Army grounds flights after fatal accidents
WASHINGTON – The Army on Thursday grounded all aircraft in active-duty units across the country for the next five days in order to review safety and training procedures after two deadly helicopter crashes over the past two weeks.
Gen. Robert Abrams, head of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., ordered the safety stand-down. He said soldiers in all the aviation units at 11 U.S. Army bases will review flight planning, operations standards, aircraft maintenance training and supervisory responsibilities in order to avoid any future accidents.
Two Army pilots were killed when their helicopter crashed near Fort Campbell in rural Tennessee Wednesday evening. And four soldiers were killed early last week when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a routine training exercise at Fort Hood in Texas.
Congress approves transportation bill
WASHINGTON – Congress has overwhelmingly approved a five-year, $305 billion bill to address the nation’s aging and congested highways and bridges after years of stymied efforts.
The bill was approved 359 to 65 in the House, and 83 to 16 in the Senate. It now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature.
Support for the 1,300-page bill was helped by the inclusion of a generous sprinkling of industry favors, parochial projects, safety improvements and union demands.
The bill boosts highway and transit spending and assures states that federal help will be available for major projects. It doesn’t include as much money or last as long as many lawmakers and the Obama administration would have liked. Nor does it resolve how to pay for transportation programs in the long term.
Trump says Israel is key to peace deal
STERLING, Va. – Donald Trump says that if he’s elected president, he’ll know within six months whether he can achieve an elusive peace accord between Israelis and Palestinians, one of the world’s most vexing challenges. But the Republican presidential candidate says he has doubts about each side’s commitment to the peace process.
“I have a real question as to whether or not both sides want to make it,” Trump said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The Republican front-runner said his concerns are greater regarding “one side in particular.” While Trump wouldn’t say whether he was referring to the Israelis or the Palestinians, he said the chances for a lasting peace rest with Israel.
“A lot will have to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal whether or not Israel’s willing to sacrifice certain things,” Trump said. “They may not be, and I understand that, and I’m OK with that. But then you’re just not going to have a deal.”
Associated Press
