Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Pentagon Didn't Notify Anyone That The Secretary Of Defense Was In ICU
With tensions continuing to remain high in the Middle East, a lack of protocol from the Secretary of Defense has increased the temperature in Washington. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Monday due to “complications following a recent elective medical procedure.” The medical crisis wasn’t an issue, except that senior officials at the National Security Council weren’t told that he was in the hospital in the intensive care unit until three days after he was admitted. Among those who weren’t notified was Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, who was in Puerto Rico and wasn’t told that she was in charge until Thursday. President Joe Biden was reportedly exasperated at not being informed, even though the White House is standing behind Austin. While Austin was hospitalized, the US conducted a controversial strike against a senior Iranian-backed militia member in Baghdad. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder issued a statement Friday evening outlining the details and timeline of Austin’s hospitalization. For his part, Secretary Austin said in a statement Saturday that “I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better” and took full responsibility for the lack of notification.
2 FAA Temporarily Grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9s After Alaska Airlines Emergency
Imagine being on a jet when a door blows out mid-flight. That's exactly what happened to Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Friday. The flight was en route from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, carrying 171 passengers and six crew members. The Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft was in the air for about 20 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 16,300 feet before what has been referred to as a "plug door" blew out. A "plug door" is a panel that can be opened like a door from the outside, but appears to be a wall from the inside. This section fills the place of where an additional emergency exit would be on the plane, depending on how many seats are installed in the aircraft. Traumatic, right? But to hear Alaska Airlines put it, it was simply an "in-flight departure of a mid-cabin door plug." The Alaska Airlines flight returned to Portland soon after the incident, which prompted the airline to temporarily ground its Boeing 737-9 fleet Friday. The FAA followed suit, saying Saturday it is temporarily grounding certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory until they are inspected. The FAA says this will affect about 171 planes worldwide. The odd part of the story: The aircraft involved in the incident has only been in service since October 2023, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
3 Congress Has A Potential Deal To Avoid A Shutdown
New year, new commitment to compromise? Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on the overall price tag of the next batch of government spending bills, lawmakers announced yesterday - which is a big hurdle for averting a partial government shutdown set to begin later this month. The deal would set top-line spending for fiscal year 2024 at $1.59-trillion, the amount originally agreed to by President Joe Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year. The framework proposes keeping in place the $886-billion agreed to for defense funding in the 2024 fiscal year while also maintaining the $704-billion in non-defense spending that Democrats insisted upon during the debt limit negotiations.