SUMMARY: Just before a fatal midair collision at Reagan National Airport, FAA employees received a resignation offer that included eight months’ pay, which the air traffic controller union advised against accepting due to uncertainty about its implementation. The crash, resulting in 67 deaths, has reignited concerns over staffing shortages in air traffic control exacerbated by President Trump’s bureaucratic cuts. Despite claims of prioritizing public safety, air traffic controller staffing has been a longstanding issue. Experts warn that uncertainty surrounding hiring processes could further hinder the recruitment of necessary personnel, impacting aviation safety and efficiency.

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Florida DNC members split on who should lead the Democratic Party

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
January 31, 2025

The Democratic National Committee will gather in Maryland on Saturday to select their new party chair, and the 15 members from Florida are split about who that candidate should be.

Seven members, including Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and South Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones, are backing Ken Martin of Minnesota, a vice chair of the DNC who also serves as the chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party.

Seven other members, including recently elected FDP Vice Chair Daniel Henry and Karla Hernández-Mats, the party’s candidate for lieutenant governor in the 2022 election, are backing Ben Wikler, the Democratic Party Chairman of Wisconsin.

Sean Shaw, a former state representative from Hillsborough County and the party’s attorney general candidate in 2018, is backing former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley for the role.

“The future of the Democratic Party starts with investing in the South,” Fried said in a written statement.

“As Florida’s population changes, our political significance will evolve and with more Electoral College votes on the horizon, now is the time to start investing and organizing in our people. We need a new, Democratic strategy for the South that harnesses the collective power of our constituencies. A message that works in the South, will work across the country and we need our new Chair to understand that — and act on it.”

Sitting DNC Chair Jamie Harrison, who was criticized for strongly backing Joe Biden’s effort to stay in the 2024 election before departing last July, is stepping down from the role after a four-year stint. In a recent interview, Harrison doubled down on his beliefs, saying that the Democrats should have fully supported Biden in the presidential race despite his abysmal debate performance last June, which convinced enough high-ranking Democrats that he needed to drop his bid for re-election.

Biden did so in July and immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the de facto candidate before she was officially nominated and selected to be the party’s standard bearer during the Democratic National Convention last August.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

SUMMARY: At the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, the grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition was awarded to the war satire *Atropia*. Dylan O’Brien’s film *Twinless* earned the audience award. Other notable winners included *Seeds*, *Cutting Through the Rocks*, and *Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)*. In the world cinema competition, the documentary *2000 Meters to Andriivka* won a directing award. Audience favorites also included *Prime Minister* and *DJ Ahmet*. Documentary director awards went to Mstyslav Chernov, Geeta Gandbhir, and Rashad Frett, with special prizes for *Coexistence, My Ass!* and *Mr. Nobody Against Putin*.

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