Latest news with #FA-18
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth shared information ahead of Yemen strikes in a Signal chat with wife and brother
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his personal phone to send information about U.S. military operations in Yemen to a 13-person Signal group chat, including his wife and his brother, two sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed to NBC News. He did so after an aide had warned him to be careful not to share sensitive information on an unsecure communications system before the Yemen operation, the sources said. The development comes about a month after it became public that Hegseth shared details of strikes in Yemen in a separate Signal chat with top administration officials. The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was mistakenly added to that chain. The New York Times first reported the existence of the second Signal chat. The Times cited four unnamed sources. Some of them, the Times reported, said the information Hegseth sent in the second chat — such as the flight schedule of the FA-18 planes being used — appeared to be similar to information he had shared in the Signal chat reported by the editor of The Atlantic. One source confirmed that to NBC News. Sean Parnell, the chief Defense Department spokesman, denied that Hegseth had shared classified information. 'There was no classified information in any Signal chat,' he said on X. Anna Kelly, a White House deputy press secretary, played down the significance of the second group chat. 'No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can't change the fact that no classified information was shared,' she said in a statement. Thirteen people were in the second Signal group chat, but no other Cabinet-level officials were included, the two sources said. Participants included Joe Kasper, Hegseth's chief of staff; Darin Selnick, his deputy chief of staff; Eric Geressy, a retired Army sergeant major and Hegseth adviser; Tim Parlatore, a legal adviser to Hegseth and a Navy commander in the Judge Advocate General's Corps; Hegseth's brother, Phil, senior adviser to Hegseth for the Department of Homeland Security; and Hegseth's wife, Jennifer, according to the two sources. In March, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a Signal chat with multiple national security leaders, on which Hegseth shared operational plans for striking military targets in Yemen before they occurred. That chat is now the subject of an investigation by the Defense Department's inspector general. In both instances, Hegseth used his personal phone, rather than his official one, the two sources said. Hegseth came under scrutiny last month after it was revealed that his wife, a former Fox News producer, attended sensitive Defense Department meetings with British and NATO leaders. Jennifer Hegseth is not a Pentagon employee. Hegseth's brother, Phil, is employed in the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland Security adviser to Hegseth— but it is not clear why he or Jennifer Hegseth would need to know or be privy to information about the military strikes in Yemen. The Defense Department has had heavy turnover in the past week. Two of Hegseth's top advisers, Dan Caldwell and Selnick, were escorted out of the Pentagon early last week in connection with an investigation of allegations of a leak of sensitive information. The official who announced the investigation into the supposed leak weeks ago, Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, left his role at the Pentagon late last week, Politico reported. And Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the deputy secretary of defense, was also forced out late last week. Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll said in a joint social media statement Saturday saying that did not know why they were being investigated, saying, 'Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door.' Democrats reacted quickly to Sunday's news. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., posted on X that Hegseth 'must be fired.' 'The details keep coming out,' Schumer said. 'We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him.' Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said on X: 'The latest story about Pete Hegseth's carelessness with sensitive information is yet another alarming example in this administration's unbroken pattern of incompetence. He should resign.' Sen Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a military veteran, called Hegseth 'a threat to our national security' in a statement. 'Every day he stays in his job is another day our troops' lives are endangered,' she said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Hegseth shared information ahead of Yemen strikes in a Signal chat with wife and brother
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his personal phone to send information about U.S. military operations in Yemen to a 13-person Signal group chat, including his wife and brother, two sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed to NBC News. He did so after having been warned by an aide to be careful not to share sensitive information on an unsecure communications system before the Yemen operation, the sources said. The development comes about a month after it became public that Hegseth shared details of strikes in Yemen in a separate Signal chat with top administration officials. The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was mistakenly added to that chain. The New York Times first reported the existence of the second Signal chat. The Times cited four unnamed sources. Some of them, the Times reported, said the information Hegseth sent in the second chat — such as the flight schedule of the FA-18 planes being used — appeared to be similar to information he had shared in the Signal chat reported by the editor of The Atlantic. One source confirmed that to NBC News. Sean Parnell, the chief Defense Department spokesman, denied that Hegseth had shared classified information. 'There was no classified information in any Signal chat,' he said on X. Anna Kelly, a White House deputy press secretary, played down the significance of the second group chat. 