The U.S. military released new details Monday afternoon about another mysterious balloon that recently flew over Hawaii late last week.
&#8220;Applying newly-established parameters for monitoring U.S. airspace, the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detected and observed April 28th an unmanned, balloon off the coast of Hawaii, floating at approximately 36,000 feet,&#8221; a DOD spokesperson said in a statement.
&#8220;Ownership of the balloon is unknown, but there is no indication that it was maneuvering or being controlled by a foreign or adversarial actor,&#8221; the statement claimed. &#8220;The balloon did not transit directly over defense critical infrastructure or other U.S. Government sensitive sites, nor did it pose a military or physical threat to people on the ground.&#8221;
Officials said that it did not pose a threat to civil aviation despite it flying at an altitude common in civil aviation.
&#8220;Based on these observations, the Secretary of Defense concurred with the recommendation of his military commanders that no action need be taken against the balloon,&#8221; the statement concluded. &#8220;The balloon is now out of Hawaii’s airspace and territorial waters.&#8221;
NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-military-tracking-another-mysterious-balloon-rcna82300">reported</a> on the balloon earlier on Monday and said that officials believe that it is currently headed toward Mexico.
The report comes after a Chinese spy balloon flew over the U.S. back in February after President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration failed to shoot it down when it first entered U.S. airspace.
Biden officials initially <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/09/politics/spy-balloon-technology/index.html#">claimed</a> to Congress that they took measures to prevent the Chinese spy balloon from being able to transmit whatever information that it collected as it flew over sensitive U.S. military installations.
However, a report from early last month revealed that the balloon gathered and reported intelligence from multiple sensitive American military sites despite the Pentagon’s claims that it blocked transmission.
The report, which cites two current American officials and one former administration official, says the balloon was controlled by China, which maneuvered it to make several passes over certain military sites, sometimes in a figure-eight pattern – all while transmitting the gathered data back to Beijing in “real time.” The three officials say the data obtained by China was primarily electronic signals that could be collected from weapons systems or base communications.
The spy balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4 when the U.S. military used an F-22 Raptor to down the object with a single air-to-air AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.
General Glen VanHerck, Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), said that the balloon was up to 200 feet tall and weighed “in excess of a couple thousand pounds.”
After the balloon was shot down, the U.S. subsequently downed three more unidentified objects over Alaska, Lake Huron, and Canada.

Chinese spy balloon flying above Charlotte

U.S. Military Releases New Details About Balloon That Flew Over Hawaii

Balloon

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Global Politics

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/southwest-airlines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southwest Airlines</a> temporarily paused service on Tuesday morning over an unspecified internal technical issue, resulting in delays for nearly half of its <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/air-travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flights</a> only months after the company experienced a severe meltdown over the holiday travel season.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/federal-aviation-administration-faa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Aviation Administration</a> (FAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1648334637574356994" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Southwest requested a nationwide pause in departures and <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1648343231569035266" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> less than one hour later that the “pause has been lifted and their service has resumed.” The agency added that the temporary disruption was caused by a “technical issue with one of their internal systems.”
Roughly 1,800 Southwest flights, equivalent to 43% of the carrier’s departures, were delayed as of early Tuesday afternoon, according to <a href="https://uk.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from FlightAware, significantly exceeding the 5% of flights delayed at both United Airlines and American Airlines.
“We’ve resumed operations this morning following a pause in service,” Southwest said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/status/1648349441693298688" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> posted to social media, which added that the company would “work to restore operations and accommodate disrupted customers as quickly as possible.”
The technical issue comes after Southwest canceled some 16,700 flights between December 21 and December 31 amid heavy winter storms that impacted the United States in the days before Christmas. Even as other carriers resumed normal operations, Southwest continued to delay and cancel an elevated number of flights for several days. The company <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-reveals-how-much-holiday-flight-meltdown-will-cost-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimated</a> that between $725 million and $825 million would be lost in the aftermath of the cancellations and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-airlines-reports-massive-revenue-hit-after-christmas-meltdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> an immediate $220 million loss in the fourth quarter of last year.
“Let me be clear: we messed up. In hindsight, we did not have enough winter operational resilience,” Southwest Airlines COO Andrew Watterson said in recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-messed-up-southwest-executive-testifies-on-holiday-meltdown-chaos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarks</a> before the Senate Commerce Committee. “This created an unprecedented amount and frequency of required changes to crew schedules that overwhelmed our crew scheduling processes and technology.”
The company is unique among other major airlines in that flights are arranged in a point-to-point system rather than a hub model. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in the fourth quarter earnings <a href="https://swamedia.com/releases/release-f30033abc7ead7522c3ea8021c3d5d2d-southwest-airlines-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2022-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that “the priority of technology and other investments” will be elevated this year to bolster “operational resilience.”
Executives have attempted to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-gives-disgruntled-customers-frequent-flyer-points-in-aftermath-of-holiday-meltdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regain</a> the trust of disgruntled customers after thousands of passengers saw their flights delayed or canceled. At least some received reward points amounting to $300 in value; the company has also vowed to reimburse flyers for meals, hotel accommodations, rental cars, and tickets purchased with other carriers.
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“Southwest is intensely focused on reducing the risk of repeating the operational disruption we experienced in December,” Watterson added. “We are committed to running a great operation each and every day, and I have the utmost confidence that our people, processes, and technologies will do just that.”
The months since the Southwest cancellations have seen multiple air travel anomalies. The FAA <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/faa-reveals-more-details-on-system-outage-that-grounded-flights-nationwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grounded</a> all flights nationwide early on January 11 as the agency’s Notice to Air Missions system failed; officials later determined that “personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database.” A terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fire-power-outage-at-jfk-airport-causes-delayed-canceled-flights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">closed</a> on February 16 and reopened on February 17 due to a power outage and electrical panel fire.

