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DAVID: COMING UP ON "BLOOMBERG THIS WEEKEND," THE NATIONWIDE GROUND STOPS LIFTED. THE MESS REMAINS.

DOES THAT MEAN EVERY FLIGHT IS GOING TO FLY? RIGHT NOW, IT IS GOING TO BE SLOW. IT WILL TAKE US SOME TIME TO UNWIND WHAT HAS HAPPENED. DAVID: WHAT THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND TRANSPORTATION SAY IF THEY NEED TO KEEP THE SKIES SAFE. CHRISTINA: PLUS, PRESIDENT TRUMP PREPARES TO HEAD TO CHINA AS THE NVIDIA CRISIS EXPLODES.

THEY WERE IN FAVOR OF PUTTING MEGASPEED ON THE ENTITY LIST FOR MONTHS, BUT COMMERCE HAS -- DAVID: AND A SETBACK FOR SPACEX AS IT TRIES TO MAKE THE WORLD'S FIRST FULLY REASONABLE ROCKET. IT CAN IT BRING THE REST OF THE SPACECRAFT BACK TO EARTH SAFELY? CHRISTINA: HAPPY SATURDAY. WELCOME TO "BLOOMBERG THIS WEEKEND." NEW YORK. I AM USING THE ROUBINI. DAVID: I AM DAVID GURA ALONGSIDE LISA MATEO. WELCOME TO OUR LISTENERS AND VIEWERS ACROSS OUR BLOOMBERG PLATFORMS, STREAMING ON BLOOMBERG RADIO.

HELLO TO THE WEARY TRAVELERS FROM NEWARK. I'VE BEEN THERE, WATCHING BLOOMBERG FROM THE GATE. CHRISTINA: FOR OUR VISUAL VIEWERS, WE HAVE A SOMEWHAT CHEERY SUNRISE OVER ATLANTA, WHERE THINGS HOPEFULLY ARE LOOKING UP FOR TRAVELERS. BUT WE THOUGHT WE KNEW WHAT OUR STORE WAS GOING TO BE TODAY. WE WERE GOING TO BREAK DOWN THE WARS, TALK ABOUT JENSEN HUANG, NVIDIA. THEN AROUND 5:00, ALL OF OUR PHONES STARTED BLOWING UP. I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU.

EVERY FRIEND I'VE EVER KNOWN AS WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE AIRPLANES? DAVID: NATIONWIDE GROUND STOP IN THE 4:00 OR 5:00 HOUR FOR FOUR HOURS. FIRST, LET'S GO TO LISA MATEO FOR A CHECK ON THAT. LISA: THE TRUMP REGISTRATION -- ADMINISTRATION IS ASKING FOR EMERGENCY FUNDING TO HELP UPDATE THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM. THAT FOUR HOUR SHUT DISRUPTIVE THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS NATIONWIDE. THE FAA SAID IT WAS DUE TO A DATA OVERLOAD THAT CRIPPLED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL COMMUNICATIONS AND RADAR.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY --

WE HAVE TDM TELECOMS, SO THIS IS ANALOG TELECOMS. OUR SWITCHES, ROUTERS GOT OVERLOADED WITH DATA. WE WENT DOWN. I SHOULD NOT SAY THEY WENT DOWN. THEY STARTED TO GIVE US INCONSISTENCY IN THE DATA. LISA: AMERICAN AIRLINES AND JETBLUE WARNED OF DELAYS INTO TODAY, WHILE OFFICIALS SAY THE SYSTEMS WILL BE BACK TO NORMAL BEFORE THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY. LAST NIGHT, THIS TRAVEL IN DALLAS WAS HOPING TO MAKE IT IN TIME FOR A SPECIAL FAMILY EVENT.

MY DAUGHTER IS GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW, SO WE ARE TRYING TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN GET THERE. HOPEFULLY THIS LETS UP. LISA: HOPE SHE DOES. WHILE FLIGHTS WERE GROUNDED, WHAT DID LAUNCH WAS SPACEX'S MASSIVE STARSHIP. IT BLASTED OFF FROM THE STARBASE FACILITY IN TEXAS. THE COMPANY IT HOPED TO PERFORM A DOUBLE CATCH OF BOTH HALVES OF STARSHIP ON THIS FLIGHT, BUT IT CANCELED PLANS TO RETRIEVE THE BOOSTER USING THOSE ABSTRACTS -- OUTSTRETCHED ARMS.

