Latest news with #JoEllis
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Transgender pilot denies claims she was flying doomed Black Hawk chopper
Jo Ellis, a transgender Black Hawk pilot, was forced to share a 'proof of life' video on Friday in response to rumors that she was helming the military helicopter involved in a midair collision with an American Airlines jet, which left no survivors. In total, 67 people were killed in the crash Wednesday night, including more than a dozen figure skaters, who were among 60 passengers and four crewmembers aboard American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan. to Reagan National Airport, officials said. The Bombardier CRJ700 airplane was gearing up to land when a Black Hawk helicopter flew directly into its path of travel around 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In wake of the crash, Ellis was wrongfully identified by social media users as one of the three soldiers aboard the ill-fated military aircraft. Those rumors have continued to gain traction in the days since, prompting Ellis to prove she is still alive. 'Interesting morning,' Ellis says in the video, going on to introduce herself as a Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia Army National Guard. 'I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C. and that is false,' she continues. 'It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some kind of political agenda. They don't deserve that. I don't deserve this. And I hope you all know that I am alive and well and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors.' Ellis wrapped her video by providing a statement from the Department of Defense, responsible for handling casualty notifications, confirming that no members of the Virginia Army personnel were involved in the collision earlier this week. Though it's unclear where exactly the rumors began, a post on X from FakeGayPolitics appeared to be one of the first to mention Ellis by name. 'The pilot of the Black Hawk has been identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Jo Ellis, a transgender woman,' the post reads. 'Jo Ellis served in the Virginia National Guard for 15 years and transitioned while serving as a pilot. Jo has been making radicalized anti-Trump statements on socials.' Many of the responses referenced a personal essay Ellis wrote about her experience as a servicemember in the day before the crash. 'The transgender Black Hawk helicopter pilot for the military wrote a long letter about 'Gender Dysphoria' and depression 1 day before the fatal crash this may have been another trans terror attack,' one X user wrote, speculating the incident was a 'suicide mission.' Another wrote: 'So it turns out the pilot of the Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the American Airlines flight killing everybody onboard was a transgender pilot, Josiah Ellis, or Jo Ellis was the pilot of the Black Hawk. He tried to take out 3 other passenger planes before the crash.' The speculation comes after President Donald Trump blamed the crash on DEI practices aimed at helping and projecting marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, in the workplace. He also took aim at policies from previous administrations, though the cause of the collision has not been confirmed. So far, two of the three soldiers aboard the ill-fated Black Hawk have been identified as Staff Sgt. Ryan O'Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, from the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, Va. _____
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Trans National Guard Pilot Falsely Associated with DC Chopper, Jet Crash
Claim: Jo Ellis, a trans woman, was piloting the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines passenger jet near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, 2025. Rating: Two days after a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet in Washington D.C., on Jan. 29, 2025, rumors began spreading that the pilot of the helicopter was Jo Ellis, a transgender woman who serves in the Virginia Army National Guard as a pilot. Users spread the claim dozens of times, racking up hundreds of thousands of views. (X user @FakeGayPolitics) This claim was false. Ellis was quick to respond, posting on her Facebook account that the posts were "insulting to the victims and families of those lost." Approximately two hours later, Ellis posted a "proof of life" video, saying: Interesting morning. This is Jo Ellis, I am a Black Hawk pilot with Virginia Army National Guard. I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C. and that is false. It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda; they don't deserve that, I don't deserve this, and I hope you all know that I am alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors. I also have a statement: The Department of Defense is responsible for casualty notifications. There were no Virginia National Guard personnel on that Black Hawk that collided with the jetliner Wednesday evening. Thank you. Ellis published a story (archived) for media outlet on Jan. 28, 2025, that many social media users shared (claiming it as proof that Ellis intentionally caused the collision), writing that she transitioned in 2024 and paid out of pocket for all her gender-affirming care. On Jan. 31, the Army identified two of the three dead soldiers as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara. The Army did not release the name of the third soldier at the family's request. 'Jo Ellis'. Facebook, Maia. 'Living to Serve, Living as Myself: A Transgender Service Member's Perspective'. SMERCONISH, 28 Jan. 2025, "The Department of Army Identifies Two of Three Army Soldiers Involved in Helicopter Crash." 31 Jan. 2025,
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trans pilot shares 'proof of life' video amid false claims she flew helicopter in D.C. crash
