2 minutes ago, janea4old said:

From this morning's press conference:
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy: "Obviously, it is not standard to have aircraft collide. I want to be clear on that."

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https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lgxojy6fah2m
From a Fox news interview:
Tennessee congressman Andy Ogles on the DCA plane crash: "Did DEI play a role?"

 

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update:
Trump giving press conference just now about the aviation crash, spouting nonsense.
And commenting on the crash before the NTSB begins investigating.
per the Guardian live blog:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/jan/30/plane-crashes-near-washington-dc-after-mid-air-collision-with-military-helicopter-follow-live

 

“We did not know what led to this crash but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” Donald Trump said.
“We have some pretty good ideas … we’ll find out how this disaster occurred and we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” he continued.
Trump said “we have very strong opinions and ideas” about how the accident happened then reverted to taking political swipes at Barack Obama and Joe Biden over air traffic controller standards. “The word talented. You have to be naturally talented geniuses.”

In a harsher tone than before, he is now complaining about diversity and inclusion in FAA programmes and describing former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg as a “disaster” who has a “good line in bullshit”.

“You had a confluence of bad decisions that were made,” Donald Trump said.

“One thing we do know, there was a lot of vision, and people should have been able to see that. You know, at what point do you stop at? What do you say, well, that plane’s getting a little bit close?” Trump continued.

(then Trump said something about the relative heights and visiblity of the aircrafts, which I won't bother to quote here because it doesn't sound rational)
Defense Secretary Hegseth is at same press conference and echoed Trump about the heights.

Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary said: "When Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land at their destination. That didn’t happen yesterday."

Trump continued to turn what might have been a sombre briefing into a baseless rant against DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) despite no evidence of a link with the plane crash.

The president was backed to the hilt by transportation secretary Sean Duffy, who said “we can only accept the best and the brightest” in positions affecting passenger safety, and defence secretary Pete Hegseth, who echoed: “The era of DEI is gone at the defence department and we need the best and brightest.”

Then came vice-president JD Vance, who claimed “we want to hire the best people” who are “actually competent enough to do the job”.

Trump returned to the lectern to claim that “very powerful tests” for competence in air traffic control were “terminated” by Joe Biden.

CNN’s Kaitlin Collins asked: “Aren’t you getting ahead of the investigation?” Trump replied: “No, I don’t think so at all... I don’t think that’s a smart question. I’m surprised, coming from you.”

Another reporter asked why Trump believes DEI is responsible. He said: “Because I have common sense and unfortunately a lot of people don’t. We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level.”

Oh, god, this 4 year span keeps getting longer.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/coaches-skaters-skating-club-of-boston-norwood-massachusetts-on-plane-crash/63617299

Skating Club of Boston Coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova and skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han were killed in the crash. 

Skater Spencer Lane, 16, and his mother, Christine, skater Jinna Han, 15, and her mother, Jin, and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were aboard the plane.

"Skating is a very close and tight-knit community. These kids and their parents — they are here at our skating facility in Norwood six, sometimes seven days a week. It is a close, tight bond, and I think for all of us, we have lost family," Zeghibe said.

Zeghibe said Spencer was a "highly-talented kid" who was "rocketing to the top of the sport," and Jinna was a "wonderful kid, great athlete, great competitor" who was loved by all. Zeghibe said their mothers were "role-model parents" who were dedicated to their children's sport.

Shishkova and Naumov won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice.
Their son, Maxim Naumov, who was not on the plane, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.

 

----------------------------

Russia’s Mash news outlet published a list of 13 skaters, many of them the children of Russian émigrés to the United States, who it said were believed to have been on the plane. Inna Volyanskaya, a former skater who competed for the Soviet Union and was a coach at the Washington figure skating club, was also reported to have been on board.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/30/dc-plane-crash-victims

Edited January 30Jan 30 by janea4old

So, now we're blaming DEI for two planes colliding?  God give me strength!

Four D.C.-area steamfitters were aboard the American Airlines flight Wednesday night, a statement from the United Association of Union Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters Local 602 said Thursday morning.

The four were members of Steamfitters Local 602 — a Prince George’s County, Maryland-based union that represents steamfitters and pipe fitters in the D.C. area.

“Our focus now is on providing support and care to the families of our Brothers as we continue to gather more information in the coming days,” the statement said. “We will share more details as they become available, including a nationwide UA relief effort for the families. These members will be forever in our hearts, and may God bless them and their loved ones. May they forever rest in peace.”

https://x.com/UAPipeTrades/status/1884979539639410899

We’re heartbroken to share that four UA Brothers were among the victims of the tragic crash of American Airlines Flight 5342. May they rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/ZW57pvPqoB

— United Association (@UAPipeTrades) January 30, 2025

previously quoted from the new Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy:
"Obviously, it is not standard to have aircraft collide. I want to be clear on that."
"When Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land at their destination. That didn’t happen yesterday."


