ATLANTA (AP) — Ahead of the World Cup, Chris Richards has a new take on what makes America unique.
“Maybe the TSA lines right now, that’s pretty American,” the U.S. defender said Monday ahead of a World Cup warmup match against Portugal.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Richards lives much of the year in London, where he plays for English club Crystal Palace. He arrived in the U.S. last week for a pair of national team friendlies in Atlanta.
His earlier take on what was uniquely American focused on food. During October friendlies in Texas and Colorado, he took teammates Cameron Carter-Vickers and Antonee Robinson, who grew up in England, to Chili's Grill and Bar as part of a group with Tim Weah, Weston McKennie and Mark McKenzie, according to cbssports.com.
“The Triple Dipper you have to get but then I think it’s the endless chips and salsa, but then also there’s sports on TV and also the chocolate molten lava cake and it’s just like you’re sitting there and you’re looking at the ground, the tile,” Richards was quoted as saying. “You’re like, this is beautiful. This is nostalgia. This is really America … I think that’s one of the things that makes us American — places like Chili’s are like a staple and I think they finally could have that stamp on their passport now that they’ve had Chili’s so I was happy for them.”
France coach Didier Deschamps spoke of airport security ahead of Sunday's friendly against Colombia at Landover, Maryland.
Speaking in a news conference ahead of Sunday’s clash with Colombia in Maryland, Deschamps revealed his shock at the rigorous protocols encountered upon arrival.
“At our arrival, we spent an incredible amount of time at the airport, with checks that I’ve never seen in my life,” the coach explained to reporters. “We are adapting.”
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Crystal Palace's Chris Richards challenges for the ball during the Conference League round of 16 second leg soccer match between AEK Larnaca and Chrystal Palace in Larnaca, Cyprus, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Most Transportation Safety Administration officers received most of their backpay Monday for working during the shutdown, the agency said. Weary travelers hope the overdue paychecks will lead to the end of the hours-long security lines that have been seen at several major U.S. airports in recent weeks.
Even before Acting TSA Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said most employees had received at least two full paychecks, wait times at some of the airports that have seen the longest lines, such as Atlanta, Houston and Baltimore, had improved significantly on Monday.
“Working without pay forced more than 500 officers to leave TSA and thousands were forced to call out,” Bis said. It remains unknown how long it will take for airport security lines to normalize — and how long federal immigration officers will stay in airports — as the busy spring break travel season continues.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
After weeks of chaos in U.S. airports, the Transportation Safety Administration said the first paychecks in weeks are being sent as early as Monday to its workers, giving the beleaguered aviation system a boost of optimism.
Wait times at some TSA security bottlenecks, such as the airport checkpoints in Atlanta and Houston, improved significantly Monday morning.
But how long it will take for long security lines to consistently return to normal — and how long federal immigration officers will stay in airports — remains unknown as the busy spring break travel season continues.
The DHS shutdown has resulted in not only travel delays but also warnings of airport closures as TSA workers missing paychecks stopped going to work. Those workers were just recovering financially since last fall’s extended government shutdown.
Wait times still pushed beyond two hours at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Monday morning. Baltimore-Washington International Airport had minimal wait-times Monday morning, but continued to advise travelers to arrive three hours before their scheduled departure.
President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA officers immediately to ease the lines plaguing airports. The move came after Trump rejected bipartisan congressional efforts to fund the TSA while negotiations continue with Democrats, who have refused to approve more funding without restraints on Trump’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations.
Democrats are demanding better identification for the officers, judicial warrants in some cases and for agents to refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Republicans and the White House have been willing to negotiate on some points, but the sides have yet to reach a final agreement.
On Monday, there were few signs of progress on Capitol Hill, where the Senate held a short session without considering the House bill and resumed its two-week break. GOP Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota said afterward that Senate Republicans are talking with Democrats and also the House as they try to find a way to funding DHS.
TSA employees had gone without pay since DHS funding lapsed in February. The department’s shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, eclipsing the record 43-day shutdown last fall that affected all of the federal government.
The DHS shutdown has resulted in not only travel delays but also warnings of airport closures as TSA workers missing paychecks stopped going to work. Those workers had already endured the nation’s longest government shutdown last fall. Multiple airports experienced greater than 40% callout rates, and nearly 500 of the agency’s nearly 50,000 transportation security officers quit during the shutdown.
Trump deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to some airports a week ago to help with security as TSA callouts rose nationwide. How long they stay, White House border czar Tom Homan said, depends on how quickly TSA employees return to work. A TSA statement said the agency “has immediately begun the process of paying its workforce,” with paychecks arriving “as early as Monday.”
The overall absentee rate among TSA officers scheduled to work dipped slightly on Sunday, according to DHS. The highest were concentrated at major airports that have seen consistently elevated absences lately.
Those included BWI, both of Houston’s main airports; Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans; Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport; and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Associated Press reporters Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed.
A TSA agent hands a passport back to a passenger at the security checkpoint in Pittsburgh International Airport Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A TSA agent hands a passport back to a passenger at the security checkpoint in Pittsburgh International Airport Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Travelers wait in long security checkpoint lines at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Friday, March 27, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A traveler reaches for a bottle of water being handed out while waiting in a security checkpoint line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Friday, March 27, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Airline passengers make their way through the security lines, next to a closed screening area, in Terminal C at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Houston. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
A traveler moves in view of an air traffic control tower at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
