Mizzou wide receiver DaMarion Fowlkes (3) scores a 68-yard punt return touchdown

Addie Dobson and Melanie Walker woke up Friday morning without college eligibility. Just days later, the pair will wake as the top two individuals at the Johnie Imes Invitational.

After 36 holes of golf Monday, Dobson leads all golfers at 10 under, with her Mizzou teammate Walker sitting right behind her at -4.

The Tigers sit -9 as a team, 16 strokes ahead of second-place Missouri State (+7).

Dobson established herself immediately on Mizzou's home course. The fifth-year birdied five holes on the front nine, including Holes 2-4 consecutively. She tied a career best with a 6-under-par 66 in Round 1, following with a 4-under score in the second round of the day.

Walker, who was also granted a fifth year on Friday, shot a 2-under 70 in both rounds.

Dobson and Walker sit one round away from finishing first and second in the event, while the Tigers have a large cushion atop the leaderboard as a team.

The third and final round will tee off at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at The Club at Old Hawthorne.

(The Center Square) – Addressing the challenges of military life, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addressed a group of military spouses Monday to kick off the President’s Military Spouse Commission.

The commission established by President Donald Trump in early August through an executive order was tasked with advising the president on policies affecting the military family community, with a focus on military spouse employment, housing, healthcare, childcare and education.

Hegseth underscored the desire for the Department of War to work with the commission to act immediately on needed changes, urging commission members to “think outside the box.”

The secretary recognized the sacrifices military spouses and families make to support military members and the mission.

"What an incredible background of human beings — Americans who gave the entirety of your lives to the whims of where the government sent your family," he said. "And the least we can do is try to look back on that [time] and give."

The secretary appears eager to act on the commission's recommendations, citing the military’s healthcare reimbursement rate, which he argues needs improvement.

He assured the commission that their recommendations will be heard. “From your lips to our ears,” Hegseth told the members.

The secretary’s wife, Jennifer Hegseth, chair of the commission, also addressed the group, arguing that red tape has gotten in the way of enacting solutions, echoing her husband's message.

"Many of those solutions will be new, but some already exist and have gotten stuck in the bureaucracy — and we'll find those too," Jennifer Hegseth said. 

The commission members stressed issues involving healthcare, and especially spousal employment.

Military spouse employment is regularly cited as a top complaint, with an unemployment rate hovering around 22%, according to Blue Star Families.

Nearly 50% of military spouses have bachelor’s degrees or higher, according to the National Military Family Association, which added that military spouses’ “talents are chronically underutilized.”

Angie Perryman, wife of Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman, underscored the issue of military spouses' employment and the challenges they face in maintaining careers.

"I've been a full-time federal employee with the Department of War for almost 20 years as a licensed clinical social worker, and I know firsthand that military spouse employment is not simply about finding a job; it's about preserving a career," Perryman said. "My goal is to help make military-directed moves as close to career-neutral as possible through portable work, remote work, meaningful license, portability, and employment policies that allow spouses to build careers that move with their families."

Donna Caudle, wife of the chief of naval operations, stressed the challenges families face in accessing healthcare.

"I look forward to working with the commission to help President Trump improve continuity of care and capacity, reduce appointment wait times, and close the gaps in specialty care and mental health services for our military families," said Caudle. 

Housing was also addressed during the meeting, with Katrina Isom, wife of the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussing the rising cost of housing and its impact on military families.

"During our time in the military, I've seen and experienced firsthand the struggles of increasing costs of housing, and the challenges of ensuring [the basic allowance for housing] meets the needs of our service members. As a member of this commission, I look forward to helping ensure that we are doing everything possible to ensure the housing needs of our military members is adequately met," Isom explained. 

The Department of War dedicates nearly $30 billion to pay housing allowances for roughly one million service members, with members receiving an average 4.2% increase for 2026.

“The 2026 rates are part of a robust military compensation package and continue the member cost-sharing element at five percent of the national average housing cost by pay grade. These amounts vary by grade and dependency status and range from $93 to $212 monthly,” according to the Department of War.

