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US Launches Revamp Of FAA To Improve Safety, Modernize Airspace Operations

US Launches Revamp Of FAA To Improve Safety, Modernize Airspace Operations

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

The Trump administration on Jan. 26 unveiled what it described as the largest overhaul of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the agency’s history to enhance safety and support modernization efforts.

The overhaul includes launching an airspace modernization office to oversee the installation of a new air traffic control system and creation of an advanced aviation technologies office to oversee the integration of drones and other air mobility vehicles into U.S. airspace, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a statement.

The FAA will also move more key leadership posts to permanent roles and consolidate management of finance, information technology, and human resources under the administrator, according to the DOT.

The department said the restructuring of the aviation regulator will not result in workforce reductions.

“It’s important that we have the right people in the right places to do the best work possible,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in the statement. 

“These actions will put permanent leaders in place who embrace innovation, share safety data and insights freely and are focused on deploying a brand-new air traffic control system all while integrating key innovation technologies into the new National Airspace System (NAS).”

DOT said the restructuring is intended to strengthen the FAA’s safety foundation and modernize the national airspace system.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) expressed support for the FAA overhaul, saying it would help tackle current challenges facing the aviation industry.

“The FAA’s new structure makes the changes required to increase operational efficiency, foster innovation and empower the bold action needed to build an aviation system that in many ways will redefine air transportation,” NBAA CEO Ed Bolen said in a statement. 

“More than just a ‘re-org,’ this plan re-envisions what America’s aviation system is, and how it can best serve all stakeholders, now and in the decades to come.”

The announcement came just weeks after the FAA awarded contracts to RTX and Indra to replace the nation’s aging radar system as part of efforts to enhance the agency’s safety oversight.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy (L) and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford hold a press conference at the U.S. Department of Transportation Headquarters in Washington on Nov. 5, 2025. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The DOT said on Jan. 5 that the two companies will replace up to 612 old radars across the United States with modern surveillance radars by June 2028. The replacement process will kick off this year and prioritize high-traffic areas, it added.

“While our air travel system is the safest in the world, most of our radars date back to the 1980s. It’s unacceptable,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said at the time.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July 2025, allocated $12.5 billion to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system. The amount is appropriated to the FAA administrator and would remain available until Sept. 30, 2029.

Out of the total funds, $3 billion was set aside for radar systems replacement, $1.9 billion for building a new air route traffic control center, and $1 billion for terminal radar approach control facilities.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/28/2026 - 18:40

"How Silly It Would Be": Columbia Student Explains Why She Did Not Report Her Own Gang-Rape To Protect Attackers

"How Silly It Would Be": Columbia Student Explains Why She Did Not Report Her Own Gang-Rape To Protect Attackers

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

Columbia PhD candidate, Anna Krauthamer, has caused a stir over her column in the far-left Nation on “Why I Didn’t Report My Rape.”

The reason?

Krauthamer is a prison abolitionist and wanted to protect her rapists, saying it would be “silly and strange” for her to subject these rapists to the carceral state. Instead, she allegedly allowed multiple rapists to potentially rape other women.

In her column, Krauthamer alleged that she was gang raped in a Las Vegas hotel room for several hours.

She explained that she “never did anything about it” and  “the simple answer to the question of why I never reported the rape is that I believe in the abolition of police and prisons.”

She added:

“The prospect of being a participant in other people’s incarceration is as alien to me as anything could be, to the point that I can only conceive of it in childish terms – how silly and strange it would be to have a group of people incarcerated at my expense when doing so would do nothing to fix the damage they have already so thoroughly done.”

Rather than having concerns about future victims, Krauthamer said that these rapists would be the victims of a carceral state:

“I don’t want to ruin the lives of my rapists, and I don’t know if they have children. The only thing I want is for them to have never done what they did to me – and nothing, including sending them to prison, will ever change that reality.”

Whether you call it virtuous or virtue-signaling, the suggestion is that rapists would never be sent to prison for their crimes in a nation without prisons.

This is a PhD candidate at a leading university.

She is not alone.