'No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can't change the fact that no classified information was shared,' she said in a statement. Thirteen people were in the second Signal group chat, but no other Cabinet-level officials were included, the two sources said. Participants included Joe Kasper, Hegseth's chief of staff; Darin Selnick, his deputy chief of staff; Eric Geressy, a retired Army sergeant major and Hegseth adviser; Tim Parlatore, a legal adviser to Hegseth and a Navy commander in the Judge Advocate General's Corps; his brother, Phil, senior adviser to Hegseth for the Department of Homeland Security; and his wife, Jennifer, according to the two sources. In March, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a Signal chat with multiple national security leaders, where Hegseth shared operational plans for striking military targets in Yemen before they occurred. That chat is now the subject of an investigation by the Defense Department's inspector general. In both instances, Hegseth used his personal phone, rather than his official one, the two sources said. Hegseth came under scrutiny last month after it was revealed that his wife, a former Fox News producer, attended sensitive Defense Department meetings with British and NATO leaders. Jennifer Hegseth is not a Pentagon employee. Hegseth's brother, Phil, is employed in the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland Security adviser to Hegseth— but it is not clear why he or Jennifer Hegseth would need to know or be privy to information about the military strikes in Yemen. Recent turnover in Pentagon The Defense Department has had heavy turnover in the past week. Two of Hegseth's top advisers, Caldwell and Selnick, were escorted out of the Pentagon early last week in connection with an investigation regarding an alleged leak of sensitive information. The official who announced the investigation into the supposed leak weeks ago, Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, left his role at the agency late last week, Politico reported. And Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the deputy secretary of defense, was also forced out late last week. Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll posted a joint social media statement Saturday saying they did not know why they were being investigated and said, 'Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door.' Democrats reacted quickly to Sunday's news. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., posted on X that Hegseth 'must be fired.' 'The details keep coming out,' Schumer said. 'We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him.' Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said on X, 'The latest story about Pete Hegseth's carelessness with sensitive information is yet another alarming example in this administration's unbroken pattern of incompetence. He should resign.' 'Every day he stays in his job is another day our troops' lives are endangered,' she said.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Boca Raton plane crash victims were headed to Florida State for teenager's college visit
BOCA RATON — The three members of a Palm Beach County family killed Friday morning, when a six-seater Cessna 310 plane crashed in Boca Raton, were headed to Tallahassee for a college visit, according to a family friend. The victims were identified Friday night by Boca Raton police as Robert Stark, 81, of Boca Raton; Stephen Stark, 54, of Delray Beach; and Brooke Stark, 17, also of Delray Beach. The elder Starks were the grandfather and father of Brooke Stark, the teenager on board, said Matthew 'Whiz' Buckley, an FA-18 fighter pilot and former American Airlines pilot from Boca Raton. They also were both certified pilots, Federal Aviation Administration records show. Buckley said Brooke, who was a senior at Atlantic High School, was considering attending Florida State University and the family was taking a trip to visit the school for the weekend. "Brooke, she was an honor society girl," said Buckley, who added that Brooke was a cheerleader with his daughter, who's a junior at Boca Raton High school. "A beautiful soul, brilliant academic, daughter, older sister, just the nicest human being." The Boca Raton Hurricane All Stars, Brooke Stark's cheerleading team, called her "a beacon of light," in a Saturday Instagram post. "She not once ever entered the gym without a smile," the post read. "Her kind, compassionate, loving heart was inclusive and magnetic. Brooke is brilliant, hard working, positive and her cup is always nothing but full. Her spirit and energy will shine on forever and never be forgotten." On Monday at Atlantic High School, students showed support by wearing blue and creating the hashtag #BlueforBrooke as a way to honor of their classmate and support the Stark family. The Tallahassee-bound plane had departed Boca Raton Airport at around 10 a.m. and was in the air for about eight to 10 minutes before it hit the ground, said Kurt Gibson, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator. It made a series of bizarre loops while in the air, and witnesses said it was dangerously close to the ground before it crashed onto Military Trail near Glades Road, where — remarkably — it only affected one driver. "These were two very, very experienced aviators," Buckley said. "These weren't weekend flyers, or anything like that. These two fellows were capable and knew what they were doing." BOCA RATON PLANE CRASH: NTSB says plane was built in 1977 and was in air 8-10 minutes BOCA RATON PLANE CRASH: A bizarre flight path ends in tragedy with three killed The aircraft hit the ground and immediately erupted into flames, sending up large plumes of smoke visible from nearby homes, schools and offices. The crash did not directly hit anyone on the ground, but it forced a northbound driver of a 2017 Toyota Prius, Pablo Tafur, 24, to swerve and hit a tree, police said. Tafur, who suffered minor injuries, was able to exit the car and find safety despite being surrounded by fireballs and smoke. Buckley described Stephen Stark, as a kind local business owner. He is survived by his wife and a younger daughter. "Everybody loved him and and his dad," Buckley said of the Stark family. "Everybody in the aviation community is just so sad." On Monday, a makeshift memorial of flowers and pictures at the scene of the tragedy was building on the side of the road northbound on Military Trail. NTSB is leading an investigation into the crash. The standard procedure for the investigation will be a preliminary report in 30 days, followed by a 12-24 month report that will offer final analysis and probable cause for the crash. Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@ and follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida plane crash: Victims were headed to Tallahassee for FSU visit
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Reports detail hydraulic issues in 2020 fighter jet crash near Kern County naval base