THE STARSHIP HOPES TO PERFORM A LANDING ON EARTH TODAY. MIRACLE ON THE MISSISSIPPI AFTER ALL PASSENGERS AND CREW MEMBERS WERE RESCUED FROM A RIVER CRUISE SHIP AFTER COLLIDING WITH A TANQUERAY. THE ATLANTIC ASPHALT TANKER HAD LOST CONTROL AND STRUCK THE AMERICAN HERITAGE RIVER CRUISE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT THE PORT OF NEW ORLEANS. THE CREW SHOULD BEGAN TO SHIP BEFORE TIPPING OVER, SENDING PASSENGERS INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR A SUCCESSOR TO FORMER NVIDIA CEO JENSEN HUANG COPTER BEING OUSTED FOR REPORTS OF MULTIPLE EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS. BLOOMBERG CAME OUT WITH A LIST OF EXECUTIVES LIKELY AS INTERIM CEO COLETTE KRESS -- POSITION. ARM HAS A CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH NVIDIA AND HAAS IS A FORMER NVIDIA EXECUTIVE. AND THERE'S ALSO AMD CEO LISA SU, WHO HAPPENS TO BE JENSEN HUANG'S COUSIN. AND PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS FLOATED THE IDEA OF NVIDIA HIRING FORMER APPLE CEO TIM COOK.

THERE ARE A FEW MORE NAMES OF COMPANIES, LIKE AMAZON WEB SERVICES, MICRON, GOOGLE AS WELL. CHECK OUT THE TERMINAL FOR THAT COMPLETE LIST. DAVID: I FORGET THE LINE FROM THE PRESIDENT ON THE LEDGE LEGEND OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. CHRISTINA: HAS ANYONE ASKED TIM COOK? MAYBE HE IS ENJOYING RETIREMENT. LISA, THANK YOU SO MUCH. FIRST, WE WILL BEGIN WITH WHAT EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT. THE DEVELOPING STORY AT AMERICAN AIRPORTS.

NATIONWIDE HALT IN AIR TRAVEL AT A SCALE NOT SEEN SINCE SEPTEMBER 11. DAVID: THE FAA CALLED IT A TEMPORARY TELECOMMUNICATIONS ISSUE, NOT A SECURITY INCIDENT. BUT THE CHAOS LEFT TRAVELERS SCRAMBLING. SOME 16,000 FLIGHTS DELAYED OR CANCELED FRIDAY, WITH THOUSANDS MORE CANCELED TODAY. JOINING US NOW IS GEORGE FERGUSON, SENIOR AIRLINES ANALYST AT BLOOMBERG INTELLIGENCE. LET ME START WITH A BIT OF TAPE. THIS IS FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE THAT TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT.

THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

THEY WERE PUTTING NEW EQUIPMENT AND NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND THAT NEW EQUIPMENT, NEW TECHNOLOGY, IT WAS OVERWHELMING THE OLDER SYSTEM. WHICH IS WHY SECRETARY DUFFY MADE IT VERY CLEAR. THE PATCHWORK DOES NOT WORK. WE NEED ONE COMPLETE SYSTEM. DAVID: LET ME JUST HAVE YOU PARSE WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE SECRETARY, TALKING ABOUT PATCHES, NEW TECHNOLOGY. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF WHAT HAPPENED? HOW HOLISTIC OF AN UNDERSTANDING DO WE HAVE OF WHAT HAPPENED FRIDAY?

GEORGE: WE HAVE A VERY SMALL UNDERSTANDING AT THIS POINT. BUT WE KNOW THERE IS A LARGE AMOUNT OF LEGACY SYSTEMS, THAT U.S. AIR CONTROL SYSTEM, AND IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO GET A SINGLE FIXED. YOU HAVE TO CONTINUALLY LAY IT INTO AN EXISTING SYSTEM, SO YOU CAN KEEP AIR TRAVEL GOING. IT IS A CONSTANT JOB. IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE IF YOU GET ONE BIG $40 BILLION, 50 BILLION DOLLARS TO UPDATE IT RIGHT AWAY. THESE SYSTEMS CONTINUE.