The commission is scheduled to meet at the White House monthly to continue drilling down into the issues facing military spouses and their families, with Jennifer Hegseth adding that “some solutions will require congression legislation.”

(The Center Square) - A federal appeals court ordered Missouri to use a congressional map favoring Republicans that the U.S. Supreme Court halted. 

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that Missouri must use a congressional map passed in 2025 for the upcoming midterm elections. The ruling comes after a drawn out legal battle between the state legislature, Missouri Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court. 

The 2025 map is expected to favor Republicans an additional seat in the state. The appeals court said Missouri voters must operate under the same map as was used in the Aug. 4 primary election. 

"The Constitution does not permit Missouri to use a different congressional district map in the November 2026 general election than it used in the August 2026 primary election," the appeals court wrote. 

The high court cited $6.5 million used in broadcast ads, 1.4 million Missouri residents living in different districts under the two congressional maps to justify its decision affirming the 2025 maps. 

"The result is that, if the 2022 map is used in the November 2026 general election, some Missouri voters will have more say than others on who represents them in Congress," the appeals court wrote. 

The U.S. Supreme Court twice rejected efforts to adopt new congressional maps. The high court cited the Missouri Supreme Court, which found that any measure enacted by the state legislature is subject to a citizens referendum. 

More than 300,000 individuals signed a petition to urge a vote on the congressional map. However, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins voided the petition before the primary election and moved forward with the redrawn 2025 map. 

The majority of justices on the high court agreed that Missouri must use congressional maps from 2022 for the upcoming elections until a referendum is held on the 2025 maps. 

Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., whose district was affected by the redistricting move, slammed the state's previous efforts to overrule the Missouri Supreme Court's ruling that struck down the 2025 maps. 

"It is my hope that state officials will start following court orders and end this shameful attempt to break Missouri law and silence Missouri voters," Cleaver wrote on social media. 

The case will likely head back up to the U.S. Supreme Court in order to determine what map can be used moving forward. The nation's highest court is expected to pause the most recent decision. 

(The Center Square) – Medicare Part D sponsors made $587.7 million in ineligible payments to pharmacies for five drugs carrying obsolete prescription-only labeling more than a year after the corresponding brand-name drugs switched to over-the-counter status, a federal watchdog found.

The money won't be recovered, because the payments complied with Medicare guidance in place at the time, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, which made the finding in an audit covering calendar years 2021 through 2023.

Medicare Part D, the federal prescription drug benefit, is delivered through private "sponsors," including Medicare Advantage organizations and standalone prescription drug plans, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The program covers 56 million older adults and people with long-term disabilities, according to a June 11, 2026, analysis by KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research organization, based on CMS enrollment data. Spread across the entire program, the $587.7 million works out to roughly $10.50 per enrollee. By law, Part D does not cover drugs that can be purchased without a prescription.

Over the same three years, Medicare Part D paid about $360 billion in benefits, according to CMS trustees reports, meaning the ineligible payments amounted to about 0.16% of Part D benefit payments.

The bulk of the ineligible payments, $562.1 million, was tied to generic versions of Voltaren, a topical drug used to treat arthritis pain, spanning 12 drug codes and nearly 16 million prescription drug events, the claims records Medicare uses to track prescriptions filled. The other four drugs, Pataday and Lastacaft (both eye drops for itchy eyes caused by allergens), Astepro (a nasal spray for hay fever symptoms), and Sklice (a lotion that treats head lice), accounted for the remaining $25.6 million.

The payments continued because CMS relied on FDA data to identify drugs that had switched from prescription-only to over-the-counter status, while FDA had not set a specific timeframe for generic manufacturers to update their labeling after a related brand-name switch.

"FDA did not set a timeframe until it issued the 6-month policy effective on December 8, 2025," Melissa Rumley, a spokesperson for the inspector general's office, told The Center Square. "As a result, some generic drug manufacturers continued producing and selling OTC drugs as Rx-only inventories under NDCs associated with obsolete Rx-only labeling."

CMS also had not set a deadline for Part D sponsors to stop paying for drugs under obsolete prescription-only codes.

