More than 1,500 flights canceled in US on Monday as travel disruptions continue
Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG
(NEW YORK) — More than 1,500 flights were canceled across the country early on Monday amid the Federal Aviation Administration’s limiting capacity at 40 major U.S. airports.
Another 881 flights were expected to be delayed on Monday, according to FlightAware, an airline traffic tracker, which also logged some 1,509 cancellations for flights within, into or out of the United States.
The travel chaos, which comes amid a record-length shutdown of the federal government, was expected to continue into Tuesday, according to the tracker. At leat 987 flights that had been planned for Tuesday were canceled, FlightAware said.
In this photo illustration, Powerball lottery tickets are displayed on a countertop at the Brew Market & Cafe on September 04, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot is estimated to climb to $1.5 billion for Saturday night’s drawing, marking the fifth-largest prize in the lottery’s history, after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Wednesday, the lottery said.
A $1.25 billion Powerball jackpot prize had been up for grabs Wednesday night, with a cash value of $572.1 million. The winning numbers drawn Wednesday were: 25, 33, 53, 62, 66 and red Powerball 17.
That was the game’s sixth largest prize ever, according to Powerball. The largest prize ever was $2.04 billion won on Nov. 7, 2022.
The Powerball jackpot was last hit on Sept. 6 by two tickets in Missouri and Texas that split a $1.787 billion prize. There have been 43 consecutive drawings with no jackpot wins.
If a player had won on Wednesday night, they would have had the choice between annual payments worth an estimated $1.25 billion or an immediate $572.1 million lump sum payment.
According to Powerball, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
The drawing will be held just before 11 p.m. ET in the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee.
Esa engineer Michaela Benthaus, photographed in the anteroom of the Munich office of the German Press Agency dpa. (Felix Hörhager/picture alliance via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Blue Origin made history Saturday, sending for the first time a person who uses a wheelchair past the Kármán line, an internationally recognized boundary of space that’s 62 miles above Earth.
Michaela “Michi” Benthaus, who suffered a spinal cord injury after a mountain biking accident in 2018, and her five teammates, who nicknamed themselves the “Out of the Blue” crew, spent several minutes in microgravity before safely returning to Earth with the assistance of parachutes and a retro thrust system. The entire mission lasted about 10 minutes.
During the webcast, Blue Origin said that the launch tower, equipped with an elevator, and the crew capsule did not require any modifications for Benthaus, as they were originally designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities and reduced mobility.
Blue Origin also partners with AstroAccess, “a project dedicated to promoting disability inclusion in human space exploration by paving the way for disabled astronauts,” that is sponsored by the nonprofit SciAccess, Inc.
Benthaus, an aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency, told ABC News this week she was eager to participate, especially because she feels as if she has waited “very long for it.”
“I am excited to show the world that also wheelchair users can go on a suborbital flight, and I’m really happy that Blue Origin is supporting this,” Benthaus told ABC News on Wednesday.
In a Blue Origin profile video of Benthaus shown prior to the launch, she said, “I think there’s was not like this one moment when I realized my dream of going to space was not over.”
“I really, really figured out how inaccessible our world still is and how sometimes socially excluding a wheelchair can be even though now one is actively excluding you,” she added.
In a statement, Blue Origin said the “crew exemplifies the breadth and diversity of people who can now experience spaceflight, from engineers and scientists to entrepreneurs, teachers, and investors from all over the world. Each brings their unique perspective and passion for exploration. Michi’s flight is particularly meaningful, demonstrating that space is for everyone, and we are proud to help her achieve this dream.”
Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud in a police booking photo. (West Palm Beach Police Department)
(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — A Florida driver was arrested after allegedly trying to hit members of an LGBTQ running club with his vehicle at a local park, according to the West Palm Beach Police Department.
Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud, 43, was arrested on Monday evening for “attempting to strike members of a local running club at a park, making multiple passes and driving recklessly before fleeing,” police said in a press release on Tuesday.
Police responded to the scene at approximately 8:20 p.m. on Monday, and upon arriving, “met with members of a local LGBTQIA+ running club” who reported an individual allegedly driving a Ford Bronco SUV and “intentionally” trying to strike the group with his car, officials said.
Witnesses told officers the individual — later identified as El Mahmoud — had “accelerated toward the runners, making a second attempt to strike them, he then drove recklessly along sidewalks, through grass, and up an embankment before fleeing eastbound,” police said.
Upon further investigation, officials learned that El Mahmoud “became upset over a perceived comment by a male member of the running club, leading to his agitation and subsequent actions,” police said.
The running club was identified as Night Runners WPB, which hosts walks and runs every Monday and Thursday night, according to ABC West Palm Beach, Florida, affiliate WPBF.
Rudolph Galindo, who has been a part of the club since its start nine years ago, told ABC News the suspect’s car was heading right toward him after he asked El Mahmoud if he was there for the running group, which he said “bothered” the suspect.
“As I was talking to a few others, I saw out of the corner of my eye that he got into his car and then started accelerating in reverse directly toward me where I was standing in the parking lot,” Galindo said, describing the incident as a “traumatic experience.”
Galindo, 41, said he then began yelling at the 40 other runners in the area to clear out of the parking lot, with many hiding behind trees.
Seeing the suspect’s car barreling toward the runners, Galindo said he believes the vehicle could have been traveling at a speed of 60 to 80 mph.”He definitely had his foot down on the gas, full pedal to the metal,” Galindo said.
Now Galindo said the club is trying to reassure other members it is safe to take part in their runs.
“It was a scary moment. I’m sad that someone could be that aggressive with a group of people,” Galindo told ABC News.
Shortly after the incident, police said they located El Mahmoud pulling into a parking garage where he tried to remove the license plate from his SUV. He was then taken into custody.
El Mahmoud has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with the intent to commit a felony and one count of reckless driving, police said. He may also be charged with a hate crime, with officials reviewing his charges for potential enhancement under the state’s hate crime statute, police said.
El Mahmoud is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. The name of the public defender representing El Mahmoud was not immediately available.