Holiday travel woes for Southwest Airline passengers.

Southwest Sees Massive Number Of Flight Delays After Technical Issue

Southwest Delays Nearly Half Of Flights After Technical Issue

Air &amp; Space

Air Travel

Southwest Airlines

President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reportedly withdrawn his name from consideration after strong Republican criticism that he lacked experience in aviation safety. 
Phil Washington, the CEO of Denver International Airport and former CEO of the Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority, was nominated by Biden last July. On Saturday night, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/biden-nominee-head-faa-withdraws-after-republican-attacks-sources-2023-03-26/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> his nomination was withdrawn because he did not have enough votes to get out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. A statement from the White House confirmed that Washington withdrew his name. 
“Unfortunately, an onslaught of unfounded Republican attacks on Mr. Washington’s service and experience irresponsibly delayed this process, threatened unnecessary procedural hurdles on the Senate floor, and ultimately have led him to withdraw his nomination today,” Abdullah Hassan, a White House spokesman, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/26/us/politics/nominee-for-faa-post-withdraws-from-consideration.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The New York Times on Saturday. 
A vote from the committee was expected to take place last Wednesday but was delayed. Sources <a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-biden-nominee-phillip-washington-senate-48c1fe8ebe385294a2a5eddf45547a3d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Associated Press that Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an independent, was holding up the vote. Both Sinema and Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester declined to publicly say how they planned to vote. 
Republicans have strongly objected to Washington’s nomination, citing a lack of aviation background, specifically at a time when the country has experienced numerous air travel headaches and aviation near-misses. He was appointed CEO of Denver International Airport in 2021, but that&#8217;s his only aviation-related experience, <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/bidens-choice-faa-administrator-withdraws-nomination-after-lack-senate-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox Business. Beyond this criticism, Republicans also pointed to a corruption investigation he’s reportedly connected to in Los Angeles, in which Washington denied any wrongdoing. 
“The FAA needs a confirmed Administrator, and Phil Washington’s transportation &amp; military experience made him an excellent nominee,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg posted to Twitter. “The partisan attacks and procedural obstruction he has faced are undeserved, but I respect his decision to withdraw and am grateful for his service,” he added. 
During committee hearings in early March, Republicans didn’t hold back in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-recent-aviation-near-misses-gop-sen-warns-biden-faa-nominee-inexperienced-in-aviation-safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointing</a> out Washington&#8217;s employment history. North Carolina Republican Senator Ted Budd said, “The FAA can’t afford to be led by someone who needs on-the-job training.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) argued Washington’s “record is woefully lacking,” adding, “in fact, you have zero aviation safety experience.”
“Since Mr. Washington was nominated last July, it’s been clear to Democrat and Republican senators, numerous aviation groups, and any impartial observer that Mr. Washington lacked the aviation experience necessary to run the FAA,” Sen. Cruz said in a <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2023/3/sen-cruz-issues-statement-on-phil-washington-withdrawing-his-nomination-to-serve-as-faa-administrator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> Saturday. “Given the significant challenges facing the FAA, this wasn’t the time for an administrator who needed on-the-job training. The Biden administration must now quickly name someone to head the FAA who has an extensive aviation background, can earn widespread bipartisan support in the Senate, and will keep the flying public safe.”
The current acting administrator for the FAA, pilot Billy Nolen, could have the support of at least one Republican senator already. Sen. Cruz believes Nolen could receive bipartisan support should he be nominated, the Associated Press reported. According to the FAA <a href="https://www.faa.gov/about/key_officials/nolen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, Nolen has 33 years of experience in “operations and corporate safety, regulatory affairs and flight operations.”