The audit followed a 2022 case in which a drug manufacturer, Akorn, agreed to pay $7.9 million to resolve allegations it caused false claims to be submitted to Medicare by continuing to sell three generic drugs under obsolete prescription-only labeling after the related brand-name drugs switched to over-the-counter status.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a policy effective Dec. 8, 2025, directing generic drug manufacturers to update their labeling at the earliest possible time and within six months of a brand-name switch.

The inspector general found the payments specifically complied with CMS's Formulary Reference File and guidance in place at the time, Rumley told The Center Square.

CMS concurred with the inspector general's recommendation to issue guidance setting a timeframe for Part D sponsors to reject payments for outdated prescription-only labeling, Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz wrote in a July 20 letter responding to the audit. The recommendation remains open, with the inspector general's tracker listing an update expected by Feb. 27, 2027.

CMS did not respond to a request for comment. Rumley, the HHS inspector general spokesperson, responded to questions by email. The audit was issued Aug. 31, 2026, and posted publicly Sept. 2, 2026.

An unnamed sixth drug that switched from prescription-only to over-the-counter status during the audit period had no improper payments, the inspector general found. The policy gap will remain until CMS issues its promised guidance on when Part D sponsors must reject payments for OTC drugs carrying obsolete prescription-only labeling.

(The Center Square) — Republican candidates in redrawn congressional districts across the country have appeared to distance themselves from President Donald Trump in recent weeks.

Across the country, 10 states successfully implemented new congressional maps through both legislative action and judicial litigation. As many as 13 congressional districts that were redrawn are expected to favor Republican candidates.

However, polls continue to indicate that Democrats are expected to win a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Decision Desk Headquarters predicted Democrats have a 70% chance of winning the House, compared to Republicans with 30%.

“Democrats not only achieve an average gain of 13 seats in the states with unchanged boundaries, they also gain an average of two seats across the states that redistricted,” said Geoffrey Skelley, chief elections analyst for Decision Desk HQ.

Congressional candidates in several districts appear to recognize that distance from the president may serve their campaigns. In Florida’s 22nd congressional district, which includes large portions of the Tampa city limits, Republican Mike Beltran notably removed an image of him and his family alongside Trump and references to his support for the president’s agenda.

“He is one of only seven Republican legislators in the entire state of Florida who never endorsed Ron DeSantis for President, standing firm with Trump from the moment he came down the escalator in 2015. That wasn’t a political calculation. It was conviction,” a now removed excerpt from his website reads.

Beltran is running against incumbent Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., in a district that includes larger portions outside of the Tampa city limits than before. In Florida’s 22nd congressional district, which includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Askar removed a mention in which he branded himself a “Trump conservative” after winning the primary election.

Askar’s website also removed a picture of himself with the president, and he rewrote a paragraph that mentioned Trump.

Askar changed a passage that read “I’ll work with President Trump to keep building the American economy,” in favor of “I will work to sponsor and pass pro-American legislation to keep building the American economy.”

The Center Square verified both changes were made to the candidate's websites. Beltran and Askar did not respond to The Center Square’s request for comment on the changes made to their websites.

Across the country, candidates in tight races have increasingly distanced themselves from the president amid rising gas prices due to the U.S. military conflict in Iran. Last week, Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, broke with Republicans in Congress to vote in favor of a war powers resolution to rein in Trump’s military operations in the region.

The pair of Iowa Republicans are running for reelection in House races that are critical for maintaining control of the chamber. As members in Congress and candidates appear to turn from Trump, the electoral picture for Republicans looks grim.

“Republicans’ mapmaking edge looks less and less likely to overcome the gravitational pull of larger electoral forces,” Skelley said.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, who is running for Senate, called for the end of the conflict in Iran and expressed frustration over rising gas prices on Monday.  

"Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran," Hinson wrote on social media. "We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices."

Even so, Republicans in many U.S. House races are relying on Trump’s endorsement and continued popularity to remain central to their messaging.

Brent Taylor, of Tennessee’s ninth congressional district, continues to associate with Trump in campaign mailers and online materials.

