Delta Air Lines is apparently pressuring members of Congress to restore funding to Transportation Security Administration agents amid the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

The decision by Democratic lawmakers to withhold funding for DHS has resulted in lengthy airport security lines, particularly in Atlanta, which is home to Delta's headquarters. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports, has advised air travelers to arrive at least four hours before their scheduled flights.

'It's ridiculous to see them being used as political chips.'

Meanwhile, the callout rate for the airport's TSA agents reached 41.5% on Sunday, according to the DHS.

TSA agents have not received their full paychecks since Feb. 14. They received partial paychecks on Feb. 28, missed their next pay period on March 13, and are set to miss their second full paychecks on March 27.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian called the situation "inexcusable" during a March 17 interview with CNBC.

"It's inexcusable that our security agents, our frontline agents, that are central to what we do, are not being paid. And it's ridiculous to see them being used as political chips," Bastian stated. "So yeah, we're outraged."

"If there's a call to action here, and I think over 90% of the American public support those people getting paid, ask our folks right here in Washington to do their job. Get our people paid. They can do it," Bastian added.

Ed Bastian. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Delta appears to be pressuring Congress members to act by suspending a special benefit typically granted to them.

The airline announced that it has halted its dedicated flight assistance service for Capitol Hill legislators, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.

"Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta," a statement from the company reads, according to the AJC. "Next to safety, Delta's No. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment."

Members of Congress will be treated like all Delta travelers, according to their SkyMiles status, a spokesperson told the news outlet.

Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images

Last week, Bastian joined nine other aviation CEOs in an open letter to Congress, stressing the importance of paying TSA agents. Leaders of American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines also signed the letter.

"Americans — who live in your districts and home states — are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown," the letter reads. "Yet, once again air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown."

"First, leaders should immediately come together to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security," it continues. "Then they need to act so this problem never happens again."

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'Absolute insanity': Democrats' DHS shutdown has travelers lining up outside Atlanta airport

More than willing to hold Americans' ease of travel hostage, Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and his Democratic allies in the U.S. Senate initiated a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security last month, conditioning the passage of the FY2026 DHS appropriations bill on restrictions to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection operations.

This Democratic denial of funding that has survived over four votes on theme has manifested in long lines and headaches at airports across the country — especially at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which urged travelers on Monday morning to "arrive at least 4 hours early" on account of Transportation Security Administration staffing constraints and the correlated "longer than normal wait times at security checkpoints."

'We thought we would be safe enough.'

While advising passengers to allow at least four hours for security screenings, the airport presently recommends budgeting additional time for checked baggage.

According to the airport traffic rankings released last year by Airports Council International, Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest in North America, boasting over 108 million passengers and 796,224 aircraft movements in 2024.

On Sunday, only four of the 18 TSA screening lanes were open at America's busiest airport, reported CNN. The general boarding line was reportedly backed up past the atrium, wrapped around the baggage claim, and jutting out the door at the drop-off area.

The frustration and uncertainty were apparently too much for some would-be travelers to bear. Police reportedly had to escort one woman out after she suffered an apparent panic attack.

Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images

"We thought we would be safe enough but ... it's just insane," Oliver Wanner from Minnesota told CNN. Wanner arrived at the airport at 4 a.m. ET for a 7:30 a.m. flight — but still ended up trapped in the line.

Aaron David, a traveler who was attempting to collect his bags on Sunday, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the experience was "absolute insanity and chaos."

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D) announced on Sunday that help from Homeland Security Investigations and ICE was on the way, starting Monday morning.

The announcement came just days after President Donald Trump stated, "If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before!"

"According to federal officials, these personnel will be assigned to support operational needs directed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including line management and crowd control within the domestic terminals," said Dickens. "Federal officials have indicated that this deployment is not intended to conduct immigration enforcement activities."

"Our Administration remains hopeful the Federal Government can soon find a way to fully fund TSA and pay their employees to resume standard operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — and all airports we connect to," added Dickens.

To "help ease the burden on TSA officers who continue to serve" despite Democrats pulling TSA funding, the city of Atlanta and the Hartsfield-Jackson airport have been providing TSA officers with meal vouchers, free parking, free public transit passes, and discounted food options at airport concession stands.

