In today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: More than 10,000 flights delayed, canceled after FAA outage
USA TODAY Consumer Travel Reporter Zach Wichter has the latest on an FAA outage that caused flights to be halted across the country. In addition, a second batch of classified documents has been found by aides to President Joe Biden, lawsuits are piling up over layoffs and vaccine mandates, USA TODAY Education Reporter Kayla Jimenez talks about student lunch debt, and Damar Hamlin heads home from the hospital.
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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow the transcript below. This transcript has been auto-generated and then edited in its current form for clarity. There may be some differences between the audio and text.
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I’m Taylor Wilson and these are 5 things you need to know Thursday, January 12, 2023. Today broke the news about canceled flights after a massive FAA outage, plus a second batch of classified documents related to President Joe Biden, and Damar Hamlin goes home.
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A computer glitch at the Federal Aviation Administration yesterday delayed air travel across much of the country, and for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, departing flights across the country were halted. So what happened? Producer PJ Elliott spoke to USA TODAY Consumer Travel Reporter Zach Wichter to find out.
PJ Elliott:
Zach, first of all thank you for participating in the podcast.
Zach Wetter:
Yes, happy to be here.
PJ Elliott:
So do we know the origin of the system’s failure at the FAA on Wednesday?
Zach Wetter:
No, we don’t. That said, many of the experts I’ve spoken to over the course of my reporting have pointed out that the FAA and many air traffic system institutions in the US use pretty old technology as part of their backend. And so a lot of people suspect it’s just some kind of IT glitch, but we don’t know for sure. The FAA has said they are looking into it and we are all waiting to see what they eventually say.
PJ Elliott:
Yes, how old is the system?
Zach Wetter:
I’m not 100% sure. I think it went through several iterations. And so no one I spoke to can say exactly what kind of software the NOTAM system relies on. Much of what the FAA uses and much of what the airlines use are systems built on top of other legacy systems. I mean, I always think when I go to the airport, how many other places in the world do you still see dot matrix printers? And there is one on virtually every stage in an airport. So that gives you an idea of what kind of technology a lot of these people are still dealing with.
PJ Elliott:
Zach, I want to ask you about the history of these issues. Is this something the FAA has dealt with before Wednesday?
Zach Wetter:
So I think what happened on Wednesday is quite unusual, especially in how widespread it is. But that said, there are always technical issues. We see that with the airlines, we see that with the FAA. The big question then becomes how quickly it can be resolved and how widespread it is. What we saw on Wednesday was unusual in that it affected the entire air system of the country. But there are always technical issues, so that part of it isn’t that uncommon.
PJ Elliott:
Are the issues that occurred at the FAA on Wednesday related in any way to what happened with Southwest a few weeks ago?
Zach Wetter:
It’s a good question, and I’d say the first answer is no. Separate systems, separate organizations. I think both what we saw on Wednesday and what we saw with Southwest could be a symptom of the same problem of these legacy systems that support 21st century travel. I think we see some cracks in that, for lack of a better word.
PJ Elliott:
Zach, thank you so much for your time and for the information. Have fun.
Zach Wetter:
Yes No problem. Thanks again for enlisting me.
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Taylor Wilson:
A second batch of classified documents has been found by aides to President Joe Biden at a location other than his former office where documents were first discovered in November. The White House confirmed that discovery in November earlier this week.
President Joe Biden:
People know that I take classified documents, classified information seriously.
Taylor Wilson:
Biden also said he was cooperating with the Justice Department’s review of the documents. It was not immediately clear how many documents were found at the second site and what their classification level was. Both document discoveries have drawn comparisons to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago document seizures, but the episodes are different. Trump repeatedly resisted efforts by the National Archives, while Biden insisted that the documents be immediately returned to the archive. Meanwhile, newly authorized House Republicans are planning a series of investigations into President Joe Biden, including his family’s business connections.
And a busy day in politics yesterday saw local Nassau County, New York Republicans call for freshman Congressman George Santos to resign. That’s after allegations that he lied about his personal and professional credentials to win his seat. Santos defiantly told reporters he will not resign.
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A new federal lawsuit against AstraZeneca alleges the drug company engaged in age discrimination for firing employees who refused COVID-19 vaccines. Dismissed workers cited a presentation last year by a company sales director claiming that the average age of employees there was 48 and that that was too high. The former employees who filed the suit are all over the age of 40 and are among about 200 people fired by AstraZeneca after claiming religious exemptions from vaccination. The suit is just one of many across the country related to layoffs and vaccine mandates. Former ESPN reporter Allison Williams is suing the sports network after she was fired in 2021 for failing to comply with the company’s vaccination rules.
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As schools across the country reopen after winter break, their students are being reminded of the lunch debt they’ve accumulated this year, with reports from students across the country owing some $19 million. Producer PJ Elliott spoke to USA TODAY Education Reporter Kayla Jimenez to find out more.
PJ Elliott:
Kayla, thank you for joining the podcast today.
Kayla Jimenez:
Yes, thank you for having me.
PJ Elliott:
So what is being done to cover this school lunch debt?
Kayla Jimenez:
Yes, so there are some states that are taking the bills and passing legislation to fight this end to universal school meals, but it’s not national. So there’s a lot of calls for Congress to fix what they did before, but schools are really seeing this debt go up again after that end. And it’s about six months back in school, so that’s where that money comes from.
PJ Elliott:
Is anything being done in Congress to cover the debt or bring back universal free meals?
Kayla Jimenez:
Nothing is being done at this point, which is where the calls from groups like this school nutrition association and other groups are really asking for this help. One of the reasons I got the story on my radar was that I came across a TikTok video of this woman named Sara Dusek, and she had heard about schools accumulating debt. And she called a school and they said they had about $1,700 in debt and she ended up paying that off for that school and has now started trying to raise more money. So it’s like these people, whether social media influencers or groups, are coming in to pick up that slack that was previously covered by Congress during the pandemic.
PJ Elliott:
What impact does being hungry have on children’s learning?
Kayla Jimenez:
Well, I think it’s pretty clear, and today I’ve gotten tons of emails from readers saying, “What? Well, what’s going to happen to these kids? They can’t focus on learning if they can’t eat .” In some districts, kids can still get lunches and stuff, but they keep piling up those debts. But we know that in many areas, especially high poverty areas, where people can’t afford a school lunch or maybe they don’t meet the income threshold but still can’t afford a school lunch, these kids are really suffering in school. And there’s lunch shame for kids who can’t afford school lunches. And then there is legislation to address that. So this is really a multiple issue across the board.
PJ Elliott:
Kayla, thank you very much. I really appreciate your insight into this.
Kayla Jimenez:
Thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
Damar Hamlin has gone home. The Buffalo Bills player went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field during the January 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. But doctors say the 24-year-old has since made a remarkable recovery and was released from hospital yesterday after a week in intensive care. Hamlin has continued to praise medical professionals who helped save him, ranging from medical staff who revived him on the field, to the doctors and hospital staff who have helped his recovery ever since. He has also acknowledged the outpouring of prayers and support from fans across the country. Hamlin’s GoFundMe page to raise money for his community toy drive has received more than $8.6 million in donations. It’s not clear what’s next for Hamlin, but his team will begin the postseason against the Miami Dolphins this weekend. Coach Sean McDermott told reporters yesterday that Damar’s health remains the priority, but that the team will welcome him as soon as he feels ready.
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. We’re here every morning of the week, wherever you’re listening right now. I’ll be back tomorrow with more from 5 Things from the US TODAY.
