American Airlines was forced to ground all flights in the US on Christmas Eve due to an unspecified technical issue.

The airline did not immediately say why it was stopping all flights, but social media was quickly abuzz with travellers worrying about getting to their loved ones for the holiday.

A groundstop notice was lifted not long after it was issued, but the possibility of disruption remains with so many flights needing to make up time.

Earlier on Tuesday, the airline said on social media: “An estimated timeframe has not been provided, but they’re trying to fix it in the shortest possible time.”

The Federal Aviation Agency said American Airlines was reporting “a technical issue and has requested a nationwide ground stop”.

In an update on Tuesday afternoon it said: “American Airlines reported a technical issue this morning and requested a nationwide ground stop. The ground stop has now been lifted.”

Passengers on social media reported having their flights stuck on the runway at various airports and being sent back to the gate.

American Airlines operates thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries.

It comes months after a faulty CrowdStrike software update led to worldwide flight cancellations.

Matt Gaetz, who was briefly Donald Trump’s nominee for US attorney general, paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, and used drugs while he was a member of Congress, a committee has said.

The House Ethics Committee’s report concluded there was “substantial evidence” that the former Florida congressman violated House rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct banning prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, and obstruction of Congress.

And the committee accused the 42-year-old of accepting gifts of luxury travel in excess of permissible limits with a trip to the Bahamas in 2018.

The House of Representatives panel wrote: “From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.”

The Republican, who denies any wrongdoing, had sought a restraining order against the committee in a bid to halt the release of its report summarising its investigation.

The filing accused the committee of an “unconstitutional” attempt “to exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen through the threatened release of an investigative report containing potentially defamatory allegations, in violation of the committee’s own rules”.

Last month, Trump ally Mr Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be the next US attorney general – the country’s top legal official.

Mr Gaetz said his selection was “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the transition of Mr Trump’s administration into the White House.

The Florida Republican had faced scrutiny over previous sex trafficking allegations which were investigated by the department he had been picked by the president-elect to lead.

Mr Gaetz was re-elected to the House of Representatives in November this year but resigned after Mr Trump nominated him as attorney general.

The 37-page House report said: “From at least 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him.

“In 2017, Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. During the period 2017 to 2019, Representative Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.”

‘Sex with 17-year-old girl’

The ethics panel received testimony that Mr Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl, described in the report as Victim A.

It said: “Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex.

“Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.”

Mr Gaetz was investigated by the Justice Department for three years over sex trafficking allegations. No criminal charges were brought.

The ethics panel said there was not enough evidence that Mr Gaetz violated the federal sex trafficking statute.

All of the women who testified said the sexual encounters with Mr Gaetz were consensual.

‘I feel violated’

However, one woman told the committee that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have “impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent”.

Another woman told the committee: “When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated.”

The suspect accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare has pleaded not guilty to 11 murder and terror charges.

Authorities say Luigi Mangione shot dead Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of 4 December.

The 26-year-old was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.

Mangione was detained in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said.

He was extradited from Pennsylvania on Thursday and quickly rushed to New York City.

As well as this state trial, he also faces a federal charges. The two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, prosecutors have said.

Mangione is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.

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