Black boxes recovered in deadly plane, helicopter collision

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

THIS MORNING, INVESTIGATORS WITH THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD ARE EVALUATING THE BLACK BOXES FROM BOTH THE AMERICAN AIRLINES REGIONAL PASSENGER JET AND THE U-S ARMY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER THAT 

COLLIDED WEDNESDAY NIGHT — KILLING ALL THOSE ON-BOARD BOTH AIRCRAFT, 67 PEOPLE TOTAL. 

THE RECOVERED BOXES, WHICH RECORD FLIGHT DATA AND VOICE COMMUNICATIONS, WILL BE A KEY PART OF THE NTSB’S INVESTIGATION INTO DETERMINING WHAT CAUSED THE MIDAIR TRAGEDY. 

OFFICIALS SAY IT’S STILL TOO EARLY TO SPECULATE ABOUT WHAT LED TO THE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 64 PEOPLE ON AMERICAN EAGLE FLIGHT 53-42, FROM WICHITA KANSAS TO WASHINGTON D-C, AND ALL THREE SOLDIERS ON THE BLACK HAWK. 

STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS’ LAUREN TAYLOR BREAKS DOWN WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE DEADLY COLLISION, SO FAR. 

Lauren Taylor 

A PRELIMINARY SAFETY REPORT FROM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION — 

FOUND THAT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL STAFFING WAS QUOTE “NOT NORMAL” —  

WHEN THE AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT AND AN ARMY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDED — 

NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT. 

THE FAA’S REPORT — FIRST DETAILED IN REPORTING BY THE NEW YORK TIMES —  

`SAID ONE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER, HANDLING HELICOPTERS AT THE AIRPORT, 

WAS ALSO DIRECTING PLANES LANDING AND DEPARTING FROM RUNWAYS.  

NORMALLY, THE REPORT SAID, TWO CONTROLLERS ARE SUPPOSED TO HANDLE THOSE DUTIES. 

THE AIRPORT, OFTEN KNOWN BY ITS CODE OF D-C-A —  

HAS THE BUSIEST RUNWAY IN THE NATION, ACCORDING TO THE METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AIRPORTS AUTHORITY, WHICH OPERATES THE FACILITY. 

HOWEVER, SOME OF THE UNDERLYING ISSUES AROUND AVIATION SAFETY STRETCH BACK YEARS. 

CONGRESS PASSED A BILL LAST YEAR — ALLOWING FOR MORE FLIGHTS TO TRAVEL INTO AND OUT OF REAGAN NATIONAL,   

OVER THE OBJECTION OF SOME MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, WHO REPRESENT THE AREA SURROUNDING WASHINGTON, D.C. 

HERE’S WHAT SENATOR TIM KAINE OF VIRGINIA TOLD STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS LAST YEAR. 

KAINE: “YOU’RE GOING TO DO IT TO CONVENIENCE A FEW DOZEN MEMBERS? AT THE EXPENSE OF 25 MILLION PEOPLE? AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERYBODY WHO LIVES AROUND THIS AIRPORT WHO WOULD POTENTIALLY BE VICTIMIZED IF THERE WAS SOME KIND OF A COLLISION.” 

THE U.S. HAS ALSO BEEN DEALING WITH A NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS FOR OVER A DECADE —  

SPANNING FOUR DIFFERENT PRESIDENCIES. 

AS OF SEPTEMBER 2023, AN FAA REPORT TO CONGRESS SAID D-C-A HAD 19 FULLY CERTIFIED CONTROLLERS, WELL BELOW THE F-A-A’S TARGET OF 30. 

BEFORE NEWS OF THE UNDERSTAFFED CONTROL TOWER BROKE —  

PRESIDENT TRUMP TOLD REPORTERS HE BELIEVED BIDEN ADMINISTRATION POLICIES PROMOTING  

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION, OR DEI, WAS ONE FACTOR THAT THEY WERE LOOKING INTO COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRASH. 

THE DEI POLICY ENCOURAGED THE HIRING AND TRAINING OF MORE PEOPLE FROM MINORITY RACIAL GROUPS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 

President Donald Trump 

THE FAA’S WEBSITE STATES. ‘THEY INCLUDE HEARING, VISION, MISSING EXTREMITIES, PARTIAL PARALYSIS, COMPLETE PARALYSIS, EPILEPSY, SEVERE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITY AND DWARFISM ALL QUALIFY FOR THE POSITION OF A CONTROLLER OF AIRPLANES,’ POURING INTO OUR COUNTRY, POURING INTO A LITTLE SPOT, A LITTLE DOT ON THE MAP, LITTLE RUNWAY. 

AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT RELEASED INFORMATION ABOUT THE RACIAL, ETHNIC OR DISABILITY STATUS OF THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS OR PILOTS.  

THEY HAVE ALSO NOT RELEASED ANY EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THE RACIAL OR DISABILITY STATUS OF ANYONE INVOLVED PLAYED A ROLE IN THE CRASH. 

TRUMP HAS ALREADY TAKEN ACTIONS ON AVIATION IN HIS FIRST TEN DAYS IN OFFICE, SOME OF WHICH REMOVED TOP LEADERSHIP.  

HE ORDERED THE END OF DEI POLICIES AT THE FAA ON JANUARY 21ST — 

AND ELIMINATED MEMBERSHIP OF THE AVIATION SECURITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE — 

AS PART OF A SHIFT IN RESOURCES AND AN EFFORT TO ELIMINATE THE MISUSE OF RESOURCES. 

THE SAME ORDER FIRED THE HEAD OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, OR TSA —  

AND THE F-A-A ADMINISTRATOR RESIGNED THE DAY BEFORE ON JANUARY 20TH. 

ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON, TRUMP SIGNED A MEMO THAT EXPLICITLY MENTIONED DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION — 

DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE FAA’S ACTING ADMINISTRATOR TO REVIEW THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S HIRING DECISIONS. 

HE ALSO APPOINTED A NEW ACTING ADMINISTRATOR TO RUN THE F-A-A. 

Craig Nigrelli 

THAT WAS OUR LAUREN TAYLOR REPORTING. 

THIS MORNING, WE’RE ALSO LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE 67 LIVES LOST IN THAT MIDAIR COLLISION. 

TWO TEENAGE FIGURE SKATERS, THEIR MOTHERS, AND TWO FORMER WORLD CHAMPIONS WHO WERE COACHING AT A WELL-KNOWN BOSTON RINK, WERE AMONG THE 14 MEMBERS OF THE SKATING COMMUNITY KILLED IN THE CRASH. 

THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON CEO SAID SKATERS JINNA HAN AND SPENCER LANE DIED. 

ALONG WITH 19-94 PAIRS WORLD CHAMPIONS EVGENIA SHISHKOVA AND VADIM NAUMOV OF RUSSIA 

ALSO AMONG THOSE KILLED — CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY KIAH DUGGINS, ACCORDING TO NEWS OUTLETS IN WICHITA, KANSAS. 

THEY SAY DUGGINS WAS ORIGINALLY FROM WICHITA AND WAS TRAVELING BACK TO D-C — WHERE SHE WORKED WITH THE CIVIL RIGHTS CORPS. 

SHE HAD BEEN IN WICHITA VISITING FAMILY. 

CAN FILL IN WITH CRASH VIDEO HERE 

FRIENDS — MICHAEL “MIKEY” STOVALL AND JESSE PITCHER, ALONG WITH OTHER FRIENDS — WERE ALSO KILLED. 

THEY WERE HEADED HOME AFTER THEIR ANNUAL HUNTING TRIP TO KANSAS, ACCORDING TO FAMILY MEMBERS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS MOVING FORWARD WITH HIS PLAN TO IMPOSE 25 PERCENT TARIFFS ON CANADA AND MEXICO – AMERICA’S TWO LARGEST TRADING PARTNERS. 

THE TARIFFS WILL TAKE EFFECT STARTING TOMORROW, WITH THE PRESIDENT NOW SAYING HE IS STILL CONSIDERING WHETHER TO INCLUDE SLAPPING HIGHER IMPORT TAXES ON OIL FROM THOSE COUNTRIES. 

TRUMP SAID HIS DECISION WILL BE BASED ON WHETHER THE PRICE OF OIL CHARGED BY CANADA AND MEXICO, IS FAIR. 

BEFORE TAKING OFFICE — PRESIDENT TRUMP THREATENED TO LEVY TARIFFS AS A WAY TO COMBAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND THE SMUGGLING OF THE ADDICTIVE AND DEADLY DRUG FENTANYL, ACROSS THE U-S BORDER. 

