By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington was found not guilty of assault on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal intervention.

A viral video of the sandwich tossing made Sean Charles Dunn a symbol of resistance to Trump’s deployment of federal agents to combat crime in the nation’s capital.

His misdemeanor acquittal is another setback for prosecutors, who have faced a backlash for their aggressive charging tactics during the law enforcement surge. The Justice Department had initially sought a felony assault indictment against Dunn, but in a highly unusual move, the grand jury declined to sign off on the felony charge. The office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro then charged Dunn with a misdemeanor.

There was no dispute over whether Dunn threw the sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on the night of Aug. 10. But his lawyers argued it was a “harmless gesture” during an act of protest protected by the First Amendment.

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Prosecutors said Dunn knew he did not have a right to throw the sandwich at the agent. Dunn shouted “fascists” and “racists” and chanted “shame” toward the group of agents who were in front of a club hosting a “Latin Night.”

“Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn shouted, according to police.

Dunn hugged his lawyers after the foreperson read the verdict. Later, he said, “I’m relieved and I’m looking forward to moving on with my life.”

Court officers escorted the 12 jurors out of the building with a gaggle of reporters following. Several jurors, including the foreperson, declined to be interviewed.

Dunn ran away after hitting the agent with the sandwich but was apprehended. He was released from custody but rearrested when armed federal agents in riot gear raided his home. The White House posted a highly produced “propaganda” video of the raid on its official X account, Dunn’s lawyers said.

Dunn worked as an international affairs specialist in the Justice Department’s criminal division. After Dunn’s arrest, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his firing in a social media post that referred to him as “an example of the Deep State.”

Dunn lawyers urged the judge to dismiss the case for what they alleged was a vindictive and selective prosecution. They argued that the posts by Bondi and the White House show Dunn was impermissibly targeted for his political speech.

Associated Press reporter Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed.

By MATT SEDENSKY and WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Travelers braced for canceled flights, scrambled plans and holidays stranded in airports as a U.S. government shutdown threatened to snarl trips across the country.

News that the Federal Aviation Administration will reduce air traffic at 40 airports beginning Friday set off a flurry of worry among those planning trips.

“Oh no,” said 31-year-old Talia Dunyak, who is due to fly next week from Vienna to Philadelphia, among the airports targeted by the FAA for flight cutbacks. “I’m really hoping my flights don’t get canceled.”

Dunyak is due to meet her newborn niece, have some business meetings and celebrate Thanksgiving with family during a carefully planned trip. Now she’s wondering what will happen.

“It’s such a busy time to travel and there’s not so many direct flights,” said Dunyak, who works in public relations. “I might end up in some nightmare.”

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Those worries were pervasive with Thanksgiving and the busiest travel days of the year looming ahead and a crush of passengers fearful of reliving a scene out of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

Though the exact parameters of the FAA’s plan were not released, it promised to upend trips in broad swaths of the country. Affected airports are dotted across more than two dozen states and include some of the busiest hubs, including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports will be affected.

It was enough to cause Laura Adams to ditch plans of flying altogether.

Adams lives in Vero Beach, Florida, and typically flies with her husband for Thanksgiving with his family in Fair Hope, Alabama. They’ll now make a 10-hour drive instead.

“We really felt quite uneasy and just didn’t want to risk having a flight cancellation or a delay or getting stuck,” said Adams. “It just seems really risky.”

Though she’s not a fan of long car trips, she’s resigned herself to it, even if the shutdown ends and flights are restored.

“Just kind of weighing the pros and cons, it just seems like a better option,” she said.

Jennifer Dombrowski, a 45-year-old American living in Bordeaux, France, likewise adapted her plans. She’s due to travel next week to her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, for the first time in two years, and has opted to skirt U.S. airports altogether. She’ll fly to Toronto, then drive to visit her parents, including a father with terminal cancer.

“I don’t really want to deal,” she said.