“Brent Taylor stands proudly with President Trump and the America First agenda,” Taylor’s website reads. “He’s running to deliver trusted, conservative leadership and fight every day for the people of Middle and West Tennessee.”

Additionally, in Texas, where Republicans are expecting to gain as many as four seats in the U.S. House, candidates proudly associate themselves with the president. Eric Flores, Jace Yarbrough, Tano Tijerna and Carlos De La Cruz openly associate with the president in advertisements and online.

“President Trump has secured our border in record time, and in Congress I will fight to keep it that way,” De La Cruz told a crowd at the Republican midterm convention. He is aiming to flip a Democratic district in San Antonio.

Candidates across the country are tackling Trump’s sinking popularity in various ways. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., released a TV ad criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration policies last week.

“The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today. You can be for immigration, but Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan was for communism,” Salazar said. “I'm not talking about giving them amnesty. I'm talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land.”

Trump is expected to travel in support of Republican congressional candidates across the country until the November elections in an effort to drum up support for candidates and motivate an electorate that appears increasingly cautious of him.

“I’m asking you to pretend I’m on the ballot,” Trump told a crowd in Dallas at the first-ever Republican midterm national convention on Wednesday night. “I’m on the ballot, just one more time.”

(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., has offered his support for Sean Parnell as chatter continues that he could be a candidate to lead the U.S. Army.

“There have been a lot of stories of late about @SeanParnellUSA being considered to be our next Secretary of the Army,” McCormick wrote Thursday on social media. “I hope it’s true.”

Parnell, a combat veteran who serves as a senior advisor and assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs, is a native of western Pennsylvania.

“Sean is a good friend, a decorated combat veteran, a true patriot, and a fellow Pennsylvanian. As I said when he joined the Trump administration, Dina and I are very proud of him and Melanie and their great family,” McCormick wrote. “I have full confidence that if Sean is given the honor of serving in this role, he will do so with courage and distinction.”

Reports first surfaced a few weeks ago that Parnell could be selected to lead the Army as Sec. Dan Driscoll’s future in the position was in question. Driscoll’s final day serving as the secretary of the U.S. Army was on Sept. 2. One day later, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told people close to him that Parnell would be his top choice to serve as the secretary of the Army, according to CBS News.

Parnell was previously a candidate for two different offices in Pennsylvania. 

He was the Republican Party nominee for Pennsylvania’s 17th U.S. House District in 2020, but narrowly lost to incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb.

The following year, Parnell announced his intentions to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Trump endorsed his candidacy early on, however, Parnell dropped out of the race after losing a court battle over the custody of several of his children in 2021.

McCormick also joined the 2022 race for the U.S. Senate, but narrowly lost the GOP nomination to Mehmet Oz, who was backed by Trump. 

Published reports said Parnell's wife accused him of rage and abuse; he disputed the reports.

The Pentagon recently told The Center Square that the judge who originally granted Parnell’s ex-wife custody in 2021 has reversed his position. The Pentagon said the original order was vacated and they have had shared custody for several years.

Trump announced Parnell’s nomination as the chief Pentagon spokesman for his administration just a few weeks after he was sworn in for a second term.

Parnell said he was honored to be selected for that position. 

“I must emphasize that I am the leader I am today because of the incredible soldiers I served with in Afghanistan,” Parnell wrote on social media in February 2025. “Their bravery, dedication, courage and sacrifice have shaped me profoundly. I am alive today because of them.”

“I accept this position with great humility, recognizing that we are all standing on the shoulders of giants – those warriors who came before us, who sacrificed so much on behalf of a grateful nation,” he continued. “I also want to thank my wonderful wife, Melanie, and our five incredible children for their unwavering support and love. This achievement is as much theirs as it is mine. Time to get to work!”

According to CBS News, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will lead the process to name the next Secretary of the Army.

On Sept. 3, Trump named Adam Telle, a civilian leader in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the acting Army secretary. NBC News reported Driscoll’s departure was amid reports of tensions with Hegseth. 

Hegseth’s allies in the Pentagon, according to Politico, are advocating for Parnell to be nominated to serve as the next secretary of the Army, describing him as a “loyalist” to the secretary of war.