SOUNDS LIKE THEY LAID NEW EQUIPMENT THAT IS NOT MUTATING CORRECTLY WITH OLD COMMUNITY. THANK GOODNESS THEY FOUND HER BEFORE THANKSGIVING WEEKEND, BECAUSE IT WILL GET EVEN BUSIER. I AM KIND OF SURPRISED THAT IS BREAKING DOWN HERE. CHRISTINA: I WANT TO ASK ABOUT THE TIMING OF THIS. I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. ONE IS NOBODY KNEW THERE COULD BE AN INHERENT RISK UPDATING JUST HALF OF THE SYSTEM WHEN SO MUCH OF IT IS OLD, ANALOG, STILL COPPER WIRE?

I WAS TALKING TO SOMEBODY LAST NIGHT THAT OF COURSE YOU ARE OUTPUTTING SOME SORT OF TRANSLATOR BETWEEN THOSE TWO SYSTEMS, WILL OVERWHELM IT. HOW DID THEY NOT KNOW THIS WAS A RISK BEFOREHAND, AND WHY WOULD THEY BE DOING THESE UPGRADES IN THE MIDDLE OF A FRIDAY AHEAD OF A TRAVEL WEEKEND? GEORGE: THAT IS A QUESTION I'VE, TOO. I WOULD EXPECT THEM TO BE DURING THIS DURING THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING ON A MONDAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHERE YOU HAVE MINIMAL AIR TRAVEL.

BUT CLEARLY THEY ARE TRYING THIS AT PEAK HOURS, OR AT LEAST THE EFFECTS NOT FELT IN PEAK HOURS. THESE ARE VERY COMPLEX SYSTEMS, WITH REDUNDANCIES BUILT IN. I THINK THEY WOULD HAVE -- IT IS ALWAYS HARD TO KNOW ALL OF THE RAMIFICATIONS IN THE SYSTEM. SOMETIMES EVEN THE SYSTEMS ARE NOT AROUND ANYMORE AND THERE IS NOT ANY COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION CARE THAT CAN BE A PROBLEM. DAVID: I REMEMBER AFTER THAT MIDAIR COLLISION OVER NATIONAL AIRPORT, A LOT OF IMPULSE FOR THE SAKE GET TAKEN CARE OF MORE QUICKLY.

THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT MODERNIZING THE SYSTEM. I THOUGHT WE WERE WELL ON THE WAY OF THAT HAPPENING. WHAT IS THE STATUS SINCE WE HEAR THE TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY TALK ABOUT THE NEED FOR $50 BILLION TO DO ALL IT? WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE HOLD UP? GEORGE: AGAIN, YOU GOT TO BUILD IT INTO A SYSTEM WORKING TODAY. YOU CANNOT SHUT THE SYSTEM DOWN TO REJUVENATE THE WHOLE THING. THE CHALLENGE IS HOW DO YOU BUILD NEW, BETTER SYSTEMS INTO OLD EXISTING SYSTEMS AND NOT HURT SAFETY?

I THINK THEY ARE CONSTANTLY MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE NETWORK. TECHNOLOGY HAS COME A LONG WAY, AND AIR TRAVEL CONTINUES TO GROW 3%, 4% A YEAR. THE BURDEN WILL CONTINUE. MY SENSE IS WE ARE BEHIND THE CURVE, AND WE PROBABLY NEED TO SPEND MORE MONEY. MORE EFFORT TO GET OUT OF THE CURVE. A LOT OF TIMES WHAT I FIND TODAY IS IT IS NOT EVEN THE MONEY, IT IS THAT PROFESSIONALS TO GET THE WORK DONE, LABORERS TO GET THE WORK DONE, THEY ARE TO HANG UP, BECAUSE IT IS HARD TO FIND THEM.

EVERYTHING COSTS MORE. EVERYTHING TAKES LONGER. I SUSPECT THE FAA IS FINDING THAT SAME