Senate Commerce Committee FAA Nomination Hearing

Biden FAA Nominee Withdraws After Criticism Over Lack Of Aviation Safety Experience

Politics

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) hammered President Joe Biden&#8217;s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, Phil Washington, on Monday, saying that he has no experience in aviation or aviation safety.
&#8220;What the Biden administration is doing here is they&#8217;ve nominated him because some Colorado Democrats care about putting him in this position,&#8221; Cruz said on a new episode of &#8220;Verdict.&#8221; &#8220;Several Democrats have expressed concerns.&#8221;
&#8220;And I got to say, look, let&#8217;s say you&#8217;re a Democrat senator and let&#8217;s say you&#8217;re up for re-election in 2024 as a whole bunch of them are. Do you really want to cast a vote to confirm an FAA Administrator with zero experience in aviation or aviation safety?&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;You know, listen, if God forbid, in the next two years there&#8217;s an airline crash — and look, we&#8217;ve had a series of near misses. This position has not had a Senate-confirmed administrator in a year because the Biden administration doesn&#8217;t prioritize it.&#8221;
&#8220;Instead, they&#8217;re using it as a political benefit, as a gift, a patronage job,&#8221; Cruz continued. &#8220;Look, we ought to have an FAA administrator in there right now who knows what he or she is doing and is examining why are these near misses happening and how can we prevent them from happening? But if you&#8217;re a Democrat senator, and God forbid, there is an airline crash, do you really want to be going to your voters saying, ‘Yeah, I voted to put in place a guy who had no idea what he was doing. And now a bunch of people [have lost their lives]?'&#8221;
&#8220;The Biden White House is putting politics above the safety of you and your kids,&#8221; he added.
After serving in the Army for over two decades, Washington <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/us/politics/phil-washington-faa-nominee.html">served</a> as the CEO of Denver&#8217;s Regional Transportation District and as CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority. In 2021, he became the CEO of Denver International Airport.
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WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Planes, Trains &amp; FBI Raids | Verdict Ep.162" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4OJ6StpYefg?start=1766&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): What the Biden administration is doing here is they&#8217;ve nominated [Phil Washington], because some Colorado Democrats care about putting him in this position. And they&#8217;re treating the FAA as patronage position, they&#8217;re treating it as just a spoils system. ‘Let&#8217;s stick a Democrat’ because this makes Democrat politicians happy. Both Democrat senators from Colorado, came to the came to the committee and introduced him and this is all about the Denver mayor was there, this big song and dance? This is all about, we&#8217;re giving a favor, a political favor. … I don&#8217;t think he’ll be confirmed. Several Democrats have expressed concerns. And I gotta say, look, let&#8217;s say you&#8217;re a Democrat Senator and let&#8217;s say you&#8217;re up for re-election i2024 as a whole bunch of them are. Do you really want to cast a vote to confirm an FAA Administrator with zero experience in aviation or aviation safety? You know, listen, if God forbid, in the next two years there&#8217;s an airline crash &#8212; and look, we&#8217;ve had a series of near misses. This this position has not had a Senate confirmed administrator in a year because the Biden administration doesn&#8217;t prioritize it. Instead, they&#8217;re using it as a political benefit, as a gift, a patronage job… Look, we ought to have an FAA administrator in there right now who knows what he or she is doing and is examining why are these near misses happening and how can we prevent them from happening? But if you&#8217;re a Democrat Senator, and God forbid, there isn&#8217;t an airline crash, do you really want to be going to your voters saying, ‘Yeah, I voted to put in place a guy who had no idea what he was doing. And now a bunch of people [have lost their lives]’ … Look what [the Biden administration] needs to do, they need to pull this nomination. And they nominate need ot nominate someone who&#8217;s qualified. And if they nominate someone who&#8217;s qualified, who has real experience in aviation safety, that person is going to get confirmed with a big bipartisan majority. We all want to see someone in the FAA who knows how to make air travel safe. And right now, the Biden White House is putting politics above the safety of you and your kids.</blockquote>

Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz Hammers Biden Over Controversial Nominee For Federal Aviation Administration

