There have been multiple air traffic control communication and radar malfunctions in recent days, prompting renewed concern about risks in America's skies and on its runways.

The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged in a series of statements that there was a telecommunications issue Friday at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, the air traffic control tower and radar facility at Philadelphia International Airport that guides aircraft into and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace.

Although the issue apparently lasted only 90 seconds, the FAA slowed aircraft in and out of Newark while ensuring that "redundancies were working as designed." The ground stop reportedly lasted around 45 minutes, and, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware, roughly 280 flights were delayed and 87 canceled at Newark as of late Sunday.

'We use floppy discs. We use copper wires.'

A week earlier, the FAA similarly had to slow arrivals and departures on account of "telecommunications and equipment issues at Philadelphia TRACON."

The New York Times reported that air traffic controllers working the airspace around the Newark airport lost communications with planes for nearly 30 seconds. While 10 people reportedly should have been on duty to help coordinate traffic in the Newark airspace at the time, only four controllers were at their posts.

Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy minced no words following the late April 28 incident, stating, "The system that we're using in air traffic control is incredibly old. This system is 25, 30 years old. We use floppy discs. We use copper wires. The system that we're using is not effective to control the traffic that we have in the airspace today."

Stu Burguiere highlighted some of the technological artifacts the FAA still relies upon to regulate American airspace in his BlazeTV documentary "Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster."

In addition to copper wires, Burguiere discussed "paper flight strips," which Reason Foundation founder Robert Poole indicated are still used to track planes.

"It comes off a little printer at the controller's workstation," explained Poole.

Blaze News previously reported that the FAA has attempted to update the paper system for over four decades, but the plans remain behind schedule and over budget.

Burguiere also took a look at a November 2023 FAA report that indicated the agency is not only using floppy discs but employing equipment so old that there are no replacement parts available.

"Beacons used to determine the location of aircraft with working transponders," the report reads. "Includes 331 units that are 28-46 years old. Many of these systems are pre-digital, and many parts are unavailable because the manufacturers no longer exist or no longer support these systems."

After characterizing the systems in place as antiquated and faulty, Duffy said, "Of course it's safe," citing the kinds of reactive measures taken in Newark and elsewhere. While confident in the safety of American travel, Duffy appears both intolerant of further delays and unwilling to leave anything to chance.

— (@)

Duffy stated that "we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible" and indicated that the Trump administration is "working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers."

According to the FAA, Duffy and acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau are taking several actions to improve upon existing air traffic control systems, such as adding three high-bandwidth telecommunications connections between the New York-based Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System and the Philadelphia TRACON; replacing copper telecommunications connections with fiber-optic technology from this millennium; and deploying a temporary backup system to the Philadelphia TRACON to provide redundancy during the cable switchover.

'It has to be fixed.'

Burguiere noted in his BlazeTV documentary that the FAA was not just way behind on critical technological upgrades but dangerously understaffed at critical hubs nationwide — stressing that "with 77% of key facilities below the FAA's own staffing threshold" as of December, "our skies are becoming a ticking time bomb."

It appears that Duffy has also taken the dearth of talent at the FAA to heart. The transportation secretary and Rocheleau are apparently committed to increasing controller staffing.

Katherine KY Cheng/Getty Images

The FAA indicated that the "area in the Philadelphia TRACON that handles Newark traffic has 22 fully certified controllers and 21 controllers and supervisors in training. Ten of those 21 controllers and supervisors are receiving on-the-job training. All 10 are certified on at least one position, and two are certified on multiple positions. We have a healthy pipeline with training classes filled through July 2026."

Blaze News asked the FAA to comment about the nationwide issue of old and aging systems and the perceived problem of understaffing at the FAA and was directed to Duffy's previous statements and May 12 press conference regarding the incident at the Newark airport.

Regarding staffing, the FAA said in a statement obtained by Blaze News, "The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) collaborate to establish staffing goals for every facility, for every area in the facility, and for each shift. They update the goals yearly, and the goals are based on full staffing in the facility or area. There is a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, and the FAA for years has not met the staffing goal for the area that works Newark airspace."

"The persistent low staffing levels and low training success rate at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), or N90, were contributing factors to moving control of the Newark airspace to the Philadelphia TRACON in 2024," added the agency.

The airspace over Newark is far from the only domain experiencing troubles.

WAGA-TV reported that over 600 flights were delayed Monday at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on account of what officials termed a "runway equipment issue."

Duffy told NBC News Monday, "I'm concerned about the whole airspace."

"What you see in Newark is going to happen in other places across the country," continued the transportation secretary. "It has to be fixed."

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Mass deportation or bust: Trump’s one shot to get it right

You can’t litigate your way out of an invasion.

Removal is not considered a criminal punishment but an administrative consequence of sovereignty. If it were treated as a form of punishment, it would require due process and could take months to remove even the worst offenders. We see that happening now, and we can no longer afford these delays.

