Flotsam and Jetsam - The DC Air Disaster Turns Political, Kash, Tulsi Face Senate

Likely by now you've heard about the deadly plane crash on Wednesday night over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. but for foreign visitors who may not have, briefly, a US Army Blackhawk helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, on a night time training mission, carrying three soldiers, collided with a small commercial airliner coming from Wichita, Kansas, with 64 passengers and crew on landing approach to  Reagan National Airport, located across the Potomac from D.C. at about 300 ft of altitude. The wreckage of both aircraft fell into the Potomac River, which is currently just barely above freezing temperatures. A huge rescue and recovery effort was launched immediately, but there were no survivors found. It appears the helicopter was not at the correct altitude (it should have been flying either below 200 ft, or well above the zone it was in, but of course, we won't really know the whole story until the NTSB thoroughly investigates the crash. The presence of two such airports in close proximity, heavy air traffic in the vicinity, and night time visibility issues almost certainly contributed to the crash. Of course, it has become a political football. 

At Althouse, Trump press briefing, just now, on the air disaster.  Sundance at CTH, President Trump Delivers Remarks to Press on DC Aviation Disaster. At NewsMax, Trump Mourns, Blasts Biden, Buttigieg on DEI, Lowering Air Traffic Control Standards. TNP, Trump Blasts Diversity Hiring & Ex-Transport Sec Pete Buttigieg in DCA Crash Briefing at White House. Rusty Weiss at RedState, Buttigieg Furious After Trump Calls Him a ‘Disaster’ With a ‘Line of Bull’ During Crash Press Conference.  At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.29.25 (Evening Edition),Twitchy: Bakari Sellers & JoJoFromJerz Rush To X, Blame Trump For DCA Crash.  Ace, Reports The Air Traffic Control Tower in DC Was Understaffed, "But wait until you hear why." "The Biden Administration stopped hiring qualified air traffic controllers because the qualified candidates they were getting were "too white." They changed the test to be "biographical" -- code for, "We're going to ask you about any racism you've experienced in your life," wink-wink -- and refused to hire 3000 qualified "too white" candidates." Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok, "Trump calls out FAA's DEI push to hire people with "severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities." Ian Miles Cheong@stillgray, "Thanks to DEI, more than 3,000 top-performing, motivated applicants who applied as air traffic controllers to the FAA lost out because they weren’t the right race." Personally, I think he could have left that out for a few days, but I guess he wanted to strike while the iron was hot. Misty Severi at JTN reports Another plane almost crashed into a helicopter near Reagan airport, day before collision, "The plane was forced to abort its first landing attempt at the airport on Tuesday after Air Traffic Control warned that a helicopter was in its vicinity." Also, the 2 "black boxes" have been recovered. Hat Hair, Holy Crap Alert: SecDef Personally Updates the Public. @PhilHollowayEsq "Does anyone remember Lloyd Austin personally briefing the public on matters of great public interest?" Paula Bolyard at PJM says BOOM! NTSB Chair Calls Out Media Hypocrisy on Crash Speculation.

Yesterday, Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel began their confirmation hearings for DNI and FBI Director respectively, and RFK Jr. continued his hearing for HHS Secretary. Ace, Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard Suffer Democrat Ignorance and Bluster at Hearings, "Thom Tillis made up a Kash Patel Bingo card to point out that the Democrats just keep using the same discredited attacks." At OTP, VP Vance Warns Republican Senators About Voting Against RFK And Gabbard. JD Vance @JDVance, "In their own way, both Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. represent parts of the new coalition in our party. To say they’re unwelcome in the cabinet is to insult those new voters. To reject their confirmation is to reject the idea that President Trump decides his cabinet." Sundance at CTH says The RFK Jr, Patel and Gabbard Inquisitions Showcase One Irrefutable Conclusion… "… The Intelligence Community and Big Corporate Interests Control Government.  That’s the inescapable conclusion for anyone who watched the grand pantomimes being displayed in the past 24 hours." The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Da Signal, The Harder the Change, the Tougher the Vote.

