Wednesday, January 10, 2024

1/10 WAKE-UP CALL: CEO Says Boeing Needs To Man-Up


Boeing CEO David Calhoun said the company needs to acknowledge its mistake days after a door-plug detached from a 737 MAX 9 jet at 16,000 feet, leaving the plane with a gaping hole. 


The incident on Friday has resulted in the grounding of roughly 170 of its planes and spooked its customers. “We are gonna approach this—No. 1—acknowledging our mistake,” Calhoun said in an address to employees. “We’re gonna approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way.” He said that Boeing engineers are scouring the door-plug recovered yesterday in search of clues of what went wrong on the Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Ore., to Ontario, Calif.

➤TRUMP CLAIM LIKELY TO BE TURNED-DOWN:   A federal appeals court signaled it would reject Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election. Even if the courts rebuff Trump’s immunity defense, a delayed decision could push the trial past the 2024 election. If Trump wins election, he could seek to have the federal charges against himself dismissed. Though the former president wasn’t required to attend today’s hearing, his presence in court reflected how his legal defense has merged with his presidential ambitions as he seeks to capitalize on a torrent of criminal jeopardy and cast himself as the target of politicized prosecutions.

🎤HOT MIC CATCHES JOURNALISTS JOKING ABOUT TRUMP ASSISSNATION: Two media members were heard cracking jokes over a hot mic Tuesday about former President Donald Trump being cut down by an assassin’s bullet as they waited for him to appear at the federal courthouse in Washington. The unidentified male journalists had their news cameras stationed outside the E. Barrett Prettyman US Courthouse when they started to grouse about the difficulties of getting a view of the 77-year-old 2024 Republican front-runner. “You know what the worst part is? Even if he has his window open and he’s hanging out of it, he will be on the other side of the street,” one person could be heard saying on the live feed from the Associated Press. “I mean, if he’s driving, we’ve got a good shot,” the second reporter said hopefully, to which the first replied: “Yeah, if he’s driving with the front window open.” The conversation then swerved into gallows humor about the former president arriving in an open-top car like the one President John F. Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

➤HOSTAGE TALKS MOVE TO EGYPT:  An Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo in an effort to revive hostage talks. The renewed negotiations after weeks of no action would be aimed at freeing Israeli captives still held in Gaza in exchange for a prolonged cease-fire and the release of Palestinians in Israeli jails, Egyptian officials said. A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment. Hamas and Palestinian groups kidnapped more than 240 people during the Oct 7 attack on Israel. The U.S.-designated terrorist organization released dozens of hostages, mostly women and children, during a temporary truce weeks ago in exchange for Palestinians prisoners. Israeli officials estimate 130 hostages remain. Meanwhile, Israel’s warnings to Gaza residents have them fleeing two-thirds of the enclave that the military says are unsafe, according to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.

➤DEF-SEC HAD PROSTATE CANCER:  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had surgery last month for one of the most common cancers among American men, prostate cancer. The minimally invasive procedure to remove all or part of his prostate gland resulted in a severe infection that caused him to return to the hospital, according to Pentagon officials. On Dec. 22, Austin went in for a prostatectomy, a surgery to treat cancer of the prostate at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He returned home and more than a week later was hospitalized due to a urinary tract infection that left him with severe abdominal, hip and leg pain, along with nausea, according to a statement released by the Pentagon Tuesday from the doctors who oversaw Austin's treatment.

Prostate cancer affects more than one in eight U.S. men, and one in six African American men, during their lifetime, the doctors said. The nonprofit American Cancer Society said it's the most common form of cancer in men other than skin cancer, and the risk of getting it increases with age. Austin, the first Black defense secretary, is 70.

✞MELANIA'S MOM PASSES: Former First Lady Melania Trump 's mother Amalija Knavs, 78, has died after being hospitalized in Miami, Florida, over the holidays. 'It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija,' the 53-year-old former first lady announced on Tuesday night. 'Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.' Knavs was a textile factory dealer in her native Slovenia when she met husband Viktor. The pair then moved to the U.S. and have been by Melania's side during her career from modeling to the East Wing. Melania wasn't in family Christmas images posted to social media and she skipped a star-studded New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago because she was taking care of her mother in a Miami hospital. At the party, former President Donald Trump confirmed Melania 's mother was 'very ill' and the situation has been 'tough' for their family.


