Indonesia Quake, Air Force None
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Vol. 5, No. 342
Earthquake: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck in the Aceh province on the island of Sumatra, burying an unknown number of people in homes and buildings. Indonesian authorities say up to 100 people are already known to be dead. Aceh was devastated in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
In Transition: Donald Trump yesterday abruptly called for the Air Force to cancel plans for two new Air Force One aircraft. He tweeted, “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!”
The current jets would be 35 years old by the time they are replaced. Like the old ones, the new jets would have the latest communications equipment and a defensive system. The Air Force projects a $3 billion cost for the two planes to be available by 2024. They have not been ordered yet, so there are no cost overruns.
Trump said later outside Trump Tower, “The plane is totally out of control,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s going to be over $4 billion for Air Force One program, and I think it’s ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money.”
You’re Fired: Michael G. Flynn, son of Trump’s national security adviser, has been pushed out of his father’s management team for spreading fake news stories about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of the back of a Washington, DC pizzeria. As we noted here yesterday.
Nation: A 54-year-old Louisiana man has been charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of former NFL player Joe McKnight last week. The accused, 54-year-old Ron Gasser, originally was interviewed and let go.
Investigators say the cars driven by the two men were stopped at a light when the drivers got into an argument. McKnight got out of his car and Gasser shot him. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand originally was accused of doing nothing because Gasser is white and McKnight was black. — Recovery teams have stopped looking for bodies in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif. Thirty-six people died.
Right Turn: In accepting her party’s nomination for re-election as chancellor of Germany next year, Angela Merkel said wearing the full-face Muslim veil should be illegal wherever possible in her country. Merkel has welcomed hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees and the cultural frictions have begun.
Winter: A blizzard is sweeping through the Northern Plains and some of the Western states, bringing deep snow. It’s 6 degrees in Bismarck, ND, 1 degree in Cheyenne, WY, 20 in Des Moines.
Sports Page: The NY Yankees announced they are retiring Derek Jeter’s jersey, No. 2. That was the last unretired single-digit jersey in the Yankee locker room.
High Overhead: Because airline travel isn’t miserable enough, United Airlines announced a new “Basic Economy” ticket that prohibits the passenger from using the overhead storage. If you want to use it, you have to buy a more expensive ticket. If they charge for overhead storage, will they lose your bag?
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