Congress

Executive

Alaska Republican Senator Dan Sullivan warned that President Joe Biden&#8217;s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) might not be up to the task.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Sullivan questioned Biden’s choice of Phil Washington at a time when the country has experienced numerous transportation-related accidents and aviation “near misses.” The Alaska senator called for a “qualified head for the FAA.” 
“Americans take for granted that their aviation safety, flying in America, is the safest place to do it in the world,” Sullivan told host George Stephanopoulos. “But from my perspective, these are huge warning signs that you&#8217;re talking about, what we’ve been talking about. I think it&#8217;s been six near-misses in the last two months.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan tells <a href="https://twitter.com/GStephanopoulos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GStephanopoulos</a> that Pres. Biden’s nominee to lead the FAA “doesn’t have a lot of experience with regard to aviation safety.” 
&quot;We need a qualified head of the FAA. We need to be on this on safety now.” <a href="https://t.co/gnbo5ESGEh">https://t.co/gnbo5ESGEh</a> <a href="https://t.co/JEwldBfsUs">pic.twitter.com/JEwldBfsUs</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1632396838937538562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a confirmation hearing for Washington last Wednesday. Many Republicans tore into the nominee for what they claim is a lack of experience. North Carolina Republican Senator Ted Budd <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/us/politics/phil-washington-faa-nominee.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said,</a> “The FAA can’t afford to be led by someone who needs on-the-job training.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) argued Washington&#8217;s &#8220;record is woefully lacking,&#8221; adding, &#8220;in fact, you have zero aviation safety experience.&#8221; Sullivan echoed those sentiments on Sunday, saying it was a “tough hearing” for Washington, who &#8220;doesn&#8217;t have a lot of experience with regard to aviation safety.&#8221; 
“As a military veteran and leader of three large transportation organizations, my broad transportation safety knowledge and real world leadership experiences provide me a unique perspective on how aviation on all modes of transportation should integrate into a seamless system,” Washington <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/politics/phil-washington-senate-hearing/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> of his qualifications.
Washington, the current CEO of Denver International Airport and former CEO of the Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority, was nominated by Biden last July but did not <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/us/politics/phil-washington-faa-nominee.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">receive</a> a hearing at the time. His nomination was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/us/politics/phil-washington-faa-nominee.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resubmitted</a> in January, but the position hasn&#8217;t had a permanent administrator in nearly a year. Stephanopoulos asked Sullivan if the vacancy has had an impact on aviation safety, to which the senator replied, “Absolutely it has.” 
Last Monday, a JetBlue plane and a Learjet aircraft nearly collided at Boston’s Logan Airport, prompting the FAA to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64805935" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigate</a> the “close call.” That was the sixth near-miss this year in the United States, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/runway-incursions-near-misses-airport-runways-whats-happening/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS News. On January 23 at the Honolulu airport, a United Airlines plane <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/investigations-runway-close-calls/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> improperly crossed a runway as a Cessna plane was landing. In mid-January, two JetBlue planes <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/2-jetblue-planes-bump-into-one-another-on-runway-at-jfk-airport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bumped</a> each other at New York&#8217;s JFK Airport. Similar near-misses occurred at Newark Airport, Austin-Bergstrom Airport, and Hollywood Burbank Airport. Beyond the near misses, the aviation industry has faced staffing shortages and technological issues that caused the FAA to ground all flights in early January. 
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Sullivan said that in response to these problems, the FAA must update infrastructure and technology. &#8220;What we don’t want to have happen is some kind of airplane disaster and then Congress is then writing legislation to deal with it after,&#8221; the senator said. &#8220;You know, good governance is about proactively getting in front of these issues before they happen, not waiting.&#8221;

Sen. Dan Sullivan

After Recent Aviation ‘Near Misses,’ GOP Sen Warns Biden FAA Nominee Inexperienced In Aviation Safety