Some faculty members have espoused the same anarchist position. In places like Columbia, this absurdist position is considered intellectually valuable while the faculty has largely purged any conservatives and libertarians from their ranks.

What is particularly astonishing is that, according to her X profile, Krauthamer is a PhD candidate working on “sexual violence & contemporary fiction.”

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/28/2026 - 17:05

Russian Crew Of Seized Tanker Finally Freed By US, On Their Way Home: Kremlin

Russian Crew Of Seized Tanker Finally Freed By US, On Their Way Home: Kremlin

Washington has quietly released two Russian sailors detained earlier this month by the US Navy's enforcement arm of Venezuela sanctions, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday. "Two Russian sailors have been released and are on their way home to Russia," she announced.

The men were part of the crew aboard the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1), which was intercepted and seized on January 7 in the North Atlantic after being tailed by US authorities from the Caribbean.

Source: Marine Traffic

US officials claim the vessel - chartered by a private company - was skirting Washington's oil embargo on Venezuela. "We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the US leadership," Zakharova had also said.

The tanker's multinational crew totaled 28, including 17 Ukrainians, six Georgians, three Indians, and just two Russians - the latter now released - underscoring once again how US sanctions enforcement routinely sweeps up foreign nationals far removed from Washington's geopolitical score-settling.

American officials had earlier threatened that the Marinera's crew could face prosecution in the United States, which Russia warned would be "categorically unacceptable."

Russia's foreign ministry threatened serious escalation at a moment both sides are seeking to improve delicate bilateral relations, saying such a move will "only result in further military and political tensions," adding that it was worried by "Washington's willingness to generate acute international crisis situations."

But days ago the Kremlin previewed that the US was preparing to release the Russian nationals "in response to our request" - while the fate of the other detained crewmembers remains unknown, and their respective embassies are likely lobbying for their swift release.

But a real and potentially explosive crisis has thankfully been avoided here, and the Kremlin disclosed that it directly appealed to the Trump administration to quickly release the Russian crewmembers.

The explosive situation could have easily spiraled, given also the rare presence of a Russian submarine so near in proximity to US maritime forces.

As for US policy in post-Maduro Venezuela, the US is making slow moves to reopen the embassy in Caracas, amid ongoing talks with interim leader Delcy Rodríguez (or should we say 'directives' given to...).

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the US is preparing to issue a general license - a move that would enable a sweeping rollback of sanctions, replacing the piecemeal waiver system used until now.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/28/2026 - 16:45

Meta Stock Jumps Despite Soaring Capex, Expense Forecast

Meta Stock Jumps Despite Soaring Capex, Expense Forecast

As we wrote in our Mag 7 earnings preview, investor sentiment has soured considerably on META since the Q3 25 print when it became abundantly clear that Zuckerberg’s foot remains firmly pressed down on the OpEx/capex accelerator.

To date, investors have seen little tangible evidence that the Meta Superintelligence Lab is capable of producing a leading edge model, and as JPM sais, "we won’t receive clarity on that issue this print. (But we may get some in the March/April timeframe when Avocado might launch.)" Looking at this quarter specifically, investors’ attention will be focused squarely on the 2026 OpEx guide (can’t be bigger than feared) as well the Q1 26 Revenue guide (needs to show a modest FXN acceleration on an easier comp). All told, investor sentiment on META heading into this print was at best ‘timid’, with many looking for the trade-off between massive capex and returns on investment.

Going into earnings, Goldman's desk wrote that investor positioning is 7/10, and notes that the stock has been a relative short amongst Mag7 peers for investors since the last earnings print on ROI debates + Product visibility (LLMs? New products? Other?). Into the print, focus on visibility into Meta's expense profile in 2026 (for context, Goldman sits at $125bn of capex in ’26 and $152bn of total expenses) relative to Revenue trends (Goldman models nearly ~20% ad revs growth in CY26). The options implied move of the stock is 6%. 

With that in mind, here is what Meta reported moments ago for Q4.

