The missing piece of an Alaska Airlines plane that blew off in midflight is found in a backyard. And the first U.S. moon landing mission in decades lifts off. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
Missing panel from Alaska Airlines flight found
As the National Transportation Safety Board continues investigating what caused a panel to detach from an Alaska Airlines plane midflight over the weekend, officials said they found that missing piece. The panel, called a door plug, was recovered in a teacher’s backyard in Portland, Oregon.
The incident occurred Friday evening, Jan. 5, on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to Ontario, California, moments after it took off with 171 passengers and six crew members on board. No one was sitting in the window seat next to the missing panel, but passengers said they heard an extremely loud pop when the piece blew out 16,000 feet in the air.
The plane landed safely back in Portland. The FAA said it would examine how the door plug was fastened before it detached. The FAA grounded some “Boeing 737 Max 9” airplanes, which was the model of the Alaska Airlines flight. The grounding impacted more than 170 planes. The planes will remain grounded until the FAA is satisfied with its safety check.
Congressional leaders reach overarching deal to potentially avert shutdown
With a government shutdown on the horizon, Congressional leaders say they have found a middle ground to move forward with drafting individual spending bills. On Sunday, Jan. 7, Senate and House leaders announced an overarching agreement on government funding totaling nearly $1.66 trillion. A number in line with 2023’s agreement between President Biden and then-speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. An agreement that, in part, led to McCarthy’s ousting.
It is unclear whether this year’s agreement will get the support needed to pass spending bills to avert a partial shutdown in less than two weeks. The deal allows for an increase in Pentagon spending to $886 billion and $772.7 billion in non-defense funding.
Now, lawmakers will work on individual spending bills, work that has stalled in the past as Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree on a middle ground. In a letter to Republicans, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., said there were victories for the GOP in the overarching agreement.
The deal includes a $10 billion cut to IRS funding and a $6 billion claw-back in unspent COVID-19 relief funding. Congress faces a first deadline of Jan. 19 to pass four individual spending bills to avoid a shutdown and a second deadline of Feb. 2 to pass eight remaining appropriation bills.
White House kept in dark about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s medical condition
Questions about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization still loom even as the Pentagon releases new details and Austin resumes his duties. Austin was taken into intensive care on New Year’s Day after experiencing severe pain following an elective procedure on Dec. 22, according to the Pentagon.
But the lack of transparency concerns Congress members, as even the president was kept in the dark about what happened. Though the Department of Defense released a statement on Friday, Jan. 5, details of what has been going on were still unclear. The statement read that Austin was taken to the ICU “due to his medical needs, but then remained in that location in part due to hospital space considerations and privacy.”
According to reports, the White House was kept in the dark for three days following Lloyd’s hospitalization on Jan. 1. News that raised concerns as the U.S. juggles multiple conflicts, one of which is risking to spread in the Middle East. On Saturday, Jan. 6, Austin released a statement.
“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed,” Austin said. “I commit to doing better.”
A U.S. official reported that President Biden and Austin spoke via telephone on Saturday, Jan. 5, and the president was happy to hear Austin was recovering. Another official added that Biden has complete confidence in Austin’s ability to continue to uphold his oath.
Poll: Nearly half of Americans believe situation at border is a crisis
Nearly half of Americans surveyed in a new poll said the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is a crisis, and the percentage who believe the Biden administration should be tougher on immigrants trying to cross the border is the highest yet.
The results of the CBS News poll were released Sunday, Jan. 7, and show that 45% of Americans believe the migrant situation is a crisis, up from 38% in May. Meanwhile, 63% said the Biden administration should be tougher on immigrants attempting to cross the border, 16% said the administration should be easier on migrants, and 21% believe the president is handling the situation just right.
In May, the poll found that Americans were evenly divided about southern border states sending migrants to northern cities. But now, it is facing growing disapproval, with 57% disapproving. CBS said more than 2,100 Americans were interviewed for this survey.
First U.S. Moon landing mission in decades launches into space
The first U.S. moon landing mission in decades was launched this morning, Jan. 8, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Vulcan rocket lifted into space at 2:18 a.m. carrying a robotic spacecraft, hoping to be the first lunar lander by a private company.
It was also the first flight for Vulcan, which has been under development for a decade by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The lunar lander called Peregrine was developed by the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic Technology.
The lander was carrying multiple scientific deliveries on board, including five experiments from NASA. If successful, Peregrine would be the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since the final Apollo mission in 1972, and if all goes right, it is set to touch down on the Moon on Feb. 23.
‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Succession’ win big at Golden Globes
After 2023 saw two Hollywood strikes, it was time to celebrate the year in film and television at the 81st annual Golden Globes Sunday night, Jan. 7. It was a big night for the movie “Oppenheimer,” not only did Christopher Nolan win for best director and Cillian Murphy win for best actor, but the film itself took home the Golden Globe for best picture for a drama. The movie “Poor Things” won for best comedy or musical.
As for the top-grossing film of the year, “Barbie,” it was the winner of the first-ever Golden Globe for cinematic or box office achievement, an award recognizing blockbuster movies.
Meanwhile, over on the TV side, it proved to be a successful night for “Succession,” which won four categories, including best drama series. Meanwhile, “The Bear” took home the award for best comedy series.
