P.M. Edition for May 6. A series of tech problems has exposed cracks in U.S. air-traffic control systems. WSJ aviation safety reporter Andrew Tangel discusses what it would take to fix them. Plus, President Trump says he’s reached a truce with the Houthi militant group in Yemen. And America’s trade deficit hit a record in March, as businesses stocked up ahead of the sweeping tariffs Trump imposed the following month. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What are the recent issues in U.S. air traffic control?
They were knocking out a lot of ships going, as you know, sailing beautifully down the various seas. It It wasn't just the canal. It was a lot of other places. And I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis.
Oman said it helped the U.S. mediate a truce between Israel and the Houthis, in which the two sides agreed not to target each other. And the militant group said it would stop firing on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The U.S. has struck more than 1,000 targets during Operation Rough Rider, which has lasted weeks.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes hit the main airport controlled by the Houthis today. It was Israel's second day of retaliatory strikes after the group struck Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. In a statement out today, the Houthi political bureau didn't mention a ceasefire with the U.S. and reiterated that its military moves against Israel would continue until the war in Gaza ends.
In Germany, parliament voted to make Friedrich Merz the country's chancellor after a first vote failed. This was the first time in Germany's post-World War II history that a candidate needed a second attempt to secure parliament's endorsement.
Since the vote is secret and no dissenters have come forward, it isn't clear why a dozen members of Merz's proposed coalition didn't back him in the first vote. While plans for Merz's rise to power were only delayed for a few hours, analysts say he will start his term as a weakened figure. Texas has a new town that's a bit different from the rest.
On Saturday, 218 people voted to incorporate a handful of SpaceX rocket facilities and housing near Brownsville, Texas, as a municipality called Starbase. Micah Maidenberg, who covers the business of space for the journal, told our Tech News Briefing podcast why the company's activities in the area are controversial.
SpaceX industrialized the landscape, so to speak, built this enormous factory, added other production sites, and added testing facilities for really powerful rockets. And that's upset a lot of people. There are folks that are really... frustrated with beach closures. There are folks that claim SpaceX is not a good steward of the local environment. SpaceX pushes back on that idea very strongly.
And then there are a lot of people in Cameron County who are working at SpaceX and who have businesses that are tied to Starbase. And those economic opportunities have generated a lot of support from a lot of people in the region, in the county, and among elected officials. Starbase more broadly is part of the Rio Grande Valley, which historically has been among the poorest in the country.
For more from Micah, listen to today's episode of Tech News Briefing. And even if you can't hop on a SpaceX rocket headed for Mars, you might need a little extra something just to fly within the United States. I'm talking about Real ID. Starting tomorrow, U.S. travelers over 18 will need to present the Security Enhanced ID to board a domestic flight or face additional screening.
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Chapter 2: Why is the U.S. air traffic control system in need of an overhaul?
Don't panic if you don't have a real ID yet. You'll still be able to get one after May 7th. But if you do have a flight that day, you'll need to bring a passport, even if you're not going internationally. It'll be a domestic flight. and you'll need to show a real ID credentialed document.
That also can include a global entry card or an enhanced driver's license, but you do need to show something that is the equivalent level of verification as a real ID.
And that's what's news for this Tuesday afternoon. Today's show was produced by Anthony Bansi. Our supervising producer was Pierre Bien-Aimé. I'm Alex Osola for The Wall Street Journal. We'll be back with a new show tomorrow morning. Thanks for listening.
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