President Donald Trump should challenge overreaching court rulings and use resources more effectively to maximize the number of removals.

End judicial tyranny

Imagine you are a liberal judge on the federal bench. You know the political system — including all three branches of government and both major parties — grants you sweeping authority to dictate policy through an injunction. Regardless of legal precedents, constitutional constraints, rules of standing, or national security concerns, you can issue an opinion that instantly becomes “the law of the land.” Why wouldn’t you exploit that power like a judicial version of Kim Jong Un?

By cutting through the legal obstacles, ICE could apprehend and remove individuals in a single step.

At some point, we must stop blaming judges for legislating with impunity and start holding the other branches accountable for not just relinquishing their own power but for enabling judges to usurp the law. As St. George Tucker wrote in his commentaries on the Constitution, “If we consider the nature of the judicial authority, and the manner in which it operates, we shall discover that it cannot, of itself, oppress any individual; for the executive authority must lend its aid in every instance where oppression can ensue from its decisions.”

If President Trump is unwilling to simply ignore these lawless rulings, he should at least insist that Congress include a provision in a must-pass bill to eliminate all judicial review for deportations. At a minimum, lower courts should be removed from the process entirely. Unless a plaintiff files a habeas petition claiming the individual is actually a citizen or has been misidentified, all removals should be final.

We already have several million immigrants with criminal convictions living in this country, at least eight million who entered during Joe Biden’s term, and many others who arrived earlier. If we continue to extend this level of due process — whether through administrative courts or Article III courts — we risk undermining our sovereignty. This explains why Trump is averaging only a few hundred thousand removals annually at the current pace.

How did President Dwight D. Eisenhower manage to remove more than one million illegal aliens in just a few months in 1954 — after the passage of the modern Immigration and Nationality Act — without facing endless lawsuits? Today, every deportation becomes a legal battle.

Eisenhower’s administration had fewer resources, just 800 Border Patrol agents, and primitive technology. Still, they got the job done because they believed in themselves and in the nation. They also understood that you don’t repel an invasion through litigation. Our immigration system was never designed to grant full due process to individuals here illegally, and that principle should be clarified in the Immigration and Nationality Act.

When court proceedings — even in administrative courts — are required, Immigration and Customs Enforcement currently must provide detention space for each person it apprehends rather than taking them directly to the point of removal. By cutting through the legal obstacles, ICE could apprehend and remove individuals in a single step.

But how?

Maritime removals

Trump is currently using military and commercial flights to remove illegal aliens. Most flights carry only 100 to 200 passengers and are difficult to secure against potential unrest. They also cost more, rely on airports in potentially hostile countries, and require additional personnel.

A better option might be to use Navy and Coast Guard vessels from ports in Florida and Texas, which sit along the Gulf Coast toward Latin America. The president could also call on the Department of Transportation’s National Defense Reserve Fleet. This force of about 100 ships receives nearly $1 billion in annual appropriations and can be activated within 20 to 120 days for emergency sealift operations during wartime or in response to disasters.

The NDRF includes mostly cargo ships and tankers. Its Ready Reserve Force — comprised of 41 vessels — provides extra shipping capacity or rapid deployment for U.S. military forces. These ships are stationed at 18 ports, including three in Texas and one in Florida.

This fleet features National Security Multi-Mission Vessels, each able to carry 1,000 people — far more than the roughly 100-person capacity of a C-17 plane or the 150 to 200 seats on most commercial aircraft. These ships can stay at sea for 14 days without resupply and include medical facilities, enough space for 60 cargo containers, a helicopter landing pad, and roll-on/roll-off vehicle capacity. They could be activated immediately and based at a designated port along the Gulf of America.

By using these vessels, President Donald Trump could transport far more unauthorized immigrants for removal at a lower cost than air travel.

Call up National Guard

One major obstacle to large-scale deportations is a lack of detention space. Shifting to maritime operations would shorten the time illegal aliens spend in custody by reducing reliance on deportation flights. Newly apprehended people would enter detention as those previously held depart.

Yet, Trump doesn’t need hundreds of billions of dollars to build new detention facilities. During Operation Desert Storm, U.S. forces suddenly found themselves guarding 65,000 Iraqi prisoners of war who surrendered en masse. The military constructed temporary detention sites practically overnight. Trump could replicate this approach by ordering the National Guard to set up outdoor facilities near Gulf Coast “deportation ports.” It’s an inexpensive, efficient way to get the job done.

Trump will have only one shot to get mass deportations done right. If he deports just a few hundred thousand people each year despite a mandate to address the crisis, critics will say mass deportations are unworkable and push for amnesty. Now is the time for Trump to use every tool and resource at hand to meet that mandate.