  • Revenue $59.89 billion, +24% y/y, beating estimate $58.42 billion 
    • Advertising rev. $58.14 billion, +24% y/y, beating estimate $56.79 billion
    • Family of Apps revenue $58.94 billion, +25% y/y, beating estimate $57.47 billion
    • Reality Labs revenue $955 million, -12% y/y, missing estimate $962.7 million
    • Other revenue $801 million, +54% y/y, beating estimate $718.8 million

  • Operating income $24.75 billion, +5.9% y/y
    • Family of Apps operating income $30.77 billion, +8.6% y/y, estimate $30 billion
    • Reality Labs operating loss $6.02 billion vs. loss $4.97 billion y/y, estimate loss $5.8 billion
       
  • Operating margin 41% vs. 48% y/y
     
  • EPS $8.88 vs. $8.02 y/y, beating estimates of $8.19

Some other Q4 details:

  • Ad impressions +18% vs. +6% y/y, estimate +12.2%
    • Average price per ad +6% vs. +14% y/y, estimate +9.07%
  • Average Family service users per day 3.58 billion, +6.9% y/y, estimate 3.56 billion

What is probably more important to investors is where did capex end in Q4: the answer, $21.4BN, up more than 50% YoY from $14.4BN a year ago.

Some more comments from management on the quarter:

  • “We had strong business performance in 2025,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. “I’m looking forward to advancing personal superintelligence for people around the world in 2026”
  • “We expect first quarter 2026 total revenue to be in the range of $53.5-56.5 billion.”
  • “Despite the meaningful step up in infrastructure investment, in 2026 we expect to deliver operating income that is above 2025 operating income.”
  • “Absent any changes to our tax landscape, we expect our full year 2026 tax rate to be 13-16%.”
  • “We expect full year 2026 total expenses to be in the range of $162-169 billion.”
  • The company will continue monitoring legal and regulatory headwinds in the EU and the US. It continues to see scrutiny on youth-related issues, which may result in material loss

In a nutshell, the historical numbers were solid. What about the future? This is the company's outlook:

Q1 revenue in the range of $53.5-56.5 billion, higher than the $51.3BN estimate (assumes FX is a ~4% tailwind to year-over-year total revenue growth)

Full year 2026 total expenses to be in the range of $162-169 billion, much higher than the $151BN expected.

  • company says the majority of expense growth will be driven by infrastructure costs, which includes third-party cloud spend, higher depreciation, and higher infrastructure operating expenses)
  • The second-largest contributor to total expense growth is employee compensation, driven by investments in technical talent. This includes 2026 hires to support our priority areas, particularly AI, as well as a full year of expenses from 2025 hires.
  • At a segment level, we expect expense growth to be driven by the Family of Apps, with Reality Labs operating losses remaining similar to 2025 levels.

Last but not least, META's 2026 capex forecast was an absolute stunner: the company said that it anticipates 2026 capital expenditures to be in the range of $115-135 billion.

  • The majority of expense growth will be driven by infrastructure costs, which includes third-party cloud spend, higher depreciation and higher infrastructure operating expenses.
  • The second-largest contributor to total expense growth is employee compensation, driven by investments in technical talent. This includes 2026 hires to support our priority areas, particularly AI, as well as a full year of expenses from 2025 hires.

This number is much, much higher than the $110.62BN median estimate, and represents a doubling in capex YoY.

Putting it together, the Q4 beat, and the Q1 guidance beat, are up against the concerns about that spending figure. If Meta hits the high range of that estimate, it’s close to a 90% year-over-year jump in capex. And while the kneejerk reaction was the punish the stock, some algo ended up liking the mindblowing capex spending projection, and has pushed META almost $100 from its after hours low. 

Indeed, META has dumped and pumped after hours: after initially dumping on the report of the blowout expense/capex surge, it was as if a relentless buyer stepped in and moved the stock from the session low of $637 to what has so far been an after hours high of $721.

So how it is possible that the stock is surging on the exact same setup which sent it crashing last quarter? It appears that Meta ad growth is letting investors brush off the eye-popping spending increase. It’s a different story over at Microsoft, whose shares are currently sharply lower after increased spending alarmed shareholders. Microsoft released its earnings around the same time as Meta.

