UPDATE: Army Initially Refused to Identify Female Black Hawk Pilot Killed in DC Collision; Family Agreed to Release Her Name on Saturday

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By New York Post. The Army is refusing to name the female pilot killed aboard the military helicopter that collided with a passenger jet flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday.

In an announcement Friday, the Army, which disclosed the names of the two other soldiers in the chopper who died, said the woman’s family requested her identity be withheld from the public.

“At the request of the family, the name of the third Soldier will not be released at this time,” the Army Public Affairs wrote on their website.

The unidentified soldier was an experienced pilot with more than 500 of flying experience, the Telegraph reported, citing Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff of the army’s aviation directorate.

The Army on Friday formally identified Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, as the two other service members who were on the Black Hawk helicopter when it went down in the fiery crash into the Potomac River. (Read more from “Army Refuses to Identify Female Black Hawk Pilot Killed in DC Collision” HERE)

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FAA’s Obama-Era ‘Biographical Questionnaire’ for DEI Faces New Scrutiny After DC Crash

By The Daily Signal. President Donald Trump on Thursday directed the Federal Aviation Administration to assess safety standards, including evaluating hiring practices, in the wake of the midair collision over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night. . .

“President Trump swiftly signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure the federal government is maintaining the highest personnel and policy aviation-safety standards,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

As The Daily Signal previously reported, under President Barack Obama’s administration, the FAA scrapped a skills-based test and a certification program, and replaced it with a biographical questionnaire to attract more diverse applicants to become air traffic controllers. The FAA previously drew most candidates from the military and a group of 36 colleges that offer air traffic control programs.

“The Obama administration implemented a biographical questionnaire at the FAA to shift the hiring focus away from objective aptitude. During my first term, my administration raised standards to achieve the highest standards of safety and excellence,” the Trump memorandum says. “But the Biden administration egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all executive departments and agencies to implement dangerous ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ tactics, and specifically recruiting individuals with ‘severe intellectual’ disabilities in the FAA.”

The memorandum continues: “On my second day in office, I ordered an immediate return to merit-based recruitment, hiring, and promotion, elevating safety and ability as the paramount standard. [Wednesday’s] devastating accident tragically underscores the need to elevate safety and competence as the priority of the FAA.” (Read more from “FAA’s Obama-Era ‘Biographical Questionnaire’ for DEI Faces New Scrutiny After DC Crash” HERE)

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Family Releases Name of Blackhawk Pilot

By Katherine Donlevy. The U.S. Army has identified the female soldier in the doomed Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into an American Airlines flight this week, killing 67 people.

Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, was assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and had served since July 2019, the Army said in a statement.

The Army had initially refused to identify Lobach at the request of her family.

The decision to release her name came “at the request of and in coordination with the family,” according to the statement. (Read more about this story HERE)

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The Family’s Statement Cites Pilot’s Work as Sexual Harassment Victim Advocate, Makes No Mention Deaths of the American Airlines Passengers Killed by Helicopter’s Collision with Jet

Unlike the statements issued by families of the two other soldiers killed in the Washington D.C. Blackhawk helicopter collision with the American Airlines jet, no mention was made in the Lobach family statement regarding the deaths of the jet’s 64 passengers:

We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was a bright star in all our lives. She was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong. No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals.

Rebecca began her career in the United States Army as a distinguished military graduate in ROTC at the University of North Carolina and was in the top 20% of cadets nationwide. She achieved the rank of Captain, having twice served as a Platoon Leader and as a Company Executive Officer in the 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. With more than 450 hours of flight time, she earned certification as a pilot-in-command after extensive testing by the most senior and experienced pilots in her battalion.

Rebecca was a warrior and would not hesitate to defend her country in battle. But she was as graceful as she was fierce: in addition to her duties as an Army aviator, Rebecca was honored to serve as a White House Military Social Aide, volunteering to support the President and First Lady in hosting countless White House events, including ceremonies awarding the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Rebecca cared about people, and she extended to individuals the same fearless defense she gave to this nation. She was proud of the difference she made as a certified Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Victim Advocate and hoped to continue her education so she could serve this country as a physician when her time with the Army ended. She once said, “My experiences with SHARP have reinforced my resolve to serve others with compassion, understanding, and the resources necessary for healing.

Rebecca was many things. She was a daughter, sister, partner, and friend. She was a servant, a caregiver, an advocate. Most of all, she loved and was loved. Her life was short, but she made a difference in the lives of all who knew her. Our hearts break for the other families who have lost loved ones in this national tragedy and we mourn with them.

We request that you please respect our privacy as we grieve this devastating loss.

