'Get back to work': Trump threatens 'true patriots' will replace air traffic controllers

Donald Trump has issued a clear message to air traffic controllers currently unpaid amid the government shutdown — "get back to work".

In a post made to his Truth Social account, the president made it clear that those who were not returning to work immediately would have their pay "substantially docked." Those who had not stopped working during what Trump dubbed the "Democrat Shutdown Hoax" were told they could receive up to $10,000 for their "distinguished service".

Trump wrote, "All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially 'docked.' For those Air Traffic Controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn’t take ANY TIME OFF for the 'Democrat Shutdown Hoax,' I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country.

"For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU. You didn’t step up to help the U.S.A. against the FAKE DEMOCRAT ATTACK that was only meant to hurt our Country. You will have a negative mark, at least in my mind, against your record. If you want to leave service in the near future, please do not hesitate to do so, with NO payment or severance of any kind!"

"Trump continued, "You will be quickly replaced by true Patriots, who will do a better job on the Brand New State of the Art Equipment, the best in the World, that we are in the process of ordering.

"The last 'Administration' wasted Billions of Dollars trying to fix antiquated 'junk.' They had no idea what they were doing! Again, to our great American Patriots, GOD BLESS YOU - I won’t be able to send your money fast enough! To all others, REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY. GOD BLESS AMERICA! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."

The Senate will reconvene later today to end the longest government shutdown in history. A 60-40 majority was reached earlier today after the Republicans gained eight Democrat votes.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had previously warned the government shutdown could reduce flights "to a trickle". He told CNN yesterday, "You're going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle. Many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly if this thing doesn't open back up."

'Should worry us all': UK outrage as BBC bosses culled after Trump fury

A UK politician has warned Donald Trump could "destroy" the BBC.

The British Broadcasting Company director general, Tim Davie, as well as head of news Deborah Turness, resigned Monday following criticism of a documentary aired about Trump. An internal memo at the BBC suggested two parts of Trump's speech in the Panorama show had been edited together to make it look as though he explicitly encouraged the Capitol Hill riot of January 2021.

Trump has since responded to the documentary and the resignations of Davie and Turness in a post to Truth Social. He wrote: "The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught 'doctoring' my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th.

"Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these Corrupt 'Journalists.' These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!"

But Ed Davey, a member of the UK parliament and leader of the Liberal Democrats party, warned that Trump has the power to "destroy" the BBC following the Panorama documentary. Responding to Trump's Truth Social post, Davey wrote: "It's easy to see why Trump wants to destroy the world's number one news source. We can't let him.

"The BBC belongs to all of us here in the UK. The Prime Minister and leaders from across the political spectrum should be united in telling Trump to keep his hands off it." Outraged members of the public agreed with Davey, with one person calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to "make it abundantly clear to the fool Trump" that the president's opinion of the BBC was of no interest.

Davey also called the former director general a "decent man doing a difficult job" and warned the White House and Trump's statements on the BBC are worrying.

He wrote: "I had my disagreements with the BBC under Tim Davie but he was a decent man doing a difficult job. To see Trump's White House claiming credit for his downfall and attacking the BBC should worry us all."

In Trump's speech in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, he said: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women."

However, in the Panorama edit he was shown saying, "We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell." Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has since described the BBC as "100% fake news."

Trump losses have hatched plan to 'sabotage' midterms: George Conway

Conservative lawyer George Conway issued a warning that Donald Trump may "sabotage" or even "ignore" the results of next year's midterm elections.

Conway, who left the Republican Party during the first Trump administration and became an outspoken critic, suggested there is an "increasing danger" that Trump may interfere with the outcome of the election or that he may even ignore the result. The midterm election will take place on November 3, 2026, and it may see Trump "double down" following election losses this year.

Speaking to MSNBC, Conway said, "A personality like his, a malignant narcissist, they don't go away. He's just not going to all of a sudden behave himself because he suffered an election loss. If anything, he's going to double down on everything he does.

"I think for 2026, we're going to see an increasing danger that he's going to try to, in some way, sabotage those elections or, at the end of the day, maybe even ignore them in some fashion."

Conway also warned Trump is "only going to get worse" for the remaining three years of his administration.

He added, "I think we're going to see more and more of the attempts to silence dissent and to use military forces throughout the country. I think we're going to see a lot of things that get a lot worse before they get better with Donald Trump."

Democratic Party victories in the New York mayoral election and governor races in Virginia and New Jersey may see some Republican candidates distance themselves from Trump, Conway suggested.

The former Republican Party member indicated former Trump allies could temporarily cool off on MAGA messaging and that new voices could decide "they don't want to play anymore."

He said, "It's never a losing bet to bet on the spinelessness of congressional Republicans. I do think we'll see a little more defiance here and there. I think Marjorie Taylor Green is an interesting case study. She's obviously separating herself from MAGA and the president for now.

"But on the other hand, I think what we're going to see is, I think we're going to see more of the less extreme people, to the extent that there are any left in the Republican Party in Congress, decide they don't want to play anymore."

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