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Anna Commander is a Newsweek Editor and writer based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on crime, weather and breaking news. She has covered weather, and major breaking news events in South Florida. Anna joined Newsweek in 2022 from The National Desk in Washington, D.C. and had previously worked at CBS12 News in West Palm Beach. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. You can get in touch with Anna by emailing a.commander@newsweek.com. Languages: English
Intermediate Spanish
Deputy News Editor
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will be making "rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system," Elon Musk said on Wednesday. This announcement follows two deadly aviation crashes last week.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Transportation (DOT) via email Wednesday for comment.
Why It Matters
Recent airplane incidents and close calls nationwide have raised concerns about safety protocols. In a news conference after the fatal midair collision last week, President Donald Trump questioned if Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) may be partly to blame for the collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport near D.C.
Trump also questioned during the press briefing the capabilities of the air traffic controllers and the path of the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash.
In a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report obtained by The Associated Press (AP), officials say one air traffic controller was overseeing both helicopter traffic and planes arriving and departing Reagan National at the time of the collision. The FAA report said that personnel configuration was "not normal" but overall staffing was typical, the AP reports.
In a news conference by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), officials confirmed interviews are underway with the air traffic controller who was working during the collision.
What To Know
In posts on X (formerly Twitter), recently sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, "Big News - Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system."
Musk followed up on X saying, "With the support of President @realDonaldTrump, the @DOGE team will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system. Just a few days ago, the FAA's primary aircraft safety notification system failed for several hours!" Musk then linked to Duffy's earlier post noting the NOTAM system's temporary outage.
Since Trump's inauguration last month, the DOGE team has sparked intense backlash and praise for sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and programs.
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
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About the writer
Anna Commander is a Newsweek Editor and writer based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on crime, weather and breaking news. She has covered weather, and major breaking news events in South Florida. Anna joined Newsweek in 2022 from The National Desk in Washington, D.C. and had previously worked at CBS12 News in West Palm Beach. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. You can get in touch with Anna by emailing a.commander@newsweek.com.
Languages: English
Intermediate Spanish
Anna Commander is a Newsweek Editor and writer based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on crime, weather and breaking ...
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English (US) ·