Shape-shifting nanotech and flying robots: The future of the US Air Force

Aerospace technology is advancing at mind-blowing speed with the advent of advanced artificial intelligence. AI has expanded the possibilities that previously limited the defense industry. Now, the aerospace industry is moving to utilize physics in mind-blowing ways.

Here are some of the latest aerospace and defense industry developments that have been revealed to the public.

This tech is clearly still in the development or testing phase, but the fact that researchers are seriously discussing a nanotech material that can 'shape-shift' is incredible.

Let’s start with one of the most bizarre examples. The Samarai UAV project produced a small UAV described as "the world's first controllable robotic samara monocopter." This aircraft mimics the samara — the tree seed with a "wing" like a helicopter — in its design. The Samarai copter is about 16 inches long and weighs less than a pound. It can take off and land on the ground or be thrown into the air for takeoff. It also has a mounted camera, which revolves at the same speed as the machine's rotation, allowing for a stable camera view on the controller — which is a tablet.

This design has a lot of promise for the future: “Because its design is so robust and efficient, the Samarai is intended mainly for military surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It is capable of carrying and dropping small payloads, and can be inexpensively fabricated using a 3D printer.”

Another example is Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II, which is at the cutting edge of military stealth fighter jets. Northrop Grumman describes it as a “stealthy, supersonic, multirole fighter” designed for the modern needs of the military.

Earlier this year, NASA debuted Lockheed Martin’s X-59 Quesst. The “X” signifies that it is part of the Low Boom Flight Demonstration research. The X-59 Quesst was a project that sought to “quiet the boom,” referring to the sonic boom produced when the aircraft's speed exceeds the speed of sound. Robert Pearce, NASA’s associate administrator for Aeronautics, said the research “showed us it was possible to design an aircraft that would produce a soft bump instead of a sonic boom.” The result of the research was the X-59, which is the prototype of what could become an industry of supersonic commercial aircraft. This aircraft's sound is more like that of a car door closing than a typical sonic boom.

NASA is also developing Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology, which is revolutionizing how traditional helicopters are used. These aircraft are capable of taking off, landing, and hovering in place anywhere they need to be. This project “is working with partners in government, industry, and academia to develop critical technologies that enable revolutionary new air travel options, especially those associated with Advanced Air Mobility such as large cargo-carrying vehicles and passenger-carrying air taxis.”

The RVLT project was historically concerned with “traditional rotary wing vehicles,” but it is also supporting the Advanced Air Vehicles Program. This is a broader project with diverse focuses on new technologies in aerospace development. While many of these projects are still in the developing stages, they show the great breadth of the directions that the researchers are taking new aerospace technologies.

There are also alleged murmurings of nanotechnology that would drastically change the aerospace field forever. According to a piece of an interview with some Lockheed Martin researchers, the tech developers discovered some new nanotechnology applications. These same researchers described the Samarai UAV project, as discussed above.

This other technology, however, has some truly mind-bending capabilities. One of the researchers said, “New materials that are on the lab bench right now … they can literally change shape, they can become almost a muscular material.” They also said that the material could take on different functions, like information processing or power storage: “We can do things like embed the nanotubes to make conductive structure, so that information doesn’t flow through a wire next to the structure but literally flows through the structure.”

They went on to discuss the possibilities of these futuristic aircraft, describing the ways in which “swarms” of “adaptive vehicles” could interact with each other to complete different tasks under changing conditions. The idea is that smaller vehicles could learn from each other and interact with larger aircraft. Some may have sensors, while others have other capabilities like payload transport or defense.

This type of UAV fleet would forever change air and space travel and the battlefield. As the researcher says, “As we go forward, we’re going to find new ways of using these unmanned UAVs.” This tech is clearly still in the development or testing phase, but the fact that researchers are seriously discussing a nanotech material that can “shape-shift” is incredible.

'This airplane is going down!' Passenger physically attacks flight crew after Disney trip with 3-year-old daughter, DOJ says

A California man went on a violent rampage during a recent Frontier Airlines flight, according to the Department of Justice. After spending the weekend in Disneyland with his daughter, the man allegedly attacked the flight crew and screamed: "This airplane is going down!"

Charles Angel Salva of Fremont has been charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants. He appeared Thursday in federal court.

According to court documents, Salva told police he assaulted the flight attendants because he didn't want anyone to know he was a pedophile and that he had been hearing triggering voices.

Salva was on Frontier Airlines flight 3581, which departed Monday from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana and was scheduled to land at the San Francisco International Airport.

Shortly after takeoff — while the airplane was increasing altitude and under 10,000 feet — the flight crew noticed oxygen masks in one row at the middle of the aircraft were out of the overhead compartment. Flight attendants discovered Salva had his hand stuck in the overhead compartment.

A passenger allegedly told investigators that Salva appeared claustrophobic, and it seemed as though he desperately wanted to exit the airplane.

