Today in History: 273 people killed in American Airlines Flight 191 at Chicago's O'Hare Airport
Today in history:
On May 25, 1979, 273 people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed just after takeoff from Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
Vintage Chicago Tribune: American Airlines Flight 191 crashed near O'Hare airport 45 years ago. These are the 273 victims.Also on this date:
In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.
In 1946, Transjordan (now Jordan) became a kingdom as it proclaimed its new monarch, Abdullah I.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy told Congress: 'I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.'
In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, ordered the Virginia county to reopen its public schools, which officials had closed in an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka desegregation ruling.
In 1977, 'Star Wars' was released by 20th Century Fox; it would become the highest-grossing film in history at the time.
In 2008, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on the Red Planet to begin searching for evidence of water; the spacecraft confirmed the presence of water ice at its landing site.
In 2012, the private company SpaceX made history as its Dragon capsule became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station.
In 2018, Harvey Weinstein was arrested and charged in New York with rape and another sex felony in the first prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him. (Weinstein would be convicted of two felony counts in 2020, but an appeals court would overturn the conviction in 2024. A retrial on the charges began in April 2025.)
In 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, was killed when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and pleading that he couldn't breathe; Floyd's death, captured on video by a bystander, would lead to worldwide protests, some of which turned violent, and a reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Ian McKellen is 86. Country singer Jessi Colter is 82. Actor-singer Leslie Uggams is 82. Filmmaker and puppeteer Frank Oz is 81. Actor Karen Valentine is 78. Actor Jacki Weaver is 78. Rock singer Klaus Meine (Scorpions) is 77. Actor Patti D'Arbanville is 74. Playwright Eve Ensler is 72. Actor Connie Sellecca is 70. Musician Paul Weller is 67. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is 65. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 62. Actor Octavia Spencer is 55. Actor Cillian Murphy is 49. Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher is 47. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Aly Raisman is 31.
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USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Republicans in Congress head home to angry voters. So much for summer break.
The Jeffrey Epstein case has grown into a full-blown problem for Republicans who were already failing Americans. And that feels like a lose-lose scenario as 2026 midterm elections loom. What are you doing during your summer vacation? U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson apparently plans to spend his six-week break trying to get his story straight about the Epstein files fiasco. That's a daunting challenge for the Republican from Louisiana, who has flip-flopped from calling for "transparency" on the issue to sending the House home early on July 22 to shut down Republican attempts to release those files. But that's life when you unconditionally surrender the Article I powers that the U.S. Constitution grants Congress as a coequal branch of government to a scandal-prone presidency held by Donald Trump. If Johnson's vacation were a scary summer movie, we'd have to call it 'I Know What You Did With the Epstein Files.' Things don't look much better for the Republicans who are in control of the U.S. Senate. Trump wants that chamber to work through the summer break so it can rubber-stamp his nominees for various positions. If this also were a horror film, it would be a sequel – "No Way Out, Again" – because Trump did the same thing with a compliant Senate during his first term in 2018. So here are the options for congressional Republicans from now until early September: Go home and endure town halls with constituents angry about Trump's broken promise to release the Epstein files and the looming negative impacts of his signature budget bill. Or stay in Washington and answer a growing rush of questions as the Epstein news keeps beating like a "Tell-Tale Heart." Scary stuff, indeed. Epstein files put a stop to Republicans' victory lap Johnson has served less as a speaker of the House and more like a servant to Trump's expectations. And that was working for him. He helped pass Trump's budget bill, which slashes health care for the working poor while offering short-term tax relief for some in return for permanent tax cuts for America's wealthiest people. He did that as well with Trump's "rescission" package, which canceled federal funding that Johnson's own House had previously approved. He and Trump were looking forward to a victory lap on all that, despite consistent polling that shows a majority of American voters don't care for it at all. But the scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, who has been dead for six years, will not pass away. Trump exploited conspiracy theories on the reelection campaign trail about his old cruising buddy, a convicted pedophile who died in prison in 2019 during Trump's first term while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. But then Trump, who promised while campaigning in 2024 to release the Department of Justice's files on Epstein, decided recently to keep them secret, enraging his own supporters and putting his Republican allies in Congress in a tight spot. Maybe it's just a coincidence that Attorney General Pam Bondi is reported to have briefed Trump in May that he is mentioned in those very files that his supporters want to see released. So Trump's in a tight spot, too. Johnson's slipshod response to the Epstein secrecy has been to advocate for transparency, which Trump doesn't want, and then revert to presidential servitude by trying to stamp out any attempts at transparency. This has provoked something we rarely see anymore – bipartisanship – as Republican and Democratic members of the House voted together to subpoena the Epstein files. This doesn't look like it will simmer down in six weeks. Americans are clearly unhappy with Trump's Republican regime Republicans are hitting the road with a story that isn't selling well. A July 23 Fox News poll found that 67% of American voters think Trump's administration has not been transparent about Epstein, including 60% of the Republicans surveyed and 56% of Trump's so-called MAGA supporters. And then there's this: Fox News found that 4 out of 5 people in the survey said they were following the Epstein case. We're closing in on the end of July – vacation season – and these people are tuned all the way in on this. Trump's budget bill was also underwater in the poll, with 58% disapproving and 39% in support. That makes for testy town halls, if the Republicans dare to hold them in the next six weeks. And that feels like a lose-lose scenario with the 2026 midterm elections looming ever larger. Face your angry constituents and be ready to go viral on social media, exactly the kind of things that would-be opponents mine for campaign commercials. Or duck and cover and get branded a coward, exactly the kind of thing that would-be opponents exploit for campaign commercials. No matter which way Republicans go, at home or in Washington, they should first ask themselves: Does Trump care about how any of this impacts me and my future in politics, or is he only interested in protecting himself? I think they already know the answer. Trump is – now, in the past, in the future, always – looking out only for himself. That prompts two more questions. Why is he working so hard to keep the Epstein files secret? And do you really want to be on the record helping him with that secrecy if the files are finally released? Follow USA TODAY columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Translating Politics, here.
