“The shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration that will occur Friday night if Congress does not reach a deal to extend its authorization would result in the ‘immediate furlough’ of 4,000 workers, bring a halt to $2.5 billion in airport construction projects, and cost the government about $200 million a week in lost airline ticket taxes, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on a conference call Thursday.” [ThinkProgress]

“Hundreds of bars, restaurants and stores across Minnesota are running out of beer and alcohol and others may soon run out of cigarettes — a subtle and largely unforeseen consequence of a state government shutdown.” [Minneapolis StarTribune]

This is a dust storm, or “Haboob”. It’s about ten thousand feet high, and fifty miles wide. It is not a trailer for Roland Emmerich’s new movie about the Dust Bowl.

Watch a 50-Mile Wide Dust Storm Devour Phoenix [Atlantic, with more video and photos]

“The Cuomo administration is expected to lift what has been, in effect, a [New York] moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial technology used to extract natural gas from shale, people briefed on the administration’s discussions said on Thursday.” A Cuomo spokesbot calls it “baseless speculation and premature”. [NYT]

“Newt Gingrich’s top two fundraising advisers resigned on Tuesday, and officials said the Republican candidate’s hobbling presidential campaign carried more than $1 million in debt.” [AP]

Oh, by the way, we’re about to add chills to our fever:

What may be the science story of the century is breaking this evening, as heavyweight US solar physicists announce that the Sun appears to be headed into a lengthy spell of low activity, which could mean that the Earth — far from facing a global warming problem — is actually headed into a mini Ice Age.

Bear in mind that the science is inconclusive — while it’s well-established that the Earth experienced a “Little Ice Age” from 1645-1715 the last time the Sun went somewhat dormant, NASA will only say that “the connection between solar activity and terrestrial climate is an area of on-going research.”

And, well, it doesn’t leave humanity off the hook — we’re doing our best to fuck up our environment in a million other ways, with or without the Sun’s help.

Earth may be headed into a mini Ice Age within a decade [The Register]

“Newt Gingrich’s top campaign aides resigned en masse today, POLITICO has learned. Campaign manager Rob Johnson, strategists Sam Dawson and Dave Carney, spokesman Rick Tyler, and consultants Katon Dawson in South Carolina and Craig Schoenfeld in Iowa have all quit to protest what two officials called their ‘different vision’ for the campaign.” [via SFL]