TRUMP ALSO SAID HE’S STILL CONSIDERING NEW TARIFFS ON CHINESE GOODS — CITING ITS PART IN THE FENTANYL TRADE. 

HE HAS THREATENED A 10 PERCENT DUTY ON ALL CHINESE GOODS.

THREE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL CABINET NOMINEES WERE IN FRONT OF SENATE PANELS FOR CONFIRMATION HEARINGS — HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY NOMINEE ROBERT F. KENNEDY JUNIOR, F-B-I DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL, AND NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR NOMINEE TULSI GABBARD. 

A KEY REPUBLICAN REMAINS UNDECIDED IN R-F-K JUNIOR’S CONFIRMATION. 

DURING YESTERDAY’S HEARING IN FRONT OF THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE, SENATOR BILL CASSIDY OF LOUISIANA SAID THAT WHILE HE AGREES WITH KENNEDY ON ISSUES SUCH AS PROCESSED FOOD AND OBESITY, KENNEDY’S OUTSPOKEN SKEPTICISM REGARDING VACCINES, IN THE PAST, REMAINS A STICKING POINT FOR HIM. 

SEN. BILL CASSIDY | R-LA 

“Does a 70-year-old man, a 71-year-old man who spent decades criticizing vaccines, and who is finally invested in finding fault with vaccines, can he change his attitudes and approach now that he will have the most important position in influencing vaccine policy in the United States?” 

“I recognize man, if you come out unequivocally, saying vaccines are safe, it does not cause autism, that would have an incredible impact. That’s your power. So what is it going to be? Will it be using the credibility to support lots of articles, or will it be to use credibility to undermine? And I gotta figure that out for my vote.” 

CASSIDY ENDED HIS ADDRESS TO KENNEDY, TELLING THE NOMINEE – “YOU MAY BE HEARING FROM ME OVER THE WEEKEND.” 

IF CASSIDY VOTES AGAINST KENNEDY IN THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, KENNEDY COULD STILL HAVE A VOTE ON THE SENATE FLOOR, IF REPUBLICAN LEADERS EMPLOY PROCEDURAL TACTICS TO FORCE IT. 

MEANWHILE — DONALD TRUMPS CHOICE FOR F-B-I DIRECTOR, KASH PATEL, HAD NUMEROUS HEATED EXCHANGES WITH DEMOCRATS DURING HIS HEARING YESTERDAY, OVER HIS PAST COMMENTS ABOUT GOING AFTER TRUMP’S PERCEIVED “DEEP STATE” ENEMIES. 

IN THE PAST — PATEL SAID QUOTE “COWARDS IN UNIFORM” VIOLATED THE “CHAIN OF COMMAND” IN THEIR RESPONSE TO THE JANUARY 6-TH, 20-21 CAPITOL INSURRECTION. 

NOW — HE SAYS THAT REMARK WAS ABOUT SENIOR OFFICIALS’ FAILING TO DEPLOY THE NATIONAL GUARD. 

PATEL ALSO TOLD SENATORS THE F-B-I WOULD TAKE “NO RETRIBUTIVE ACTIONS” ON HIS WATCH.   

AND TULSI GABBARD — WHO TRUMP HAS TAPPED TO BE THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE — FACED QUESTIONS FROM SEVERAL OF HER OWN PARTY MEMBERS ABOUT HER VIEWS ON RUSSIAN AGGRESSION, U-S GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE AND N-S-A LEAKER EDWARD SNOWDEN. 

WHEN PRESSED REPEATEDLY BY BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, GABBARD WOULD NOT SAY WHETHER SHE BELIEVES SNOWDEN WAS A TRAITOR WHO BETRAYED HIS OATH. 

IF ALL DEMOCRATS OPPOSE TRUMP’S NOMINEES, SUPPORTERS CAN ONLY AFFORD TO LOSE THREE G-O-P VOTES ON THE SENATE FLOOR AND STILL WIN CONFIRMATION.  KEEP IN MIND THAT VICE PRESIDENT J-D VANCE WOULD BREAK ANY 50-50 TIE. 

BUT TULSI GABBARD MIGHT NOT EVEN MAKE IT THAT FAR. 

IT WOULD TAKE ONLY ONE REPUBLICAN TO BLOCK HER NOMINATION IN THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE IF ALL DEMOCRATS ON THE PANEL OPPOSE HER.