Pentagon Boots NBC, NPR, NYT, and Politico from Offices

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The Department of Defense ordered a handful of news media outlets to vacate their offices inside the Pentagon so that they may be replaced by some conservative press organizations.

In a memo issued on Friday, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense John Ullyot said the Pentagon wanted to “broaden access to the limited space of the Correspondents Corridor to outlets that have not previously enjoyed the privilege and journalistic value of working from physical office space in the Pentagon.”

It was not clear what if any role Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth played in the decision.

The department’s “new Annual Media Rotation Program” will begin on Feb. 14, and will require The New York Times, NBC News, National Public Radio, and Politico to vacate “their physical office space effective” on that date. (Read more from “Pentagon Boots NBC, NPR, NYT, and Politico from Offices” HERE)

Trump Orders End to Propaganda Pronouns in Government Email Signatures

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Propaganda pronouns, those pronouns chosen by people who want to promote their LGTB ideologies, especially the transgender beliefs, in their government email signatures, are going away.

In fact, under an order from the Office of Personnel Management, they are to be gone by end of business Friday. . .

The order comes from the OPM, over the signature of Chuck Ezell, acting director.

The “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” sets out specific instructions.

Federal agencies and bureaucracies are to review all their programs, contracts, grants and more and end those that “promote or inculcate gender ideology.” (Read more from “Trump Orders End to Propaganda Pronouns in Government Email Signatures” HERE)

Medevac Plane Crash Victim ID’d as Young Girl Headed Home to Mexico After ‘Life-Saving Treatment’ in US

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The young patient who was on board the small medevac jet that crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood Friday evening was heading home to Mexico after receiving “life-saving treatment” in the US, an official said.

The girl was one of six — four passengers and two crew members — onboard the Learjet 55 that plummeted out of the sky shortly after 6 p.m., less than a minute after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport en route to Missouri’s Springfield-Branson National Airport.

The child was heading back to Tijuana with her mother, a doctor, paramedic, pilot and copilot, Shai Gold, spokesman for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, told NBC 10 Philadelphia.

“All I can say is the patient was sponsored by a third-partner charity to undergo life-saving treatment in the US,” Gold said, adding, “She did her course of care. She was going home.

“She fought quite a lot to survive, and unfortunately this tragedy on the way home.” (Read more from “Medevac Plane Crash Victim ID’d as Young Girl Headed Home to Mexico After ‘Life-Saving Treatment’ in US” HERE)

American Israeli Hostage on List to Be Released

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After 16 months in captivity, Israeli American hostage Keith Siegel is slated to be released Saturday.

Siegel is 65 and from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but moved to Israel decades ago. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas took Siegel and his wife Aviva Siegel from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and drove them in their own vehicle into Gaza. Siegel was shot in the hand and his ribs were broken when he was taken captive.

For 51 days, Aviva Siegel was held in Hamas tunnels with her husband until she was released in November 2023 during a brief ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

“You be strong for me, and I’ll be strong for you,” Aviva Siegel, 63, recalls saying to her husband when she parted from him in the tunnels beneath Gaza. Since her release, Aviva Siegel has dedicated her time and energy to advocating for her husband’s freedom, and the freedom of all the hostages.

“My heart will explode,” Aviva Siegel told The Daily Signal during an interview in December when asked about her hope for her husband’s release. “I will scream. I will jump into the air, and it’s just going to be … I don’t know, I’ll dance. I’m sure that I’ll dance and scream.” (Read more from “American Israeli Hostage on List to Be Released” HERE)

Trump Was Right: FAA Turned Away Qualified Controllers Over Race

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On Thursday, while addressing Thursday’s plane crash near Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump blasted both the Obama and Biden administrations for prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation.

“I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody’s ever seen,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room. . .

“It’s one thing for internet pundits to spew up conspiracy theories,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “It’s another for the president of the United States of America to throw out idle speculation even as victims are still being recovered and families are still being notified. It turns your stomach.”

But Trump was not wrong.

In fact, concerns about the FAA’s DEI policies are not new. Critics have long argued that these policies have distracted from essential safety measures, particularly during a period marked by air traffic controller shortages, outdated equipment, and an increase in near misses. Reports indicate that the air traffic controller on duty during the incident was effectively managing the responsibilities of two people. (Read more from “Trump Was Right: FAA Turned Away Qualified Controllers Over Race” HERE)

Air Traffic Controller’s Reaction to D.C. Collision Revealed in Chilling Audio: ‘Crash, Crash, Crash, This Is an Alert Three’

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Chilling audio from air traffic control captured the moment the flight safety agency reported the horrific midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter.

