The CEO of United Airlines called out the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after flights across the country were canceled, and Ford is set to make more job cuts. These stories and more highlight the rundown for Wednesday, June 28, 2023.
United Airlines CEO blames FAA for thousands of flight cancellations
Hundreds of flights have been canceled Wednesday following thousands of cancellations on Tuesday, June 27. In airports across the Northeast, thousands of passengers were waiting for hours to reach their destination. 2,000 flights were canceled and 7,000 flights were delayed on Tuesday as severe storms struck the Northeast.
United Airlines said 150,000 of its customers had been impacted. In a memo to employees, United CEO Scott Kirby slammed the FAA over canceled flights in the Newark region claiming the severe weather is something the FAA has historically been able to manage.
This comes as the FAA faces new scrutiny after a government audit released last week revealed a “critical shortage” of employees in air traffic control facilities. The audit claims the staffing issue poses a risk to flight operations with a busy summer travel season approaching.
Chicago, Detroit ranked worst air quality in world due to wildfire smoke
The National Weather Service warned more smoke from the Canadian wildfires will likely move into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic Wednesday, potentially impacting more flight schedules across the region. Chicago and Detroit ranked as having the worst air quality in the world Tuesday due to the wildfire smoke looming over the city.
More than 80 million Americans from the Midwest to the East Coast were under air quality alerts Wednesday. Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record with hundreds of wildfires burning out of control.
U.S. to house migrant children at former boarding school
The Biden administration plans on housing up to 800 unaccompanied migrant children at a repurposed boarding school in Greensboro, North Carolina. The former American Hebrew Academy will house boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 17 who entered U.S. border custody without their parents or legal guardians. The 800 available beds will make the former boarding school the government’s largest active housing facility for unaccompanied minors.
Another facility in Texas currently has the capacity to house up to 500 additional migrant children. However, the Department of Health and Human Services has tried to reduce the use of the facility following reports of substandard conditions and child depression.
Spacey sex assault trial gets underway
Actor Kevin Spacey’s sexual assault trial began Wednesday. The two-time Oscar winner is charged with sexually assaulting four men between 2001 and 2013 while he was the artistic director of London’s Old Vic theater.
The trial is expected to last four weeks. If convicted, Spacey could face prison time. If he is acquitted, it could lead to a revival of an acting career that’s largely been on ice since the allegations surfaced.
“There are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment i am cleared of these charges,” Spacey said in an interview with a German magazine earlier in June. He added that the media has turned him into a monster.
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett dead after apparent drowning
Former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, who went on to have a seven-year career in the NFL, died Tuesday in an apparent drowning incident at a Florida beach. Mallet’s sudden passing has stunned the NFL community, who offered an outpouring of support for the former New England Patriots backup quarterback. .
Mallet also played for the Houston Texans, where he made his first career touchdown pass to defensive end J.J. Watt. Mallet was most recently the head football coach at White Hall High School in his home state of Arkansas. He was 35 years old.
Ford to cut another 1,000 jobs in EV push
Ford plans to lay off at least 1,000 salaried employees and contract workers in North America. The move is the latest effort to cut company costs in order to better afford their new focus on electric vehicles.
A chunk of the layoffs will be white-collar jobs, including hundreds of engineers in the U.S. and Canada. Ford has made several rounds of global layoffs over the past year, nixing 3,000 jobs in the U.S. in the summer of 2022 and conducting an even larger layoff in Europe earlier in 2023.
Volvo to adopt Tesla’s charge port
Another automaker has announced it will start using Tesla’s charging standard port in its electric cars starting in 2025. Volvo is joining Ford, General Motors, and Rivian in using Tesla’s technology so drivers can use Tesla’s broad charging network across North America.
