Senators grill aviation leaders over 15,000 close calls at DC airport before deadly collision



Senators on Thursday grilled several aviation leaders during a hearing concerning the January midair collision between an America Airlines commercial jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that resulted in the deaths of 67 people.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, cited a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board in his opening statements, noting that the agency’s investigation found thousands of close-call incidents near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport over a three-year period.

'Specifically, even since the crash, certain safety measures that could have been simply implemented still have not been.'

“Sixty-seven lives that were lost on January 29 were taken prematurely in an accident that by all indications should have been avoided,” Moran stated.

He called the statistics in the NTSB’s preliminary report “alarming.”

“In a 13-year period, not a single month went by without at least one ‘close call’ between a helicopter and a commercial jet operating at DCA,” Moran continued. “Between October ’21 and December ’24, there were 85 incidents where the lateral separation between a commercial jet and helicopter was less than 1,500 feet and the vertical separation was less than 200 feet.”

The NTSB’s report stated that during the same period, of the 944,179 operations, 15,214 were considered “near midair collision events” between commercial planes and helicopters. The report defined those close calls as instances where two aircraft were “less than 1 [nautical mile],” or roughly 6,000 feet, of lateral separation and “less than 400 ft” of vertical separation.

The NTSB also found that “a helicopter operating over the eastern shoreline of the Potomac River would have about 75 ft of vertical separation from an airplane approaching runway 33, and this distance decreases if the helicopter is operated farther from the shoreline.”

Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the NTSB, told senators, “There’s virtually no margin of error.”

Chris Rocheleau, the Federal Aviation Administration’s acting administrator, was pressed about how the agency failed to address the safety concerns.

“How did we get to this point?” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) asked Rocheleau. “It’s like it’s a series of errors here.”

“What office said this is a safe pathway in agreement when the NTSB is telling us today it never really was safe? It was an intolerable risk,” she stated.

Rocheleau explained that the airspace was redesigned several times in the past.

“When you talk about how did we get there, I think we’re going to learn more of that through the investigation,” he replied.

Rocheleau stated that the FAA’s air traffic system requires “modernization as soon as possible.”

“I can assure to the flying public: to fly is safe. We have the safest, most complex system in the world, and it is safe to fly. I would also say the air traffic system is in dire need of upgrade,” he said.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) questioned Brigadier General Matthew Braman, the U.S. Army aviation director, about a controversial policy that allows flights to operate with the automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, a key safety system, turned off.

“I find that shocking and deeply unacceptable. And I want to encourage the Army right now to revisit that policy and to revisit that policy today,” Cruz told Braman. “I can tell you, if the Army chooses not to, I have a high level of confidence that Congress will pass legislation mandating that you revisit the policy.”

Family members of the victims also attended the Senate hearing.

Dailey Crafton, the brother of 40-year-old Casey, a husband and father of three who died in the collision, told the Daily Caller that he was “surprised” by the safety lapses.

“Specifically, even since the crash, certain safety measures that could have been simply implemented still have not been. Accountability is still not being taken by parties who should be held responsible,” he said.

Tracy Brammeier, a partner at Clifford Law Offices, which is representing the families, stated, “The failure to share details about near-midair collisions, or to perform trend analysis on the history of such incidents, or otherwise take action to address the high number of occurrences is completely unacceptable.”

“All entities who failed to take action must be held accountable to the victims’ families and to the flying public,” Brammeier added.

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Pete Hegseth celebrates milestone Army recruiting numbers after Trump's election, but military nominee issues warning



The U.S. Army recently announced stellar recruiting numbers following the election of President Donald Trump. However, Trump's nominee for secretary of the Army has issued a warning regarding the military's enrollment numbers.

The official account of the U.S. Army announced on the X social media platform on Tuesday, "U.S. Army Recruiting had their most productive December in 15 years by enlisting 346 Soldiers daily into the world's greatest U.S. Army! Our recruiters have one of the toughest jobs — inspiring the next generation of soldiers to serve. Congratulations and keep up the great work!"

'America’s youth want to serve under the bold and strong "America First" leadership of Donald Trump.'

Newly appointed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth celebrated the Army recruiting figures on social media.

"In December 2024, the U.S. Army had its best recruiting number in 12 years. In January 2025, the Army hit its best recruiting number in 15 YEARS," Hegseth wrote on the X social media platform.

Hegseth concluded, "BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold and strong 'America First' leadership of Donald Trump."

During his confirmation hearing, Hegseth stated, “We've already seen it in recruiting numbers. There’s already been a surge since President Trump won the election."

When asked about the most significant challenges facing him if confirmed as defense secretary, Hegseth replied, "If confirmed, I expect that one of my most significant challenges would be ensuring the Army recruits qualified candidates in sufficient numbers."

Hegseth added, "I think that the decline in Army end strength in recent years is due to recruiting challenges rather than a conclusion that the Army required fewer soldiers to meet its national security objectives."

"This has occurred during an era of increasing security challenges," he continued. "Therefore, it is likely that the Army’s current end strength is insufficient to accomplish its mission."

Hegseth vowed to "review the Army’s current recruitment and retention standards and solicit input from all levels of the Army to ensure that the right standards are in place."

To remedy any recruiting issues, Hegseth explained that he would "consider all non-monetary options of expanding the pool of eligible recruits and improving Army recruiting, including alternative career routes, sabbaticals, desired duty station assignment, increased direct commissions for certain specialties, and others."

