Thursday Scoop: Grounded Planes

The big story…

President Trump Grounds All Boeing 737 Max 8 Planes

Yesterday, President Trump issued an executive order to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes following the deadly crash in Ethiopia that killed 157 people. Before the crash in Ethiopia, a Lion Air flight with the same type of plane in Indonesia crashed in October killing all 189 people on board. Although the FAA stated earlier this week that the planes did not need to be grounded in the U.S., many countries across the world have stopped flying Boeing 737s. The mysterious similarities of these two crashes — that took place just minutes after takeoff and on new planes — could leave Boeing 737 Max 8 planes out of commission for the foreseeable future.

In national news…

The Department of Health and Human Services Received Complaints of Alleged Sexual Abuse Against Foreign National Minors

According to internal agency documents released Tuesday by Florida Congressman Ted Deutch, the federal Department of Health and Human Services has received official complaints of alleged sexual abuse against unaccompanied foreign national minors in government custody. From October 2014 under the Obama administration to July 2018 under the Trump administration, the department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement in Washington, D.C. received more than 4,000 official complaints and the Department of Justice received more than 1,300 official complaints. Read more in Duane Paul Murphy’s report for CMN.

In global news…

British Lawmakers Oppose a No-Deal Brexit

British lawmakers have rejected a no-deal Brexit, adding to the list of defeats for Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May, and leading to a potential delay for the UK’s exit from the European Union. CNN reports, “The UK Parliament forced Theresa May to reject the option of leaving the European Union without a deal in any circumstances, in a motion that was worded more strongly than she had proposed.” Lawmakers will now vote today to decide if Brexit should be delayed beyond its March 29 deadline.

In politics…

Beto O’Rourke Announces Presidential Candidacy

Former Rep. and candidate for the Texas Senate Beto O’Rourke announced his 2020 presidential candidacy in a video released early this morning. O’Rourke became well known during the 2018 midterm elections for traveling to every county in Texas during his campaign and using social media frequently (once even during a tooth cleaning.)

In higher education…

Here’s What We Know So Far About Operation Varsity Blues

The biggest college admissions scandal in history surfaced yesterday when over four dozen people were charged with paying up to $6.5 million to get their children into prestigious colleges and universities. Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were among those charged. William Rick Singer, the ringleader of the scam, would assist the parents by having a third party proctor illegally change the child’s SAT or ACT answers after the exam to receive a desired score. Read more in Lindsay Wigo’s report for CMN.

Trending today…

Crime Time

Last but not least…

Album Review: Crooked Flower’s Into the Light

Crooked Flower was founded in 2014 in Berkeley, California, and consists of four members: Angelina Dang (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Dan Ingberman (guitars), Daniel Erik (bass), and Patrick Shields (drums and percussion). In a productive two-year period – 2016 to 2017 – the band churned out three albums, End of the Highway, The Moon Anyway, and On My Mind. Their fourth album, Into the Light, was released on February 17th, 2019. Read more in Kevin Ashley’s review for CMN.

Today’s Morning Scoop was made possible by Duane Paul Murphy, Lindsay Wigo, Natalia Kolenko, Kevin Ashley, and the CMN Staff. With Instagram down yesterday, a lot of people didn’t know what to do. But we have an idea — how about reading the news? (Specifically our news.) P.S. Was this newsletter forwarded by a friend? Subscribe here to get the Morning Scoop straight to your inbox every day.