Despite the support measures, around 30%-40% of agents have called out in recent days, reported WSB-TV. While some workers are not showing up after going weeks without pay, others have reportedly just quit.

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NBA turns Atlanta Hawks strip-club night on its head: 'Canceling ... is the right decision'

The NBA's Atlanta Hawks will not be permitted to celebrate a strip club at an upcoming home game.

The team's "Magic City Monday" game against the Orlando Magic was set for March 16 in an effort to celebrate local nude dancing venue Magic City with wings, musical performances, and podcasts.

'Can we just not be tied to a strip club?'

While multiple Hawks executives promoted the night — and the strip club — as a celebration of Atlanta's cultural fabric, the promotion drew ire from at least a couple of NBA players, including San Antonio Spurs player Luke Kornet, who asked the league to protect women, not denigrate them.

Despite the Hawks telling the New York Post that the event will go on as planned and Magic City telling TMZ there would be no nudity at the arena, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Monday the league was canceling the event.

"When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks' scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale," Silver wrote, per NBA Communications.

Silver went on, "While we appreciate the team's perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners, and employees."

"I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community," the commissioner concluded.

Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage

The Hawks told TMZ in response that they are "very disappointed in the NBA's decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion."

Although they respect the league's decision, the team added that they remain committed to "celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together."

The team will still move forward with a performance by rapper T.I. on the night in question, though.

Magic City, on the other hand, did not complain, said it was "hyped to team up with the Hawks," and that it was "an honor just getting picked" by the team for a celebration.

Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Fox Sports Radio personality Rob Parker said on Monday that he disagreed with the decision to cancel the promotion and asked why the themed night would be announced in the first place if the NBA was going to cancel it.

"Horrible public relations by the NBA to cave; 100%. Never should have got to the stage of this without the league at least signing off on something of this magnitude. I don't believe that people are doing their own thing and the NBA doesn't know anything is going on," Parker said on "The Odd Couple" show.

Parker said that he largely disagreed with the cancellation because people had already bought their tickets and because the Hawks were planning to celebrate a legal establishment.

"The league probably had no real position on it until all the pushback started, and then that's when the league got involved," he added.

Co-host Kelvin Washington disagreed, saying, "The NBA is a massive corporation, billions and billions of dollars that's tied to other massive corporations."

"I'm not shocked the Hawks wanted to do this and went ahead. I kept telling you I was shocked the NBA was OK with them doing this," Washington said.

"Magic City, for you to say 'this institution' — and actually it is in Atlanta — but it is also, at the end of the day, a strip club," Washington put it bluntly.

"Like, that's what it is," Washington concluded.

"The NBA may want to say, and their sponsors say, 'Eh, can we just not be tied to a strip club?'"

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'A form of art': NBA star Draymond Green defends strip-club night at Hawks game as 'inclusive' promotion

NBA player Draymond Green has come out in defense of stripping as "art" and says a strip club is part of Atlanta's culture.

The statements stem from controversy over the NBA's Atlanta Hawks hosting a "Magic City Monday" game on March 16 against the Orlando Magic. Magic City is a famous strip club in Atlanta.

'It's actually a form of art that some choose to indulge in and some choose not to indulge in.'

Following the team's announcement of the celebration — which includes music, wings, and podcasts — San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet condemned the promotion and said it denigrates women.

"The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women. ... We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love," Kornet wrote. His sentiment was shared by Golden State Warriors veteran Al Horford.

However, Horford's teammate Green had a much different view, stating on his podcast that he objects to Kornet's remarks, despite having daughters.

"I object to what Luke Kornet is saying. ... As a man with a wife, as a man with daughters, as a man with sisters, and as a man with an amazing mother and an amazing grandmother and incredible aunts and nieces," Green began.

The 36-year-old then described Magic City as an extremely successful business that simply has "an option for females to work there."

When it came to directly addressing Kornet's remarks, Green first mentioned that it is entirely optional for anyone to visit the strip club. He then took issue with Kornet condemning stripping as a job, describing it as one would a regular profession.

"I think to point out that they have esteem issues because that's the line of work they chose, I actually think is less protective of women because you're condemning something as if — it's actually an art," Green claimed. "I don't know if you've ever been, but like, if you see it in action, it's actually a form of art that some choose to indulge in and some choose not to indulge in."