Yet we would be very cautious chasing the stock here as the exact same questions that emerged last quarter are bound to resurface, namely just what return is Meta expecting to generate on this mindblowing capex spending.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/28/2026 - 16:30

Rubio Says We Must "Preemptively Prevent" Iran From Attacking US Forces Already In Region

Rubio Says We Must "Preemptively Prevent" Iran From Attacking US Forces Already In Region

Update(1629ET): One Mideast regional analyst has pointed to a significant contradiction in the current White House stance and rhetoric on Iran, amid the military threats and build-up, and suggests this time the warnings of US action are much more serious:

If you read Trump's latest post on Iran carefully, you will understand what America's real worry is. Until now, Trump was talking about the protesters. But today, he said time is running out for Iran to make a nuclear deal. "No nuclear weapons", he wrote. If you remember correctly, after the June 22 attack on Iran, Trump had claimed that he had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program. And Iran's nuclear program had gone dark after the June war because Iran denied access to the IAEA to the bombed facilities. If Trump had obliterated Iran's nuclear program in June 2025, why does he want a nuclear deal in January 2026

"This is the core issue, not democracy and human rights," the analyst, Stanly Johny, writes. Indeed in the halls of power it's very unlikely that Western officials actually believe this is all about "standing with Iranian protesters" (which by the way many days ago subsided). Another X commenter pointed back to the several regime change conflicts of the last couple decades:

"Free Iran" means exactly what "Free Iraq," "Free Libya," and "Free Syria" meant. That is the material reality, however you try to spin it. Either you’re calling for another US-engineered destruction, or you’re so politically naive your opinion can be automatically disregarded.

In the meantime, America's top diplomat has just come up with a whole new category and 'justification' for potential US attack on Iran: "preemptively prevent"... Watch below:

Rubio said during the Wednesday Senate Foreign Relations Hearing focused on Venezuela, "And so I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and potentially, not necessarily what’s going to happen, but if necessary, preemptively prevent the attack against 1000s of American servicemen and other facilities in the region. And our allies." But ironically this is just after admitting the US ordered additional assets to the region in the first place, which are the same assets now supposedly under threat by Tehran.

"I hope it doesn’t come to that, but that’s I think what you’re seeing now is the ability to posture assets in the region to defend against what could be an Iranian threat against our personnel," the secretary of state said. 

* * *

Things between Tehran and Washington are moving fast according to an eerily familiar pattern hearkening back to the lead-up to the 12-day June war, when there was some wrangling over negotiations - and talk of good faith efforts at dialogue - just before the US greenlighted a surprise Israeli attack which also saw US entry into the conflict by the close of it (whereupon nuclear facilities were hit by American bombers).

"Our stance is clear," Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Wednesday as the US has expressed the desire to strike a deal. "Negotiations don’t go along with threats, and talks can only take place when there are no longer menaces and excessive demands."

  • IRAN SAYS WILL RESPOND TO US 'LIKE NEVER BEFORE' IF PUSHED
  • IRAN SAYS READY FOR TALKS WITH US BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT
  • OIL PARES GAINS AS IRAN SAYS ITS READY FOR TALKS WITH US

Araqchi confirmed his country has had no recent communication with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and has not sought talks with Washington. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that another US "armada" was moving "beautifully" toward Iran, but he hoped Tehran would ultimately strike a deal and avoid conflict.

via The Australian 

The Iranian FM noted, however, that unnamed intermediaries were "holding consultations" and remained in touch with Iranian officials.

Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday that Tehran supports any process "within the framework of international law" that helps avert war. The Saudis have joined the UAE in declaring that the US cannot use its airspace for aggression against Iran. 

This shouldn't pose too big a challenge for the Pentagon, however, which has a build-up of assets at its Qatar base and with a carrier group near Iran in regional waters.

But The Wall Street Journal disagrees, saying this could be a significant setback if the White House wishes to pursue war plans:

The declarations from the two Gulf states represent a foreign policy setback for the Trump administration as it seeks to ratchet up pressure on Tehran, which has defied Washington’s demand that it halt uranium enrichment and end the suppression of protesters.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader, outlined his country’s position while talking by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. 

