“Trump administration begins firings of FAA air traffic control staff just weeks after fatal Washington DC plane crash traffic control staff just weeks after fatal Washington DC plane crash The Associated Press reports that the Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport. Probationary workers were targeted in late-night emails on Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement. The affected workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told the Associated Press. The air traffic controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Spero said messages began arriving after 7pm on Friday and continued late into the night. More might be notified over the long weekend or barred from entering FAA buildings on Tuesday, he said. The employees were fired “without cause nor based on performance or conduct”, Spero said, and the emails were “from an ‘exec order’ Microsoft email address” – not a government email address. The firings hit the FAA when it faces a shortfall in controllers. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at US airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements.“ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...p-ukraine-europe-us-marco-rubio-politics-live
Why hope? It is everybody who started within two years. Likely not a Trump 2019 rules deaf, blind, epileptic dwarf among them.
I've crossed the US by Amtrak a couple of times. It's pretty good. A holiday in itself if you have a bedroom or roomette.
In related news our local nuclear power plant lost both federal nuclear safety inspectors because they were probationary employees according to a social media post by someone working at the plant. This only leaves the federal nuclear safety supervisor available who covers the inspectors at multiple nuclear power plants in the region.