Green went into a further defense of strippers and said that "because a woman decides that that's the art that they want to partake in and that the customer wants to take in," it is "reflective on society's thoughts and how they once viewed things."

"I don't necessarily think it's a hit on the esteem of women," he added.

Green then cited rapper Cardi B as a former stripper who does not appear to have "esteem issues," because she has a successful music career. He also claimed that the reason the NBA is allowing the event to happen is because "the NBA as a community is a very inclusive community."

Echoing Hawks ownership and staff, Green then described Magic City as part of Atlanta's culture.

For example, Jami Gertz, an owner of the Hawks, said last week, "The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture."

Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

Former NBA player Lou Williams, who had a pair of two-year stints with the Hawks, was far more impartial on the matter than Green was.

"Everybody won't be happy about everything," he told TMZ. "I think it's an opportunity for everybody to be educated on things that they agree with and things that they don't agree with."

The Hawks have remained steadfast, though, telling the New York Post that the event will go on as planned.

In a separate statement to TMZ, Magic City manager JuJu Barney said, "There will be no nudity whatsoever, at all" at the event. He added, "There will be no signs of nudity. There will be no nudity at all. It's strictly just wings and music and people having a good time."

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Atlanta Hawks strip club promotion called out by Catholic NBA player: 'Protect and esteem women'

The NBA has described a strip club as an "iconic cultural institution."

Along with musical performances, a podcast, and chicken wings, the Atlanta Hawks have announced a "Magic City Monday" on March 16 against the Orlando Magic.

'Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community.'

In the official announcement, promoted by the NBA itself, the league declined to note that Magic City — the establishment being celebrated — is actually a strip club, nor did it even describe it in a tamer fashion, like an exotic dancing club, for example.

Instead, the venue was celebrated as having a "pivotal role in hip-hop and Black culture."

"This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together 'Magic City: An American Fantasy,'" said Jami Gertz, principal owner of the Hawks. "The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture."

Melissa Proctor, Hawks executive vice president, avoided stating the true nature of the club also, instead mentioning "the food ... the music and the exclusive merchandise."

The bizarre promotion drew reaction from San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet, who pointed to the obvious omission of Magic City being "Atlanta's premier strip club."

In a written post to his page on Medium earlier this week, Kornet — a devout Catholic, according to the New York Times — asked the NBA to cancel the promotion and to respect and protect women instead.

"The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world. We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love."

The 30-year-old went on: "Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society."

Along with stating that he and other players were surprised by the themed night, Kornet said the league should hold a "higher standard" for what it promotes.

Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

"The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned" with what the NBA purports to be, Kornet added.

Sharing Kornet's sentiment was Golden State Warriors veteran Al Horford.

"Well said Luke," Horford wrote on X, sharing a copy of Kornet's statements. Horford played for the Hawks from 2007 to 2016.

Despite the brazen celebration of the club, this appears to be the only instance that the NBA or one of its teams has promoted a business of this nature.

The Hawks and NBA did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Atlanta police make arrest in connection with homeowner who cops say shot 2 teenage porch pirates

Atlanta police made an arrest late last week in connection with a homeowner who cops said shot two teenage porch pirates.

Police said Rakim Bradford, 34, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Fulton County Jail records indicate Bradford was booked into jail Friday and released Sunday.

Police said officers responded around 3:40 p.m. Thursday to the scene on Celeste Lane SW and found a 16-year-old male who apparently was shot in his right arm, and a 15-year-old male who apparently was shot in his right foot.

The 16-year-old male was taken to a hospital in critical condition, underwent surgery, and is expected to survive his injury, police said, adding that the 15-year-old was alert, conscious, and breathing, and was transported to a hospital for treatment.

Bradford's arrest warrant indicates the teens saw a delivery van in the townhome complex and then "agreed to steal that package from the front of the residence,” Atlanta News First reported.

However, before the teens were able to make off with the package, Bradford opened the door and shot at them, Atlanta News First added, citing the warrant.

"Don't go and steal people's packages," neighbor Andrew Julian told Atlanta News First. "On the other side of that, what right do you have to defend your own home, and then what decision do you make to defend your own home based on somebody taking an item off of your porch? So, it's certainly a conversation to be had."

