Latest news with #USCG
The Hill
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
House Democrats demand answers from Noem on plans for $50M jet
Democrats are demanding answers about a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plan to purchase a new $50 million jet for Secretary Kristi Noem. The jet, slotted in as a line item to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) budget, comes as the department argues its current plane is beyond its operational usage hours. 'Reports indicate this jet would cost $50 million and replace one of the two Gulfstream jets already at your disposal. Funding the acquisition of this new jet would come at the cost of other USCG investments, including sorely needed modernization of the USCG's aging aircraft fleet used by service members for search and rescue and other critical missions,' Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) wrote in a letter to Noem alongside Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.). Both Democrats sit on the House Homeland Security panel. Thompson is the panel's ranking member. 'Simply put, your purchase of a new jet would directly diminish the availability of other USCG aircraft to carry out critical missions,' the two wrote. The letter from the two lawmakers describes an aging fleet of Coast Guard aircraft, noting that many entered service in the 1980s and 1990s, in contrast with the current Gulfstream used for Noem's travel, which was purchased in 2002. They also point to a Government Accountability Office report finding that the Coast Guard has had trouble securing parts for its helicopters as the manufacturer no longer produces them. The letter asks DHS to detail flights taken by Noem on two existing jets used for travel as well as a breakdown of all Coast Guard aircraft that 'have a service life expiration date' prior to the two Gulfstreams. DHS did not immediately respond to request for comment Friday but has previously defended the need for the jets. 'The current CG-101 G550 is over twenty years old, outside of Gulfstream's service life, and well beyond operational usage hours for a corporate aircraft,' Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs, said in a statement when news of the budget request was first reported. 'This is a matter of safety. Much like the Coast Guard's ships that are well beyond their service life and safe operational usage, Coast Guard's aircraft are too,' she added. 'This Administration is taking action to restore our Nation's finest maritime Armed Service to a capable fighting force.' Coast Guard Adm. Kevin Lunday was grilled about the request when appearing before the House Appropriations Committee earlier this month. 'I was horrified last Friday when we received a last minute addition to your spend plan for fiscal '25, a new $50 million Gulfstream 5 for Secretary Noem's personal travel coming from the Coast Guard budget. She already has a Gulfstream 5, by the way, this is a new one,' said Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the committee's Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Lunday described the plane as 'old, and it's approaching obsolescence and the end of its service life, the avionics are increasingly obsolete, the communications are increasingly unreliable, and it's in need of recapitalization, like much of the rest of the fleet.' Thompson and McIver said the bid for a new plane for Noem echoes President Trump's efforts to secure a new Air Force One from Qatar. 'We know President Trump has set a high bar for wasteful luxury travel by government officials with his unconstitutional attempt to personally acquire a $400 million jet from a foreign government. That does not mean members of his Cabinet must follow suit,' they wrote. 'Your desire to travel in luxury should not eclipse the need for USCG service members to fly safely and conduct lifesaving missions.'
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Lake Michigan Warning Issued Over Undetonated Military Flares
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. Coast Guard issued an urgent public warning over three undetonated military flares unaccounted for in Lake Michigan. It comes after one washed ashore at Chicago's Montrose beach on Memorial Day and was found by a lifeguard. Why It Matters The missing flares pose a direct public safety risk and could cause injury if handled or activated accidentally, according to officials. They are capable of igniting at extremely high temperatures of up to 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit. An image released by the Coast Guard of one of the missing flares. An image released by the Coast Guard of one of the missing flares. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan What To Know The flares went missing following a joint U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Air Force training exercise off Milwaukee earlier in May. The USCG confirmed that four phosphorus-based pyrotechnic flares failed to activate after being deployed during the joint exercise. The devices are silver, cylindrical, and measure roughly 15 to 18 inches. On Monday, a lifeguard discovered a cylindrical object on the sand at Montrose Beach, around 80 miles south of the deployment site. The Chicago Police Department bomb squad was called, and the device was identified as an undetonated military flare that emits flames to enhance visibility during searches for a vessel or individual in the water, according to The Chicago Sun Times. The beach remained open during the incident, but the object was safely removed, the newspaper said. While one device has been recovered, three flares remain missing. Officials emphasized that these devices are considered "armed," posing risks not just on beaches but also for boaters. What People Are Saying Lt. Joe Neff, a U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer, told ABC7 Chicago: "Last thing we want to do, to have, is for people to find one of these on the beach and pick it up. If it were to activate it burns at very high temperatures, can be anywhere near 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit, so we just want people to stay clear, call 911." Chicago Police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday: "This maritime flare, used in a military exercise, washed up on Montrose Beach yesterday. The public is asked to call 911 if they see a similar object. Do NOT touch, move or attempt to handle the item under any circumstances. Contact the U.S. Coast Guard for additional info." What Happens Next Authorities warned the public against handling any suspicious silver, torpedo-shaped object found on or near shorelines. People should contact local law enforcement to report any similar objects.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Father caught in Fort Lauderdale boat explosion describes ‘terrifying' blast that burned his children
