By RIO YAMAT, Associated Press Airlines and Travel Writer

The turbulence caused by the longest government shutdown on record may still be fresh on travelers’ minds this Thanksgiving, but experts say preparing for the usual holiday crush of winter weather, heavy traffic and crowded airports can help ease those jitters.

“I think the shutdown at this point is history for air travel. The airlines understand this time of year so well. They know exactly what they need to do,” said Sheldon H. Jacobson, an airport and airlines operations expert. “The real challenge is making sure travelers can help themselves.”

Here’s a guide to navigating the busiest travel week of the year:

How busy could it be?

Travel forecasts point to packed airports and roads.

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A week after lifting the unprecedented flight restrictions it placed on commercial airlines during the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration is preparing for its busiest Thanksgiving week in 15 years, with more than 360,000 flights scheduled between Monday and next Tuesday. That’s more than 17.8 million people who will be screened by the Transportation Security Administration.

AAA projects 1.3 million more travelers will be on the roads than last year, pushing the total number of people traveling by car to at least 73 million.

Winter weather

You can’t control the weather, but you can control how prepared you are if a winter storm hits. If your flight is canceled or delayed, will you drive instead or postpone or cancel your trip? Knowing your options ahead of time can reduce stress if a storm leaves you stranded.

James Belanger, vice president of meteorology at the Weather Company, recommends checking the forecast frequently while planning your trip.

The Weather Channel offers a Thanksgiving weekly forecast highlighting major airports and highways that could be affected by bad weather — including snow, ice and rain — along with a free online tool that shows how the weather might impact your travel route.

On Tuesday, the FAA’s busiest day with more than 52,000 flights scheduled, forecasters say rain could cause problems in the Pacific Northwest and for much of the eastern U.S. Airports in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C., could be impacted, according to the Weather Channel.

What to pack (and what to skip)

Jacobson, whose research contributed to the design of TSA PreCheck, recommends starting your packing by unpacking.

A TSA agent pushes bins along at a security checkpoint at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, at DFW Airport, Texas, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Check every pocket in case TSA-restricted items, like full-sized bottles, were left behind from a previous trip. This simple scan can help you get through security faster, especially when airports are crowded.

If you’re traveling with gifts, Jacobson suggests wrapping them at your destination because TSA agents may need to open them.

When deciding which clothes and shoes to pack, Belanger says to check the “feels like” temperature for a better sense of the weather, especially if you’re not used to the cold.

And don’t forget a REAL ID is required to fly within the U.S., or you’ll need to bring another accepted form of ID, like a passport or military ID.

People with iPhones can now also add their U.S. passport details to Apple Wallet, which can be scanned at participating airports if travelers don’t have a REAL ID. More than a dozen states already accept some form of a mobile ID at airport checkpoints, and travelers can go to the TSA website for more details.

Road trip ready

Whether driving is your top choice or backup plan, AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz suggests checking your tires, car battery and fluids, then hitting the road with a full tank of gas as early as possible to avoid traffic. Last year, AAA said, it responded to nearly 600,000 emergency roadside assistance calls during the Thanksgiving travel period to help drivers stranded by dead batteries, flat tires and empty tanks.

According to an analysis by Google Maps:

Traffic on Wednesday is expected to be 14% heavier than usual between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with peak traffic from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
On Thanksgiving Day, the roads will be busiest between noon and 3 p.m.
When it’s time to head home, avoid driving from 12 to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, when traffic is heaviest.

The best passenger

“…is an informed passenger,” Jacobson likes to say.

Myrna Santiago, right, a customer service agent with American Airlines, assists travelers at a ticketing gate at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, at DFW Airport, Texas, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Download your airline’s app to track your flight status, and check it regularly as your travel date approaches. That way, if your flight is canceled the day before, you can quickly look for alternatives.

Driving or flying, leave earlier than you think you need to. Knowing you won’t have to rush to your destination can help calm any nerves, whether it’s lingering anxiety from the shutdown or because you’re traveling with young kids or someone who needs extra help getting around.

“These are some very simple things to think about, but they’re important things to think about,” Jacobson said.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is rising again on Monday, for now at least, ahead of a week with shortened trading because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% and added to its jump from Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 72 points, or 0.2%, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.7% higher.

Stocks got a lift from rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in December, a move that could boost the economy and investment prices.

The market also benefited from strength for stocks caught up in the artificial-intelligence frenzy. Alphabet, which has been getting praise for its newest Gemini AI model, rose 5.6% and was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. Nvidia slipped 0.3% after bobbing up and down.

An early gain for the U.S. stock market guarantees nothing, though, as the last few weeks have so painfully shown. Stocks have been swinging sharply, not just day to day but also hour to hour, as worries weigh about what the Fed will do with interest rates and whether too much money is pouring into AI and creating a bubble.

Even within Monday’s first 15 minutes of trading, the S&P 500 rallied to a gain of 1% and then halved it.

