Also on today’s menu:
Another Day, Another Embarrassment For Boeing
Iraq Decries US Air Strikes As Attacks On Sovereignty
Bristol voters chose an indicted former president and a current president who refused to appear on the ballot during its presidential primary election on January 23.
Donald Trump garnered 494 votes to 369 for his closest Republican rival, Nikki Haley, with two Republicans writing in Joe Biden Jr. Although they had dropped out of the race, Ron DeSantis got eight votes, Mike Pense got three, Chris Christie got two, and Tim Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy got one each. Also getting single votes were Darius Mitchell and Doug Burgum.
On the Democratic ballot, there were 169 write-ins for Joe Biden, while 47 votes went to second-place Dean Phillips. Fourteen Democrats wrote in Nikki Haley’s name, eclipsing Marianne Williamson, who got seven votes. Vermin Supreme received four votes, John Vail got three, and single votes went to Derek Nadeu, Jason Michael Palmer, and Paperboy Love Prince. Three write-ins went to Cease Fire, a grassroots movement that aims to force Biden to increase pressure on Israel to end its bombardment of Gaza. Trump got two Democratic write-ins, as did “Claudia” and single write-ins went to Robert Kennedy Jr., Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and “Someone Better”.
Statewide results as of 8:30 a.m. had Trump ahead with 163,714 votes (54.6 percent) to Nikki Haley’s 129,651 votes (43.2 percent).
Discussion: The big question is how many of Nikki Haley’s votes will go to Joe Biden during the general election. Haley won 61 percent of the independent vote, many of them undoubtedly intended as votes against Trump. One also has to wonder whether Trump would have done as well as he did if Governor Chris Sununu had backed Chris Christie instead of Haley. Christie might have had a better chance of outpolling Trump than Haley because, from the beginning he was willing to call out Trump’s lies. None of this is to say that Trump ultimately will be the party nominee. His legal liabilities may tank his campaign by November. If Haley hangs in there and becomes the nominee, Biden will surely win the general election.
Another Day, Another Embarrassment For Boeing
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating another Boeing incident in which a tire under the front nose of a Delta Boeing 757 fell off one of the wheels, leading to an air traffic controller warning the pilot, “One of your nose tires just came off; it just rolled off the runway behind you.”
The incident occurred around 11:15 a.m. on January 20 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia. Delta Flight 982 was taxiing before takeoff to Bogota, Colombia, at the time. Passengers and their luggage were returned to the terminal until another aircraft was available. Delta apologized for the inconvenience.
Boeing has become the subject of wry jokes since January 5 when a mid-cabin door plug fell off during the ascent of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 with six crew members and 171 passengers aboard. The cabin became depressurized, forcing an emergency landing. The door was found several days later.
Discussion: This is a good time to watch the Frontline documentary, “Boeing’s Fatal Flaw”, examining the reasons behind the October 2018 crash of a Boeing 737 Max passenger jet off the coast of Indonesia and another 737 Max 8 crash in Ethiopia that killed everyone on board. The company’s once-solid reputation for excellence fell prey to the desire for greater profits. Those profits are proving illusory as the company now has to retrofit safety features and restore confidence in its abilities.
Iraq Decries US Air Strikes As Attacks On Sovereignty
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile and rocket attack on Al Asad air base in Anbar province in which four US military personnel were injured last week, but the US retaliated with strikes on three facilities belonging to the Kataib Hezbollah militia and other groups, saying it was they who targeted the air base. US Central Command said the US strikes were “in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks” against US and other international forces in Iraq and Syria.
Major General Yehia Rasool, a spokesperson for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said the strikes “blatantly” violated his country’s sovereignty, “contributing to a reckless escalation” of the war between Israel and Hamas. “This unacceptable act undermines years of co-operation ... at a time when the region is already grappling with the danger of expanding conflict, the repercussions of the aggression on Gaza,” he said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “We do not seek to escalate conflict in the region [but w]e are fully prepared to take further measures to protect our people and our facilities. We call on these groups and their Iranian sponsors to immediately cease these attacks.”
The US and the United Kingdom also have carried out strikes on Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement in response to its missile and drone attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Discussion: The presidential campaign season is diverting attention from what is happening overseas at a time when we should be paying close attention. The power struggles taking place around the world are destabilizing, and easily could lead to global confrontations.