Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US Congressional Budget Office hit by cybersecurity incident

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday it had identified a security incident and acted to contain the breach at the non-partisan agency that provides key financial research data to lawmakers. The CBO told Reuters it also implemented additional monitoring and new security controls after the breach was identified. The Washington Post reported that the agency was hacked by a suspected foreign actor.

US employment report will not be published again as government shutdown drags on

The U.S. Labor Department on Friday will not publish its closely watched employment report for an unprecedented second straight month as the government remains shut, and fears are mounting October's report might not be released when full operations resume. The longest shutdown on record, now in its second month, has led to a government data blackout, making it difficult for policymakers, investors, economists and ordinary Americans to get a clear view of the economy. Though private institutions have stepped in with alternative data sources, economists have cautioned these are more limited in scope and could never replace government-issued statistics.

US warns it could force 20% flight cuts if shutdown continues

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday he could force airlines to cut up to 20% of flights if the government shutdown did not end, as U.S. airlines on Friday scrambled to make unprecedented government-imposed reductions. The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4% of flights on Friday at 40 major airports because of the government shutdown. The cuts will rise to 10% by November 14.

UPS, FedEx ground MD-11 fleets after deadly Louisville crash

UPS and FedEx said on Friday they have grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes following a crash in Louisville, Kentucky this week that killed at least 14 people. A UPS MD-11 crashed late on Tuesday, erupting into a fireball moments after takeoff from Louisville's international airport. The death toll from the crash, the cause of which is still under investigation, has risen to 14, according to a post on X by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg on Friday.

Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga lead 2026 Grammy nominations

Rapper Kendrick Lamar topped the list of Grammy contenders for the second straight year on Friday with nine nominations, outpacing the seven nods for pop superstar Lady Gaga in the race for the music industry's top honors. Lamar's "GNX" and Gaga's "MAYHEM" will compete for the prestigious album of the year trophy at the Grammy Awards 2026 ceremony in February. Neither artist has won the honor despite multiple nominations in the category.

US Justice Department probes meatpackers, attorney general says

President Donald Trump on Friday accused meatpacking companies of driving up U.S. beef prices, which have hit records, through manipulation and collusion, and ordered the Justice Department to investigate. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an X post the probe was under way and being run by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater. Slater leads the Justice Department's antitrust division, which investigates price-fixing and other practices that stifle competition.

Impact of US government shutdown far worse than expected, White House adviser says

The economic impact of the U.S. government shutdown is far worse than expected, but the U.S. economy is likely to rebound quickly once it ends, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Friday. Construction projects are starting to slow down and travel is suffering, Hassett said in an interview with Fox Business Network.

Exclusive-US Army to buy 1 million drones, in major acquisition ramp-up

The U.S. Army aims to buy at least a million drones in the next two to three years and could acquire anywhere from a half million drones to millions of them annually in the years that follow, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said. Driscoll detailed the major ramp-up in the Army's drone acquisition plan in an interview with Reuters, acknowledging the challenges given that the biggest branch of the U.S. military acquires only about 50,000 drones annually today.

US FCC chair to testify before Senate after Kimmel episode

U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr will testify on December 17 before the Senate Commerce Committee after he faced bipartisan criticism for pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel off air. Senator Ted Cruz, the committee chair, announced the oversight hearing late on Friday, which will also include commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez.

Crew of fatal UPS cargo flight tried to control aircraft before crash, NTSB says

As a bell sounded in the cockpit, three UPS pilots tried to control a cargo flight that crashed this week in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least 13 people, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday. While UPS flight 2976 started uneventfully, a repeating bell was heard on the aircraft's flight cockpit voice recorder just 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, NTSB member Todd Inman told reporters.

First blast of winter weather forecast from Great Lakes to South Florida

An early taste of winter is expected for the eastern half of the U.S. beginning this weekend, as a fast-moving storm system sweeping down from Canada clears a path for frigid temperatures as far south as Florida, forecasters said. About 155 million people, from northern Great Plains to the deep South, will experience some freezing conditions through Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

US Supreme Court lets Trump withhold $4 billion in food aid funding for now

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump's administration to withhold for now about $4 billion needed to fully fund a food aid program for 42 million low-income Americans this month amid the federal government shutdown. The court's order, known as an administrative stay, gives a lower court additional time to consider the administration's formal request to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, for November. The administration had faced a judge-ordered Friday deadline to fully fund the program.