All the uncertainty is creating the biggest test for investors since an April sell-off, when President Donald Trump shocked the world with his “Liberation Day” tariffs. Still, despite all the recent fear, the S&P 500 remains within 3.3% of its record set last month.

Several more tests lie ahead this week for the market, though none loom as large as last week’s profit report from Nvidia or the delayed jobs report from the U.S. government for September.

One of the biggest will arrive Tuesday, when the U.S. government will deliver data showing how bad inflation was at the wholesale level in September.

Economists expect it to show a 2.6% rise from a year earlier, the same inflation rate as August. A higher-than-expected reading could deter the Fed from cutting its main interest rate in December for a third time this year, because lower rates can worsen inflation. Some Fed officials have already been arguing against a December cut in part because inflation has stubbornly remained above their 2% target.

Traders are nevertheless betting on a nearly 79% probability that the Fed will cut rates next month, up from 71% on Friday and from less than a coin flip’s chance a week ago, according to data from CME Group.

U.S. markets will be closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. A day later, it’s on to the rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

On Wall Street, U.S.-listed shares of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk fell 8.3% Monday after it reported that its Alzheimer’s drug failed to slow progression of the disease in a trial.

Bitcoin, meanwhile, continued it sharp swings. It was sitting near $86,000 after bouncing between $82,000 and $94,000 over the last week. It was near $125,000 last month.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2% for one of the world’s biggest moves. It got a boost from a 4.7% leap for Alibaba, which has reported strong demand for its updated Qwen AI app. Alibaba is due to report earnings on Tuesday.

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.04% from 4.06% late Friday.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press Media Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press and the Trump administration were due back before a federal appeals court Monday in their fight over media access, with the AP arguing that a news outlet should not be punished for its point of view and the White House insisting that the president should determine who can question him in the Oval Office.

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AP sued three Trump administration officials, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in February after its reporters were barred from the “pool” of journalists who follow the president up close. The administration’s action was, it said, in response to an institutional decision by AP to continue using the term “Gulf of Mexico” as its default style after Trump renamed it the “Gulf of America.”

The case has wound its way through federal district court and, more recently, federal appellate court throughout the year.

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor, wrote in an op-ed piece Monday morning that the question of access is not just about AP; it’s about people’s access to the government that works for them.

“When we talk about press freedom, we are really talking about your freedom. Reporters ask questions, photographers take pictures, and video journalists record history on your behalf to ensure that you are informed about the things you don’t have the time to unearth, watch or learn about for yourself,” Pace wrote.

“Letting the government control which journalists can cover the highest office in the land and setting rules about what those journalists can say or write is a direct attempt to undercut the First Amendment,” Pace wrote. “It should worry all of us.”

The Trump administration says it is up to the White House, not the press, to decide access to areas where space is limited. The White House Correspondents’ Association had been deciding who is in the press pools since the Eisenhower administration. The White House reset that tradition in February, saying it wanted to broaden access to include other news outlets.

“If the AP means to suggest that the White House lacks authority to limit who may engage in news gathering activities from sensitive areas of the White House, it is legally mistaken,” the administration said in its supporting brief.

A lower court ruled this spring that the government couldn’t retaliate against a news organization for its speech, but the appeals court halted any response to the ruling until an appeal takes place.

AP style recommends also acknowledging Trump’s renaming of the Gulf. The president said that AP’s access would remain restricted until it changed its style.

Nearly four dozen press organizations, and news outlets from ProPublica to Fox News Channel, along with The New York Times and The Washington Post, filed a brief in support of the AP.

“When any news outlet is chilled … the press and the public as a whole lose out, no matter how many reporters or cameras remain in the room,” the outlets said.

David Bauder covers media for The Associated Press.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia plans to ban social media accounts for people under 16 starting in 2026, joining Australia and a growing number of countries pushing tighter digital age limits for children.

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Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Sunday the Cabinet approved the move as part of a broader effort to shield young people from online harm like cyberbullying, scams and sexual exploitation. He said the government is studying approaches taken by Australia and other countries, and the potential use of electronic checks with identity cards or passports to verify users’ ages. He did not say when exactly the ban will be enforced.

“I believe that if the government, regulatory bodies, and parents all play their roles, we can ensure that the Internet in Malaysia is not only fast, widespread and affordable but most importantly, safe, especially for children and families,” he said.

Since January, major social media and messaging platforms with at least 8 million users in Malaysia are required to obtain a license as part of a broader tightening of state oversight over digital platforms. Licensed platforms must implement age verification, content-safety measures and transparency rules, reflecting the government’s push for a safer digital space.

Australia’s parliament enacted the world’s first ban on social media for children that will begin Dec. 10, setting the minimum age at 16. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube as well as message board Reddit and livestreaming service Kick face fines of up to $33 million for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.

Australia’s move is being closely watched by countries that share concerns about social media impacts on young children.

Denmark’s government also announced earlier this month plans to ban access to social media for anyone under 15, though details on how the measures would be enforced remain unclear. Norway is also moving forward with a proposed law that would set a minimum age limit of 15 for accessing social media platforms.