Salva allegedly began yelling obscenities at the flight crew.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Salva screamed, “We are all going to hell!” and, “This airplane is going down!”

Salva reportedly ran toward the rear of the plane as flight attendants attempted to restrain him.

Salva purportedly attempted to choke a flight attendant, leaving two small marks on the victim’s neck. The Daily Mail reported that while he was allegedly choking the airline employee, Salva said, "I’m going to choke this b****."

The unruly passenger then pushed another member of the flight staff "with force" and said he was going to kill everybody, according to the affidavit.

Passengers helped restrain Salva. He allegedly broke out of flex cuffs and had to be restrained with a seatbelt.

The DOJ said Salva kicked a flight attendant roughly six times in the leg, which caused bruising and swelling that required medical attention.

The flight had to be diverted to the Ontario International Airport because of the alleged outburst.

Once the plane touched down, Salva was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.

A passenger told investigators they were flying back to San Francisco with Salva and his 3-year-old daughter after spending the weekend at Disneyland, Fox News noted, adding that court documents state Salva on Sunday left his daughter with the unnamed passenger and their family and then disappeared. Fox News added that the unnamed passenger said the Anaheim Police Department called saying Salva had been found covered in sewage at a liquor store.

The news outlet added that Salva reportedly told investigators, "I’m a child molester," and that he had molested his 3-year-old daughter multiple times before losing his custody rights. He allegedly told police that he believed everyone was trying to get him to admit his crimes, so he tried to pull the emergency flight button in an attempt to cause the airplane to crash. According to court documents, Salva told police he assaulted the flight attendants because he didn't want anyone to know he was a pedophile and that he had been hearing triggering voices. Salva also reportedly admitted that he consumed ecstasy before boarding the plane.

Frontier Airlines said in a statement, "We extend our utmost appreciation to the flight crew for their professionalism and to the other passengers who assisted during the incident, as well as local and federal law enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, for their efforts to ensure justice."

The FBI and the Ontario Police Department launched investigations.

If convicted, Salva would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

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FAA investigating near collision after Cessna nearly lands on top of Southwest Airlines 737 taking off

A Cessna Citation business jet flew within an alarmingly close proximity to a Boeing 737 that was taking off at the San Diego International Airport on Friday. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the near collision in California.

Just before 12:00 p.m. on Friday, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 was about to take off. At the same time, the air traffic controller cleared the Cessna Citation to land on the same runway.

The FAA said in a statement, "The controller had previously cleared the Citation to land on Runway 27 and then instructed Southwest Flight 2493 to taxi onto that runway and wait for instructions to depart."

The automated ground surveillance system detected the two aircraft were dangerously close to colliding with each other and alerted the air traffic controller.

Simply Flying reported, "The controller immediately directed the Cessna to discontinue the landing procedure, thereby avoiding an oncoming catastrophe."

The Cessna flew approximately 100 feet directly above the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 on the runway.

— (@)

The Cessna safely landed at San Diego International Airport. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines Flight 2493 took off and later safely landed as scheduled in San Jose, California.

No injuries were reported on either aircraft.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the near collision, and Southwest Airlines is assisting authorities in the investigation. The FAA is sending a team of experts to the San Diego International Airport to investigate.

Shockingly, this is the sixth near-collision event on airport runways since January.

In February, a similar near-collision event nearly happened in February when a FedEx cargo plane came within 115 feet of almost landing on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 taking off at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Then in June, an Allegiant Air plane nearly crashed with a small aircraft at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

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FAA investigating near collision at San Diego International Airport | NewsNation Prime www.youtube.com

Floppy discs and copper strips: Newark failures hint at looming threat of another FAA disaster

Mass deportation or bust: Trump’s one shot to get it right

End judicial tyranny

Maritime removals

Call up National Guard

Shape-shifting nanotech and flying robots: The future of the US Air Force

'This airplane is going down!' Passenger physically attacks flight crew after Disney trip with 3-year-old daughter, DOJ says

FAA investigating near collision after Cessna nearly lands on top of Southwest Airlines 737 taking off

Dem Senator In $5M Mansion Close To Airport Leads Fight Against Airplane Noise

The only Trump-Musk feud timeline you'll need

Iran Awakens the Jacksonians. Plus, Did Joe Biden Inadvertently Kill DEI?

Union president reportedly detained and injured in ICE raids in Los Angeles

23 Manly Gift Ideas Guaranteed To Make Your Father’s Day Celebration Even More Masculine Than It Already Is

Tehran Awakens a Jacksonian Giant

This celebrity just started selling … her dirty bathwater?

Iggy Pop: The Last Emperor of Rock

The culture war isn’t a distraction — it’s the main front

End judicial tyranny

Maritime removals

Call up National Guard

We’ll keep you informed with top stories for conservatives who want to become informed decision makers.