An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max-9 aircraft grounded at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — For the first time since the Alaska door plug blowout, Boeing brought reporters into the Boeing 737 MAX factory in Renton, Washington. The tightly controlled tour started with an explanation of what led up to the blowout incident and the changes that have happened since January.
According to the explanation from Boeing officials, the fuselage came to Boeing damaged from the supplier. To fix the fuselage, the door plug needed to come off. Before they could get the plug back on properly, the plane needed to be moved to a new outdoor location. The overnight Move Team put the door plug back on to seal the aircraft from the outdoor elements but didn’t install the bolts (that’s not their job, and they expected it to be handled by the other team), the Boeing reps on-site said.
The first team never filled out the paperwork when they removed the door, so it became a perfect storm of the overnight team doing its job to protect the plane from rain, but because there was no paperwork, the next team never put the bolts back on because they didn’t know they were removed, according to company reps.
“Very transparently, the fact that one employee could not fill out paperwork was shocking to all of us,” Elizabeth Lund, chair of Boeing’s Quality Operations Council, told reporters.
During the visit to the Boeing facilities, a company rep said the Alaska Airlines door plug blowout incident has changed how the airplane maker operates, how they look at safety, their culture and the way they do business.
For the frontline workers, it has taken an emotional toll on many of them.
“Yeah, it’s tough here sometimes,” Bill Riley, who has worked with Boeing for 16 years in the Quality department, said. “We’re human like everyone else obviously … And it’s our work that’s being scrutinized and stuff like that.”
“That’s how our team feels; they obviously feel bruised right now. And our job is to listen, and our job is to take time to heal and double-down and focus on exactly what Bill just walked you through, and that’s how we’ll get through this. There’s a lot to be proud of, but there’s a lot of work to do,” Katie Ringgold, vice president and general manager of Boeing’s 737 program, said.
There are 10 stations on the assembly line at the factory, and the safety procedures and production practices at each station have changed. Notably, if a single employee says something is wrong, that employee has the power to stop the entire production line.
Boeing has received 30,000 tips, suggestions, and safety concern reports from employees since the incident. Boeing says they review each one and have made necessary changes when warranted. Lund said company executives call the tips and concerns “gifts.”
Other changes to workflow include:
Each team is required to stand down for one hour each week to discuss concerns or how they can improve.
Boeing has drastically slowed production. The Federal Aviation Administration caps Boeing at 38 planes per month, but Boeing is only producing roughly 20 737s per month until they are confident the factory can handle more.
The factory visited by ABC has an unusually high number of new employees because so many longtime employees left during the COVID pandemic, Boeing reps explained. Many new and senior employees are being retrained, and all new hires get at least two additional weeks of training than they would have had pre-Jan. 5.
Production manuals are being simplified so instructions are easier to digest and easier for those who speak English as a second language, Boeing reps said.
(NEW YORK) — A 16-year-old inmate at a juvenile correctional facility in Wisconsin faces homicide and murder charges after a staff member he is accused of attacking died, court records show.
The incident occurred Monday night at Lincoln Hills School in Irma, a juvenile correctional facility operated by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC).
The staff member — identified as 49-year-old Corey Proulx — suffered critical injuries while attempting to detain a juvenile inmate after the teen allegedly attacked another staff member at the school, according to DOC.
Proulx, a youth counselor at Lincoln Hills School, died Tuesday from his injuries, DOC said.
The teen was charged Wednesday with second-degree reckless homicide, felony murder-battery and two counts of battery in connection with the incident, according to a criminal complaint. During a court appearance on Wednesday, a judge ruled that the suspect — Javarius Hurd — will be charged as an adult.
Hurd’s bond was set at $100,000 and he was ordered to have no contact with Lincoln Hills School staff or the victims’ family members.
He faces up to 58 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
ABC News has reached out to the teen’s attorney for comment.
The teen allegedly told investigators that he had “built-up aggression” toward the initial victim because he believed the female staff member was “abusing their power and treating him unfairly” and planned to attack her, according to the complaint. He allegedly said he asked another juvenile for a cup of soap that he threw at her, according to the complaint.
He is accused of then “repeatedly punching” the unidentified staff member in her face and upper body before fleeing into a courtyard, according to the complaint.
When Proulx followed to detain the teen, Hurd allegedly struck him “multiple times unprovoked” and punched him in the face twice with “full force,” according to the complaint.
Proulx went limp and fell to the ground, striking his head on the pavement, according to the complaint. Surveillance footage captured the incident, the complaint stated.
Proulx was airlifted via medical helicopter to a hospital in critical condition, authorities said. He was declared brain-dead Tuesday afternoon by the Lincoln County coroner, according to the criminal complaint.
The female staff member was treated for her injuries at a hospital and has since been released, according to the complaint.
No other juvenile inmates were involved in the incident, DOC said.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered that U.S. and state flags fly at half-staff through sunset Thursday in honor of Proulx.
