Evening Wire: Democratic Civil War In the Senate & Nvidia Spy Scandal Heads to Capitol Hill | 11.13.26

The Federal Aviation Administration halted all departing flights at U.S. airports Friday, citing “extraordinary circumstances” and safety. An air-traffic-control advisory said inbound international flights would be handled case by case. Officials initially attributed the disruption to an FAA equipment and telecommunications outage, not an attack. Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen said all airborne flights were accounted for and would face landing delays, while Transportation Secretary Scott Duffy said more details would follow.

Police said Matt Lambert shot and killed his building manager in a gym, barricaded himself in his apartment, wounded four people from his balcony, and then killed himself. Investigators also suspect he tried to ignite the building; police found flammable liquids and saw flames coming from the structure. Lambert had been in litigation with building management over mold, and witnesses said he made calls claiming he had to act to “get attention.” His attorney condemned the violence and expressed sympathy for victims.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen launched a bid to replace Chuck Schumer as Senate Democratic leader, promising to address an economy he called rigged against working people and fueled by corruption. Bernie Sanders endorsed the challenge, while Schumer said he had enough votes to remain leader. The effort followed the arrest of 54 Sunrise Movement activists during a sit-in at Schumer’s Washington office; the activists demanded Schumer’s replacement and abolition of the Senate filibuster when Democrats regain control in January.

Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed drew scrutiny after saying Representative Haley Stevens had effectively “self-expelled” from the Democratic Party by endorsing her Republican opponent, even though she remains a Democrat. El-Sayed defeated Stevens in a primary where her support for Israel was central. He has called for conditioning U.S. military aid to Israel and accused Israel of genocide and apartheid, prompting questions about whether pro-Israel Democrats still have a place in the party.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott asked former NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify publicly in separate hearings about Huang’s alleged Chinese spy affair. Scott requested Huang for December 3 and Lutnick for December 10, warning that Huang could face a subpoena if he refuses. His letters cited national-security concerns, protection of sensitive U.S. technology, and the committee’s authority over export controls and enforcement of technology-export laws.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urged owners of more than 720,000 BMWs to park outdoors and away from buildings until repairs are available. An improperly sealed water-pump electrical connector can admit water, short-circuit, and ignite a fire. BMW had already recalled the vehicles in 2024 for the same issue, but the agency said it knew of 10 fires after repairs. Affected 2012–2018 models include the 3-Series, 5-Series, X1, X3, X4, X5, and Z4; BMW was still developing a fix.

Microsoft said it was making “encouraging recovery progress” after an hours-long outage that began around noon Eastern on Thursday, while warning that some users could still experience problems. The disruption affected Outlook and services used by governments, health systems, banks, and railways. Down Detector recorded outages in 74 countries and territories within about an hour. Microsoft said the incident was not caused by a cybersecurity breach.

Ford opened the Ford Vault outside Detroit, bringing about 150 historic vehicles together in a 79,000-square-foot archive. The collection includes a 1910 Model T, World War II military vehicles, concept cars, racing machines, and a 10-cylinder Mustang, including more than 60 concept vehicles and roughly 50 racing cars previously stored around Michigan. Archives manager Ted Ryan said the facility is meant to preserve Ford’s history and inspire future designers and engineers: “To look forward, you always have to know where you’ve been.”

New Department of Homeland Security data said Immigration and Customs Enforcement made about 491,000 arrests and carried out 483,000 deportations from October 2025 through September 2026. The deportation figure exceeded the prior record of 442,640 set the previous fiscal year. This year’s arrests surpassed the fewer than 427,000 arrests recorded across President Biden’s three full fiscal years, while deportations nearly matched the roughly 486,000 combined deportations recorded during fiscal years 2022 through 2024.