On Wednesday night, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, exploding in a fiery impact as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC.

In a recording of air tower communications at the time of the horrific collision, captured by LiveATC.net, an aircraft can be heard calling the tower just seconds after the CRJ700 Bombardier jet carrying 64 passengers and crew got in touch.

(Read more from “Air Traffic Controller’s Reaction to D.C. Collision Revealed in Chilling Audio: ‘Crash, Crash, Crash, This Is an Alert Three’” HERE)

Another Plane Crash, This Time in Philly

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A plane crashed at an intersection near the Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia on Friday night just after 6 p.m. local time. The plane reportedly climbed to an altitude of 1,600 feet after departing Northeast Philadelphia Airport before plummeting to the ground around 30 seconds into the flight.

People are sharing videos from their surveillance cameras on social media.

The plane came in fast and hot and caused a massive explosion.

Multiple fires are burning, and a house is reportedly on fire.

WTFX reports that the plane was a medical flight with two doctors, two pilots, a patient, and a family member onboard, and that all perished in the crash. It was reportedly en route to Springfield, Missouri. (Read more from “Another Plane Crash, This Time in Philly” HERE)

Trump’s Education Department Ends Biden’s Harmful Title IX Social Experiment On Children

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The U.S. Department of Education announced Friday that it has ended the Biden administration’s dangerous sexual and social experiments on America’s school children by reinstating the first Trump administration’s rules governing Title IX.

The Biden administration’s Title IX overhaul was poised to do significant damage to schools and students — K-12 through college and throughout the country — but was halted in multiple states until it was ultimately thrown out nationwide for attempting to change the definition of sex to include claims of multiple genders.

“The Biden Administration’s failed attempt to rewrite Title IX was an unlawful abuse of regulatory power and an egregious slight to women and girls,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a Friday press release. “Under the Trump Administration, the Education Department will champion equal opportunity for all Americans, including women and girls, by protecting their right to safe and separate facilities and activities in schools, colleges, and universities.”

Biden’s Title IX, as Trainor noted, ripped apart civil rights protections for women and girls in school. It would have effectively turned separate facilities, such as restrooms and locker rooms, into civil rights violations if they remained off-limits to individuals of the opposite sex (so long as these individuals claimed an incoherent gender identity). Obviously, this put girls at risk every day in school, as boys would be allowed to enter their private spaces and make them feel uncomfortable. As Americans found out in 2021, this also opened the door for sexual violence against girls. The rewrite would also have forced girls to sleep in the same rooms as boys on events like overnight field trips.

“President Biden’s dangerous Title IX rule was a serious cause for concern for parents, putting young girls in harm’s way on a daily basis,” American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré told The Federalist. “Thanks to President Trump, sanity has been restored and parents can have the peace of mind that, when their kids go to school, they won’t be sharing sensitive spaces with biological males.” (Read more from “Trump’s Education Department Ends Biden’s Harmful Title IX Social Experiment On Children” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Report: ‘Zizian’ Trans Cult Connected To Multiple Killings, Including Death Of Border Patrol Agent

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As President Donald Trump was taking office earlier this month, a Border Patrol agent was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Northern Vermont. According to a report by Andy Ngo in the New York Post, this was just one killing in an intricate web of deaths across the nation connected to a violent transgender cult.

“Witnesses, contacts, and journalists trying to reveal who the members are and where they may be are at risk of violence,” Ngo told The Federalist. “I hope law enforcement does anything and everything it can to dismantle this terror group.”

Teresa “Milo” Conseulo Youngblut, a female student at the University of Washington who identifies as transgender, is accused in the shooting death of Border Patrol Agent David Maland, an Air Force veteran, on the side of a highway near the Canadian border on Jan. 20. Agents returned fire, killing Youngblut’s companion, German national Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt, a man who identified as a woman.

While investigating Youngblut and Bauckholt’s Toyota Prius, authorities found ammunition clips, a ballistic helmet, hollow-point ammo, lodging information, night-vision goggles, pistols, radios, and “a dozen electronic devices, some of which were wrapped in foil,” according to the New York Post.

The vehicle had North Carolina plates. Youngblut and Bauckholt had previously lived in the same North Carolina neighborhood, according to KRON 4. “The thing that struck me the most was that there was a stretcher in the living room,” the owner of Bauckholt’s former unit told the local outlet. “The hair on the back of my neck is still up.” (Read more from “Report: ‘Zizian’ Trans Cult Connected To Multiple Killings, Including Death Of Border Patrol Agent” HERE)