“By all accounts, Corey was a dedicated public servant who led with kindness and compassion in his commitment toward helping and supporting the youth he worked with,” Evers said in a statement.
DOC Secretary Jared Hoy said Proulx was a “dedicated professional, colleague, and friend.”
“A career in corrections, with its dual mission to protect the public and guide individuals toward rehabilitation, can be demanding and requires so many sacrifices for our staff and our families, and Corey made the ultimate sacrifice,” Hoy said in a statement. “Our DOC family is mourning Corey’s loss, and we are keeping all of his family members and friends in our thoughts.”
Proulx was remembered by his fiancée and daughter as an “amazing partner, father, son and human being,” DOC said.
Lincoln Hills School Superintendent Klint Trevino said Proulx was a “dedicated and compassionate member of our team, always striving to make a positive impact on the lives of the young individuals we serve.”
State Rep. Michael Schraa, chair of the Assembly’s corrections committee, said in response to Proulx’s death that he plans to conduct an informational hearing on conditions in the DOC.
“This is a prime example of why staff need the appropriate tools to keep themselves and other incarcerated individuals safe,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
The jam-packed BET Awards 2024 are just days away, but there are two things host Taraji P. Henson is most looking forward to seeing: the live debut of Will Smith‘s new song and the presentation of Usher‘s Lifetime Achievement Award.
“It’s going to be an incredible show,” she says in an interview with People. “You know, it’s Culture’s Biggest Night. The performances are going to blow us all away. We got Will Smith, guys. I am so excited to see what he has up his sleeve.”
As for Lifetime Achievement recipient Usher, she says she’s “honored to host the show where he’s receiving his flowers.”
“I’m just proud of him. It’s just a proud moment,” she continues. “It’s a proud moment for the culture.”
Taraji’s return to the BET Awards marks her third time as host of Culture’s Biggest Night. Yet, she’s still a bundle of nerves — and she says that’s a good thing.
“I love nerves,” Henson shares. “I get nervous on the first day of shooting. It’s a live show. Anything can go right or wrong, you know, but that’s what’s so exciting.”
“If I’m not nervous, I would be nervous,” she adds.
The BET Awards 2024 will air live on BET Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be underway in one month, and Snoop Dogg is ready to take on his role as a correspondent for NBC Sports. Speaking to Time, he says watching the Olympics was something he began to do as a child.
“Back then we only had so much. It’s not like right now, where you got so many different things you can watch and social media and all that s***. We only had TV,” he says. “There was only one TV in the house, so whatever one member of the family was watching, we were all forced to watch it.”
The Olympics, he adds, were a family favorite that “would take over the whole house whenever it would come on.”
“And it’s special ‘cause you’re seeing athletes for the first time in three, four years and they’re representing the country,” Snoop continues. “So that meant a lot, watching it as a kid.”
His love for the Olympic Games, however, isn’t the only reason he decided to take advantage of the opportunity.
“This is what I do, you know what I’m saying? I love being in front of the people. I love sports. I know what I’m talking about,” he shares. “The network is appealing enough to understand that we deserve each other. So we’re gonna make magic.”
While some may assume the creation of Snoop’s “magic” will include the consumption of cannabis, he says he’s putting that aside to focus on the job.
“I plan on going out there and doing NBC Olympic work. Being clean as a book, clean as the athletes,” Snoop says. “They can test me if they want to. I’m going to be out there doing what I’m supposed to be doing to make sure I bring home the gold. Which is me.”
JT‘s addressing the public exchange she and fellow City GirlYung Miami had two months ago, chalking the conflict up to “ego.”
“When you get to the point of ego … it gets there. You forget to express yourself in a private setting, or you forget to talk like adults,” she says on the Baby This Is Keke Palmer podcast. “It’s both of us getting an attitude like ‘who the f*** you think you are?’ And it’s just like – it happened. It was stupid and it’s done. It’s over with and now it’s funny to both of us, now it’s hilarious.”
“If we ever speak on it, she should be able to tell her side and how she feels because we both were deada** wrong,” JT continues. She adds that she was “hurt” by the situation but insists the two are still friends.
As fans may remember, Yung Miami posted a slew of tweets back in April, in which she accused JT of sneak-dissing her on her solo songs, prompting a back and forth that eventually ended with a phone call.
While the two are now cool, Miami and JT decided to focus on solo music, as their attempts to make music as the City Girls “just wasn’t connecting,” Miami previously told Complex.
JT is now getting ready to release the remix to her single “Okay,” which features Jeezy.
(WASHINGTON) — Five people have been charged in connection with an alleged plot to bribe a juror with $120,000 cash during a federal trial over pandemic relief fraud.
Federal prosecutors called the incident an “elaborate” and “chilling,” but ultimately foiled, scheme to infiltrate the jury.