A transgender military pilot posted a "proof of life" video Friday to refute rumors spread on social media that she was flying the helicopter that collided with a commercial jet near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, killing 67 people. "I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false," Jo Ellis, a Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia Army National Guard, said in the Facebook video. "It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don't deserve that. I don't deserve this. And I hope that you all know that I am alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors." Several hours prior to posting the video, Ellis shared a screenshot on her Facebook account of an X post in which someone had shared two images of her and made the false claim that she was the Black Hawk pilot involved in the deadly crash. Ellis did not immediately return a request for additional comment. A Virginia National Guard spokesperson confirmed that Ellis, a chief warrant officer 2, is a currently serving soldier and that there were 'no Virginia National Guard personnel on board the Black Hawk that collided with the jetliner Wednesday evening." At least two news websites, Santa Monica Observer, based in Santa Monica, California, and The Express Tribune, based in Pakistan, reported on the rumors, with the Observer reporting as fact that Ellis was on board the helicopter and questioning whether the crash "was intentional." As of Friday afternoon, the Observer had updated its article but the Tribune had not. Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by social media platform X, amplified the misinformation. X is owned by Elon Musk, who serves as the company's chairman and chief technology officer. "A military helicopter crash involving a transgender pilot named Jo Ellis has sparked significant discussion on X, particularly after the incident where the helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight, resulting in 66 fatalities," Grok's summary stated if X users searched Ellis' name, according to screenshots by multiple X users. As of Friday afternoon, Grok corrected its summary of Ellis. And if a user asks the AI chatbot who the Black Hawk pilots were that were involved in the deadly crash, it now correctly names two of the three involved. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Grok AI's claims about Ellis. This week, Ellis wrote an op-ed about her life as a transgender service member and appeared on The Smerconish Podcast, where she said President Donald Trump's executive order barring trans people from serving and enlisting in the military makes her nervous. 'I don't really want to have to deal with all of the headlines and everything going on about my service,' she said. 'I want to keep my head down, serve, serve honorably and then eventually retire, maybe another 15, 20 years, or however long my my body lets me fly that helicopter.' She added, 'In a time when it's hard enough to meet recruiting numbers in the military, why would you want to, you know, kick out more soldiers that are willing to sacrifice their life for this country?" Trans people have increasingly been falsely blamed for tragedies and violence in recent years, particularly after mass shootings. In March 2022, a trans woman living in Georgia said she faced harassment and threats after her photo was shared online alongside false claims that she was the shooter who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The shooter was killed on the scene by police. Similar false or unconfirmed claims spread after at least four shootings in the last two years — in Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia; Madison, Wisconsin; and Des Moines, Iowa — that the shooters' were transgender or LGBTQ and that their identities had something to do with the crimes. These online rumors following violence and tragedies have spiked alongside an increasingly hostile state and federal legislative climate for trans rights. In the last few years, dozens of states have passed laws that restrict transition-related care and school sports participation for trans youth and limit access to restrooms and identity documents for trans people of all ages. In addition to his executive order barring trans people from the military, Trump has signed executive orders declaring that the United States will only recognize two sexes, male and female, and ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs inside federal agencies. He also signed an order directing agencies to prohibit federal funding for schools promoting 'gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology" and another that aims to restrict access to transition-related care for minors nationwide. At a news conference Thursday, Trump implied that DEI programs could have caused the deadly crash over the Potomac, though the investigation had only just begun. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Transgender pilot denies claims she was flying doomed Black Hawk chopper
Jo Ellis, a transgender Black Hawk pilot, was forced to share a 'proof of life' video on Friday in response to rumors that she was helming the military helicopter involved in a midair collision with an American Airlines jet, which left no survivors. In total, 67 people were killed in the crash Wednesday night, including more than a dozen figure skaters, who were among 60 passengers and four crewmembers aboard American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan. to Reagan National Airport, officials said. The Bombardier CRJ700 airplane was gearing up to land when a Black Hawk helicopter flew directly into its path of travel around 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In wake of the crash, Ellis was wrongfully identified by social media users as one of the three soldiers aboard the ill-fated military aircraft. Those rumors have continued to gain traction in the days since, prompting Ellis to prove she is still alive. 'Interesting morning,' Ellis says in the video, going on to introduce herself as a Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia Army National Guard. 'I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C. and that is false,' she continues. 'It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some kind of political agenda. They don't deserve that. I don't deserve this. And I hope you all know that I am alive and well and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors.' Ellis wrapped her video by providing a statement from the Department of Defense, responsible for handling casualty notifications, confirming that no members of the Virginia Army personnel were involved in the collision earlier this week. Though it's unclear where exactly the rumors began, a post on X from FakeGayPolitics appeared to be one of the first to mention Ellis by name. 'The pilot of the Black Hawk has been identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Jo Ellis, a transgender woman,' the post reads. 