Sundance, of course, hosts the whole Tulsi Gabbard Confirmation Hearing. Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks Gabbard's Opening Statement Is Lit. From Fox. 'Lies and smears': Tulsi Gabbard rails against Dem narrative she's Trump's and Putin's 'puppet'. 'The absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters.' Twitchy, 'I Am NO ONE'S Puppet': Tulsi Gabbard Takes the Deep State APART In SPECTACULAR Opening Statement (Watch). Aaron Maté at RCI says The Record Shows Tulsi Gabbard Was Not an Apologist for Russia-Backed Syria. At Althouse, "After being pressed by senators from both parties to call Edward Snowden a traitor, Tulsi Gabbard repeatedly refused during her confirmation hearing on Thursday morning...." "'This is a big deal to everybody here, because its a big deal to everybody you'll also oversee,' said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who has publicly said he supports her nomination. 'So, was Edward Snowden a traitor?'Gabbard would not give a yes or no answer, saying only that she is 'committed if confirmed as Director of National Intelligence to join you in making sure that there is no future Snowden-type leak.' Bob Hoge at RedState, Colorado Senator Loses It on Tulsi Gabbard at Hearing, Sounds Like Crazy Shrieking Guy at HOA Meeting. At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.29.25 (Evening Edition), American Conservative: The Tulsi Gabbard I Know Is Perfect for DNI,

Sundance, Kash Patel Confirmation Hearing. 'Bonchie' at RedState, Kash Patel Hearing Starts Off With a Bang, Future FBI Director Cooks Democrats. Cathy Salgado at PJM, Patel Vows to Stop ‘Government Overreach’ of Which He Was Victim. Jeff Charles at TownHall thinks Sen. Blumenthal Made an Utter Fool of Himself When He Tried to Trip Up Kash Patel. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Patel to Durbin: Oh, You Want to Play the Pardon Game? At GateWay, MIC DROP: Kash Patel Bodies Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar with an Epic Response After She Tries to Entrap Him with a Series of Sly Questions. Cutie Pavlich at TownHall, Adam Schiff Tried to Take Down Kash Patel. It Went How You'd Expect. From Twitchy, Kash Patel's Answers to Ted Cruz's J6 Questions Made Things VERY Awkward for Pelosi and Schumer. Da Signal has 8 Takeaways From Kash Patel’s FBI Confirmation Hearing.

From Ward Clark at RedState, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Answers the Tough Questions, but Rand Paul Hits Today's Bullseye. At RCP, Why Does the NYT Continue To Print Front Page Lies About RFK Jr.? Ask a stupid question . . . A Midwestern Doctor@MidwesternDoc, "The hostility @RobertKennedyJr experienced at his hearing was directly proportional to how much Pharma money each Senator received. In fact, each of them simply repeated the same attacks we just saw flood the mass media (all of which were blatant lies)." It's not a direct proportion, but the correlation is quite strong. At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.29.25 (Evening Edition), EBL, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr Health and Human Services Hearing, Louder With Crowder: Elizabeth Warren has must-see meltdown when RFK Jr. calls her out for being a sellout to Big Pharma, Bernie Sanders gets so unhinged he attacks RFK Jr over onesies, and Unbelievable! A GOP senator who is up for reelection is the one who tried to sabotage Pete Hegseth’s nomination at the last minute, American Greatness, CDC Employees Threaten to Quit if RFK Jr. Is Confirmed as HHS Secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr. Stands Tall Amid Unhinged Democrat Attacks During Senate Confirmation Hearing, Legal Insurrection: Caroline Kennedy Tries to Sabotage RFK Jr’s HHS Nomination, Victory Girls, Kennedy Hearing – Democrat Arseholes Show Their Backsides, The Federalis, Leftist Smear Group Attacking RFK Jr. Led By ‘Queer Trans Activist,’ Funded By PornHub’s Parent Company, Dem Senators Side With Big Pharma Over Kennedy’s Bipartisan MAHA Message. Althouse finds "Today, over 100 members of Congress support a bill to fund Ozempic with Medicare at $1,500 a month." ""Most of these members have taken money from the manufacturer of that product, a European company called Novo Nordisk. As everyone knows, once a drug is approved for Medicare, it goes to Medicaid. And there is a push to recommend Ozempic for Americans as young as six over a condition, obesity, that is completely preventable and barely even existed 100 years ago."

Yashar Ali@yashar, "BREAKING The nomination of North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to serve as Secretary of the Interior has been confirmed in a 79-18 vote. Burgum, who will be eighth in line to the presidency, will oversee around one-fifth of the United States’ landmass (500 million acres). . . "

