Month: February 2025

The Trump administration fired hundreds of employees with the Federal Aviation Administration over the weekend. The FAA has about 50,000 employees and is the largest division of the Department of Transportation. The firings come after President Trump tapped Elon Musk to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency – DOGE — an advisory commission that is targeting U.S. government agencies for massive layoffs.

According to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, “several hundred” workers received termination notices on Friday. The firings at the FAA do not include air traffic controllers but they may include engineers and technicians; instead, the terminated FAA employees were probationary workers hired or promoted within the past year like other workers let go in other federal agencies. USA Today reported the number in the FAA was about 400.

The union representing the employees called the firings a “hastily made decision” that would increase the workload of a workforce already stretched thin. David Spero, the national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO, said in a statement: “This decision did not consider the staffing needs of the FAA, which is already challenged by understaffing. Staffing decisions should be based on an individual agency’s mission-critical needs. To do otherwise is dangerous when it comes to public safety. And it is especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that Elon Musk’s DOGE team members “will be visiting the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia to get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current tools and envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system.”  Duffy later said on X that he “talked to the DOGE [‘department of government efficiency’] team” and “they are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system”.  Musk later reposted Duffy’s remarks, saying his department will “aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system”.

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the cause of a Jan. 29 collision near Washington, D.C., that killed everyone aboard a commercial American Airlines flight and an Army Helicopter. In all, 67 people died, making it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 25 years. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg posted on social media Monday that “the flying public needs answers. How many FAA personnel were just fired? What positions? And why?”

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday in the hopes of undergoing negotiations over wars in Ukraine and Gaza, without any participation from European leaders or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Rubio was expected to meet with Kremlin officials in Riyadh to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war and its future, joined by Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s lead spokesman Dmitry Peskov said its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, who leads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, will be part of Moscow’s team.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr, who is currently in the neighboring United Arab Emirates on a scheduled trip to boost humanitarian support for Ukraine, had previously stated that his country will not consider a peace deal where it was not included in the negotiations. Zelenskyy told NBC News that he would “never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine,” adding there is not “any leader in the world who can really make a deal with Putin without us about us.”

Meanwhile, European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday after the Trump administration said they would be excluded from talks with Russia to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The leaders of Germany, the U.K., Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark and the European Union met at Paris’ Elysee Palace for the talks on the continent’s security quandary. NATO secretary general Mark Rutte also attended.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement that the gathering of several key European leaders aimed to address “the situation in Ukraine and security issues in Europe” by “bringing together all the partners interested in peace and security” in the region.

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Five people have been arrested and charged in New York in connection with the disappearance and death of a 24-year-old Minnesota transgender man who was reported missing last week. PER CNN, New York State Police launched a missing persons investigation for Sam Nordquist, 24, on February 9, following a welfare check request from his family.

On Thursday,  February 13 , investigators discovered human remains, believed to be those of Nordquist, in a field off Payne Road in Yates County, New York (about 50 miles south of Rochester.) Troopers assigned to the State Police post in Canandaigua determined Nordquist had been staying with suspect Precious Arzuaga, 38, and others at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell, N.Y.

Investigators found evidence that Nordquist endured “ongoing physical abuse” from December 2024 to February 2025, including being beaten with sticks, ropes, dog toys, canes and belts and was assaulted with a broomstick and a table leg for weeks before dying, court documents indicate.

Lynnea Crane, spokesperson for the New York State Police, said that the case is being investigated as a homicide, adding that evidence points to the fact that Nordquist was the “victim of a criminal act.” Capt. Kelly Swift with the New York State Police said at the news conference that they have not ruled out the possibility of this case being a hate crime; she said at a press conference: “Sam was subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his tragic death. His body was moved in an attempt to conceal the crime.” Swift noted that Nordquist faced both “prolonged physical and psychological abuse at the hands of multiple individuals,” and described the case as “one of the most horrific crimes” she has ever investigated in her 20-year law enforcement career.

Police identified the five suspects as Precious Arzuaga, 38; Jennifer A. Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick A. Goodwin, 30; and Emily Motyka, 19 – — all from New York. All five suspects were charged with second degree murder with depraved indifference, according to the state police release, and were arraigned and remanded to the Ontario County Jail on Friday.  James Ritts, District Attorney for Ontario County, said that the suspects are being held without bail and noted that a date for a preliminary hearing has been set and that he expects “grand jury action very quickly.”

Rochester city council members Mary Lupien, Stanley Martin and Kim Smith expressed their support and condolences for Nordquist’s family in a news release shared to social media: “We mourn the loss of Sam Nordquist, a Trans man whose life was taken in a horrific act of violence. Our hearts are with Sam’s family, friends and loved ones. No family should have to endure such a loss—we send them our deepest condolences and unwavering support … Every person deserves to live with dignity, safety, and the freedom to be themselves without fear. To our Transgender and LGBTQIA+ neighbors—we see you, we grieve with you, and we stand with you in love and solidarity … Our Trans and LGBTQIA+ residents are, and have always been, integral to the fabric of our communities. We reaffirm our commitment to protecting Trans rights, ensuring safety for all and wish to make clear that you belong—fully, openly, and without fear.”

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At least eight people, including a child, have been killed due to catastrophic and historic flooding across portions of four states over the weekend.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said during a news conference Sunday that at least eight deaths have been connected to the devastating flooding. Fatalities have been reported in Clay, Hart, Nelson, Pike and Washington counties. Beshear added in a post on X: “We need Kentuckians to remain alert. There are more than 300 road closures, with @KYTC leaders saying the statewide impact is historic. From mudslides in the east to snow in the west, the situation is dangerous. Please plan ahead, avoid travel and stay safe, Kentucky.”

According to information provided by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, a vehicle with two people inside was swept off a roadway by floodwaters on Saturday night. One of the victims was a 7-year-old child, with the second victim yet to be located with a search underway. Another death occurred in Clay County, Kentucky, where the coroner’s office said a 73-year-old man was reportedly knocked off his feet by rushing floodwaters and was killed.

Officials in Tennessee are also urging residents of Rives to evacuate and seek higher ground immediately after a levee failed along the Obion River, leading to rapid-onset flooding in the town and surrounding areas. Multiple roads have been declared impassable in western and northern Tennessee, southern Kentucky and near the West Virginia-Virginia border, where rainfall reports climbed to over 5-8 inches during the first half of the weekend and more rain predicted. The National Weather Service office in Memphis said on X: “Water rescues are ongoing  If you are in the area, GET TO HIGHER GROUND NOW! This is a LIFE THREATENING situation.”

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