TURNING NOW TO THE MIDDLE EAST — HAMAS HAS IDENTIFIED THREE ISRAELI HOSTAGES THAT IT IS SET TO RELEASE **TOMORROW** AS PART OF THE A NEW PHASE OF ITS CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL. 

 A HAMAS SPOKESPERSON SAID IN A POST ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA SITE TELEGRAM, OFER KALDERON, YARDEN BIBAS AND ISRAELI-AMERICAN KEITH SAMUEL SIEGEL WILL BE RELEASED TOMORROW IN EXCHANGE FOR DOZENS OF ADDITIONAL PALESTINIAN PRISONERS BEING HELD BY ISRAEL. 

THIS COMES AS ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU IS CALLING ON NEGOTIATORS WHO HELPED BROKER THE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT TO QUOTE “GUARANTEE THE SAFETY OF OUR HOSTAGES” AFTER THE CHAOTIC RELEASE OF SEVEN HOSTAGES IN KHAN YOUNIS YESTERDAY. 

THREE ISRAELI HOSTAGES WERE JOSTLED AND ROUGHED-UP BY A MASSIVE CROWD AS THEY WERE HANDED OVER TO THE RED CROSS. 

NETANYAHU IS ACCUSING HAMAS AND ITS AFFILIATED GROUPS OF VIOLATING THE HOSTAGE RELEASE TERMS IN THE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT — CALLING THE SCENE SURROUNDING THE RELEASE – “UNACCEPTABLE.”

A KEY RULING TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS MORNING PITTING SECOND AMENDMENT ADVOCATES VERSUS SUPPORTERS OF TOUGHER GUN CONTROL LAWS. 

A U.S. APPEALS COURT HAS RULED AGAINST A DECADES-OLD FEDERAL LAW THAT REQUIRES A PROSPECTIVE GUN OWNER, BE 21 YEARS OLD IN ORDER TO BUY A GUN. 

THE 5-TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS IN NEW ORLEANS FOUND THAT SUCH A LAW VIOLATES THE SECOND AMENDMENT FOLLOWING A 2022 U-S SUPREME COURT RULING WHICH EXPANDED GUN RIGHTS.   

THE APPEALS COURT FOUND THAT PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 20 SHOULD NOT BE PROHIBITED FROM BUYING GUNS, SAYING THAT AGE GROUP HAS THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. 

ACCORDING TO THE ORGANIZATION ” EVERYTOWN RESEARCH AND POLICY”, 

FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES A PERSON TO BE 21 TO BUY A HANDGUN FROM A LICENSED DEALER AND 18 TO BUY A LONG GUN.  

THERE IS AN 18-YEAR-OLD MINIMUM FOR HANDGUN PURCHASES FROM UNLICENSED DEALERS AND NO MINIMUM AGE FOR LONG GUNS.  

MANY STATES HAVE RAISED THE AGE, BARRING HANDGUN SALES TO PEOPLE UNDER 21 AND LONG GUN SALES TO THOSE UNDER 18, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE PURCHASE IS FROM A DEALER OR UNLICENSED SELLER.

FINALLY THIS MORNING — SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN MUSIC ROCKED THE STAGE IN DUAL CONCERTS, RAISING MONEY FOR VICTIMS OF THE RECENT WILDFIRES IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA. 

THE STAR-STUDDED EVENT ALSO HAD SOME ICONIC REUNIONS. 

ALL THE SURVIVING MEMBERS OF NIRVANA CAME TOGETHER FOR A SURPRISE PERFORMANCE, PLAYING SOME OF THE BAND’S MOST FAMOUS SONGS WITH ST. VINCENT, KIM GORDON, JOAN JETT AND FORMER NIRVANA DRUMMER AND CURRENT FOO FIGHTERS LEAD SINGER DAVE GROHL’S DAUGHTER, VIOLET. 

ENTERTAINER GWEN STEFANI JOINED HER FORMER BAND “NO DOUBT” FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS. 

THE WILDFIRES — FUELED BY POWERFUL WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS — LEFT AT LEAST 29 PEOPLE DEAD AND DESTROYED ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS. 

THE TWO LARGEST FIRES — THE PALISADES AND EATON FIRES — HAVE BEEN BURNING FOR MORE THAN THREE WEEKS NOW. 

BUT CAL FIRE SAYS THEY’RE ALMOST COMPLETELY CONTAINED AT THIS TIME. 

ORGANIZERS SAY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THE CONCERT WILL GO TOWARD FIRE RELIEF EFFORTS.