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The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday that the helicopter tour company whose sightseeing chopper broke apart in flight and crashed in New York, killing the pilot and a family of five visitors from Spain, is shutting down operations immediately.The FAA, in a statement posted on X, also said it would launch an immediate review of New York Helicopter Tours’ operating license and safety record.The move came hours after New York Sen. Chuck Schumer had called on federal authorities to revoke the operating permits of New York Helicopter Tours.The company’s sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River Thursday, killing the tourists from Spain and the pilot, a Navy SEAL veteran.At a news conference Sunday, before the announcement by the FAA, Schumer said the company should be required to halt all flights as the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the deadly crash.The Senate Democrat minority leader also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to ramp up safety inspections for other helicopter tour companies, accusing them of “cutting corners and putting profits over people.”The victims included passengers Agustin Escobar, 49, his wife, Merc Camprubí Montal, 39, and their three children, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10. The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot’s license in 2023.“One of the things we can do to honor those lives and try to save others is to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Schumer said. “We know there is one thing for sure about New York City’s helicopter tour companies: They have a deadly track record.”Thursday’s crash has renewed safety concerns about New York’s sightseeing excursions, a popular tourist draw that whisks passengers high above the city, offering soaring views of the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center, and other landmarks.In the last two decades, five helicopters on commercial sightseeing flights have fallen into the Hudson and East rivers as a result of mechanical failures, pilot errors, or collisions, killing 20 people.The president of New York Helicopter Tours, Michael Roth, did not respond to phone and email inquiries. The company said in a statement published on its website that it was cooperating with authorities in the investigation.In response to Schumer’s calls for more oversight, an industry group, Eastern Region Helicopter Council, said Manhattan’s sightseeing choppers “already operate under the most stringent of regulations.”“We stand ready to work with leaders on finding ways to ensure the safety and preservation of our businesses and aviation community,” the group said.Critics of the industry have long sought to limit or entirely ban nonessential helicopter flights from taking off above the city, though they have had limited success. After New York City capped the number of flights that could take off from Manhattan heliports at 30,000 annually in 2016, many companies moved operations to New Jersey.Two years later, in 2018, five people died when a helicopter offering “open door” flights crashed in the East River after a passenger’s restraint tether snagged on a fuel switch, stopping the engine.The cause of Thursday’s crash is not yet determined. According to Schumer, rescue divers were continuing to search for the helicopter’s main rotor and assembly gear box, which would give clues about what happened. Jake Offenhartz, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Youre mid-sentence in a meeting, sharing an idea or outlining a strategy youve been thinking through for weeksthen it happens. Someone jumps in, cuts you off, and shifts the conversation. You fade out while they take the spotlight. Its frustratingbut even more so when its subtle. Maybe you werent shouted over, but you were redirected, ignored, or sidelined. Over time, it takes a toll on confidence, clarity, and leadership presence. So how do you know its happeningand how do you stop it? Here are five signs youre being talked over in meetings, plus practical strategies to reclaim your voice and authority. 1. Youre constantly circling back to what you were saying. If you often hear yourself say, As I was saying earlier, or, Just to finish that thought, youre probably being interrupted more than you realize. These polite reentries signal youve been cut offand trained to work around it. What to do: Dont just circle backown the space. Use direct language. Id like to finish my point before we move on, or, I wasnt finished with that thoughtlet me complete it. Its not rude. Its reclaiming your airtime. 2. Youre the idea originatorbut someone else gets the credit. You suggest something early in the meeting. Ten minutes later, someone repeats itand suddenly its a brilliant new direction. This isnt just annoyingits a visibility issue. What to do: Speak upgracefully but clearly. Stating, Thanks for building on my idea from earlier, signals ownership without confrontation. And when others do this to your colleagues, amplify them too. It builds a culture of mutual respect. 3. Youre interrupted before you finish a full sentence. This one is easy to spotbut easy to dismiss. If you rarely get through your full thought before someone else jumps in, youve been conditioned to shrink your communication. You may start to self-edit, speak faster, or say less. What to do: Pause, then continue. Id like to finish my point, is powerful and direct. And dont speed up or apologize. Take your time. If someone consistently interrupts you, address it privately: Ive noticed Im often cut off mid-thought. Can we be more mindful of giving each other space? 4. Your contributions get ignored until they come from someone else. You bring a new perspective. Silence. Later, a colleague echoes itand gets enthusiastic agreement. This isn’t your imagination. What to do: Keep a strong, clear voice. Thats similar to what I shared earliermaybe we can build on that. You can also enlist allies ahead of time to support your points, creating an environment where your voice is heard the first time. 5. You leave meetings feeling invisibleor exhausted. The biggest red flag is how you feel. If meetings leave you drained, frustrated, or questioning your value, its not about being too sensitive. Its a sign your presence isnt being respectedor that youre overworking to be heard. What to do: Set boundaries and speak up. But also, reflect on the environments youre in. Is this a meeting problemor a culture problem? Change what you can, advocate when you need to, and know when its time to take your brilliance somewhere its truly valued. The bottom line Being interrupted or talked over in meetings isnt just annoyingits a leadership issue. When your voice is minimized, so is your influence. These patterns are deeply embedded in workplace culture, but they arent unchangeable. Start with awareness. Add practical language. And remember: owning your voice is one of the most powerful leadership tools you have.
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E-Commerce
President Donald Trump bitterly attacked 60 Minutes shortly after the CBS newsmagazine broadcast stories on Ukraine and Greenland on Sunday, saying the network was out of control and should “pay a big price” for going after him.“Almost every week, 60 Minutes . . . mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all,” the president said on his Truth Social platform. He called on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to impose maximum fines and punishment “for their unlawful and illegal behavior.”The network had no immediate comment.Trump has an ongoing $20 billion lawsuit against 60 Minutes for how it edited an interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris last fall. The president claims it was edited in a way to make Harris look good, something the newscast denies. But there are ongoing reports that Trump’s lawyers and CBS’s parent company are involved in settlement talks.Carr and the FCC have launched a parallel investigation of CBS News about the same case, one of several that it has undergone that also involve ABC News, NBC, PBS, NPR, and the Walt Disney Co.Despite the legal battle, 60 Minutes has been unstinting in its coverage of Trump’s administration since he took office for a second term, particularly correspondent Scott Pelley. He traveled to Ukraine to conduct an interview with that country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the site of a Russian attack where nine children were killed earlier this month.In the interview broadcast on Sunday, Zelenskyy said he has “100%” hatred for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine, and invited Trump to his visit his country to see what has been done.Also Sunday, correspondent Jon Wertheim reported from Greenland on what some people in that nation are saying about Trump’s desire to take control.In his social media message, Trump said 60 Minutes was no longer a news show but “a dishonest Political Operative simply disguised as ‘News,’ and must be responsible for what they have done, and are doing.” David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social David Bauder, AP Media Writer
Category:
E-Commerce
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