Friday, January 31, 2025

Florida aviation experts weigh in on DC air tragedy(Greg Fox, WESH Orlando, January 30, 2025)

Obsolete air traffic control system a root cause of D.C. air collision?  Former House Transportation Committee Chair John Luigi Mica speaks out and I agree with him on this issue.Our former Congressman from St. Johns County, John Luigi Mica, was House Transportation Committee Chair.  On this occasion, I do agree with him about the obsolete air traffic control system.  Mr. Mica urged a space-based ATC system, which would have saved lives.  Thank you, John Mica, for speaking out! 

Florida aviation experts weigh in on DC air tragedy

 

A collision between a military helicopter and a civilian aircraft near Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C., has prompted a thorough investigation by both military and civilian authorities.

"Of course, I'm shocked, just like the rest of the nation, shocked that something like this could have happened," said Dr. Michael McCormick, an aviation expert.

Aviation experts said, right away, the flight data recorders, so-called "black boxes" on every aircraft, will be examined, along with the cockpit voice recorders, to understand the minutes and seconds leading up to the collision.

Then comes interviews with the air traffic controllers who were directing the pilots.

Because crashes involving commercial and military aircraft are rare, two separate investigations will be conducted: one by the National Transportation Safety Board, with the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration, and one by the U.S. Army.

While they are expected to work collaboratively to examine the wreckage and the records of pilot and controller experience, military protocols may slow the flow of information from the Pentagon.

Anthony Brickhouse is an aviation expert with 28 years of experience.

“The military report will probably come out within about a month, about 30 days, and unfortunately, that will be a privileged report, and the public will not get to see that," Brickhouse said. "On the NTSB side of the house, their preliminary report will typically come out within two weeks and should include a lot of data.”

Local former congressman, Republican John Mica, is the former U.S. House Transportation Committee chair and served for years on the aviation subcommittee.

He told WESH that one factor in the crash might have been an outdated air traffic control system.

"Unfortunately, the horrible Washington air disaster might have been avoided if we had implemented a space-based air traffic control system, which I advocated more than a decade ago,” Mica said. 

The FAA said so-called "NextGen capabilities are now integrated throughout the U.S. National Airspace System" to try and prevent crashes. 

But it’s a hybrid of satellite tracking and legacy, or traditional air tracking systems that have existed for over 70 years.

McCormick pushed back on Mica’s claim that a fully space-based system is needed, saying with the vast number of low-tech small aircraft, the older legacy system must remain. 

McCormick believes the best technology would not have made a difference here. 

“It would not have prevented this unfortunate event,” McCormick said.

RELATED: Pilot in deadly D.C. plane, helicopter crash was a Central Florida university graduate, officials say

Musk visits and asserts growing influence at GSA (Government Executive, January 30, 2025)

Are this bigoted bumptious billionaire and his toadies attempting a hostile takeover of the U.S. General Services Administration?  You tell me.  As they say in East Tennessee, "He bears watchin' !" From Government Executive:

Elon Musk arrives for the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Elon Musk arrives for the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. KENNY HOLSTON-POOL/GETTY IMAGES


Musk visits and asserts growing influence at GSA

Musk has former employees installed at the government’s HR shop, and several have appeared at its acquisition, tech and real estate agency as well.

Billionaire Elon Musk visited the General Services Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, several sources confirmed with Nextgov/FCW.

The federal agency, located in Foggy Bottom just blocks from the White House, may not be well-known to much of the public, but it is a centralized hub that helps t

Billionaire Elon Musk visited the General Services Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, several sources confirmed with Nextgov/FCW.

The federal agency, located in Foggy Bottom just blocks from the White House, may not be well-known to much of the public, but it is a centralized hub that helps the government buy tens of billions of dollars worth of products and services, manage its real estate and use technology. It also has a role in government-wide policy. 

Musk has several longtime associates installed at the agency, which could prove to be critical in his efforts to exert influence in Washington as he pushes ahead in his plans to cut costs, people and regulations under the Department of Government Efficiency, which Trump recently installed in a White House tech team. Musk’s own official role isn’t yet clear.