However, recent reports question if Parnell could be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

On Friday, The Washington Sun reported that GOP senators said they don’t see a path to confirmation for Parnell, citing Parnell’s abuse allegations that have since been dismissed, according to the Pentagon, and his role in implementing Hegseth’s restrictions on the Pentagon press corps.

(The Center Square) – Paramount Skydance has settled an antitrust lawsuit from Democratic state attorneys general including California’s Rob Bonta. The deal appears to clear the way for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $110 billion.

Bonta previously argued the merger would extinguish competition.

"It would result in higher prices, lower content quality, and fewer movies and TV shows,” said Bonta at a July press conference announcing the lawsuit. “Movie theaters, basic cable TV distributors, and audiences on every sofa and in every movie seat would feel the impact of this unlawful merger.”

Speaking Monday at another press conference, this one announcing the settlement, Bonta said Paramount has “made an enforceable commitment to significantly increase domestic production in the United States” including in Hollywood.

“Today the vast majority of the company's global production takes place abroad and only a small fraction, about 5% only of the company's films are made here in this country in the United States,” said Bonta. “With today's settlement, Paramount is required to move production back to the United States by spending as a floor at least $300 million more each year in domestic production, in jobs and economic activity and productions right here in this country and including of course in this state.”

As part of the agreement, Paramount Skydance will also produce 30 movies in each of the first two years of the deal, and 32 movies in each of the following three years.

Each year, at least four of those films must be independent films to, as Bonta said, provide more variety of perspectives, more storytelling, more original insight and inspiration from our independent filmmakers, and at least 20% of those must be blockbusters.

“Paramount must also honor previously established collective bargaining agreements and bargain in good faith with unions in years to come, strong protections for our workers who make Hollywood go,” said Bonta. “Paramount and Warner Brothers are also required to continue negotiating their cable packages separately, a negotiated condition.”

Paramount also reached a deal with the Writers Guild of America to resolve its lawsuit filed in July.

When asked for comment, Paramount Skydance provided The Center Square with a statement from David Ellison, its chairman & CEO, saying the company is “grateful” to attorneys general, WGA and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, for engaging in good faith to find a path forward to a resolution.

“Our shared aim was an outcome that best serves consumers, workers and — most importantly — the creative community so vital to the art of visual storytelling,” said Ellison. “We're confident this agreement does exactly that, memorializing a series of commitments that include 30+ films annually and expanded U.S. film production to help revitalize our industry here at home.”

According to Ellison, the “goal has always been to build a stronger Hollywood,” with more stories, greater choice for consumers and stronger competition.

“That vision was validated by unanimous approval from competition authorities in nearly 70 jurisdictions worldwide, who agreed this deal is pro-competitive, pro-consumer and pro-worker,” said Ellison. “Having now addressed the State AGs' and WGA's concerns, we have complete clearance for this merger and look forward to putting these commitments into action.”

The antitrust lawsuit was scheduled to go to court in 2027.

The other state attorneys general involved in the antitrust lawsuit are from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.

Paramount Skydance owns Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. Warner Bros. Studios is nearby in Burbank, Calif.

(The Center Square) – As Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared on a national news program Sunday, he avoided answering a question about the Democratic Party and if it should be tossing aside controversial influencer Hasan Piker – known for inflammatory rhetoric and what some describe as antisemitic comments.

While on ABC’s ‘This Week,’ host Jonathan Karl asked if the party should try to further distance itself from Piker and his rhetoric. 

Pritzker – long rumoured to be eyeing a 2028 presidential run – avoided outright answering.

“You know, I'm not focused on the streamers and what they're saying. There's a whole lot of them and they got a whole lot of views,” Pritzker said. “What I think we should be talking about and focused on is how do we stop Donald Trump in his tracks? How do we make sure that we're putting forward an agenda that really fights for the people who need it?”

Piker, an independent left-wing political commentator and live-streamer on the video game streaming website Twitch, has campaigned with leftist and Democratic Socialist of America candidates leading up to the midterm elections this year.

