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President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned the actions of the army helicopter pilot and air traffic controller ahead of a deadly midair collision in Washington and quickly veered into politics to speculate that Democrats and diversity initiatives shared blame for the deaths of 67 people. As Trump spoke, a federal investigation into the crash was just getting started and first responders were still working to recover bodies from the wreckage of the commercial jet and army helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night. Speaking from the White House just over three miles from the scene Trump at points acknowledged that it was too soon to draw conclusions as he encouraged the nation to pray for the victims. But he moved nonetheless to assign blame. Trump said we are one family as he expressed condolences for the crash. He then proceeded to attack political opponents and unleash grievances about diversity initiatives. The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agencys website, Trump said. He added that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and dwarfism. Trump said air traffic controllers needed to be geniuses. They have to be talented, naturally talented geniuses, he said. You cant have regular people doing their job. Trump said he had no evidence to support his claims that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and hiring preferences played a role in the crash, allowing that “it just could have been. He defended doing so because I have common sense. The plane crash marked the first major disaster of Trump’s new term, and his response evoked his frequent and controversial briefings on the COVID-19 pandemic. His handling of the pandemic helped sour voters on him as he failed to win reelection in 2020. Trump said we do not know what led to this crash but we have some very strong opinions. Then he proceeded to hold forth at length about what happened, at one point wondering if the helicopter pilot was wearing night vision goggles. Trump declared that you had a pilot problem and the helicopter was going at an angle that was unbelievably bad. And he questioned why the Army pilot didnt change course, saying that you can stop a helicopter very quickly. He also mused about the air traffic controller, saying of the two aircraft, for whatever reason they were at the same elevation,” adding “they should have been at a different height. Vice President JD Vance, new Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth all lined up behind Trump to praise his leadership and echo his concerns about DEI programs and hiring. When you dont have the best standards in who youre hiring, it means on the one hand, youre not getting the best people in government,” Vance said, But on the other hand, it puts stresses on the people who are already there. Trump complained specifically about Pete Buttigieg, who served as transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden, calling him a disaster. Hes run it right into the ground with his diversity, Trump said. Complaining about the previous administration, Trump continued, their policy was horrible and their politics was even worse. Buttigieg responded in a post on X, calling Trump’s comments despicable. He added: As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying.” Trump made a point to tell Duffy, who was sworn in on Tuesday as Buttigieg’s replacement, Its not your fault. Duffy took the White House podium alongside Trump and declared, When Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land at their destination. Duffy added, We will not accept excuses. Despite the crash, Trump said he “would not hesitate to fly. Zeke Miller and Chris Megerian, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
A Silicon Valley airport that is on the approach to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will no longer have air traffic controllers guiding planes starting Saturday, the airport’s manager said in a Wednesday notice. Current controllers for the San Carlos Airport (SQL) have resigned after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) changed air traffic contracts to a firm that would pay controllers “significantly” less than their current compensation, the notice states. Airport manager Gretchen Kelly said its request for temporary FAA staffing for the tower was denied. The San Carlos Airport has more than 25 aviation-related businesses and about 500 aircraft, according to city data. The letter came just hours ahead of a deadly crash of a military helicopter with an American Airlines jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. Fast Company has reached out to the FAA for comment. The agency has been operating without an administrator since Mike Whitaker stepped down on January 20. President Trump named a new FAA acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, Thursday morning at a press conference related to Wednesday’s crash. Kelly said the airport is “working closely” with the office of Congressman Kevin Mullin, who represents the area, “to push the FAA to meet its obligation to provide air traffic services at SQL.” It’s also exploring options to return the control tower to its previous contractor or find FAA staffing.
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E-Commerce
On Thursday, United Parcel Service (UPS) predicted downbeat 2025 revenue as it cut back service with its largest customer, Amazon, in order to focus on more profitable businesses. The decision will cut Amazons transported volumes by more than 50% by the second half of 2026. The unexpected announcement came with disappointing revenue results, with UPS failing to meet expectations for 2024. UPS’s Q4 revenue was $25.3 billion, slightly below the predicted $25.42 billion. This decision came at a time when UPS is struggling due to a decline in parcel demand following the e-commerce boom of the pandemic and an increase in shipments from discount online retailers such as Shein and Temu. UPS stock was down more than 14% as of Thursday afternoon, after falling during premarket trading. The decline was on track to break the current record for the stock’s worst day, which occurred in July 2024, as MarketWatch reports. Shares have lost half their value since 2022, though the company said that carrying less freight for Amazon will eventually boost its revenue per piece. Amazon is our largest customer, but its not our most profitable customer, CEO Carol Tomé told investors on a conference call Thursday. “Foundational changes” Amazon and its affiliates represented about 12% of UPS revenue in 2023, which is nearly all of its United States package business. The package carrier is hoping to gain volume from more profitable segments, such as healthcare-product shippers, small- and-medium-size businesses, and international markets. UPS expects revenue of about $89 billion for 2025, down from $91.1 billion in 2024. The parcel service has brought all of its UPS SurePost products in-house and will launch multiyear efficiency reimagine initiatives to drive about $1 billion in savings by rethinking its business design. The company aims to cut costs by closing buildings, reducing the size of its vehicle and aircraft fleets, and decreasing the size of its workforce. We are making business and operational changes that, along with the foundational changes weve already made, will put us further down the path to becoming a more profitable, agile, and differentiated UPS that is growing in the best parts of the market, said Tomé in the annual earnings report. In 2025, UPS expects average daily U.S volume to drop about 8.5% year-over-year while revenue per package is projected to increase by 6%.
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E-Commerce
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