The U.S. Army recruited 55,300 new active-duty soldiers during the fiscal year 2024 that ended on Sept. 30. The target number was 55,000 soldiers. In the two previous fiscal years, the Army recruited fewer than 51,000 soldiers.

Christine Wormuth, the outgoing Army secretary, told the Associated Press last month that the Army is on pace to bring in 61,000 soldiers by the end of the 2025 fiscal year. Plus, she noted that over 20,000 additional young people had signed up for the Future Soldier Preparatory Course for 2026.

However, Trump's nominee for the secretary of the Army issued a warning that the United States needs more soldiers.

During his confirmation hearing, Army Secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll spoke on the topic of recruitment.

"We have the fewest number of active soldiers that we've had since World War II, even as conflict is erupting around the world. We need to fix that," Driscoll declared.

Driscoll continued, "I actually don't think the answer is throwing more money at the problem. I think it's nice to get things like GI Bill benefits. But I didn't join for that. I enlisted to serve the country."

Driscoll is an Army veteran who served from 2007 to 2011. He was a cavalry scout platoon leader with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. Driscoll deployed to Iraq in 2009 for nine months. He earned his Ranger tab and Combat Action Badge, according to Task & Purpose.

Driscoll also previously served as a senior adviser for JD Vance.

In the December announcement of Driscoll's nomination, Trump declared, "Dan brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent."

The United States has faced military recruitment issues for the past decade.

The United States military missed its recruiting goal by 41,000 personnel across all branches in 2023.

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Trump Takes In Army-Navy Game With Allies And Special Guest

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Maryland Gov. Moore calls stolen valor over Bronze Star an ‘honest mistake,’ deflects blame



Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) has been accused of stolen valor for previously failing to correct the record about a Bronze Star he never received, but claimed he had, while serving in the United States Army.

A New York Times report published Thursday revealed that in 2006, Moore, then 27 years old, claimed on an application for the White House Fellowship that he had received the award.

'I should have corrected the interviewers.'

“For my work,” he claimed, “the 82nd Airborne Division have awarded me the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge.”

Bronze Star awards are given to military members who perform “acts of heroism in ground combat.

He had not been awarded with either the Bronze Star or the badge at the time of the submission. The Times found that Moore never received the Bronze Star but earned the badge in May 2006, according to an Army spokesperson.

During a Wednesday interview, Moore called the statement on his application “an honest mistake.”

“While serving overseas with the Army, I was encouraged to fill out an application for the White House Fellowship by my deputy brigade commander,” Moore stated. “In fact, he helped me edit it before I sent it in. At the time, he had recommended me for the Bronze Star. He told me to include the Bronze Star award on my application after confirming with two other senior-level officers that they had also signed off on the commendation.”

“I made an honest mistake by including something because my commanding officer thought it was a good idea,” Moore added. “He thought that I earned it and he was already going through the paperwork to process it.”

Moore’s then-commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, confirmed to the Times that he had advised Moore to include the Bronze Star on his application. He told Moore that he and others had already approved the medal. Fenzel noted that Moore initially objected to including it on his application.

Fenzel stated that he was unaware that Moore had never received the medal, adding that he plans to resubmit the paperwork.

However, despite claiming it was “an honest mistake,” Moore has had several opportunities to correct the record, including during a 2008 PBS panel discussion with Gwen Ifill and a 2010 appearance on “The Colbert Report” with Stephen Colbert.

“I should have corrected the interviewers,” Moore said. “In retrospect, I’m sorry that I didn’t.”

Moore has received several other medals for his time in the military, including a National Defense Service Medal, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, an Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device, an Army Service Ribbon, and a Parachutist Badge.

Moore was initially included among Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris’ list of candidates for running mate. According to Moore, questions regarding the Bronze Star did not come up.

Harris ultimately selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) as her vice presidential nominee, who has also been accused of stolen valor. Walz referred to weapons he “carried in war,” but he was never deployed to a combat zone. He has also been introduced as a “command sergeant major” despite retiring at a lower rank and failing to meet the requirements associated with the higher position.

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US Army ADMITS the vaccine hurt soldiers, but no — the Army won’t help them



Karolina Stancik is a U.S. Army veteran who tragically suffered severe heart conditions after being mandated to take the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

While the Army has shockingly acknowledged in an internal memo that her injuries were vaccine-induced, they discharged Stancik and refused to cover her medical treatment.

“I am 24 years old, I have had three heart attacks, a mini stroke, and I am now getting a pacemaker,” Stancik told investigative reporter Catherine Herridge in an interview.

Stancik told Herridge that the COVID vaccine is when “everything flipped upside down” for her and that she was “left behind and trampled” by the U.S. Army.

“So, the Army admits in an internal memo that they referenced that all of these injuries were caused by the vaccine, and yet, you know, they discharged her by the way, because ‘You’re of no use to us now. You’re disabled now,’” Sara Gonzales says, clearly disturbed.

“How sick and how rotten is this administration that we will force servicemen and women to buy into a narrative and if they don’t and then get hurt, you just toss them aside and feed them to the wolves,” Jaco Booyens agrees.

Booyens' own brother, who he says has “3% body fat and is a top former professional athlete,” all of a sudden got myocarditis.

“His doctors lie to him, they tell him it’s called ‘athlete’s heart,’” Booyens explains. “He’s like, ‘What is athlete's heart?’”

“Fights for his life in ICU for 13 days, turned to the brink of death. This has happened hundreds of thousands, if not millions of times,” he continues, adding, “Anthony Fauci should be in front of an international tribunal for crimes against humanity.”


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