In a reaction to the Pritzker interview, Piker said the governor did a “pretty decent job deflecting away,” in his answer to the first question about the streamer.

Pritzker, pressed again on Piker’s rhetoric and a recent comment saying the U.S. is worse than Al-Qaeda “pound for pound,” again deflected.

“I don't even want to talk about it. Hasan Piker doesn't mean anything to me,” Pritzker said.

Piker jokingly said Pritzker’s comment was “messed up,” before reiterating that he’s long-supported the governor.

The Illinois House Republican Organization quickly launched an attack ad against Pritzker on Monday for not denouncing the streamer’s “appalling rhetoric.”

Alongside campaigning with candidates like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and with Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York, Piker has also been connected to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Most recently, the two sat down for an interview on the streamer’s show in February, followed by a walking tour of part of the city’s West Side in March.

During the interview, the pair spoke about how Johnson feels local media and capital owners in the city are “undermining” his goals.

Piker, a self-described “anti-zionist,” has been criticized by organizations fighting antisemitism, like the Anti-Defamation League, for his rhetoric following attacks on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, such as denying that any Israelis were raped during the attacks.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has compared Piker’s rhetoric, which he says is antisemetic, to that of far-right internet personalities like Nick Fuentes and Candice Owens.

“I don't think it helps the Jewish people and it doesn't disarm them when I go after Nick Fuentes or Hasan Piker, a revolting person. You should call him Hamas Piker,” Greenblatt said early this year at an ADL event about online antisemitism. “We definitely are working a lot to try to get the platforms to kind of enforce their own terms of service so that we can pull down the most offensive hate speech.”

Now that he won’t stop talking, the folks who told us Hasan Piker is a serious voice who should be listened to ought to let us know which of these positions we’re supposed to take seriously:

1. That “pound for pound,” America is worse than al-Qaeda - a ridiculous statement on a…

— Rahm Emanuel (@RahmEmanuel) September 18, 2026

Meanwhile, with eyes also on a potential presidential bid, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been heavily critical of Democrats for not denouncing Piker.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Transportation is launching a first of its kind AI-enhanced air traffic control support system meant to reduce flight delays and cancellations.

The Strategic Management of Airspace Routes and Trajectories (SMART) system monitors weather conditions, flight paths, and flight arrival and departure schedules in real time, replacing the current static charts that controllers must rely on.

DOT Secretary Sean Duffy assured reporters Monday that the new system is “not outsourcing aviation to AI,” but rather providing “predictive tools” to help controllers fix problems before they arise, preventing unnecessary ground stops and flight diversions.

“What we've thought through is, let's use the best technology possible, the best predictors possible, so humans can make the best decisions possible,” Duffy said. “And when we make the best decisions possible, that means you have less delays and you have less cancelations, which means your experience in the airspace is way better.”

The new system, funded by a $12.5 billion investment from Congress in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” builds upon the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan to modernize air traffic control infrastructure.

For decades, the FAA has only had the funding to simply sustain old and outdated infrastructure, rather than replacing and modernizing it. A 2024 risk assessment of all 138 air traffic control systems by the Government Accountability Office deemed 37% of systems “unsustainable” and 39% as “potentially unsustainable.”

The AI-enhanced system, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said, would free up controllers “to do what we really need them to do, which is focus on the safety, maintain safety of the system and traffic separation.”

Bedford added that the FAA will immediately begin rolling out the weather programs at the three primary airports in the D.C. region — Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI), and Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Duffy said air travelers can expect to see “gradual improvement” by summer of 2027.

Full deployment of the SMART system in airports across the country is set to be completed by the end of 2028 and will involve “upgrading telecommunications lines, installing new radios and radars, and transitioning to electronic flight strips,” according to DOT.

(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, is facing Democrat Brian Poindexter on November’s midterm ballot in a race neither party expected to be competitive.

The race for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, a previously solid red seat, was moved to a “toss-up” last month by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report after allegations of spousal and child abuse against Miller became public.

Democrats are looking to flip the newly competitive seat. Republicans have a slim five-seat advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives, leaving a handful of battleground races like Ohio’s 7th District to determine who controls the chamber during President Donald Trump’s final two years in the White House.