Longtime Musk ally Steven Davis has been involved in conversations with both GSA and the Office of Management and Budget, a source familiar told Nextgov/FCW. Davis has worked with Musk for over 20 years, cutting costs at SpaceX and Twitter in addition to working at Boring Co., according to the Los Angeles Times. Davis has also been linked to the DOGE.

A “Steven Davis” is now listed in GSA’s internal directory as working in the office of the administrator, although Nextgov/FCW couldn’t independently confirm that the Davis in question is Musk’s longtime associate. GSA did not respond to requests for comment.

Nicole Hollander — who worked as X’s real estate director and is also Davis’ partner — is working at GSA, according to a source familiar. She is also listed as working in the administrator’s office in the internal directory.

A veteran of Tesla, Thomas Shedd, is leading the agency’s tech shop, the Technology Transformation Services. 

Trump has yet to name a nominee for the top position at GSA. A Salesforce alum, Stephen Ehikian, is currently running the agency as its deputy administrator.

A “Luke Farritor” is also listed in the internal employee directory as working in the GSA administrator’s office. A former SpaceX intern of the same name has been reported as winning a Musk-backed challenge to translate ancient scrolls, although Nextgov/FCW couldn’t independently confirm that this is the Farritor in question.

“The only way to stay ahead of the upheaval is to put Air Tags in the pockets of former Tesla and SpaceX employees roaming D.C., but if you’re not already with them then you’re just in the way,” said one former GSA employee of Musk’s reach into the agency.

The number of Musk allies in government has also caught the attention of Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

“The American people don’t want an unelected, unaccountable billionaire causing chaos and messing with their lives and livelihoods. That is oligarchy, not democracy,” he told Nextgov/FCW in a statement. 

Musk’s GSA visit comes amid members of TTS being asked to do “touch-base” sessions, a move that’s already sparked confusion and anxiety among team members, sources familiar tell Nextgov/FCW.

“All signs point to TTS. That’s where all the action is right now. It’s not clear yet if they want to gut it or elevate it,” a GSA staffer told Nextgov/FCW.

The visit to GSA also follows a Musk stop-by at the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s HR shop, last Friday.

On Monday, feds received an email offering delayed resignations after OPM set up a new email system to communicate with feds en masse. The email, titled “Fork in the Road,” resembles one Musk sent to employees at X.com, formerly Twitter, in 2022.

GovExec Editor-in-Chief Frank Konkel contributed to this story.


ANNALS OF DeSANTISTAN: Sheriffs take sides in dispute between DeSantis, legislative leaders, over immigration bill (Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix, January 30, 2025)

"Every little meaning has a motion of its own." -- Frank Manckiewicz, 1968 

Sheriffs take sides in dispute between DeSantis, legislative leaders, over immigration bill

Jackie Llanos
3 min read

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey appeared on a roundtable discussion with Gov. Ron DeSantis on Jan. 29, 2025, during which the governor continued his criticism against the TRUMP Act. (Screenshot from Florida Channel)

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw joined Gov. Ron DeSantis’ effort Thursday morning to publicly bash the Republican-led Legislature over its passage of an immigration bill the governor has labeled weak.

Bradshaw is not the only law enforcement elected official who has sided with DeSantis against the Legislature. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey vouched for the governor Wednesday during his first public roundtable to condemn the bill, known as the TRUMP Act.

DeSantis has vowed to veto the legislation lawmakers passed Tuesday night.

“I trust the governor to do the right thing, to protect the people in the state,” Bradshaw said during the event at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Training Facility. “That’s what he’s always done since he got elected, and I’m hoping at the end of the day, the people in the Legislature will do the right thing also.”

A day earlier, Ivey said he had been working with the governor’s office to draft proposals tackling unauthorized immigration.

“While sheriffs don’t make laws, what I can tell you is that we’re ready to rock and roll when a piece of legislation is placed on this man’s desk that he is ready to sign,” Ivey said at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Throughout this week, DeSantis has held the roundtables, appeared on conservative talk shows, and posted on social media to slam Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez for ditching the governor’s proposals and making Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson Florida’s chief immigration officer.

However, not all sheriffs are dissing the TRUMP Act, Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, who is president of the Florida Sheriffs Association, released a statement in support of the Legislature on Tuesday.