Major carriers like United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said they would offer refunds to passengers who opt not to fly, even if they purchased tickets that aren’t normally refundable. And United Airlines said it would focus on cutting smaller regional routes.

Joseph Trainor, 55, who shuttles between New York and his home in Boynton Beach, Florida, every week, canceled his flights for next week — and is looking to book multiple backup routes farther down the road, in case future trips land on the chopping block.

“I’m afraid the flights I’m on are going to cancel,” he said. “It’s going to cause a cascading effect throughout the system.”

Even with the safeguards of additional reservations, Trainor knows cancellations can ripple through the system and affect him anyway. Still, he’s thinking about the Transportation Security Administration agents who have been going without pay in a shutdown that entered its 38th day on Thursday.

“They’re the heroes keeping the system going, and I don’t know if the government realizes how much air traffic and our economy is based on that,” Trainor said.

By JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT, Associated Press

Airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago along with hubs across the U.S. are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

The affected airports covering more than two dozen states include the busiest ones across the U.S. — including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports will be affected.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among the airports impacted.

In a statement Thursday, Jeff Lea, Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman, said officials are “actively monitoring updates regarding announced FAA-mandated flight reductions. As of now, MSP is experiencing normal operations. However, if reductions are enacted, travelers should be prepared for flight disruptions at MSP and other airports across the country. Travelers should check with their airline for the latest flight information.”

The FAA is imposing the flight reductions to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay during the government shutdown and have been increasingly calling off work.

Controllers already have missed one full paycheck and are scheduled to again receive nothing next week as as the shutdown drags on.

The FAA has been delaying flights at times when airports or its other facilities are short on controllers.

Passengers should start to be notified about cancellations Thursday. Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on customers, some of whom will see weekend travel plans disrupted with little notice.

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United Airlines said it would focus the cuts on smaller regional routes that use smaller planes like 737s. United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said they would offer refunds to passengers who opt not to fly — even if they purchased tickets that aren’t normally refundable.

The head of Frontier Airlines recommended that travelers buy backup tickets with another airline to avoid being stranded.

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.

Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said.

“We can’t ignore it,” he said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn’t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.

Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday that they would meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions.

Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record.

The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.

Duffy warned on Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.

Duffy said some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more. And he has said some controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work.

Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary.

But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.

During weekends from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.

 Here is a list of airports affected:

1. Anchorage International in Alaska
2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia
3. Boston Logan International in Massachusetts
4. Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland
5. Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina
6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Ohio
7. Dallas Love Field in Texas
8. Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia
9. Denver International in Colorado
10. Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas
11. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan
12. Newark Liberty International in New Jersey
13. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida
14. Honolulu International in Hawaii
15. Houston Hobby in Texas
16. Washington Dulles International in Virginia
17. George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas
18. Indianapolis International in Indiana
19. John F. Kennedy International in New York
20. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas
21. Los Angeles International in California
22. LaGuardia Airport in New York
23. Orlando International in Florida
24. Chicago Midway International in Illinois
25. Memphis International in Tennessee
26. Miami International in Florida
27. Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota
28. Oakland International in California
29. Ontario International in California
30. Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois
31. Portland International in Oregon
32. Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania
33. Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona
34. San Diego International in California
35. Louisville International in Kentucky
36. Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington
37. San Francisco International in California
38. Salt Lake City International in Utah
39. Teterboro in New Jersey
40. Tampa International in Florida

Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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By GEOFF MULVIHILL and MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Prses

President Donald Trump’s administration now says that SNAP food aid for November will be reduced less than originally announced, the latest in a political and legal saga that impacts how about 1 in 8 Americans can buy groceries.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a court filing late Wednesday that it caught an error in its earlier plan to reduce the maximum benefit by half and said that beneficiaries would instead get up to 65% of their usual assistance.

But some people will see deeper cuts, with some receiving no benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Aid Program for November. If the government shutdown continues into December, there’s not a plan for funding at all.