Joe Biden

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration&#8217;s</a> nominee to head up the Federal Aviation Administration has an extensive history of pushing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, according to a memo obtained by The Daily Wire.
Phil Washington, Biden&#8217;s nominee to head up the FAA, is the CEO of the Denver International Airport and previously served as the CEO of the Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority. During his tenure as CEO of L.A. Metro, Washington pushed an aggressive DEI agenda, while allegedly engaging in discriminatory behavior himself.
Beginning in 2020, as CEO of L.A. Metro, Washington used the COVID pandemic to push for the city&#8217;s transit system to stop charging fares, saying it had a moral duty to do so despite L.A. Metro&#8217;s increasingly dire financial straits. “LA Metro has a moral obligation to pursue a fareless system and help our region recover from both a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and the devastating effects of the lack of affordability in the region,” Washington said at the time, via transportation magazine <a href="https://www.itsinternational.com/its17/news/la-considers-free-public-transit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ITS International</a>.
But even at the time, L.A. Metro was struggling to make ends meet. ITS International reported that in 2019, the system made between $250 and $300 million in fares, against an operating budget of $1.9 billion; a fares-to-cost ratio of about 13%. That rate had been declining for 20 years and would continue to decline as operating costs rose, Metro noted. But instead of increasing revenues, Washington planned to use federal grants and advertising to fill the farebox gap, claiming that public transit is “no different than other public programs funded by the public purse such as firefighting, policing and other public infrastructure that serves as a public right and common good.&#8221;
Washington touted his equity priorities in a <a href="https://thesource.metro.net/2020/06/10/metro-statement-on-black-lives-matter-and-our-commitment-to-fighting-racial-injustice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter to Metro staff</a> in 2020, reacting to the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Philando Castile. &#8220;The hallmark of my tenure at Metro has been ensuring equity both in the services we provide to the community and within our agency,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;This has been evidenced by my standing up an Office of Race and Equity, advancing the Equity Platform and ensuring diversity on my senior leadership team.&#8221;
At an <a href="http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DB_Attachments/200702_Employee%20Town%20Hall%20Questions%20Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">employee town hall</a> later in the year, Washington made his DEI agenda very clear. In response to one employee question, Washington said that not identifying people by their races &#8220;can actually be discriminatory in that while people want to simply call everyone the human race, it erases part of people’s identities and histories that are very much tied to lived experiences.&#8221;
He also claimed that a colorblind society ignores the lived experience of black people and other minority groups. &#8220;It feels like an unwillingness to recognize that there is systemic racism, that black people have been oppressed,&#8221; he said. Washington told another employee that systemic racism exists at L.A. Metro, and touted the corporate offices and initiatives intended to address systemic racism among riders and employees. Another employee demanded that the company affirm the statement, &#8220;Black Lives Matter!!!&#8221;
&#8220;I agree!&#8221; Washington replied. &#8220;I might add too that all lives cannot matter, until Black Lives Matter first.&#8221;
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One employee asked Metro to implement a mandatory &#8220;undoing racism&#8221; training across the entire agency. &#8220;Yes!&#8221; Washington responded enthusiastically, adding that the training was one of the goals of the then-newly-created Diversity &amp; Inclusion Unit.
Despite all of the efforts he put forth at L.A. Metro, it seems that Washington might be a hypocrite. He was involved in a discrimination investigation during his tenure at the agency; according to a <a href="https://wordpress.bidennoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Woolley-Report-Section-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from one of the attorneys in the investigation, he was involved in an &#8220;informal networking group&#8221; called &#8220;Chicken Bone.&#8221; The group is men-only, and excludes white men.
Furthermore, during his tenure at L.A. Metro, Alex Wiggins, L.A. Metro&#8217;s Chief System Security and Law Enforcement Officer, was investigated for creating a hostile work environment. A letter from the <a href="https://wordpress.bidennoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Alex-Z.-Wiggins-Workplace-Reatilation-In-The-Work-Place-Sustained-Letter_-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles County Counsel</a> said that Wiggins led a department &#8220;riven with racial tensions, cutthroat competition among managers, extremely low morale and serious rifts between employees and managers.&#8221;
The FAA and the aviation industry are already under heavy fire for pushing DEI at the expense of efficiency and safety. In January, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/faas-woke-garbage-resurfaces-after-computer-issues-ground-planes-nationwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the FAA endorsed woke ideology and pushed LGBTQ representation; those internal communications resurfaced after a computer system outage that grounded all flights on January 11. Last week, Fox News host <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBzc0xoUDKg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a> blasted the aviation industry for pushing woke diversity policies in hiring and training pilots, which he said contributed to at least one major plane crash.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated George Floyd was shot. It has been corrected.

Phil Washington FAA

Biden’s FAA Nominee Aggressively Pushed Woke DEI Policies At L.A. Metro, While His Agency Was Investigated For Discrimination

Biden's FAA Nominee Phil Washington Aggressively Pushed Woke DEI Policies At LA Metro, While His Agency Was Investigated For Discrimination

