“The Trump administration plans to roll out a new A.I. air traffic control tool designed to predict and prevent flight delays in the Washington region starting Monday, as the opening step of an eventual nationwide deployment,” the New York Times reports.
Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 189
Navigating the Nonsense
Trial Balloon · Ep. 189: Navigating the Nonsense
Trump Drops Legal Bid to Block Gateway Tunnel
“The Trump administration ended its latest effort to block federal funding for the $16 billion Gateway tunnel project connecting New York and New Jersey, dropping an appeal of a court ruling against the U.S,” Bloomberg reports.
“The government agreed to dismiss its challenge to a June ruling by a federal judge who said that withholding funds from the project ‘flagrantly’ violates the law.”
Feds Open Probe Into Elon Musk’s Autonomous Taxis
“Federal regulators are opening an investigation into whether Tesla’s new steering-wheel-free taxis comply with safety rules a day after the company began offering rides in the vehicles,” Associated Press reports.
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was looking into whether Tesla was in full compliance with federal rules in deploying so-called Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, given that the two-seater cars lack steering wheels, mirrors or brake pedals typically required of all vehicles.”
Reagan National to Close for 3 Hours for Grand Prix Event
“The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Monday that it will close Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington to flight traffic for three hours later this month, to accommodate the Trump administration’s planned IndyCar grand prix on the National Mall,” the New York Times reports.
One Trump Renovation Project Draws Praise
“In contrast to some of President Donald Trump’s previous construction projects around the nation’s capital, his plan to renovate Washington Dulles International Airport received widespread praise here, along with sighs of relief,” NBC News reports.
“The airport became less known for its design awards than for its mode of transporting passengers to the concourses and their gates: mobile lounges, commonly called people movers and frequently derided as slow, overcrowded and inefficient.”
Trump Set to Unveil Dulles Makeover
“President Donald Trump on Wednesday is set to announce a sweeping plan to remake Dulles International Airport, including building new terminals and doing away with the airport’s long-criticized shuttles,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump has spent months considering how to overhaul the airport, hearing pitches in the Oval Office from rival construction and design firms and looking at mock-up designs. Under his plan, the current underground train would be fully built out to take passengers to their terminals — rather than relying on the airport’s shuttles, nicknamed ‘people movers’ — and five terminals would be built to replace the four existing ones.”
Trump Refuses to Spend Billions On Transit
“For decades, the federal government has funneled big-ticket grants to local communities to help them take on ambitious construction projects to expand public transit. The grants, sometimes in the billions of dollars, have funded new railroad tracks, train stations and roads rebuilt for modern bus service. Today, they’re funding extensions of the Second Avenue Subway in New York and the Red Line in Chicago, as well as the Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River and bus infrastructure in Indianapolis and San Antonio,” the New York Times reports.
“But since President Trump returned to office, the Federal Transit Administration has not signed a single new agreement under the program, known as Capital Investment Grants. Large projects ready to enter the final phase of the program’s yearslong pipeline have stalled there. The administration also tried halting payments to the New York and Chicago projects, forcing courts to intervene.”
“As the number of pending projects builds up, so has anxiety about the federal government’s support for major transit infrastructure. Money that Congress designated for that purpose is accumulating too: More than $7 billion hasn’t been obligated to any project.”
Trump Relents On U.S.-Canada Bridge Project
“Donald Trump has cleared the way for the opening of a $4.5bn bridge between Canada and Michigan 13 years after the project’s inception, claiming he had secured a better deal from the other side,” the Financial Times reports.
“The Gordie Howe International Bridge is now expected to open on July 27 after the U.S. president dropped his objections to the project.”
CBS News: Gordie Howe Bridge connecting Detroit, Canada expected to open by end of July.
Judge Rules Trump Freeze on Tunnel Funds Illegal
“A federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration from withholding funds from a $16 billion rail tunnel project that would connect New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas, appointed by former President Joe Biden, on Monday ruled in favor of the two states. The states sued in February, arguing the Trump administration’s freeze was politically motivated and arbitrary and capricious.”