More from Sean Duffy:
"I would just note, the president's leadership has been remarkable during this crisis."


From the former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg:

https://x.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1885013865676562491
Pete Buttigieg @PeteButtigieg
January 30, 2025

Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch. 
President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again.

So, from the person who mused that Americans should drink bleach as a cure for COVID-19 during his first term, he now pontificates and shares his wisdom on another tragic circumstance. Ignore the bluster disguised as knowledge. Let the real investigators calmly and thoroughly uncover the facts, whatever they may be.

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lgyag2bnws2l

ALSOBROOKS: You said 'we should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule that is given to whites.' Can you please explain what you meant? RFK Jr: There's a series of studies ... ALSOBROOKS: What different schedule would you say I should've recevied?

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 30, 2025 at 11:40 AM

 

You know America has officially been made great again when we're fishing bodies out of the Potomac.

2 hours ago, marceline said:

You know America has officially been made great again when we're fishing bodies out of the Potomac.

I shouldn't have laughed, @marceline, but you are so spot-on, I couldn't help BUT laugh, lol.

IIRC, even stuff that Trump didn't handle personally or couldn't have predicted turned to [!@#$%^&*] when he won last time, too.  If you ask me, this is another one of those times when God chooses to "turn His face" and allow nature to do what it's gonna.  So, among other things, get ready for another, massive wave of people dying, just like all those celebs and public figures did in 2016.

Edited January 31Jan 31 by Khan

2 hours ago, Khan said:

So, among other things, get ready for another, massive wave of people dying, just like all those celebs and public figures did in 2016.

Well, with Dump pulling the US out of the World Health Organization, the million plus dead from COVID in his FIRST disastrous term may look like the good old days.

I mean, who needs health guidance and warnings with deadly bird flu swarming!

I wish every bit of fuckery coming could just be confined to the cult...

I have to be the one to say it: Please tell me some Dem is ready to pounce on the tragic crash #2 in Philadelphia now as well, and hard. It's what the GOP would do to them and hang it around our neck for 4-8 years.

The tone coming out of AOC and a few other leading Dems has been appropriately raw and unfiltered (for once) in the last couple days after how Trump handled the first crash back home. That has to continue. We are fully in a UFC politics era.

More from CBS.

This is more of the same insane dehumanizing vindictive crap:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/31/us-workers-pronouns-emails-deadline-trump-order 
US federal workers ordered to remove pronouns from email signatures

This crap indicates their expected direction that would kill the planet
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/31/trump-order-usda-websites-climate-crisis 
Trump orders USDA to take down websites referencing climate crisis
Forest service website among many sites affected as agencies scramble to comply with president’s orders

 

 

I mean, I'm in one of the categories of people being harmed by all of these stupid anti DEI things,
but none of us will survive without a planet.
If I have to pick a battle, it's climate every time.

Edited February 1Feb 1 by janea4old

32 minutes ago, Vee said:

I have to be the one to say it: Please tell me some Dem is ready to pounce on the tragic crash #2 in Philadelphia now as well, and hard. It's what the GOP would do to them and hang it around our neck for 4-8 years.

The tone coming out of AOC and a few other leading Dems has been appropriately raw and unfiltered (for once) in the last couple days after how Trump handled the first crash back home. That has to continue. We are fully in a UFC politics era.

More from CBS.

Wow. Multiple rowhomes on fire, plane parts hit cars.
Some businesses near the Roosevelt Mall are on fire, sources said. 


More from the Philadelphia Inquirer live blog on this story:
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/live/plane-crash-philadelphia-news-updates-20250131.html

Multiple area homes, businesses impacted by crash, Rep. Jared Solomon says.  Multiple businesses and homes were either hit by the plane as it descended or were otherwise impacted, according to state Rep. Jared Solomon, who represents the area and was on scene. "[The plane] seemed to kind of ricochet into residential communities, that's where the fire occurred," he said. "There are cars burned to a crisp, charred

Edited February 1Feb 1 by janea4old

17 minutes ago, janea4old said:

I mean, I'm in one of the categories of people being harmed by all of these stupid anti DEI things,
but none of us will survive without a planet.
If I have to pick a battle, it's climate every time.

Unfortunately, you (and we) are dealing with religious zealots, who believe this all has been prophesied in the Book of Revelation, and a sign that Jesus Christ is coming back, and soon.  So, those folks are only TOO happy to hasten the planet's demise.

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-mass-protests-after-far-right-afd-helps-cdu-csu/a-71464257

Germany: Mass protests after far-right AfD helps CDU/CSU

A non-binding motion to restrict immigration has sparked outrage after citizens said the conservative CDU/CSU broke a promise not to work with the far-right AfD. Protesters in Berlin gathered outside CDU headquarters.