Biden Administration

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Los Angeles

Social Issues

Wokeness

Terminal 1 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York City</a> was closed on Thursday and Friday as a result of a <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/disasters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power</a> outage and subsequent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fire</a>.
An “electrical panel failure” caused a “small isolated fire” that was immediately extinguished, according to a social media <a href="https://twitter.com/JFKairport/status/1626322567538540545?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> from the airport. Terminal 1, which handles flight traffic from major international carriers such as Air France, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, and Korea Air, will also remain closed on Friday due to the electrical issues.
“Travelers should check with their carriers for flight status before coming to the airport,” said another social media <a href="https://twitter.com/JFKairport/status/1626431965053300738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1626431965053300738%7Ctwgr%5E822441a15b52862633a1b115e3d2a21b7530d662%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fjfk-terminal-1-outage-fire-delays-cancellations%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> from the airport, which noted that authorities are “working with the terminal’s operator to restore flight operations as quickly as possible.”
All four flights from JFK Airport scheduled by Lufthansa, all six flights scheduled by Swiss Air Lines, and both flights scheduled by TAP Air Portugal were canceled on Friday, according to <a href="https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today/KJFK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from FlightAware. Other international providers, including Air France and ITA Airways, likewise canceled a majority of their flights.
The electrical outage forced one plane from Air New Zealand to reverse course eight hours into its flight, according to a <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/jfk-airport-power-outage/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from CNN. The company told the outlet that diverting to another airport in the United States “would have meant the aircraft would remain on the ground for several days, impacting a number of other scheduled services and customers.”
&#8220;Not really sure what’s going on. No one is aware of the situation, at least that’s what it seems like,&#8221; Anthony Russo, a passenger who was hoping to travel to London, said in an <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/jfk-power-outage-at-terminal-1-today-wreaks-international-travel-chaos-what-to-know/4109427/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with NBC New York. &#8220;I had a lot planned, I was gonna see some friends, and now I don’t know what the hell is happening.&#8221;
The mass cancellation of international flights at JFK Airport, one of the busiest airports in the United States, is one of several issues to throttle the air travel sector in recent months.
Severe winter weather prompted nationwide delays and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-reveals-how-much-holiday-flight-meltdown-will-cost-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cancellations</a> for Southwest Airlines during the hectic Christmas travel season; the company nixed some 16,700 flights between December 21 and December 31, according to a <a href="https://otp.tools.investis.com/clients/us/southwest/SEC/sec-show.aspx?Type=html&amp;FilingId=16303107&amp;CIK=0000092380&amp;Index=10000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filing</a> submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Federal Aviation Administration, also known as the FAA, then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/faa-reveals-more-details-on-system-outage-that-grounded-flights-nationwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grounded</a> all flights nationwide early on January 11 as the agency’s Notice to Air Missions system unexpectedly failed. Officials later determined that “personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/transportation-secretary-pete-buttigieg-has-been-on-paid-leave-for-months-amid-supply-chain-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took</a> months of paid leave as a supply chain crisis hamstrung the economy and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-vacationed-in-posh-european-tourist-destination-as-rail-unions-neared-strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vacationed</a> in Portugal as the possibility of a nationwide rail strike loomed, has received criticism from both Democrats and Republicans over his job performance. Calls for accountability from the former presidential candidate reemerged as a Chinese surveillance balloon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jake-tapper-grills-pete-buttigieg-over-bidens-handling-of-chinese-spy-balloon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traversed</a> the entire continental United States and a train <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-touts-funding-to-improve-rail-safety-in-wake-of-ohio-train-crash-doesnt-mention-what-hes-doing-right-now-to-help" target="_blank" rel="noopener">derailment</a> in East Palestine, Ohio, threatened the small town with a severe chemical fallout.
Republicans especially have contended that Buttigieg has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ill-save-a-seat-for-you-ohio-congressman-says-it-is-past-time-buttigieg-hears-out-residents-harmed-by-train-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">misplaced</a> priorities. One <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigiegs-focus-is-ramming-through-equity-not-assuring-transportation-safety-his-departments-website-proves-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from The Daily Wire observed that the Transportation Department has prioritized “institutionalizing equity” at the agency under Buttigieg’s tenure.

FAA System Outage Causes Nationwide Flight Departure Stoppage

Fire, Power Outage At JFK Airport Causes Delayed, Canceled Flights

Power Outage At JFK Airport Causes Canceled Flights

Air and Space

Disasters

Fire

New York City

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/national-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North American Aerospace Defense Command</a> (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command released a statement late on Saturday night about a supposed unidentified object that they identified over Montana, saying that fighter jets were not able to locate the object.
&#8220;NORAD detected a radar anomaly and sent fighter aircraft to investigate,&#8221; that statement said. &#8220;Those aircraft did not identify any object to correlate to the radar hits. NORAD will continue to monitor the situation.&#8221;
The statement came after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sent a notice to airmen (NOTAM) late Saturday night warning that it had designated an area in the northern part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana</a> as a “national defense airspace” and that anyone who entered the airspace would be intercepted.
The incident occurred after a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor shot down an unidentified object over Canada Saturday afternoon after gaining authorization from Canadian officials. The U.S. military shot down another unidentified object off the coast of Alaska Friday afternoon.
All of this comes after the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon last weekend off the coast of South Carolina using an F-22 Raptor. The fighter jet fired an air-to-air AIM-9X Sidewinder missile from 58,000 feet to down the surveillance threat. The decision to shoot down the spy balloon came after President Joe Biden allowed it to fly thousands of miles over the continental U.S.
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

ISRAEL-MILITARY-EXERCISE

U.S. Military Unable To Find Alleged Object That Caused FAA To Close Airspace In Montana

Espionage

Military

Montana

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Saturday that it has closed several airports in North and South Carolina in conjunction with a U.S. military effort.
The news comes as a Chinese spy balloon has drifted across the U.S. for the last few days and is now crossing South Carolina.
&#8220;The FAA has paused departures from and arrivals to Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort,&#8221; the FAA <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1621944424916721666">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;The agency has also closed airspace.&#8221;
The U.S. military shot down the spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina shortly after the FAA released its statement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
New video of the Chinese spy balloon being shot down <a href="https://t.co/XwRVA7s1Hu">pic.twitter.com/XwRVA7s1Hu</a>
&mdash; BNO News Live (@BNODesk) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1621958595557433347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A little over an hour after their initial announcement, the FAA said that it had resumed normal operations.
&#8220;Flights to and from Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports are resuming,&#8221; the agency said. &#8220;Other airspace has been reopened. Normal operations resuming.&#8221;
This is a developing news story; refresh the page for updates.