In a midterm season shaped by voters’ cost-of-living concerns, the race between Miller and Poindexter is testing both parties’ approaches to bringing costs down. Both candidates have made affordability a central part of their campaigns.

November’s election will be the first under Ohio’s new congressional map, which was approved last year. The Downballot calculated that Trump won by 11 points in 2024 against former Vice President Kamala Harris within the 7th District’s new boundaries.

After Miller's ex-wife accused him of spousal and child abuse earlier this year, many within the Republican Party, including both of Ohio’s U.S. senators, called on him to resign.

"Anyone who commits domestic violence is not fit to serve in Congress," Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, wrote on social media on Aug. 6. "The House Ethics Committee should thoroughly investigate any credible allegations, and any member found to have committed domestic violence should resign from Congress immediately."

Miller’s ex-wife is the daughter of Ohio’s other senator, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. Moreno is also the grandfather of the child Miller and his ex-wife share.

Trump endorsed Miller’s reelection campaign in May and has not publicly called for his resignation since the allegations came to light. Miller was a White House aide in Trump’s first term and worked on the president’s 2020 reelection campaign.

Miller denies the allegations and has continued his campaign for reelection.

Miller’s affordability pitch to voters centers on creating jobs and lowering taxes. 

"We need to do all we can to make America the best place on the planet to create a job,” Miller’s campaign website says. "The number one thing that will lift our neighbors out of poverty and put them on a path to a better life is a good paying job.”

He voted for his party’s tax and spending package, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill, in 2025 and has touted it as the reason taxes did not rise after parts of the 2017 Trump tax cuts were set to expire.

Miller has also pointed to the law’s provisions eliminating taxes on overtime and tips, saying they will save workers nearly $1,500 a year.

In January 2025, Miller sponsored the Permanent Tax Cuts for American Families Act to lock in the higher standard deduction and increase it annually in line with inflation. He says more than 93% of his district’s taxpayers use the deduction.

Miller broke with the Trump administration on its tariff policies, telling U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at a hearing on Capitol Hill that employers in his district were losing money because of tariffs.

"I understand that maybe overall … it's been a net positive for the country,” Miller said at an April 22 hearing. “My job isn't to represent the entire country, for that matter. It's to represent a district just comprised of about 800,000 people that it's my job to look out for. And right now, these policies are doing more harm than good."

He asked the administration to allow smaller companies that cannot pass the added costs on to consumers to apply for tariff exemptions.

Poindexter, an ironworker and city councilman, has used his background in the trades to appeal to working-class voters. He rebuts Miller’s argument for tax cuts, saying low wages are the real problem driving voters’ cost-of-living concerns.

"Right now, too many families are doing everything right and still falling behind," Poindexter’s campaign website says. "Wages haven't kept up, prices keep climbing, and too many policies in Washington are written to protect profits instead of people."

Poindexter has criticized Miller’s support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, saying it has raised health insurance premiums.

"Our health care premiums are going up for no reason,” Poindexter said at a campaign event. “They're going up because Max Miller voted for the biggest cut to healthcare funding in American history.”

He has campaigned in support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would make it easier for workers to unionize. He argues that union contracts increase wages and cover expenses like health premiums, leaving more room in Americans’ budgets for everyday costs.

Poindexter rejects the argument that growth at the top reaches workers below.

"For years, we've been told that if corporations do well, everyone else will benefit," his website says. "But what we've seen instead is record profits at the top and tighter belts everywhere else."

If elected to Congress, Poindexter says he’ll work with Republicans where their goals align.

"I will stand with anybody to fight for the working families in my district," he said in an interview on MS NOW earlier this month. "And I will stand up to anybody, even my own party if I have to, to make sure that happens."

Miller holds a large fundraising advantage. Miller reported $2.14 million in total receipts and $1.38 million in cash on hand in his latest Federal Election Commission filings. Poindexter reported $603,000 raised and $312,000 in cash on hand.

Miller and Poindexter will face each other in the general election on Nov. 3. Polls in Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.