The Stateside Beat — Evening Audio Wrap · November 13, 2026

Evening audio brief for November 13, 2026 — tap play above to listen with slides and subtitles. Here's what happened on a wild Friday: an unprecedented nationwide flight ground stop, a ship collision on the Mississippi, a major Supreme Court immigration case, and the fallout from Washington's Nvidia scandal — all wrapped in under three minutes.

FAA grounds all US flights nationwide

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights Friday afternoon, citing "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety." The transportation secretary attributed the order to an air traffic control communications outage. The timing hit hard: a busy Friday evening travel window, with college football programs among those left grounded ahead of weekend games. Officials had not announced a timeline for resuming departures as of press time, and live updates continued through the evening.

Tanker hits riverboat on the Mississippi

An oil tanker collided with a docked riverboat in New Orleans just after 12:30 p.m. Friday, striking the American Cruise Lines vessel American Heritage on the Mississippi River. The riverboat appeared to capsize and take on water after the impact. In what local station WDSU called a "miracle on the Mississippi," officials reported that everyone aboard was accounted for, while search and rescue operations continued along the riverfront into the evening.

Supreme Court takes up asylum ban

The Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider President Trump's executive order suspending asylum access at the southern border. The case is one of the term's most consequential immigration disputes, and it puts the justices squarely back at the center of the border policy fight. Whichever way the court rules, the decision will shape who can seek protection at the border for years to come.

Lutnick faces ouster talk over Nvidia

President Trump's top economic advisers are openly clashing over Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's handling of the Nvidia affair. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pointed the finger at the Commerce Department over its failure to restrict a Singapore customer — Megaspeed — at the heart of the dispute tied to former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and administration advisers are now discussing a possible Lutnick ouster. Lutnick has agreed to testify before Congress as Republicans join the pile-on, with his family firm's deep ties to the chipmaker also under scrutiny.

Boebert out; Peltola widens Alaska lead

Midterm fallout kept rolling in. In Colorado, Trump-backed firebrand Lauren Boebert lost her reelection bid in the state's conservative 4th District, a notable upset for the MAGA wing. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola extended her lead over Senator Dan Sullivan to about 5,800 votes as ballot counting continues — a race that remains too close to call days after Election Day.

Brooklyn collapse death toll hits eight

Grief settled over a Brooklyn neighborhood after Wednesday's deadly building collapse in Flatbush. Officials now say at least two children and six adults died when the building came down next to an active demolition site — doorbell video captured the harrowing moment it fell. Engineers are questioning the city-approved plans, and city records show demolition next door continued despite a stop work order and an open violation.

Sources

The Stateside Beat Audio · November 13, 2026 · Evening · Narrated edition, compiled from NBC News, WDSU, AP, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Hill, and USA Today.