The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop at 3:54 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2026, pausing all departures across the country. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it ended at 8:15 p.m. ET. WCVB reports that no nationwide stop had happened since January 2023, and that the one before that came after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Travelers are still feeling it. FlightAware counted more than 3,000 flights canceled and 8,000 delayed on Saturday. Because an FAA computer problem is handled like weather, airlines owe only a free rebooking or a refund for canceled flights. United said it is waiving change fees and fare differences, and JetBlue planned to resume flights Saturday morning. Southwest said rebooked flights carry no penalty. Check your airline's app before leaving for the airport.
Duffy blamed old technology that became overloaded, which destabilized radar and communications. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said nothing so far points to a cyberattack, though he did not claim certainty. Reports citing sources point to an update to a private network run by L3Harris. Duffy said he expects operations to be running by the Thanksgiving travel peak, though recovery will be slow. He said President Trump asked for $30 billion for upgrades and that he wants $50 billion. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Tammy Duckworth have demanded answers.
Van Hollen challenges Schumer
Sen. Chris Van Hollen said on Thursday, November 12, 2026, that he will run against Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader once Democrats take control in January. He is the first Democratic senator to launch such a challenge since 1994. Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed and Sen. Bernie Sanders have endorsed him.
Van Hollen said the Democratic caucus needs a discussion, and that no one should be handed unchecked authority before the party's direction is clear. Sen. Elissa Slotkin was also reported to be weighing a bid. Also on Thursday, police arrested more than 50 Sunrise Movement activists who staged a sit-in at Schumer's Washington office to press for a change in leadership and for the filibuster to end.
The contest affects who sets the Senate Democratic agenda in the new Congress. The sources cited here do not include a response from Schumer or a date for any vote.
How the new Congress is taking shape
After the 2026 midterms, Democrats hold a floor of 255 House seats and 55 Senate seats, according to Democracy Now!. Those are minimums, so the totals may rise as remaining races are called.
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. AP called the race on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and Colom will be the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction. ABC reported that AP projects Democrat Laubacher beating Rep. Lauren Boebert in the House race.
Democrats are due to take control of the Senate in January. The final counts will show how much room each party has to pass bills.
Chip export dispute widens
On PBS NewsHour on November 13, 2026, Treasury Secretary Bessent accused Commerce Secretary Lutnick of failing to stop China from obtaining Nvidia chips. Lawmakers are seeking tighter limits on chip exports. Lutnick's reply is not in the sources cited here.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned, and CFO Colette Kress became interim CEO. Huang reportedly helped an alleged Chinese spy acquire at least $7.5 billion in Nvidia chips through Megaspeed International. These are reported allegations.
Bloomberg reported that Huang agreed to testify in a closed-door House hearing later in November 2026. It also reported that Nvidia has lost nearly $2 trillion in market value since early October. Investors and anyone with retirement funds tied to tech stocks may watch the hearing closely.
Other developments
A Microsoft outage that began Thursday, November 12, 2026, has disrupted Outlook, Teams and Copilot for millions of people in at least 74 countries. Reports citing sources said Microsoft's outage was not seen as a factor in the FAA ground stop.
The ground stop had other effects. The NTSB said delays led it to send investigators by ground, not a board member, to a New Orleans collision between a tanker and a cruise ship, which caused no deaths. Several college football teams switched to buses or moved kickoff times.
Separately, Yahoo listed the US losing its measles elimination status among its top stories on November 14, 2026. We will cover details as official sources confirm them.
Quick answers
Can I fly today?
Flights are operating again, but FlightAware counted more than 3,000 cancellations and 8,000 delays on Saturday. Check your airline, which owes a free rebooking or refund for canceled flights.
Who is challenging Chuck Schumer?
Sen. Chris Van Hollen said on November 12, 2026, that he will run for Senate majority leader. Sen. Elissa Slotkin was also reported to be weighing a bid.
How many seats will Democrats hold?
Democracy Now! reports Democrats will hold at least 255 House seats and 55 Senate seats after the midterms.
Sources
- Nationwide ground stop lifted after more than 4 hours as Trump administration blames old, overloaded tech - ABC News
- FAA lifts ground stop as U.S. airports grapple with thousands of canceled flights
- Flights are taking off this morning after nationwide ground stop - WCVB
- FAA says nationwide ground stop is over after thousands of flights canceled
- Headlines for November 13, 2026 | Democracy Now!
- Slotkin, Van Hollen emerge as potential challengers to Schumer’s Senate leadership - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012
- The Latest: Democrat Scott Colom wins election to US Senate from Mississippi
- November 13, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode | PBS News