Plans for new air traffic control system unveiled by transportation secretary
Andres Kudacki/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Plans for a new air traffic control system were announced Thursday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy amid a spotlight on the out-of-date ATC system and the air traffic controller shortage.
The Transportation Department said in a statement the current ATC system is “antiquated” and said the new “state-of-the-art” system will improve safety and cut back on delays.
Changes include swapping out old telecommunications for “new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies”; “installing new modern hardware and software”; replacing 618 old radars; and building six new air traffic control centers and replacing towers, the Transportation Department said.
The announcement comes as an outage at Newark Liberty International Airport last week caused ATC computer screens to go dark for roughly 60 to 90 seconds and prevented controllers from talking to aircraft during that time, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the incident. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted all departures to the airport.
Following the outage, several controllers went on medical leave, calling the experience a traumatic event. The controllers are entitled to at least 45 days away from the job and must be evaluated by a doctor before they can return to work.
The facility where controllers work the airspace around Newark airport is located in Philadelphia and was already short on air traffic controllers.
(SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, S.C.) — Two children and one adult were struck by a driver outside a preschool at a South Carolina church in what may have been an intentional act, authorities said.
Police are searching for the suspect following the crash at the Sunrise Presbyterian Church on Sullivan’s Island, a beach town just outside of Charleston, according to Isle of Palms police Sgt. Matt Storen.
One child and one adult were taken to hospitals in unknown conditions and the third victim was treated at the scene and released, police said.
The suspect ditched his sedan after the crash and is believed to be on foot and armed with a knife, Storen said.
An active manhunt is ongoing, with drones in the sky and checkpoints at the entryway to Sullivan’s Island, Storen said.
There was no altercation ahead of the incident, according to Storen.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Two staff members with the Israeli Embassy — a couple about to get engaged — were gunned down outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday in what FBI Director Kash Patel called an “act of terror.”
The shooting has sparked outrage and has been condemned as an “unspeakable” act of antisemitism after officials said the suspect, who is in custody, shouted “free, free Palestine” following the shooting.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were identified by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar as the victims during a press conference on Thursday morning.
He said the pair were attending a Jewish conference of the American Jewish Committee when they were gunned down “in a horrific terrorist attack.”
“This is the direct result of toxic anti-Semitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world that has been going on since the October 7th massacre,” Sa’ar added. “I have been worried for the past few months that something like this would happen. And it did.”
An official with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to reporters during the presser that Lischinsky and Milgrim were not diplomats but embassy staff. Lischinsky was a researcher in the political department of the Israeli Embassy, while Milgrim organized U.S. missions to Israel.
Suspect taken into custody
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was promptly taken into custody at the scene and is being questioned by police, D.C. Metro Police Chief Pamela Smith said.
The FBI said on Thursday it was conducting “court authorized activity” at a home in Chicago that is believed to be related to the suspect in the shooting.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the early indicators point to the shooting being a “targeted attack.”
“The US Attorney’s office is on scene with me, and our WFO management team, at the Washington Field Office reviewing the evidence to determine additional actions,” Bongino said. “The shooting happened a short distance from our Washington Field Office. Our FBI police officer, assigned to the external post on the WFO property, immediately responded and rendered aid after the attack. Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence. Our FBI team is fully engaged and we will get you answers as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads.”
Bongino said on Thursday that the FBI is aware of “certain writings allegedly authored by the suspect, and we hope to have updates to the authenticity very soon.”
After the shooting, officials said Rodriguez attempted to enter the building where the event was taking place and was stopped by event security, Smith said.
Katie Kalisher, who was inside the museum at the time of the shooting, told ABC News before his arrest, Rodriguez “came over to where I was and we offered him water,” which is when he reached into his backpack, pulled out a keffiyeh and said, “I did this for Gaza, free Palestine.”
Another witness, Yoni Kalin, said the suspect “looked frightened.”
Once in custody, he implied that he had committed the shooting and began to chant, “free, free Palestine,” Smith said.
He also explained where he had allegedly ditched the gun used in the shooting, which was promptly recovered, according to officials.
‘No active threat’
“There is no active threat,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said during the press conference at the Metropolitan Police Department.
“I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate in our city. We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism, and we’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send a clear message that we will not tolerate antisemitism.”
Emergency call centers began receiving calls around 9:08 p.m. reporting a shooting in the area, Smith said.
When emergency responders arrived, the man and one woman were found at the scene, not breathing, she continued. At least one of the victims was first transported to a local hospital in critical condition, sources told ABC News.
The two victims had been exiting the event at the museum when the incident occurred, officials confirmed.
“The couple that was gunned down tonight were about to be engaged,” Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said at the press conference. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem.”
Leiter also shared that he had received a call from President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening, pledging the support of the U.S. in combating antisemitism.
Meanwhile, Trump posted a statement about the shooting on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying, “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday they believe the suspect acted alone — “from everything we know now.”
“I saw a young man’s body being taken away, who was about to get engaged. He had an entire life in front of him, and that was taken away. The hate has got to stop, and it has to stop now. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said.