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — No one was hurt, but the $70 million jet was lost. Analysis from a Freedom of Information Act request filed in 2020 over the crash was recently made public to 17 News. Long story short — it was pilot error from beginning to end. 'Just shut down the wrong motor. It's just, it doesn't get any more basic than that, the airmanship,' said Matthew 'Whiz' Buckley, of the No Fallen Heroes Foundation. 'Taking your time and stepping through the emergency procedures would have probably prevented this mishap.' Over four years ago on October 20, 2020, a FA-18 fighter jet crashed near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in east Kern County. The location of the crash occurred near the intersection of Highways 14 and 178, causing road closures and affecting traffic for days. The shocking news sent then-Supervisor Mick Gleason running out of a Board of Supervisors meeting. Years later in 2025, we have finally learned what led to the mayday call, with the help of Matthew 'Whiz' Buckley. Whiz is a U.S. Navy fighter pilot of 15 years, who flew FA-18 Hornets in over 40 combat missions. He spent five years at Naval Air Station Lemoore. 'So, definitely great airspace for flying and not a lot of people around, right?' said Buckley. 'So we put these master jet bases, usually out in the middle of nowhere, for a reason…so civilians aren't at risk.' The jet in question is the FA-18E Super Hornet — the single seat model. The FA-18 stands for fighter/attack jets…and they can carry missiles, bombs and other weapons. The two-engine jet is used by the U.S. Navy and costs about $70 million. 'Once you know what you're doing, it's pretty easy,' said Buckley. 'The jet actually becomes an extension of you.' During emergencies, pilots are required to pay even more attention for certain procedures. 'There are things called immediate action items. So, we have to memorize emergency procedures,' Buckley added. The mishap pilot — that's how he's described in the report, with his name redacted — got a hydraulic, hot caution message. The report explains the FA-18E model has one engine on either side of the jet. BPD asking for assistance in search of missing Southeast Bakersfield teen If a hydraulic 1 hot caution message pops up, you're supposed to turn off the left engine. The right engine is to be turned off for a hydraulic 2 hot caution. 'So, he executed the immediate action item for that hydraulic hot caution, which says, hey, secure the engine. Well, he secured the wrong engine. The right engine was supposed to be secured. He ended up securing the good engine,' said Buckley. 'Hydraulic hot caution is a big deal…these gears and things are spinning back there, and it needs fluid to keep it cool. So, you're getting a caution like that, the reason you have to shut that motor down pretty, pretty fast is because that's going to result in a fire.' Whiz says the pilot was more than qualified to be operating the jet, having been a naval aviator of about four years with no prior aviation mishaps. The report points out — he had a history of responding poorly in emergencies. 'If things go wrong, airborne, things kind of break down in his cockpit, which clearly is one of the main reasons of this mishap,' said Buckley. Here's a timeline of events, according to the report. Around 8:40 a.m., the jet took flight, as part of Lemoore's VFA-14 Strike Fighter Squadron. Each of the four pilots — including the mishap pilot — flies the single-seat FA-18E Super Hornet. The day of the wreck, they were carrying practice bombs and inert rounds of 20mm ammunition. They planned to fly from Lemoore to Superior Valley Tactical Training Range in China Lake, execute their practice mission and then fly back to Lemoore. But at 09:46:54, the first HYD2 HOT caution message appeared. The squadron's executive officer ordered the two other members to return to Lemoore, while he attempted to assist the mishap pilot. From 10:05:24 to 10:06:10 — when the pilot ejected himself — the aircraft was out of control. The report details after ejecting, the pilot lost his vision momentarily but felt the acceleration of the seat, the shock of the parachute opening and watched the aircraft crash and burn. Whiz says he would've done a few things differently. Initially, the mishap pilot was directed to return to home base, despite Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake being closer. 'There is no way in hell with a hydraulic hot caution that I would want to fly over the mountains all the way back to Lemoore, period,' said Buckley. 'Land the plane on the closest concrete.' Buckley also says the pilot should've restarted the functioning engine he accidentally turned off. 'What's the worst thing that can happen? You're about to crash anyway, if that thing restarts, and now you got two motors, you can land safely,' said Buckley. After the crash, federal, state and local firefighters responded to the scene, where the jet was fully engulfed in flames with small brush fires around it. The pilot was admitted to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital. 'How lucky would you say this pilot was that, first of all, he didn't die, thankfully. But also, again, there wasn't a huge fire that started as a result, or that civilians were injured as a result,' said Buckley. '100%. It's an act of God, in my opinion. Hopefully he can learn from this and still serve his country.' A spokesperson for the naval air forces tells us the pilot is still serving in the Navy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Why The Former Education Secretary Wants The Department Shut Down
On Tuesday, President Trump's Department of Education announced it was cutting its workforce in half. Already there have been reports that the President is seeking to dissolve the Education Department via executive order. Former Education Department Secretary Betsy DeVos calls these moves 'a step in the right direction.' DeVos joins the Rundown to break down how the functions of the Education Department could be better served by other agencies and how this could give power back to parents and the states. It has been over a month since the tragic midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet in Washington, D.C. Many Americans are still hesitant to fly following the crash. Earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board released two reports recommending that helicopters be banned from the airspace around Reagan National Airport. Former Navy FA-18 fighter pilot and commercial airline pilot Matthew 'Whiz' Buckley joins us to discuss the findings and explain why air travel continues to be safe. Plus, commentary from host of OutKick's 'Gaines for Girls', Riley Gaines. Photo Credit: AP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
