In an eventful day in New York City, New York Senator and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held a press conference in front of his office late Sunday morning, while Governor Kathy Hochul held functions at two churches to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. into the afternoon.
Following the computer snafu at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Chuck Schumer spoke in front of his office in Manhattan regarding the vacancy for Administrator of the FAA. During his speech, he placed culpability at the feet of the GOP, who have been stalling the confirmation of President Biden’s choice. Senator Schumer lauded the nominee, Phil Washington, as “experienced and qualified” to head up the FAA; he went on to affirm that the agency needs leadership to cope with the past difficulties, and that he will see to clearing the “logjam” to arrange a hearing for Mr. Washington.
Statistics on the brief shut down, as reported by NBC, were that 1,343 flights were canceled Wednesday and a further 10,060 were delayed. It was further reported that 50 percent of LaGuardia Airport’s departing flights were delayed, and Phil Washington’s hometown airport-Denver International-saw 60 percent of its departing flights delayed. The glitch was attributed to a corrupted database file upon the conclusion of the FAA’s investigation, and was later announced that there was “no evidence” of the malfunction being the result of a cyberattack.
Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul went from Brooklyn to Manhattan in order to visit two churches to speak about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in advance of tomorrow’s holiday celebrating the civil rights leader. Hochul started at one church by discussing her roots, calling herself a “social justice Catholic”. She defines it as “getting involved in every cause there was”, and stated that Dr. King’s teachings influenced her after he came to her hometown of Buffalo to speak. She went further to speak on his legacy and about the virtues that he preached, which she felt are essential to uphold. She diverged from the topic to talk about Hector LaSalle, a lawyer who has been nominated to serve on the New York Court of Appeals as Chief Judge; LaSalle has recently come under fire by his own party as being “anti-woman” and “anti-choice”, according to Hochul. She wrapped up her speech by reminding attendees of Dr. King’s teachings and his “sacrifice”.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed Monday January 16, 2023.
Photos by Bruce Cotler
Story by Emily Cotler