FAA Closes Airspace In Parts Of Carolinas For ‘National Security Effort’

North Carolina

South Carolina

Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron Johnson</a> (R-WI) sent a letter to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/federal-aviation-administration-faa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Aviation Administration</a> (FAA) on Friday asking if the agency would investigate reports from pilots who have claimed they had an adverse response to COVID vaccination. 
Johnson, a strong opponent of vaccine mandates, asked in the letter for more information about recent medical testing decisions from the FAA and if it was aware of any adverse events related to COVID vaccination. The letter was sent to Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen and Federal Air Surgeon Susan Northrup. 
“The vaccine injured deserve to be seen, heard &amp; believed,” Johnson said on Twitter. “@FAANews – are you aware of the COVID-19 vaccine injuries in the aviation industry?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The vaccine injured deserve to be seen, heard &amp; believed. <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FAANews</a> – are you aware of the COVID-19 vaccine injuries in the aviation industry?
My letter highlights five of these severe adverse events experienced by pilots &amp; an air traffic controller.<a href="https://t.co/BBVaxjBTkA">https://t.co/BBVaxjBTkA</a> <a href="https://t.co/NVOFQwqgPi">pic.twitter.com/NVOFQwqgPi</a>
&mdash; Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRonJohnson/status/1619124289503903745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wisconsin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisconsin</a> Republican’s <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23589048/2023-01-27-rhj-to-faa-re-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-events.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> covered a variety of topics related to the COVID vaccine, including a question about new parameters adopted by the FAA in October related to AV block. AV block occurs when the heart cannot pump blood effectively because the electrical signal controlling the heartbeat is blocked, or partially blocked, <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17056-heart-block" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Cleveland Clinic. This can cause dizziness, fainting, tiredness, and shortness of breath.
Some had <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-faa-pilots-heart-covid-373861551871" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speculated</a> that the new parameters might be linked to COVID vaccination. According to Johnson, a representative from the FAA told him last week that “the change has nothing to do with Covid vaccinations.” 
“New scientific evidence enabled the FAA to safely raise the tolerance used to screen for a certain heart condition. The update was an effort to save pilots the expense of an unnecessary cardiac evaluation that did not contribute to a fly or no-fly decision,” the FAA rep said. 
Yet Johnson said in the letter that “questions still remain regarding the FAA’s decision to issue this change and its awareness of adverse events connected to the COVID-19 vaccines.”
Johnson’s letter also included a list of five pilots who he said had adverse events related to COVID vaccination. The reported reactions of the pilots included erratic heart rate, chest pain, and high blood pressure. 
“It remains unclear what, if anything, the FAA has done as it relates to these individuals’ experiences or if it is actively monitoring COVID-19 vaccine adverse events in the aviation industry,” Johnson wrote. 
The senator later asked the officials if they were aware of any pilots who had &#8220;COVID-19 vaccine adverse effects,&#8221; or were investigating any incidents of adverse effects. 
The FAA <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/pilots-and-air-traffic-controllers-may-receive-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-appropriate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on December 12, 2020 that it had “determined that pilots may receive the vaccine under the conditions of their FAA-issue airman medical certification.” Johnson asked for records on how this decision was made. 
Johnson, who has been <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/581360-youtube-temporarily-suspends-johnsons-channel-over-covid-19-misinformation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended</a> from YouTube in the past for vaccine “misinformation,” wants a response to his inquiry by February 10.