WaEx's Paul Bedard reports Voters support most controversial Trump executive orders. At Da Signal, Trump’s Best Shot to Get His Agenda Through Congress, Explained, budget reconciliation. Sarah Anderson at PJM, School Choice for Everyone? Trump's Latest Round of Executive Orders. Thomas Catenacci@ThomasCatenacci, "Breaking: In his first action, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy axed Biden’s CAFE fuel economy standards that were seen by critics as a de facto EV mandate. Duffy said the rules had “needlessly driven up the cost of a car in order to push a radical Green New Deal agenda.” Da Hill whines Federal agencies ordered to implement transgender bathroom ban. At Spiked, Trump’s assault on DEI will bring us closer to a post-racial America. "The biggest winners from an end to racial identity politics will be ethnic minorities themselves." Da Caller, Fed Workers ‘Kicking And Screaming’ At Trump’s Buyout Offer. From Flopping Aces, Trump’s 5-D Chess: How Mass Firings Are Freezing the Deep State. Mario Nawfal@MarioNawfal, "PRESS SEC: TAXPAYERS EXPECT FEDERAL WORKERS TO SHOW UP Reporter: “But is there any concern that we risk losing people with years of experience, like doctors and, let's say, scientists?” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “Most doctors who work in actual hospitals and medical institutions have to show up to the office . . ." Tom Knighton at Bearing Arm finds Gun Control Crowd Freaking Over Trump's Grant Ban. Guess where their money comes from. Don Surber says Cry harder, "Trump has power. He is using it wisely this time." At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.29.25 (Evening Edition), Dana Loesch: Trump’s Spending Freeze Frozen Then Rescinded, The Geller Report: TRUMP Admin Offers 2 Million Federal Employees a Buyout to Resign, “Fork In the Road”,

Mike Cote at Providence thinks America Shouldn’t Shy Away from Buying Greenland. From No Pasaran! Avoiding the NATO Burden: "Denmark has made the skill of tricking the US into an art" Writes Danish Editor; "Denmark Deserves No Respect from America". And Leif Erikson, discoverer of Greenland was believed to be Icelandic, not Danish. At NewsMax, Trump says Tariffs on Canada, Mexico Coming Saturday, With Decision on Oil Tax Pending.  At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.29.25 (Evening Edition), Cafe Hayek: “Buy American” Rules Hurt Americans, Trump Doesn’t Understand Trade, and Trump Has No Comparative Advantage at Understanding Trade, CDR Salamander: So, We’re Back To Paying Tribute?, Da Tech Guy: Trump as Decatur And Columbia as Algiers or FAFO, The Lid: Trump Cancels the $50Million Biden was Sending to Gaza for ‘Condoms’ (But Really Bomb Supplies)

In Misc. Trumpiania, from Breitbart, NPR TDS: Astronauts Were ‘Stranded’ Until Trump Asks Elon to Rescue Them. Liberty Nation, Powell vs Trump, Round 2: Fed Defies the President "US central bank kept rates unchanged to the chagrin of Trump" trying to wring out the last Bidenflation. PJM's Sarah Anderson sees Fashion Mag Mocks Melania (And It's Pretty Nasty). Mean girls. 

Dave Strom, Gitmo Bound...Worst Illegal Alien Criminals Being Sent to Purgatory. Stephen Kruiser at PJM, Trump's Rebranding Will Bring an All New Clientele to Guantánamo Bay. Ace hears Vance: Biden Knew The Names and Locations of Violent Criminal Alien Murderers and Rapists and Chose to Leave Them in Place to Kill and Rape Americans. "It's that stark, and it's completely true." At the Miami Herald, Trump rolls back deportation protections for thousands of Venezuelans. Here’s what that means. From the Free Bacon, WATCH: Mass Deportations Mean No More Migrants To Harvest ‘Blueberries’ for Women’s ‘Smoothies,’ Dem Strategist Says. Campus Reform reports Fordham president sends email expressing solidarity with illegal aliens in face of Trump crackdown. At Hat Hair, Bear-of-Little-Brains Mayor on Chicago ICE Raids, 'We Literally Have Acts of Terror Promulgated By Federal Govt', a far cry from Sauron's Eye's original title, More than 100 arrested in Chicago area as targeted immigration enforcement efforts continue. 'It's Not My Job' to Protect Chicagoans Says the Mayor, from Dave Strom. Fox, Minneapolis mayor announces city will not cooperate with Trump's deportation policy. "Over 1,200 illegal immigrants charged with crimes have been detained by federal officers." At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.29.25 (Evening Edition), Twitchy Megyn Kelly Explains Why Fed-Up Voters Sent Trump Back To The White House, and Mass Criminal Illegal Alien Arrests Provide Shocking Visions Of A Do-Nothing Harris Presidency, American Greatness, Trump Signs Executive Order Instructing DHS and Defense Dept. to Prepare Gitmo For High-Priority Criminal Illegals, The Geller Reports, President Trump Sending Worst, Most Dangerous Illegals to GITMO, This Ain’t Hell: President Trump ordering 30,000-person facility in Guantánamo for illegal aliens, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order prioritizing military excellence and readiness, and Gunfire exchange between Border Patrol and suspected cartel members, The Federalist: Teachers Unions Conspire To Evade Trump’s Border Solutions With ‘ICE-Free Safe Zones’, This Ain’t Hell: President Trump ordering 30,000-person facility in Guantánamo for illegal aliens.

