5 things to know for Nov. 7: Flight cancellations, Obesity drugs, Boat strikes, Same-sex marriage, Elon Musk
By Alexandra Banner, CNN
China launched a new aircraft carrier that’s one of its most advanced to date. It marks a significant step forward for Beijing as it seeks to catch up with the US on naval supremacy.
Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.
1️⃣ Flight cancellations
Americans are bracing for chaos at major US airports today, with more flights set to be canceled in the coming hours due to the government shutdown. The Trump administration has directed airlines to reduce their flights by 4% amid a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the flight cuts are necessary, warning that the stress on the national airspace system has reached a point where it’s no longer safe to operate at full capacity. Beginning today, American Airlines and United Airlines said they will each cancel more than 200 flights per day, while Delta Air Lines plans to cancel around 170 and Southwest Airlines roughly 120. The reductions will impact 40 of the country’s busiest airports, including Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles. The cuts could increase to 10% by next Friday if the government remains shut down.
2️⃣ Obesity drugs
Certain obesity drugs will cost as little as $149 per month and Medicare will start covering them under two deals announced Thursday by the Trump administration. The arrangements with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to lower the prices of popular prescription drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy. The companies will also offer primary care medicines directly to consumers at discounted prices as part of the deal. In exchange, the drugmakers are getting breaks on tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products and a dramatically expedited regulatory review for certain medicines.
3️⃣ Boat strikes
The US military carried out another strike on alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean on Thursday, killing three people, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean and was struck in international waters,” Hegseth said in a statement. The military has killed 70 people in 17 boat strikes since the start of September as part of what President Trump describes as his “war on drugs.” The Trump administration has defended the strikes to Congress, arguing that the US is now engaged in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels. However, some lawmakers, as well as human rights groups, have criticized the operations, saying that the alleged traffickers should be prosecuted instead of being targeted with lethal strikes.
4️⃣ Same-sex marriage
The Supreme Court will meet behind closed doors today to consider a long shot bid to overturn its decade-old same-sex marriage precedent, an appeal that is churning fear among some LGBTQ advocates even though the justices themselves have repeatedly signaled little appetite for reopening the landmark decision. The pending appeal comes from Kim Davis, a former county clerk from Kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court’s blockbuster 2015 decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, allowed same-sex couples to legally marry. The Davis appeal is one of dozens of cases the justices will consider in that private meeting, and the court could announce as soon as Monday what it will do with the case.
5️⃣ Elon Musk
Tesla shareholders voted to give CEO Elon Musk a potential $1 trillion pay package. That’s equivalent to $275 million a day over the next 10 years, dwarfing any other executive pay package in history. It would make Musk, already the world’s richest person, the world’s first trillionaire. The approved package comes in the form of Tesla stock that would give Musk as many as 423.7 million additional shares over the next decade. Those shares could be worth about $1 trillion, assuming Tesla reaches the $8.5 trillion market cap needed for Musk to qualify for the full payout. Tesla also said it needs to hit certain operational and financial milestones for him to get all of the shares.
Breakfast browse
How often do you think about the Roman Empire?
For a team of researchers who created a map of ancient Roman roads, the answer — truly — is every day.
Largest black hole flare is a one-in-a-million event, astronomers say
Astronomers spotted the largest flare ever released from a supermassive black hole as it unleashed the light of 10 trillion suns.
Suspicious package delivered to US military base
Multiple people fell ill at Joint Base Andrews on Thursday after a suspicious package was delivered with white powder. Here’s what we know.
Over 40,000 US troops have been lost at sea
A team of scientists is employing a technique that might transform the somber search for troops lost at sea.
Ex-NFL star arrested
Former NFL star Antonio Brown has been arrested on an attempted murder charge, police confirmed Thursday.
Quiz time
Who was elected New York City’s mayor on Tuesday?
A. Zohran Mamdani
B. Curtis Sliwa
C. Eric Adams
D. Andrew Cuomo
Weather
🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect.
And finally…
▶️ ‘That’s crazy!’: Mentalist gets inside Anderson Cooper’s head
CNN’s Anderson Cooper sits down with mentalist Oz Pearlman, author of “Read Your Mind.” Watch him demonstrate his tricks live on-air..
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Today’s edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN’s Andrew Torgan.