A Saudi readout of the Tuesday call said the crown prince had stressed that the kingdom “will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military actions against Iran.”

Previously, during Monday remarks, President Trump said "They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk." He added ominously, "We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela."

US forces stationed across the Middle East are also meanwhile taking part in large-scale war games aimed at showcasing combat readiness, as Washington ramps up its military footprint, and as Trump is presented with an array of 'options'. All of this supposedly steps from Washington 'concern' for large-scale protests from earlier this month, where thousands died - but which also included the deaths of police and security services.

In a statement which kicked off the week, US Central Command said: "Ninth Air Force will be conducting a multi-day readiness exercise to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower across the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility."

President Trump issued the following "time is running" out message Wednesday morning:

The command added that "this exercise is designed to enhance asset and personnel dispersal capability, strengthen regional partnerships and prepare for flexible response execution throughout CENTCOM."

The sweeping drills are unfolding against the backdrop of sharply rising tensions with Tehran in which an oil blockade and potential strikes on senior officials in the Islamic Republic are being considered. But in terms of blockades, two can play at that game, as the Strait of Hormuz remains among the most vital waterways for the global market, and the IRGC has threatened that its forces can shut it to international transit.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/28/2026 - 16:29

Deranged Nurse Fired After Urging Poisoning & Paralyzing Of ICE Agents

Deranged Nurse Fired After Urging Poisoning & Paralyzing Of ICE Agents

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

A nurse at Virginia Commonwealth University Health has been terminated after posting a series of videos urging sabotage against ICE agents, including injecting them with paralytic drugs and poisoning their food and drinks.

Yes, really.

The unhinged suggestions highlight the escalating threats faced by law enforcement amid leftist campaigns to obstruct deportations of criminal illegal aliens.

In videos exposed by Libs of TikTok, the nurse, identified as Melinda, detailed various “resistance tips” targeted at ICE personnel.

She advised medical providers to “grab some syringes with needles on the end have them full of saline or succinylcholine you know whatever,” adding that succinylcholine “is a temporary paralyzing agent. It will eventually wear off and there will be no way to detect it afterwards.”

“So, if you see them struggling to breathe, you can definitely inject that into one of their muscles or veins and walk away and there will be no way to prove it,” she stated.

In another clip, she suggested harvesting poison ivy or oak, mixing it with water, and using a water gun to fire it in the faces of agents.

For single women, she proposed going on dates via apps like Tinder or Hinge to “find these guys, they’re around,” and to bring poison with them on dates, then “put it in their drinks, get them sick.”

She claimed, “You know, nobody’s going to die, just enough to incapacitate them, get off the street for the next day,” calling the tactic “easily deniable.”

She also urged targeting agents’ food sources: “Let’s get them where they eat… Where’s the hotel where they eat? Who makes that breakfast? Let’s find them you know let’s make their lives fucking miserable.”

Additional ideas included making living conditions bad, such as hiding “dead fish somewhere in the room,” and to “just stay toxic.”

Following the videos going viral, VCU Health launched an investigation and confirmed in a statement: “Following an investigation, the individual involved in the social media videos is no longer employed by VCU Health. In addition, VCU Health has fulfilled its reporting requirements under Virginia state law.”

According to reports, the matter has been referred to authorities, with potential legal consequences for the former employee.

What kind of deranged lunatic has these ideas and then goes ahead and makes a video incriminating themselves? 

The development comes as ICE faces a surge in harassment from radical activists opposed to the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.

As we earlier highlighted, DHS recently released audio of deranged individuals leaving threatening voicemails wishing death on agents’ families. 

 

The culprits stole the personal data of agents by running number plates and then attempted to call them, before leaving the sickening recordings.

Again, this highlights how these mentally unwell morons don’t care about, or more likely haven’t even got the foresight to comprehend that they are incriminating themselves.

DHS has vowed to track down such agitators, with Border Czar Tom Homan establishing databases to expose harassers to their employers.

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Tyler Durden Wed, 01/28/2026 - 16:25

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