DC Air Traffic Control Staffing 'Not Normal' Ahead Of Collision
Plus: Two Trump nominees face contentious confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill
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📌 INVESTIGATION BEGINS INTO PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED 67, AS TRUMP LOOKS TO BLAME DEI
Authorities have begun the grim process of investigating how a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet near Reagan National Airport (DCA) on Wednesday night. It is the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. since 2001, killing all 64 people on the commercial flight from Kansas to D.C., as well as three service members aboard the helicopter.
According to an internal preliminary safety report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic control tower staffing at Reagan Airport was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”
The report said, at the time of the collision, the same controller was directing plane arrivals/departures and helicopters in the area – usually two separate jobs. According to the country’s most recent Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, DCA has been understaffed for years.
Big picture: Due to factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, employee turnover, and tight budgets, many air traffic control facilities across the country are understaffed, leaving remaining employees to work long hours and up to six days a week.
One member of the Mo News community, whose brother controls air traffic near Oakland, said he rarely gets time off and has “forced overtime regularly.”
The FAA has not provided comment, and officials say it’s too early to determine if understaffing was a factor in Wednesday’s crash.
TRUMP BLAMES DEI
In a roughly 40-minute news conference on Thursday, Trump linked the tragedy to DEI policies during the Biden and Obama administrations. Later that day, he ordered a DEI review of all federal aviation hiring and safety decisions.
He claimed these policies resulted in the appointment of unqualified individuals at the FAA, compromising aviation safety.
Though Trump blamed the Biden administration specifically, Forbes reports that the FAA’s diversity website listed a commitment to hiring diverse and disabled candidates as early as 2013 and throughout Trump’s first term. It actually turns out that some of the diversity programs he railed against were actually launched during his first term.
Trump attacked former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as “a disaster” and blamed him for running the department “right into the ground with his diversity.”
…THEN POINTS FINGERS AT HELICOPTER CREW
Trump also placed blame for Wednesday's fatal crash on the U.S. Army helicopter crew, saying, “The people in the helicopter should’ve seen where they were going.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported that the crew on the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the collision was “fairly experienced” and was doing an “annual proficiency training flight.”
Sean Duffy, the new transportation secretary, said that the flight paths of the plane and helicopter were “not unusual for what happens in the D.C. airspace” and that U.S. military helicopters routinely fly up and down the Potomac River.
He also confirmed that there was no communication breakdown between the control tower and the two aircrafts, consistent with audio released. That said, he called the crash “absolutely preventable.”
Duffy and Hegseth had been in their new roles for just a couple of days before the tragedy occurred. On Thursday, in the aftermath of the crash, Trump named Christopher Rocheleau to be the acting FAA commissioner.
The former FAA administrator had resigned when Trump took office, after reportedly clashing with Elon Musk.
The independent, nonpartisan National Transportation Safety Board is urging people not to speculate about the cause of the collision. It plans to provide a preliminary report on the crash within 30 days.
THE VICTIMS
Among the 67 victims of Wednesday’s crash were 14 members of the figure skating community, who had attended the U.S. national figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe confirmed that teenage skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, as well as the former 1994 world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who had been coaching at the club.
Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan spoke at the Skating Club of Boston on Thursday. "We've been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we are strong," Kerrigan said, through tears.
📣 TAKING SAFETY FARTHER FROM INSTALLATION ON WITH BABYARK
Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cites that 59% of car seats are installed incorrectly.
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Because even the best car seat won’t work properly if not correctly installed.
Foolproof installation: The babyark’s Smart Base connects to the easy-to-use app and LED lights to ensure easy, accurate installation with live step-by-step guidance as you go.
Read more about babyark’s innovative technology, and buy a Smart seat today.
If only all parenting were this streamlined 😉
📌 CONFIRMATION HEARINGS: PATEL & GABBARD FIELD QUESTIONS ABOUT PAST COMMENTS
Two consequential (and controversial) confirmation hearings took place on Capitol Hill yesterday. Kash Patel faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee to lead the FBI, and Tulsi Gabbard spoke to the Senate Intelligence Committee as Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence.
QUESTIONABLE SUPPORT
Gabbard faced questions about past comments she’s made about controversial figures like Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked classified U.S. government information, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (here’s video of what she has said about Assad, who she met with in 2017).
Gabbard tried to get ahead of those concerns during her opening remarks, saying, “I have no love for Assad or any dictator. I just hate al-Qaeda.”
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who has voiced his support for her nomination, asked whether she considers Edward Snowden “a traitor.”
Gabbard would not directly answer the question and instead responded that, if confirmed, she would help ensure "that there is no future Snowden-type leak." Several other senators tried to ask the same question, and she repeatedly refused to call him a traitor.
Bottom Line: It appears Gabbard’s nomination is in significant jeopardy after the hearing, as a number of Republicans are considering voting against her. She can only lose 3.
FBI REFORM & JAN. 6
Over to the FBI Director confirmation hearing, where Patel had a slightly easier time. In one of the more surprising answers of the day, Patel broke with Trump on his pardons for those convicted of attacking police officers while storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
On Trump’s recent pardons for nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants, including individuals charged or convicted of violence against Capitol officers, Patel said, “I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.”
Despite concerns from Democrats that he will be more loyal to Trump than the law, Patel defended his loyalty to law enforcement, highlighting his years working as a public defender, federal prosecutor, and congressional staffer.
Patel faced questions about some of his past comments, including in his 2023 book, where he discussed targeting current and former U.S. officials he claims were part of the “Executive Branch deep state,” which he described as a “dangerous threat to democracy.” He was also asked about his comments on a podcast, where he said that he plans to turn the FBI headquarters into a “museum of the deep state.”
In an exchange with Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Patel said, "I have no interest, no desire, and will not, if confirmed, go backwards. There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI should I be confirmed as FBI director.”
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Trump’s orders take aim at critical race theory and antisemitism on college campuses (AP)
📌 CBS parent company appears ready to settle with Trump over lawsuit (NY TIMES)
📌 RFK Jr. stumbles over basics of Medicare, Medicaid during Senate confirmation hearings (CNBC)
📌 Trump says tariffs on Canada and Mexico coming Saturday, and he’s deciding whether to tax their oil (AP)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 3 Israeli and 5 Thai hostages are freed in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners (NPR)
📌 Authorities in St. Kitts and Nevis launch investigation after 19 people found dead in drifting vessel (CBS)
📌 Norway’s government collapses over EU spat (POLITICO)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 FDA approves first new type of pain medication in 25 years (CNN)
📌 Pending home sales drop sharply in December as mortgage rates surge back over 7% (NBC)
📌 Google’s ‘Ask for Me’ uses AI to call local businesses for you (THE VERGE)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 FIREAID concert takes place with major music stars (NBC NEWS)
📌 Prosecutors add two more victims to Sean 'Diddy' Combs federal indictment (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
📌 1960s pop icon Marianne Faithfull has died at her home in London (CNN)
📌 Country star Sam Hunt avoids charges after arrest for alleged speeding, anti-DUI device violation (PEOPLE)
📌 ‘Emilia Pérez’ star Karla Sofía Gascón under fire over Tweets about Muslims, George Floyd, Oscars diversity (VARIETY)