The alleged bribery attempt was reported as the six-week trial in Minneapolis was wrapping up against seven people charged in connection with an alleged $250 million fraud scheme through the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
One of the anonymous jurors — identified as Juror 52 — told police an unknown woman left $120,000 cash at her home the night of June 2 in an attempted bribe to acquit the defendants, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. The woman handed a gift bag to a relative of the juror, who was not home at the time, and promised more money if the juror returned a verdict of not guilty, according to court documents. The juror reported the incident to local authorities, who turned over the cash to the FBI, Luger said.
The alleged bribe was announced the following day in court and the seven defendants on trial — all of whom would have had access to Juror 52’s identifying information — were ordered to turn over their cellphones, according to court documents.
“The news shocked all in the case and all who work in our criminal justice system,” Luger said during a press briefing on Wednesday announcing the bribery charges. “Corruption of a jury through intimidation or bribery is a serious federal crime that carries a significant prison sentence.”
Juror 52 was dismissed on June 3, and as deliberations got underway, a second juror was dismissed on June 4 after reportedly learning about the alleged attempted bribe from a family member, according to Twin Cities ABC affiliate KSTP.
Federal agents began probing the alleged bribe attempt to determine the identities of the co-conspirators and how the identity and address of Juror 52 were revealed.
Abdiaziz Farah, a defendant in the trial who was ultimately convicted, allegedly organized the conspiracy, Luger said. He deleted all of the contents of his phone in court on June 3 before turning it over to authorities, Luger said. A list of the names of the jurors — who were only known to the court — was found at his home hidden in a water bottle during the execution of a search warrant on June 5, Luger said. A bag containing the fingerprints of Ladan Ali, of Seattle, was also found in his home, according to Luger.
Ali was ultimately identified as the woman who showed up at Juror 52’s home, according to Luger. She arrived in Minneapolis on May 30 and allegedly followed Juror 52 home from the courthouse on May 31 in a rental car, according to Luger. She allegedly agreed to deliver the bribe money in exchange for $150,000, according to the indictment.
Ali was allegedly recruited for the juror bribery scheme by Abdimajid Nur, a defendant in the trial who was also ultimately convicted, according to Luger. A so-called blueprint instructing Juror 52 on how to win an acquittal was allegedly found on his phone, Luger said.
The $120,000 cash was allegedly provided by Said Farah, another defendant in the trial who was ultimately acquitted. He allegedly deleted from his phone a video of Ali delivering the bribe to Juror 52’s home, Luger said.
Abdulkarim Farah, the brother of Abdiaziz Farah and Said Farah, allegedly assisted Ali the night the bribe funds were delivered and took the video of her at the juror’s home, according to Luger. The indictment alleges he also removed the license plates from Ali’s rental car prior to the bribe attempt.
All five defendants have been charged with conspiracy to bribe a juror, bribery of a juror and corruptly influencing a juror. Abdiaziz Farah was also charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly deleting the contents of his phone through a factory reset, Luger said.
ABC News has reached out to the attorneys who represented Abdiaziz Farah, Said Farah and Nur during the trial. It is unclear if Ali and Abdulkarim Farah have an attorney who can speak on their behalf.
“These defendants engaged in the chilling attack on our justice system,” Luger said. “They sought to buy a juror and use her to infiltrate the jury with their own false arguments — arguments that had nothing to do with the evidence or law.”
The indictment alleges the conspirators researched Juror 52’s personal information online and on social media and surveilled her to confirm her home address and obtain information about her daily habits. They allegedly targeted Juror 52 because she is young and was believed to be the only juror of color.
The blueprint for the juror allegedly advised Juror 52 to argue to other jurors that the government targeted the defendants because they are immigrants and was “prejudice[d] against people of color,” according to the indictment. It also allegedly included directions for her to vote “NOT GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS FOR ALL DEFENDANTS,” according to the indictment.
“Fortunately for all of us, Juror 52 could not be bought and she terminated their scheme,” Luger said.
The defendants will begin making their initial appearances Wednesday afternoon, the DOJ said.
Luger said he believes the case marks the first time some of the juror bribery charges have been filed in Minnesota.
The federal trial during which the bribe was reported marked the first in the sweeping Feeding Our Future fraud case. Dozens of defendants are accused of exploiting funds from a federal child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic to purchase big-ticket items like luxury cars and houses.
The jury reached their verdict against the seven defendants on June 7 — convicting five and acquitting two.
Abdiaziz Farah was found guilty of wire fraud, money laundering, federal programs bribery and other counts. He was an owner and operator of Empire Cuisine and Market, a for-profit restaurant that was one of several entities that participated in the scheme by receiving more than $28 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, the DOJ said.
Nur was found guilty of receiving and laundering Federal Child Nutrition Program funds from Empire Cuisine and Market and other entities involved in the scheme, the DOJ said.
Said Farah, who was accused of fraudulently receiving approximately $4.5 million in federal nutrition program funds, was acquitted of all charges.
Seventy total defendants have been charged in the Feeding Our Future case, 18 of whom have entered guilty pleas, according to the DOJ.