“The Florida Legislature has worked closely with us to ensure our concerns are heard so we have the tools we need to effectively and efficiently remove criminal aliens from our communities across the State of Florida, thus protecting Floridians and visitors of our great State,” Prummell wrote in the statement posted on X. “We are thankful for their support.”

 Bob Gualtieri via Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Bob Gualtieri via Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Additionally, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri answered questions in favor of the bill from senators during a committee meeting Monday.






Democrats worry RFK Jr. could purge ‘thousands’ of federal health employees. (Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive Magazine, January 31, 2025)

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Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., speaks during a press conference at the Senate steps with a caucus of Democratic Senators at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 9, 2025. Alsobrooks asked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if a list existed targeting the Health and Human Services Department workforce.

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., speaks during a press conference at the Senate steps with a caucus of Democratic Senators at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 9, 2025. Alsobrooks asked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if a list existed targeting the Health and Human Services Department workforce. JON CHERRY / GETTY IMAGES

Democrats worry RFK Jr. could purge ‘thousands’ of federal health employees

Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary said that NIH, FDA and CDC would be integral in his objective to prevent chronic disease. 

Democratic senators this week warned that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, intends to fire potentially thousands of federal employees. 

“I was struck by your comments in our meeting last week where you made it abundantly clear to me that you intended to clean house of the professional scientists at the National Institutes of Health,” said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., during a Thursday Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing. NIH is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. 

In response, Kennedy said he wants to remove “the ones who are corrupt.” 

Referencing a list developed by a conservative group targeting certain Homeland Security Department federal employees, Alsobrooks asked Kennedy if a similar list existed for the HHS workforce. The nominee said he wasn’t aware of any such list. 

Likewise, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a Wednesday Senate Finance Committee hearing that Kennedy told him that he wants to remove 2,200 people from HHS. 

Kennedy committed to “not firing anybody who’s doing their job.” But after a follow-up from Warner, Kennedy said that determination would be based on his opinion. 

“I guess that means a lot of the folks who've had any type of views on vaccines will be out of work,” Warner replied. 

Kennedy is known for spreading misinformation about vaccines, even though he said on Thursday that he wants to “restore trust” to the vaccine program. 

“If we want uptake in vaccines, we need a trustworthy government,” he said. 

Kennedy has previously threatened to remove federal employees who have been involved in research decisions that he disagrees with; although, civil service job protections should largely guard against such removals. 

The nominee acknowledged that he will need experts at NIH, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement his goals to combat chronic diseases. 

“Much as I've criticized certain industries and agencies, President Trump and I know that most of the scientists and experts genuinely care about American health,” he said in his opening remarks. “Therefore, we will bring together all stakeholders in pursuit of this unified goal.” 

Kennedy also committed to not revise CDC recommendations based on his personal beliefs. 

“I am not going to go into HHS and impose my preordained opinions on anybody at HHS,” he said. 

Democrats in both hearings criticized Kennedy over his lack of knowledge about HHS’ functions and authorities. 

“What is Medicare Part A?” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., asked Kennedy on Thursday. 

“Medicare Part A is mainly for primary care or physicians,” Kennedy answered. 

“No, Medicare Part A is seniors’ coverage for inpatient hospital care” Hassan replied. 

Kennedy also said he didn’t know if the COVID-19 vaccine was successful in saving millions of lives when asked by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the ranking member of Senate HELP. 

“You're applying for the job. I mean, clearly you should know this,” Sanders said. “The scientific community has established that the COVID vaccine has saved millions of lives, and you’re casting doubt. That is really problematic.”

NIH reported in 2022 that the COVID vaccine prevented an estimated 14.4 million deaths in one year. 

Senate HELP Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., — who is a medical doctor and member of the Finance Committee, which ultimately will vote on Kennedy’ nomination — said at the end of Thursday’s hearing that he is still undecided. 

“If you come out unequivocally vaccines are safe, it does not cause autism, that would have an incredible impact,” Cassidy told Kennedy. “That’s your power. So what’s it going to be? Will it be using the credibility to support lots of [research] articles or will it be using credibility to undermine? And I got to figure that out for my vote.”