Thursday, Apr 03rd
Last update06:53:29 AM GMT
Domestic Glance
Questions swirled in Washington on Thursday as the Federal Aviation Administration began its investigation of the Reagan airport crash without a permanent leader – its former chief resigned 10 days ago, after Elon Musk, the SpaceX CEO and close adviser to Donald Trump, called for him to quit.
Michael Whitaker, a 30-year aviation industry veteran, was unanimously confirmed as FAA administrator by the Senate in October 2023. He resigned last Monday, the day Trump was inaugurated as president.
Residents of New Jersey reacted with disbelief and frustration after the White House said mysterious drones seen in the skies were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for research.
The state has been the epicenter of a wave of drone sightings, some of them extremely large and some spotted near sensitive locations.
There were fears the drones could be connected to foreign adversaries as residents questioned why there were so many sightings — but officials have pushed back on that claim.
A commercial flight and a helicopter collided in midair on Wednesday night as the jet was about to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The flight ― operated by PSA Airlines for American Airlines ― was en route from Wichita, Kansas, and was scheduled to land in the capital city just before 9 p.m. local time. The plane, a CRJ-700, seats up to 65 passengers.
“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. “PSA was operating Flight 5342 as American Airlines.”
Parents enrolling children in Oklahoma public schools will be required to provide proof of their child’s US citizenship or legal immigration status under a proposed rule approved Tuesday by the state board of education.
The board voted unanimously to approve the rule aimed at helping Donald Trump’s immigration policies. It still needs to be approved by the legislature and the governor.
Donald Trump has signed another executive order aimed at the transgender community on Tuesday, this time prohibiting gender transitions for people under the age of 19.
“It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” reads the president’s executive order.
The order denotes that “child” or “children” means an individual or individuals under 19 years of age and that the term “pediatric” means relating to the medical care of a child. It also clarifies that the phrase “chemical and surgical mutilation” entails puberty blockers, the use of hormones such as estrogen or testosterone, and surgical procedures. Much of what is mentioned is known as gender-affirming care.
The Supreme Court declined Monday to decide whether a permanent voting ban on people convicted of felonies in Mississippi is cruel and unusual punishment.
The court, in 2023, had also rejected a different challenge to the state’s voting restriction that was based on the fact it was drafted in 1890 as part of a racist effort to disenfranchise Black voters.
Mississippi is one of eleven states that doesn't automatically restore voting rights after convicted felons finish their sentences.
Voting rights experts say Mississippi’s restrictions are among the harshest because the state bans voting by first-time offenders who commit non-violent felonies. And the process for restoring the right is onerous.
Another Jan. 6 rioter has rejected President Trump’s pardon, saying that he “did those things” and his actions do not merit forgiveness.
“It’s almost like he was trying to say it didn’t happen. And it happened. I did those things, and they weren’t pardonable. I don’t want the pardon. And I also learned that I can reject the pardon,” Jason Riddle said in an interview with NHPR published on Friday.
Riddle, a Navy veteran, was sentenced to 90 days in jail in early April 2022 for his involvement in the 2021 Capitol riot along with three years of probation. He was fined $750 for stealing a book and inflicting damage during the riot over four years ago. During the unrest at the Capitol, he entered the Senate parliamentarian’s office and drank a bottle of wine, per his plea agreement.
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