclear how long the grounding will last. Mullin said, "It's going to take some time, and so this isn't going to just be be resolved and and turned around within the hour. This is this is going to take take some time." He added, "There should be no fear to the public at all."

Mullin was also asked about the FAA's new AI-driven air traffic tool, known as SMART, which was rolled out nationwide this week. He responded: "We're looking at that."

Plague of equipment problems

In a post on X, however, the developers of the AI system, Boston-based Air Space Intelligence, said: "The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA" and air traffic control. ...

Trump Ignores National Polls, Claims His Approval Rating Among Republicans is 99% (October 29, 2026)
www.mediaite.com

... President Donald Trump completely ignored the national polls when claiming on Truth Social Thursday that his approval rating among the GOP is at 99%.

"We are drawing the BIGGEST CROWDS at Trump Rallies in the history of Midterm Elections, by a factor of five times. There has never been anything like it!" Trump wrote.

"My Approval Rating in the Republican Party is now at 99%. Thank you, such an honor!!! Big Rally in South Carolina for the wonderful Darline Graham, today. She is fantastic. Lindsey [Graham] is watching, and very proud of her!!! President DJT"

Trump repeated the 99% figure during a gaggle on his way to South Carolina to campaign for Darline Graham (R-SC), who took her brother's Senate seat after his shocking death in July.

Trump may have been citing CNN statistics guru Harry Enten, who reported that 99% of MAGA Republicans voted for him in 2024.

"To support his claim that he remains popular, Trump pointed to an analysis by CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten showing the president's support among MAGA Republicans remains near 100 percent," The Independent reported. "Enten reported that Trump received 99 percent of the MAGA Republican vote in the 2024 election and had a 98 percent approval rating among MAGA Republicans in September."

The percentage of Republicans who identify as MAGA has been slipping in some surveys. A UMass poll found it fell from 77% to 68% in August. ...

Trump's Approval Rating Keeps Falling After Midterm Losses
www.newsweek.com

... President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low in The Economist/YouGov polling following Republican midterm losses, confirming a broader downward slide across major surveys.

The drop highlights deepening public frustration over inflation and the conflict with Iran as voters digest the November election results.

Trump faces weakened political capital heading into the final two years of his term against an incoming Democratic-controlled Congress. ...

Global oil market to return to surplus in Q4 2026, larger supply build expected in 2027: IEA
economictimes.indiatimes.com

... The global oil market is expected to return to a surplus in the fourth quarter of 2026, with a larger surplus anticipated in 2027 as production recovers faster than demand, according to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) November Oil Market Report.

The report highlighted that global oil supplies have surpassed demand for the first time since the outbreak of the war in Iran, signalling a gradual rebalancing of international oil markets.

"Our November supply and demand balances suggest that the global oil market will return to a surplus in 4Q26, with a more substantial build in 2027," the IEA stated.

According to the report, global oil demand is projected to decline by 2.7 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2026 to 102.3 mb/d before rebounding by 2 mb/d in 2027. ...

Live updates: FAA grounds all departing flights due to air traffic control communications outage
www.reuters.com

...
The US Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights on Friday, citing 'extraordinary circumstance and reasons for safety.

- - - Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said all flights were accounted for and there was no reason for the public to be afraid

- - - Mullin added there was no indication the disruption was a deliberate attack, describing it as a telecommunications outage

- - - Flights already in the air may land, but aircraft on the ground cannot take off and international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis

- - - The order followed an earlier halt to traffic in Chicago because of communications problems

- - - Friday's action marked the second nationwide ground stop of all departures since the September 11, 2001, attacks

...

Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that after 4 p.m. ET, about 11,000 flights carrying more than 1.5 million passengers were still scheduled to depart from US airports on Friday.

As of 5:50 p.m. ET, the firm reported:

- - - 600 flights had been diverted on Friday

- - - 496 of the 600 flights (82.7%) returned to their origin airport, while the remaining 104 diverted to a different airport

- - - The airports that received the most diverted flights overall were Chicago O'Hare (ORD), with 28; Denver (DEN), with 26; Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), with 19; and Washington National (DCA), Charlotte (CLT) and Los Angeles (LAX), with 16 each

- - - Among flights that diverted to an airport other than their origin, Cincinnati (CVG) received the most, with six, followed by San Jose (SJC), with five

...

FAA orders nationwide ground stop, citing 'extraordinary circumstances'
www.scrippsnews.com

... The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on all air traffic at U.S. airports Friday due to "extraordinary circumstances."

The stop was placed "DUE TO EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES AND FOR REASONS OF SAFETY." The stop requires that all air traffic set to depart U.S. airports remain grounded. Any flights already airborne would be allowed to proceed to their destinations.

Officials said the stop would remain in place until further notice.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday afternoon the FAA "issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue."

The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.
" Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026

The FAA said incoming flights from international origins would be handled on a "case by case basis." ...