Airport wait time chaos eases; Trump threatens major Iran escalation

Happy Monday. Welcome back! I cannot stop thinking about the KitKat heist that happened last week in Europe. What will the perpetrator do with 12 tons of KitKat bars? That’s more than 413,000 chocolate bars!

Airport wait times improve

Airport wait times improve

TSA employees begin receiving backpay

TSA employees begin receiving backpay

US reportedly preparing Iran ground operation

US reportedly preparing Iran ground operation

Iran warns against US sending ground troops

Iran warns against US sending ground troops

Military complex to be built under Trump’s ballroom

Military complex to be built under Trump’s ballroom

GOP’s next immigration target

GOP’s next immigration target

Programming note: The Hill’s 12:30 Report will not publish for the rest of the week. We will be back on Monday, April 6, with everything you may have missed. Happy Easter! 🐰🐣

Airport wait times are finally calming down a bit:

Airport wait times have started to ease this morning as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees begin receiving their missed paychecks after working without pay for more than a month.

Two TSA workers in Atlanta told CNN they have received two full paychecks. However, it’s unclear how many TSA employees have received their backpay. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told The Hill that TSA officers will begin seeing their paychecks as soon as today.

✈️ In Baltimore: Wait times have improved in Baltimore after a chaotic weekend. 📸 Photos from BWI this morning 📸 More photos

✈️ In Atlanta: Travelers experienced shorter wait times in Atlanta on Sunday, per Fox 5 Atlanta. However, the airport is still warning passengers to arrive at least four hours before their departure.

✈️ In Houston: Fox News’s Brooke Taylor posted a video of airport workers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport taking down the makeshift lanes that had been made outside of the terminal. 🎥 Watch

Reminder: President Trump has ordered DHS to pay TSA workers despite the ongoing shutdown. He pulled the funds from his One Big Beautiful Act that Republicans passed last summer.

Where the shutdown stands: Congress left town despite the spiraling crisis at some major U.S. airports with big security lines and TSA employees calling out from work. The Senate unanimously voted to end the shutdown on Friday, but House Republicans rejected the plan because it didn’t include funding for the immigration leg of the department.

TMZ is getting involved: Entertainment tabloid TMZ asked travelers to submit photos of U.S. lawmakers on vacation “at your expense” after leaving town for a two-week recess.

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