Independence Day Events Will Ground Flights in D.C.
“Ronald Reagan National Airport will be closed to flight traffic after noon on the Fourth of July, the local airports authority announced on Tuesday, as it warned would-be passengers to brace for several interruptions during the Trump administration’s planned events surrounding the nation’s 250th birthday,” the New York Times reports.
TSA Plans to Fly Thousands to a Four-Hour Training
“Between July and September, thousands of Transportation Security Administration supervisors, in cohorts no bigger than 24, are set to fly from all over the country to Nevada or Georgia and stay overnight in a hotel for a special training on advanced threat detection,” NOTUS reports.
“The training is only four hours.”
“An internally shared schedule for the training has confused TSA officials as to why the agency is requiring in-person attendance for such a short seminar, and left current and former employees questioning whether the decision runs afoul of the Trump administration’s efficiency goals.”
Trump Arch Will Need Red Lights
New York Times: “The Federal Aviation Administration said the Trump administration’s plans to construct a 259-foot tall arch less than a mile from Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport would likely not pose risks to aviation safety.”
“But evaluators recommended that red, blinking obstruction lights similar to the ones atop the Washington Monument be added to the design — a common measure for large structures that go up near airports.”
Democrats Blast Duffy’s Reality TV Road Trip
Top Democrats blasted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s controversial reality-show-style road trip, with one saying that if she were to do it, it would be “100 percent illegal,” Politico reports.
Said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY): “I don’t like the fact that this ‘Great American [Road Trip]’ reality TV show took days and days of filming. I don’t like the fact that it was paid for by companies that you have to oversee, companies that you work with, and in our jobs that would be pay for play.”
She added: “It would be 100 percent illegal. It would be inappropriate on every level and not tolerated.”
“The exchange between Duffy and Gillibrand, the ranking member of the subcommittee, spiraled into the pair yelling over one another.”
What the Transportation Secretary Has Been Up To
Intelligencer: “What’s stopping you from celebrating America’s 250th birthday by loading your whole family in the car and road-tripping across this great nation? Work obligations? A boss who won’t let you come and go as you please? The fact that gas now costs more than $4.50 a gallon?”
“Or do you just need a little inspiration?”
“Well, don’t worry, Transportation secretary Sean Duffy is here to help! Not by, like, doing anything to lower fuel costs, but by sharing a family road-trip reality TV show he’s been filming over the past seven months.”
“Friday on Fox & Friends, the secretary and his wife, Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, revealed that they celebrated the semiquincentennial by traveling the country with their nine children. And they filmed the whole adventure for a reality series called The Great American Road Trip, which launches on YouTube next month.”
Spirit Airlines Shuts Down
“Spirit Airlines is shutting down operations effective immediately, the airline said in a statement early Saturday, after a White House proposal to bail out the beleaguered budget carrier fell through,” the Washington Post reports.
Jet Fuel Shortages Could Make Travel a ‘Total Mess’
“This summer is shaping up to be an expensive and uncertain time to fly, especially if you’re planning a European vacation,” the New York Times reports.
“Volatile fuel prices because of the war in Iran are straining airlines around the globe, but perhaps nowhere as much as in Europe, where jet fuel supplies could run low by mid-May. European airlines like Lufthansa and KLM have announced they are cutting flights, and others could follow.”
Trump Nears Rescue Deal for Spirit Airlines
Wall Street Journal: “The Trump administration is nearing a rescue deal for Spirit Airlines.”
“Under the agreement being discussed, the U.S. government would loan the embattled discount carrier as much as $500 million, receiving in return warrants to take a potential significant stake in Spirit.”
European Airports Warn of Fuel Shortages
New York Times: “Europe could face shortages of jet fuel if ships are not allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz soon, an association of airports warned top European Union officials on Thursday.”
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Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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