A father has described surviving a 'terrifying' boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale on Memorial Day that left 11 people, including his two young children suffering from burns. Antonio Rivera was one of the 13 people on board when the accident happened at approximately 5.45pm on Monday afternoon. He told CBS News that the driver had been attempting to restart the engine after refueling, intending to return the party to shore along the Intracoastal Waterway. 'We tried to fuel up the boat and it must've been a gas leak,' Rivera said. 'A spark went off and an explosion.' The strength of the blast threw members of the group into the water and caused a flash fire, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesperson Frank Guzman. The injured were subsequently rescued by members of the public and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and taken to nearby Broward Health Medical Center for treatment. Those suffering severe burns were subsequently transferred on to a specialist unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The remaining two boaters and a dog were reportedly unharmed. Rivera said his wife and children, aged just five and seven, had been wounded but added: 'They'll be okay – there's nothing permanent – but they did get third-degree burns. It was terrifying.' Eyewitness Bret Triano said he had seen the boat engulfed by a fireball and rushed to help, along with several others, by jumping into a dinghy. 'When they went to start their boat up, it just exploded. People were kind of falling off the boat,' he said. Triano said he found Rivera in the water: 'He was saying, 'Save me, please don't let me die, I'm so hot, I need water.'' The vessel had been anchored at a sandbar near the waterway's New River Triangle, a popular congregating point for boaters on holiday weekends, at the time of the explosion. The USCG has since posted on social media that a salvage operation is underway and that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is investigating precisely what caused the incident.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Father caught in Fort Lauderdale boat explosion describes ‘terrifying' blast that burned his children
A father has described surviving a 'terrifying' boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale on Memorial Day that left 11 people, including his two young children suffering from burns. Antonio Rivera was one of the 13 people on board when the accident happened at approximately 5.45pm on Monday afternoon. He told CBS News that the driver had been attempting to restart the engine after refueling, intending to return the party to shore along the Intracoastal Waterway. 'We tried to fuel up the boat and it must've been a gas leak,' Rivera said. 'A spark went off and an explosion.' The strength of the blast threw members of the group into the water and caused a flash fire, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesperson Frank Guzman. The injured were subsequently rescued by members of the public and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and taken to nearby Broward Health Medical Center for treatment. Those suffering severe burns were subsequently transferred on to a specialist unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The remaining two boaters and a dog were reportedly unharmed. Rivera said his wife and children, aged just five and seven, had been wounded but added: 'They'll be okay – there's nothing permanent – but they did get third-degree burns. It was terrifying.' Eyewitness Bret Triano said he had seen the boat engulfed by a fireball and rushed to help, along with several others, by jumping into a dinghy. 'When they went to start their boat up, it just exploded. People were kind of falling off the boat,' he said. Triano said he found Rivera in the water: 'He was saying, 'Save me, please don't let me die, I'm so hot, I need water.'' The vessel had been anchored at a sandbar near the waterway's New River Triangle, a popular congregating point for boaters on holiday weekends, at the time of the explosion. The USCG has since posted on social media that a salvage operation is underway and that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is investigating precisely what caused the incident.
Ammon
3 days ago
- General
- Ammon
Ship footage captures sound of Titan sub imploding
Ammon News - The moment that Oceangate's Titan submersible was lost has been revealed in footage recorded on the sub's support ship. Titan imploded about 90 minutes into a descent to see the wreck of the Titanic in June 2023, killing all five people on board. The passengers had paid Oceangate to see the ship, which lies 3,800m down. On board were Oceangate's CEO Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, veteran French diver Paul Henri Nargeolet, the British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman. The BBC has had unprecedented access to the US Coast Guard's (USCG) investigation for a documentary, Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster. The footage was recently obtained by the USCG and shows Wendy Rush, the wife of Mr Rush, hearing the sound of the implosion while watching on from the sub's support ship and asking: "What was that bang?" The video has been presented as evidence to the USCG Marine Board of Investigation, which has spent the last two years looking into the sub's catastrophic failure. The documentary also reveals the carbon fibre used to build the submersible started to break apart a year before the fatal dive. Titan's support ship was with the sub while it was diving in the Atlantic Ocean. The video shows Mrs Rush, who was a director of Oceangate with her husband, sitting in front of a computer that was used to send and receive text messages from Titan. When the sub reaches a depth of about 3,300m, a noise that sounds like a door slamming is heard. Mrs Rush is seen to pause then look up and ask other Oceangate crew members what the noise was. Within moments she then receives a text message from the sub saying it had dropped two weights, which seems to have led her to mistakenly think the dive was proceeding as expected. The USCG says the noise was in fact the sound of Titan imploding. However, the text message, which must have been sent just before the sub failed, took longer to reach the ship than the sound of the implosion.