Questions about security
Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, confirmed with ABC News that the AJC had hosted an event at the museum on Wednesday night, adding, “We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue. At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”
The incident took place near the FBI field office in D.C. A top spokesperson for the FBI posted on X that there was a bureau presence at the scene working in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Department.
Bondi and interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro went to the scene shortly after the incident, Bondi said in a post on X.
“Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more,” she wrote.
Bondi was asked Thursday morning, when she again visited the scene, about whether there was a security failure in preventing the attack.
“I don’t think anyone would have expected what happened last night,” Bondi said. “They were in an event, a beautiful event. … But no, I think law enforcement were on the scene immediately because of that, and the great men and women of the FBI are doing an incredible job as well as Metropolitan Police.”
Reaction to the shooting
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement in the aftermath of the shooting saying he was “shocked” at the murder of two employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“The Prime Minister spoke with Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and received an immediate update on the details of the incident,” the statement said. “The Prime Minister sends strength to the Ambassador and the embassy employees.”
“My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous anti-Semitic murderer,” Netanyahu said. “I have instructed to increase security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and security for representatives of the state.”
Netanyahu also spoke with the parents of both victims, the prime minister’s office said.
In Washington, D.C., the Secret Service on Wednesday night increased the security posture and patrols for the Israeli Embassy and the residence of the Israeli ambassador, officials said.
In New York City, the NYPD expanded its presence and security measures at Jewish and Israeli facilities and locations connected with the Israeli government. The increased security will remain in place indefinitely and is both visible and hidden, officials said.
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, called the shooting a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism” in a post on X.
“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” he wrote.
United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X, “We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims. We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former second gentleman Doug Emhoff shared reactions to the incident on social media Thursday morning, with Harris calling the attack a “shocking act of antisemitic violence.”
“Jews must be able to gather without fear or violence. We will not be silent and we will never let antisemitic terror defeat us. May the memory of Yaron and Sarah be a blessing,” Emhoff, who is Jewish and worked to combat antisemitism as second gentleman, wrote on X.
The Capital Jewish Museum, which has been closed since the shooting, will be reopening “in the coming days, with all necessary security in place,” according to Beatrice Gurwitz, executive director of the museum.
(SYRACUSE, N.Y.) — A group of students from a high school in Syracuse, New York, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday for an alleged hazing incident described by the local district attorney as “incomprehensible.”
All 11 implicated students surrendered themselves to police over the incident after being given a 48-hour deadline, the district attorney’s office confirmed to Syracuse ABC affiliate WSYR.
“I cannot really adequately express to this community the level of stupidity and lack of judgement involved in this case,” Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Fitzpatrick said he decided to prosecute charges against 11 students at Westhill High School who allegedly hazed a younger student on April 24.
In the evening hours of April 24, the students — most are members of the boys varsity lacrosse team — allegedly decided they would “haze or play some sort of prank on some of the younger members of the lacrosse team,” Fitzpatrick said.
One victim told officials he thought he was going to have an “enjoyable evening with the upperclassman, go to a lacrosse game and finish the evening with something to eat at McDonald’s,” Fitzpatrick said.
But, on their way home from eating food, the driver of the car claimed he was lost, stopped in a remote part of the county, which is when “accomplices jumped out of the woods pretending to be kidnappers,” Fitzpatrick said.
These accomplices, who were other students, were dressed in black and armed with “at least one handgun and at least one knife,” Fitzpatrick said.
The victim had a pillowcase placed over his head, was tied up and placed in the trunk of the car, according to the DA.
“I’ve seen the video tape of what happened to this young man, it is not a rite of passage, it is not a trivial matter,” Fitzpatrick said. “I find it incomprehensible that in this day and age that somebody thought they could have gotten away with something like this.”
Investigators say there were four other potential victims, but they were able to flee the area.
Fitzpatrick, who described the incident as “hazing on steroids,” had given the 11 suspects 48 hours to turn themselves into the sheriff’s department.
The DA said Tuesday that if the suspects decided to surrender to police before Friday, their cases would either be handled through the family court system or would not fall under their criminal records.
He added that if the students refused to cooperate, they would be arrested, prosecuted as adults and charged with kidnapping in the second degree.
Fitzpatrick said the incident “goes way beyond hazing,” likening it more to “criminal activity.”
“If you want to welcome someone onto your team and toughen them up, maybe an extra hour of practice might be appropriate as opposed to taking someone at gunpoint, stuffing them in the back of a car and traumatizing them for the rest of their life,” Fitzpatrick said.
Westhill Schools Superintendent Steven Dunham sent an email to families regarding the incident, saying the school made the “difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the Westhill High School varsity boys lacrosse season,” even though the majority of those on the team were not involved in the alleged hazing.
“Some may argue that all student-athletes shouldn’t be punished for the actions of a few. While I understand the perspective, we must address the culture of the program, and the most appropriate way to do that is with a reset,” Dunham said.
Dunham said the school will address the behavior that “negatively impacts members of our school community promptly and appropriately according to our Code of Conduct.”