Nubian Barnes, a neighbor of Bradford's in the Villages of Cascade Townhome community, told WSB-TV she could understand his frustrations: "I can. But to shoot them. I don’t know. I just don’t feel he should have shot him."

Barnes added to the station that shooting the teens could have resulted in fatalities: "And then he would have been facing murder charges. All because of a package that probably didn’t cost that much. Definitely didn’t cost a human life."

Reginald Boudreaux added to WSB that the shooting was "crazy to me. Like, you call the police. That’s what police are for."

Quin King noted to WSB that the shooting was "just so much over packages. Packages can be replaced," she said.

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'You done f**ked up, son!' Cop rubs it in after capturing homicide suspect armed with handgun modified as fully automatic

Atlanta police officers from a special unit were seen on dashcam and bodycam videos converging upon and tackling a homicide suspect who was armed with a handgun modified as fully automatic, police said in a video released earlier this month.

Police said officers with the Auto Crimes Enforcement Unit were alerted to a homicide suspect driving in the area of Pickfair Way SW near Ashwood Avenue NW on Oct. 28.

'Ram our f**kin' car?'

The officers located the suspect's vehicle and then used their patrol vehicles to box in the suspect's vehicle, police said.

However, the suspect rammed patrol vehicles in front of him and behind him in an attempt to escape before fleeing from his vehicle while armed with a handgun that had been modified to be a fully automatic weapon, police said.

Image source: Atlanta Police Department video screenshot

While running from his car, the suspect threw the gun into an adjacent wooded area, after which officers took him down to the street.

Image source: Atlanta Police Department

"Get your ass on the ground!" one officer yelled at the suspect.

Once lying upon the street, the suspect quickly gave himself up, telling the arresting officer, "You got me!'

But the officer rubbed in the arrest just a bit, telling the suspect as he handcuffed him, "You done f**ked up, son! ... Ram our f**kin' car? We ain't the normal police, pimp!"

Content warning: Language:

Police said the suspect was identified as 37-year-old Keith Hawkins, who was wanted for his involvement in a homicide that occurred at 700 Eloise Street SE on April 9.

Hawkins was charged with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (two counts), possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a machine gun, willful obstruction of law enforcement officers, and operating a vehicle without insurance, police said.

Image source: Atlanta Police Department

Hawkins was taken to the Fulton County Jail for processing, police added.

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Atlanta homeowner shoots 2 juveniles who were taking packages from his porch, police say

An Atlanta homeowner shot two juveniles who were taking packages from his porch Thursday afternoon, police said.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told WXIA-TV that officers responded around 3:30 p.m. to the 800 block of Celeste Lane in the Mays neighborhood, which is part of the Villages of Cascade complex, after reports of shots fired. The townhomes are down the street from a high school, the station said.

'At that exact moment, was he realistically and reasonably under an apparent threat?'

WXIA said a 15-year-old was shot in the foot while a second juvenile was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Police told the station late Thursday night that he made it through surgery and is expected to survive. WXIA said in its video report that the second juvenile was shot in the arm.

Schierbaum told the station that investigators determined the two juveniles were taking packages from a townhome when the homeowner came outside and opened fire.

The homeowner was taken to police headquarters for questioning, WXIA said, and officers executed a search warrant at the residence as part of the ongoing investigation.

“That search warrant is allowing us to gather evidence, is allowing us to gain clarity,” Schierbaum added to the station.

The chief also noted to WXIA: “The Atlanta Police Department takes gun violence very seriously. It's been the charge of Mayor [Andre] Dickens to address gun violence in our city; that's why you see a robust response. But anytime a child is injured in our city, we really take that seriously. And we want to make sure we know what’s happening as individuals being held accountable."

The station added that the shooting is stirring debate over the use of deadly force to protect property.

Atlanta criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer, who is not affiliated with the case, told WXIA that people in Georgia have the right to protect themselves and their property, but deadly force must be justified.

“Were these two young men on the doorstep acting in a violent or threatening manner, or were they running away? What juncture did the homeowner decide to discharge their personal weapon using deadly force, and were they justified? That’s going to depend on the facts,” Schiffer told the station. “At that exact moment, was he realistically and reasonably under an apparent threat?”

Police added to WXIA that charges, if any, will depend on evidence and witness statements gathered as part of its investigation.

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