The benefit cards could be loaded as soon as Friday in Louisiana and will take longer in most states.

A volunteer reaches for a box of tomatoes during a food distribution at the San Antonio Food Ban for SNAP recipients and other households affected by the federal shutdown, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Administration says the cuts won’t be as deep — after a series of twists and turns

What the nation’s nearly 42 million people who receive the food aid can expect has been in flux for weeks.

The Trump administration said last month that it would not pay benefits at all for November because of the federal shutdown. Last week, two judges ordered the government to pay at least partial benefits using an emergency fund. On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money — but that the required fund had enough to cover half the usual benefits for November.

The next day, Trump appeared to threaten not to pay the benefit s at all unless Democrats in Congress agreed to reopen the government. His press secretary later said that the partial benefits were being paid for November — and that it is future payments that are at risk if the shutdown continues.

Late Wednesday, the USDA, which runs the program, said in a filing in federal court in Rhode Island that it had done further analysis and found that the maximum benefit will be 65% of the usual amount.

Speaking at the Greater Boston Food Bank in Massachusetts Thursday morning, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said the Trump administration is sending mixed messages: “Come on. You know, you’re going to partially fund food for Americans? You’re going let people starve?”

Volunteers help load vehicles during a food distribution at the San Antonio Food Bank for SNAP recipients and other households affected by the federal sutdown, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The benefit reduction math means most households will see cuts of more than 35%

While SNAP reductions like this have never come into play, there is a decades-old federal regulation for how they should be carried out.

Under the formula, benefits are reduced by 35% for households receiving the maximum amount. And households of the same size would have benefits reduced by the same dollar amount. For a family of three, the benefit would be reduced by $275. For a person living alone, it would drop by $105, according to an analysis by Ben Molin, who runs SNAP Screener, a website about benefits.

That means that the lowest-income families would be impacted the least. An analysis by the progressive Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that in the 12 months that ended in September 2024, just over one-third of beneficiaries received the maximum amount.

There’s another wrinkle, which applies only to households with one or two people: Their minimum benefit would be $16. Some bigger households are in line to receive nothing for November.

Carmel Scaife, a former day care owner in Milwaukee who hasn’t been able to work since receiving multiple severe injuries in a car accident seven years ago, said she normally receives $130 a month from SNAP. She said that despite bargain hunting, that’s not nearly enough for a month’s worth of groceries.

Scaife, 56, said that any cuts to her benefit will mean she’ll need to further tap her Social Security income for groceries. “That’ll take away from the bills that I pay,” she said. “But that’s the only way I can survive.”

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When cards will be recharged depends on the state

States are working through the math and systems updates to get partial payments out to beneficiaries.

Louisiana officials have said they could start rolling by Friday, Connecticut and North Carolina by next week. And for some states, it’s unclear. Alabama’s Department of Human Resources said this week that it’s unclear how long it will take. “This will be a cumbersome process, including revised eligibility systems, state notification procedures, and ultimately delayed benefits,” Alabama’s Department of Human Resources said in statement this week.

The USDA warned in a court filing earlier in the week that it could take some states months to get the partial benefits onto debit cards used for the program.

Most states have increased funding for food banks and some have launched programs to provide direct state-funded benefits to SNAP recipients.

Cities and nonprofits ask judge to force full funding

Lawyers for the USDA and the cities and nonprofit groups that sued to keep funding rolling in November were expected to make their cases at a hearing on a request for a judge to require full SNAP funding for the month.

The groups said in a court filing in federal court in Rhode Island that partial benefits would not “adequately remedy the harm.”

The government said it’s using other funding to make sure child nutrition programs can keep running through the shutdown.

“It cannot be arbitrary and capricious for USDA to decline to raid an entirely different program, to the tune of billions of dollars,” the agency said in a filing, “in the mere hope that Congress will fix the ensuing deficit through the general appropriations process.”

Associated Press reporters Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; and Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this article.