June 19 top stories
Hello, it is June 19. Happy Juneteenth! Here are today’s top stories.
New Mexico wildfires force thousands to flee, leave 1 dead
Two growing wildfires near a popular New Mexico resort town and historic Native American reservation killed at least one person and destroyed more than 1,400 structures as officials rushed to evacuate thousands of people on Tuesday.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared an emergency Tuesday in the state’s Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation and ordered additional National Guard members to the scene.
The New Mexico wildfires that ignited Monday saw the evacuation of some 8,000 people – including the entire village of Ruidoso, a hub for ski resorts and hiking trails.
According to the New Mexico Forestry Division, the South Fork Fire had burned across nearly 15,300 acres and was 0% contained as of Tuesday night.
The Salt Fire that’s also burning across Mescalero tribal land had burned more than 5,550 acres.
Boeing CEO David Calhoun testifies before Senate committee
Boeing CEO David Calhoun appeared before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Tuesday, answering questions about the company’s performance and how it’s responding to safety concerns.
Here are the key moments from Calhoun’s testimony:
Calhoun addressed the families of victims who died in two Boeing 737 Max crashes abroad. During his introduction, Calhoun turned around and apologized to them directly.
Calhoun hasn’t spoken directly with whistleblowers. He was told he should have and he agreed. He said he’s aware of the complaints and that the company has a strict no-retaliation policy.
There was a discussion about Calhoun’s salary being $32.8 million. He was reprimanded for getting compensated like never before while the American people are in danger flying, workers at Boeing are in peril and whistleblowers fear for their lives.
There’s been much reporting on the brain drain at Boeing and there’s lack of institutional knowledge, which accelerated during the early stages of the Covid pandemic with early retirements. Calhoun pointed to the loss of intergenerational knowledge on the production lines has affected the safety culture of the company. In sum, he said it relates so much to an untrained workforce.
NY governor’s subway mask ban proposal sparks debate
A new proposal by Gov. Kathy Hochul to ban masks on the New York subway is drawing backlash from civil liberties groups and disability groups.
Hochul, a Democrat, backed the idea this week following a spate of confrontations involving masked pro-Palestinian activists that the governor and others have characterized as antisemitic.
Jewish leaders have said that the masks have made violent offenders less afraid to commit antisemitic hate crimes.
Hochul said the legislation – which has not yet been crafted – would include common-sense exemptions for those who cover their faces for medical or religious reasons.
If the ban does go into effect, New York would join a growing number of states that have embraced laws against public masking.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Monday he was in favor of reinstating a mask ban to curb crime, adding that cowards cover their faces.
———
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
———
Mysterious monolith appears in Las Vegas
Over the weekend, a mirrored monolith was just spotted in the Nevada desert near Gass Peak north of the valley, and Las Vegas police have no idea how it got there.
With a summit of almost 7,000 feet, the Gass Peak hiking trail is the highest peak in Las Vegas and is about 20 miles from the north of the city.
In a post on Facebook that was shared on June 17, the Las Vegas Police Department confirmed that a monolith had been found along a popular hiking trail. Police said: “We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough water…but check this out!” In the photos, the tall, geometric figure reflects the rocky desert and perfectly aligns with the horizon.
This hasn’t been the only mysterious monolith sighting in recent years. Back in March, a hiker in the United Kingdom stumbled upon a silver monolith in Wales and back in 2020 a number of structures popped up around the globe.
See Alex’s brief on Russian President Putin’s arrival in North Korea.
Putin and Kim Sign Pact Pledging Mutual Support
Thanks, Callie.
Today Russian President Putin visited North Korea and met with their leader Kim Jong-un. They signed a mutual defense pledge to assist each other in the event of aggression against either country. These countries used to have this agreement during the Cold War era.
The New York Times said this is Russia rewarding North Korea for providing dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 shipping containers of munitions to help Russia’s war in Ukraine. North Korea has many old-fashioned munitions and it appears to be just what Putin needs in its war against Ukraine.
This agreement will cause serious concerns for South Korea and its allies, including the U.S. because it means that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are likely to continue to grow.
Thanks for the brief. That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
New Mexico wildfires force thousands to flee, leave 1 dead
Boeing CEO David Calhoun testifies before Senate committee
https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2024/06/18/boeing-ceo-testifes-senate-safety/
NY governor’s subway mask ban proposal sparks debate
https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyc-mayor-adams-says-he-supports-mask-ban-curb-crime-cowards-cover-faces
Mysterious monolith appears in Las Vegas
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/06/18/las-vegas-monolith-found/74134095007/
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Y7jx4i5am4dpnuA3/
Putin and Kim Sign Pact Pledging Mutual Support
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/19/world/asia/putin-meets-kim-north-korea.html