2 hours ago
The White House wants more states to redraw House maps to help GOP. Democrats are readying a fight
WASHINGTON -- The White House is eyeing redistricting efforts beyond Texas to help Republicans hold the U.S. House in 2026 — and Democrats are preparing to escalate in response, with one senator vowing to go 'nuclear' if needed. What's shaping up to be a multistate redistricting battle could mark the opening round for House control ahead of next year's midterms, when Democrats see retaking the House as the party's best chance to break Republicans' hold on Congress and President Donald Trump is determined to keep the GOP's majority. Democrats, under pressure from their base to match GOP tactics, have grown more forceful in their messaging and are taking concrete steps to push back, even as the party enters at a disadvantage. 'If they're going to go nuclear, then so am I,' said Sen. Elissa Slotkin. 'They're forcing us into this position because they're trying to pick their voters.' At Trump's urging, Texas Republicans are looking to redraw congressional maps to favor GOP candidates during a 30-day special legislative session that started this week. Trump has said he wants to carve out five new winnable GOP seats. But Trump officials are now going beyond just Texas, looking to redraw lines in other states such as Missouri, according to a person familiar with conversations but unauthorized to speak publicly about them. Democrats have fewer options. More of the states the party controls do not allow elected partisans to draw maps, instead entrusting groups such as independent commissions to draw fair lines. Still, party leaders are exploring their legal options and shifting their posture. A party long known for believing it's on the moral high ground is signaling it's ready to fight dirty. 'We can't fight with one hand behind our backs,' Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Tuesday. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries may have fewer options to match Republicans, but it hasn't stopped him from exploring them. Earlier this month, Jeffries' team spoke with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's office about redistricting after the news in Texas, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Drawing new congressional lines now could run afoul of the state constitution and undoubtedly draw legal challenges — but it doesn't appear to be off the table. 'What I'm going to say is, all is fair in love and war,' Hochul said Thursday, adding that she's 'going to see what our options are.' 'If there's other states that are violating the rules that are going to try and give themselves an advantage, all I'll say is I'm going to look at it closely with Hakeem Jeffries.' Jeffries and his advisers have also examined legal strategies in other states with Democratic trifectas, including California, where he recently met with the state's congressional delegation. On Wednesday, the California delegation's Democrats discussed the redistricting issue during a private meeting on Capitol Hill. And on Thursday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined an emergency call with others in the state about the effort. In an interview with The Associated Press, Pelosi said that she is not a fan of using redistricting outside of the 10-year window, but if that's what the party needs 'to win, we will do that.' 'Everything is on the table,' Pelosi told AP. California's governor, Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic contender for president in 2028, has taken a similar approach. He said on social media in response to Trump's redistricting push that 'two can play this game.' An independent commission handles redistricting in his state. Newsom has floated the notion of California's Democratic-controlled legislature doing a mid-decade redistricting, arguing it wouldn't be expressly forbidden by the 2008 ballot initiative that created the commission. He's also mentioned the possibility of squeezing in a special election to repeal the popular commission system before the 2026 elections get underway, either of which would be a long shot. Beyond the behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Democrats see the redistricting fight as an opportunity to meet the moment politically — delivering the kind of aggressive pushback their voters have demanded. Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, in a series of social media posts, pushed Democrats to fight back, saying the party should 'gerrymander to help Democrats' and arguing they should dilute heavily Democratic districts to secure more seats 'everywhere.' 'It's time for Democrats to understand the existential threat. Republicans aren't playing around and they will do this as long as it takes to keep power,' he warned. Gallego later told The Associated Press it's simply about ensuring 'that we're also fighting back.' That sentiment has gained traction beyond Congress. Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke said Sunday on CNN that Democrats need to be 'to be absolutely ruthless about getting back in power.' Next month, former President Barack Obama is heading to Martha's Vineyard for a fundraiser benefiting the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a group whose nonprofit affiliate has filed and supported litigation in several states over GOP-drawn districts. Eric Holder, Obama's former attorney general who chairs the outfit, is expected to attend, along with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to a copy of the invitation first reported by Politico. In a statement to AP, Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, called Republicans' moves 'cheating,' adding that the group would be 'using every single tool at our disposal to fight back and stop Donald Trump's scheme to steal the 2026 midterm elections from voters.' In addition to fundraisers like the one featuring Obama next month, that tool kit includes the group and its affiliates focusing on organizing volunteers and donors around the special Texas session. They also make media appearances and craft digital campaigns to highlight their arguments. Redrawing of congressional maps holds risks. During the 2010s, Texas' GOP-controlled Legislature redrew the congressional map to bolster the party's majority. But the advantage proved short-lived: in 2018, a backlash to Trump's presidency helped Democrats flip two seats that Republicans had assumed were safely red. 'There had to be folks that drew these lines and everything that had a very strong opinion of exactly where they ought to be,' said West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice, a Republican. 'Now just to say, 'OK, we're going to redraw this, we're going to redraw that. And by god, if you're going to redraw, we're going to redraw.' I don't like that.' Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday that he has not yet spoken to any Republicans in his state about redistricting but that it's up to the Missouri legislature and governor to make the call. 'I'd love to have more Republicans,' Hawley said.
CNBC
2 hours ago
- CNBC
Investing in Space: NASA's months of reckoning
For half a year now, NASA's been weathering a storm on every front, from its budget to its chain of command and potential program terminations. Employee uproar was an inevitable chapter of the saga. A group of 360 current and former NASA employees have penned a letter rebuking "rapid and wasteful changes" across staffing, mission and budgetary cuts at the space agency. "The last six months have seen rapid and wasteful changes which have undermined our mission and caused catastrophic impacts on NASA's workforce," the letter says, noting concerns that the proposed downsizing in personnel and funding are "arbitrary and have been enacted in defiance of congressional appropriations law" and that "the consequences for the agency and the country alike are dire." Signatories of the letter, titled the Voyager Declaration, urge the U.S. leadership not to implement "harmful" cuts and dispute "non-strategic staffing reductions," curtailing research projects, as well as cancelling contracts and participation in international missions or assignments for which Congress has already appropriated funding. It's no small list of objections raised at a time of broader uncertainty at NASA, which faces significant — and long chronicled — declines in funding and staff, amid a broader White House push to shrink down the federal workforce. "NASA will never compromise on safety. Any reductions—including our current voluntary reduction—will be designed to protect safety-critical roles," NASA Spokesperson Bethany Stevens said in an emailed statement. "The reality is that President Trump has proposed billions of dollars for NASA science, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to communicating our scientific achievements. To ensure NASA delivers for the American people, we are continually evaluating mission lifecycles, not on sustaining outdated or lower-priority missions." Adding to the tumult, NASA on Monday announced the high-level exit of Makenzie Lystrup, who will end her two-year stint as Goddard Space Flight Center director on Aug. 1. NASA says the step was communicated internally before any knowledge of the letter. It's not the first loss from the agency's senior ranks in recent months: Laurie Leshin stepped down from the director post of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in June. And more exits could be forthcoming: at the start of the month, Politico reported that at least 2,145 senior-level employees could depart NASA, many serving in core mission sets. Throughout, NASA — notable for both its own achievements and its substantial contracts to the U.S. private space industry — has remained without long-term leadership, after U.S. President Donald Trump's initial pick, tech billionaire and Elon Musk ally Jared Isaacman, was unexpectedly removed from consideration back in May. Sean Duffy, Trump's transportation secretary, was appointed to hold up the fort as NASA's interim administrator just this month. Inevitably, there's money on the line. NASA clinched a budget of $24.875 billion last year — 8.5% under its initial request and 2% below the funding of 2023 — that was matched in 2025. Under the Trump administration, the agency battled the possibility of a roughly 25% budget trim in 2026, although the U.S. House of Appropriations subcommittee has pushed back on these cuts. If enacted, the Trump funding proposal of $18.8 billion would have been the smallest NASA budget since before the U.S.' first crewed Moon landing via the Apollo 11 mission, commemorated this week on July 20. In a Monday statement, Trump said his administration is "building on the legacy of Apollo 11" and endorsed NASA's initiatives focused on "returning Americans to the Moon —this time to stay — and putting the first boots on Mars." Colonizing the red planet has been a vocally stated objective of the U.S. president since his January return to office, echoing the ambitions of his then-ally Musk. The two have since parted ways through an explosive rift, but the dream to land U.S. astronauts on the Moon and Mars has gripped the nation, with a respective 67% and 65% of those surveyed in a CBS News/YouGov pollv now in favor.
