Free Republic

As millions of Americans are expected to pack commercial flights over the July 4th holiday, the union representing the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic controllers says a recent government watchdog report is proof the agency and Congress must fix a “flawed staffing model.” “The status quo is no longer sustainable,” said Rich Santa, head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. The union says that Congress must “require FAA to immediately implement” new staffing standards and “conduct maximum hiring.” “There are currently 1,200 fewer fully certified controllers today compared to ten years ago,” said Santa. “FAA’s flawed staffing model and...

President Obama is defending the partisan budget speech that he delivered just hours after the mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. In an interview Tuesday night with the Spanish-language network Telemundo, Mr. Obama said he was fully briefed on the shooting before he went on camera to accuse congressional Republicans of trying “to hurt people just to score political points.” “I think that everybody understands that the minute something like this [shooting] happens, I’m in touch with the FBI , I’m in touch with my national security team, we’re making sure that all the assets are out there for...