➤MEGYN TALKS ABOUT MICHELLE O: Michelle Obama could be preparing to take over from Joe Biden and run for president, Megyn Kelly has speculated. The radio host told her listeners the former first lady's attack on Donald Trump was 'very interesting' and could change the direction of the election. Kelly also highlighted Obama's appearance on the On Purpose podcast, despite having nothing to promote - and suggested she may have an as-yet undisclosed motive.  Speaking to Jay Shetty, Obama said she was 'terrified' about the upcoming election the thought of Trump regaining the presidency kept her up at night. She never used former President Donald Trump's name, but told the On Purpose podcast she feared Americans were taking 'democracy for granted'.

➤GA D-A ALLEGEDLY PUT BOYFRIEND ON PAYROLL: Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis improperly hired an alleged romantic partner to prosecute Donald Trump and financially benefited from their relationship, according to a court motion filed Monday which argued the criminal charges in the case were unconstitutional. The bombshell public filing alleged that special prosecutor Nathan Wade, a private attorney, paid for lavish vacations he took with Willis using the Fulton County funds his law firm received. County records show that Wade, who has played a prominent role in the election interference case, has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022. The DA authorizes his compensation.

➤NASA DELAYS ASTRONAUT MOON LANDING TO 2026: NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon this decade amid a renewed international push for lunar exploration, is facing some lengthy delays, the space agency has announced. The Artemis III mission, planned to hit the the crucial milestone of landing humans on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program, will not take off until at least September 2026, NASA officials said at a news conference Tuesday. The journey had previously been slated for 2025.


🖵SCREEN TIME LINKED TO SENSORY CHALLENGES IN KIDS UNDER 2: Screen time before the age of 2 is associated with "atypical sensory processing," where a child's response to physical stimuli differs from the norm. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that children exposed to screen time before 12 months were twice as likely to exhibit sensory processing differences. The research, focusing on television and video exposure, found that after 18 months, each additional hour of screen time increased the likelihood of sensory processing differences by 20%. The study suggests that digital media exposure may pose a potential risk for the development of atypical sensory profiles in children.

🏈TITANS FIRE COACH MIKE VRABEL AFTER SIX SEASONS: The Tennessee Titans fired coach Mike Vrabel on Tuesday after back-to-back losing seasons, and although he might have had trade value to other teams with a head-coaching vacancy, the team's owner said she didn't want to wait out such a scenario.

🏈STEELERS RULE T.J. WATT OUT; MASON RUDOLPH TO REMAIN QB1 VS. BILLS: Pittsburgh Steelers' star outside linebacker T.J. Watt will miss the upcoming wild-card game against the Buffalo Bills due to a knee injury, as confirmed by coach Mike Tomlin. Mason Rudolph will start as quarterback for the playoff game, with the Steelers having won three consecutive games under his leadership. Rudolph's last postseason start was in 2017 for Oklahoma State, earning him the MVP title after a notable performance.

⚾MARLINS HIRE TRAILBLAZER RACHEL BALKOVEC AS FARM DIRECTOR, SOURCES SAY: The Miami Marlins hired Rachel Balkovec to be their farm director Tuesday tabbing the first woman to manage a minor league team to ramp up their player development. Balkovec, 36, has spent more than a decade in organized baseball and the past two years managing the Tampa Tarpons, the New York Yankees' Single-A affiliate, where she went 122-136.

➤STORM BRINGS TORNADOES TO THE SOUTH  A storm with heavy rain and powerful winds sparked tornadoes across the South on Tuesday en route to the Northeast. The National Weather Service confirmed at least three tornadoes across the Florida Panhandle, where wind gusts as high as 106 mph were reported. A thunderstorm over southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia had winds recorded at speeds of 70 mph and hail the size of baseballs, according to the weather service. As the storm moves toward the Northeast and rain begins to fall over snow-covered areas, the potential for flooding will be widespread, especially along low-lying areas, swollen creeks and streams.

U-S Daily Mail composite 

The next storm, expected to careen across Midwest, South and East from late Thursday into Saturday could be even stronger than Tuesday's storm, forecasters said. The next storm will also bring a second round of snow, strong winds, severe thunderstorms and flooding rainfall, just days after Tuesday's storm, Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said. Snow is likely to pile up in several big Midwestern cities, including Chicago, Detroit, and Kansas City. As much as 1 to 2 feet of snow is possible in some areas, AccuWeather said, making travel difficult to impossible..

And just like Tuesday's storm, more severe thunderstorms are forecast to rumble across the South and Southeast, the Storm Prediction Center warned. "Strong thunderstorm development is possible Thursday night across parts of central and eastern Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley, where storms may increasingly pose a risk for severe hail, wind and tornadoes prior to daybreak Friday," the prediction center said.



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