The US Senators Ron Johnson Visits Kiev

Sen. Ron Johnson Questions FAA Over COVID ‘Vaccine Adverse Events’ Among Pilots

Sen. Ron Johnson Questions FAA Over COVID 'Vaccine Adverse Events' Among Pilots

COVID-19 Vaccine

Health

Ron Johnson

Wisconsin

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/federal-aviation-administration-faa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Aviation Administration</a> (FAA) announced on Thursday evening that the system outage that grounded <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/air-travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flights</a> nationwide last week was caused by contractors unintentionally deleting files.
All flights across the United States were grounded early on January 11 as the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions system unexpectedly failed, producing backlash against the agency and Transportation Secretary <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/pete-buttigieg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pete Buttigieg</a>. Officials determined that “contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database,” according to a <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-notam-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the FAA.
“The agency has so far found no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent. The FAA continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the outage,” the statement continued. “The FAA made the necessary repairs to the system and has taken steps to make the NOTAM system more resilient. The agency is acting quickly to adopt any other lessons learned in our efforts to ensure the continuing robustness of the nation’s air traffic control system.”
Officials had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/officials-reveal-alleged-cause-of-faas-system-going-down-causing-flights-to-be-grounded" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on the evening of January 11 that they would begin a “thorough review” to determine the cause of the outage but shared that there was “no evidence of a cyber attack.”
The outages last week led to several hundred cancellations and thousands of delays in a blow to the airline industry and countless individual travelers. A <a href="https://www.ustravel.org/press/us-travel-faa-system-failure-must-spur-federal-action" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from U.S. Travel Association CEO Geoff Freeman exhorted lawmakers to modernize the nation’s infrastructure.
“Today’s FAA catastrophic system failure is a clear sign that America’s transportation network desperately needs significant upgrades,” he remarked. “Americans deserve an end-to-end travel experience that is seamless and secure. And our nation’s economy depends on a best-in-class air travel system. We call on federal policymakers to modernize our vital air travel infrastructure to ensure our systems are able to meet demand safely and efficiently.”
The disruptions occurred shortly after severe winter weather prompted nationwide delays and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-reveals-how-much-holiday-flight-meltdown-will-cost-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cancellations</a> for Southwest Airlines during the hectic Christmas travel season. The company nixed some 16,700 flights between December 21 and December 31, according to a <a href="https://otp.tools.investis.com/clients/us/southwest/SEC/sec-show.aspx?Type=html&amp;FilingId=16303107&amp;CIK=0000092380&amp;Index=10000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filing</a> submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which indicated that total losses from the fallout are expected to cost the firm between $725 million and $825 million.
Democratic lawmakers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bernie-sanders-ro-khanna-tear-into-pete-buttigieg-over-southwest-airlines-fiasco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> Buttigieg for his alleged failure to prevent mass delays and cancellations at Southwest Airlines. Commentators have argued that the former presidential candidate was hired by the Biden administration because of his identification as a homosexual rather than his expertise in infrastructure policy.
The official previously took months of paid leave after he and his husband adopted twins even as a supply chain crisis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/transportation-secretary-pete-buttigieg-has-been-on-paid-leave-for-months-amid-supply-chain-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hamstrung</a> the economy. He was also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-vacationed-in-posh-european-tourist-destination-as-rail-unions-neared-strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caught</a> vacationing in Portugal as the possibility of a nationwide rail strike loomed last year and reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-took-taxpayer-funded-private-jets-trumps-hhs-sec-was-forced-to-resign-for-doing-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used</a> taxpayer-funded private jets at least 18 times since assuming office, despite his support for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-explains-to-texans-why-they-should-buy-electric-vehicles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">policies</a> that seek to address climate change on a national level.
The FAA also received <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/faas-woke-garbage-resurfaces-after-computer-issues-ground-planes-nationwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticism</a> after a variety of diversity initiatives resurfaced online, showing that top regulators had spent hours implementing inclusive terminology reforms. The agency <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1476252009728823298" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> an online “inclusive language summit” in November 2021 that lasted for more than two hours, while a similar <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1506691929475411969" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event</a> in March 2022 lasted for over an hour.

United

FAA Reveals More Details On System Outage That Grounded Flights Nationwide

Pete Buttigieg

An engineer has been blamed for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) NOTAM system crash that halted all domestic airplane departures Wednesday morning, according to a new report.
A senior FAA official told <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/faa-monitoring-systems-high-level-after-notam-failure/story?id=96391067" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a> Thursday that systems monitoring of the NOTAM system was at an urgently high level as a result of Wednesday’s debacle.
An engineer “replaced one file with another” during a routine scheduled systems maintenance effort on Wednesday morning, the official said, adding that the engineer was unaware of the mistake.
The FAA official also noted that Canada&#8217;s NOTAM system was disrupted Wednesday, although it remains unclear as to whether the problem was linked to the American failure. Canada was not forced to ground its flights and the official said Canada’s system is more modern.
The flight delays caused by the NOTAM failure on Wednesday lasted into Thursday. Over 600 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed and more than 80 were canceled on Thursday morning, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/faa-flights-united-planes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported.
An industry collective called the OPSGROUP has been criticizing NOTAMS for years. “We communicate the most critical flight information, using a system invented in 1920, with a format unchanged since 1924, burying essential information that will lose a pilot their job, an airline their aircraft, and passengers their lives, in a mountain of unreadable, irrelevant bulls***,&#8221; a 2017 blog post from the group said.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is <a href="https://www.icao.int/about-icao/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funded and directed</a> by 193 national governments to support their diplomacy and cooperation in air transport, <a href="//DC79A49F-80EB-4380-B716-E5A0B0FCE3D4/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> the vast amounts of notices and coordination required to make air traffic flow go smoothly in in 2021.
“On any given day, there are some 35,000 active NOTAM circulating in the global air transport system. In 2020, the total number of NOTAM issued exceeded 1.7 million. … It is not uncommon for a pre-flight briefing package supporting a long-haul international flight to contain more than 100 pages of NOTAM information. Findings have shown that twenty percent of these will be old NOTAM, exceeding their three-month applicability period,” the group wrote.

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