Ryan King at NYPo reports Democrats’ unfavorability rating reaches new, 16-year high as party keeps licking wounds following disastrous 2024: poll. Geiger Capital@Geiger_Capital, "I’ve never seen a poll like this… Democratic Party: 31% - Favorable 57% - Unfavorable (-26) The Democratic Party has never been more unpopular in modern-American history." Paul Bedard sees a New record: Biden’s swamp uncorked $1.8 trillion in regulations. 

VodkaPundit at PJM says Goodbye Pacific Palisades, Hello Full Communism. "With homeowners locked out of the process and without any oversight, Bass will pursue her dream of rebuilding the Palisades "in a more equitable and environmentally sustainable way," as she put it. I'm picturing government-spec apartment buildings and other multifamily dwellings on burned-out lots where single-family homes used to stand. Those 15-minute cities don't build themselves, you know — mostly because, given the choice, people reject them." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, Bass Has 'Outside Consultant' for Pacific Palisades Rebuild: Be Afraid? @amuse@amuse. "RACISM? Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass opposes voter ID but is requiring proof of residency and photo ID to enter the Pacific Palisades area. What about all of the minority residents who can’t obtain ID?" Insty, LET CALIFORNIA SECEDE, BE FORCIBLY RETURNED TO THE UNION, AND KEPT UNDER RECONSTRUCTION FOR 40 YEARS WITH NO VOTING RIGHTS: David Burge @iowahawkblog. "I can't believe we're still doing the States-Seceding-to-Preserve-Discount-Labor thing" Quote unusual_whales@unusual_whales, "BREAKING: California Secretary of State Shirley Weber has approved a campaign to gather signatures petitioning for a vote on whether California should leave the U.S. and become an independent country, per Newsweek." Beege Welborn, So, Y'All Remember There Was That Other Big Fire in CA Two Weeks Ago? The lithium ion energy storage site at Moss Landing? "Residents in the Moss Landing area are furious. The anger they expressed in interviews just a few days after being trapped in their homes, sealed up as best they could for days after the fire due to the fumes and ash, was palpable. They want the facility gone."

Fox, Anti-Trump FBI agent responsible for opening Jack Smith elector case against president: whistleblower, "Fox News Digital obtained internal FBI emails shared with Sen. Chuck Grassley by a DOJ whistleblower." Ace, Chuck Grassley Reveals Whistleblower Emails Showing That An Already-Fired "Rogue" FBI Agent Violated Rules to Justify Prosecuting Trump, "You've heard of this guy, Thibault. He was so corrupt that even Christopher Wray was forced to stop protecting him." Also, Megyn Kelly: The Democrats' Brazen Banana-Republic Lawfare Against Trump Was Their Own Undoing. ABC, FBI wrestles with a spike in sexual misconduct claims and male-dominated culture. "The FBI has recorded a sharp spike in complaints that its own agents and employees have engaged in sexual misconduct, ranging from assault to harassment, despite a pledge by the bureau’s leaders to eliminate the longstanding problem." Maybe, maybe, pricks like to be FBI agents and abuse their power. 

Ace, SecDef Hegseth: We're Investigating Milley's Leaking and Gross Insubordination of the Chain of Command and We Might Demote Him.  American Greatness: Mark Milley Sees Security Clearance Revoked, Security Detail Removed, Chicago Boyz, The Matter of Milley,This Ain’t Hell, Milley’s Retirement Plans.

At OTP, Sen. Ron Johnson Subpoenas Fauci Records. 

Stacy McCain has another Vegan Transgender Death Cult Update: Zizian ‘Anti-Law Enforcement Ideology’. Double the crazy, double the danger.

OTP, Elon Musk Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize "A European Parliament member from Slovenia says he nominated tech giant Elon Musk for a Nobel Peace Prize for his free speech advocacy." Atop Da Hill they're whining that the FCC chair launches investigation into NPR, PBS.  “I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr wrote to the news outlets in a letter first obtained by The New York Times." If they can shutter them over this, great. Remember, they go Al Capone for tax evasion. 

Hollywood in Toto thinks he knows The Real Reason Stars Are Suddenly Targeting Trump "Selena Gomez, Jesse Eisenberg and Karla Sofia Gascon take aim at new president." Time to burnish their credentials for the Oscars!

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Back In The Cellar up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.