'Jo Ellis served in the Virginia National Guard for 15 years and transitioned while serving as a pilot. Jo has been making radicalized anti-Trump statements on socials.' Many of the responses referenced a personal essay Ellis wrote about her experience as a servicemember in the day before the crash. 'The transgender Black Hawk helicopter pilot for the military wrote a long letter about 'Gender Dysphoria' and depression 1 day before the fatal crash this may have been another trans terror attack,' one X user wrote, speculating the incident was a 'suicide mission.' Another wrote: 'So it turns out the pilot of the Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the American Airlines flight killing everybody onboard was a transgender pilot, Josiah Ellis, or Jo Ellis was the pilot of the Black Hawk. He tried to take out 3 other passenger planes before the crash.' The speculation comes after President Donald Trump blamed the crash on DEI practices aimed at helping and projecting marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, in the workplace. He also took aim at policies from previous administrations, though the cause of the collision has not been confirmed. So far, two of the three soldiers aboard the ill-fated Black Hawk have been identified as Staff Sgt. Ryan O'Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, from the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, Va. _____
NBC News
31-01-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Trans pilot shares 'proof of life' video amid false claims she flew helicopter in D.C. crash
A transgender military pilot posted a "proof of life" video Friday to refute rumors spread on social media that she was flying the helicopter that collided with a commercial jet near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, killing 67 people. "I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false," Jo Ellis, a Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia Army National Guard, said in the Facebook video. "It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don't deserve that. I don't deserve this. And I hope that you all know that I am alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors." Several hours prior to posting the video, Ellis shared a screenshot on her Facebook account of an X post in which someone had shared two images of her and made the false claim that she was the Black Hawk pilot involved in the deadly crash. Ellis did not immediately return a request for additional comment. A Virginia National Guard spokesperson confirmed that Ellis, a chief warrant officer 2, is a currently serving soldier and that there were 'no Virginia National Guard personnel on board the Black Hawk that collided with the jetliner Wednesday evening." At least two news websites, Santa Monica Observer, based in Santa Monica, California, and The Express Tribune, based in Pakistan, reported on the rumors, with the Observer reporting as fact that Ellis was on board the helicopter and questioning whether the crash "was intentional." As of Friday afternoon, the Observer had updated its article but the Tribune had not. Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by social media platform X, amplified the misinformation. X is owned by Elon Musk, who serves as the company's chairman and chief technology officer. "A military helicopter crash involving a transgender pilot named Jo Ellis has sparked significant discussion on X, particularly after the incident where the helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight, resulting in 66 fatalities," Grok's summary stated if X users searched Ellis' name, according to screenshots by multiple X users. As of Friday afternoon, Grok corrected its summary of Ellis. And if a user asks the AI chatbot who the Black Hawk pilots were that were involved in the deadly crash, it now correctly names two of the three involved. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Grok AI's claims about Ellis. This week, Ellis wrote an op-ed about her life as a transgender service member and appear ed on The Smerconish Podcast, where she said President Donald Trump's executive order barring trans people from serving and enlisting in the military makes her nervous. 'I don't really want to have to deal with all of the headlines and everything going on about my service,' she said. 'I want to keep my head down, serve, serve honorably and then eventually retire, maybe another 15, 20 years, or however long my my body lets me fly that helicopter.' She added, 'In a time when it's hard enough to meet recruiting numbers in the military, why would you want to, you know, kick out more soldiers that are willing to sacrifice their life for this country?" Trans people have increasingly been falsely blamed for tragedies and violence in recent years, particularly after mass shootings. In March 2022, a trans woman living in Georgia said she faced harassment and threats after her photo was shared online alongside false claims that she was the shooter who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The shooter was killed on the scene by police. Similar false or unconfirmed claims spread after at least four shootings in the last two years — in Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia; Madison, Wisconsin; and Des Moines, Iowa — that the shooters' were transgender or LGBTQ and that their identities had something to do with the crimes. These online rumors following violence and tragedies have spiked alongside an increasingly hostile state and federal legislative climate for trans rights. In the last few years, dozens of states have passed laws that restrict transition-related care and school sports participation for trans youth and limit access to restrooms and identity documents for trans people of all ages. In addition to his executive order barring trans people from the military, Trump has signed executive order s declaring that the United States will only recognize two sexes, male and female, and ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs inside federal agencies. He also signed an order directing agencies to prohibit federal funding for schools promoting 'gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology" and another that aims to restrict access to transition-related care for minors nationwide. At a news conference Thursday, Trump implied that DEI programs could have caused the deadly crash over the Potomac, though the investigation had only just begun.
